It feels very surreal that a quarter of my exchange is
already over! I have now been in Belgium for nearly 100 days! This past month
has perhaps been one of the most exciting months I have had thus far. This past
month I have visited more of Belgium and also was able to go to Paris and
London! During the fall school break the Rotary districts here organized trips
to London and Paris and I was fortunate to participate in both trips. I was able to spend Halloween in Paris with
many other Rotary exchange students! The trip was organized by BRESA (Belgium
Rotary Exchange Student Association) and was for three days. We visited the
Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Orsay Museum, Arc de Triomphe,
Champs- Elysee, Monmarte, Sacre- Coeur, and Notre Dame. The trip was a lot of
fun and it was really cool to travel with people from all over the world!
Luckily, my trip to Paris was a week before the terrorist attacks so I was safe
in Belgium. Two days after I returned from Paris I travelled to the northern
city of Tournai to board a bus with other exchange students headed to London!
To get to London we went through France, and then boarded
the ferry to England. One of the most memorable parts of my trip to London was
not actually in London but was when we were on the bus in France when we drove
by a Refugee camp. Seeing the hundreds of tents and the conditions people were
living in was a true reality check and made me realize just how lucky I am. I
will have three different homes this year in Belgium, and have a home in the
USA, meanwhile some people are living in tents praying for food and survival.
After we got off the ferry in Dover, England, it was very strange to be on the
opposite side of the road. Before travelling to London we stopped in Canterbury
and visited the small city and Cathedral. Canterbury was a beautiful little
town, it had a very European feel to it with very cool architecture. We also
visited the Canterbury cathedral which is where some of Harry Potter was filmed
so that was very cool. Once we got to London we visited Windsor Castle,
Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds wax museum, the
British Museum, and saw Momma Mia! When we were at Windsor Castle, which is
about 30 minutes outside of London the Queen was in Residence which was very
cool to think I was in the same building as the Queen of England! I really
loved London, it’s a beautiful city and it was nice to speak English again for
a couple days!
Despite the break I had from French in London I am really
happy with how much my French has improved since I’ve arrived. Every week I
notice my French is a little better and it’s a very rewarding feeling. My host
family is really great and I’m not ready to leave them in a month!
Since the terrorist attacks in Paris last week Belgium has
been a bit on edge. I still feel safe here but I have noticed that there has
been a lot more police and security in public places, especially on the trains.
There has been lots of raids about twenty minutes from my house here as the
Belgium police continues to search for suspects who may have been involved in
the Paris attacks. Despite the raids being very close to my house I live in a
safe place and my host family has assured me that I am safe. This has been a
very active and busy month for me and I look forward to spending the holidays
in Belgium!
No comments:
Post a Comment