The author shares impressions from a trip to Brussels and participation in a NATO related program, from first walks around the city and Belgian cuisine to meetings with diplomats and military. He describes how the trip helped him dispel stereotypes about evil NATO and Western hostility, and see another culture and views. It is a vivid personal story of how travel can change ones view of the world and of ones own country.

“Chasing the sun” — that’s what my first companion, Danila from Ryazan, called me. And no wonder! After spending a little over ten hours in the air in total and finally seeing the long-awaited Belgium, my lips stretched into a blissful smile. Europe... From the porthole, at an altitude of several hundred meters, this small state, proudly called the “Heart of Europe,” seemed to me like a large summer cottage settlement. Low buildings, lots of fields and meadows, red roofs of houses — all of it seemed somehow fairy-tale-like and very, very old. Brussels greeted us with cloudy weather and the charming smile of our group leader, Lyudmila.

Our hotel was located right in the center, and everyone had their own comfortable room. I don’t know how many stars it had, but I have never seen a more comfortable and beautiful room in my life. “If only I could live like this” — I thought, flopping onto the huge sofa. Since we only got to Brussels by evening, and the program started the next day, we went for a walk. Lyudmila strongly advised us to stay together everywhere, lamenting the crime in the city and the likelihood of getting lost. The first thing that caught my eye was the large amount of trash on the streets; in general, a characteristic feature of the countless local cafés and restaurants is simply to put huge bags of garbage right in front of their establishments. I don’t know what their system is, but it looked very unaesthetic.
Belgium officially has three languages — German, French, and Flemish. In the part where we stayed, everyone spoke only French. As for the people, they are very interesting. Belgians love experimenting with scarves, so over the course of one evening I saw hundreds of completely different knots. Along the way we constantly met Indians, Africans, and other nationalities. I was very pleased by a Chinese family who, strolling past with dignity, looked at us and smugly snorted, “tourists.” In the whole evening I didn’t see a single running person; everyone moves at an unhurried pace, everyone strolls and smiles. Brussels is a city of smiles and politeness. When I accidentally bumped into a gentleman in a hat, he slightly bowed, apologized, and went on his way. I can only imagine how such a blunder would have ended for me in Irkutsk... A couple more minutes and we, from among the crowd of “Russians,” ourselves began smiling at everyone and modestly mumbling “bonjour.”
When I was getting ready to go to Belgium, all my friends told me: “go see the peeing boy.” Unfortunately, we never made it to him, but we did see a peeing girl! The philosophical meaning of this architectural act remained a mystery to me, but because of the historical significance of the moment I decided to experience a cultural shock anyway. But the real shock came when we realized that the traffic lights on the streets were there for a reason. There were almost no cars on the road at that time, but the Belgians patiently waited for the “green” light and only then continued on their way. And that’s great.
The “Belgian-style promotion” was very amusing. These are grown men who lure people into their restaurants. My God! So much expression in them — if it hadn’t been for our guide, they would have eaten us alive. Especially memorable was a mustached Italian who jumped out from around the corner and shouted, “I know you’re broke and I’m broke too, let’s go eat together.” In the end we went to a cult place here — the restaurant “Chez Leon.” This establishment has been operating since 1893 and enjoys great respect among locals and tourists alike. Its main dish is mussels. The huge selection of them, as well as the sauces for them, made us furrow our brows for a long time. The second main dish here is, of course, beer! A sea of beer! The most varied and the most delicious! The restaurant has many loggias, each with several tables and its own personal waiter. Now I know how something like tips was invented! I have never in my life given anyone a tip and had no intention of doing so. I wouldn’t say we had a lot of money in Belgium either, but I simply did not expect such service. A smile, precise movements, every dish he brought as if it were a masterpiece. Announcing its name with pomp, he winked at us, and we reverently began our meal. I openly declare that the entire staff of Irkutsk, all its waiters and bartenders, need to be sent to Belgium for training!
As for the most important part of our trip, things are much more complicated here... Before traveling into the heart of the sworn enemy of the Russian press, “NATO,” my own, rather limited little mind was still somewhat worried... I had all kinds of dreams, good and bad. In any case, I already wanted something forbidden... At first, that’s what the trip to Belgium seemed like...
There were exactly thirteen of us, and I persistently spent the entire first evening trying to find at least some connection between us.... I never got an answer to the question of why exactly us. Contrary to the opinion of all my acquaintances, these were not ardent haters of Russia or its political system; our team consisted of people with completely different political views. Die-hard United Russia supporters, opposition figures, journalists, students, diplomats, researchers, public figures, and people of different ages. Makhachkala, Syktyvkar, Moscow and the Moscow region, Rostov-on-Don, Ryazan, Saint Petersburg, Izhevsk, Kirov, and Voronezh.
The information we received was, of course, very useful. We learned what NATO is, we learned what projects it carries out as an organization, we learned in which directions it works, what its structure is, and what its plans are. No matter how many questions we asked, sometimes very difficult and sharp ones, European diplomats and military personnel always answered with great tact. Even if we didn’t get exhaustive answers, we were still satisfied. After all, we didn’t expect all the secrets to be revealed to us right away. The position on NATO’s relations with Russia and on the conflict with Georgia was also clear. The wonderful phrase “everyone pulls the blanket toward themselves” came to mind. Yes, from a legal point of view, Russia was in the wrong in the South Ossetian conflict, but things in Europe are not exactly smooth either. People in glass houses, as they say...
All the information we received, of course, we discussed and argued about. The viewpoints were different. There are several things I took away from this trip regardless of the information. First, the reception was good and proper, as was adherence to the schedule and the clarity of the information provided. Second, I dispelled for myself the myths about the “evil” NATO. To be honest, I was never particularly interested in its history as an organization, but it seemed to me that it was no different from ordinary organizations. No exaggerated power or malice. A normal structure with its own specific tasks and goals. With a military slant and a more or less transparent operation. The myth that the West hates us Russians was also dispelled. Wherever I was called Russian — on the street, in a café, in a hotel — people smiled and were sincerely glad to see me.
And one more thing...
The most important thing this program gave me...
It opened my eyes...
It showed me that the world does not end with Irkutsk and the internet. It showed me another civilization, other views and opinions; it turned my worldview upside down. And that’s great. Many thanks to the organizers for that. I would like, someday, for Russia to make such projects too and open the eyes of Western youth to our life...