Pictures from Paris and Normandy.

NORMANDY:

PARIS

Update on my Belgian life…

I haven’t written in awhile because life is so busy here! There’s always something going on, and if there isn’t I can take the train to all the big cities here in Belgium. I received a new schedule for school so my classes are much better and sometimes I can finish school at 3:00 rather than 5:00. I definitely miss the fact that in America I could finish school at 1:00 and put very little effort into my classes while still receiving good grades. Still getting used to the system and the rules at school here, sometimes they just make no sense at all! Half the time one class will be in a certain classroom, and then randomly it changes, thus causing me to be the lost exchange student with no clue as to what is going on. With my new schedule I have a French class with the “Troisieme” which is equivalent to the “freshman.” It’s helping my French a lot, but I feel like Billy Madison from time to time…

I’ve learned that unlike my life in America, forgetting a house key is a VERY bad idea because all the doors here lock automatically, and there is no possible way to get into a house. I had to spend a few hours with the neighbors because of my forgetfulness.

I sometimes still have to answer ridiculous questions such as:
"Do you carry a gun on you in America?”
"Do people walk around in just their swimsuits?”
"Have you ever tried this? It’s a French dish, we cook here, we don’t eat McDonald’s.”
There are other questions but I’m not quite sure the extent of their inappropriateness.
I usually just laugh, and thank the American teenie-bopper films for portraying such a glamorous image that I have to defend. 

I always learn from the mistakes in cultural differences that I make, and sometimes I just have to laugh at myself when I’m lost in translation.

2 weekends ago, or maybe not.. I think it was the 30th?
It’s too hard to keep track of dates. I went to France with my host dad, host sister, and host dad’s friend because he is a pilot and has a small airplane. So we flew for about an hour and could see our house from the sky. It was fun, but my motion sickness ruined it slightly. It was a good day with my host family.

Halloween is definitely not the same here. For one, most celebrate on the 30th, and no one dresses up. Sometimes the little kids do but I didn’t see any. The most festive thing they did for Halloween was play “A Nightmare Before Christmas” at the pub. And of course it was on mute with other music playing in the background.

Last week I had 5 days off for vacation, on Tuesday and Wednesday I was in Paris with my family. It was amazing! We woke up at an ungodly hour (5 A.M.) to drive to Lille and take the TGV from there to Paris. Once we got to the hotel.. after about 45 minutes of walking around being lost, we went to La Tour Eiffel. At first I couldn’t believe it, I kept thinking… “Am I REALLY at the Eiffel Tower?” It was enormous, standing at 324 Meters, and there are 704 steps to just the 2nd floor. Fortunately it’s the 21st century and elevators were installed. At the top I could see ALL of Paris, it was breathtaking. It’s something that every person has to experience for themselves because it’s a feeling that can’t be described in words when you gaze across the world’s most beautiful city as far as the eye can see. After finishing lunch on the 1st level of the tower we left and walked toward “Le Bateaux-Mouches” where we went on a boat tour down the center of Paris and saw all of the main buildings and points of interest.
The following day we woke up early and went to tour Notre-Dame, it has to be the most beautiful man-made piece of art I have ever seen! The architecture on the outside is so detailed and likewise on the inside. It’s hard to believe that it’s construction began in 1163. It was also hard to believe that I was standing in front of one of the very first Gothic Cathedrals. Unlike the Eiffel Tower, the 1100s didn’t make room for elevators. So, I climbed 400 steps to the top. A spiral staircase might I add, but it was all worth it. I saw the famous bells and once again saw all of Paris from the top of it’s most beautiful building. The rest of the day included a walk through some parks, lunch at a Parisian bistro, a visit to a wax museum, and a walk around the outside of the Louvre. I saw the Eiffel Tower lit up, and after that we headed to the train station.

Last Thursday I took the train to Ashley’s house to spend the day making pumpkin pie with her and Erin from Canada. Unfortunately cooking isn’t always easy with having to convert recipes and me just being completely unlucky with all things in the kitchen so it took ALL day. It was a good day catching up on everything and bonding through pie.

On Friday I left for Normandy with my family. We stayed with my host mom’s aunt and uncle. It was a good 3 days. We walked along the beach, which was really beautiful, it looked a lot like Oregon’s coast. We visited more cathedrals which I can’t remember the name of because at that point I had lost track. I also saw the exact spot where Joan of Arc was burnt. Europe is an amazing place with so much history, I've been doing some research and it’s all so interesting. I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to live in near proximity of towns where some of the most influential events in history took place.

