Back At School Again...

I want to be in bed in ten minutes, so here we go with the super fast blogging sensation, EMMA!!! Rahhhh rahhhh.

Ok that's enough silliness, let's get down to business. (to defeat... the HUNS)

Ok really I'm ready to begin now.

Obviously, today turned out to be a pretty good day, though it was average. In the States, it is Martin Luther King Jr. Day today, and the majority of my family and friends did not have school today. However, this holiday is not recognized in Belgium, so I had to go to school like any other Monday.

I went through my day as usual, until I found out that I have a legit chance to go to Paris!!! It would be a few days, organized by the wonderful Madame Gallo and the school in April. I'm still not sure if I'm going, but I would really like to, considering I've never been.

And then my math teacher wasn't there so I got out two hours early today and went to the gym. But on the way there, I spotted my host dad, and he was able to drive me so I didn't have to walk the half hour. Of course, this meant I couldn't stop at the store for the essential things that I needed, but that wasn't a big deal.

Today at the gym, I did forty minutes of elliptical, twenty minutes of abs, a good twenty-five minutes of weights, some stair climber, twenty minutes on the bike, and then Talia joined me. Then I did arms and some more abs and then I left to go to the Champion to do the shopping that I didn't get to do before and catch my bus.

I then returned to an empty dark house, which was eerie because I could not find a light switch. But within the hour, my host dad came home and I was down in the kitchen talking with him and having a good conversation all about America and food and how not all Americans are fat, but explaining the fast food system and all that. I think I did us justice and showed how there are a lot of Americans who do care about health and eat well, like me, who enjoys veggies.

For dinner, we had a sort of stir fry with chicken and beans and vegetables and a bit of sausage. We also had chicon, which really is growing on me, and rice. For dessert, I had a caramel crème thing. Which was basically pudding. Yummy. But I'm still having a serious weakness for chocolate and I need to kick that in the butt cause it's taking a toll on my what-should-be-toned abs.

ONE MINUTE LEFT.

Then I just Facebooked and made plans to go to Brussels this Saturday, which I'm psyched about. Now I shall sleep.

I successfully did this blog post in under 10 minutes. Goooooooooo ME!

Ok I'm obviously hyper today. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep. À demain !

The Detailed Post That I Promised

See? I'm good at keeping promises. So here we go. Two days ago, Thursday, I woke up (around 1pm) knowing that it would be my last day in my normal host house. I had already done the majority of my packing and it didn't seem like there was much left to take care of.

Boy was I wrong. There was much more than I thought. And that is because things were hiding out in places that I forgotten about. Like my stack of envelopes, or my two teddy bears, or my food, or my clock. All these were things that I had to take with me, but didn't take into account when I started my packing. So, at the end of it all, I ended up with three big suitcases, another big carry-on type bag that I bought here (with a really cute vintage floral print, I might add), three shoeboxes, an H&M bag, my computer bag, and my purse. I'm definitely going to have to do some trimming down at the end of the year... Or my parents are just going to have to bring me empty suitcases :) Nah I think I'll donate some of the clothes and such and everything will be fine. After I finished packing, I spent some time on my computer since I literally had nothing else to do. Around 7 30pm, my second host parents came over for dinner. The original plan was for me to go back home with them afterwards.

They came, and we began things the way Belgians do with the "imperatif" (sp?), which is like the little chips or munchies before the meal. We sat down in the living room with those and a small glass of a sort of wine that was fruitier than the others that I have tried and I actually found that I kinda sorta liked it. Then we went to the table for the soup, which was made from peppers and had cheese in it. I really do love homemade soups. How will I ever go to back to Campbell's condensed soups?? Actually I don't think I'll have a problem, but anyways... That was followed by a salmon and vegetable quiche, which was also quite delicious. Salmon is so wonderfully flavorful. The main course came next, and it was the curry chicken over rice with cooked mangos on the side. The curry chicken has definitely become one of my favorite dishes here, though I'm not sure that everyone in Belgium makes it. But at the Crismer house, it's delicious. I need to get the recipe for that... Throughout dinner we talked and my host dad made annoying jokes about me and my faults and Ryan and all that. But you know, I find it humorous and I laugh and to be honest, that joking around is what made the first four and a half months of my exchange what it was. And I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Since it was the epiphany, we did the normal European tradition of the King's cake. What it is, is there is a round cake that is made from fragipane and filo dough. Somewhere inside the cake is a little tiny figurine. Whoever gets the piece with the figurine in it is King or Queen for the day and wears a crown. Well, our little figurine seemed to be everywhere. After the ten minutes it took to cut the cake, nobody had the little figurine. So we didn't have royalty. By my host mom did pull the guy out of another slice. It was in the form of a baker.

