In Belgium

you can buy loaves of bread from a vending machine.

Rotary trip to Bruxelles

Yesterday I went to Bruxelles with all of the other exchange students in all of Belgium. I had a lot of fun and made some new friends. First, a big group of us took a double-decker bus from Liège to Bruxelles. Jordan, Jaclyn and I sat in the very front on the top level, so we got to see EVERYTHING through the windshield. There were even windshield wipers for us so we could see better! On the bus, everyone exchanged pins and cards and got to know one another a little better. The girls from 1630 were given navy blue scarves and the boys dark blue ties so we could identify each other as members of specific districts. I looked like a flight attendant with my scarf, and Jordan was having some difficulties accepting his tie. It was too short (he's 6'5", so he wears extra long ties) and didn't match his pants, as he put it.

You know what's amazing? The number of boys who don't know how to tie a tie. I had to tie Jordan's and Aaron's, and other guys were complaining that they couldn't make it work either. If I ever have sons (shudder), they are going to know how to tie a tie. Period, end of story.

Once we got to Bruxelles, we all sort of milled around in a park until everyone else arrived. Camille, my third host sister, was there, so I had a chance to talk with her for a while, which was great. Anyway, once we got moving, we toured the Royal Palace (the flag was flying, so the king was in residence! How cool is that?!), which was BEAUTIFUL, if a little extravagant for my taste. :P There was also a section with taxidermies -- a polar bear and a boar. I didn't like that part as much...

There was a room in the palace that was decorated with 1.4 million beetle wings. They were the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Honestly, the room looks like it's part of the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz. The entire room sparkled and was a dark, iridescent green. Words can't really describe it.

Most of the exchange students were hungry at this point, and I think I would have liked the palace more had I not been starving. Next we went to the city hall in Bruxelles and had the flag ceremony. Basically, kids from each country gave their Sponsor Rotary District's flag to the Chairman of their Host District. The U.S. was by far the largest group there. That ceremony took quite a while, but afterward, we went to lunch, which was at a beautiful restaurant looking down on the Grand Place, a beautiful square in Bruxelles. The architecture was phenomenal. Anyway, we had a meal of meatballs and frites. It was yummy, but I really wanted chocolate afterward. :)

After lunch, we had a tour of the House of Parliament, which was extraordinary. We had a chance to sit in the meeting rooms of the Senate and various reading rooms and places for the press. The tour guide explained (in English, which was nice) the portraits and the marble busts that were all over the place. Most of the artwork was of long-dead politicians, but there were photos of the current king and queen, which I enjoyed.

At the end of that, André Flahaut, the President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives gave a speech, and then two exchange students from each country went forward and gave him all of the flags from their country. After a speech by M. Binamé, the District 1630 Chairman and a speech in French, Spanish, and English by 2 exchange students, each country got to take a picture with M. Flahaut. I thought that that was pretty awesome. :) I'll try to get a copy of it.

Our time in Bruxelles had finally come to an end, so we all piled back onto the bus and headed home. I sat with Jordan again, and we chatted and played 20 questions with some other exchange students. The bus ride back went pretty quickly, and I was happy to get home, eat dinner, and go to bed.

Today, I woke up and went riding at a GORGEOUS stable 5 minutes' walk from my house. The horses there are all eventers and jumpers, which was a little weird for me, coming from a western barn. I had fun though, once I figured out the saddle and bridle and what not. I'm riding a horse named Eros, he's 17 years old and huuuuuuge, at least in comparison with the horses at home. He's stable mates with another horse, and they didn't seem to content on parting with each other. A woman who works there, Sophie, came and helped me get Eros to pay attention, which was nice. FYI, horses in Belgium like to buck. She rode with me and we chatted and I hope we get to hang out some more. I liked her a lot.

I also got my first package from home today! It was so nice to have a little box of America.

Hmmm... well, I'm feeling hungry, so I'm gonna go eat.

Toodles,

Mikayla

So Amaury is either mowing the lawn or joyriding on the lawnmower...

I haven't figured out which.

I went to my school today to register. I'll be in 6ème generale, which is pretty much a senior year. I'll be taking Religion, French, Social Science, Math, Phys Ed (EW), and a few other classes. First thing every morning, I'll have a French class with the other exchange students taught by a priest. If I heard right, he's 83. But apparently he loves teaching French, so we'll see how this goes. That first class starts at 8:30, so that'll be nice. :D No more 6 am wake ups.

Today, I got to ride for the first time in a while. I rode a cousin's (Marion) pony. I got bucked off, and I couldn't be happier. :) I'm finally a real cowgirl. Who got bucked off an English pony. But that's beside the point.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Bruxelles with the other exchange students, and I'm really excited to meet everyone that I haven't met before.

Yesterday I hung out with my third host sister, Camille. I also went to my first Rotary meeting, where I ate mussels for the first time. That was the meal -- mussels and fries. Delicious.

Mikayla

This bloody chipmunk won't shut up.

I am so tired of listening to it run around its cage. Blaargh.

On a happier note, I've been here in Belgium for a little over a week now, and I still love it. It's just an amazing place. The weather is, in my opinion, to die for. There's sunshine, there's rain, and the temperature is just right.

Yesterday, after dinner, Etienne, Amaury, and I went in the Citroën and drove to the homes of my other host families. Les Golard were not at home, but I did get to meet their dog. Mme. Cuyckens was home, however, so I got to visit with her for a while. Les Cuyckens live right behind their store, a John Deere business. It's pretty cool, in my opinion, coming from a place like Wisconsin. They even had tractors on the roof of their garage!

I must say, I love the Citroën. It's kind of the Belgian equivalent of an old VW bug. It's 25 years old, and it's a convertible. I love her. :)

I miss wearing sweatpants. Ugggh.

Sunday night, I went with Adrien and Arnaud to a festival in a nearby town. I'm not entirely sure what the festival was for (there were people biking around in decorated bikes... there was a converse shoe, a fire truck, and army truck, etc), but it was massive amounts of fun. It was a lot like a school dance, except outdoors and with a LOT of beer. I don't think that I can really explain how much beer was there. Well, maybe. If you took all of the water in Lake Loveland and turned it into beer, there you go. And I'm pretty sure that the people there drank all of it too. It was quite humorous to watch them go from sober to smashed. At the beginning when most of them were (relatively) sober, they'd try to speak English with me and they would explain what was going on as best they could. By the end of the night, only the people with really good English managed to talk to me. One fellow told me that he is God and that I must believe in him. Another said that he wanted to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for the smallest ears. Another tried to kiss my host brother. All in all, it was rather enjoyable. I gained an appreciation for techno as well.

Adrien and I left at about 1:15 am. He had to study for his English exam coming up and he said that I shouldn't stay because there would be a lot of fights soon. I was exhausted anyway, so we went home. Oh, and I think Adrien is the best driver in the family, so far.

