This week I changed host families. Moving to the last family really makes it sink in how little time I have left. The first time I moved, it still felt like I had forever because I was only 1/3 done my exchange. Now I only have 1/3 left, and that's a huge difference. I'm not ready to go home yet. There is still so much I have to do!
It was a little sad to leave my second host family, though it would have been really bad if I had thought that this family wouldn't be as nice. It's funny, because Belgians don't hug. I've turned my friends here into huggers, so they hug now, but they never did before. So it was hilarious when I hugged my host brother when I said goodbye to him. It's not like I wont see him again, I see him at school every day anyway, but whatever, I felt the need to hug him. But in saying goodbye, he just went for the normal Belgian kiss goodbye, but when I put my arms around him he like freaked out. My host mom was laughing so hard. I swear I think that's the first time he's been hugged by anyone or something. He just kind of tried to step back, threw his hands up in the air and was like "uummm oookkaaayyyyyy". So, Gilles, if you read this (et si tu comprends ;)), I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but hugs are normal for me :P
So everything is going well with my new host family. I already know and get along well with my sister, so that's good. And the parents seem very nice and I find it easy to talk to them and I think we'll get along perfectly fine. I like my room as well. I love having a big bed! But I was cold the last two nights, so I slept in a ball and didn't really profit from all the available room. I now have a heavier comforter (because they put the one for summer on there since it was warm when they were making the bed, but it's cooled down considerably in the last couple days) so maybe it'll be better tonight. I also have a little sink in my room, so I don't have to go far if I want to wash my face, brush my teeth, or wash my hands. I also don't have to share with anyone. haha. My room is at the front of the house, so there's a window facing East/South East, so light shines in in the morning and most of the afternoon. Good thing there isn't a lot of traffic on the street at night because I can clearly hear when a car goes by.
Last week Wednesday I went to Brussels and did a little shopping with Autumn and Paloma. I bought I few tops that are a little more summery as well as a pair of shorts. It was a good day. That night, Autumn slept over because ...
The next day, Thursday, we went to meet Kalyan Banerjee, the president of Rotary International. Unfortunately, it didn't go at all how I thought it would, and I didn't actually get to meet him. No hand shake, no picutre, no hello, no nothing. So I was pretty let down. I mean, I probably could have, because there was one point where he came with all us exchange students to do just that, but only for a few short minutes, and I had been inconvinently located on the other side of the room. There were about 220 other exchange students there, and the only way I would have gotten the opportunity to meet him would have been to shove my way through everyone else who probably just wanted the same thing I did. I figured that wouldn't be very nice, and I worried that if I tried to force my way through such a crowd in my blazer I would surely lose some pins. By the way, my blazer is probably the heaviest thing I currently own. The front only has a couple small open spaces left near the bottom, and only the bottom half of the back is really available for anything more. I'm very proud of my blazer :) After the visit of the president, we all got to watch The Hunger Games (in English, with dutch and french subtitles) Overall, I'm happy about that day... but it wasn't as fullfilling as I wanted to be. I'm fond of lists so I'll make one here :)
Pros :
I got more pins and business cards from other exchange students
I talked to other exchange students I haven't seen in a while as well as meet some new people.
I got to see the Hunger Games before almost anyone else - even before the people back in North America who went to see the midnight showing.
I can say that I've been to Verviers.
We got free food.
Cons:
It took SO LONG to get there and SO LONG to get back (Verviers, where we had to go, is on the oppostite side of the country).
I didn't actually get to meet the president like I was lead to believe.
I didn't get to keep the nice umbrella they gave us to hold while lining up to make two lines to create a sort of hallway for the president to walk through.
I was extremely uncomfortable in my dress clothes that are now extremely tight after all the weight I've gained.
In hindsight, the pros outweigh the cons. But at the time I was sooooooo uncomfortable and not all that happy. But when I think about that day, the first things that come to my mind are positive, so that's good enough for me :)
On Friday I went to a birthday party for two of my friends at school, and Saturday I started packing for my move on Wednesday.
