A Farewell Letter to Brussels

Bruxelle ma belle,

The time has finally come, i’m leaving you. You can rest assured that it’s not you, it’s me. 

Despite what some people say, you are not boring. You are not the conventional European capital, but that’s why I like you; you are not pretentious. You are authentic, charming, and you really don’t give a damn about what people think. And although you stink of urine, I know it’s not your fault, it’s men. You are beautiful.

Four years ago, I never imagined we would last this long. But as we all know, things don’t always go according to the plan, and with your soft and comforting presence you silently convinced me to stay. 

You have taught me so much. In you I discovered my professional path which ignited in me more curiosity and ambition than I ever had before. 

At the same time, you put me in a lot of situations that made me want to leave you right there and then. But at the end of one of those days, one of your delicious cold beers was enough to remind me why I love you so. 

You gave me structure and security. Before you, my life had never known what stability was. By your side, everything was always in the right place. I felt there was nothing in the world that could tip me over. 

But you never gave me friendship. I could not find in you a community, deep connections, love. What you had to offer me became so repetitive that I started to resent you. I know i’m being unfair, because as I said before – it’s not you, it’s me. I did not try hard enough, I did no look further than what you were already giving me on a silver platter. I fell blind and deaf to your easy comforts, and I underestimated your depth. 

But it was during our years together that I learned to be my own best friend, that I took the time to listen to myself and explore the depths of my own being. I thank you for giving me the space, the silence, and the stability to listen to myself and to be more selfish. I will forever cherish what you gave me; confidence, determination, and more self-love than ever before. 

Thanks for always being so nice to me, even when I have been a bitch to you. 

In four years, I built a relationship with you and with your physical attributes. With your narrow cobblestone roads, with your hidden art nouveau spectacles, with your second hand book shops and thrift stores, with my favorite table at my favorite cafe, with all my favorite bars, with every single one of my favorite beers and their respective glasses, with the bustle of the street I lived on, with the turkish bakery below my place and the freshly made spinach Burkes, with the bio-market where I buy my vegetables, with your rare and attention seeking sun rays that enter my bedroom in the morning to remind me that despite our problems, you are tender, and I love you. 

Goodbye Bruxelle, thank you for being so authentically you.