And We're Rolling... To Brussels!

In 5...4...3...2...1... Action!

Hey y’all! My name is Jade Nettrour; however, I go by Jade Tours for my v/blog. In five days, my Abroad to Belgium Tours will begin airing (although the videos will not be posted immediately--sorry). There are so many things to know before and so many things to be excited about for my study abroad in five days! Here is a 5-4-3-2-1 run-down on tips for preparing from my experience, how I feel, why I chose this program, what I’m looking forward to, and who I am. 

5 Tips for Preparing: There are a lot of logistics to organize for a 27 day-long international trip. Following the general rule of thumb, the longer the trip, the more to do, I have a very long checklist to finish before I leave. These are the 5 most beneficial tips for preparing:

1. Groupchat: Although this is not the first logistic that comes to mind when preparing to go abroad, it is definitely worth putting at the top of the checklist. Creating a group chat was a way for me to get to know the other participants to reduce the number of variables when the study abroad starts. Instead of being in an unknown country with unknown people, I will be in an unknown country with some best friends. Another reason the group chat was beneficial was because we were able to compare packing lists. The group chat saved me from looking out of place and unprofessional.
2. Pack EARLY: I waited until the week before to pack, which was a total mistake. I highly suggest to begin listing and packing at least a month or so before the departure date. Be sure to physically find what you are going to bring to ensure that you know where it is and that you have it. It doesn’t have to get stored right away, but this will make it easier to order things online, go out shopping, and physically put things together.
3. Mark the information: CIEE, the organization that I am going through the study abroad with, often sends emails bimonthly that contain information about what to expect, what you need, what to do if there’s an emergency, etc; have these emails and links bookmarked or print them right away. Keeping the essential information marked or printed makes it very easy when it's time to check off what is done and what needs to be done.
4. Do some research: Before my application, I researched what the study abroad itself would be like: what would I do, where would I stay, how long I would be there. After my application was accepted, I researched what the weather would be like and things to do outside of class, among other things. This was useful to me because it taught me that Belgium’s weather is pretty diverse and it got me excited for what was to come, which brings me to the final tip for preparing...
5. Get excited! It’s not supposed to be all stress! Studying abroad is an opportunity that you chose, so look forward to it. There are so many things to learn and experience! There are going to be some adversities, but know that these are growth opportunities. It’s so exciting and exhilarating to experience something new! Preparing for the study abroad is a lot funner when you’re looking forward to it.

Speaking of excitement, here are 4 (other) emotions that I’m feeling:

1. Disbelief: I have been getting email after email every day anticipating the day where I finally get to leave for my study abroad, and now, that day is in less than a week. It’s weird to me to think that I will be spending (basically) a month abroad with some friends, who I haven’t technically met yet, without my family, in a country I’ve never been to before. It all feels like a dream, something that I have only imagined happening.
2. Stress: Since I’ve been so dissociated from the idea that Belgium is actually happening, I’ve been procrastinating quite a bit. I have put preparing for my departure on the farther end of my checklist because I don’t feel like it’s very close, but it is. Now, it suddenly feels like I have a million things to do with such little time.
3. Anxious: I’ve been talking to the other participants since January. I’ve had six months with (some of) the other participants to get to know them, and I am so anxious to finally be able to meet them in person! It feels like I’ve known them for years since we all have many things in common. I’m just so excited and anxious to be able to finally greet face-to-face!
4. Nervous: There are two main things that I’m nervous about: the travel and the roommates. I have traveled extensively since I was young, but I’ve always with my family or a group. This will be the first time I will have to navigate an airport--a pretty big one, too (O’Hare Airport, Chicago)--by myself. In my head, I imagine myself going through the airport flawlessly. I guess I’ll find out if my daydream is accurate once I do it in five days. The other thing I am kind of nervous about is who I am going to be rooming with in the hostel. Although I’m sure that I will be friends with everyone on the study abroad, I also know that it is very plausible for girls to be friends with each other and simultaneously be impossible roommates.

I have no doubt that any of the other participants are probably going through something similar, for any of the programs they chose. So why did I choose this study abroad?

1. Subject: The first three programs that caught my eye were in Italy, China, and Australia because of their location. I cut the Australia program because the subject it was on wasn't something I was interested in enough. This made me look for a subject that I was interested in: international relations. This was when I found a program in Belgium and Russia for government-related topics. Now it was time to narrow down between these four.
2. Location: One factor that helped me narrow down my list of four to two was based on their location. In 2016, I visited Italy and in 2014, I visited China. Although I loved both of these places, it was kind of a "been there, done that" sort of idea. That doesn't mean I don't want to go back; of course I do! I just want to go somewhere new before I start repeating.
3. Extremity: When I was comparing Brussels to Moscow, I was originally leaning towards Moscow. It was the literal definition of "new" to me: I've never been anywhere near Russia and I have no experience with Russian. But this was exactly why I ended up choosing Brussels instead: I have experience with French and the places around Belgium are familiar to me. I do think that Moscow would have been just as amazing as Brussels, but when it came down to thinking about if I could actually handle 20 days with no familiarity, the answer was no.

And so that left the Brussels, Belgium World Government Program to be my first choice. Once I got in, it was time to get excited. These are the top 2 things that I am most looking forward to:

1. Food: When I was doing my research about Brussels, I read one of the blogs and the about page for the study, and both of these sources emphasized the amazing-ness of Belgian food. More specifically, waffles and chocolate. I am sooo looking forward to eating Belgian waffles and touring a Belgian chocolate factory (but the chocolate more than the waffles).
2. Memories: Everyone dreams of going on a trip with their best friends; that dream is coming true for me. Even though I haven't officially met the other participants, we have been talking for several months, and it feels like we are all best friends already. I get to spend 20 amazing days with a group of new best friends in a new country. I just know there are going to be so many memories and inside jokes that will last a lifetime. I can't wait for them to start.

Now I've spent this entire blog post explaining almost everything, except for who I am. Here's one (short) paragraph introducing me:

1. My name is Jade and I'm currently 16 years old. Fourteen years ago, I was adopted from Guilin, China because I was born with 2 holes in my heart. Now, I live in Ankeny with my adoptive mom, sister (when she's not in college), and many pets. I am currently learning French, Spanish, and Chinese, and I’m taking legal/international relations classes online. However, the best way for me to prepare for my dream career as an international lawyer is by taking advantage of my opportunity to study abroad. In the coming weeks, I'll find out (and share) how much this study abroad is preparing me and if it's everything I've been hoping it will be or more.