Chocolate Calling Our Names

As we sit at JFK airport, our students are ready to board their flight towards adventure in Brussels, Belgium for the next 3 weeks. Almost every student has told us they are excited for one thing: CHOCOLATE. While the 3 biggest producers of chocolate in Belgium are Godiva, Neuhaus, and Leonidis, the New York Times claims there are over 500 chocolatiers in Brussels alone, one for every 2,000 residents.  

Here are 5 more chocolate facts you might find interesting:

1. Cortéz brought chocolate back from the Aztecs to Europe in 1519.

2. The first chocolate bar in Europe was created in 1847.

3. Belgium can produce 600,000 tons of chocolate per year.

4. There is a higher cocoa content in Belgian chocolate compared to Swiss chocolate, which has a higher milk and sugar content.

5. Our students will get to see chocolate making in action at the Choco Story: The Chocolate Museum, conveniently located on the Grand Place in Brussels! (http://choco-story-brussels.be/en/homepage-en)

It is our hope that our students on the Brussels World Government Program learn diplomacy, cultural acceptance and independence, as well as self-awareness and resilience.  But we know that all that chocolate is certainly going to make their time in Brussels all that much sweeter.

We are looking forward to a great summer with these amazing students!

Alexis and Sarah, Program Leaders