Earlier on Friday, I went with Anne-Michèle and Amaury to some sort of bicycle race thing that Etienne was catering (they're really into bikes here). The food was delicious, of course. I helped Anne-Michèle sell drink tickets, which wasn't as boring as it sounds. People would start talking to me in French, but I had no clue what they were talking about (I didn't really understand the race thing anyway), so I would say "Je suis americaine. Je ne comprends pas." Most people seemed excited by that fact, and they would start speaking Enlgish to me, which was very nice.

After that, but before the festival, the entire family (minus Etienne) went to the house where Anne-Michèle grew up. The house is for sale, and I gathered that this was the last time that all of the family would be able to get together there, which was kind of sad. I met a very nice cousin, Olivier, who practised his English with me. He said that he exchanged for a year in Paraguay, and he could totally relate to what I was struggling with with the language. He seemed very surprised that I'd already dreamed in French though (Friday night. Woo!). He said it was a good thing; it means that I'm absorbing the language. Sounds good to me.

Anyway, the rest of the party was pretty fun; there were a lot of things to eat, most of them involving candy or sugar in some way. I also got to sneak into a few family pictures, which I think is kinda funny. Anne-Michèle said that they'll just tell people that I'm Alix with glasses. I'm amused. :)

Saturday night, Anne-Michèle and Etienne went to some sort of party at their friend's house, and we kids were left alone. We made croque-monsieurs (ham and cheese sandwiches, pretty much), and it was weird to use brie as the cheese. I'm used to Kraft singles for any type of cheese-melting activity, as my throat kind of freaks out at the texture of most melted cheese. I didn't like it much, but again, I'm not one for melted cheese.

After dinner, Amaury and I rode bikes to a small ice cream shop in town, and we had the most delicious ice cream I've ever tasted. Holy cow was it good! I just had a scoop of vanilla, but it was AMAZING. The guy working there dropped my scoop into the strawberry, so I had a taste of that too, and it was SO delicious. The owner seemed very familiar with Amaury, and asked who I was. When Amaury told him that I'm the exchange student living with his family and that I'm American, the guy started to use all of the English he knows, which pretty much all related to ice cream, which I thought was so cute. Anyway, two things about that little trip stuck out to me:

1. The ice cream. You seriously do not know ice cream until you've had it here.

2. There's something so great about being able to see a city by bicycle. It's way more personal. If you visit somewhere and you drive around in a car, you'll never get to understand it or be able to feel the atmosphere. Take a bike or walk. You won't be sorry.

Well... I think that's all. I'm going back downstairs to get away from the chipmunk.

Mikayla

The laundry turned out okay.

I let it all hang-dry in my room, which works just fine for me. Back in the states I let my laundry air-dry all the time. I prefer it, actually.

I have yet to discover the chipmunk's name. Right now, I'm just calling it "the chimpunk." I know, I'm just that creative.

Aujourd'hui, I figured out how to get accents on my computer. C'est magnifique!

I'm still plodding my way through Harry Potter. I'm only on page 46. If I was reading it in English, I'd be done by now. But I realized that that attitude is part of the problem. I can't expect to learn French (or any other language) overnight. It's a process. Everyone I talk to here has been speaking it for their entire life -- I've only been able to speak French every other day for 90 minutes the past three years. There's no comparison.

I've only been here for a week, but I've realized that languages are taught WAY differently than they are in the U.S. Back in Loveland, I had French class every other day for 90 minutes. Over here, my younger brother (Amaury) goes to a school that's taught in Flemish. He has been going for a few years, and I'm willing to bet that he's 30 times better with Flemish than I am with French. I can't say I'm surprised, either. When he's at school, Amaury is surrounded by Flemish all day long. Heck, he even watches cartoons in Flemish when he's home! But in the U.S., we get one little dose of French (or Spanish or German) every few days. It's simply not enough.

I wish to continue writing about this, but as of right now, I can't keep my thoughts straight. So ça va.

Anyfunk, you can see that I've got accents now! I'm very pleased. :) It took me a while to figure it out, but after some Google searches and several minutes of confusion, I have it figured out. I quite like the system -- it's not complicated at all.

I'm super stoked to start school here. I know I'm going to be incredibly nervous on the actual day, but I know it will do wonders for my French. I'll be going with Talia, another exchange student (she's from Minnesota) so I won't be completely alone. I'm also curious to see what the "special program" is for the exchange students. I'm really hoping to take some art classes while I'm here. I think that my "creative juices are flowing," as my mom always said.

If you ever travel abroad, take more socks than you think you'll need.

Thank you: Michelle Skeens, for reminding me that it will all be okay, and that I should try new things.

Marianne Deschodt, for being an exchange student before me and reminding me that tomorrow is a new day.

Toni Theisen for being the most awesome French teacher ever, and for answering all of my random, half-formed questions at all hours of the day.

Mikayla

P.S. I kind of miss being called Ségo.

Arnaud's friend dropped off her pet for him to watch while she's on vacation.

It's a chipmunk.

You know you're an exchange student when....

you realize you CAN do laundry.

Huge thanks to Miss Jaclyn Shipma for being a great support. And to Kelly Ernst for telling me that it WOULD be okay.

By the way. A wash cycle here takes about 110 minutes.

I think I'm my own brand of homesick.

I decided to do my laundry today.

I think.

I don't know if I did it right.

I know, I know: what kind of idiot doesn't know how to do their own laundry?

This kind.

I've done laundry for years in the U.S. It's so simple. You put clothes in, add detergent, then push a button, and voila, laundry. My current problem is that here, the washing machine has about 25 settings and 6 buttons. Okay, the settings are labelled -- we're good. But the buttons... I pushed the on button, and I think that's all I needed to do. But now, the machine has added water and just seems to be spinning my clothes, then stopping. Spinning, stopping. Spinning, stopping. Is this common for front-loading machines? I hope so.

The dryer, I think I remember. Open door, insert clothes, choose setting, push on. If the washer ever stops. What do I do if it doesn't!?

Today, I feel like I'm a bad load of laundry. I know I've been here less than a week, but my plan was to learn French as quickly as is humanly possible. I wasn't going to let myself fall into the "silent period." I was just going to talk anyway. I now realize how difficult that really is. I've stopped speaking. Period. I'll say "oui" every now and then, but for the most part, I just nod or listen. I don't even feel like I'm understanding as much as I was when I first arrived. Most things seem to go right over my head. It's frustrating for me because I'm not even letting myself try. I'm just sitting there like a lump nodding my head. I don't like it at all.

I'm really stuck on this laundry thing. The dang machine has been running for over an hour now. I was all excited because it was spinning, but now it's full of water again. Can anyone explain this?

