I am currently in a high speed French train that is the most cramped ride that I have had since Greyhound of Australia. This was (as far as I could figure) the only logical way to get into Paris. Otherwise it would be a whole day bouncing off of local trains routed through Germany. Because of this, I had to pay an additional 27 Euros for the mandatory reservation/supplement.
But that’s not what this post is all about. I just spent the last two days being guided around the city of Antwerp by my friend Patrick. I met Patrick in Australia originally and then bumped into him in Thailand again a few months later. He just got back from his 7 month trip about a week ago. Now it is back to work for Hewlett Packard. But he doesn’t sell computers or printers like you might think. He is an IT consultant. And HP is actually the world leader in IT consulting solutions (Who knew?). He has been working with HP now for five years. Working on all sorts of projects from the size that he manages completely himself to mega projects that 130 others like him try and bind together 3 of the world’s largest telecommunication providers. That big harry project, with 130 consultants firing at once, left a wake of 2 heart attacks and one seizure. High stress indeed. But what does Patrick get out of all of this. He gets to work from home, company car (2008 BMW 3 series), gas card, and expense account. Not bad right? I thought to myself, “HP treats their Belgian employees better than their American ones.” But that’s not exactly accurate.
Patrick is a Polish immigrant. His family came to Belgium when he was 5 years old. Patrick is casually fluent in 4 languages, then perhaps a dozen other’s that pertain to the computer. But Patrick isn’t the average computer nerd. He is highly social and contains a ton of leadership. Just what HP (and every other major technology company) needs in this day and age. But Patrick has been exposed to the world of backpacking and it’s freedoms. He is now motivated differently than the average American.
And why would I ever peg him as an American? He now, temporarily lives with his parents in Antwerp (and is looking for an apartment). So, when I stayed with him in Antwerp, it was with his parents in a house that looked remarkably similar to a house that you would fine in a suburb of America.
Patrick’s parents own a printing/PR company that is taking a hit that is completely equal to one that they would take if they were based in America. His Mom is a fiery woman that speaks and entertains at a mile a minute. When talking to me about backpacking, she said “You know, I could see myself doing something just like you. I could see myself just packing up and traveling the world for a while. Even with my family and my business. That could be nice for a while.”
I admired her ability to remove herself from her box and realize that she always has choices.
Patrick looked at me and said “The Polish is an eating culture. You’re going to have to eat what my Mom makes you.” I thought, “That won’t be a problem.” His mom made a huge breakfast of both Polish and Belgian dishes and of course the home made Jam from plums in the backyard. The most intriguing dish was Belgian though. It was a minced up raw meat spread. It was a raw meat paste that you spread onto bread and it was wonderful. In addition, there was polish cheese spread along with many other delicacies.
Once we were finished with breakfast, we went for a tour of the city. Patrick was actually super informed about the history of the city. He said “That’s usually how it is. If you move to a city, you learn about it, but if you are born here, then you take it for granted.” He went onto tell me about how the city got it’s name. “There used to be a giant who stood at the mouth of the entrance of the city. He would take taxes from everyone who wished to pass. One day a man came and refused to pay the taxes and as the giant reached down to kill the man, the man sliced off the giants hand and threw it into the river. An-twerp roughly translates to “Hand-weapon.”
Interesting stuff. What else is interesting about Antwerp? As far as unexpected value? 9 out of 10 of all the diamonds in the world pass through this little city. And which sector do they pass through? The orthodox Jewish sector. We rode bikes through the place and found tons of men with long locks of hair growing where your side burns are. It was truly an amazing sight. Patrick said that this community sticks to itself. They don’t mingle with the rest of Antwerp at all. They are not seen as a burden to the community because they are completely self contained. They only buy from each other. There is a store of every kind in this small community of only a few blocks. Outsiders are free to come in and buy from their shops, but you will never find them buying or even walking around in the rest of Antwerp.
They seem to be prospering as a community, but the houses they live in look run down to be honest. Patrick believes that they are just cheap and not interested in investing any money into their homes. I, of course, have no idea if that is the case or not. But I could in fact see that the area looked a little run down compared to the rest of Antwerp and that every 2nd store was in fact something handling diamonds. The world high commission on diamonds is here in this neighborhood too, so it doesn’t appear that they are running some cheap side show.
We went over to the city square for some Belgian waffles as well as Belgian fries. The fries are more exotic in the sense that they are not as well known in America. They are essentially French fries with a hearty wallop of sour mayonnaise and beef gravy. I know what you are thinking. This was very tasty.
From Patrick to Patrick, I am now headed to Paris to visit my step brother, who is a fashion photographer. Now a bad life right?
Thank you so much Patrick for you and your families hospitality.