May 10th. The day finally came when Hillary Neilson and I embarked on our great adventure. We were Belgium bound. The day began at 7am in Malibu, California. After a small detour at the local Starbucks, Shannon Emery drove us to LAX, where we checked in and went through security check. I would like to say that everything went smoothly, but Hillary warned me ahead of time that she always gets stopped at security… and this was no exception. It seemed pretty painless from the sidelines, but the embarrassment of the wide stance hurts all. Don’t worry, friends and family, she is not a terrorist nor a betrayer of our country, she just wears bracelets… that set off the metal detector, whatevz.
We got to our gate in a timely manner, sat, and waited. We were headed to Chicago O’Hare for our connection to Brussels. We were waiting for quite some time when we realized that our flight was boarding… way to pay attention, right? We got on board and glowed with excitement, the first leg of our journey had begun. After three and a half hours of some intense iPod listening and terrible movie watching, we arrived in Chicago.
From there we had a little layover. We got some dinner, which consisted of two excellent bagel sandwiches and the best caramel corn ever. Garret Popcorn… whaddup product placement. But really, this caramel corn is fantastic. Then, Hillary and I sat and waited for our next flight to depart. During this time we had many discussions, but the most relevant to our trip was the topic of Flemish. Flemish… you know, the language! They speak in northern Belgium! We discussed our goals for our six weeks, which seemed a little steep at first, but after having arrived and learned some random Flemish… I think we’ve got a shot at these goals!
Finally, we got on our flight to Brussels, a daunting eight hour and twenty minute flight. Add on a six-hour time difference, and you’ve got yourself two very tired college students. After landing in Brussels we both celebrated my first European international experience. Leaving the Brussels airport was actually pretty short and painless. Our suitcases were not lost, which is a success. Not gonna lie here, that’s always one of my fears. Annnd, we were not stopped by customs. Even better!
After leaving the customs area, finding Paul Brazle, our on site missionary, was not difficult at all. From there, we loaded up our luggage and started a nice thirty-minute car ride to Antwerp, the city of our church. It was a little chilly and a little rainy, but both Hillary and I were so excited, the weather didn’t even matter. Nothing could have brought us down, and I feel as though we’ll still be on this high for a while. We got to know Paul, whom we have both decided is excellent, during the car ride.
We got to the church, which is located in a residential area in Deurne, a suburb of Antwerp. Paul showed us around and then brought us to our home for the next six weeks, which happens to be an apartment right above the church. Just a side note, the stairs leading to this apartment are slightly hilarious. They’re super narrow and steep, needless to say, Hillary, Maureen, and I will have fun… just with those stairs… stairs of death at Pepperdine have nothing on the stairs of death in Belgium. The apartment itself is kind of precious, its creaky and a little creepy… but it still feels like home. I love it, it makes me so happy, really. Did I mention it’s in Belgium?
After we had been acquainted with the church building and our living quarters, we walked down the street to get some lunch. The restaurant that we went to… was a pita restaurant! Oh so good. It was pitas and friets, which are Belgian fries. Can I just say, food-wise, Belgium has met my expectations, and when I say that, I mean that the restaurant we went to at lunch had fries… and when I was looking through our kitchen I found a box with waffles inside. Those are two of three core parts to the Belgian diet!... I thought that it’d be cliché, but it is for real. Anyway, Hillary and I got pitas and skipped out on fries, and from then on we discussed the details of our Let’s Start Talking trip with Paul.
Next, we headed out to the Brazle’s house. When Paul picked us up he mentioned that Carol, his wife, wanted to have us over for dinner. Their house is about 10-15 minutes away from the church building, but we took the scenic route so it took a little longer. Hillary was talking to Paul about all kinds of things in the front while I felt as though I was being lulled to sleep by the car in the back. I was listening to them talk, but I just couldn’t manage to actually formulate words and join in on the discussion. It turned out to be okay though.
We got to the Brazle home and met Carol along with their 11 year old, Jesse. Carol made us feel welcomed and at home, and we both love Jesse. Within minutes of us being there, Jesse whipped out his rock collection and showed us what he had collected from all over the world. After a short while, dinner was ready. It was a fantastic spaghetti dinner accompanied with salad and corn. It was the perfect home-y meal. Jesse inhaled his dinner, but he had karate class right after dinner. The rest of us took our time trying to get to know one another over tea and chocolate (the third part of the Belgian diet).
We left the Brazle home with Carol and headed back to De Grijspeerstraat 92, our church building and home. Carol teaches a woman’s aerobics class called Body & Soul, which is a company that integrates praise songs and exercise. Hillary and I were tired and jetlagged, but we figured we should get to know some of the locals, and what better way to do that then through praise and exercise?! The women who came were great and a lot of fun. Working out was a very good choice. When the class was over, we were ready for bed. We got ready and scaled the death stairs multiple times, and finally we were in the place that we had been thinking of since arriving in Belgium – our beds.
As I said earlier, our apartment in a little creaky… and creepy. I told Hillary that I was getting in bed with her if I got scared. Suddenly, we heard the neighbors shouting in the hallway, it was scary, but afterward all was well as we both fell asleep in our new home. It was an incredible journey, and we have already met so many great people. This is all due to prayers, both the prayers of our own and of others. Thank you all so much, because it is thanks to a lot of you that we are even here. This opportunity does not come often and we are ecstatic to be doing the work of the Lord.
Peace, Love, and Jesus,
Dana and Hillary
A note to Maureen: We are sooo excited to have you coming in a week. We’re sure that you’ll love it like we love it! We’re in the process of making a video, maybe we’ll have some of it ready before you come… or maybe just when you get here. Annnd, a side note, we need plug converters... if you could bring one or two, that'd be great. Also, cake mix for my birthday, haha. Could you get a funfetti and stick it in your suitcase? Whatever you can do is great! We love you either way, haha. :)