Going back to school after a week of vacation was definitely tough. But, Thursday and Friday there is no school so it was easy to make it through 2 1/2 days! Yesterday I went to Mons with Ashley to do some winter clothes shopping. It was definitely successful, but we both realized we had no idea how to work the local bus system.

I miss my family and friends, but I have yet to feel homesick. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in America. Maybe I’ll try to cook another pumpkin pie for my family

"Do you want to know more about Belgium?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceg6NQKHd70

a video of the very complicated government of Belgium.

Update

I love Belgium! Over the past 19 days I have done a lot already. I've gone shopping in Lille, France with some friends who I know from school and went out with them. I went on a bike tour of Brussels that lasted ALL day. Despite the fact that I had to wake up at 6 AM after going to sleep at 1:30 AM, it was still a good day. I got to know some people from my host Rotary club better and the day was followed by a catered dinner in the town house of the president of my host club which looked over all of Brussels. This past 3 day weekend I went to Lessines to visit Ashley who is from Eugene. We ventured out to a Dutch speaking town, which meant we could speak English. The day included shopping, and going to a cinema that played the movies in ENGLISH with Dutch subtitles. It was refreshing. On Sunday we toured a castle which was very beautiful. However, the tours are usually boring. On Monday we took the train to Brussels and shopped some more (thus adding to the low number in my bank account.) I had American fast food for the first time since I've been here. It was subway. And I definitely don't miss it. The food here is incredible. I tried Speculoos spread for the first time and I fell in love. I think I've fallen in love with all the food here. Trying to avoid gaining kilos is just not an option here. Considering they eat chocolate for breakfast everyday here.

School is still boring, that's unavoidable in every country. The days are long, but all my friends are really nice and funny so the days go by quickly. Most of the time... during physics, chemistry, biology, and french.. it goes by VERY slow because I might as well be taking chinese.

“The American”

I’ve been getting used to the pointing and the staring now. Everyday I usually come across this: “Look.. The American”… “Look she’s from the ‘states’” And I’ve also been the center of numerous McDonald's jokes. Someone asked me if my hobbies included eating McDonald’s. I’ve also been asked if I eat hamburgers and hotdogs everyday. The second statement wasn’t a joke. They were serious. It is pretty funny to listen to what they envision America to be. They were amazed that my school in America has lockers, and that we have a football team. “It’s just like the movies” according to the girls in my class. ha ha. And a lot of people want to go to America and have a “graduation” and go to prom. Here the school is much more difficult. And the handwriting! Oh, the handwriting. To me ..scribble..scribble..scribble.. doesn’t mean anything, but to everyone else it is biology notes, or math notes, or economic notes. So my notes are doodles.

These pictures are from my day trip to Bruges with my family. Bruges is famous for making lace, and it’s Belgium, so of course the chocolate! The chocolate swans were my favorite!

 

School

I thought I had it rough in America... Here School starts at 8:30 and ends at 4 in the afternoon and sometimes 5.. no fun classes. All chemistry, math, biology, languages.. ah la la! Very difficult.. I couldn't understand these classes in English and now I am taking them in French. But my grades don't matter so I usually just try to understand the french. Everyone at school is really nice and it's helping my french to speak with them. Here instead of going from class to class, I stay in one room with the same group of kids and the teachers move from class to class. Also, no smart boards or technology in the class room.. just chalk boards and no decorations or anything.

Le Palais Royal

Last Thursday I visited the Royal Palace in Brussels with the 3 Rotary districts in Brussels. The palace was very beautiful and I wish I could’ve taken my camera inside but it wasn’t allowed. I have a few pictures of the outside. After the palace we visited the Town Hall and from there we went to visit the House of Representatives and The Senate which was very cool and it was really pretty on the inside, I saw the “president” of Belgium. In quotes because just recently there has been some issue with the Belgian government and currently there is no official government. Just King Albert and his wife who have no actual power, they are just symbols for the country. On Sunday I went to the airport early to say good-bye to one of my host sisters who is leaving to go to Amityville, Long Island for the year and it reminded me of when I had left for Belgium. very sad. My french is coming along but it will be better once I have been in school a few months.. My first day is tomorrow, the 2nd, and I start at 1 o’clock and go to 4, only for the first day. Normally I start at 8:30 and go to 4. I hope all goes well.

Backside of the Palace The Palace Gates The Palace View of Brussels Statue  Walking to the town hallInside the House of Reps.. or the Senate.. they look the same.

Tournai with my younger host sister and older host sister’s boyfriend