Honestly, there wasn't a specific reason for choosing Belgium initially. The reasons to stay and love this country only came later.

When we were leaving Ukraine, our primary goal was to go as far as possible. At first, we had the opportunity to stay in Poland, but we decided to keep going. After traveling across Germany, we finally stopped in Belgium.

Belgium welcomed us warmly—although not literally, as the weather here is often cold and rainy.

Even though Belgium is an expensive country to live in, that didn't scare us off. This small country gave us big opportunities to start over, and for that, we are incredibly grateful.

When I first arrived in Belgium, I was sent to study in a Flemish school (a Dutch-speaking school). At that time, I was in complete shock at the idea of going back to school, especially since I had graduated four years earlier. The school was located in a small town (more like a village), and it was there that I learned my first few words in Dutch.

I only studied there for a couple of months, and after moving to Brussels, I had to decide which language to focus on: Dutch, French, or English. If someone had given me this choice before coming to Belgium, I would never have chosen Dutch. However, those couple of months in the Flemish village sparked a deep love for the language. From the very beginning, Dutch found a special place in my heart.

So, the decision was clear. Although I continued to improve my English, my main focus remained on Dutch.

When I arrived in Belgium, I initially thought I would look for a job. However, it turned out that finding work without knowing the language was not as easy as I had imagined. Many foreigners find jobs in bars, cleaning services, or construction. These jobs are often physically demanding, typically informal, and don't offer much in terms of career growth. Once again, everything came down to the language barrier.

On top of that, I lacked formal education, which made it even harder to find decent opportunities. That's why I decided to focus on learning the local language as quickly as possible. The idea of enrolling in an educational institution didn't come to me immediately—it was a sudden decision that, in hindsight, felt inevitable.

Volunteering is also very popular in Belgium, and I spent some time doing just that. After improving my Dutch, I was offered a role helping new Ukrainian students in school by translating learning materials and assisting with mathematics.

Many students in my group have part-time jobs, and I've thought about finding one myself. However, with the intense workload of my studies, I've decided to put that plan on hold for now. I hope that in the future, I'll have the chance to take on a part-time job.

When I was selecting my major, I initially applied for "Applied Informatics" at a college in Brussels. However, I wasn't fully satisfied with my choice—it didn't feel right. On top of that, studying in Dutch in a city where almost no one speaks the language didn't seem very appealing to me.

Even though I've never been particularly interested in technology or computer science, I realized it was time to embrace these fields. In today's world, it's nearly impossible to get by without computer skills.

After discussing my dilemma with a programmer friend, he suggested I look into something related to "3D Animation." That was it! When I found the "Multimedia and Creative Technologies" program at a college in Antwerp, my eyes lit up. I realized that this was exactly what I wanted to study—and in Antwerp, no less!

In this program, we study design, web design, animation, video and audio editing, programming, and 3D modeling.

Even though studying in a non-native language is challenging, I'm glad I made the last-minute decision to choose this college and this program!

This website is a project assignment for my college. We were asked to pick a meaningful or familiar topic for the website, such as hobbies, culture, interests, or values. The first question that came to my mind was, "What defines my life right now?" The answer was obvious: "Studying!" More specifically, studying in Belgium.

Thoughts about my life in Belgium and how much it has changed are constantly on my mind. While my life story might not seem particularly interesting to outsiders, this is my first-ever website, and I wanted it to be meaningful for me above all else.

I hope that in the future, I'll be able to look back at this project and see how far I've come and where it all began.