Turns out that I didn't get to go with them that night, because the next day (yesterday), they would be out of the house all day and I would have been left alone. So they took my suitcases, and I stayed at the Crismer's for one last night. The next day, I woke up and made sure I had EVERYTHING. I ate breakfast and lunch with my host mom and my host brother, but it turns out that Philippe had come down with the flu, so I didn't see him again before I left. Around 3pm, I we packed up the car with the remainder of my boxes and bags and I went to the gym to workout for two hours. The gym was very calm yesterday. I don't like the being the only one in there, but for a while, I was. I was also pretty tired, and today my back really hurts. But the good thing is that I can tell that I'm gaining muscle, especially in my arms. However, I'm in pain. But it's not too bad and I'll make it!

After the gym, Karine picked me up and we went to my second host family's house. We brought in all my stuff, I said my thank yous and goodbyes to Karine, and my hellos to the new fam. I took all of my things upstairs, and on the way, my host dad and brother showed me everything. I have pretty much my own floor! The whole third floor is mine. There's my room, a toilet room, a bathroom, and a sitting area. And outside the sitting area is a little balcony! Then there's also another couple bedrooms, but they are empty. And my bed is a double! I have never had anything bigger than a twin bed, so this is a nice treat! I then began unpacking my stuff, until I realized how unfunctional the armoire is. It's like one of the do-it-yourself deals from the Home Depot where you pick out your different elements and it's all made from particle board. Then you put it all together yourself? You know? Well it's like that. Except it doesn't make any sense! The little spot for hanging clothing is not long enough for even a short dress, so all my dresses are bunched up underneath themselves. Even my Rotary blazer was too long. And then underneath that there is no shelving, so there's a good three feet of open space. Talk about wasted space. Then the center section is a bunch of really shallow shelves, but they're glass and it's all open so that's more for displaying things. But then then the last section has the same shallow shelving! Maybe six inches deep. And even that's stretching it. So after a long time of trying to figure out how to make use of all this empty space (which is really the voice of my father, plus the influence of wayyyy too much HGTV), I finally got creative and rigged up some stuff with all my cardboard boxes and created a sort of shelving system. I also made use of one of my suitcases. I stood it up in that big empty section and left it open. I put my boots inside, a couple of pairs of shoes on top, and shoved my flats in the mess inside pocket, like shoe storage. Then I found there was no place for my bras, underwear, or socks, so I put all of that in two more cardboard boxes and make sort of drawers in the little cabinet underneath that television that is in my room. I doubt I will ever use that television. The walls are completely bare, and everything is either white, or a weird rustic theme (the whole house is kind of like that... Think Grandma's basement in the 60s), so I decorated with my scarves and ribbons, even my robe, and eventually I will find a way to make use of my colorful jewelry. But I have this really cool shade over my window which blocks out ALL light. Nothing gets through that thing. The ceiling of the room is kinda slanted too, like the roof, cause it's the top floor. So even though no light can get through, the rain is loud on the window.

A little while later, I went down and got acquainted with the whole family before dinner. My new host dad's name is Jacques, host mom's in Colette, and then there are 4 children: Benjamin, Amandine, Olivier, and Marie. However, they told me that Marie is hardly ever around. They are all older. The youngest is Benjamin, and he is 23. Olivier is married to another woman named Marie, and they have a little 18 month old son named Léo. I met them all yesterday, except for the sister Marie. Amandine also has a boyfriend, but his name is something I've never heard of before and I can't pronounce it, let alone spell it. So we will refer to him as AB - Amandine's boyfriend. The verdict: I LOVE THEM! My host parents are so nice and sweet and welcoming. Olivier and Marie are so wonderful and their child is beautiful and adorable and the family cannot get enough of him. Marie is really cool and a little wild and she does theater. Amandine and her boyfriend are also very very nice and Amandine actually works with Madame Gallo for her shows. Benjamin is sweet and he did an exchange a couple of years ago in Chile. So we were able to talk about our different experiences. The best part? The conversation was all real. The questions they asked, they asked because they were truly interested. I was able to talk and have a conversation because it wasn't forced. At one point, they asked me if I knew how to make pancakes. I said yes, and immediately they all yelled and told me I HAD to make them. It made me jump and I was a little scared but then I realized that it was happy yelling and I laughed with them.

For dinner, we had raquelettes, which I believe I talked about once before, because I ate that once at the de Wulf house... Before that, though we had foie gras with different jellies and some yummy spiced bread. Foie gras is starting to grow on me. But then we had the raquelettes. What it is, is there is a grill type device on the table. There is a space between the top platform, and the bottom, and in between there are these little square pans. Each person gets one or two square pans, and in that you put your cheese. We had three different kinds. One of them had herbs and spices. On the top platform, you put your meats. We had a couple different kinds. One which resembled ham, bacon and a smoked meat. I really don't like fatty meats like that, but I ate them anyways, and they weren't too bad when smothered in hot gooey cheese. We also had pickles and little pearl onions to eat with it all. When it was all said and done, we had eaten so much cheese, you could smell it all through the house. It was glorious.

