Happy Canada Day!

Hello, all. My name is Mathilde, and I will be your tour guide as we explore the life of an exchange student. I am embarking on my Belgian adventure armed only with a laptop and a Dutch dictionary. Well, that, and everything I need to live a comfortable life, including a giant support network in the form of a very generous host family and generations of exchange students. It's not the survivor mission everyone thinks it is. People ask me if I'm studying abroad to save the world. It's more my own selfish quest for waffles and chocolate. I'm sure I'll gain some cultural perspective, which was what I was after to begin with, but it's hard to ignore the promise of French food in German portions. Before I fall too far in love with Belgium, I should acknowledge my home and native land, Canada. Today, Canada turns 143 years old. So happy birthday. You know, I might head to Ottawa today. I hear the queen's in town and she brought 400,000 of her closest friends.