Schwartz’s law

For those of you unfamiliar with Murphy’s law, this is a fundamental premise to the cosmos-is-absurd perspective on life: whatever can go wrong shall go wrong.

Well, I have my own version: if there is an impossibly difficult way of doing something, Christopher Schwartz will find it.

“Houston, the Eagle has landed”

The Dondeynehuis Project gathers for Friday reflections.

It’s been a long, eventful week of orientation, registration, and assimilation.   My Dutch vocabulary has already expanded threefold and I’m even picking up on the basics of grammar and tenses.  This coming week will prove challenging in a new way: choosing courses and arranging schedules.

I’m continually amazed at the sheer amount of hobbies and social activities of the Flemish youth, and while Americans may be far more mature when it comes to working and self-sufficiency, we lag way behind in intellectual and emotional maturity.  The family is also very prominently at the core of Belgian society, symbolized by the dinner table — something that used to be true in the United States.

Clearly there is a difference of values: we judge a person’s merit by their ability to work, while Belgians judge by their social well-being.  (More thoughts to come…)

An American Astronaut on Planet Vlaams

Where the hell am I?

My first full day in the Dondeynehuis Project here in Leuven.  Totally surrounded by people speaking an alien language with alien customs, including some kind of bizarre ritualistic square dance.  Having fun but also quite bewildered; it’s actually a bit exhausting.  Feels like I’m living an episode of Farscape.