Sawaddeeka!! (means hello in Thai) sup you guys!!! Welcome.. welcome!

Today was one of a fantastic memory for us! To start with the first place, The Capitol, the building is so pretty and fancy. It was a little bit chilly, but we keep walking, moving around, posing for the pictures, and we even danced, which helped us to warm up.

Fantastic view of the Capitol Building

PJ, me (Mook), Pear, Joy, Jan and Phum (Thailand) in front of the Capitol

Group picture in front of the Capitol

The Library of Congress was also an awesome place to visit especially for those who interested in history and reading. Talking about the Supreme Court, White House, and Washington Monument in the morning, to be honest, they’re all look so fancy and just beautiful! We would love to come back here for sure! (but let us collect the money first Lol)

Library of Congress

The famous White House

In the afternoon, we went to the Smithsonian Museums for lunch and had free time to explore many places around there; Natural History Museum, American Indian Museum, Air and Space Museum, and American History Museum. They’re all just so amaaaaaaazing! Oh my gosh! It was so huge and super cool!

Dinosaurs from the Natural History Museum

Fun pictures on the National Mall

After that, we went to Georgetown for dinner and we got a little bit time to explore and shopping over there. Obviously, food is always delish! We’re all just love it!

Then we rode the bus back to hotel and hangout before the departure tomorrow. This is sooooo sad! We mean, we’ve been together for the whole week and we have to say see ya later tomorrow. To be honest, this is our best experience so far! Getting together and meeting new friends from 31 countries. We absolutely will meet each other again! Overall, this trip was so amazing, fabulous, fantastic, awesome, terrific, oh my gosh! We don’t even know which word we choose use to explain this fantastic trip. We’d love to thank Tici, Laura, Charlie, the bus drivers, and Belo for making this amazing moment happened! And taking care of all of us during the trip. We don’t even know what to say anymore except Love ya’ll more than any words can explain J

Belo <3 International Love!

-- Mook, PJ, Jan, Joy and Pear (Thailand)

Welcome to Day 1 in DC

Greetings from Washington DC!

This morning we started off with a drive into downtown DC, where the memorials are located. We met our tour guide Kara at the Lincoln memorial, where Martin Luther King Jr. had his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. It was interesting seeing the 19 ft tall Lincoln statue inside the memorial, and be able to stand on the exact spot where MLK Jr. made history 51 years ago.

The view from the Lincoln Memorial

Right next to the Lincoln memorial were the Vietnam and Korean War memorials. It was touching and impressive to see that all the fallen men are still honored today. Walking past the Korean War Memorial we got to see the Korean ambassador visiting the memorial. Afterwards we made our way to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, which is inspired by his quote “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” Looking out over the water, the MLK Jr. is facing the Thomas Jefferson Memorial as well as the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, where we continued our tour.

"Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope" - MLK

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial was an outside museum representing his four terms as president. It was a peaceful and quiet place for visitors to learn about his unique presidential term, 12 years. There was one statue of FDR and his dog, which was the first famous presidential dog, and there was also a statue of his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt.

At the end of the FDR Memorial the Thomas Jefferson Memorial was there. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. FDR found Jefferson so inspirational that he insisted the memorial to be built facing the white house. The landmark where the memorial is placed today was once covered with cherry blossom trees, which are symbols of the city. Even eight women, who dressed up in their finest clothes, occupied the place to protest against FDR's decision to tear down the trees, couldn’t stop the Presidents’ plan for the memorial.

We spent our lunch at the Fashion Center in Pentagon City, a few minutes away from downtown DC. The Center is also known as the Chrystal Mall, because of its huge glass ceiling. After lunch we had free time to go shopping and buy souvenirs.

Then we got on the bus which took us to the former mansion of George Washington, the first president of the US. The tour through the mansion, called Mount Vernon, started with two movies, which introduced the out-door museum to us and told us briefly about Washington’s life.

