Tag Archives: travel

Belgium

Posted on by
Reply

So last semester I wrote a lot about trying to go to Belgium this semester. Well guess what? Endless paperwork, 3 trips to the embassy and 1 trip to to consulate later, I got my visa, and I am currently sitting in my apartment in Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode, a highly Turkish neighborhood in Brussels, Belgium.
IMG_0305

I’ve been here for 11 days. So far, it’s been a whirlwind and I’ve spent money at an incredibly unsustainable pace so far. I’ve been all over the city, both walking and on public transportation, I’ve been to classes in English and classes in French, I’ve eaten lots of foods and tried lots of Belgian beers. I’ve been overwhelmed by how awesome Europe is and I’ve been overwhelmed by how much I miss America. I’ve bought a cell phone and a Skype webcam, and impressed lots of Belgians with my French skills. I’ve done so much it feels like I’ve been here for 2 months, not less than 2 weeks.

The Highlights:
-Meeting tons of Europeans. The program I’m in (“Erasmus”) is designed to allow European students to study somewhere else in Europe for a semester. So most of the time I’ve been exploring the city with my new Italian, Finnish, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Lithuanian, Spanish, Moroccan, Canadian, and Turkish friends.
-French Fries are from Belgium. They are so good here. They are also served everywhere, in fancy restaurants and in Greek restaurants and in Chinese restaurants and just everywhere. The best thing to get that’s frie-inclusive is a mitraillette (a machine gun): they take some french bread, cut it open, put some meat and if you’re lucky some veggies inside, then toss in a bunch of fries, then pour a few ounces of your favorite sauce on top, then try to close it. It”s so yummy.
-Walking. I walk so much here. I walk to school and back to my apartment and then back to meet some friends downtown and then we walk together to get some food, and we walk around because the sun is finally out and then we walk to Grand Place to check out the cool gargoyle-ish statues and then we walk to Rue Neuve to do a little window shopping and then we walk back to Saint-Josse because it’s late and we have some homework to do.
-The Italians can cook. Marco and Simone, both from central Italy, can cook as well as anyone I’ve ever met in my life. And they love to do it. So every couple nights I find myself eating some variant of pasta, always with a homemade sauce and complimented with deliciously cooked veggies. I’ve never eaten better in my life.
-Being allowed into bars. Makes life a lot easier.

IMG_0312

Share

Fraternity Travels

Posted on by
Reply

This past weekend I did something that many fraternity members will never do, I attended a leadership conference sponsored by the Alpha Sigma Phi national headquarters. Let me start by saying that if you ever get a chance to attend a leadership conference of any type, you should do it. I learned so much about myself and got so many ideas about what I can brink to my fraternity and to McDaniel. A lot of times we lose focus, getting caught up in our social lives, putting importance on things that truthfully just won’t matter once we graduate, but this conference helped me realize that we can leave a legacy for ourselves if we live everyday being the best men and women that we can be.

Three of my brothers and I flew out to Indianapolis last Friday. It was an early flight. I arrived at BWI at 6am so I would be sure not to miss my flight. The Alpha Sig national headquarters paid for the flight and for the hotel and dinners for three nights. It was a great deal, plus I love flying. We arrived at the hotel, the luxurious Crowne Plaza, only 40 minutes or so before we were supposed to meet down in the lobby so my brothers and I had to quickly get up to our room and change (most of us had traveled in sweats in the name of comfort). Once in the lobby we were quickly filled into a large room with almost 250 brothers from colleges and universities across the country.

There was something cool about being in a room with so many guys who had committed themselves to similar values to your own and been through similar experiences all to find themselves in Indianapolis on this particular weekend. It was nice in making conversation since you already had one major thing in common with every guy in the room. Over the course of the next few days, I met all kinds of guys of different backgrounds and from different states, and together we helped define and strengthen each other’s commitments to our core values as brothers and men.

I know that you’re probably thinking about how cheesy all of this sounds, but it really did make a difference in how I view the world. I’m not saying that if you’re a guy you should come to McDaniel and pledge Alpha Sig, I mean you should come check us out cause we’re awesome, but what I am saying is that you should take advantage of opportunities like these as they arise in college, and they will. Lessons learned: you never stop growing, you never stop learning, there’s always something you can change to make yourself, and the brothers from Murray State know how to have a good time.

Share

The Day After

Posted on by
Reply

Big News: My acceptance letter for my study abroad came today! I’M GOING TO BELGIUM!!

