There wasn’t much time to process the emotions. I left the Institutum Liturgicum in London, England earlier than intended. No Latin, yet once again, which was what I was supposed to take in Block 3 of study. I know it’s required for my studies; but at this point, I’m convinced I’m never actually going to learn Latin given there’s been too many missed opportunities.
My departure came as a result of running into some visa problems that I couldn’t resolve in the UK, so I flew home to Chicago and quickly tried to amend the various issues. Little issues came up but the most difficult was obtaining the FBI clearance. This was a process I began in August and it came last Friday. Immediately, I left for Washington, D.C. with my mother eager to accompany me.
Oddly enough, I was given the heads up back in London I’d be traveling to D.C., praise the Lord, though I insisted (as did the Belgian consulate) that I’d be obtaining my visa from New York City. Well, the insight was correct, and it was meant to be because the process was so smooth and the Belgian embassy was so kind to us. It helped that they also loved Filipinos and the Philippines, but I’m pretty sure Belgium has a lovely culture to begin with. Mom praised the Administrators telling how good she felt about Belgium given the first introduction into the country (visa process) – that being, their warmth and kindness to us.
Only within the first couple hours of my arrival have I already experienced the same warmth. And it seems to me that they are surprisingly excited for me once they find out I will be studying at Leuven in Katholieke Universiteit (KU).
Leuven is the capital of the Flanders region, and the language in this part of Belgie is Flemish, or Dutch. My school is 20 minutes away; and while that doesn’t seem so far away (it’s about from Irving Park/Lake Shore Drive to North Avenue/Larrabee in Chicago), I’ll be entering a different region. Here in Bruxelles, tous les personnes parlent en français. I’m happy I can understand it, but it will not be of use to me in Leuven where everyone will be speaking Dutch. I’m fairly certain I might come across as offensive if I speak in French, but they may just shrug it off because I am a foreigner.
The ‘foreigner’ card will be helpful in the next coming months. I do feel out of my element because it is the first time I’ve left Chicago, but I believe this is God’s will for me to be here given how everything unfolded within prayer and was confirmed at a later time. I am thankful to be here.
He grants everything – from my desire to serve Him completely to allowing me to serve Him in a country that loves beer. Like me! There are 9 Trappist monasteries in the world known for their beers, and I believe 7 of them are in Belgium. I am looking forward to doing a beer tour of the country and hiring a designated driver.
There are still a number of hurdles that I will encounter before study, but I believe the Lord’s Providence will manifest. I almost did not leave yesterday because I didn’t secure housing. And I thought, ‘I’m such a wimp.’ But then, I realized if I had issues with anything I wanted to contact KU; and therefore, had no choice but to just go so at least I’d have two business days to get settled.
No housing until God’s minute. This has been a recurring theme – in NYC back in 2005 and Paris in 2009. But it all worked out when it was supposed to. Praise the Lord, I decided to just go; and within minutes of my decision, I had a flood of responses emailed to me regarding housing. The ‘Guido Gezelle’ sounds like an African beast, and it is the name of home for the next couple weeks.
Today after getting settled, I took some time walking around the Centre. The beautifully preserved architecture of medieval Leuven was such a welcome, and I feel very blessed.
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