Tonight we had turkey with some sort of orange breading on it as well as salad and potatoes for dinner. It was quite good. Yesterday, Anne-Michele bought some sort of soda-making machine, and I tried the soda today. It wasn't half bad. Not as good as the real stuff though.

I need to practice French more. I started reading the Junior Harry Potter, and it's taking forever. I'm actually trying to understand all of it, which is a bit difficult as of right now. All I want is to talk. Ugh.

Maybe today is just my day for bad laundry.

You forget you're en Belgique when...

it's sunny ALL day. Beautiful clear sunshine, surrounded by a few puffy clouds and a big blue sky. It's a lot like the sunny days in Wisconsin -- days that make you happy just to be alive. It's not oppressive, like the sun in Colorado. :P

I went downstairs for breakfast today, and Anne-Michele said, "I'm feeling good because of the sun. Do you want to go to Liege?" Of course, I said yes, and within ten minutes we were off. We stopped at Carrefour, a grocery-type store here in Belgium that we went to on Sunday as well. I had to buy some cell phone minutes (prepaids are expensive!) and I think Anne-Michele bought something as well. After that, she went to the bank to try to work out some problem Alix was having with her debit card over in Florida. I think it's because in the U.S., we have a magnetic strip on the back of our cards so we can buy things, whereas here, there's a chip in the card and you have to insert the card into a machine instead of swiping it. Anyway, that took forever and a day, and I think Anne-Michele parked illegally (I wasn't sure there was such a thing, but she kept muttering about "la Police" as she pulled into the spot). So, naturally, I stayed in the car while she went into the bank, running through scenarios in my head if a police officer actually did approach the car.

When Anne-Michele came back from the bank (the cops had left the car alone), she had a book. She gave it to me, saying it was a gift. It's titled: BRAFA 10: BRUSSELS ANTIQUES & FINE ARTS FAIR. The beginning is in French and Flemish, but the other parts of the book are in English. I haven't quite figured that out yet. Anyway, it's full of museums and art shows and the like, with three pictures of what you can find at the various art places. Some of the art really popped out at me, like Happiness in crime by Felicien Rops, a Belgian artist, as well as Metamorphose and Woman by Joan Miro. I looked online to see if I could find pictures of them, but I couldn't. :( I'll have to show you when I get home. I seriously love Happiness in crime. Seriously.

Anyway, after we parked the car in a parking garage designed to hold match box cars, Anne-Michele and I walked around Liege a little on our way to an art museum. She pointed out the Palais de Justice (which, I believe, was the home of a prince many years ago) as well as La Meuse, a grand fleuve en Belgique. When it reaches Liege, La Meuse is divided into two pieces as it gets close to Liege. On the outskirts of the city, it is redirected into one river.

The museum we went to is called "Le Grand Curtius." The main gallery (is that what you call it?) starts with Neanderthals and has artifacts and art all the way through the French Revolution and beyond. There were a lot of coins from different eras and a whole section devoted to depictions of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. There were tea sets, clocks, robes for clergy, different types of jewelery, bones, a painting of Napoleon twice the size of my bed, and some furniture, to name a few things. The exhibit seemed to focus a lot on the region and what has happened here over the last.... 10,000 years or so. It was really cool to get a grasp of how many different cultures had influenced the area.

There was another exhibit at the museum as well, and Anne-Michele and I walked through it. It was much, much smaller than the general gallery, but still just as interesting. It was an exhibit featuring Santiago Calatrava, who is part artist, part genius, and part architect. He designed the train station here in Liege, which is brand spanking new. Calatrava also designed the Milwaukee Art Museum. there was a little area featuring his drawings of that building as well as pictures of the real thing. I don't want to say that it was odd, or weird, but how... coincidental that the first museum I went to had a blurb about Milwaukee. I feel like it's some sort of sign or symbol. It was such a strange feeling to look at the photos and think "Oh, I've been there. I stood right there with Hannah and Shannon; I have a copy of the picture in my room at home." I think it was a "world traveler" feeling, for lack of a better term. It was my first taste of being able to say, "I've seen that. I've been inside it. I know what it's like." It's a pretty cool feeling. I recommend it.

In between the exhibits, Anne-Michele and I stopped for lunch. We split a long, sub-like sandwich that contained a large slab of brie and some walnuts. I liked it, but I can only handle brie for so long. I ordered Apple-Cherry juice to go with my half, and Anne-Michele had a glass of wine. My juice came in a bottle and a glass to pour it into came alongside it. Normally (well, in the U.S.) I would have skipped the glass and just sipped straight from the bottle. I'm 100.2% certain that that is a huge faux pas here, so I used the glass. It'll take some practice for me to become good at pouring things from container to another. I'm not blessed with that skill as of right now.

Tonight, we had pizza for dinner. I'm pretty sure that Etienne ordered a pizza just for me, and it'll probably take the rest of my time here for me to finish it. For some reason, even though I'm hungry, I get full here REALLY quickly. I had the equivalent of one piece of pizza in the states and I'm stuffed. I don't really know why it is. Oh. And we eat pizza with forks and knives. I felt like I was breaking the American Code or something. Etienne and Anne-Michele were teasing me, saying that I would have to eat pizza tomorrow for breakfast, and the next day, and the next, and the next. That's fine by me. There's nothing quite as delicious as cold pizza first thing in the morning. I'm serious. :)

At dinner, Anne-Michele and Etienne were harping on Adrien to study some more. Apparently, he doesn't like to (please introduce me to a 19 year old that does). They kept telling him to practice his English with me. I'm fine by that, but I'm afraid it would take us about a million years to have a conversation. He was trying to say the word "schedule" and it took me about 10 minutes to figure it out. It wasn't his fault, I was just trying to think of what it was in French so I could ask him if that's what he was trying to say. I'm still not entirely sure what that conversation was about. Something about schedules and when Anne-Michele works, Etienne doesn't, I think. Hopefully I'll figure it out soon.

Language:

My first... 2 or 3 days here, I was hellbent on learning as much French as I could as quickly as I could. I was listening to everything everyone was saying, all the time. I was talking more than I am now. I think I've fallen into the "silent period." It's not necessarily a bad thing, but I don't want to miss out on opportunities because I'm afraid of saying the wrong word. The huge barrier is speaking. I know I've said that before, but it's true. There's something so terrifying about uttering a sentence in a foreign language. I'm afraid that if I just try to "let it flow," I'm going to end up all backwards, saying the equivalent of "I like well these flowers. They pretty are." I know that that will happen, but I want to avoid it. I never liked feeling foolish. I've always been a know-it-all (imagine that), and being in a position where I hardly know anything is rough. But I know it'll be worth it.

