Letter from Belgium

I received this note from Goh Kee Kee last week, while travelling in China. Unfortunately, there were some restrictions on posting so it's a little delayed.

Kee is from the 5S1 class of 1999. She writes to us from Belgium, where she is pursuing her postgraduate degree.

I came to Belgium in September 2006 after accepting a scholarship. I am in a place called Gent (half an hour away from Brussels by train), completing my MSc in Food Science, Nutrition and Technology.

If you ask me how is life in Belgium, I seriously don't have an interesting answer:P This is partly because this place I am staying at is a considerably poor area, with not so many Belgians but more of other immigrants. The surroundings can sometimes be anything but conducive for living.

However apart from that, things have been great as I have been travelling to other places, for studies as well as for holidays. I was basically in and out of Belgium the first 10 months as the course promotes mobility i.e. moving around different institutions around Europe. Now it is nearing the end of my stay and I will be graduating in February 2008, after which I should be returning home to Malaysia.

Although this is not my first time studying abroad (previously stayed a year in Australia), I must say that still it took a bit of adapting to, here in a typical European country especially when basically nothing is in English, not even food labels in the supermarket. In my opinion it is certainly a huge difference from other western countries such as the UK, the US and Australia -culture wise, food, etc. With a positive mindset, all these are in fact very enriching experiences.

Apart from studying, the biggest 'event' here for me was being nominated as a student representative for my course. The photo I provide here was taken during the first general assembly meeting of the Erasmus Mundus Alumni and Student Association in Brussels.

I guess my days in BBGS, every single skill and experience that I got while I was 'within those cherished walls' made me into who I am today, I am able to do well because I was a BBGS girl. The way we carry ourselves sets us apart, it is almost as if we have the label BBGS printed on our foreheads:P I am very thankful being a BBGS girl and I've always wondered what will it be like if I have not attended BBGS...quite a number of my other BBGS classmates are now young professionals and they are everywhere around the globe, something to be very proud of.

I also met another BBGSian whom I call Aunty Lai Yin here in Belgium. She lives in another city called Antwerp with her husband and children (I'll inform her of this blog).