On Sunday, Rotex organized an activity in Wavre. It was an adventure day! We went to an adventure parc to get up high in the trees and zip-line, swing from rope to rope, climb nets, walk across crazy wooden bridges, and walk on cords allll way up high in the air between the trees. It was really cool. I figured my arms would hurt so much the next day, but it turns out it was my abs that were more sore than anything. They were sore from Sunday all the way until the end of the day on Thursday. My arms only hurt on Monday. It was worth it though. It was so much fun. And because we actually got to talk and hang out, I met even more exchangers who I didn't know before. A lot of them were newies (the kids who came halfway through our exchange year), so I never had the chance to meet them.
Now I think we're pretty much caught up to today. Today was a special day at school. It's the last day before the Spring/Easter vacation, and we didn't have any classes. Today was the Saint-Jo. Basically what happens is each class chooses a theme, or group of some sort and they dress up to match that theme. For example, my class was "clochard" (=> homeless people), and there were others like doctors, marines, facebook, LMFAO, chavs, Claude François, old ladies, Super Mario Bros, cowboys, etc. And the 5th year students (who I think all had a medieval theme) were the ones who organized the whole day. All the different classes of the same year had to compete against each other in various challenges to gain points. Points were awarded on who won the challenges, but also for spirit and fair play. My class didn't end up winning, but we still did a pretty good job. After the day was basically over, some of the 5th and 6th years stayed behind to help with the taking down of the stage and putting-away of stuff for the challenges. But we also did another challenge. It was the 5th vs. the 6th years. We made two different circles, 5ths in one, 6ths in the other. We were sitting in chairs all close together. Then we had to turn and sit sideways, everyone facing the same direction. Then we had to lay back on the person behind us. Our chairs were then taken from underneath us and we were only held up by our legs. Imagine how difficult this must be. It was very very difficult. And we did it for nearly 20 minutes! The goal was to stay like that in the circle the longest. Of course it was us, the 6th years, LES Rhétos, who won. I was supporting Manon on my legs, and Victor was supporting me. Poor Victor. But I'm proud of him for holding me up. I know it can't be easy supporting my weight. So afterwards most of us had very sore thighs. Mine were a little sore, but I could still walk just fine. However I feel it when I walk up and down the stairs.
Now it's the Easter vacation and on Sunday I LEAVE FOR SPAIN :D then It's off to Croatia !! It will go by so fast! And I'll probably be even more exhausted than I already am.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Busy busy busy
I can't believe March is already half way over and that I leave in less than four months! Next week I'll be moving in with my third host family. I'm not really nervous, but it will be weird to move again and have to re-adjust and become comfortable in another home. Manon (third host sister) and I have decided that we will go on a diet together. Haha, we'll see how that one goes. I can do diets, I just can't lose weight, apparently. But it might also be easier because the weather is getting nicer, so I can go outside and move around. Not like how all winter I was never motivated to be active. I just wanted to stay in bed because the weather sucked. Now the weater is becoming fairly beautiful and I was actually able to get a slight tan sitting outside for a few hours this week!
I've been pretty busy since my last post.
On the 21st, it was Mardi Gras and I went to Binche with some other exchange students to experience carnaval. It was really cool. There was confetti everywhere, and I collected a dozen oranges that the gilles had thrown. The gilles are the guys who are dressed up in huge ostrich feather hats, wooden clogs, and have bells around their waists. They slowly march through the streets followed by drums and brass instruments and toss oranges to the crowd, banishing winter.
Then the Friday after that, the 24th, I went to a club in attempt to win a contest with my fellow Rhétos. The objective was to get as many people as possible to come an represent your group, and whoever had the most people there in their name would win 1000 euros! and WE WON :)
That weekend I spent visiting my first host family, because my current host family was out of town getting sauer kraut!
The next week, on Wednesday the 29th, all the 6th years went on retreat for two and a half days. My group was 19 people, most of whom I didn't know at all. But on retreat I got to know them, and on a level that would have been impossible at school or other social gathering. So I'm very happy for that. The retreat turned out to be very successful. But towards the end of the retreat, my throat was incredibly sore and I was coughing every couple minutes. I spent that weekend sick at home, with the exception of a visit to the doctor on Saturday, and I stayed home from school the following Monday.
