Drinking Culture - USA vs. Brussels Offices

One of the more unique aspects to office life in Brussels vs. my experiences in the USA is the drinking culture. Belgium is of course famous for their beers and one of my office’s clients is actually AB Inbev - one of the largest alcoholic beverage companies in the world, located right outside of Brussels in Leuven! Whether it be for clients or after-work drinks, this meant that alcohol was a constant topic in the office!

Being that many of us Furman students were not yet of the legal consumption age in the USA upon our arrival to Belgium, it was a bit foreign to think of drinking with superiors from our internships. We were warned by our program's supervisors to not be alarmed if we were ever invited to drinks, and I think many of us were then waiting for the day our office would invite us. Two of my best friends on the trip were some of the first people I heard of to get drinks with their office - and they told me all about it! Funny enough, the occasion was actually that the CEO was selling the company and wanted to break the news to his employees during drinks after work. We - us Furman students - all thought this was so comical, as many Americans would find out news similar to this via a meeting or email.

My invitation finally came around for drinks after work with my office and I will not lie, I was quite nervous to see how it would go. We all walked together to a local bar in Flagey and the CEO actually ordered us all beers. The occasion was more so just to get to know two of the new employees and interns... wait that’s me! I had a great time getting to know not only my supervisor, but many people I didn’t get to talk to that much in the office. One of the project coordinators from Greece and I bonded over how she did a semester at Wake Forest University - just 3 short hours away from my home!

I was invited to my first event a few weeks later for the United Nations - as my internship planned this event and developed all the graphics and promotion for it. Little did I know that this event would turn into a real life version of the saying - work hard, play harder. After we wrapped up the event at BOZAR, we actually met up with some of the executives from the United Nations - all the way from the NYC headquarters - for drinks. I ended up staying out with my supervisor and some of the United Nations team until 3:00AM. This was truly a unique experience that I sadly couldn’t imagine happening in good-ole' South Carolina.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/4e8830_483e49faea0040bb8e95a79c9c7c9f17/720p/mp4/file.mp4

I believe that the normalcy of the office drinking culture, at least in my office, ultimately brings the team closer. You really can learn a lot about a person over a few drinks and form a better bond with your co-workers. Not to mention, I will cherish these moments I had with my office forever.