Au Revoir Bruxxels
I am sitting in an empty room. Everything is swiped clean, curtains are down, sheets are fold and on the corner sits my luggage and backpack, echoing the eulogy of a time well spent in a city unknown. The time came fast and slow, who knows. But before I could start to feel it, it slipped away. Everything has its time to come and go and for me, I know its time to bid farewell to Brussels.
When I hopped on the plane on March 2021, I was in jubilance to achieve the unachievable, to live a life unlived but cherished for many years and to feel the liberty unfathomable living in a land of constraints.
What Brussels meant for me?
- City of Lights
Every city that I visit has a particular place or spot that grows on me, for me that place captures the very essence of the culture and people living there. In brussels, the Palais de justice is that place, its my place.
When we walked towards the canopying structure, that can be seen from miles afar, we were welcomed by a series of magnificent murals, paying tribute to Belgian comic artists (couldn’t take photo for low light). The murals depict justice and injustice through various characters, culminating in the grand structure itself.
The palace of justice was the largest structure established in the 19th century and still now its the most important court building in Belgium. But its the view that it offers that attracts people here every evening, sometimes for a soiree, sometimes for a quiet refuge from the hustle.
From the terrace, you can have best view of Brussels, the gradual development of the city from middle to modern ages. On one side, you can see the domes of Grand place, Trinite and the Basilica of Sacre coer. As you continue eastwards, you will see the high rises of EU institutions and the mirrored spheres of Atomium. Interestingly, we saw some installations on rooftops as well, as if the sculptors were taunting our ariel view. The painters, sculptors and street performers truly enliven this bustling city.
It was pretty late when we first went to this place, but as we headed back, we were sure of two things- we are absolutely in love with this place and that no number of visits will be enough for it, ever.
The next day, we decided to have a little picnic there after office. We found a perfect spot with panorama view of the city. As the clouds hovered above us and the wind all set to blow us away, we put on some soft music. This was the perfect place, the perfect moment for some mushy Bollywood songs.
And just as it happens in movies, it started raining after a while. As we didn’t have an umbrella, we took shelter in the old ruins of the palace. There we were, amidst the majestic columns of an ancient courthouse, enjoying the smell of rain and watching the city retire for the evening. I was in the arms of my lover and, in that moment nothing else mattered….
2. Street Stories
A leisurely walk in Brussels in nothing short of a treasure hunt, there is gem hidden in every nook and cranny of this city. Belgians pride themselves for their rich history of art and culture and they rightfully do so. From this very soil originated famous cartoon characters like Tin Tin, Smurfs and Asterix & Getorix. In the late 90s, the government of Brussels found an extraordinary way to pay homage to their brilliant artists
Just the other day, I was walking by Ixelles, one of the richest neighbourhoods of Brussels. Since most of the buildings are of modern decor, I did not expect to see any murals here. But who was I kidding? I saw this mystic mural of a nightcrawler watching over the city.
Just around the corner wa Fernand Coque, an old square beside the commune of Ixelles. There I saw a jaw-dropping mural of a lady. Her dark hair, piercing eyes and sharp edges indicates she belongs either from Latin America or near the Mediterranean.
As I was standing there, admiring the life-like mural, a stranger came to talk to me. His name was Allan, he is a freelance translator working for EU institutions- there it was, our common ground. The first thing he said, “Do you know this lady? Its Malibran”. It hit me immediately, for I have read of her somewhere but could not remember the exact details, I could only make out the fact that she was a singer of some sort. Allan laughed, “Well, then you know more than the locals here!”. I learnt a great deal from our conversation.
Maria Malibran was a famous Spanish opera singer of 18th century. She reached international acclamation for her stormy personality and dramatic intensity. At the pinnacle of success, she met with an accident falling back from her horse in England. She hurt her neck, but denied treatment to continue her performance. This resulted in her untimely death at the age of only 18, two months after incurring injury. After Malibran’s death, her husband, Charles Auguste de Beriot, went into deep shock and confined himself in a quiet manor here in Brussels. Charles was a famous violinist himself. Mourning for his beloved wife, he kept his curtains shut for 10 years and did not return to stage before that. Allan told me, the reason why Malibran’s mural was painted around Fernand Coque is that Charles resided in this exact manor beside the square, which used to be his courtyard. The manor was later transformed into the commune of Ixelles.
