What a full day it has been already. This morning we had an appointment with the European Council and our presenter was from Spain. After giving us a brief history of the EU, she went on to discuss what the European Council does and how it differs from the Council of the European Union. While the Council of the EU is the primary lawmaker of the EU, the European Council exercises no legislative functions. The European Council is involved with meeting with the heads of state and ministers and with defining the political direction of the EU. Once she explained the difference, it was easier to understand, but the similarities in name can be rather confusing.
Once our appointment with the European Council was finished, we all went to lunch and tried some famous Belgian fries. They were so good, but they aren't really greasy or salty like in the U.S. After lunch we had an appointment with the European Commission who executes and implements EU laws while also being the primary proposer of new legislation. This time our presenter was from the UK. His presentation was interesting but with the jet lag and the dehydration, it was difficult to focus on everything he said. Some of you may be wondering, why are you dehydrated? Well, let me tell you... Water is not free like it is in the United States. You have to pay for it, and when you do, there are no free refills. When you drink up the 12 ounces that were in the bottle and you're still thirsty, you have to buy another bottle.
That is one thing that I know I take for granted. I always think of water as being a basic necessity and as being free but clearly that is not the case all around the world. So, why am I dehydrated? Because I don't want to spend all of my money on water. So, I'm not getting my eight glasses of water a day, but when I find places with water fountains or water jugs, I fill up my bottle. I know everyone says "don't drink the water" but it's kind of hard not to when you are so thirsty and don't want to waste all of your money. That being said, I'm glad that I'll be able to drink as much water as I want when I get back home. With today being the 4th of July, our nation's independence day, I couldn't be happier about the fact that we broke away from Europe... Otherwise we would all be paying out of the nose for a basic necessity.
Well, it's 1:14am here in Brussels, so, good night!
Until tomorrow,
Abby