And then we had dessert. We also did a King's cake, and Olivier got the little figurine. This one was an angel. I thought the cake was better than the first one. So Olivier wore the crown for the rest of the night as we talked and such. My host mom even pulled out a magazine and read horoscopes for the new year, just for kicks and giggles. We then drank some coffee and talked until about 11 30pm. Then Olivier and Marie got Léo and went back to their house, which is only a couple of houses down, and I stayed up a bit longer and talked with my host parents. Eventually, I went up to my room and continued to try to unpack and get things organized. I took a shower in my bathroom with the nozzle that doesn't make much sense, and then watched a couple episodes of Frasier before falling asleep.

This morning, I woke up around ten thirty and was eating my Frosted Flakes around 11am. I then went back upstairs, tried to finish unpacking and organizing, but came to a point where I just don't know where to put some things, like my jewelry. In my other house, I hung my necklaces off the knob on my window. But there is no knob like that in this room. Or anything for that matter to hang them off of, so I'll have to get creative again and think of something. Then I worked on a project I have to do for my English class, and then I went down for dinner. I ate with just my host parents. We talked and had some really delicious cheese to start off with, and I had a glass of red wine. Which wasn't bad, although it's still a little strong for me. Which is weird... Anyway, we had a white fish, stuffed baked potato, chicon, and a salad for dinner. It was delicious! I don't know what spices she put on that fish but it was really good. The chicon is growing on me, though I still find it bitter. For dessert, I had a sort of vanilla pudding and a little piece of chocolate. After dinner, I watched the news with my host parents for about a half hour. There is a lot of flooding here... Since all the snow melted and with all the rain, the river in Namur is getting higher and people have feet of water in their houses. It's so sad... The streets are completely under water. I can't imagine... Luckily, that never really happens where I'm living...

Now I'm up in my room, doing this blog and getting ready to go to sleep. I reactivated my Facebook today too, and I'm worried that I will become readdicted. So I must keep an eye on myself. I'll try my best! Tomorrow, I will try to post some pictures. Goodnight world! Bonne nuit tout le monde !

How I Decided I Want To Be 18th Century Royalty

Today, I'm going to be doing a quick post because I've been up on Photoshop and I have to get up decently early in the morning because I need to go work out...

Today, after a lunch of duck, two different vegetable mixtures, a tater-tot-type potato thing, and little mirabelle halves (YUM), my host parents took me to see a big "château" with beautiful gardens and a huge palace type building. We went through a nice tour and they made us put these weird things on our shoes so that we didn't hurt the floors walking on it. Some people opted to just take their shoes off... It was bizarre seeing people walking through a sort of museum in stocking feet... I went pretty nuts with the camera too and got some beautiful shots. I think I may actually do a post on photo blog, which I haven't done since August... Check it out!!

After we finished the tour, my host mom and I went upstairs where they were doing a special exhibit of the dresses of an eighteenth century Austrian queen. They were amazing, gorgeous dresses and that is when I decided I need to be eighteenth century royalty. But then I just took pictures of all of them and will use them for inspiration next time I need a gown for a black tie event :)

Europeans really do museum exhibitions much better than Americans. At least Clevelanders. I'm sure we all agree that museum exhibits can be a bore and it's hard to drag your kids to the museum to see the latest. But the ones I've been to here have been ridiculously well done and interesting. I actually ENJOY going to exhibitions here. I look forward to it! It helps that I can take pictures... But even in each room of the palace, they had perfumed so the kitchen smelled like cinnamon and the salon smelled like lavender. It was really very well done. Not to mention breathtakingly gorgeous. They're just so creative. In one room, there was a film, but it wasn't just projected on a screen. There was a huge table that spanned the length of the room, very low to the ground, and there were countless candelabras and candlesticks scattered along the edges, and then the video was projected into the center so the candles made a sort of frame. But then it wasn't just that. There was a mirror hanging from the ceiling at an angle and you watched the video on that. So cool.

After we saw the exhibits, we went up to the tea room (oh la la!) and had our afternoon tea. Literally. I had an Earl Grey, and we ordered a little plate of cakes and chocolates. Which were, of course, delicious. The waitress was in an eighteenth century dress and the tables were all old fashioned and decorated. It was so cute. I love tea time!

Afterwards, we went out onto the grounds, and although we didn't go through them all, what we saw was still grand. The sky was gray and the snow was half melted, so it wasn't particularly gorgeous, but it was still worth seeing and I walked through, imagining myself in one of those glorious gowns and was struck with inspiration for an eighteenth century photo shoot when I get home. Chelsea and I are going to do it.

Then I went home, we had cheese and breads and salad for dinner with a layered chocolate mousse cake for dessert, I took a shower, and now it's midnight and I need to get to sleep! Bonne nuit !

I Ate Twice My Weight Today...

It's Saturday. I really feel like all I did today was eat. It's almost 1 30am too and I'm so freaking exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open as I write this blog. So it may be a little less detailed than normal.

