Ready for Departure

So here is my first blog entry as I prepare to take off to Europe soon! I fly from Columbus, OH to Brussels on Tuesday, August 16th, departing at 1:28, switching planes in Philly, and arriving in Brussels at 7 am on Wednesday. My resident director, Kathleen, (from Brethren Colleges Abroad, the organization I am going with) will pick me and two other boys up from the airport and go to her house in Antwerp, Belgium for the first four days of orientation. Then, we will head to Brussels and move into our host families and have orientation at Vesalius College, where I will be taking classes.

The classes I plan on taking (to be finalized once I am there) are: International Law, European Peace and Security Studies- a Brussel's Perspective, Elementary French I, Belgium for Beginners, and a European Studies class where I study the history of Bruge, Antwerp, Brussels, Paris, and Amsterdam by going on field trips! I also hope to obtain an internship.

I really look forward to this opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture and meet a lot of new people! I am especially looking forward to living with my host family. I have an American mom, a Dutch dad, and three host siblings, ages 4, 6, and 8. I am also living with two other American girls also studying at Vesalius. One of my first weekends there, I am actually going with my host family to Paris to get to know them better and babysit the kids while the parents attend a conference.

If you would like to send me letters while I am abroad you can address it to me at my host family:

C/O Mosieur et Madame et Pouw-Roll,

Avenue Victor Gilsoul 74,

1200 Bruxelles, Belgique.

Any packages would need to be sent to:

BCA- K. Caenen (in courtesy of J. Schmidt),

Vesalius College/ VUB, Pleinlaan 5,

1050 Brussels, Belgium.

Also, any emails would also be much appreciated!