Sunday June 10th: Leaving Paris, Bullet Train and welcome to Brussels!

Leaving a country is always bittersweet because I'm excited to visit a new place but sad to leave Paris. Early in the morning I collected keys from the others. As we boarded the train to Brussels I decided to use the time to relax and watch a movie. When we hit the ground in Brussels I ended up participating in a rescue mission because one the students lost their bag on the train. Luckily we were successful and she managed to get her bag back completely intact. The new hostel is amazing. It's the largest hostel I've ever stayed in and there have been many. The staff is really accommodating and the facilities are great, supplying everything we need. Brussels is a slower and more relaxed city and I'm hoping to use that personality to my advantage and catch up on some work. I don't feel the same pressure I did in Paris, which has a hustle and bustle personality. For my first night in Brussels I did little more than get my logistical arrangements handled and settle in to the hostel. I'm looking forward to spending time with the people in our group and really getting to know them a lot better. As Belgium is famous for beer and it seems to help with the social situations, my first night here was spent hanging with the group over a few pints of delicious Belgian beer. Tomorrow will be chocolate, waffles, fries and more beer! For now though it's off to bed.