Germany and Ely

So sorry it has taken me this long to update my blog. A lot has happened in the past few weeks and I have just been too busy to write it all down. So here goes.....

I went to Germany for the first time this past Wednesday. It was a Rotary activity and we took the train and a bus, but it was close and easy. We got to go shopping at the Marche de Noel, which is an outdoor Christmas festival. We drank hot, spiced wine and enjoyed the fun atmosphere of Christmas in Germany. I went to the city of Aachen. All the kids that went with us wore these goofy santa hats, but luckily it was easy to find each other in the huge crowds of people.

Thursday my friend Ely left for Mexico. She has wanted to leave for awhile, so she was happy. I got to spend a lot of time with her at French school and I know that class will not be as much fun without her. I have really started to hang out with mostly Latinos and Belgians. Its strange, but I just seem to fit in with them....so they are the people I hang out with the most. Ely lives in Mexico City and I know I will visit her at some point in my life. She really is an amazing person and I am sad she is gone.

This past week my host mom, Christine, turned 50 years old. As a surprise for her birthday, my host dad, Philippe, took her to Venice, Italy for two days. Talk about a great birthday present! Tonight we are going out to one of the best restaurants in Liege. It is a little place were you BBQ your food at your own table. I expect it will be good.

This week end is the festival of St. Nicolas. It is a two day feast that takes place on the 6th and 7th of December. St. Nicolas brings children presents and candy. Luckily for me, as a student I get to participate in the more fun activities. Basically students get to hang out in the square all night and into the morning, and the next day throw flour at younger students. I beleive this will be one holiday that I will bring back to the states.

Beer and Thanksgivng (Belgian Style)

Me at the Hogaarden Brewery with friends and at Thanksgiving with my families.

Thanks to my amazing first three months as an exchange student in Liege, Belgium I have done so many amazing things. I have been to Paris, Disneyland, Athens, and Luxembourg. I have toured a castle, hiked a mountain, gone kayaking, visited the Parthenon, prayed at a monastery, been inside a mine, and navigated through an army fort. I have eaten quail, boar, sheep, snails, squid, and some other things I am not quite sure of. I have also eaten lots of delicious chocolate and been able to taste some of Belgian's finest beers.

My Rotary district recently took all of the exchange students on a tour of one of the most famous brewery's in Belgium, Hoegaarden. This company is most well known for its white beers. They are often flavored with fruits such as raspberry or lemon. At the brewery we got to explore a museum which described in detail exactly how the beer is made. At the end of the tour, we were able to sample some of the world famous beer. Living in Belgium has been a great way for me to try all the different beers; but, if I planned of trying them all I would have to stay here forever. Belgium brews over 8,000 different types in 125 brewries throughout the country. Belgium might be well-known for its beer, chocolate, and waffles, but for good reason.

Thanksgiving tends to be an American tradition involving family, close friends, and great food. Well this year, for one American girl living in a faraway country, things were a bit different. Being an exchange student in Belgium not only means I am learning to speak French and live the European lifestyle, it also means representing America. As an ambassador to the United States, I wanted to show my new Belgian family what Thanksgiving was truly about. I have enjoyed cooking for years and this was my chance to represent myself and one of my favorite American holidays.

As I planned the meal, I quickly realized that I needed to make a few adjustments to my menu. It is impossible to purchase a turkey before Christmas, so my host father prepared pheasant instead. It was surprisingly delightful and paired nicely with the traditional American meal. Along with a few other mishaps, I somehow adjusted the dishes using the available resources and created an edible meal, I hope. I got to spend my Thanksgiving with my current host family, and both my second and third host parents as well. With a total of nine people to please, I was quite nervous; however, I believe the night was a success. It was not your average American holiday, thanks to the normal one course American meal I converted into five courses; but, all in all I think everyone enjoyed themselves. My favorite Thanksgiving recipe is a classic from my mom, and although it needed a few adjustments in Belgium, its pretty tough to mess up. Bon appétit!

