Gap Year Blog #3
As I have been in Belgium for almost a full month since August, I have started to get used to my day-to-day life here. I live in Presles, a tiny village outside of Charleroi, but most of my time is spent in Charleroi. If it is the weekday, I wake up and get to the city by 8:00 for school. Depending on the day, I finish school at different times. Monday and Wednesday I finish around noon, on other days I can finish as late as 4:50. During the school day, I have multiple breaks too. If I can leave school during those breaks, I will go walk around the mall with my friend. I also try to leave school every day during the lunch break with friends. In my actual classes, I really do not do much since I have already graduated and do not need any more credits unlike the other students at my school. When my school day is finally over, I usually take the bus directly home if I end late, but if I end around noon, I will spend the rest of the day in Charleroi with my friends.
During a normal weekend, since I do not have volunteer opportunities every single weekend, I normally like to go out with my friends. Saturdays are the days where I spend most of my time with other exchange student friends. The times I spend with them are some of my favorites. Thanks to public transport and the small size of Belgium, we are able to easily all meet up together. We spend Saturdays getting food and drinks or traveling to new cities. We also go to Bruxelles a lot and spend time there together. That city amazes me every time I visit, no matter how many times I have seen it before.
On a daily basis, I interact with my host family in the mornings, and at night when I am in the house. During the school days, I talk and spend time with my Belgian friends. This is where I use most of my french. And on the weekends or after school when I am spending my time with other exchange students, I usually speak only English.
Being here so far has been absolutely amazing and has been one of the best experiences of my life so far. If you are thinking about taking a gap year, definitely do it!!
