Reflection

It is so incredibly difficult to sum up the entire trip and its impact in a few paragraphs. I learned so much about Western Europe and more specifically Belgium. The art and food of Belgium are the first things that stick out in retrospect. Belgium is a wonderful country with a rich and overlooked history of painting. I never knew that the advent of oil painting came about with Jan Van Eyck and Dirk Bouts in the 15th century. I had no idea how highly regarded Peter Reubens was as a Baroque master. I loved learning about Magritte's troubles with the French surrealists. The Gothic style of architecture that is so prevalent in Belgian towns really captivated me too. Prior to my trip I had never seen anything like it. It has made me jaded towards all other styles of architecture. Most notably this week when I was walking around Manhattan I couldn't help but feel that all the buildings were really boring looking. Another big difference I've noticed is the lightning fast service you come to appreciate in US restaurants. Over the past few months I've come to prefer the more relaxed style of dining in Europe. I'm sure there are many other subtleties I will come to notice over the next few weeks. The whole experience was life changing. The amount of traveling and new places and cultures I got to experience over the past few months is bordering the absurd. I would strongly urge any person to do as many study abroad programs as possible. I think back to what was at the time a pretty frustrating experience and laugh. By missing our train in Hamburg and having to take 4 trains throughout the night to get back, we inadvertently got to see the Cathedral of Cologne. My grandfather was from Cologne and had painted the cathedral a few times. The whole thing looked so familiar at the time and I couldn't figure out why until my mother explained that I saw a painting of it my entire childhood. Anyway it is little adventures like that, that you don't get to experience unless you put yourself in strange situations. I will never forget or regret my time spent abroad.