L'Arche Brussels

So we made it to India!!! We accidentally took the 6am train to Luxembourg instead of the Brussels airport. Apparently my mom will hop on any train if it moves. So after much swearing (we were so American) and sweating we finally made it to Delhi. It's so freaking hot and humid here, 31 degrees at night time. I thought the office was bad without air.

But to back track, Brussels was wonderful and scenic. Such a beautiful city filled with cheese, chocolate and bread. Three things I love to eat most in the world. Most of it was fried too....which went real nice with the Belbian beer (not a good as German of course). We walked a lot and took a city tour, so I just hobbled along the cobble streets on my busted ankle. Which really hurt after my pedicure in Toronto, but pain is beauty.

So down to the important business, we managed to visit to the L'Arche in Brussels briefly, which was a short train ride to a residential area of the city. It was nestled in the fabric of existing typical "Parisian" buildings and shared a common back yard with it neighbouring church (? possibly). The assistant took us on a tour of the 4 storey building which was built in 2006 after a grant from the state. This means the had to adapt the facility to be accesssible for more that just people with intellectual disabilities (down syndrome, physical handicaps etc.). It was the archetype of a large house, with community activity , learning  and dining rooms off a central corridor. This building is used as a daily facility for people, a place where they can be a part of a community and use theircraft and talents to contribute back.

Overall, good start to the trip and rearch. It has given a good example of the European approach to L'Arche community living an now it's on to some Indian examples, which I exect will be much different.

Peace, Taj Mahal tomorrow and I need my sleep.