But this post is about what I did on Black Friday. Quickly, for anyone thinking about visiting Boston: 1. Go to Harvard Square and take in all the smart people. 2. Go to a Red Sox game; Bruins and Celtics aren’t the same, Patriots is too expensive. 3. Get a cannoli from Mike’s Pastries in the North End. 4. Understand that the North End is directly south of East Boston. Also South Boston is directly east of the South End. The South End and South Boston are both north of the geographic center of Boston. 5. Ride the T. It’s cheap and fairly quick, and helps you discover new muscles. 6. Climb the Bunker Hill Monument. It’s the Washington Monument for northerners. 7. Go to Fanueil Hall and watch YAK (You Already Know), a group of dancers that performs pretty much 365 days per year. They are pretty good performers but excellent businessmen. 8. Eat a burrito at Boca Grande Tacqueria and then one from Anna’s Tacqueria and compare. They both have multiple locations and are owned by two Chinese siblings that have become such competitors, they no longer speak to one another. 9. Find two places in your favorite Boston movie. I know pretty where everything in The Town was shot, and my brother once found the house used in Good Will Hunting. 10. Find the tombs of 5 famous people. Robby and I found John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Sam Adams in about three minutes. We also found the Sam Adams brewery, but it’s only 4 blocks from my house.

I hope everybody gained 5 pounds, because I know I did. (Only half joking, I had a lot of pie.) Black Friday is supposed to be a day of shopping, but my family has our own traditions instead. My friend and I were (rudely? sadly? predictably?) awoken at 9:00 AM, and we thought we smelled bacon. Nope. Just meatballs in the oven. So we ate cereal and headed out to The Christmas Place, “The Largest Christmas Store in New England.” Every year they are open only from October through Christmas Eve, and they sell anything anyone could ever want that has to do with Christmas – except, (unfortunately? sadly? predictably?) nothing with the name “Barnabas” on it.

We bought a few ornaments and wreaths, and then headed out to our favorite location: the Blue Hills. If you like nature and are visiting Boston, please, please go for a hike in the Blue Hills. They are close to the city, they are forested, and they are beautiful. We went for a hike, built a fire and roasted hot dogs, and climbed a few trees and a particularly large boulder. In the summer I earn myself some extra money by lifeguarding at one of the lakes in the area, and in the winter we skate there too! Sometimes, if we’re lucky, there will be a friendly ice fisherman that will let us real in a fish with him.

Finally we came home, ate the spaghetti and meatballs (not bacon) Mom had prepared, and sat back to watch Elf. If you’ve never seen Elf, go see it. It’s one of the best Christmas movies ever and it’s both funny and touching. One of my toughest fraternity brothers says Elf is his favorite movie. My 26 year old sister says its in her top 5. Somehow, my parents had never seen it, so we helped them enjoy it by explaining the parts their old ears couldn’t hear. (Yes, they’re old: Thanksgiving Day was their 32nd anniversary!). Finally we played Bananagrams (our new favorite game) and did a little homework. Thanksgiving was fun; so was Black Friday.

 

Share

Trapped on campus? No way!

Posted on by
Reply

McDaniel may be located in suburbia, but that certainly doesn’t mean we get stuck here. As it is Fall Break, many students either went home or embarked on short trips during our short vacation.

If you’re looking to head home during a break, the easiest way to get a ride is through the weekend shuttle service, which makes local stops at Walmart and the mall as well as longer trips to the Owings Mills Metro Station. Additionally, a shuttle is available to transport students to and from BWI Airport/BWI Amtrack station.

For those who aren’t heading home for the break, there’s a ton of options for day trips and overnight excursions. A few ideas include:

1. Backpacking

During my freshman year, I did a weekend backpacking trip with the Outdoor Club on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania, and I can’t wait to try it out again. Going with the club rather than on my own was awesome because I got to use the school’s backpack rather than my own and learned what to do from people who had been a ton of times. My favorite part was standing at the middle point of the entire trail!

2. Exploring nearby cities

With Baltimore, Frederick, Annapolis and Washington, DC all within an hour’s drive from campus, it’s super easy to gather a group of friends and shop and sightsee. The McDaniel shuttle can even help you get to Baltimore for free! My personal favorite is probably downtown Frederick, which is home to some awesome antique malls and stores that specialize in everything from olive oil to loose tea to battery-free children’s toys.

3. Checking out the monuments at Gettysburg

Our campus is only 30 minutes away from the location of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, so heading up to Pennsylvania for a day to check it out is definitely worth it. Beyond the monuments, you can check out the historic town and participate in ghost tours and reenactments. What’s more, you can stop by the Gettysburg outlets on the way home to do some shopping or catch a movie!

4. Heading up to the Big Apple

This is what I’m doing tomorrow to celebrate Fall Break! Some of my housemates have never been, so we’re taking Megabus up just for the day. I haven’t been there for a few years, so I’m excited to explore with some people who are seeing it for the first time! With Megabus, tickets are cheaper the earlier you buy them, so be sure to plan your trip in advance!

No matter if you want to head home and see your family or spend a day in the city, McDaniel makes it easy to travel and is located in a great spot for checking out some awesome places.

Share