Joyeux Noël!

So for the third year in a row I spent Christmas in a different country. 2007- China, 2008- USA, 2009- Belgium. And oh what fun it was! Experiencing the different Christmas's around the world is truly an amazing gift that no store could ever provide. Belgian's celebrate Christmas on the night of the 24th. My host family and I ate dinner at my host aunt's house with the whole family. I got to enjoy Christmas dinner with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins, sister, and parents. Although they aren't my "blood relatives" I can honestly say that to me, they are my family. I am so blessed to not only have a wonderful family waiting for me back home, but now I have an entirely new family in Belgium. I know that this will not be my last Christmas spent here. We ended up staying up, eating and drinking until four in the morning and even my 80 year old grandparents were as lively as the rest of us! Then for Christmas day, we ate Racklette (a melted cheese dish) and played Trivial Pursuit.

My family was too generous and Santa brought me a Swiss Watch (something I have wanted for forever). My real grandparents were too nice and instead of a traditional Christmas gift, they donated money in my name to a young girl living in Kenya in order for her to graduate nursing school. With my real sister Kayla living in Kenya, she too gave gifts of never-ending-love to her new friends in Kenya. Please, if you love Christmas spirit as much as me, go visit her blog, www.kaylainkenya.blogspot.com

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.

St. Nicolas

This weekend was by far one of the best weekends I have spent in my lovely new home, Liege. If you are reading this right now, I must warn you I plan on going into specific details just so I will be able to remember all of this when I read it later.

Friday-
One of the biggest advantages of being an exchange student is that I do not have to take all of my end of the year exams. So luckily for me I did not have to go to school Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday. I'm only taking three exams (English, French, and Social Sciences). So Friday night I go out with some friends to the square. It is one of the best places in all of Europe to hang out with friends and have a good time. It was surprisingly empty for it being a Friday night and I was originally a little bummed out because it was not crowded like usual. Come to find out, people were just waiting until Sunday to head down town. All in all, Friday was a normal night on the town for me; but, I did get to talk to some new people and hang out with my host brother, Ben.

Saturday-
We celebrated my host mom's birthday Saturday by going to an awesome restaurant called LA CHARBONNADE. The way it works is that you order a protein and they serve it to you raw on a plate. Then they bring out hot coals and you grill your meat right at your own table. So not only was it delicious but it was also a little "hole in the wall" kind of secret place only Belgians know about. I gave Christine a cute little black hat for her birthday and I think she really liked it.

Sunday-
By far the best day of my weekend and maybe my whole month. The feast of St. Nicolas is celebrated in Liege as not only a day for giving friends and family lots of yummy chocolate, its also an excuse for university students to harass local citizens. Every year students wear and decorate white lab coats and wear them throughout the week. These white coats may seem silly. but are very useful for an outer layer of clothing protection against unwanted materials. The tradition of St. Nicolas is that every year students wearing these coats are able to ask people throughout the city to give them a little money, only a euro or less for the most part. If the students ask and do not get any money from the selfish citizen, they are not only allowed but also encouraged to throw flour on said person. This results in both the student either earning money or feeling extremely justified. The money that the students earn is used to buy beer for that night. Since I am technically still in high school in Belgium, I was not really supposed to be at the St. Nicolas celebrations; however, exchange students can get away with things that Belgians can't. So my awesome host sister Virginie gave me the needed white lab coat, I decorated it and had my friends write fun messages on it, and off I went to have one of the best nights ever. I did not feel right asking people for money since technically I shouldn't have been there in the first place, so I just went to have fun. I ended up meeting some of my Belgian friends and I also got the chance to make some new friends too. There were so many people in the square that at one point I did not have my feet on the ground, but was still standing. A few of the highlights of the night included: meeting a random Belgian girl in the bathroom, dancing on a table with my friend Ana, meeting some really cool Belgian guys who were easily the tallest people I have ever been around, chilling with Canadians who were backpacking through Europe, being told I was a good dancer by a Latina in a Cuban bar, not being robbed, thrown up on, or peed on, and only spending five euros all night. To say the least, St. Nicolas will be forever in my memory.

Sorry if you read that whole thing. It was very detailed and I only wish I could more adequately describe how truly awesome it was. Pictures to follow soon.

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.