Thanksgiving!

This past Thanksgiving was honestly my best Thanksgiving ever! I spent it half way around the world from my family, and it was just a normal day! That morning at school, walking into Geography class, one of the guys wished me a happy Thanksgiving and it almost brought me to tears! I am really enjoying school here, not the “learning” part but the talking with people part, everyone is so sweet and nice.

 

For Thanksgiving I took a postcard and on the back wrote “Happy Thanksgiving” and taped my business card to it then put a cookie with it and handed it out to all my friends at school! Which they loved! They even asked for the recipe, but you can only make it with ingredients that were sent form home! That night we had just a normal Belgian dinner, then after dinner I Skyped my family back home during their Thanksgiving dinner!

 

Friday was a normal Belgian day; it started out cold and sunny then ended cold and rainy! I switched into a new math class and actually understand it now! It takes some work, and a lot of questions but its ok! The moment you understand something it feels like you just conquered the word! In English class I had to give a little presentation in French, while they had to give it in English. My French was far from perfect, but after I was done they all clapped and told me good job! I can see my French improving at times, and then I have those days where it seems like I know nothing! I have noticed my writing getting a lot better too!

Friday evening there was a rotary event I was asked to go to. It was a fundraiser for the club that was very festive to say the least!

I sold tickets with Paulina, the other exchange student, for a Spanish Ham. People could buy a ticket and write down how much they thought it would weigh. It was a lot of fun! After that, it was like 11 and neither Paulina nor I had eaten, so with my third family we went and got Pitas then went back to their house and had pitas at midnight!

Saturday I went to my third families’ house for a Thanksgiving dinner! It was by far the best Thanksgiving food I have ever eaten!! I NEVER eat green bean casserole, stuffing or cranberry sauce… but i did this year! It was so good!!! Friend friends of my second Family joined us for Thanksgiving, they said they were so full, that they were going to “expose”! Hahaha!

 

Sunday I had an event with the ROTEX

 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I could not be more thankful for having parents who support and love me and let me explore the world! And for Rotary, my clubs and districts at home and here in Belgium! My host families, too, for not only embracing me a family member, but for helping me explore a new culture and for being the best language teachers I could ask for!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...

"TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference"

 

The other day on the way home from school I remembered this poem by Robert Frost, from 8^th grade. It has been stuck in my head ever since! But, I think it is a very fitting poem.

 

The leaves right now are all yellow and falling, perfectly depicting fall. I am getting really bad at remembering to take pictures but I will try to take a picture before they all fall! It is getting cold! Thankfully there have been more just cold days and less cold and rainy days! I am excited for winter! I want to see the snow! People at school have told me there will be days where it is almost up to your knee!! I almost don’t believe it!! I am also a bit afraid of winter…. I am freezing now, where it is still above freezing……

 

School is going well, I am understanding a lot! I am actually even passing a few tests…. AND even classes!! But, I think those teachers are just giving me good grades out of sympathy!! Biology however is pretty much the same, in terms of vocabulary. They just move REALLY fast! This past week there was a strike, so there was no school! I think the busses and trains went on strike so the teachers decided to as well! Unfortunately it was only one day .

 

I am liking school more and more. Not because of the classes, but because it keeps my mind occupied! It is getting really easy to get homesick if I am not busy. The little things are making my days even more so now than before too! Being asked to show off my “oh so wonderful” Basketball skills, just a random person giving me a kiss on the cheek and saying hi, or being asked if I want to play cards are all little things that are making school a lot more bearable.  I can also see my French improving, I don’t find myself asking what people have said as much, and people are also not having to ask me to repeat things as often. But it is still far from perfect! One of Manons friends had come up to me and asked me a question, then smiled after I answered and said see a later… well turns out she had no idea what I had said so she just smiled and left! Hahaha So there is still some room for improvement!

 

 

 

 

Manon, my host sister, was in the Belgians Got Talent competition, so I got to go see her compete!! That was really awesome!! A lot of friends from school were also in her same choir!

 

 

 

Unfortunately, she didn’t get to continue… but Belgians got talent is a bit different then Americas Got Talent…. This act is in the Semi-Finals…. Back home I don’t think this would ever happen!!

 

 

Not this past weekend but the weekend before that I went to a soccer game with my host Grandpa. It was the professional women’s team, but they played like men! It was a very aggressive game! I want to see the men’s team play sometime. But was almost better than the game, was this dog I saw at the stadium!! He was by far the cutest Bulldog I have yet to see!

 

 

 

 

There are still a few foods I find just off the wall! These are pretty much everyone’s favorite thing.  It’s a flat waffle in a syrup, that is sweet but has the consistency of Molasses. They are called Lacquements. They are all right, but not my favorite.

 

 

Belgium has a lot of things we have back home, but some things that we have back home have never been seen by people here! Like Stripes gum that has the tattoos on the wrapper! People thought those were pretty cool! And loved the tattoos!!