Hi! Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Jarco (or Jack as most people call me here) and I am a 22-year old communications major from Belgium. This semester I'll be participating in the Media & Communication program. Hop on for what's bound to be an amazing journey.

And We Are Off

January 27th, I am ready to board my plane from Brussels to Washington, D.C. Excitement, nervousness, anxiety… I've experienced them all that day, except one -- sadness. I was ready for the adventure.

When I finally boarded the plane, I was welcomed onboard by the crew. Their American accents and American hospitality made me feel right at home. 2 meals and 8.5 hours later, I set foot on American soil for the very first time in my life. There I was… me, some other Belgians and my 120 lbs of luggage.

With great expectation, anxiety and a visa I didn't lose sight of, I headed for the Customs and Immigration line. "What's the purpose of your visit?" "Study", "Where?", "At The Washington Center in D.C."… "Okay, welcome!" Was that it?

To continue our journey, my fellow Belgians and I hopped in a taxi with a very talkative Indian driver. Within a 30-minute drive he expressed his views on war, terrorism and the U.S. in general. He even showed us a picture of his house. This is America?!

Arrival

Once arrived at the RAF (Residential and Academic Facility) I picked up my keys and business cards, went to the 4th floor and opened my apartment door. I was immediately welcomed and helped by my 3 awesome roommates. Seriously, they are the best. I instantly felt that we would hit it off in a heartbeat. The apartments are really nice and cozy as well, though, I wouldn't have minded a window in my bedroom. If you have one of the apartments in the corner, I envy you!

Jarco's home for the next 15 weeks.

Orientation

I basically threw my bags in my room and left for orientation. Honestly, don't ask me what they said there; after a complete day of traveling, all I could think of was sleep and food (the first few days I basically ate Kellogg's for breakfast, lunch and dinner; these first couple of days have been really busy). Yet, I experienced my first culture shock when we had a 'rock-paper-scissors' contest with 500 people. All the Americans were so excited and played the game as if it was a matter of life and death (while the Belgians were falling asleep at the same time). I was shocked.

After a short, but especially cold night (we didn't have time to buy a duvet yet, I basically covered myself with a United Airlines blanket - aka a napkin) I woke up early with a second culture shock around the corner. A paper stating "Due to the weather conditions, The Washington Center will have a 2-hour delayed opening today, January 28" had been pushed under my door. What?! I turned around thinking "Is it a blizzard? Is it a tornado?"… No, oh no. I took a closer look, and closer, and closer, and was able to spot 2 drops of rain. Seriously, D.C.? Seriously? In Belgium there's plenty more where that came from. PLENTY!

We were also able to compete in a social media scavenger hunt at the Newseum as part of our program-specific orientation. We were basically asked to answer questions through twitter as soon as possible by sending the answer and a picture. It's a huge, interactive museum about news and it's really interesting. Take your time to go through the museum on your own pace (instead of rushing through the museum to win the contest).

Jarco's picture (yellow on the right) at the Newseum.

The Internship

While everyone was getting nervous for the first day of their internship, I had an extra day of catching up on sleep, arranging a bank account and getting to know D.C. The subway system here in D.C. is amazing. It's clean, almost always on time, and incredibly easy to use.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money on public transportation in D.C. It's everything but cheap (at least compared to the public transportation costs in Belgium). Buy a SmartTrip card, it's fast and easy. Oh, your subway ride is going to be serious, really serious. Laughing, or even talking, on the subway are rare occurrences here.

So, on Thursday, I finally got to start my internship. I am interning within the field of marketing at the Alexandria Commission for the Arts in Virginia, just minutes across the river. I was welcomed with open arms; seriously, everyone there is so friendly and helpful.

The first couple of days of my internship consisted mainly of reading, reading and some more reading. So, although, your first few days may be boring, it's necessary to learn about your internship site and to become familiar with their tone of voice. But, it gets better!

Although, these first few days of your internship may be exciting, the anticipation of the weekend is still enormous. Finally, you'll have time to catch up on sleep, time to party and time to get to know the city that you'll be living in for 15 weeks.

The WeekendI used most of my weekend to make some necessary arrangements, such as a new phone number, a new phone, getting a card from our local Harris Teeter (it makes a big difference on your grocery bill, seriously, "Buy 2 12-packs of Coca-Cola and get 3 free?" This is HEAVEN!). Furthermore, some of the Belgians and I also visited Georgetown. Georgetown is a gorgeous place with a lot of shopping and dining possibilities. But more importantly, it has an Apple store. I walked in (my very first time in a real Apple store), swiped my card and walked out with a brand new iPhone 5. If you have the time or opportunity to visit Georgetown, definitely do!

Pedestrians in Dupont Circle.

Sunday (February 03) was the Super Bowl, but I'll talk about the Super Bowl craze in my next blog post!

Take care.