Lenore Bartko

InterNations turns 18 — it’s time to party! Every year in September, our communities around the world throw big birthday bashes to celebrate InterNations growing one year older. And this year was no different! The Brussels Community had a Happy 18th Anniversary with an Armenian Touch celebration on 2 September.

If I hadn’t pursued my passion for dancing while I was living abroad, my life might have taken a completely different direction. About a decade ago, I was studying abroad in Munich, Germany. At my college back in the US, I was an avid swing dancer. The previous semester, I’d taken up ballroom dancing as well. What better place to continue ballroom dancing than Europe, I thought, with all its castles, palaces, and a dedicated ball season each winter?

A Cross-Cultural Relationship: My Personal Experience When I first met my husband, I was studying abroad in Munich during my junior year of college. Everything about Germany was fun and new and I was working hard to learn the language. Of course, I noticed that there were cultural differences, but they didn’t bother me. After my year of studying abroad came to a close, I returned to the US for my senior year at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.