I woke up at about 10 45 this morning, but that was after not getting to sleep until 3 30am. But I got up and got ready and went to dance for 11 20 as is customary on Saturday mornings. And it was a terrible class. I did not do well at all. I'm pretty sure it's cause my whole body is sore and tired from working out all week, not to mention that I have not been getting enough sleep (as I write on my blog at 1 30am). So things just did not go well at dance today. Afterwards, my host mom picked me up and we went back to the house quickly before going out to Liège to sell oysters with Rotary. On the way home, Karine was driving slow, as usual, but she somehow got off the road for a second and when she got back on, the car slid and did a nice 360 turn, landing in some branches, just missing a telephone pole. It was fine and we were fine and there might have been a few scratches on the car, but that was it. The Belgians really need to discover snow tires.

Anyway, we got back to the house and I ate lunch as my host mom and Benoit went out to get the other car's tires filled, since the one was almost completely flat. I had three little sandwiches on baguette: one with a soft cheese and apple jelly, one with the soft cheese and the sirop de Liège, and one with ham and American cheese and mustard. The baguette today was especially delicious. And I was pretty darn full after.

My host mom and I then went out to Liège to meet up with my Rotary club. My host dad was already there. We were supposed to be there at 3, but with the snow and the fact that there was nowhere to park, we ended up being about a half hour late. We got there and said hi to everyone and then the Rotary people tried to get me to eat an oyster, but I couldn't. I really do want to try new things here, but I couldn't bring myself to eat that uncooked, raw, slimy crustacean. Which, apparently is a shame because everyone was saying how delicious they are. But then there weren't that many people coming to the stand, so my host mom told me I could go for an hour and do my Christmas shopping. So I did, and I came across my host brother and his girlfriend in the process, but I was able to find some good gifts and I'm happy with them. But I'm not quite finished and I think I'm going again on Monday. Oye shopping.

I then returned to the stand and was able to stay in the shop that was behind it where they were preparing the food in the warmth. Which was a plus. There wasn't really anything for me to do though, and I just ended up talking with my counselor and such. Christian wasn't there. But eventually we got to talking, and I have been invited to go with him for 2 weeks on vacation in the south of France!!! We would leave the day after Christmas. Now this isn't positively for sure, but it's a good chance that I would get to go and I'm so excited!

Anyways, we stayed there til about 6 30 and I had been snacking on these little chip things the entire time. But we returned to the house again, just for a minute to pick up my host dad, and then we were off to Namur for dinner with some family friends. By this point, it was already 8pm ish. We got there and I met the couple and their daughter and her boyfriend. They were very very nice and really funny and the house was warm and cozy and a little eccentric, which I appreciated. And they had a dog. A huge one. Like a bear. Really furry too. But it stayed outside the whole time.

We first sat down in the living room where they brought out some appetizers like little bits of sausages and such. But then it started getting fancy and the wife brought out some more little pre dinner foods that had garnishes in little porcelain dishes with itty bitty spoons and other fancy stuff. There was pate with some caramelized onions, but a very tiny portion with the smallest spoon you've ever seen in your life. Then she brought out this other one which was a skewer of a special kind of Belgian meat and a piece of a warm apple. Delicious.

Then it was time for the oysters. My host parents had bought a box of them from the stand and brought them with us. So the man of the house sat with us and spent the next fifteen or twenty minutes opening the oysters. I didn't realize that that is all the preparation that goes into eating oysters. You just open them. Ew. But they were all on a plate and the shells are pretty. Once they were all opened, we moved into the dining room to eat this first course of the giant meal. I did take one oyster, but the minute I opened it and saw it, I just lost my appetite. I really do pride myself on always trying things, but the fact that it wasn't cooked... If you know me, you know I have a fear of puking, which leads to my other irrational fears, such as roller coasters. This also includes my fear of raw meat/seafood. So I just couldn't eat it. I wanted to try it, but I couldn't. My body was rejecting it before it was even in my mouth. But the family understood and we all just laughed about it.

The next course was the main one. We had some sort of meat, which I think was lamb, green beans, and cheesy potatoes. Although the meat was kinda fatty, and I had to trim it a lot, it was really good and had a wonderful flavor. The potatoes were amazing. The best cheesy potatoes I've ever had. Technically, they were potatoes au gratin, but I like saying cheesy potatoes because it's more fun. And they were cheesy, and they reminded me of home. And of course, I love green beans, so that was good too. But by this point, I had so much food in my stomach, I thought I was going to burst and I couldn't figure out how I was going to finish what was on my plate. And then everyone started taking seconds and I felt bad saying no thank you, but I was beginning to feel sick and I couldn't eat anymore. But I did manage to clean my plate, except for the meat trimmings. They cleared away those dishes and I really did begin to feel ill. Which was not good. But it passed very quickly. That's when my eyes began to droop. We must have already been there for two hours.