Maria Malibran was buried in Brussels and a charitable fund was created in her honor.
3. European Quarters
Right from the first day of my traineeship, I was awed by the grandiosity of European quarters. Right beside Coudenberg Palace, were all the high rises of of different European institutions. On my first day, I was lost in the q
Last year when I saw the advertisement in Linkedin, t immediately sparked my interest to get into that pool since it’s a great way to get acquainted with the protocols and work of the European institutions. The traineeship is offered in Strasbourg, Brussels, and, Luxembourg or in offices the member states of the European Parliament and can be done in a wide range of fields ranging from law, multilingualism to EU internal and external policies. Although it’s great to see so many diverse fields, it was pretty daunting to handpick the most suitable one for myself, likewise it took me the longest time to go through the job description and requirements of the posts that closely matched my profile.
After much anticipation and two phased filtering process, I made it to the top 2–3% non-European pool from over 35000 candidates. I got offered to join the Directorate General of External Policies and arrived in Brussels in the last week of March to start my traineeship. The traineeship experience has been life changing for me to say the least. I have worked on such a scale that I could hardly fathom back in my country. The Directorate General of External Policies provide advice and policy recommendations to other EU institutions, manage resources, focusing on legislation, parliamentary diplomacy and support for democracy. The unit I work for, supports the President of the European Parliament and its political bodies in their work on the EU’s external policies in Asia. This was a great platform for me to make my voice heard to the members of Parliament on geopolitical issues pertaining to Bangladesh and to shape their perspective about our country. I was responsible for researching and creating briefs and strategy notes for different delegations. Through my work I advocated various delegations regarding their possible stance in issues like digital governance, garments worker safety, vaccine rollout, Rohingya rehabilitation and so on. Beyond all these was the experience of networking and getting mentoring from the finest professionals in their fields. All I needed were good team mates and supervisers to bring out the best in me and to lift up my confidence.
During my tenure I actively followed and attended the work of relevant parliamentary delegations and Committees meeting as well as events organized by embassies. My most memorable task was to help my team formulate the climate strategy for Asia. Later the strategy was integrated into the European Climate Law. It was surreal to watch in person the voting of Members of Parliament and the law getting announced by UN secretary general, Mr. Anthonio Gueteres. Beyond all these was the experience of networking and befriending people from all over Europe and learning the European way of life. I was amazed by the level of knowledge and experience each of the trainees possessed and it only motivated me to push myself further.
Schuman traineeship is a great experience to broaden your academic and vocational training and I highly encourage the youth population in my country to apply for it. I know how dire the job market is right now and a traineeship with one of the largest multilateral organizations will only enhance your acceptability. There is a common misconception in Bangladesh that only freshers are supposed to do internships. I had 2 years of work experience yet I was surrounded by trainees having PHDs or 10–12 years of work experience.
4. Land of Frites, Waffles and Chocolates
There are three things you cannot get enough of in Brussels- frietkots, boulangeries and chocolatiers, each hailing prestigious esteem all around the world. The first thing I tried out when my quarantine ended was the frites. At first try, honestly it was nothing special to me but that's because I was not having it in the right place. As time went by, I tried out some more in popular places like Flagey and De Brouckere. So far, ‘Frietland’ near Grand Palace served the best fries in my opinion. The perfectly golden crust followed by the el Dante and juicy center elevates you to a whole new dimension. There I was, completely and irrevocably in love with Belgian frites. Laurent told quite an interesting story to me on the origin of frites.
