Ray Gets Settled In

Well, today marks Day 14 into my new life as an American expat in Belgium. And it hasn't been too bad!!!

The first week I spent getting all the paperwork out of the way. All Belgium residents need to register at the commune (village) where they live by showing your passport, visa, work permit and clean FBI criminal record. Next, the police come to your house to make sure you really do live there. Finally, you get to turn in your US drivers' license to get a Belgium one.

With that out of the way, I was free to get the house in order so that I could move in. My first few days were spent at either IKEA (correctly pronounced "ee-key-ya" in Belgium!) or Krefel, an electronics store, where I have become very popular among the salespeople. They can usually count on a big sale every time I walk in.

Guest bedroom, anyone???

Thankfully, I have been lucky to have experienced great weather (for Belgium). The days have been sunny and clear, with temps around 50F. (View of the neighborhood from our upstairs bedroom)

Another plus is that I haven't had to rely on my lame French (or non-existent Flemish). Pretty much everyone has been able to help me in English. Although I don't think we always have 100% comprehension, it's close enough to get the job done.

The first day at work was Friday, February 1st. Everyone in the office has been extremely nice and helpful.

I sit across from Alexis, an engineer from Great Britain. We joke that by the time I return home to the US, I will probably be saying "cheers, mate!" alot.

The house is finally coming along. I have my appliances in, my flat screen TV is hooked up and I just got my cable TV and internet today (woo hoo!).

The infamous "Belgium traffic" had been a non-issue for me, with easy 15-minute commutes to and from work. THEN, I found out that it had been a Belgium holiday week this past week!!!

I purposely left early today to beat the rush, but I'm sure tomorrow will be the true test.

I miss my girls alot, but my trusty sidekick Nadalie has kept me company. I fear she is getting a little spoiled though...

Thats it for now. Jo and the girls are "toughing it out" in Hawaii this month, so Nadalie and I will have to press on, until our US supplies arrive...