Antwerpen

 Antwerpen

6 hour plane ride to my new city. 10 years old- almost 11. Looked out the plane's window to my new hometown. Didn't know then what i know now. This place would forever change my life for the better. in all ways that it could- travel, worldliness, understanding, embracing diversity and so much more. 

But ill start with the first part of my love story with belgium. in a little city called Antwerpen. 

What I remember from that first year was our little townhouse, a walk away from my new school. A restaurant near by. where frank would order muscles and dip them in melted butter. my mom and i both loved the pommes frites. you could smell them in the air, as well as waffles, when you walked the streets. of that little city called antwerpen. 

Mr. Corbett, my 5 th grade teacher. literally the nicest man. Still keep up with is family to this day. Saw him in Kuala Lumpur a few years ago when i was there for a work stay :) 

A girl named Katie H.- I felt took me straight under her wing. making friends at this school was incredibly easy. it put my mind at such ease from my last terrible experience and this time around- my peers were used to people moving in, moving out. 

so the feeling was one of welcoming others. diversity was embraced and people were loved for who they were in that little city called Antwerpen. 

Shraddah, Anushi, Laura, Katie H., Katie C., Kavita, Aarti, Emmanuelle, Mary, Kristin B. and Lucy. All still hold a special place in my heart all these years later. Emmanuelle lived in Dubai at the same time as me for a few years and I got to meet the 3 children of Aarti. 

2 years were spent at that sweet school, but thousands of memories made. Volleyball- my first time every playing. Traveled around Europe just for a game. Weekend trips all over Europe. Christmas markets in Germany- my Mom and I got so lost on the way back to our car. It was dark. It was cold. it rained and my paper bag broke. but we laughed instead of cried cause it was still the best day. 

Basketball season, where my love for the sport only grew. 

my first time to greece- we saw Yaya's house learned a new word there- 'dilapidated'. can still smell the pollution but fact i went there at 12- so very thankful for all that travel has given me. 

First time to Egypt. This was the first place my love for travel truly became- This was the most fascinating place I had ever been. The amount of history that surrounded me. Truly blew my mind. People taking my photo because of the colour of my hair made me feel like a celebrity. 

Young children like me- weaving carpets on their own. Wearing clothes that were old and torn. First time for me to witness true poverty. Made me want to cry but also made me feel so lucky at the same time. 

In Belgium, it was also the first time I'd been around people of great wealth. but i always felt so happy in my 4 little walls- where i felt cozy and i felt loved. 

Tuscany- during spring break- a trip where both nanny and poppy also came. What i can vividly remember was our quaint and quiet villa where i read a few books and had poppy tell me about his time in Vietnam- i wanted to write about him for a school project. his story, his experiences, his love for life, it's never lost of me. It's one of my favourite memories, in Tuscany- talking with my Poppy. 

Swimming- I was definitely a big fish in a small pond- placing at every meet. Wasn't used to winning but i did- for our tournament we traveled to Norway and The Hague - let's face it, that pretty damn neat. 

My crush at the time- Hubert K., from Holland, was swimming at the meet too. We became good friends. It was with him I had my first ever slow dance. :) To a song called "All My Life" I was so nervous- I can still recall my sweaty palms. haha. 

He moved away after my first year. But I moved away too,  after my second- to Brussels. But i knew I'd never forget my first little house, at my first little school, making such sweet, kind, friends. Traveling to so many beautiful places. 

My adventure of a lifetime all began in that beautiful city called Antwerpen.