Student recalls exchange trip to Hasselt Student recalls exchange trip to Hasselt (March 12, 2004)

Community life highlight of Sister City exchange

By Shana White

As a student, I was really looking forward to the Sister Cities trip to Belgium. I was particularly looking forward to visiting another country, learning about its culture and having the opportunity to see Europe for the first time.

A couple of months before the two-week trip in the summer of 2002, I began talking to Debbie Hertenweg, my host student who was fluent in English, via e-mail. We shared many of the same interests including basketball, rap and R&B music and the television show "Friends." I was really surprised by how similar we were, despite the continental difference.

As I walked out of the customs area after landing in Belgium, I spotted the group that I was meeting. I could not though, determine which one was Debbie until a six-foot-tall girl walked up to me and said, "You must be Shana," gave me a hug and took my bags. Over the next couple weeks we spent together, I frequently remember thinking that Debbie could have been a neighbor that I grew up being best friends with, not a Belgian who lived an ocean away.

I enjoyed getting to know all the Belgian families in the program during my stay. They were gracious hosts, incredibly outgoing and friendly. I quickly came to realize that the people I met from Hasselt were more like family members you get to see once a year than friends you see only once in your lifetime.

We participated in many outings during our stay, including visiting Brugge and Brussels and staying overnight in Paris. I also remember the activities in which all the Belgian families participated.

One thing I remember was going out every night with the students to cafés in the area. This was so different from my experience of suburban nightlife in the U.S. because in Hasselt, people would just wander the streets, see friends and then walk in to the nearest café and sit down. Rarely did they watch a movie, because as they said, "You don't get to talk -- you just sit there and look at a screen." Most of our nights we spent in this fashion, walking in groups and talking.

Overall, what I miss most about my trip to Belgium was the laidback way in which we spent our free time, walking around the city talking to friends we seemed to meet at every corner. While I do not miss the tiny cars and even smaller streets, I miss the chance of being so close to one's neighbors and the feeling of community that it offered.

Shana White is a senior at Mountain View High School and a Mountain View resident.

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