We landed in Brussels and apparently some of the luggage crew went on strike so after we went through customs we went to retrieve our luggage and met a huge crowd of people. There was no room to maneuver and no room around the luggage areas to even see if your luggage was on the belt. It took our group probably close to an hour to get our luggage and finally walk to the train station. Once we found out what trains to take to Verviers, we encountered our first European train ride! It was also the first time we would be able to see the landscape and architecture. The first thing I noticed was corn! Corn fields all around. I was surprised but felt right at home! The landscape is very rural. Lots of farmland. The houses are mixed. Some old quaint houses that are skinny and tall with lots of chimneys, and then some modern square houses with lots of windows. The buildings are old and brick and stone and as adorable as you would imagine them to be. I was screaming inside from happiness and cheesing big on the outside. We switched trains like 3 times so we became very skilled at maneuvering our huge suitcases up and down escalators and up and down the train stairs. We finally made it to Verviers where we met another one of our group leaders, Steve Johnson. When we got off our last train, all 26 of us beelined it for the housing that we would be staying at for the semester. It was quite a scene. 26 Americans rolling their huge suitcases across cobblestone sidewalks with huge backpacks on. We received a lot of strange looks and stares. The part of the building we occupy is above a French speaking Church of Christ and has 2 floors. The first floor has a girls bedroom that has about 8 bunk beds, a kitchen, an eating area, and the boys room. The second floor has another girls bedroom with about 3 bunk beds and a room for class and lounging. It’s small but it’s perfect. I feel like I am at church camp, but it’s pretty cozy! After our tour, Marie Johnson made us an array of sandwich “fixins” and we ate lunch. It was amazing! After not eating during all that train traveling and walking, we were starving. After lunch, we set up our beds and got settled in and got ready to leave at 5 for dinner. We had reservations at a pizza place called Cucina Restaurant at 6. During the hour gap, the Johnsons took us on a tour of Verviers. It is a small town and has a lot of charm. The buildings just hold so much age and history. The pizza was delicious but our whole group was just so done for the day. We were falling asleep at the table after we ate. So we bustled back to the building to take our showers and hit the hay. So day one in Verviers ends early but it was the perfect start to what will be a great semester!

Tomorrow: Aachen, Germany!