I without a doubt have fallen in love with Belgium! Like everything it has its down sides, it’s a million miles away from my family, it’s cold, and it rains. Other than that Belgium is AMAZING! I love it here!

School is good, I understand everything now, and can even understand people’s conversations that I overhear! Before if people talked fast I would just kind of understand the main point of what they were saying, but now I understand it all, normally!  I still have my days when my French is horrible and it feels like I understand nothing, but those days are becoming less often!

I have also learned a few VERY important things... If I get up at 7:15, I can be dressed and make-up done and downstairs in the kitchen by 7:33; If I eat my breakfast while I make my lunch I will be done and ready to leave by 7:47; I’ll then have time to run the three flights of stairs to my room, grab my bag, make it back downstairs, and say goodbye to everyone by 7:51; then make it to the train station by 8:12. I have also learned that even if your ipod is dead wear the head phones! That way homeless people at the train station won’t ask you for money! Also If people sit next to you on the bus, instead of in the empty seats across the aisle from you; nonchalantly turn up your ipod volume… they will magically move to the open seats!!

Spring is just around the corner and I couldn’t be happier! It’s starting to get warmer… and there’s a lot more stuff going on now! From school parties, to birthday’s or just Rotary stuff I always have something going on and it’s great! I love always being busy! But my version of busy here is nothing like it was back in Texas, this is a nice relaxing type of being busy without any stress!!

Melting in the sun with Donna

Although, this past week I was a bit stressed, I had to give a presentation about Texas to my Club here… all in French! I was just a bit stressed making sure it looked perfect and that I had memorized all of my speech! Thankfully it went well! The presentation ended up getting a bit messed up and out of order so I just kind of made it all up as I went! I was at first a bit upset that it didn’t work and go as planned, then I realized that I was able to just speak in French in front of nearly 100 people successfully and everyone understood!! I was beyond overjoyed! Everyone said it went really well and that it was one of their favorites! The director from my school even came to the presentation and he shared that at school I have a fan club! I though he was crazy until Friday, I was taking the bus home talking with some kids from school and they shared with me how I am one of the favorite exchange students at school! It almost made me cry! They told me how I was one of the only exchange students who will talk with them and not just with the other exchange students! If they only knew how hard it was to willingly go and speak French, instead of just sitting with my friends who speak English!!

Me, about to give my speech!

My YEO Frank and my Councilor Andras

My current host family!

My neighbors right now, They invited me over to eat some VERY yummy food earlier this week!

This was my host family for a week back in February! There were three other kids in the house too! 

Me, Isabela who just started her exchange, and Alexia who will be leaving this summer for hers!

My next host family!

This past weekend all the exchange students took a trip to Luxembourg! We went and got a tour of a local brewery then went to eat some “yummy” Luxembourg food! The only good thing about the food would have to be that it was free for all of us, it was by far the least yummy thing I have eaten here! After we ate we went on a little tour of Luxembourg then went to the capital Luxembourg and got to explore for an hour. It was a lot of fun, and so pretty!!

The weather here is getting to be a bit annoying! This past week we were up to 17 degrees and it was sunny! Friday it was 12 degrees and rained just a little bit, which isn’t bad…But today it is supposed to snow again… and Tuesday it’s supposed to be -8! Why can’t It just be spring!!! I am ready for nice weather! I am ok if it rains as long as it is warm outside!!! Belgium Weather is a little less bi-polar then Texas’; take a Texas day with crazy weather and stretch it over two days and you have Belgium weather, just a bit of rain!

Although the weather isn’t always ideal…I am saddened to say I have booked my flight back to the US…. I have only 140 days left here in Belgium! I would be one of the luckiest people on Earth in my last 144 days are as great as my first 208 have been!  There is a saying that has been going around on facebook that says “Exchange isn’t a year of your life, it’s a life in a year”. It is true on so many levels! We show up and have to have people speak for us and help us do everything, then we become independent and start to figure things out, then once we get the hang of things it’s time to go! Not only has exchange taught me how to truly enjoy everything I have been given, but it has opened my eyes to how to truly love everyone and thing around you!