But I was in decent health again by Thursday, just in time for the Chimay Spring Festival that weekend! That was something I would have been very upset over missing. It was a lot of fun. Especially the Friday. On Saturday night I had to work most of the time. After all, it was us Rhétos who were organizing the whole thing. I think we made a lot of money (this festival was a fundraiser for our Rhéto trip), because there were a lot of people that came. But more came on the Saturday, because that's the day that we had all the artists, bands, etc. That's the day we really advertised for.
I've basically been exhausted since then, along with most of the other 6th years. With all the activities we have to organize or participate in, we barely have time to breathe! But it's alright, I'd much rather spend my exchange doing things and being out every weekend than sitting at home.
The weather in the past week has been fairly glorious. It was sunny almost all week! On Thursday and Friday I spent about 4 hours each day just sitting out in the sun outside the Rhéto club at school. And as a pleasant surprise I got a little bit of a tan! I am super pale, and very excited about changing that.
On Thursday after school, Autumn came home with me, and then a little later on my host mom drove us to a Rotary meeting. The meal was the best one I've had at a meeting there so far. It was delicious! The appetizer was chicory and scallops. I've tried cooked chicory here before, multiple times, and I've always hated it. But the chef made it in such a way that it wasn't disgusting and I actually enjoyed it! It's a miracle. I told her afterwards that I really liked it and I think that she said that she made it sweeter by doing something with oranges... I don't know exactly. But usually chicory is very very bitter, and that's probably why I hate it. But since it wasn't very bitter, it was much better. The the main plate was a piece of beef with a sort of garlic butter sauce and a little bit of broccoli and carrots on the side. The garlic butter was amazing! And for desert we had a small banana milkshake. It was perfect.
After the meeting, Autumn and I were picked up by her host mother, and I spent the night at Autumn's house and we went to school together the next morning.
On Friday I was very tired because we didn't get home from the meeting until midnight, and then we still had to set up the extra bed for me and all that jazz. The next morning we had to wake up at 6:30. I almost fell asleep later on that day in English class.
That evening I went out again to what could probably be best described in English as the pre-carnival at Froidchapelle. Everyone was in costume, some were better than others, and we basically just filled the bars and main street of Froidchapelle with music and dancing and good humor. My night wasn't bad, but it wasn't as great as it could have been. I was very tired and my feet hurt. I'm glad we didn't stay too late. But I slept for a long while that night, and was still tired the next morning. If ever I wake up from a long night's sleep after a night out still tired, my host dad thinks that I'm hungover. But I wasn't even! I did have a couple drinks that night, but only a couple, so I didn't even have enough to be slightly impaired by the alcohol, nevermind feel it the next day.
Despite everything, I still had enough energy to go out again on Saturday night for a friend's birthday party!
And now, on Sunday, which is supposed to be a day of rest, and all I want to do is just that, I have a bunch of homework to do and I am putting it off by writing in my blog! Tonight, I'll be going to bed early.
The next month will be very busy as well. I'm going to be so exhausted. But I will also be very happy.
Next Wednesday afternoon I go to Brussels with Autumn and Paloma to do a little much needed shopping. On Thursday, all the exchange students in Belgium will be going to Verviers to meet the President of Rotary International. On Friday, I have another birthday party to attend. Next Sunday is an "adventure day" organized by Rotex. On the following Wednesday, I move. And on the Sunday after that I go to Spain for 10 days, then the day after I get back, I go to Croatia for 6!!!
I've been pretty busy since my last post.
On the 21st, it was Mardi Gras and I went to Binche with some other exchange students to experience carnaval. It was really cool. There was confetti everywhere, and I collected a dozen oranges that the gilles had thrown. The gilles are the guys who are dressed up in huge ostrich feather hats, wooden clogs, and have bells around their waists. They slowly march through the streets followed by drums and brass instruments and toss oranges to the crowd, banishing winter.
 |
| The gilles |
That weekend I spent visiting my first host family, because my current host family was out of town getting sauer kraut!
