Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Aslan Alp Wondergem
Seventeen hours is what it took me to come to Belmont, North Carolina. My name is Aslan Alp Wondergem, and I was born in Belgium, but I now live in Germany. My mother is Turkish, and my dad is from the Netherlands.
When coming from a distance and not knowing people, you would think finding new friends takes a lot of work. Still, at Belmont, the community is so welcoming and interested people that they come up and start the conversation asking about where you are from, and that shows how quickly friends are made at the Abbey. When leaving home, you understand what it is like living alone without your parent’s help, but thanks to all the helpful staff and coaches’ help, I and others settle in. Their support makes it easy and great to come into a new community all alone. When coming from Europe, you also have to adapt to the culture change and how different it is to live in these places. Since Belmont is so diverse, finding people from similar backgrounds and making a connection is straightforward. For me, one was Lex Van den Bergh, who is also from Belgium, and we instantly connected; he said, “I enjoy the fact that Belmont is one big family and not just between the teams but a big community in general.”
When coming from such a distance, the trip was difficult as I had to get on two planes, and being in a plane for that long isn’t for everyone. When leaving home, I had to leave my family and friends, which is challenging as the time difference makes it difficult to talk to them as much as you do when you are back home. My car is also something I would have access to, and not having a car is difficult, as back home, I would use it every day, making life 10x easier.
Living here is very different from home, but with the people around us being so supportive and helpful, the transition is a lot easier. All the teachers, the staff, and the coaches want the best, which helps you when coming from a distance. Making friends that will last from the beginning till the end of college is accessible in a community like Belmont Abbey.
This article was originally posted in the Spring of 2023, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue here.