The other thing I've realized is that my accent is HORRENDOUS. In French class throughout the years, I was always told by my peers that my accent was soooo good. Here, I sound like I'm chewing cement when I speak. It's just hard for my mouth to figure out what to do with the words. I feel like Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady" when Rex Harrison makes her put the marbles into her mouth and try to speak. It's horrible. And in case you were wondering, the American accent is not a pretty one.

One thing I find frustrating is the lack of "Oh rats!" words. In French class, we were told we could say "Zut!" or "Zut alors!" I've been saying 'zut' while I've been here, but Anne-Michele told me that it's something you say only with family, not with other older guests. So... what do you say? Her suggestion was "Awaaaoooh." (a combination of "ooooh" and "awwwww"). It's not cutting it for me. I guess I'll just have to say zut in my head.

Fast food is a French word. I tried explaining how many "magasins de la nourriture vitesse" (stores of speedy food) there are in the U.S., and Anne-Michele laughed, saying that they say fast food as well. So there ya go.

Well, I finished reading my English books (I highly recommend Ishmael by Daniel Quinn as well as anything remotely involving David Sedaris) and I'm moving on to Harry Potter in French. At the party on Saturday night, a guy I was talking to said that when he first started learning English, he was still writing in French and reading in French, and it was hindering his learning. He said that once he started reading in French, he learned a lot quicker. So I'm going to try that. I figured Harry Potter is safe because I've read it about a dozen times, so I know what's happening. Amaury handed me a little kids copy tonight, which I'm grateful for. It has smaller words and a simpler story (it's only 302 pages as opposed to the actual book's 422 or something like that). It's made for people at about a 10 year old reading level, and since (in French) I'm at about a 4 year old reading level, I think it's a good match. Maybe it'll help me learn French faster? J'espère.

Nighty night,

Mikayla

The carts strike again.

Here's a link to a blog that describes the carts far better than I ever could. These carts are in Israel, but they work the same way as the ones here en Belgique. The blog is written by a man named David Bogner, and I've had the pleasure of reading some of his posts. He's quite humorous. Anyway, here's the link to his post about the carts. I hope you enjoy it. :)

http://bogieworks.blogs.com/treppenwitz/2005/08/photo_friday_vo.html

Mikayla

Aujourd'hui

Voila, la maison.

Voila, the house.

I went shopping with Anne-Michele today. We went to a grocery store kinda thing and bought two types of wine, some cheeses, strawberries, cola, laundry detergent, and some other stuff. There were tons of waffle-shaped cookies. I've seen them at every store I've been to so far.

We also went to la commune again, but this time it was to get my visa verified. The woman who worked there wrote something in my passport, made some copies of it, and then asked if I had any information from my school here. I said, yes, in my room at home. So, Anne-Michele and I went home, got the paperwork, and took it back over. So now, I'm all set to go.

I'm still getting used to my new phone. It's turned off most of the time because I don't have a charger for it yet. I'll have to get one one of these days. I don't know how I'm going to get to Carrefour though. I'll have to talk to Anne-Michele.

I finished "Naked" by David Sedaris today. I must say, he's one of my favorite authors. His essays are easy to read, humorous, and I just love to read them. I wish he wrote in French (he does have a house in Normandy, after all), but after reading about his struggles with languages in "Me Talk Pretty One Day" (I think it was that one), I can understand why he doesn't. Maybe I'll be able to find them in French at a bookstore. I need to find a bookstore first, though.

I finally got around to taking some pictures of my house, so here they are:

The front yard.

The back of the house and part of the soccer net.

The driveway.

The kitchen.

The bathroom. Note how the toilet is next to a window.

People here are really into mineral water, and it's driving me crazy. I don't know if I'm just not used to the flavor or what, but I really detest it. I didn't like it in the U.S., I don't like it here. Oh well, it's better than getting some sort of germ from the tap water. Anne-Michele said that it's possible to drink the tap water, but that l'eau minerale (mineral water) is better. So, here we are.

So, you know when you give someone directions for how to do something? Like, "You put the candles on after the cake is baked, not when it's still batter," or "You go right at Apple Street, then you go left at the big cow statue, then you go right again at the field with all of the old cars. If you hit the ocean, you've gone too far." In the U.S., we always say "you." You do this, you do that, you attack that baboon with a leaf. Here, they say "one." Like, "One can take the bus anywhere in Belgium," or "One can find lots of school supplies here." It's proving to be a challenge for me to switch into "One Mode." But I think it makes more sense to say "One does this, one does that, one puts her right foot in, takes her right foot out, etc." Plus, with the formal and informal "you" that the French speakers have going on, it's no wonder they say "one." It would be too complicated to use "you."

I'm not really sure why people say Belgium is so dreary and rainy. Yes, it has rained every day so far, and yes, when I wake up in the morning, the clouds are so dark that it could be anywhere from 4 am to 8 pm, but there has also been sunshine every day I've been here as well. Not nearly as much as there is in Colorado, but enough for me. It's sunny right now, and I can feel the rays warming up my hands as I type this. The sky is blue, with tons of puffy white clouds overhead. It's pretty much a paradise, at least for me.

I think I may be the only person in this country who does not own a pair of leggings.

Other things I've noticed about fashion:

• EVERYONE wears skinny jeans. At least, the women.
• Women also wear lots of flats as well. I brought a pair with me, yes, but not tons of them. It's very common to pair skinny jeans with flats.
• Women also wear 3-4 inch heels as well. While shopping. And pushing large carts at Ikea. I don't know how they do it. Maybe they've just acquired the balance after years of practice? I'd try heels, but I'd probably die. So, I'll stick to my apple shoes. Nice and flat and non-threatening.
• I have not seen any tennis shoes here besides the ones in my armoire.
• No one wears tank tops. I think I've seen one girl's shoulders since I've been here. It's making me crazy, since I only have 3 shirts I can pair with my tank tops to cover them up.
• People wear the same clothes two days in a row. I do that with jeans all the time, because they're such a pain to wash. But here, people will wear the same shirt and sweatshirt/sweater/jacket. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing (it's great if i ever forget to do my laundry), but I've always thought that there's something nice about putting on a new, clean shirt in the morning. It's refreshing. It helps me start the day off right. Or maybe I'm just a little weird.
• There are tons of rain boots in my house.
• Body piercings are not nearly as common as they are in the U.S. I saw maybe five facial piercings at Ikea. A few women have double ear piercings, that's all. I feel like a pincushion compared to them.
• I've only seen two people with tattoos. One older man who had an eagle-ish bird (I couldn't see from where I was standing) and a young woman who had three stars on the inside of her wrist.

