If I was a country, I'd be Belgium.

So for today's long overdue blog post, I wanted to let you know that if I was a country, I'd be Belgium.

Why?

Belgium kind of has a split personality: two languages, two separate parts, two major landscapes (country and city), two sides (coastal and inland). I don't have a "split personality", but like many of us, I have many sides. I like to spend time in different environments and with different activities throughout my days. For example, I don't always want to be in the country. I love living in a fairly rural area, but also love our easy access to civilization (read: shopping). Likewise, I certainly couldn't always be in a congested city... I need space to breathe. I like that there all of these different facets to Belgium, all still trying to work themselves out and learn how to play together, even after such a long history.

Belgium is not on everyone's radar. I like things that are different and "not as popular". I enjoy the "road less traveled" in the sense of beating my own path in the world. Although I live less than 5 minutes from France, Belgium is certainly no France. When you say "France", people think they have it all figured out, but "Belgium" conjures a more enigmatic picture...what does it mean to be Belgian? I like that. If I was a country, I wouldn't want to be the big obvious tourist destination. I would want to be around people that were with me because they had traveled a lot already and thus had a lot of wisdom and experiences to share with me, or people chose me because they were purposefully looking for something different. I like when people can see the beauty in the non-obvious places and ways. Paris is Paris because it lives up to its own hype. But I can feel a little lost in something so well tread. What is there for me to discover on my own that I can't read in a Fodor's book? Don't get me wrong, there are reasons to see those popular locales, and good reasons to love them. Also, I love good travel advice from books and the internet, but I sometimes feel like it is harder for me to have a connection to somewhere so visited (overdone?) by so many people.

Belgium has great food. If I was a country I would have great food too. And beer- I'd have the best beer in the world. That is just cool. I love that the "Belgian food" is very accessible- people get it. Who can't have fun with fries served in a paper cone with a cute little fork? Or a waffle in paper from a street vendor?

That being said, if I was a country I'd love to be known for things Belgium is: those great fries, the best beer in the world, chocolate (oh, the chocolate), waffles (love, love, love), and...diamonds! Not a bad combination!

If I was a country I'd be good at mixing old and new, I'd have more castles for my size than any other country in the world, and I would have good-looking farm animals.

If I was a country, I'd have weather that not everyone always loved. I would want you to be with me because you were willing to stick it out even when I rained too much, or changed too often. Besides I love a country where there is no bad weather, just an opportunity for better clothing choices.

I would have super cool shopping...like a Sunday morning brocante (flea market), where you want to come just to find your next big treasure, or even just to walk around and be amongst your fellow Belgians.

If I was a country I would be so cool, and be in such a great location that an international organization like NATO would live with me.

Belgium has a little attitude problem, a little bit of "it is not possible", and I would have that too....just because I could.