Carrot Casserole:

2 lbs carrots
2-3 T sugar
2 T onion, minced
1 cup Old English cheese (2 jars)*
1 cup 1/2 and 1/2 milk (or heavy cream)
2 pkgs. Ritz crackers, crushed
1.5 sticks butter, melted

Cook carrots in sugar water until fork tender. Drain and chop carrots.
Add: onion, cheese, milk or cream, and 1 pkg. Ritz crackers

Put all in greased casserole dish. Mix 2nd pkg. of Ritz crackers and melted butter in separate dish. Use as a topping for casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

*Substitute grated cheese if in Europe and cannot find Old English cheese.

Friends

This past Friday I had such a fun Belgian experience. After school I went with some of my friends from school into town and we just hung out in the square. It was really fun hanging out with Belgian friends and seeing how they act in town. Since normally I just hang out with other exchange students, I welcomed the chance to enjoy an afternoon with them. Later that night we went to a concert that my school was holding. At the concert there were about thirty or so acts all involving people from St. Jacques. Students and teachers participated by singing, playing the piano, and performing covers of famous songs. My best friend at school, Nicola, was joking around earlier that day and told me he was going to dedicate a song to me. I did not believe him. As it turns out, he was telling the truth. He got up on state, and grabbed the microphone from the singer and shouted, "Jamie, this song is for you!" I was so excited and screamed quite loudly. If people at my school didn't know I was American before, they know now. He then played the song, American Idiot, by Green Day. I had so much fun and know that I will always remember that most honorable dedication.

Saturday I went grocery shopping with my whole family. We went shopping for the upcoming week and also for some of the things needed to cook Thanksgiving dinner. We ended up getting so much stuff that our cart was overflowing and our bill for the super market was over 300 euros. My host sister, Virginie, was so embarrassed. Later that day, my host mom, Christine was helping me with my french lessons as usual and Virginie wrote down a sentence for me to ask in french. I then asked our mom if she would give us money to go out later that night. Turns out having a host sister is good for everyone involved because Christine gave us some money later that day. Virginie and some of her girl friends took me out to a fun tropical bar called Tam Tam where we just relaxed and had a girls night.

Sunday I accidentally slept until two in the afternoon. I didn't even know that was possible. But I guess I have to make up for the lack of sleep I get during the week at some point. I made chocolate chip cookies with walnuts for my family and my friend Federica's birthday on Monday. I also watched Jurassic Park and Man vs Wild in french. Actually just as cool in french as it is in English. All in all, this weekend was calm and relaxing, yet really fun. Also, my family celebrated my three month arrival with champagne. Three months! Can you believe it?

Monday I celebrated a birthday with my friend Federica. She is the only other exchange student at my school and i love her. We ate traditional Mexican food and it was DELICIOUS! i love that girl. She really makes my time at school much more fun.

Athens, France, and of course....Belgium!

First Athens-

Since my Rotary Club is amazing, they decided to take the three foreign exchange students to see the likes of Athens for four days. My host parents were planning on coming, but canceled last minute because they were too sick. I missed them. So on the first day of being in Athens, the three of us exchange students headed off to explore the city. Map in hand, we decided that the right direction leading towards town would be a left. Oh were we mistaken. We proceeded to walk in the opposite direction for forty-five minutes. Upon realizing we were in the middle of Athens (in a not so safe area) we decided to turn around and catch a bus back to our hotel. Well we attempted to pay on the bus, but in Athens you have to buy your ticket before hand. So we just rode the bus until we saw our hotel, and the just got off. So we probably could have ended up in a Grecian jail somewhere, but luckily we managed to escape free of charge.

That is just one example of the many interesting things that happened to us while in Athens. The food was incredible, the sea was gorgeous and of course the Acropolis was amazing. Although I happened to be lost and confused, thanks to the french, english, and greek being spoken all the time, I had a fun time and am so glad I got to hang out with my Canadian and Japanese friends.