One thing many people associate with America is obesity. And in all honesty, I can't blame them. America is not a healthy nation, mentally, physically, or spiritually, at least in my opinion. I've always heard how healthy Europe is, with the fresh foods, walking everywhere, and overall interest in health. I thought that when I came to Europe, I'd be surrounded by tiny, stick figures posing as women and muscular, athletic men. I've found that it's not the case. I've seen a number of overweight or obese people at the store, at parties, and out on the street. I don't mean to criticize them in any way; I just wanted to point out that there's a bit of a misconception about Europe. Sure, overall the people here appear to be healthier than most American's I've seen, but it's not as though everyone here is crazy about exercise. I don't think I've done a very good job explaining myself here, but at least I tried.

Apparently, you have to have a special uniform for gym classes here. I am now 107% determined to get out of fitness, as opposed to the 104% I was yesterday.

Stores:

Every store I've been to except Ikea has had the carts I've always associated with Aldi's. You have to put a coin into a slot on the handle to detach the cart from the one in front of it. After you're done shopping, you put the cart back into the line and put the little key thingy from the one in front of it into the box with the coin in it, and voila, you get your coin back. I know that's not the best explanation, but that's the best I can do for now.

I haven't seen anyone chewing gum since I've been here. Anne-Michele bought some today, but I wonder if it's for some other purpose... I don't know what that purpose could be, but still...

Well, I think that's all for now, folks.

Mikayla

In Belgium

you can buy wine in bulk.

There's nothing more awkward...

than family fights at dinner. Especially if you're an exchange student, and you only know half of what's going on. And especially when your awesome little host brother starts to cry. Ah well, I suppose it's part of the life of an exchange student -- seeing things you normally wouldn't see in your own family. Coming from a household of two (my mom and moi), it's really weird for me to see other families fight. I've never liked it. It totally freaks me out when I'm at a friend's house and their parents argue, or my friend gets chewed out for not doing something they were supposed to do. I've never liked it. I prefer to pretend that family problems don't exist when I'm visiting someone. I know it's a tad cowardly, but much easier for me (and far less disconcerting for the people doing the actual fighting), to stare off into space, or down at my plate, eating furiously, pretending not to notice that they're fighting. Les Cartuyvels are great people, and they do their best to make me feel comfortable and help me know what's going on, even if I'd rather be left 100% in the dark. For example, today, after they solved whatever problem was going on (I didn't catch that; the fork I used tonight was exceptionally lovely), Etienne turned to me and said, "Les garcons! Adrien est gentil mais..." and smacked his head in his hand. (The boys! Adrien is nice but...) I looked up, and he seemed to expect an answer, so I did what I usually do in this sort of situation: chose something random and inanimate and say something about it. I said, "J'aime bien les fleurs." (I like the flowers.) The whole table roared with laughter. It's a highly effective method of avoiding awkward topics, I recommend it.

In other news, I spent most of today with Talia, an American exchange student from Minnesota. She's super nice and we spent most of the day talking about home, being an exchange student, and French. It was nice to speak so much English, and I was surprised at how easy it was to understand the French later. I still have a LOT of work to do, but I like where I'm at. I need to be happy with it and just accept the fact that I'm not always going to pick things up right away. I'll forget stuff, I'll screw up, I'll mix up the words for "decided" and "dead." But hey, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Mikayla

P.S. I really need to get some books written in French. Oh, do I want Harry Potter!

By the way... I got a clock. :) And a "GSM" (cell phone). I have to buy minutes for it, which is a little weird, mais c'est la vie. I like it in Belgium. A lot. :)

Okay, so here's the rest of what happened today...

It took me forever to fall asleep last night, so I ended up sleeping in late -- till around 11 am here. Anne-Michele came to my room and invited me to go with her to Ikea. I decided to go, and after eating an apple and taking a fabulously cold shower (I think I was the last one to shower today, so there wasn't any hot water), we left. I don't know how long it took for us to get to Ikea. It's in a place called Hognoul (I think) and Anne-Michele told me that people come to this Ikea from France, Luxembourg, and Holland, if I remember correctly. It's the only Ikea around except for the one in Bruxelles. It was fun to walk around and watch people shop. Ikea is set up kind of weird. I've never been to one before (at least, not in recent memory), and basically, you walk around a set path with about a million other people, all jostling and walking around looking for stuff. Anne-Michele showed me around and explained the different parts of the store. I'm not usually one for shopping (my mom can attest to that) but I really enjoyed it. I liked the people-watching and catching snatches of French conversation. The more I listen to Anne-Michele, the more I understand. At the end of our day shopping, I could understand everything she said.

This morning, it was a un peu strange -- Anne-Michele started speaking English to me right off the bat. I don't think she even realized it. She started talking to the guy who was working on the house a little in English before she realized what she had been doing. It was a little funny. :) But I think that shows just how quickly people can learn to do things differently. Anne-Michele is a native French speaker, and says that she was the worst in her English class, and yet she doesn't seem to have much of a problem switching between French and English. I hope that someday I can switch back and forth between French and English like that as well.

Anyway, after we had finished shopping, we bought some ice cream and donuts at Ikea. Yes, at Ikea. Anne-Michele said that Amaury likes donuts a lot, and we were both really hot (it was SO hot in the store) so, naturally, ice cream was the thing to get. It was absolutely delicious. It was a really cool system as well. Anne-Michele paid for the ice cream and was given two ice cream cones. Not far from the cash register, there was a small machine. You put your cone in a little holder, push a button, and the machine lifts the cone up, puts ice cream in it, and then kind of throws it down. The holder goes down about... 3 inches, and then the ice cream cone falls into it. I think it's so the ice cream doesn't drip all over the place. It's also really neat because you can have as much as you want, as long as you don't eat your ice cream cone. Do they have these machines at Ikeas in the U.S.?

After Ikea, Anne-Michele and I went to Decathlon, a large sports store, kind of like a Dick's Sporting Goods in the U.S. Anne-Michele wanted to get some breeches for Amaury (he rides horses as well. :D ) but they didn't have his size. Also, she bought me my first Belgian shoes! They're rubber riding boots. :) They're English (sorry Julie) and a size 7 in the U.S. It's kind of funny -- yesterday, Anne-Michele asked me what size shoes I wear. I told her I don't know in European sizes. So, she grabbed my foot and held it up next to hers and told me that she thinks I'm a size 40 (basically the same size as her). When I got the boots today, they had my size in the European, British, and American fashion. Hence, the sevens. I tried them on in the store though, and they fit just fine. Weird, huh?

Voila, pictures of my spanking new boots. :)

(By the way, can anyone tell me how to get accents on my computer? I feel lame not using them and having to copy and paste when I do.)

Anne-Michele and I also went to JBC, a clothing store. I bought a yellow shirt. It was made in "meillleures conditions de travail" (better working conditions) and is made from "matériaux respectueux de l'environnement" (environmentally-friendly materials). So me, right? :) It was kind of cool to make a purchase in a foreign country, even if it was just a shirt that I could probably get in the U.S.

