I have been a self taught artist for 2 years, started around the time when I created this account on Newgrounds. I have learned a lot by myself, I'd say that it is still the best option for me if it was a normal world out there and if skills alone were what mattered. I have decided months ago to flee the war next to us that might easily start to affect us by applying to a university in Belgium, Howest Digital Arts and Entertainment, rated second in the world on TheRookies this year. I am here right now, it is my fifth week studying here, I have been in Belgium for 6 weeks.

My life has changed so much, I never expected it to affect me in such a way. I have never had anyone in real life to talk about my hobbies because I didn't share it with anyone, I was alone for years, with just a few superficial acquaintances at school, with an internet chatting addiction, alone in my own mind going insane.

Here I have found friends.

They are very human, imperfect, but honest.

I have discovered how it is not to be alone every single day for months in your own head arguing with your own.

I think I also love someone, but I'm not enough of a person yet, so I need to get better.

I started learning how to cook, I started learning how to live, I got to see the huge differences between Chisinau and The Western World, I just bike around the city looking at how beautiful, how clean it is. I might even go to Brussels on 28th of October for the Carpenter Brut concert, that guy changed my life with his music 6 years ago and I still listen to the same songs made by him and I love them just as much as I did the first time.

I started learning polish. W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie. Jesteś najpiękniejszą dziewczyną, jaką kiedykolwiek widziałem. Cieszę się z każdego dnia, w którym cię widzę.

My first sight in Belgium, Charleroi. They marketed it as a Brussels "south" airport, but it is fucking not. It is 50km from Brussels. Everyone there speaks french :(((( Cringe

The Kortrijk towers

The guy that made this presentation ended up being my class mentor W

Cat cafe cats

Impress your geek friends

beautiful Belgian architecture. I have seen no commie blocks here, ever.

me at some Erasmus organized "Neon Party". My friends drew amugus

this room is called the Fish Bowl, we can see the students doing their lab classes xd

Every friday we meet with some friends and do lightsaber fights, some of them spent waaay too much on lightsabers xD. I didn't want to post any pics with friends but this one is kinda blurry so it works IG.

A friend made me a henna "tattoo", it will last about 3 weeks. She also made me an amongus on my arm :)

I went to a place that serves ribs and beer, it is called Ribs & Beer (I know, original). Paid 23 euros once and was able to order infinitely for free as long as I eat it. I ate kilograms of ribs.

I have tons of pictures but most of them are with friends so I won't post them publicly :)

Also, it is very expensive for me to be here just because I am from Moldova, but for an European it would be a top choice of an university. EU international students only have to pay 1284 (at least that's what I paid this year) euros for tuition, at this point the weight of rent and food is bigger than the tuition fee, most people pay around 400 for rent and 200 for food. I usually cook at home so I save a lot on the food costs.

Skill wise I'd still be better self taught, but the university provides me with way more than just information and I don't have to be drafted for the war (I am not writing this as a meme, it is a real issue).

I know I've been posting very rarely, about once a few months, that is because I spend hundreds of hours on projects, trying to polish them and improve my skills as much as possible. Expect even less personal art from me now, since I barely have time. If you want to see what I've done this summer check out my SPC9, spent about 2 months on it. It is still an early post, I will do a proper professional presentation when it will be textured. I might collab with a gun animator to give it some movement and some life as well :).