Opera and MORE Snow!

Well, I can now say I have been to an Opera! It was all in Italian, so I understood almost nothing! But it was very neat to see! It was very colorful and had a fun story line! But after two hours of listing to people sing in a language you don’t understand it gets hard to stay awake, so I kind of fell asleep in the last song, but the clapping afterwards woke me up!

I wish I could say my ride/way to the Opera was as nice as the Opera! For about 3 days before the Opera we had had snow. That snow was still on the ground and it was still below 0 outside come Wednesday for the Opera! I got ready for the opera at my third host families place with the exchange student who is living with them now. I was under the assumption that they would be driving us to the opera, NOPE. We were to walk up a hill, down a hill, then up another hill and then down a long street to the bus stop! Normally, not a problem! But in a dress and in heels it’s a bit more challenging. In a dress and heels in the snow it is even more challenging! It is a wonder did not freeze to death or have toes fall off because they were so frost bitten! Once we trekked our way to the bus stop, we realized there wasn’t a bus coming! So we had to walk back up the street, down a hill, up a hill and back down a hill, in the snow in heels and a dress! Then we got a ride to the Opera from my third host mom! (Just as a side note, that snow is still on the ground and it has been almost two weeks)

I have grown to hate snow! I hate it with a passion! It is better than the rain though. When it rains it is cold to begin with then you add water and it is miserable! At least the snow is a little bit dryer but even colder! I think I am going to have to get used to it though, our school has a snow plow! I think that is a good indicator that the snow will be sticking around for a while!

The weekend after the Opera I stayed home, It was too cold to do anything! The snow turned to ice and made everything slippery and practically a death trap! Someone from school sent me a message on face book, telling me how it was funny to watch me walk on ice! Other than almost dying when I walk outside, not too much more happened during the week either! I have been speaking a lot with the Belgians and have been told my French is improving! This makes me so happy to hear!! I understand almost everything now, which is really nice! At school I make an effort to not sit with other English speakers and I feel as though it is starting to pay off!

We had the new Exchange students from the Southern Hemisphere arrive at the beginning of this week! We have three new ones at my school! And one new one in my club! Wednesday school finishes at noon here, so I went into town and helped kind of show one of the new kids around.  It was a lot of fun! I even got to see a few new things myself!

This weekend I went and explored a new town, Namur about an hour train ride away. It was really cute! While we were there it snowed almost the whole time so we tried to stay inside and all promise to go back and explore the town when it is warmer! ! I still managed to see a bit of the town and had a lot of fun! We took a new train back to Liege, one that stops more than normal. Emily, the girl I road back with, and I were freaking out because we thought we took the wrong train! We were trying to figure out how exactly to tell our host parents we were halfway across the country and had no idea where exactly we were! But thankfully, we took the right train!

( It looks like the ground is snow covered... but it is actually ice with a little bit of snow on top of the ice!)

Today I don’t plan to do too much, other than enjoy the fact that it is 5 degrees outside and that snow is melting!!!! FINALLY!!!!! 

GOOD LUCK TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO ARE SHOWING AT FORT WORTH!!! YOU GUYS WILL DO AMAZING!! PLEASE SEND ME SHOW UP-DATES!!!!!!!!

In January there is a HUGE sale that lasts all through the month, the discounts increasing as it gets closer to February. It’s like Black Friday but all month long! Unfortunately for me, I have accumulated too much stuff and am already worried about getting stuff home! So shopping with that in mind is less fun and you tend to not buy much, even if it is REALLY cheap! My host mom however, bought me these gorgeous shoes that I love!

School has started back up, I missed seeing my friends over the break, but school is very tiring! I understand so much more now though! My French has really improved, or so I have been told! I have been noticing it improving too though. I now can eaves drop and understand others conversations and in the mornings when I just wake up or evenings when I am super exhausted I can speak French with little effort! Normally if I were to speak French when I’m sleepy it just wouldn't work and be just a jumble of words!

Yesterday we got some snow a light dusting and Tomorrow and Monday I think we are supposed to be getting snow too! I love just watching it snow! It is so pretty to just watch it fall!

My new second family, I've decided, need their own restaurant! I have had deer, veal, duck, lobster, steak, amazing pasta, delicious little appetizers, pork, homemade curry sauce and SO MUCH more yummy things! It is crazy how good they are at cooking! They have asked for me to cook if I want to, but I’m pretty sure their food beats anything I could ever make!