5. Majestic Grand Palace
My evening walks were so memorable for this particular place. Grand Place is the most prominent tourist destination all around Belgium with rich history in itself. Its the main square of the city surrounded by the town hall and Brussels City museum is situated. I have been to many town squares of Europe but Grand Place has its own charm. In the evening, hundreds of lights are lit from the tower balconies and windows. When I first saw the golden edges in night hue, I immediately fell in love with the view. It felt like I was in a ballroom from Beauty and the Beast. When I first went to Grand Place, it was more or less
6. Football- the Heart and Soul of Europe
One of the most memorable time for me will always be the matches of Eurocup 2020. From my childhood, it was a dream to watch European leagues from a European bar. And boy wasn’t it the best time to live here!! Euro cup resumed after corona in May this year, that's why it was called Euro 2020. Yahya and Laurent always took me to watch the matches live. This is the time when I saw all the city come together, united by one magnificent game- Football. The first game I watched live was the one of Belgium vs. Ukraine. Being an ardent supporter of France, I realized I was terribly outnumbered by the national supporters. They are damn serious about their team allegiance and their mutual hatred for France. So I found it best to keep my mouth shut regarding my team preferences. Those aside, it was just phenomenal to watch the matches from bars in Parvis Saint Gilles, specially the France vs. Switzerland, which went into second penalty with each team having very strong foothold right from the beginning. More than the games, I was keen on watching the fans roar their hearts out for their beloved teams. When Belgium made it to the top 8, the crowd partied all night. Surprisingly, I figured out that Italians are the Bengalis of Europe. After each win, they would rally with honking cars, flags and Vuvuzelas (Yes that's still a thing here). Day after the semi’s match of Italy, I was speaking to Niccolo. I told him, “Damn those Italians, I could not sleep all night for their car honks and reckless partying!”. Niccolo replied, ”Oh young lady its so much fun, I went out with my car and did poop poop poop all night too”. Damn it Anika, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT PLEASE!!
We laughed together, celebrated together and when it was time, we rebuked the players together too.
7. Say Cheese!!
My intro to Europe would be unfinished if I didn’t get a chance to eat plenty of Cheese and what better way to eat and learn cheese other than a French cultured country. Indeed there were so many charcouteries in Brussels that it was too hard for me to resist the temptation to go into them and try out different cheese and bacons. Cheese-making is an art and science in itself and the flavor and texture depends on a variety of reasons right from the origin of the milk to temperature, humidity, level of casein and rennet, type of Bacteria or Fungus used and so on. Luckily, there was a Friday market in Parvis Saint Gilles every week, where there were plenty of cheese shops to look out for. For starters, I tried out the famous French blue cheese- Roquefort. Honestly, it taste like rye when you put it in your mouth. But Yahya and Laurent later showed me how to eat it properly- you have to eat one dark cheese (basically any premium cheese like- Guerre, Roquefort, even good Brie) with a salty one (Gouda, Edemar, Moza, Cheddar) to balance out the flavors, what brings out more flavor is if you have it with a sip of Champaign or Wine.
8. Upcycling is fun
9. Transportation like you’ve never seen before
Brussels has one of the most sophisticated transportation system I have seen in any country that I had previously visited. Admitted there were some glitches when I first tried to hope on and off a bus, but when I got an idea of it, it was smooth as silk. There are three modes of transportation, each available in short distances and intervals. With one MOBIB ticket which usually costs 2.6 euros , all three modes are accessible for as many times possible within three hours. Only a minute away from my house was tram line- Guillem Tell, which is basically why I reaped the most benefits out of Brussels transport system. Since Brussels is no less than a giant maze, tram lines are preferred by local commuters to go as close as possible to their destination in a very short time. Buses are also the same, but it usually takes more time than Tram since it goes round basically the entire city. They are cheap and very easily understandable with clear directions and announcement for every incoming stops, making it a good option for tourists. Stops of both ways have the same name, the only identifiable part is which direction the tram is going. Most narrow streets, however, do not have tram lines for both ways- this is where it gets tricky for many. It so happened to me that, I got onto the wrong direction
10.
So what are the key takeaways from my stay here?
Be original, that’s the only thing that sells
After a long time, Brussels made me feel comfortable in my skin.
Never take anything for granted
Your stress will not change the inevitable
Work smartly and professionally
ENJOY! ENJOY! ENJOY!