Then they brought out the next course. The cheese. I couldn't figure out how I was going to do this. But I took very small portions of just a few of them and the smallest piece of bread that was in the bowl and ate just enough to get the tastes of the cheese. One was a brie, the other was another similar soft white cheese, one was a gouda type with bits of violets in it, and the other was a goat cheese that was covered in different kinds of crushed flowers. We ate it with a pumpernickel type bread that had nuts and such in it. The cheeses were delicious. I wish I could have had more.

But the food didn't stop there. They cleared those plates and fifteen minutes later, it was time for the last course. The most deadly. Dessert. The daughter brought out a platter of cookies she had made, some chocolate macaroons, lemon macaroons, and other really thin crispy cookies. I took one of each, even though at this point my stomach really was full to bursting. I successfully finished my cookies without any major problems. You think that was it? Oh no. There were also two cakes. One chocolate one with raspberries on it that made me want to die and go to heaven so that I could eat that all day long. The other was a crumble with red berries inside. That one looked rich and decadent also. But I couldn't eat anymore. Ten minutes later I asked for the crumble. I took half of a piece that my host dad had taken the other half of. I was halfway through the crumble when I really started to feel like I couldn't take another bite. It was so delicious. It was a crust, then some sort of custard, then raspberries and strawberries and cherries, mixed with a red berry mousse and topped with the crumble. I let myself rest for a couple minutes and then somehow, with the help of the Lord, finished the cake. And then I stared at the half of a piece of the chocolate cake, but successfully stopped myself from taking it. By this point I couldn't believe how much food I had eaten, but it was all so good. SO GOOD.

Then we left and it was midnight and I fell asleep in the car. We got home, I took a shower, and now I'm blogging and I want to go to sleep. Goodnight all.

Host dad's pants for today: red.

RE: The Most Fun Weekend Yet

So it seems to be becoming a pattern for me to not blog on the weekends for the simple fact that I just don't have the time because I don't spend much of them at home... Which I have to say is a good thing because it means I'm being social and spending time with Belgians! Yay!

This weekend was honestly the best weekend I've had in Belgium. Let's start at the beginning, shall we? (This is going to be a very long blog)

FRIDAY:

Friday, I spent the day at the preschool again, for the last day of the retreat. Friday was less fun than the other days, for the pure fact that there was nothing for us to do. The other days we had gotten to play games with the kids, do crafts, and help with the little chores around the classroom. But we were in a different class on Friday and there just weren't things for us to do. So we spent the day observing and watching the kids play. Of course, if it weren't for the language barrier, I would've gotten down on all fours and played with the kids. But they don't understand a word I say and I barely understand them, even though my French is improving immensely (I'll talk more about that later). However, they played outside a lot and there were many accidents involving little kids falling down, kids bullying other kids, and lots of tears. And I felt awful because I couldn't really help since I didn't know how to say what I would've said in English.

After school was over, my host mom picked me up and I went home for a couple hours to run, shower, and pack up my stuff to spend the night at Talia's. However, before I left, I made... Ready for this?? GRILLED CHEESE. I was so excited! We had found a Laughing Cow cheese that came just like Kraft singles and the package said "with cheddar". However, that was not cheddar cheese. That was good old fattening American cheese. And I made my wonderful grilled cheese sandwich on delicious Belgian bread. If only I had had applesauce...

So anyways, Karine then drove me over to Talia's, where I got ready for the giant techno party called KickAss. Talia and I got all dolled up, ate dinner (spaghetti), and around 9:30pm, Talia's host mom drove us into Hannut for the party. When we got there, there weren't a whole lot of people there, so we hung around outside for a bit and then went in where the DJ was set up on the stage and strobe lights were going. Nobody was dancing yet and it was kind of that socially awkward stage when everyone is just standing around. But our friends trickled in and before we knew it, the whole sixième class was there and we were dancing and having a great time. Every hour, they switched DJs, so the style was changed up a bit. Talia and I spent the time going between the dance floor and outside, talking to friends, meeting new people and taking TONS of pictures. The Belgians dance very differently than Americans and they aren't very wild about it. So Talia and I had to contain ourselves a little, but it was still so much fun. I absolutely love dancing! Of course, we're in Belgium, so just about everyone was drinking, but it was nowhere near the type of intense drinking like people were doing at the Fête de Wallonie. But because it was a dance party, beer was sloshed out of cups left and right and it basically covered the floor. Not to mention I ended up getting splashed more than once with beer and stepped on multiple times, so by the end of the night, my feet were gross and beer had dried on my legs. Which is, yes, disgusting. But I didn't let that stop me from having a fantastic time! Most of our friends left around 1:30am, but Talia and I stayed until 3am with some others that we knew, and some we had just met. At 3am we met up with our friend Gregoire, who's mother graciously gave us a ride home. We creeped into the house around 3:30 and headed up to Talia's room where we immediately crashed (after washing off my legs, of course).