Anyway, after that, we went to the post office. It wasn't too different from the ones in the U.S.,

except people took a number when they walked in and there wasn't quite as much stuff on the

walls.

After all of the shopping, Anne-Michele and I came home and I went upstairs and read a little bit.

I may have napped for about 10 minutes, but I'm not entirely sure. Etienne called up the stairs

nd asked me if I'd like to go with him to "la commune." He said something else about speaking

English, and I decided to just go along and see what it was. Turns out, it's (la commune) a type of welfare

organization for the town. Etienne is the president. His secretary (I think) speaks English, and so

she explained what the organization does and asked if we have something like that in the U.S.

I said yes, and told her my point of view of the U.S.' welfare. She asked me how I feel about Obama,

and we talked about the BP oil spill. She told me that she tries to follow American news on CNN

and would explain what we were talking about to Etienne. He seemed interested as well, which

was nice. She (ugh, I can't remember her name!) asked how old I am. I told her 16, and she couldn't

believe it! She thought I was 18. I explained to her that I finished high school early and started

school a year early, so that's why I'm so young. She explained it to Etienne who seemed rather

surprised. He told me that his daughter, Alix (she's in Florida) is a year ahead. I think it's pretty cool. :)

Wednesday, Etienne and I are going to get my visa certified. I asked Anne-Michele if she had

called Philippe, my Rotary club guy, and she said not yet. Hopefully that gets taken care of soon,

so I can register for the activity coming up.

Food:

I realized that I've had tomatoes every day since I've been here. Don't get me wrong, I like tomatoes,

but how many can one person eat? Whenever we have fresh fruits or vegetables, Anne-Michele

or Etienne tells me where they're from. I think I've had veggies from their garden, Etienne's brother's,

and somewhere else.

I know that in French class, we learned all about the markets and how important fresh food is in

France, and I thought that it would be similar in Belgium. It is in some ways, but not in others.

Etienne is a professor at a cooking school, and everything he makes is DELICIOUS. He uses a lot

more fresh stuff than most people do in the U.S. He cooks everything right before we eat it --

no reheating refrigerated stuff. Tonight, we had lettuce (salad), tomatoes (could be combined with

the lettuce), pork in various forms, and boiled potatoes. I don't know what it is about Belgian food,

but I'll take super teeny portions (half a potato, five leaves of lettuce, two little pieces of tomato, and a

piece of pork) and still be stuffed before I finish eating. Maybe I don't eat enough at home. But I

think it's because I'm not working out as much as I did at home. I'm not working out at all, in fact.

I'm not riding horses, walking Rudi, anything. I think I've realized why exchange students gain so

much weight. We don't always do the activities we used to do. I need to work on being more active

while I'm here. Anyway, back to food. My first day here, we had breakfast at a small health food

place in the train station in Bruxelles. Then, for lunch, Anne-Michele made chicken (it was prepackaged,

all she had to do was heat it, like the stuff you can pick up at King Soopers), salad (I think I've had

it at every meal) and tomatoes with chunks of mozzarella. It was kind of funny -- when Adrien

passed me the bowl, he said, "Mozzarella!" I was like, "Oui, je sais." (Yes, I know.) He seemed

kind of surprised that I knew what kind of cheese it was. I'm a Wisconsinite. :)

I just realized that that is a really long, rambling paragraph. The point of it all was that even

though there is a lot of fresh stuff in Belgium, it's not all 100% fresh. We don't go to the butcher

shop every day, we don't get a new loaf of bread or go out and pick apples all the time. While some

stuff is fresh, some is bought at the store. It's kind of like that U.S. in that respect.

Ugh, I think I'm still not making sense. I should probably get to bed now. I need to make up for

last night's lack of sleep.

Tonight, I gave Arnaud the peanut butter (buerre de cacahuètes) he asked for. He seemed

pleased. :)

I really like my host family, my house, everything about Belgium so far. I know that I'm still in

the honeymoon period, but really, what's not to love about a place and people that take you in

and do their best to teach you and make you happy? It's my definition of paradise.

Mikayla

Amaury

I just wanted to let everyone know that my host brother, Amaury, is the coolest 11 year old ever. EVER. He's super nice about the fact that I often have no clue what's going on. He'll speak slower and slower and slower and slower and act out whatever it is that he's saying so I can understand. He always says bonjour! to me and is just a great kid. Yesterday, Amaury, Anne-Michele and I were in the kitchen, and there was a pie (tarte, en francais) and he asked if I wanted a piece. I said no, thanks, I'm not hungry, and he said, "Oh, I will save one for you," and he cut a piece of the tarte and put it on a plate. Anne-Michele had to explain what was going on, and said that he would leave it on the counter for me. Amaury was like, "NO! In the fridge!" and put it in the extra fridge so my other brothers, Arnaud and Adrien, wouldn't eat it. Amaury rocks. The end. :)

Jour 2.

It's 2 am here, so it's really Day 3 for me en Belgique, but I'm writing about my second day, so ca va. :)

Every Sunday, my host family has lunch with their extended family at my host dad's step mother's house. Today was my first experience, and it was a lot of fun, but after an hour, I thought my head would explode. There were a lot of children and lots of noise, and SO MUCH FRENCH. Obviously, that's to be expected, but after a while, my mind just couldn't take it. I didn't say much at the meal because I was so overwhelmed, but I managed to catch a lot of what they were saying. As of right now, I can understand quite a bit. If I just sit and listen to what people are saying, I can usually get the gist of the conversation very quickly. But when I'm in a conversation with more than... 2 people, it becomes difficult for me to communicate. I think it's just because I become shy, but also because I'm afraid of making mistakes. I told myself I wouldn't have that fear, but I've realized that it's natural. It's okay if I'm afraid of making mistakes, but I shouldn't let it deter me from speaking. Kind of like when there's a spider in the shower. I might be afraid of the spider, but that doesn't meant that I'll never shower again.

My host mom and I left the lunch before the rest of the family so I could nap (the jet lag finally kicked in). I took a shower after she taught me how to get hot water (WOO!) and then went to sleep for about four hours. I have yet to get a clock, but hopefully I will soon.

Rewind for a bit. Before lunch, Anne-Michele, Amaury and I went to a supermarket in Waremme, a village close to where we live. There were definitely some differences between the Belgian supermarket and the ones in the US. For one, this store was smaller than the ones in the US. It was smaller than Albertsons and King Soopers. The alcohol is just boom, right there in an aisle, you don't have to go to a liquor store to buy it. You can also buy clothes, school supplies, and other things like that at this store. It was like a Walgreens, kinda, but without the medicine and with more food.

