I am on the train om my way to Leuven, gosh that has been a very long time! I am staying at a friend's place because mine isn't ready yet. Tonight I am going out for dinner with my friends and then we are going to party! I can't believe how great it feels to be back home. The past couple of weeks have sort of been a haze, but now I am starting to really realize that I am back and for a while… I will never say for good, because that would just be giving my friends an parents false hope.

So how and why did I go back home you ask? Well, it all started in September when I was still in Australia and started my application for the working holiday visa in New Zealand. My visa was denied! Why? Because of the silly reason that my passport would expire in less than one year. So there I was in Australia… Would I go to Canberra and renew it and miss my flight to NZ? Would I just go to NZ on a tourist visa, get it renewed there and then apply for the visa? Or should I just go home… I did seriously considered all of these options, but all options would be super expensive, so I decided to make my friends and family happy and go home.

I got the idea from a friend to not tell anyone I was coming home and make it a surprise for everyone. I had to inform a couple of people though, in order to set up a great surprise. I told my brother who was going to pick me up from the airport. Then I told my best friend, Anneleen, who offered me her boyfriend's shower before the surprise party for my family. So on Thursday the 7th of November I flew from Christchurch to Auckland around noon. At eleven in the evening I flew from Auckland to Los Angeles, USA. After standing in line at airport security for almost 2 hours I flew from LAX to London. In London I had about two hours and a bit to get on the plane to Brussels. I do not remember how many hours I travelled or how many hours I spent on the plane, but gosh it was so much and so long! I was really happy to arrive in Brussels. I got my bags, went into the arrival hall and saw that nobody was there, my brother was a bit late… Ah well, I waited a bit more, as if I hadn't waited enough already. Then Lies, my brother's girlfriend called me to tell me they were at the departure hall. So I went up one floor to see my dear Venezuelan friend, Dayana, in the hall waiting for me. I had also informed her I was coming and invited her over. It was good to see them again! Then we drove home, well to Neerpelt. We got a bicky burger and ate it at my grandma's, who was also informed because we were scared she wouldn't be able to handle the news. After this amazing burger Stijn dropped me off at Anneleen's. It was soooo good to see her! I had a quick shower and a glass of wine after which Anneleen came with me to a small party hall that my brother rented out. My entire family was there! So why were they all there when they didn't know I was coming back? Well, my brother made up this birthday party for my mom, because she turned 55 a month ago. He said that the present he had ordered wouldn't arrive until then and that was why it was so late! So at 7 o'clock my mom already walked into her own surprise party! And about an hour later my brother showed everyone a video of me apologizing for not being there at the moment but that the great present was about to walk in. And that was my cue! What happened next was endearing. Tears of joy en lots of hugs! Especially from my mom! My family had their suspicions that I was going to be the present, but no one knew for sure. It was great to see everyone again and to catch up, though I still feel like I haven't caught up with everyone yet. The next day Anneleen and I did the exact same thing for my girlfriends, who also did know I was coming back. Great party, great weekend!

Since then a lot has changed. I decided to move back to Leuven, so I found myself a studio over there. The owner was still renovating a couple of things and a bed still had to be ordered, so I won't be able to move in until December somewhere. But that is fine, for now I am just staying with friends. The next step is work. For now I can work at my dad's factory, but that is definitely not what I want to do for a long time. Also this week I can actually work in Leuven. Two summers ago I went to Malta and Dublin with an organization called Clip. They organize language vacations for Belgian teens and they needed some help at the office this week. So that means next week I really have to walk around Leuven to see if I can find work. Wish me luck!

This is my blog for now, when I decide to do more travelling, I will definitely keep you posted. Hope you enjoyed reading this. I had an amazing year and met incredible likeminded people, but for now I am very happy being home again with my family and amazing friends!

Tine