I have my gameboy ready with a USB charger (supposedly there's USB charging on the plane even for economy, we shall see, that would be super amazing).
Anyway, I also have to write a blog for the University to follow my trips, but that one has more specific guidelines and on this one I can just ramble a bit more and post random stuff, like what I'm packing, for reference later. An except from my University blog to explain this trip a bit more:
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The class of 16 people (I believe) will be staying at a hostel and will be studying at the University of Ghent for two weeks. Besides studying we will be visiting historic sites related to World War I such as Flanders and Ypres (which I hope to learn how to properly pronounce), a brewery, winery, and we're looking at other cities to travel to over the weekends. Originally we had considered Paris, but due to the increasing threat of extremist attacks, we may have to change plans. (edit: we have canceled our Paris trip but instead will be going to Ostend)
Containing the headquarters of the EU, Brussels is a significant target for terrorism as the world witnessed in the latest attacks in Europe. However, we will only be flying in and out of Brussels and security has increased substantially, so both myself and the University of Arkansas feel that we are still cleared to go and will be safe.
Classroom topics include GMO's, water resource management, BioPower/sustainable energy, soil/crop management, and waste treatment. We will not only be studying at the University of Ghent, but will also travel to the Flemish Institute of Biology, Institute of Agriculture and Fisheries Research, and the Cacaolab to study Belgian chocolate!
So why am I participating in this program one might ask. Honestly the main reason is because my advisor told me to apply, and I felt like I had a good shot at being accepted since I'm an Environmental, Soil, and Water (ESWS) major after all. I also got a very generous scholarship from the Dale Bumpers College to help make this happen (thank you!). As an ESWS major I'm pushing myself to be relevant worldwide with knowledge of many different country's outlook on environmental sustainability. This program will allow me to see first hand the Belgian mentality and processes into food, water, air, and soil security.
My undergraduate experience in ESWS has still been very broad, and I haven't nailed down any particular field of study I want to dedicate myself to. I hope that in this experience I can better learn where my passions specifically lay and where I might want to potentially conduct graduate research.
I'm also incredibly excited to visit Europe for the first time. After visiting Taiwan I realized how much I can learn about myself and the U.S. by jumping into a completely different environment. I found that it's the things I carry in my heart that truly make me who I am, and by shedding my daily material surroundings I discover what's in my heart, and what kind of person I really am. Though I will only be there for a very short time, I hope to get a sense of the spirit of Belgium and its people. Everyone in the world basically wants the same thing, to be loved, to have a family, to eat good food, but it's all the small details and aesthetics that make up a culture I wish to explore.
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Anyway, I need to finish packing. I'll only be there for 2 weeks so I hope to actually get a couple of posts written, but this will probably mostly be a picture dump for me to look back on later.
As for packing, this time I get to take a small luggage thingy thanks to my lovely girlfriend! And of course my ole trusty purple backpack. Also going to take my Asus computer that went with me to Taiwan. It's slow, but it gets the job done.
3 pairs jeans
1 pair brown pants
1 pair gym shorts to sleep in
7 shirts
7 undies
1 hoodie
7 pair socks
Swim trunks (We will apparently need)
Shower shoes
One outfit, my hoodie, and all of my socks are in my backpack. Hoping to get out without doing laundry haha.
Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Emergen-C packets, cough drops (did not take enough meds to Taiwan), my inhaler. Toothbrush (will buy toothpaste when we land, not making that mistake again), deodorant, passport, Gameboy, earplugs, apple headphones, external USB battery (my phone battery is useless now), and a book (The Future of Life by Edward O. Wilson which I need to read for my Montana studies this summer - stay tuned for that blog later!).
And still have room to spare! Unfortunately I'm actually super poor after paying for this and the Montana thingy I'll be doing, so I won't be spending too much money in the 2 weeks.
Well I think that's it for now. Mostly wordy stuff for the beginning, but stay tuned for lots of pictures later!
