There is a time for traveling.....and it is now

Too much to say......I'll try to sum it up.

School:
Finished school last week. I took a few exams and actually passed three of my classes. I passed gym, english, and french. For my french final I was assigned a book to read (in french!). Its called "Novecento: Pianist" and it is about an Italian man who lived on a boat his entire life and played amazing music. I was surprised that I actually understood the book and although I had to look up soooo many of the words, I really learned a lot. Then I had an oral exam with my french teacher and I passed! After the exams all of the kids from school go out and celebrate. It was really fun to be able to hang out with my friends from school outside of class. Most Belgians are very focused on passing class, and it was great to see them all loosen up and relax once finals were over.

Brugge:
Last week my host parents took me and my friend Audrey (Canadian) to Brugge for the day. The two hour car ride to the coast was nice and smooth because the Flemish region of Belgium is completely flat. This is very different from my city which has mountains throughout the city. We visited the beach and I got to walk on sand that literally was so soft, it felt like snow. After the becah we went to Brugge and got to take a fun and exciting boat ride through the canals of the city. The entire city of Brugge is built ontop of rivers that wind their way through houses, cafes, and shops. We also got to look at a bar that has over 6000 different varieties of beer available. Now that is a lot of beer! In Brugge they speak Dutch (or Nederlandes) and it was interesting to hear a language that I really did not understand. We ate delicious food and drank some good beer. My host parents really are the best.

Birthdays:
My friend Ana Cristina turned 18 this week and threw a birthday party at her house. Ana is from Mexico and she lives really close to my host house. We ate typical Liege food and sang karaoke. It is really fun to hang out with other exchange students and also a great way to practice our french. Most of the exchange students speak english as their second language; however, a few of them don't speak english at all. So now that we all speak at least a little french, we can speak together in french. It is also just fun to speak in french with other exchange students because we all have patience with each other and can often times help one another learn and improve.

Paris:
This weekend I was given the opportunity to go to Paris with my french school, Jon Fosse. About 50 of us took a bus and made the four hour trip to one of the greatest cities on earth. I went with one of my best friends, Pichii (Mexican) because we are both in the french class. He and I did not know what to expect because we did not know any one else on the trip; but, it turns out that making new friends from all over the world is something that us exchange students do quite well. We hung out with Indians, Turks, Bulgarians, and Belgians, too. We spoke french the entire weekend with our new friends. Although it was -7 degrees Celcius (about 20 degrees F), I loved every minute of the cold. With the snow falling, everything in the city was even more magical. Standing under the Eiffel Tower with the snow falling on my face is something that very few people get to experience. While in Paris we visited Montmarte (one of the best panoramic views of the city), the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and we even stood outside the Moulin Rouge. I cannot even begin to describe how unforgettable the trip was. I got to see the Mona Lisa. I walked through Paris's outdoor Christmas festival. I stood under the Eiffel Tower while it was being lit up by a twenty minute light show. People always say that Paris is the most Romantic cities in the world, and I know that I fell in love- with Paris.