Remembrance Day in Flanders Field

                            A year ago today, I had my first interview for my exchange. I remember going to the Remembrance Day ceremony in the cold rain in the morning and then going to the Crest for my interview in the afternoon. That interview was probably one of the hardest and scariest things (besides actually going on my exchange) that I have ever done!

At the time it felt like it lasted forever. My parents, 3 Rotarians and I sitting across from each other in a conference room, asking us questions about me, my life here, my family, my hopes and dreams, what I want to do with my life, about my friends, anything you could imagine they asked out, and then they asked my parents to leave the room, so they could interview me alone. I have to say that was probably the scariest part. At this time, my parents were still my security blanket, and I always felt more comfortable with them at my side.

Trying to answer their questions with the best answers possible, well still trying to show off my personality and character was really really really hard, but I must had done something right, if I’m writing this from my bedroom in Belgium! :)
 

             Then they brought my parents back in and asked me to leave. I was sitting outside the conference room for what felt like hours! Luckily my cousin Jill and her family came out of the restaurant well I was waiting for my parents interview to be over, so they came and took my mind of things for a bit. Finally after what felt like a lifetime, I was called back into the room, and they finished up the interview, telling us that they still had 2 more interviews to do that day, but they would call me later that night with a decision.

My parents and I went to the restaurant and had lunch, and during lunch we found out who the second interviewee was.

              Later that night the phone rang and my daddy talked on it for a while. When he finally hung up he didn’t have the look I was hoping him to have. I was wanting the look of ‘Congrats Jane you did it, you got the exchange’, but instead he has a different look, a look of ‘Uhh-oh, she’s gonna be heartbroken’. Turns out they choose another student… but because of a lot of hard work from my local Rotary club, and a ton of luck on my part I am writing this blog from Belgium!

     Today is not only the 2 and a half month mark of my exchange but it is also Remembrance Day in Canada and Armistice Day in Belgium. The famous Canadian poem ‘In Flanders Field’ by John Mc Rae just happens to have been written in the Flemish region of Belgium. As today as it was a holiday we didn’t have school so me, Jocelyn (Canada), Alana (Canada) and Isa (Mexico) took a 2 and a half hour train ride to Ypres for the day; where we met our 1st friend of the day. She was from New Jersey and is going to university for the 3rd time in England, and decided to come to Ypres because it was important to her, and she was finally close enough to make the trip, to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony. It was an amazing day. 

We watched the Remembrance Day ceremony, saw the Queen of Belgium, visited Menin Gate; where we met our 2nd friends of the day, a couple from England who were tracking down her brother who had been killed in the 1st World war, Went to the 'In Flanders Field' museum, found a cemetery where "the poppies blew

      Between the crosses, row on row,"
Went for lunch and met our 3rd friend of the day. While walking out of the restaurant, a lady stopped us, and asked if we were exchange students. We said yes, and found out that she was from Nelson, BC. Then she was starting telling us how she came to Belgium on an exchange a couple of years ago, and when we asked where she lived in Belgium, her not thinking we would no of it, said "Ottignies" and we were all like "Hey that's where we live! (not really, but it's like 10 minutes away). Then walking to the Flanders Field museum we met our 4th friends of the day. It was a group of teenagers that were all carrying Canadian flags, so we went up to them and asked where they were from. Turns out they are students from Ontario at an international school in Switzerland, and came to Ypres for the celebration today, and coolest part was that their teacher used to be the RYO (Rotary Youth Exchange Officer aka the guy in charge of youth exchange) for a club back in Ontario before moving to Switzerland.

Today I got to cross another thing off my bucket list and it will be something that I will always remember. Being able to experience Remembrance day in a huge way today was something I will always remember. Today I was a part of history. 
Thank you to all the troops serving and protecting our country! <3