Stinky Cheese

Since the beginning of my stay in Brussels I have thusfar successfully avoided eating any of the questionable cheese that the Belgians and French seem to love so much. But no longer.
My French class, already only 15 people, dropped down to an attendance level of 4 today because the majority of the kids in my class are in a study abroad program that requires them to take French. This same program also planned a trip for them during the week, meaning none of them could come to class.
As having 4 people in class can hardly accomplish much, my French teacher arrived to class and then invited us to her office where she had purchased 5 different kinds of cheese, raisin bread, and grapes in anticipation of minimal attendance. Our own Belgian cheese tasting!
I have to say, the cheese was actually pretty good (although I still won't be eating it on a regular basis). The most questionable cheese that I tried was in a round container and the cheese itself was orange and FURRY on the outside. I'm pretty sure it was mold, even though our teacher denied it. The cheese on the inside was very creamy and in the case of some of the cheeses a bit runny. Far from your average block of American cheese, can I just say.
I know absolutely NOTHING about fromage (aka cheese in French), but apparently the stronger cheeses tend to leave more of an aftertaste and sometimes have a stronger smell. Most of the cheeses we had were pretty mild, but the Belgian cheese I tried was the strongest. I've decided I don't like strong cheeses. I can't even really describe the taste...it just left a wierd aftertaste in my mouth. But I'm always willing to try a bit of strong cheese if I have a lot of water to wash away the taste in my mouth afterwards.
Apparently the key to cheese is that you have to leave it out of the refrigerator before it is actually ready to eat. Otherwise you don't get the full taste of it. Also, the older the cheese, the stronger the taste. Some Belgains will leave their fromage in the refrigerator for 2 WEEKS before eating it. Mold anyone? I have a feeling the refrigerator might get a bit smelly haha.
Fun Fact: Many Belgians just make a meal of cheese, baguettes, grapes, and wine. yummm. That is, if you like stinky (and sometimes furry) cheese.
fromage? oui, merci.