Apartment hunting woes

We leave in two days for our apartment hunting trip to Brussels. And as I write these words my stomach is tied in a million knots!! I am both overwhelmingly excited that the time is finally here (that I finally get to go to this wonderful city where we plan to spend our next to years!!) and totally anxious and scared (scared that it's not going to live up to my expectations...scared that we're not going to be able to find a place we love). I think these are normal feelings so I'm not surprised by them...this IS a big deal. A life altering crazy adventure that is very close to becoming a reality now...so I'm trying to have faith that all things will work out. And our faith did come to fruition last week when we sold our house...God is so good. At the last minute...we were literally a week away from having to sell it to his company for almost $10K less...we got an offer and were able to make it work! Jacob and I were so excited!! I also had my going away party at work...I amazingly didn't cry...ten years of my life have been devoted to Boeing and saying good-bye is a hard thing. Everyone was very sweet though...saying if I am so inclined they would happily have me back one day...so who knows, maybe it isn't an ending, but just a brief hiatus :o) That makes it feel a little easier...having it slightly open ended.

Now back to the house hunting...we have a consultant over in Belgium...setting up all the appointments and giving us a tour...some tips on how to get settled, etc...she even set up a visit at the American Women's Club of Brussels which is fantastic because I was hoping to get involved with the organization when we move. The issue I'm having is a gut wrenching feeling of not having control...something I struggle with often. Typically when doing something major like buying a house...or finding an apartment...I feel most comfortable if I can do a lot of research...exhaust all the possibilities...and have time to consider what will be the best decision. We are not able to have that luxury in this instance...hence some of my anxiety. I tried to do my homework first...even sent her the below to ensure she knows what we like...

• Atleast 3 bedrooms
• Washer/dryer (or atleast a hook-up for one)
• Equipped kitchen (including dishwasher)
• Some character (meaning not a bland, boring space…something with some charm…wood floors, archways, pretty windows, exposed brick, high ceilings, molding)
• Open floor plan (would love to be able to have kitchen open to living room)
• One level (would really like this to avoid dangerous stairways with a toddler
• Parking space (covered or enclosed would be even better!)
• Close walking proximity to grocery, parks, public transport, etc
• 1700 Euros or less per month
• 2 year leasing agreement possible (typical in Belgium is 3 or 9 years!! Holy cow!)
• 30 minute or less commute from Zaventem
• Lift would be really nice
• House or apartment ok

Here are some examples I found on Immoweb.be that I like…just to give you an idea of taste (not sure if the links will work as they change frequently)

• n° 3176936 (love the open looking floor plan, wood floors, natural light from the windows, looks spacious)
• n° 3132426 I LOVE this house!! But I’m really worried about the stairways…so not sure it would work, but the character and charm of it are amazing! Grand kitchen, beautiful arched windows, wood floors, high ceilings, molding, etc.) It also looks pretty far away from Zeventem
• n° 3055341 I think this one has a kitchen with blue cabinets…that I really like! Not shown in these pictures, but was in a previous listing…and everything else looks the same. Also love how big it is!
• n° 3144325 I’m guessing this one is in a bad neighborhood because it’s been available forever! But I love the openness of it, the high ceilings, built in cabinets, etc.
• n° 1759673 Possibility in WSP…has some of the charm, but not as much as the ones I’m finding in Brussels city. I know this is probably the ideal place for us to live, I’m just really struggling with finding ones I like in this part of the city…I’m hoping you can help.
• n° 3072743 Another WSP possibility

I know...I know...this note is totally dripping with my "type A" personality! I was not kidding when I say I have an innate need to be in control. So I think that is a lot of where my angst is coming from...we received our itinerary for our trip next week and found out we have two days to search and will only be seeing 7 apartments!! Oh my...7 apartments are great if they are all exactly what I have in mind and it will be difficult to down select from the 7, but what if none of them are really what I'm picturing. Do we get more time? Can we make more appointments? I don't know...and I'm worried! So I'm trying once again to have faith! Faith that next week when I sit down to post how our house hunting trip went I will be overjoyed at the place we've found...ecstatic to post pictures of our new home...of the neighborhood we're in...of it all!! Please, please, please...let this be the case!! Wish us luck...

Cultural Awareness

We were given the opportunity last week to take cultural awareness training at Jacob's work and I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it was really quite interesting. They did focus somewhat on the business aspect of things and what he can expect from working in Brussels, but they also gave some good information and tips about living and surviving in Brussels...and really in any international assignment.

It was interesting to hear some of the history of Belgium. Based on it's central location in Europe it is frequently referred to as the "heart of Europe" or the "crossroads of Europe". This reminds me of lovely St. Louis...often know as "the gateway to the west" also highlighting it's central location. The upside of this is that it is home to both the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU). Unfortunately though it's central location is also the cause of Belgium being the battleground of many wars. This has likely led to it's people being somewhat "risk adverse". The term uncertainty avoidance was used quite frequently in our discussion to describe the culture there. We were told they will tend to be very direct in what they say and expect you to do the same. The saying "say what you mean and mean what you say" came to mind as they were describing this aspect of the culture to me.

Some other interesting tidbits I learned are that in Belgium I will be called Maureen Waldron as they do not believe in taking your husbands name when you get married. And typically, unless you are close friends, everyone greets each other using last names. They are very punctual (uh-oh...not exactly our forte!) and tend to be quite formal in dress and behaviors. Wearing a pair of running pants around the corner to the grocer would likely be sneered at by the locals. They love food and typically a meal will last 3 or more hours...oh my...what do you do with a one year old for that amount of time! They are very family oriented and value their personal time immensely.

They also gave us some safety tips, such as registering with the American Embassy, bringing copies of our birth certificates, not speaking "American English" too loudly in public situations (this will likely attract those who are not too fond of America to come and give you their opinion on what they don't like about us), always wear a cross-body purse and carry it in front or on your hip, never place a purse on the passenger seat of your car or when stopped at a traffic light your window may well be broken and the purse snatched up...yikes!

I would say my biggest take away from the entire day though was the "Culture Shock W Curve" shown below...



It highlights many of the emotions and feelings we will be experiencing during this exciting (albeit somewhat scary) adventure! Our instructor said at some point during it all we are for sure going to feel sad and homesick and probably feeling like we made a horrible decision...but to just remember that this feeling will be TEMPORARY. So to just keep our chin up and lean on each other and try to maintain our hobbies...and that this fleeting moment of depression will pass and we can return to enjoying this crazy, awesome opportunity we've been given!