There are European cars, but also Fords and Toyotas here, which I think is kind of interesting. I love seeing Citroens and Peugeots driving along the streets. It just makes me happy. My host family laughed at me when I saw my first Citroen. I smiled really big and said "Oh, j'adore les Citroens!" (Oh, I adore Citroens!). The police officers here drive VWs.

Something about driving: while my host dad seems to stick to the speed limit for the most part, it always feels like we're thiiiiiis close to careening off the road. The streets here are very curvy, and it rains a lot, so the roads are slippery.

People in the US complain when there aren't signs labeling the various streets, right? Well, here, the signs are about... 4 inches long and 3 inches tall and the print is REALLY tiny. The signs are on the sides of buildings, which would cause an uproar in the US, I'm sure. Honestly, the signs are so small that 99% of the time, I have no idea what street we're on.

All of the cars here are manual. The old Citroen that Anne-Michele calls Etienne's "toy" has a strange shift... It's in the dashboard and you pull it out, you don't move it up and down.

The roads: Some of them are cobblestone, some of them are paved, all of them are curvy and twisty and terrifying. The roads are also very narrow to begin with, but are made narrower by the fact that people park on both sides. And when you park, it's not necessary to park facing a certain direction, oh no. I've seen cars nose to nose, bumper to bumper, and one truck-like thing that backed up into a parking space with the front of it sticking out into the road. Anyway, I thought Colorado had a ton of roundabouts, but we've got nothing on Belgium. In Waremme, there seems to be at least three roundabouts no matter where in the city you're going. They're impossible to avoid. Also, whoever designed the roads here has a very sick sense of humor. Tonight, I went with Etienne, Amaury, and some cousins to Etienne's friend's house, and we had to turn 330 degrees to get to the road to Jean-Luc's house. It was crazy. And of course, no car has that turning radius, so we had to stop in the middle of the road, back up a little, then continue the turn. It was a little scary. Speaking of backing up, after my family picked me up from the airport, we were trying to find the train station. We were in the middle of Bruxelles, and Etienne missed a turn, so he just stopped the car and backed up about 10 feet so he could turn. IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAIN ROAD IN BRUXELLES. I thought my mom was a crazy driver. Oh, and whoever invented the stop sign neglected to introduce it to Belgium.

It's kind of fun to ride in the car though. :)

Language: I understand a lot more than I thought I would so soon. I can follow a conversation pretty well, and when people talk to me (albeit slowly), I can usually understand what they're saying and formulate a decent response. My problem right now lies in speaking. I can usually do fairly well with Anne-Michele and I'm getting better with Etienne, but I'm still struggling with my host brothers. Arnaud is very nice about speaking English to me and Amaury talks really slowly and quite loud using small words, which is nice, but I have NO clue what Adrien is saying. Ever. I've tried just listening to him, but I still have no idea what's going on. I just need to practice listening to people. And do more of the exercises in my French workbook.

The more I listen to people speak, the more I think in French. I think in it until I reach a point where I don't know the word I'm looking for. So, I throw in the English version and continue to think in French. It's easier if I imagine I'm talking to one of my host family members, because I'm going to have to speak to them in French.

As I said before, I went to Jean-Luc's house with Etienne, Amaury and some cousins. I had a lot of fun. August 15th is a celebration in Belgium (I haven't quite gathered why) and we watched the fireworks over La Meuse (a river) from Jean-Luc's backyard in between exclamations about my mental health because I love rain. Someone, I think Jean-Luc, said "Only in Belgium would it be pouring rain, and yet we still have fireworks." And it was completely true! It was pouring, but we all stood outside and watched. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time. As I watched the fireworks, it kind of hit me. I'm in Europe. I still can't believe it. My favorite parts of the evening were:

1. Trying orange juice. There isn't pulp (WOOHOO!) and it's really a blend of fruit juices: orange, mango, pineapple, banana, and some others. The box (yes, it comes in a box) has some English on the front. If I remember correctly, it says "fruity and exotic." I thought it was hilarious. :)

2. All of a sudden, during the fireworks, the adults started to sing "We Are the Champions." Just the one line: "We are the champions. We are the champions. We are the champions." It was so cute!

3. Jean-Luc. It was raining a lot, and for some reason, he didn't go inside and get an umbrella. Instead, he tied a plastic bag onto his head in what I can only describe as a Pippi Longstocking-'do rag. I couldn't stop laughing, and I wish I had taken my camera so I could have a picture.

4. The music on the way home. When we got in the car, the Eurythmics were playing, followed by Colbie Caillat, then Bob Marley. After Bob was a French song, then The Cardigans. I thought it was kind of funny. I also heard Lady Gaga on the radio today before we left for Jean-Luc's. It was nice to have that little piece of home.

Well, it's past 3 now, and I'm getting tired. I'll say goodnight. :)

Bon nuit!

Mikayla

Je suis arrivee!

Hey! I made it to Belgium alive and well. I met my first host family, my second host mom and sister, and my third host dad at the airport. They had a sign with my name on it, welcoming me to Belgium, which was so great! After we left the airport, we went to the train station so that my host sister, Alix, could get her train ticket to Paris, which is where she flew from the US. It was kinda sad to say goodbye, because she was my translator for those three hours. She's just so nice and I'm glad I got to meet her. I hope she has a great time in the US!

After we dropped off Alix, we came to my host family's house, and it is SO beautiful. It belonged to my host dad's grandmother. Everything is wood: the floors, the doors, most of the furniture, and I LOVE it! My host mom, Anne-Michele, and Alix decorated my room, and it's so me it's CRAZY. My bed is HUGE (I think it's two twins pushed together) and REALLY comfortable. My bed frame is gorgeous dark wood that matches my armoire (there isn't a closet) and desk. My sheets and blankets are red, with another yellow blanket on top. The curtains are red and orange, and the towels are red and gray. The walls are pale yellow and white stripes. Anne-Michele put up lots of pictures with huge amounts of color. The pictures are of African scenes, and so pretty! They also gave me a HUGE, HUGE poster of Harry Potter. HUGE. It's amazing. Full color, and probably at least 7 feet tall by 4 feet wide. It's BEAUTIFUL. Oh, and I also met my third host brother, Arnaud.

After we came home yesterday, I called my mom to let her know I made it safely, then we had lunch. My host family eats lunch every day at noon. Sundays, they go to Etienne's (my host dad) mother's house for lunch with the ENTIRE family. It's HUGE. Anne-Michele was explaining the family to me yesterday, and it seems that everyone has four kids. I can't keep their names straight at all. I'm sure I'll learn with time though.

Anyway, before lunch, Anne-Michele told me that Amaury wanted to show me the gardens. He took me outside and we walked through the gardens, and he showed me the chickens and the pool as well. We walked up the driveway and across the street to his cousin's house, where I met three cute little ponies and his cousin (Marie?) before heading back to the house for lunch.

