Brussels

The first step of my Microfinance journey began last night. After a LONG trip – more than 24 hours of travel (long delay leaving San Jose and an overnight in Madrid) – I arrived in Brussels Tuesday morning. With a combination of trains and buses I made my way to my home here in Brussels. The weather and people are a little on the cool side, which is quite a change from the warmth of Costa Rica.

Last night (Tuesday) was the first lecture and the first time to meet my classmates. There are about 40 people. I’m guessing that half of the students are Belgian, a quarter French, and the rest from places like Sweden, Congo, Canada, Colombia, Senegal, Poland and Italy. The class is about 65% female and the average age might be 24.

The first lecture (Introduction to Microfinance) by Microfinance academic Marc Labie was last night at l'Université Libre de Bruxelles (about a 45 minute bus ride from my apartment).

I was a little groggy, but everyone seemed friendly enough. The course is taught in English, but the language outside the classroom is predominantly French.

Let the course begin!