SATURDAY:

Saturday morning, Talia and I had to wake up around 7am for a Rotary outing in Namur. Which means that we got about 3 hours of sleep. We very quickly got dressed, grabbed our lovely Rotary blazers, ate some breakfast, made our lunches and then we were out the door, in the car, headed to meet up with Gaby to go to Namur. I didn't even have enough time to throw makeup on my face or do something to make my hair presentable, so I did my makeup in the car and just left my curls from the night before. And I have to say, I'm pretty skilled at car makeup and I found that I can do my mascara blind and not get it all over my face. I was impressed with myself.

After driving about twenty minutes, we met up with Gaby and her host dad on the side of the road, as is the Belgian way. We then got into Gaby's car and we all went the rest of the way to Namur. We met the other exchange students at the train station, and then all walked about fifteen minutes through the streets of Namur, which I know very well by now, to the city commune. We checked in there and then all went inside and waited for things to start.

During this time, I met a couple new exchange students, one who was from Argentina, and another from Finland. I can't get over the fact that all the exchange students that aren't from the States or Canada speak English so well. It makes me feel like us Americans aren't ambitious enough to learn more languages than just English... Once everyone was finally settled in, Rotarians talked to us about a number of different things, including rules and the trips that are happening throughout the year (again).

After that was all finished, we headed outside where they gave us something to drink and we just chilled for a while. I went outside to meet up with Rèmi and Talia, and proceeded to get yelled at for something. I have no idea what I did wrong, but all of the sudden one of the men there was yelling at me to get out. I was dumbstruck and just kind of said uh uh huh? And he yelled again, saying, "I asked for one thing, you go out now!" And I just said "Uh, uh, ok ça va," and went back inside. I was very upset about that for about five minutes, and then we all left that building and went to take a group picture. Group pictures always take longer than necessary.

Finally, it was lunch time. They gave us a little over an hour to either eat what we brought, or go buy food. Of course, we decided to do both. So I went with Rèmi, Talia, and another boy from Ohio named Matheus, and we all walked into town. All of us except Matheus had brought sandwiches, so we ate those on the way, and since I'm a nice person, I shared with him. We then searched for a place for other food. We came by a bakery where Rèmi got a really delicious pastry that came with a cool little wooden spoon that we were all amazed at, cause, ya know, we're all just 4 years old inside. We then went to seek out some substantial food for Matheus. We scanned just about the entire city when we finally walked back the way we came and saw that there was a sandwich shop that was right next to the bakery that we had stopped at earlier. It was definitely a "here's your sign" moment. So we stopped in there and Talia and I decided that we were still hungry so I got a sandwich too for us to split. She asked me to choose so I went with brie cheese, sirop de Liège, and pearl onions. If you don't remember, the sirop de Liège is the molasses type syrup made from apples and pears. It's very tasty, but very strong and it's best when it's with other things. It's a bit sweet also, so with the brie, it hit the spot. Of course, we're in Europe and it is typical for there to be music when you are just wandering the streets. There was a man playing the accordion outside the shop, and it was like a movie moment. The sun was shining, the temperature was perfect, we were standing in a little cobblestone square of town outside a cute bistro with accordion music. It was wonderful. We even danced a bit. After the accordion player finished, we went to check out the inside of an old church, and then proceeded to make our way back to meet with the rest of the exchange students.

We all met by the river and boarded a ferry for a ride along the river. It was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect, the river was calm, and the scenery was to die for. We spent the time talking and taking pictures and just really having a wonderful afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. After maybe an hour or two on the ferry, our time with Rotary was over, and I went to go search for something to occupy myself with. I met up with Brittany, Hadley, and Oakley, and ended up making plans with to join them for bowling with Brittany and Hadley's Rotary club, and then stay the night with Hadley.

We had some time before we had to catch the train, so we did a little shopping in Namur. As I promised last time, I didn't spend a single penny. But it was fun to go with them. Actually, that is a bit of a lie... I did buy makeup remover wipes, but that is only because I was out of them and that is really beside the point and you didn't need to know that... But that was the first time that I was given attitude for not speaking fluent French. The man at the register was not nice to me.