After lunch, I napped for about four hours. I was completely wiped out from the plane ride. After I got up, I talked to my host mom a little, and she invited me to meet some of the family. We rode around in the Belgian version of an old VW bug. A Citroen. Il est si mignon! Anne-Michele, Amaury, and I went to Etienne's mom's house and to Etienne's sister's (I think) where we got to meet a cute new puppy.

After we came home, Anne-Michele, Amaury, and I went to the living room, and I went through the first night questionnaire. She laughed when I asked if I was supposed to call her Mme Cartuyvels. She said "Oh no no no. Anne-Michele, Miche-miche, mais pas Mme Cartuyvels." I asked what I should call M Cartuyvels, and she said Etienne. So there we go. :) Anne-Michele showed me how to work their washer and dryer and said that school starts at 8:10 in the morning. Ahhh, relaxation time!

After the questionnaire, Anne-Michele told me I could go to a 50th birthday party for one of her friends. Amaury asked if I would like to take a shower before, which I thought was so sweet. Or maybe I just really smelled like airplane. I attempted to take a shower, and just about froze to death in the process. In this shower, there hot water knob is on the right with the cold water on the left. I tried to turn the hot water knob, but nothing came out of the shower. So I figured that the cold had to be turned on for the hot to work. Pas vrai. I turned the hot water knob every way I could imagine, and still, I got nothing but cold water. So, I took a cold shower. I don't mean lukewarm, I mean cold. I'm going to try again today, and if I still get nothing but cold water, I'll ask Anne-Michele for help. Honestly, I think the house is out to get me, because when I used the sink in my room to brush my teeth later, hot water came out of the cold tap. Craziness, no?

The party was pretty fabulous. Another different thing about Belgium -- the party was in a barn. Not an old, refurbished barn, but in a fully functioning barn. There was a pen full of calves right next to the tables where people were talking and sharing beer. It was a little weird, but still enjoyable. I followed Anne-Michele for a while and was introduced to a bunch of people, but I struggle to recall their names. I ended up hanging out with one of my host sibling's cousins (I know he told me his name...) for quite a while. He asked me if I wanted a beer, and when I said no, thanks, I think I pretty much rocked his world. He's pretty nice, and fluent in English, so we got along swimmingly. :) We talked about drinking ages, and he had me try his beer. I can't say I fell in love with it, but it wasn't horrible (sorry, Mom). Adrien (one of my older host brothers) came over and chatted with us for a while too, and he had me try his beer as well. I liked it more than the other, and the cousin told me that most people didn't like it as their first. Well, what can I say, I'm a crazy American. :) After the beer tasting, they told me that there are over one THOUSAND types of Belgian beer. One THOUSAND. We walked around for a while, and I petted the cows. The cousin thought I was crazy because I said that I love cows, they're so cute. The cow I was petting started to lick me, and I couldn't help but laugh. The cousin yelped and backed up a number of steps when the cow went for him. I think it's funny that everyone who knows English also knows English swear words. But anyway, we continued chatting for a while, then I was taken over by two men who spoke English. One of them wanted to practice, because he's going to Iowa on Wednesday to judge a cow show. Yep. I was a little surprised too, but hey, it's pretty cool. That man also has seven horses. If I'm not very much mistaken, he has a young horse that's fairly jumpy that he wants me to train two or three times a week. I'll have to look into that a little more. I wish I'd brought my boots. :(

Anyway, Anne-Michele, Amaury, and I (we're like the Three Musketeers, I guess) came home at about 10:30. Anne-Michele kept saying how early it was, but she was tired and so was I. I went to bed around 11:20 last night, and slept until 8 am this morning, so I feel pretty refreshed. I might attempt another shower later.

As for the language, I'm really surprised by how much I understand. If I don't know a word, I ask the person to repeat it, and they usually do, as well as explain it in French, which is helpful. I'm not yet at the point where I respond well, for the most part I say "oui," "tres bien," "ca va," "okay," or "Je comprends." I also forgot my dictionary at home, which SUCKS since I can't look up things I want to say, like "I can't figure out your shower," or "Sorry I have so much stuff, my mom made me bring an extra suitcase." But it will all come with time, right? :) The easiest person for me to understand is Anne-Michele, because she speaks slower for me and usually asks me "Tu as compris?" (You understand?) after about two sentences. I'm getting better at picking up what Etienne is saying as well, and Amaury is a perfect gentleman, speaking in mostly small words and talking at a snail's pace. The person I'm really struggling to understand is Adrien. I don't think it's his fault at all, but every time he speaks I get lost after the first two or three words. I think it's because he speaks so fast. I now understand why so many people get confused when other people speak French; it honestly does sound like bubbles if you don't know what's going on. But it's really such a beautiful language. I'm glad I have the chance to learn it.

Some interesting stuff about Belgium:

• There was litter EVERYWHERE in Bruxelles.
• If you don't drink beer, something is medically wrong with you.
• Most, if not every single one of the houses I've seen are made of stone.
• There are flies. EVERYWHERE.
• It seems that families (or maybe just les Cartuyvels) live SUPER close together. Right down the street from my house is Etienne's mom, sister, another sister, I think, and probably two or three dozen other relatives.
• People weren't lying when they said that the weather is really cloudy. I woke up this morning, and the sky was a lovely shade of gray. It could have been 4 am or 3 pm, I had no idea till I turned on my computer.
• Clocks. I don't have a clock in my room, and I have yet to see one around the house (I haven't really looked though). I need to get one before school starts though, or at least a watch, because not knowing the time is making me batty. I now understand why the guy in IQ (Walter Matthau plays Enstein) is running around his cell like crazy because he doesn't know the time. It's really quite frustrating.
• Again, the shower. That thing is really getting to me.
• Lights. There are no lights past the third set of stairs on the way to my room. I walk the last 10 or 20 steps to my room in complete darkness. It's not horrible, but just a little odd. I'll have to start leaving a small lamp on in my room.
• They really do eat fruit for desert. Yesterday, I was offered a nectarine or a peach. I think I made an idiot out of myself because I just bit into it. It was delicious, yes, but everyone else who had one used a knife to cut it up. I'll have to try that next time I'm offered. I know it's the American in me coming out, but it just seems so time-consuming to sit there and cut the fruit up before eating it. Oh well, this isn't about being American, it's about being part of the family.
• I realized that I didn't bring enough warm clothes. I have five pairs of pants, but mostly tank tops and t-shirts for tops. I'll have to get my mom to send a sweatshirt/jacket along with my dictionary.
• It's kinda weird being up so high in the house. The view is PHENOMENAL, but I can't really hear what's going on downstairs. Just something to get used to.
• There's a formal living room and a kid living room.

Well, I'm fairly hungry, so I'm going to get dressed and go get some breakfast.

A bientot,

Mikayla