Yesterday we finally had a day to just walk around the lovely city of Ghent and see whichever sites we wanted to see. But first, we got a small talk/introduction of Ghent by a local tour guide (Christine (?)). She went into details about how Belgium is, what the tax system here is like, and even which sports are most highly appreciated (it’s cycling, btw). But what really interested me the most was the government compensation. Here in Belgium if you have one child you get over a 100 euros to help pay for the care of raising your child; and the more and more children you have, the more money the government provides. I thought this was really something important and smart the government was doing here, because a lot of families in the states (especially single mothers) can have a hard time paying for child care needs. And if there’s a bad economy the parents wouldn’t have to worry as much about their child eating every day since they do have that government funds.

After the tour we split up and walked around the city. I think this was really my favorite part: I was able to talk to locals and shop owners and experience Ghent in more depth. It was so exciting to experience the city & more chocolate! There was one clothing store that stood out especially. The clothing was made out of all organic materials and the funds went directly to help people in need, and give them clothing. It was definitely something you don’t see everyday.