Le Premier Jour

I arrived at Brussels at 8am, and could not find the right baggage claim, so that took awhile, but I saw my host parents and they are very nice! They listened to Michael Jackson’s “this is it” album the whole car ride home. They speak a little English and it helps a lot. When you meet people here for the first time you give them kisses (bisous bisous) doesn’t matter who it is. everyone! For appetizers we had something that I think might have been duck liver… I couldn’t quite understand. We drank champagne and wine from Greece and they all said “Bottom’s Up.” For dinner we had spare ribs.. the cooking here is delicious. And so is the chocolate :) Earlier that day my host dad and I drove to Lille, France to pick up Blandine and her boyfriend Thilbaut from “le gare” the train station. Lille is very big, and the buildings are all really old and beautiful. I saw the opera house, and I saw a European McDonald’s.. very different than ones in America! The population there is about one million. I woke up early this morning and went and saw my school and went to the bank and computer store to pick up my sisters new computer. I attended my first Rotary meeting and not very many people spoke English which was difficult but I could carry on a few conversations in French. Pierre, I believe he is the youth coordinator for the local club wrote out something for me to say in French in front of everyone. They said my accent was good and I will learn very quickly. Hopefully. It is exhausting trying to understand everything! In my town there is only a street that separates the Dutch and French speaking regions, but they say everyone speaks French.

  I am in love with Belgium! Everyone here is so nice, and everything is beautiful! And delicious!