Final Week is Finals Week

Though bittersweet to finish, this marked my last week at Ogilvy PR. I have learned so much and valued my time while assisting with their PR projects. True to form of course, my last week had to end with a bang! On Wednesday evening, the pull-out bed I sleep on (accompanied with built-in bookshelf and closet) came crashing down unexpectedly. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but I’m sure my heart skipped more than a few beats. Just couldn’t leave Belgium without some sort of ruckus.

Nevertheless, things returned to normal for my final days of French class. My roommate, Nora, and I pretended to be Julie & Julia, as we cooked French cuisine for our final presentation. We perfected our dishes including Lapin a la Française (French rabbit – I hope you don’t have a pet bunny, unfortunately, it is what we were assigned), Soupe de choux fleur (cauliflower soup), and Speculoos. For those of you familiar with my favorite Brussels treat, Speculoos is similar to a ginger cookie. Our version did not taste gingery. Rather, it tasted like a pound cake. Regardless, it was dessert so we were pleased. Of course, our entire meal did not look nearly as good as the recipe photos, but it was certainly edible!

My final course of the semester, International Business Negotiations, is extremely interesting and dynamic, especially for a study abroad student. I learned so much about worldwide cultures, debating strategies, and differences in negotiations with international parties. Though I have always loved my business and marketing classes, International Business Negotiations offers a new perspective into the worldwide markets, corporations, and government issues. Needless to say, as today’s society and business is becoming increasingly global, it was a great experience and will greatly assist me in the future.

Today, I visited Brussels’ Winter Wonderland Christmas market. The area surrounding Grand Place is filled with German style booths. Brussels’ Christmas market is one of the largest in Europe, offering an array of gifts and trinkets, perfect for stocking stuffers. Seeing all the Christmas lights and trees around the central square, city hall, and guildhalls, was a great way to set the Christmas spirit. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Last but certainly not least, I have learned that final exams are the same in every country. There is absolutely no way to sugarcoat this one. This past week, I’ve successfully completed 2 presentations and 3 papers. Merely 1 paper and 1 exam to go! And best of luck in exams for my friends at Furman! :)