Our visit continued with a “moving-tour” through the house in which Washington lived with his family. We got to listen to different guides in every room. They explained the function of each of them. Afterwards we had free time to explore the gigantic gardens, orchids, and the wood that hosts George Washington’s grave. The orchids are still producing fruits and vegetables, and the wood is kept neat just as the President’s servants did at the time.

Mount Vernon

Slave Memorial

Enjoying the sunshine! (Me, Johanna and Karoline)

Today Mount Vernon also has a restaurant open to the public. A fancy dinner was served to all of us, which we really enjoyed.

We are looking forward for tomorrow’s adventures which include the White House and the Smithsonian museums.

--Angela, (Italy) Krista Maria, (the Faroe Islands) & Karoline (Germany)

From the Big Apple to the Great Philly!!!

Greetings to everybody:

Great friends from 31 different countries, the awesome Belo Staff, tour guides, host families and everybody who made possible to enjoy an unforgettable experience at the great and beautiful city of Philadelphia…

The night before we get onto the bus to enjoy the trip to Philadelphia, a sad moment came: say goodbye to our friends who just were going to do the New York trip. Every person from different countries said something in their own language to the people who were leaving, expressing how much fun we had together and wishing them the best for their returning trip!!!

After saying goodbye, the rest of us got ready to go into a unique and exciting adventure: a day in Philadelphia and then on to DC. We left the hotel after breakfast in the morning and not long after we arrived in the city of Philadelphia. By lunch time we got our first stop to Reading Terminal which is where we had an ample variety of options to enjoy of delicious food and probably find something from our home countries to remember good memories!!! Having free time for a while to eat lunch and explore, we could hang out with our friends and know a little bit more about this emblematic place in Philadelphia.

Reading Terminal before the lunch rush

Then we met at the same place we agreed and took to bus to visit the Constitution Center, where we listen to the “Freedom Rising” performance and learned more about how the Independence process of the United States of America started. Following that, we could walk around the building observing interactive and key events that have happened thought American History and how the Constitution has helped the development of the country. Also we had the chance to take pictures into the statue’s hall where we could find statues of the real founders and influent people who fought for freedom in the USA. And of course, we had a gift shop to buy some souvenirs from this amazing place…

Once our tour around the Constitution Center was done, we met Jen, our tour guide during the rest of the day all around Philadelphia. Our first stop was at the very famous Liberty Bell, which was imported from England to commemorate important freedom processes in American History such as the Declaration of Independence, Martin Luther King Jr speech against segregation and others. 

The Liberty Bell

Group photo in front of Independence Hall

After that we spent time at the Christ Church where some of the signers of the Declaration of the Independence attended to and to finish we went to Ben Franklin’s grave, where you could throw coins of any kind and if it was faced-up, you will get good luck and if it was faced-down it was good luck for Ben!

Christ Church

Ben Franklin's Grave

After this we hopped on the bus, drove down and passed City Hall and stopped at the Rocky Steps located at the Art museum to get a fabulous group picture and have a good memory about this special moment with great friends.

Group shot on the Rocky Steps

In front of the Art Museum

Then we drove down Avenue of the Arts, and South Street to have a nice dinner at Bridget Foy’s. We enjoy a lot especially the well known Philly Cheese steak and other food options as the entrance and a delicious vanilla ice cream.

To finish, we got onto the bus on our way to Washington DC and received some instructions to have another exciting adventure in the American Capital… For sure we will have a blast J

-- Gerado, Ecuador

Last day in the Big Apple

New York is not a city, New York is THE CITY. This is such an overwhelming place, and every day you can enjoy a different landscape and different view of the city.

Lady Liberty welcomed us this morning. We were so pumped to finally meet this lady in green, and we didn’t care about 100% possibility of rain. We took the ferry boat, and after a pretty shaky trip we made it. The Lady Enlightening the World, the symbol of the big apple was there, waiting for us.

Group shot in front of Lady Liberty (unfortunately we couldn't fit her in!)

Lady Liberty!

After that, we went back to take in the last views of the famous Time Square, enjoy the local street food and do some last minute shopping! After the shopping we marveled at the artistic talent of Madame Tussaud's realistic wax celebrities. Johnny Depp was waiting for us at the entrance,
you know, we are old friends…

Say hello to the new taxi driver in NY

And Leo, too!