Anyway, we then made our way to the station, but stopped for a few minutes to watch some streets performers dance, which was really cool. Upon arrival at the station, the drama of the evening commenced. I had no cash on me, and there wasn't at ATM in sight. We had to get the train right then because otherwise we would miss it, so I was forced to buy a ticket on the train. Somehow, the ticket from Namur to Liège is around 8 euros, and it is another 3 added on because I am buying the ticket on the train. Normally, they don't actually charge you that extra 3, especially once they find out you don't speak French. However, this controller was in an awful mood and made me pay 11 euros for the ticket. Which is outrageous and something must've been wrong there, but I couldn't figure it out and besides, I don't speak French. Also, this was 11 euros that I didn't have. Now Brittany had lovingly given me a ten to pay with until I could find an ATM. I had thought it would for sure cover it, and there was no way that this short ride could cost more. But there I was, with 10 euros, having to pay for an 11 euro ticket. Luckily, there were a bunch of other exchange students standing right there with us and Jonathan, from Texas, was able to lend me the other euro. Crisis averted. We then found out that Oakley had been charged extra also because she had forgotten to fill out her GoPass before we got on the train. The fine is normally 60 euros, but he only made her pay about 8. So I suppose that was lucky for her too. Finally, we made it to Liège and I went to find an ATM. This is where I found out that Rotary had not given me my allowance for the month yet, and I couldn't withdraw anything from my account. So I was forced to use my Visa, and I am anxiously awaiting to find out what kind of ridiculous fees I will be charged. By this point, I am super frustrated with life. Then we find out that our host parents had talked to one another and changed our plans around, so I was staying with Brittany. This wasn't really a big deal at all, but we were extremely confused on how this had happened. We then went to catch our second train to Vervier. I decided that I didn't want what happened on the Liège train to happen again, so I quickly ran downstairs to buy a ticket. As Oakley and I were heading back up to the platform, the others were running down, saying they had changed our train. So we hurried to another platform, where we waited, and I found out that I had bought the wrong ticket, and the stop we were getting off at was actually Welkinrodt (spelling is wrong, I know). So I hadn't paid for enough zones and the controller could fine me. So we decided that when the controller came around, I was going to pretend to be sleeping, since they hardly ever wake people up. However, we lucked out and nobody ever came to check the tickets.

Brittany's host dad was there to pick us up at the station, and we headed over the bowling alley. It was the nicest bowling alleys that I have ever been to! There was the part for bowling, of course, but then there was also a nice bar, a place to sit down and eat, a part with some games and pool table, and then a glass wall which separated all that from another part of the building with a giant structure of tubes and slides for children to play on. Plus, there was no smoking allowed in the building, so it was really nice. We didn't even have to pay for our game because Rotary was hosting the event. When we got there, we met up with one of Brittany and Hadley's friends, Antoine, and then another girl, Laurie, met us later as well. Thais, an exchange student from Brazil, was also with us. (Poor Oakley was with all of us French speakers, and she is in the German part of the country, learning German, so she was lost all night) We donned our lovely bowling shoes and headed over to our lane to play. We didn't have much time, and we only got to frame 6, but I won with 59 points. I know, impressive. But we had a great time! After our hour of bowling, Rotary treated us to dinner. So we went over to the restaurant part of the building and sat down to a pizza dinner. I got Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple. I have recently discovered how brilliant it is to put pineapple on a pizza. After we finished eating, we spent a couple hours just telling stories, speaking French and laughing a lot! Oakley and Hadley left early, and then Brittany and I and the others left around 11pm. We swung by Hadley's quickly to pick up some of Brittany's things, and then headed to Brittany's house. Everyone had fallen asleep in the car, and Brittany and I were exhausted when we got up to her room, seeing as how we had each gotten about three hours of sleep the night before. So after quickly setting up a place for me to sleep and getting some pjs of Brittany's to wear, we crashed for the night.

SUNDAY:

Sunday morning was much more reasonable. Brittany and I awoke around 9:30am and went down to breakfast. It was the first time since I've been here that I lounged around in my pajamas. Breakfast at her house is wonderful. There was melted chocolate for baguettes (which beats Nutella), pain au chocolat, breakfast rolls, sirop de Liège, more chocolate, and the cheese de Herve (which is the city where she lives). I was a total piggy and had some baguette with chocolate, a roll with the sirop and cheese, and a pain au chocolat. With coffee and orange juice. Oh and when her host mom offered me a piece of chocolate with hazelnuts, I had that too. I mean, it would be rude to say no, right?

After breakfast, Brittany showed me around the house and then we went outside and picked up walnuts that had fallen off the tree in their front yard while telling stories and just having some girl chat. In our pajamas, by the way. Who knew picking up walnuts could be so much fun? We then went back inside, ate some of the walnuts, and watched a ton of YouTube videos. She introduced me to a new comedian, Eddie Izzard. If you don't know his work, you need to go look him up. He's a British man who dresses in drag for his act, and he's absolutely hysterical. We also took a look at the bus and train schedules and decided that I would catch a 3:08 bus to Liège and a 4:20 train to Huy. So that was all taken care of. Her host mom then called us for a light lunch outside. I met Brittany's host grandmother at this point, and sat outside and ate together. It wasn't really a meal. There were bowls of cashews, chips, cheese, mussels, mini sausages, carrots, and cauliflower, and we drank champagne. They do this every Sunday because of eating such a big, late breakfast. Brittany's host family is very very nice and they were pretty impressed with my level of speaking. So I felt pretty accomplished. After lunch, Brittany and I went back inside and continued watching videos until about 2:50 when I decided it was time for me to finally change and get to the bus stop. I went outside to say goodbye and thank you to her host parents, but they wouldn't let me leave without giving me some cake, so I sat down for a couple minutes and had a small piece of cake, which was delicious. Brittany and I left the house a couple minutes after 3, and had plenty of time to get me to the bus stop.

