Tag Archives: Cacao

Spring Forward, Travel
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Brussels
April 18, 2011

Day of Work

Est-il vrai que vous savez MM Chaplin et Jones de Glendale?
Est-il vrai que vous savez MM Chaplin et Jones de Glendale?

The office is just a few minute’s walk from my hotel.  The neighborhood we’re in is breathtaking.  In this fine spring weather Brussels gleams like an exquisitely-carved marble chess set under bright theater lights.

And speaking of the IT guys in the office: they are extremely awesome.  Fun, funny, smart, welcoming, and interesting – all in about six languages each.  They explained to me the intricacies of the major political divisions in Belgium.  The country is divided into two major regions: Flanders in the north, which is Flemish (pretty much Dutch) speaking, Anglophilic, and liberal; and Wallonia in the south, which is French speaking. Francophilic and more conservative.  There’s also a small minority of German speakers in the eastern-most portion of the country.  Add to the mix that Brussels, the largest city, is mostly French speaking yet is located in Flanders, and that’s actually a lot of politics for a country the size of Maryland.

My three IT buddies are all proud Flemish speakers, and justifiably proud of their beautiful, enlightened country.  At one point in the conversation we were discussing Africa and I mentioned Ivory Coast.  “One of the biggest chocolate producers in the world, ” I said helpfully, having just learned this on my tour of the chocolatier.  Jan was having none of that and set me straight.  “Cacao comes from Ivory Coast.  Chocolate comes from Belgium.”  Well, there you go.

Flying in the subway tunnels is officially encouraged. Actually, I got warned by an incredibly polite cop about a 500 Euro fine for taking pictures in the subway!
Flying in the subway tunnels is officially encouraged. Actually, I got warned by an incredibly polite cop about a 500 Euro fine for taking pictures in the subway!

Jan has been with the Client for eighteen years and helped build many of the Firm’s foreign offices in Europe and Asia.  I’m hoping he’ll be able to give me good advice on how to succeed during my stay in the Moscow office. 

Worked very late helping migrate the offices computers to Office 2007.  I’m not used to putting in twelve hour days (I know, I’m a wimp) but it was fun because it was a part of the process I had not participated in before.

U.S. States Which Are Smaller Than Belgium By Area

  • Hawaii
  • Massachusetts
  • Vermont
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Rhode Island
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girl_and_dog
I was lucky to snap this photo just moments before the dog lunged and ripped out this little girl’s throat. Evidently the fact that she was speaking French just pushed the poor pooch right over the edge. Fido knows that there’s nothing more pretentious than a child speaking French. Even a French child. 

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