My family is hosting a student next year, the other end of my leaving this year. Something that I didn't expect however is that this student would be- not just from Belgium- but from a town 10 minutes away from mine! The reason that this is so cool is that normally exchanges are not direct country to country. I was expecting someone from Argentina, Spain, Japan, honestly, anywhere but where I am now! It's amazing how that turned out! I've sent her a couple of emails in English and in French- her name is Isaline and I think that we are going to hang out soon! It will be so cool to have someone from Belgium living with me in the U.S. next year... I'm honestly so excited to be a host sister!
With all this talk of new exchange students, I started looking through my old emails and facebook messages with my now host families. This time last year I was emailing Florence and Marianne asking them about their lives- trying to imagine what living in Belgium could possibly be like. And now I am here, with my host family, basically fluent in a language that I barely knew two years ago. The phenomenon (for me, anyway) isn't how fast time has gone, but that this year has actually brought me to this previously unimaginable place.
After a winter that turned out to not be as cold as in New England (despite all of my friends here telling me "T'es en Belgique maintenant- il fait toujours froid!" [You're in Belgium now- it's always cold!]) beautiful Spring is here. For the moment it is incredibly beautiful. The past week has been full of sunshine and 60 degree days- the exact contradiction of typical Belgian weather. Each day I wake up sure that today will be the day that the rain and clouds come back, and so far I have been wrong every time!
First the weather starts acting up- and now time comes along following its example. All of a sudden I feel as if I have hardly any time left here. Even though in reality it's 3 months, it feels like a short series of very full weeks. In a week and a half I am going to Italy for 10 days with Rotary (I am SO excited!!!!!!), three weeks after my parents are coming to visit, two weeks after that the exams start, and then...
But I know that I still have tons of unplanned adventures and learning in front of me- for example what I did today. A week ago I would never have thought that I would be on a Belgian television/talk show! They wanted to do a show about Rotary and exchange students, and they asked me to come on the show with a Rotarian!!! It was one of those exchange student experiences- something that could never happen to you otherwise (except for Marianne- I told the journalist that came to the Rotary meeting that my host sister loved the show, and she was invited to be on it too!). It will air next Wednesday- and the link will be here!
My street :)
This week was fantastic- full of both planned and unplanned adventures and friends. After the exhausting day/night of the surprise party and carnaval and an afternoon of sleeping, my host sister and host cousins had a fries and movie night! The frites and their numerous (and I mean 20 different choices) sauces never get old. Wednesday I went to the very chic seaside city of Knokke for the day with friends from school. While it was a fantastic day, I'm starting to realize that every coastal city in Belgium is the same! Thursday night was a night that I have been waiting for since Demember- the Katy Perry concert in Brussels! I went with my two first host sisters (Perrine and Florence) and our other friend who is also named Florence. Even if you're not a huge fan of Katy Perry's music, her concert is something to see. Full of bright lights and big decorations, numerous costume changes, trapeze artists, fantastic back up dancers, and even a movie that was played between songs, I felt like I was attending much more than a concert. It was better than I had imaged!!!
I can't believe that this week is over either, time goes by so quickly! In one month I will be in Italy... and I have already been here for seven months!
Here are a couple pictures (still none of Binche, but hopefully soon because it's my host sister who has all of them!)
Katy Perry!
Me, Judith, and Ludovic in Knokke (Alexia is taking the picture). This is La Place Rose (the pink square). You can't really see it, but even the water is pink!
My list includes:
-preparing for my host sister's (Marianne) surprise party
-having the party
-blowing up and popping numerous balloons
-making coffee
-driving to a world famous carnaval celebration in Binche, Belgium
-watching a father and his sun dress up in a ridiculously fantastic costume and being stuffed with straw
-eating pinapple cake and drinking champagne (well... as much as I could take at 5am, aka 2 sips)
-having the OPTION to eat oysters
-marching around Binche with an "army" of Gilles, collecting more and more as we walked through the neighborhood
I PROMISE pictures are coming!! :) In the meantime- here's the news report that was done while I was there (that's the house that I was at at 4am!)
http://www.rtlinfo.be/videos/13h/284916
