Hello people of the world!

My name is Karen Vanherck, 16 years old, and I live in Belgium.

You might know Belgium as the small country next to France, or the country with the two World Wars that started the European Union and also delivered it's president, Herman Van Rompuy. Belgium is really small and if you look at a map of the world, you wouldn't pay much attention to it. Only if it's a map that shows the light pollution. If that map is the only one where Belgium is to be seen properly, something isn't right. Our small country is turning into one big city. Every corner of the country is taken in by houses and small villages are turning into huge ones in no time. All that at the expense of the 'major' forests we once had. Nature is disappearing faster that ice melts in the hot sun, and I'd like to change that. Starting with becoming a Young Explorer.

So, now you know what Belgium is like, I'll tell you something about me. At school I study Human Sciences. One of my hobbies is horseback riding. I do it for six years now and think it's an amazing sport. Another one of my hobbies is playing the violin. I play the violin and go to music school eversice I was six, wich is for about ten years know and it's really something I can put heart and soul into. And last but not last is my favourite hobby, being a scout. Every Saturday afternoon I go to girl scouts. I just can't get enough of playing fun games and being outside, all of that with a great group of friends! For me, scoutscamp during summerbreak is the highlight of the year. Sleeping in tents, making campfires and even going to the HUDO ( a premitive toilet we make with some wood and a whole in the ground. It means,"Houd U Darmen Open" if you want to know what that means, Google it!) is really so much fun. During those ten days we also do a two day hike wich starts and ends with laughing and singin. And guess what: I'M PROUD TO BE A SCOUT !!!

I'm also interested in foreign cultures so if you want to tell me about your culture, I'm happy to read all about it! But ofcourse, my hobbies aren't what I do all the time. The Belgian law says that everybody must go to school untill they're 18. So that's what I do, go to school every day and get smarter so I can graduate and get a nice job some day.

 Feel free to ask questions in Dutch, English and French (I've just started learning German at school so that's still a little bit difficult)

 Have fun YEP'ers!! Greetings Karen