2 Fast 2 Beautiful: 2 cities in Belgium, 2 cities in France

LILLE, France – I have always wanted to go backpacking in Europe, to venture into strange and beautiful cities on foot, to discover names and histories of monuments and structures, to try and read signs in another language, to talk with smiling locals and share travel tips with fellow travelers. I absolutely love the idea of filling a backpack only with the essentials, slipping on a pair of trusty sneakers, slathering on sun-block and lip balm, double-checking my tickets and passport, and going off to explore the bigger world. No parents, no tour guides, and no (fixed) plans – just the open road fenced off by the number of euros I have in my pocket.

Part of the reason why I wanted to study in Lille is to be able to travel around France and even around Europe. I feel incredibly lucky to be here right now and since I don’t know when (or if ever) I’m coming back, I want to make the most out of my experience here. I just think – I’m not just in Lille, I’m in France. And I’m not just in France, I’m in Europe. It’s a whole continent of possibilities for new discoveries, cultures, and experiences.

This means at the end of a busy school week, my friends and I don’t get the R&R that weekends are usually made for. We’re getting up early, catching trains, trying to speak and understand another language, deciphering maps and metro systems, eating packed food and filling our own water bottles to keep from spending, running through foreign streets to see as much sights as possible, and of course, getting to know fellow Pinoys whom we meet (and we meet them everywhere!).

It’s quite exhausting but it’s incredibly worth it. The sights are breathtaking. The cultures are interesting. The metro maps are confusing. We know that our memory cards and time are just not enough to capture all the cities we’ve traveled to, but that doesn’t stop us from living it up. The expenses are quite painful, but as we always say, "Charge it to experience." We’ve taken home so much more than magnets, playing cards, key chains, ticket stubs, worn out maps, and brochures. Even if we just stay the weekend, we have enough stories, memories, and discoveries to last us a lifetime. The amount of time you spend in one place isn’t what really counts; the way you spent it there is what makes it different. You can never grasp time in your hands, but you can hold on to your memories for the rest of your life.

There are memories from Belgium (in the cities Brugge and Brussels) and France (Paris and Lourdes) that I’ll be keeping.