This is It

Well after seven VERY short weeks our internships are coming to an end today. I am happy and sad to say that this is the last day that I will be at the European Policy Center. Happy because I got to experience working in this great organization and sad to leave the people and the work that I have done here. Out of all the things I will miss about Brussels, I will miss my job most. I really loved all of the work that they gave me to do and feel as though I have made very good contacts and met some very important people, like the President of the European Council! I have realized through my work and through others that the EPC is a very important European organization and they are fully committed to the work that they do. I also worked in a very connected area of Brussels. The EPC is located in the Residence Palace right off of Schuman Circle where many EU institutions are located. I even met some friends who worked in the the European Parliament and another AU intern and I were able to go on a tour of parliament! I also worked very close to three or four other AU interns and we were able to have lunch a few times a week. All in all it was a great internship, and needless to say when I start to look for jobs next year, I will start with the EPC!

Alsace Adventure

Last weekend Katie Van Geem, Katie Hageman, and I flew to Geneva, Switzerland. From there we rented a car and drove north along the French/German/Swiss border to Strasbourg, France. After touring the city, the three of us decided that we wanted go to a winery since the Alsace region of France is pretty well known as a wine hub. Unfortunately, the first two wineries we tried were closed. However, our Dutch TomTom with a British voice and apparently equivalent sense of humor suggested a third and final location that appeared to be more wine distribution center rather than tourist trap.

Hesitantly, we walked into a courtyard and building that resembled someone's home rather than a place of business. We asked one of the gentlemen who seemed to be puttering about the court yard if we could buy wine, he responded "Oui". We were ushered into a basement and presented a wine list and bin of pretzels. We asked for two wines, tasted them, and then none of us really understood what to do next. Both of the Katies had been to wineries before but i think the combination of the environment and language barrier threw the three of us for a loop. Our hostess, a middle aged French woman sort of just hovered over us waiting for us to make our selection of bottles to buy but we didnt quite understand what was going on since the room we were in resembled a dining room...Were we supposed to sit their and enjoy our wine, take it with us? When do we pay?

After all the confusion was over we bought two bottles and left. It was great wine though, and the people at the winery were very gracious considering our awkward behavior. I'll definitely be coming back someday!