Second France-

Taize, France is the most amazing place I think I have been thus far in my short three months of living in Belgium. While I was there I not only got a chance to meet my third host sister and all of her Belgian friends; but, I also got the chance to meet people from all over the world. Tiaze is a place for spiritual gatherings through the Catholic church. I went with a group of people from Liege and while I was there I met people from Spain, Finland, Uruguay, Lithuania, England, Sweden, and KANSAS CITY! The only other american there lives ten minutes from my house. How weird is that? So all in all I had an amazing time there and hope to go back before the year is over. I got to go to mass three times a day and really felt myself connected to God in a way that I never had before. I wish that everyone in the world could have an experience like Taize.

And Last but certainly not least, Belgium-

Last night I got to hang out with my third host sister, Margot (I think that is how it is spelled). We went to a dance put on by the Scouts, they are really popular here in Liege. Well at the dance-type get-together all the Belgians were dancing, but very modestly and with a fist pumping the air. And I was dancing like an American. They all thought it was so funny and different. But I think I may have convinced a few that American dancing is more fun. Then I spent the night at my third house, and it is amazing. It looks like a colonial house from New Orleans. And I am going to have three little sisters! It will be so much fun. Plus I went the entire day speaking only French- which was so cool because they don't speak any english. And my littlest sister was really patient with me and helped me to speak correctly. Today I went to the fair and bought Laquement, which is a Liege specialty. It is a really thin waffle compressed into a machine and drenched in syrup. Can't really beat that!

I still LOVE my host family and I am so glad that they are amazing. On Mondays i watch X Factor with with host sister (its the American Idol of French speaking countries).It is really fun and she is the next best thing to having my real sisters here with me. I am going to cook thanksgiving dinner at my house in one week, and I am very nervous. Not only will I be cooking my first thanksgiving dinner alone, but it in in a strane country and for all three of my host parents. I hope I don't end up killing everyone! Then I would be homeless in Belgium.

Being sick in Belgium

Ok. so reality check for me this week. It turns out that just because you are having an amazing time in a foreign country, doesn't mean that you can't get sick. And on top of it all, I just had to get sick on a friday afternoon. My host mom christine continues to try to convince me to go to the dotor....but all i need is some sleep. since belgians get free health care they tend to rush into medicine quite qucikly. so this past weekend has included me, lying in bed and watching movies online (i even broke out the old "sound of music"). its all going to be ok though, because next week i am headed off to athens, greece with my parents and Herstal Rotary Club. I cannot wait!!!! It is going to be nice, and hopefully i will see the sun, which will be an unexpected and incredibly nice change to belgian rain.

This past saturday we went to Namur for a Rotary activity. We went to Parliment of Wallonie and went on a cruise touring the river. It was ok. I had a good time with all the crazy exchange students though. Wednesday we took the train to Brussels for he afternoon. One of the exchange students was leaving early and we had a goodbye party for him. I love the fact that you can just hop on a train somewhere and spend the afternoon, then be back home in time for dinner.

other good news- i am finally starting to speak french and i can actually understand people for the most part now. we had a rotary meeting on thursday and i only spoke in french the entire time. it is really nice to see progress and i have more hope now that i am not a complete failure when it comes to french.

also check out my amazing sisters blog. it makes me want to be a better person. www.kaylainkenya.blogspot.com

I Love Letters......

Pictures above are just examples of how I enjoy Rotary events, not because of the activity itself, but because of the fun things exchange students do with their spare time.

