Hi everyone! My name is Juliana Eike. My intended major at Appalachian State University is English with a Creative Writing concentration with a minor in Global Studies. After finishing high school there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to go to college, because I wanted to progress my knowledge on all things that I found interesting and I wanted, most of all, the opportunity to become an independent woman who is very responsible (I’m still working on that last part haha).

I have been outside of our county three times now. Once when I was really little, around one year, the second time was when I was seven, and the third time was when I was twelve. The first two times I went to the northern part of Germany to an island called F0hr to visit family. The third time however, I went along with my mother on her business trip. We went to Paris, France, Warsaw, Poland, and Frankfurt, Germany.

This past semester at App I took a class called Art, Politics, and Power where each of the class members picked a great artwork and studied it then made a video presentation on it. I studied a piece called Govert van Slingelandt and family; it was a family portrait created in 1657 painted by Jan Mijtens. It was a wonderful painting portrait of the family and I truly did enjoy researching it and life in the 1600s.

I am soooooooo excited about this trip! Starting tomorrow I am going to be taking pictures every two seconds! I think I am most excited about eating Belgium waffles and chocolate! On the other hand, I am also very excited to get the chance to actually explore and tour art museums because I have never ever been to an art museum, this will be my first time. You know what they say, go big or go home! Also, its one thing to study and talk in the classroom about these big masterpieces and their stories but to actually experience and see them in person I think will be awe-inspiring, and quite frankly maybe a little emotional. I am also very excited about traveling with this class, I really enjoyed each and every one of them as classmates and I hope our friendship grows over this trip to where it can possibly be a lifelong friendship.

Til next time!

Juliana Eike