A malaysian exchange student,

sharing an assortment of gained experiences in Belgium with you in words and pictures.

This is my visual diary.

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Finding myself while getting lost in Belgium.
Alice Tai. 技術提供:Blogger.

16.2.16

How I felt the day I left my home country

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It was 178 days ago, a rainy day and I was ready to leave the house at 4pm as I had to arrive in airport at 6:20pm.
People kept asking me "Are you scared? Are you excited? Won't you miss home?" so now I decided to tell you more about the day when my life changed forever.

We went to a restaurant named "Airport Seafood Restaurant", just 5 minutes from my house and airport is just 10minutes away.  That was really a good farewell. 
 

                                                                     


I arrived at the airport, meeting people from AFS and captured the moment with my family.  I checked-in my super heavy luggage. I was actually lucky because I had a company. I tried to talk about anything but my departure with my parents, since I don't want to make them sad, and for me either. After hugging them for the last time, I walked towards the gate with my hand-carried luggage and turn left. The last thing they saw was my back with a huge backpack. I turned to them and gave a last smile and got in line with my passport in my hand.


There, my mind started to travel. I looked at myself in the reflection with a big smile and fast heartbeats, I was 18 and travelling out of the country by myself. I was ready to show who I really was. In Malaysia I felt like things were holding me back but from that day on, the situation changed. 

21:20 Flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore departed.


I landed in Singapore in the middle of the night. I saw thousands of people walking left and right, either hurrying or taking their time in cafe.  In the meanwhile I kept thinking "What and who is waiting for me on the other side of the world? What if....?" I really asked myself tons of questions. But then I did quit because I wanted to enjoy every seconds of my exchange, and the journey was also a part of it. I did not want to have expectations. I forced myself not to. I tried to text my family and friends to let them know that I was okay and then used the restroom. I rushed to the gate, which was on the other side of the terminal, obviously, and thought I was gonna be late but the gate opened in around 15minutes after I was there waiting. 

00:35 Flight from Singapore to Amsterdam departed. 
Parents told me to sleep on the plane, to watch movies or listen to the music. I tried to sleep but I couldn't. I was too excited to land in Europe for the first time, and not for a vacation but because I was moving directly there, that even if I was tired I could not fall asleep. I repeatedly listened to the songs from Yiruma hundreds of times on board. It was really a long journey. 


I landed in Amsterdam and saying goodbye to my company (jiayi who was going to Hungary). Hugged, selfied and see each other a year later. It was 45 minutes flight from Amsterdam to Brussels. 



Even the clouds looked different through my eyes, I landed and met the people from AFS Belgium. After the 2days arrival camp I finally met my Belgian family. 



On my way home I kept looking outside the window while my host parents were talking to me. I remember that day like it was yesterday. 
And you, do you remember your first day? 




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