So here is that long promised email, and first I'm sorry for sending the same one to everyone, but due to lack of time, you will have to forgive me! :) Also, my first "chain mail" in English! :)) So, for those one's whose English is little rusty, here is a chance to polish it, free of charge!

At the end of July I found myself thinking about the past year, all the people I met, and all the things I have experienced. And I realized there is only one thing to say about it...an amazing year! My Polish experience is something I will always cherish firstly because of great people I met and who made me feel like home. I'm proud that a lot of them I call now my friends. So, first thank you all for making this year an unforgettable one!!!

Also Reuters gave me an important knowledge of financial markets, finance and experience of working in multinational company. Something that I find now very valuable, and it gives me additional confidence to go further.

My last days in Poland I spent partying! :)) I made a goodbye party with Willy, Brazilian trainee who was leaving Poland few days after me. And what can I say... 11 different kinds of alcohol, lot of people, and great atmosphere made it unforgettable! But after rakija, capirinia, polish vodka, Ukrainian vodka, beer, water melon cocktail, Jack Daniels, absinthe, polish mead, vine and who knows what else, who would expect otherwise, right? :)) But the cleaning apartment afterwards... don't ask! :(

Also from AIESECrs in Gdansk I got their AIESEC t-shirt as goodbye present...thanks guys for everything!!!


So, I packed my things (and it was an art to pack almost all the things in 2 bags!! ), and on Wednesday 9th of August embarked on a 20 hours journey to Antwerpen, Belgium. And here is where the interesting part begins! :)

First, the bus was late for 1 hour in the start! So, couple of friends from Reuters went out to say goodbyes and instead being for 15 min. on the station, they were there for 1:15h... how was the production that day guys? hehe :)))) Due to this, we also were late arriving to Antwerpen, so the poor AIESEC guy first waited for me for 30 min., then went home, (and missed me for 15 min.), and then had to come back! But at the end he found me, and we went to the house were I will be renting a room.

The guys there are very nice and landlord is in fact a student, ex AIESECer, who also lives there. Btw, I'm currently living with Maartin (the landlord), Jona (a Norwegian guy) and Katrin (Belgian girl). I like the room, it's very big, and it has most important furniture. The house is situated in the center of Antwerpen, close to the central square "Grundplatz". The first thing you notice about the city is it's internationalism. On the street you can see every colour, race and religion with traditional clothes and behaviour. The "Diamond city", as Antwerpen is often called, is between 500 000 - 1 000 000 large, and diamond trade is mostly held by Jewish and Indian people, with also some Lebanese and Armenians taking part in it. The first two you can often see on the streets, and especially the Jews are interesting, because they wear this traditional black clothes, black hats (men) and beard/hairstyles. Also there is a lot of black people, and they usually wear this colorful clothes, especially women... who are also quite beautiful.

The old part of the city is beautiful, with traditional architecture and it resembles little to old part of Gdansk. It's also quite expensive, apart from 2 Belgian specialties - beer and chocolate! :) These two are not that expensive, and really, really good! :) There is around 500 different kinds of beer in Belgium, and I'll do my best to try it all!!! Chocolate is also fantastic....mmm... njam!

Cultural shocks: :))

First one was connected to iron! :)) When I came the first day, nobody in apartment had an iron!!! And it was 4 people living there!!! Common at least one of them should have it!!! And since I didn't want to go on first day of work in wrinkled shirt, I decided to search for it! So, I went to first neighbours, and they didn't have it also! The second one's didn't understand me at all... but third luck, and finally I borrowed iron from one family living across our house... and guess what? It was polish family!! hehe :))))))))) Btw, now I bought a new iron, Philips one! :)

Second one...now my mother will have a heart attack! :) Our house is in the center of town, but also is the Red Light district! :) In fact, it starts literally 20m from our house! :))) So, the second day I went to see it, of course! And man, it's crazy!! Girls are standing in windows in their underwear (or in something else :))) ) and posing, looking at you, smiling, inviting you to enter... crazy! At first I was feeling very stupid looking at them, but then I saw that all other people are doing the same... hmmm, but I was still feeling stupid. hehe :)) And what also surprised me, some of girls were really good looking, if I saw them on a street I wouldn't say they are prostitutes! Just to calm down my mother now, police station is also situated in this street, so there is no danger whatsoever...in fact, everything looks clean and organized. I suppose that way is better then having it on the street. But still it's really strange first time you see it!


Last weekend I went to Vladan's Petrovic goodbye party (old AIESECer :), was here for 1.5 years working in InBev) , and later I spent a Sunday in Brussels with Boris and Miksa. Also Vedrana and Zorana came from Viena for a visit, so we had a small Serbian army in the city! :))) It was really great to see the old friends again and to roam with them trough Brussels. It's also a
beautifull city, and among other things we drank a beer in a pub that has in any time around 2000 different kinds of beer available. It's by this in Guiness book, and it even has one Serbian beer - MB! :)

About the job... to repeat it, I'm in ABN AMRO Diamond and Jewlery Business Unit. Right now is time of vacations, so I don't have too much work to do. My job will be to help in review of diamond clients, from compliance perspective, and also to help identify possible issues concerning their trade and money flow. These reviews will start from September, so I'm still not sure how will everything
look...right now I'm in learning faze! :) More about that in some of other emails.

Btw, this weekend I spent in laziness! :) But friends succeeded to get me out of the house on Saturday, and we went to this central square, where there was some kind of celebration. First we ate some traditional cheese and horse ham, and of course chocolate filled with some kind of butter...mmmm. and beer! :) Also there is one interesting custom in Belgium... when a guy and
girl are getting married, for their bachelors night they go out with their friends, all of them dress very stupid, and do even more stupid things! :)) So, for example yesterday we met a bunch of guys who were going in the middle of the street only in pants and undershirts, and playing trumpets! But, the best part was that the future groom had only a small whistle in a mouth, and he was going in front of whole group with a stupid look on his face and doing only "kva kva" ! :)))) (like a duck)

OK, so it was enough for the first mail, congratulations to one's who made it this far! I would send some photos also, but I lost my camera in Brussels, so until I buy new one, nothing. :(