More drama commences. I got to the stop around 3:04 and waited. And waited. 3:15 rolls around and still no bus. So Brittany and I head back to the house to figure out what the problem was. Turns out we had been looking at the wrong schedule and the bus had come at 3:01. So her host mom helps us and we find the right schedule. Now I have to catch the 3:58 bus. Ok no worries, but I can't take the same train. So we look at that schedule and there is a 4:50 train to Huy, and then next one after that isn't until 5:50. Now it's a 45 ride on the bus, so I will have to book it to make the train. But we figure that's the only option, so I'll go with that. So Brittany and I chill for about another half hour and then go back to the bus stop. The bus shows up at 4:02, and I get a little worried that I'm not going to make it in time to catch the train. But I trust that God will get me there, so I just put in my earbuds and try to relax.

The bus gets to the train station at 4:52. I was super angry. I ran up to the platform to see if maybe the train was late, but alas, it had come and gone. And now I was stuck. So I look at the schedule and find that there is a train leaving in a few minutes for Waremme, which is also close to my house. So I call my host mom, run down to buy a ticket, then run to the platform. But I find that platform 5 is not running a train to Waremme like the schedule says. So I run back down the stairs and find that they had changed the train at the last minute, and my train is now on platform 2. Thankfully, I made it in time, though I didn't completely trust myself and was afraid that I was on the wrong train. But I did make it to Waremme in one piece, completely shaken, but alive and well.

My host mom picked me up from there, we stopped at Talia's to pick up my things from the night before, and then went home where I ate some apple pie, worked out, had dinner, and now am waiting for the shower.

So, to wrap up a ridiculously long, dramatic blog post, this was a fantastic weekend, despite the mishaps. I had a great time, I spoke a lot of French, and realized that my French is rapidly improving. Everyone I talk to says that I speak very well, my accent is good, and I can obviously get myself through tough situations. I met some great people, and I had A LOT of fun! Tomorrow, I have school, of course, and things will go back to boring. I hope you all made it through the post, and enjoyed my antics. Until tomorrow! Bonne nuit!

Ahhh What A Day...

Today was quite... interesting... I woke up sobbing today. It was the first day since I got here that I really feel like I miss everyone back home. Today was a day of thoughts like, "What am I doing here??" and "Why in the world did I decide to do this???" It's very tiring.

But the interesting things that I wanted to write about... We continued the zucchini theme today with lunch (hehe) and had stuffed zucchini, this time with chicken (poulet) and rice with onion, tomato and tuna! It was surprisingly delicious. We also had shredded carrot with it, yes I mean there was a giant bowl of shredded carrot on the table and we ate it like salad, and sliced seasoned tomatoes. I don't even like tomatoes. It's amazing how much better they taste in Europe! But the real kicker here, stuffed zucchini flower!!!! Yes folks, the flower of the zucchini plant stuffed with spiced chicken. Which is actually really really good. Actually I don't think I've eaten anything here yet that I didn't like.

By the way, Belgian people recycle EVERYTHING! It's awesome! There is garbage can for paper, plastic, glass, anything organic, and then the rest. Which is really cool, I think. And the other really interesting thing that I learned today is that men here say "ma biche". Now say that out loud. And think about what it sounds like in English. You'd think it's an insult right?? Psych!! Literally translated, it means, "my doe" so it's the equivalent of "my dear" to a woman. And it's quite endearing actually. It made me smile inside :)

So today my host family took me to Brugge, which is a big city about two hours from Fumal. It's really cool there. There aren't a lot of cars, but tons of bikes and people walking and, I kid you not, horse-drawn carriages. It was lovely :) And to the American it may seem hokey and touristy and just too darn cute, but the thing is, it's totally not with that intent! Belgians are just adorable!! And they make lace, which is really cool and this old lady was sitting outside a shop doing it and it is probably the most complicated thing I've ever seen. And it's done so fast it's crazy!! But awesome.

Also, just a side note, SO MUCH BEER.

My host parents were so excited to take me to this city. And they spoiled me. Two words: Belgian waffles. And two more words: Belgian chocolate. OH MY GOSH BELGIAN WAFFLES!!! It's like the equivalent to funnel cakes in America. There are just stands everywhere with vendors selling waffles with different toppings. I had mine with powdered sugar. And it was amazing. And the scent when you walked past one of these stands... Ohhhh how I wish I could take a camera-like device and capture that smell and post it on the internet for the whole world to enjoy... And that Belgian chocolate? Ok so believe it or not, chocolate can be very explicit!! Today I saw chocolates in the shapes of certain... uhhh male appendages... complete with a certain... uhh substance... coming out of the top in white chocolate... No, I am not kidding. And this was in a display window!!! For young children to see and point at and say, "What's that mommy?" Oye... Of course this is not where it ends. We had Italian food for dinner and I got a wonderful calzone stuffed with all kinds of veggies (légumes) and amazingly gooey cheese (fromage). But of course, I can't go without dessert! So I had tiramisu gelato. Yummmmmmm

Well I'm doing ok this evening, better than this morning and I have to get up for church in the morning (in French gah!) so goodnight all :)