This week I recieved a package of LOVE from home. My amazing mother sent me a coat, among other things to my house. Kayla, my sister, bought me a Tulane hoodie, which she sent me and I am currently wearing because it is -3 degrees outside (Celcius). I also got two letters from friends at home. If anyone has spent time abroad they know how amazing it is to recieve tangable letters (hint, hint to all those reading this). I promise I will write back. I tend to write letters in my math class. It keeps me awake and it appears as if I am paying attention. (shhhh....don't tell my teacher)

So this has been kind of a normal week for me in the great city of Liege. Last wednesday I went with Rotary to a Fort somewhere (i forgot already). It was a military fort built after WWI in order to be prepared for the Germans in case they invaded again. It was supposed to defend Belgium against trench warfare, but by the time it was built the Germans had invented better war tactics. I am not really sure of all the details, I'm not really that into military stuff. I do like hanging out with all the Rotary kids though, and after we took a tour of the fort we got to eat delicious pie, which was quite nice. Rotary does that a lot, sends us on tours.....then makes up for the non-exciting things by feeding us. I think they want us to get fatter than we all ready are getting. Ha.

Saturday I helped my Rotary Club, Herstal, set up for a big fundraiser. It was nice to feel involved and great to help out the best host-club ever. Sunday I attended the fundraiser, which was a giant feast. It was called Le Fete de Gastronomie (I think that is how its spelled). We had lobster courses, champagne, wine, and yummy chocolate. The lobster was so good, we had three courses of lobster, each cooked and served in interesting and unique ways. I guess lobster is very very expensive here in Belgium, and the tickets to attend the event were 80 euros a piece. The Rotary Herstal raised over 2,500 euros for a homeless organization. The feast was attended by hundreds of people. It was really fun because I was able to eat with both my current and second host families.

In other news, I finally got a new camera. Its the same style as my old one, which is nice because I am already familiar with it. So I look forward to taking lots of pictures this saturaday when I go with Rotary to Namuur for the day. What else? Nothing much is new. My french is improving little by little, so hopefully i will be making conversations more fluently pretty soon. Also, I actually helped someone today with the bus schedule. That was cool because I happen to get lost all the time, although somehow I always manage to find my way home. That is strange, to consider this my home. I guess when I leave Belgium I am going to have four homes.

Just a quick update

That is a picture of my school. Its pretty tiny and kids from ages 20 to 12 go there. So bizzare. And that is a picture of my friend Pichi. He is from Mexico and we see each other on the walk to school. We also take french courses together. He's awesome. So this past week has been pretty normal for me. Nothing extra ordinary, which is what I should probably get used to since I'm sure I won't be going to France, Disneyland, or kayaking every week. Last friday I went out with some exchange students to the square. That is always a fun time because its filled with young people. Rotary advices us to not hang out with other exchange students, but its so easy to go out with them. They understand what you are going through, they don't have established friendships like everyone else at school, and they are learning french right along with you. When I ususally go out, I meet up with my friend Audrey, from Canada. We take the same bus together and then once we are there, we find other people that we know. I somehow always meet up with some of my Belgian friends which is super awesome. They are fun to be around, help me with my french, and know all the cool places to go. Saturday I helped my host sister Virginie throw a surprise party at our house for her best friend, Justine. It was fun to plan and decorate and spending time with my sister is always nice. Since I don't live with my real sisters at home anymore, its so fun to be able to again live with an older sister. I now feel like I am the youngest daughter of four girls. Its so strange to me that my family here doesn't know my real family. I want so much for them all to meet each other because I know they would have a blast together. My host parents are on holiday in Egypt this week so I've been holding the fort down with my sister and her boyfriend Laurent. He's taking care of us and making sure we are on our best behavior. My real sister Kayla went to Kenya this week. I talked to her for the last time right before she left. I hope we can talk at least a bit this year. At least now we are in the same time zones. Check out her blog at www.kaylainkenya.blogspot.com

I got homesick this week, too. For the first time. I don't know why, because I have truly loved every day spent here. I think it is just the stress of finally starting to understand french but being frustrated with my speaking abilities. I am encouraged by my family, they seem to think that I will be speaking well by thanksgiving (they would know I guess). I really just wish I had a little switch in my brain that said, "Speak French Now" and I could flip it on and off when needed. Oh, I also think I was homesick because my camera broke. I love taking pictures and a small piece of my soul died when i saw my camera smash to the ground. I am getting a new one this week I hope, but everything here is so so so expensive. Good thing I worked all year long.