So today is the third day from my study abroad trip and since I have been have an amazing time here, I wanted to share my experience with you all! We finally made it to Maastricht, Netherlands today! Yaay!! My overall experience in Europe has been great so far! The people are friendly and the food is great! Yesterday was a very eventful day! We started off by having breakfast at the hotel following by a lecture on Europe and Dutch culture and education from Rene (our tour guide). I learned quite a lot about the education system and how culture plays a role on how students get educated. In addition, Rene gave us information about the schools that we will be visiting for the next two weeks. After the lecture, we went to get lunch at a kabob place. I tried a chicken kabob which was really good! We then took an adventure on the metro to go to the European Parliament. As we walked down to the train, the station was filled with a decent amount of people, but everyone was completely quiet! It isn't like the metro back home, where every five minutes the intercom goes off. Once we got off the metro we walked to the EU Parliament. Going to the parliament was a great experience! We were giving headsets and took an audio tour. It was interesting to learn about how the European countries come together, collaborate and work on policies. After our tour, as a group we decided to walk back to the hotel. During our walk we walked past a beautiful park, skyscraper that allows people to go up and see the skyline of Brussels, and the Royal Palace of Belgium! Henry (our other tour guide) mentioned that since there were guards out front, someone important must have been inside...who knows maybe is was the King?! Anyways we all took pictures in front of the Royal Palace. After the long day, once I got back to the hotel I rested for a little bit before dinner. For our last dinner in Brussels, we went to a Dutch restaurant that was down the street from the hotel. Since, Brussels is know for their seafood and beer, I decided to order fried calamari and a local beer called Grimbergen. The food was delicious and since I am not a big fan of beer I had a hard time finishing it...but at least I can say that I tried a Belgium beer! After dinner, Henry and a few of us went to a pub call Delirium, which is a local pub that Brussels is known for. I was able to try a more fruity beer called Floris Mangue, which was basically sparkling mango juice...which was actually really good! We were all able to hang out and enjoy our last night in Brussels! Once I got back to the hotel, I fell right to sleep and woke up at 6am without an alarm ready to start the day!
Today, was our first school visit! I was super excited to see how the school was going to be and how the classrooms looked! We went to a school called Freintschool in Genk, Belgium. The principal gave a short lecture on the background and philosophy of the school. The school is based off of four pillars which were to motivate, explore, discover, experience. The principal mentioned that they wanted to create an environment for the students to feel physically, mentally, and emotionally comfortable as if the school was their second home. Everyone is considered as equals in the schools; therefore students call their teachers by their first names to break that barrier of hierarchy. As we walked around each classroom, it was interesting to see how the teachers and students interact with each other. Everyone was respectful and listened to one another. One interesting thing that we saw in the school which they do not do in the US is that the teacher and students wear slippers in the classroom! How cool is that?!?! Students come to schools with their regular shoes, hang their back packs up, take off their shoes, and put on their slippers!!! The reason for this is because it allows the students to be comfortable in their own space and comfortable to do their work. Overall, the school visit was a great experience! I learned a lot of new teaching methods that are beneficials for students that will help them in the long run in life.
After our visit, we hoped on the bus and made our to Maastricht Netherlands!! And we finally made it here!! We are staying in a beautiful castle called The Teaching Hotel Chateau Bethlehem. This hotel aka castle is all run by college students that are studying hotel management. I have to say our room is really nice! Each room is completely different designed by a different artist. Our room is very modern with an Ikea vibe to it...and we have a beautiful view over looking the moat. I am super excited for dinner because we are having a four course dinner tonight! I can't wait to explore the city of Maastricht and visit the schools in the Netherlands!
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