Since I have gotten back from Germany not too much has been going on! All the kids from New Zealand and South America who started their exchange in January 2012 have left. Today all the kids from Australia will leave. It puts into perspective that unfortunately this year will come to an end, sooner then I think too! Speaking of going back, I have had to start thinking about that and planning when I am going back! I would love to go see Gundula again before going back, but my host family has asked for me to "leave" (they didn't quite say leave now, they were nicer about it ) by the 1st of July. But I cant go back to Germany till the 5th/6th!!! So if anyone knows of a solution to this problem, you should let me know! :) 

Sorry for the lack of pictures! I have been getting REALLY bad about taking pictures! Next blog I promise to have more! 

Christmas and New Years

Christmas…Here we celebrate it on the 24^th. There is more of a Christmas Eve celebration and not too much on the 25^th. So we had the grandparents, aunts and uncles of my host family came over for a Christmas Eve dinner! It was very good and a lot of fun! It was very odd Christmas morning for me. We had opened all our gifts Christmas Eve, so there was not much reason to get out of bed on Christmas! What made it even a bit more saddening was that unfortunately, I had to pack and get ready to change families, so I had to get out of bed! I have accumulated so much stuff! It is unreal! I will need to rent like a boat to get everything back home!

That next morning I changed to my second host family. They are very nice and have an amazingly pretty house; I love the house it is very modern and so gorgeous! I stayed with them for four days then the morning of the 30^th I was off to Germany to spend New Year’s with Gundula, an exchange student who was in Wylie last year.

I got up early Sunday morning and headed to the train station in Liege. I had to take two trains to get to the station nearest Gundula. MY first train ride was very nice! I sat next to a lady who was from a little town here in Germany. She had been living in Brussels for the past few months. We talked about how different living in the city was then where we were both used to. She continued to tell me how one day she was in the walking to the Metro, in one of the tunnels underground, in Brussels and a guy stole her iPhone right out of her hands while she was texting!  That shocked me! My Second train ride… well was a great first impression of Germany to say the least! The train was full of a bunch of “Punks” who had a bit too much “fun” a music festival, and tried to continue the “fun” on the train!

I survived the ride with the “Punks” and made it to Coblinz to meet Gundula and her mom at the station! We went back to their house and ate a quick but yummy breakfast then were off to see a Castle! ON the way to see this one castle we drove past like 4 others! They are all over the place; just sitting atop hills in most every backdrop. I love it; It is like a fairytale here!

We went back to Gundulas and ate some YUMMY German food that her brother cooked for us! It was so good! We then took a “little nap” I think we ended up just talking and uploading pictures to Facebook! Then we went into the town and Gundula. It is so cute, it feels like I just jumped into a fairy tale! This here is called the Kings Chair. This is where in the medieval days all the different sections of Germany would send men to vote on the Emperor of Germany!

That evening, I went to babysit with Gundula that evening, I met a nine year old who speaks German, and Spanish nearly fluently and is very good in English also… a nine year old! Her and Gundula taught me how to count to 10 in German…. Or tried to… by playing the game Splish Splash Penguin! Hahaha

Then Monday morning we were off to see Coblinz. I had Gundulas dad as my tour guide and he took us all around the city! I learned so much! Almost everything had been destroyed in WW2 but all that was destroyed was rebuilt to look original. I saw the real German Corner, the Tourist Corner, two amazingly cute churches, and millions of other things I have forgotten the name for! But there are so many cute stories and so much history! It is so amazing!

After our tour we went to Gundulas to eat some more yummy German food! Took a nap then got ready for our James Bond New year’s party.  It was by far one of the best New Years I have had! I met the “Famous Alex” that I have heard a million stories about! I got to dance to some German songs and meet a bunch of really nice people and eat some yummy food!! We also went to a mid-night church service then got to look down over all the fireworks going off in the village, and set some off atop this hill. Then we went and danced some more then hang out and talked till almost noon the next morning.  Then spent the day sleepin, Facebooking, Skyping and talking!

The day following New Year’s, we went to a fort, an old volcano and an Abbey. Both were breath taking! That evening I got to meet some more of Gundulas friends and we made Mexican food!! We then watched the German version of The Bachelor… If you thought or version was a bit over the edge, this defiantly surpassed ours!

Today, I headed back to Liege. It was so neat to get to see Gundulas village and meet her German friends I have heard so much about! Her family is so cute and so sweet! It felt almost surreal to be seeing each other in Europe! Much less actually see where Gundula is from and her home town! Not only did I get to see Gundulas friends, family and town but I picked up a little German! I can count to 10, but have to skip four and seven; I can call you a rock, and follow some conversation!! I had an amazing time and was really sad to have to leave! Everyone I met while in Germany was so sweet and friendly and if any of the Germans I met are ever in Texas, you better let me know!! I absolutely loved Germany and cannot wait to go back! It is unreal how beautiful everything there is! The buildings, places, people, everything is so amazing!

Thank you Gundula and Gundulas family!! You guys are the best!!!!!!!