We took our chance to take different pictures with our favorite stars,and they didn’t mind at all!
After a long day of crossing things off our “bucket lists” we headed to Mama Sbarro’s Italian restaurant for some food, but it was actually a LOT of food.

After dinner we made our way to Broadway for the new show “Bullets over Broadway” with a
cast of familiar faces such as Zach Braff from the TV show Scrubs. This show was the quintessential of a Broadway show, but I have to say the real stars on the street were the Belo leaders, staff, drivers and tour guides that made everything possible and fun.

The smell and the taste of the city will never be forgotten. New York gave us a true American experience and taste of the East Coast. Truly, this is the place where dreams come true and
everything is possible.

But after so much fun it was time to say goodbye. It was hard to realize that we are halfway
through our amazing trip and that some friends won’t be with us for the rest of the week. Why is it so hard to say goodbye to these people? The answer is because is all about... INTERNATIONAL LOVE!

The Empire State of Mind

Greetings from New York City!

I'm going to be straight to the point and just tell you what we did today, because believe me, we did so many great things I can barely remember where we started this morning!

But after a little reminder from the awesome Belo family, I remember the beautiful sight that I had on top of the Empire State Building.
It took us two elevators and quite some time to get there, but it was sooooooo worth it!

Am I right or am I right?
I felt like I was on top of the world (or at least on top of NYC) and it took my breath away. Even though there were a lot of people wandering around, we managed to get some really good pictures. Most of them were with our hair flying everywhere, because of the wind, but the sunshine made up for it. I can't believe the people who were here two weeks ago had such cold weather!

So after we descended the Empire State Building, we were ready for lunch. Making so many dreams come true makes you really hungry!
We went to Grand Central Station and let me tell you: it was grand! The outside looks cool, but once you're inside... It's Narnia in itself. So many people on their way to take the train to Boston, Washington DC, ... And downstairs are what seems a hundred little food courts! Chinese, Thai, Japanese, burgers, milkshakes, Italian, .... But the most important one: CHEESECAKE!
Oh, guys, you don't know what you're missing. That cheesecake was The. Best. E V E R!
This is my: THIS IS SUCH A GOOD CHEESECAKE-face.

Once we were satisfied we met up with our tour guide and walked around the city to the Brooklyn Bridge.It's amazing what the human race could build in 1883. And from afar it doesn't look as amazing as up close. I want to explain to you, but I have no words to express myself so be inspired by these pictures.

Last but not least, we went shopping in SoHo. We had two hours and still had to hurry to get back to the bus on time. There are so many shops from different famous brands. I'm pretty sure you can name a random brand and you sill find it there.

After all the shopping and walking all day, our feet were falling off, so we sat down in a restaurant in Chinatown. Ten people at every table. I laughed until I cried when a friend of mine was looking for flowers in the tea and decided that the guy must've put his whole backyard in that tea.

There you go. A description from one of the best days of my life (minus my feet that are covered in blisters, but it was worth it) and I'm sure there will be many more on my Belo adventure!

Hasta la vista,
Lizzy (Belgium - Flanders)

Welcome to the Fulfilled Dream

Hey everyone: our awesome group, the Belo staff, our natural and host families, friends. This morning all of us – 95 representatives of 31 different countries, were really excited and more than happy to fulfill one special dream from our bucket lists – to come to the Big Apple! WELCOME TO NEW YORK CITY!

The first picture that popped up once we went through the Lincoln tunnel under the East River were skyscrapers, yellow cabs, crowds of people, always in a rush, so “New-Yorkish”! We were all extremely happy and started to scream really loud so that our natural parents could probably hear. Just kidding J

Firstly, we stopped at the public library, which had a very unique architecture. We were separated into two groups (since there are 95 of us) and at that place, near the library, we had met our amazing knowledgeable guides. The guides took us around the city, and even though we sometimes asked clumsy questions about New York, they were eager to help us and make our experience funny and fascinating. Then, we were led to the Rockefeller center, where (so many nations were represented). We had some time to take amazing pictures, so parents – no worries, we have time to take some nice shots of the world’s capital.