The next week, on Wednesday the 29th, all the 6th years went on retreat for two and a half days. My group was 19 people, most of whom I didn't know at all. But on retreat I got to know them, and on a level that would have been impossible at school or other social gathering. So I'm very happy for that. The retreat turned out to be very successful. But towards the end of the retreat, my throat was incredibly sore and I was coughing every couple minutes. I spent that weekend sick at home, with the exception of a visit to the doctor on Saturday, and I stayed home from school the following Monday.
But I was in decent health again by Thursday, just in time for the Chimay Spring Festival that weekend! That was something I would have been very upset over missing. It was a lot of fun. Especially the Friday. On Saturday night I had to work most of the time. After all, it was us Rhétos who were organizing the whole thing. I think we made a lot of money (this festival was a fundraiser for our Rhéto trip), because there were a lot of people that came. But more came on the Saturday, because that's the day that we had all the artists, bands, etc. That's the day we really advertised for.
I've basically been exhausted since then, along with most of the other 6th years. With all the activities we have to organize or participate in, we barely have time to breathe! But it's alright, I'd much rather spend my exchange doing things and being out every weekend than sitting at home.
The weather in the past week has been fairly glorious. It was sunny almost all week! On Thursday and Friday I spent about 4 hours each day just sitting out in the sun outside the Rhéto club at school. And as a pleasant surprise I got a little bit of a tan! I am super pale, and very excited about changing that.
On Thursday after school, Autumn came home with me, and then a little later on my host mom drove us to a Rotary meeting. The meal was the best one I've had at a meeting there so far. It was delicious! The appetizer was chicory and scallops. I've tried cooked chicory here before, multiple times, and I've always hated it. But the chef made it in such a way that it wasn't disgusting and I actually enjoyed it! It's a miracle. I told her afterwards that I really liked it and I think that she said that she made it sweeter by doing something with oranges... I don't know exactly. But usually chicory is very very bitter, and that's probably why I hate it. But since it wasn't very bitter, it was much better. The the main plate was a piece of beef with a sort of garlic butter sauce and a little bit of broccoli and carrots on the side. The garlic butter was amazing! And for desert we had a small banana milkshake. It was perfect.
After the meeting, Autumn and I were picked up by her host mother, and I spent the night at Autumn's house and we went to school together the next morning.
On Friday I was very tired because we didn't get home from the meeting until midnight, and then we still had to set up the extra bed for me and all that jazz. The next morning we had to wake up at 6:30. I almost fell asleep later on that day in English class.
That evening I went out again to what could probably be best described in English as the pre-carnival at Froidchapelle. Everyone was in costume, some were better than others, and we basically just filled the bars and main street of Froidchapelle with music and dancing and good humor. My night wasn't bad, but it wasn't as great as it could have been. I was very tired and my feet hurt. I'm glad we didn't stay too late. But I slept for a long while that night, and was still tired the next morning. If ever I wake up from a long night's sleep after a night out still tired, my host dad thinks that I'm hungover. But I wasn't even! I did have a couple drinks that night, but only a couple, so I didn't even have enough to be slightly impaired by the alcohol, nevermind feel it the next day.
Despite everything, I still had enough energy to go out again on Saturday night for a friend's birthday party!
And now, on Sunday, which is supposed to be a day of rest, and all I want to do is just that, I have a bunch of homework to do and I am putting it off by writing in my blog! Tonight, I'll be going to bed early.
The next month will be very busy as well. I'm going to be so exhausted. But I will also be very happy.
Next Wednesday afternoon I go to Brussels with Autumn and Paloma to do a little much needed shopping. On Thursday, all the exchange students in Belgium will be going to Verviers to meet the President of Rotary International. On Friday, I have another birthday party to attend. Next Sunday is an "adventure day" organized by Rotex. On the following Wednesday, I move. And on the Sunday after that I go to Spain for 10 days, then the day after I get back, I go to Croatia for 6!!!
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