Group photo at the library

Sayaka (Japan), Luis (Peru), Eva (Czech Republic) and Lala (Azerbaijan) at Rockefeller Center

Then we went to the central park, which was very crowded because of the special event – half of the marathon, was held there. The thing that amazed us most about the park was that it seemed as if we were not in the city anymore. We visited the Strawberry fields, took an incredible picture of the imagine sign.Then, we drove to Saint John the Divine Church, which is an Episcopal church (a sister of Anglican one). The church has never been completely finished and, moreover, this extraordinary historical treasure united Gothic and classical style.  

Tribute to John Lennon

After that, we drove through the Harlem – one of New York’s neighborhoods. We also stopped at the heart of the Columbia campus, one of the Ivy League universities! We all enjoyed it a lot, and took a group picture with our flags. The lunch was Italian for the majority of us in Greenwich village, however some students went to some Mexican cuisine. We also visited the local Italian Pastry called Rocco’s – aww it was so good!

Group shot at Columbia University

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was next in our program, or, as we like to call it, the Metropolitan museum of Everything! We truly found all we could possibly want to see there, and it left a wonderful memory. We would like to mention the girl from Armenia found a Bible and cross from her country! Pretty incredible!

Group shot in front of the MET

Exploring in the MET

The next stop was at the famous dancing studio--Alvin Ailey--where we had the hip hop classes. It opened all of us and we became closer with each other. We are so different, but at the same time, we have so much in common. The dancing teachers were professionals and we would like to say “thank you!”

The most delicious part of our experience for today (except for the Italian pastry – what’s up Italy--) was the famous HARD ROCK CAFE!!! We waited in the line while they got our table ready, and the most awesome thing about it was that one waiter started to dance and sing which encouraged us to join him. It was wonderful – people from all over the world were singing in one language, all together. At that time we realized that we are all citizens of the world, we are free. Also, we would like to mention a sweet and energetic girl from Switzerland, who was not afraid to climb the stairs and dance with the waiter! It made it even more awesome!

Hard Rock Cafe!!!

TIME SQUARE – huge screens, famous people (just kidding – we haven’t seen the stars yet) and cool shops – all of it made an impression of us! We have always seen it from the pictures, or in the movies and seeing it with our eyes was truly unforgettable. We can still feel the butterflies in our stomachs…It was so bright, as we just woke up in the morning, even though we were really tired! Our AWESOME STUDENTS took a lot of pictures, including selfies, we bought some souvenirs and just enjoyed ourselves to our heart’s content. Yay!!!

Times Square!!!

That’s all for today, THANK YOU for reading and supporting us. Thank you BELO, you are awesome, thank you our group, from now we shall be and remain Best Friends Forever. If you are our parents, or friends at school, home – thank you for your support. Even though we can’t see you, we know you are there. Like the stars in the New York’s sky. 

-- Anastasia (Russia), Martina (Italy) and Lala (Azerbaijan)

95 Ambassadors from 31 Countries

People of different nationalities are sitting together in the hotel lobby, talking about their experiences of their exchange year, which creates a strong, never experienced bond between us.

Name tags from all our countries!

It’s an overwhelming feeling of community that makes me smile non-stop, especially when we had our own “Olympics-like” presentation of our 31 different countries. The most represented ones are Thailand and Russia. Also the volunteers of Belo have a connection to exchange programs.

My favorite thing today was that I could meet all those 95 ambassadors from those countries. It’s a fulfillment of my dream to meet teens for all over the world, spread now around the U.S.  It’s so hard though to keep all those names in your brain.

Thanks to my early arrive I got to know to some people closer over breakfast and lunch and welcome the ones who dropped in all hours.

After dinner the usual orientation followed though with stories that made us laugh.

We’re juiced to conquer the Big City which never sleeps!

Buena note! Gute Nacht! Spokojni Notschi! Buenas noches! Good night!

-- Vikoria, Switzerland