Voyage, Voyage, Voyage!

That is my advice for exchange students or any people spending a year, semester, trimester, or any other extended period of time in Belgium.  And do it with other exchange students!  C'est trop bien!

This weekend I met up with two of my favorite Bolivian AFSers (who have dubbed me an 'honorary Bolivian' because I often crash their outings) who were showing around a Bolivian girl in Germany who came to visit them in Belgium.  We all went to Antwerp on Saturday afternoon, which was a very different outing from the one I had with my Belgian friends.  We did a lot more "touristy" things, like visiting the 'Grote Markt' (Grand Place) and the port, which was really beautiful.  It was finally hot in Belgium, so I enjoyed wearing around a summery dress and soaking up the sun.  I even had to wear sunscreen!

After a few good hours of walking around the city and a stop for a refreshing drink (at a thai restaurant... something that one of the others knew), we went back to the house of one of the Bolivians to swim in the pool (which also had plants on one end and fish!) and eat dinner.  We all four managed to fit in one bedroom, even if we didn't get much sleep; we had spent a lot of time in the pool trying to touch the fish, which were always far too fast.

The next morning we went to Brussels: saw the Grand Place, Manneken Pis, the Royal Palace, one of the big parks, and of course ate a waffle.  We also took after some other AFS students we had seen in Antwerp and went around offering 'free hugs.'  It was a lot more fun that I thought it might be, and we got all kinds of reactions: strange looks, people taking photos, one British family even told us that Jesus loved us for being so kind.  It was also quite surprising how many people said no to a hug and changed their mind when we said "but it's free!"

In Antwerp train station

So excited!

Brussels

That evening, while the others continued to Dinant, I split off to join a few other Americans in Arlon for a festival there: MaiTrank.  I'm not entirely sure what it's all about, but it seemed to be the whole town getting together to celebrate the end of May with music, games, beer, a big "beach" in the town square, and general merriment.  We all crashed at one of the nearer-by American's houses (I love how so many exchange students and host families are willing to let me randomly spend the night!) after the party.

I don't have school today, thanks to Pentecost, a holiday which I don't entirely understand, but which worked out well for me beaus it meant I could go through all my photos today!

Only one more week of school before exams!  It's crazy how much time has gone by so fast!

À la prochaine!

They say it's your birthday...

For once in my life, I've actually been able to sing the "it's my birthday, too, yeah!" line, and mean it.  Not to brag or anything, but yes, yes it is my birthday.  And thanks to Facebook, even the people in my school who I've talked to on a few occasions, added as a "friend" to be polite and to see what they're up to know that.  Which means that I've had more people say 'happy birthday' to me today than I usually did in Maine just because of the sheer size of my Belgian school.  Who doesn't love getting told happy birthday?

Especially by foreigners (I realize that I'm the foreigner, but that's beside the point); whether it's in French ("joyeuse anniversaire") or in English with an accent (as many of them would say, "ahppy bearthday Ohdray"), it's a lot of fun.  I had a couple of people make fun of each other for their accents and argue over which one was "better."  As I always say (and almost always mean), I like all the accents, and think they're usually pretty adorable.  Plus, I don't want to give them any openings to make fun of my own, which, while getting less noticeable, is still there on a lot of words.

All in all a pretty good day:  I won more than often at cards at lunch– while dealing out the first hand of "President" I told them that they had to let me win because it was my birthday.  I don't know if it was coincidence or if they didn't understand it was a joke, which happens sometimes, but I was the "trou de cul" a lot less than often.  (Thank you, French, for making things sound more polite.)  I also went out for a waffle after school, and even though it started to sprinkle a little bit, the weather was nice and warm.  I even got home to find a couple of cards for me from the States!  I feel so loved :)

Well, you just read your first post by an 18-year-old!  À la prochaine!

P.S.  On a completely unrelated note, I was marveling at the English language today:  my teacher handed out a list of 10 verbs (come, cut, fall, get, go, keep, make, run, take, turn) and 10 prepositions (away, back, down, in, off, on, out, over, through, up) and asked us to make at least 20 "phrasal verbs" (basically just verb+preposition).  I made my 20... then about 50 more.  I still can't get over the fact that you can add one (or 10) little word(s) after a simple verb to give it a new meaning.  It's so cool to think about English this way!

100 jours and other bêtises

Normally, as the days until the end of the year dwindle down to a tiny 100, schools across Belgium have fêtes de cent jours.  These seem to vary from school to school, (in style and in date... seeing as my 100 jours was about 70 jours late) but all include the rhétos (seniors) dressing up in costumes.  At Liège 1, people in costumes ranging from superheros to cartoon characters to religious figures (I was surprised, too, to see at least four monks, a nun, and a rabbi) had a "flash mob" during the break, followed by a massive squirt gun fight and an after-school barbeque for the rhétos.

Me (a superhero) with two Standard de Liège (soccer) players

and 3 of the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

With a "pregnant" teenager and a character from a French ad campaign

(look here, or here to see a sample)

The flashmob was a little less spontaneous and less well-organized than might have been ideal, but still fun.  We were supposed to do "Thriller" but the dance turned out to be too hard to learn for us and it got changed at the last minute to the "Cha Cha Slide," which somehow ended up still being too complicated, but a good time.

The water fight got a little crazy, and ended up being everyone getting revenge; I would get caught in the crossfire between two classmates, send a little splash at whoever had initiated it, and things would spiral upwards until people were filling up buckets and dumping them over each others' heads.  It was a sunny day, at least, which meant that we dried off relatively quickly, but the floor of the locale turned into a pretty muddy sloop.

We all went out into the carré afterwards, in costume, to show off, which was doubly fun for me because I could show off to all the other exchange students there as well.

(Just to brag a little more, I'm now enjoying a 4-day weekend, including a trip to Gent tomorrow, haha! Go Catholicism being a big deal in Europe!)

À bientôt!

Oh the rain rain rain came down down down, in rushing, rising rivlets

the river crept out of its bed, and crept right into Piglet's.

Poor Piglet he was frightened, with quite a rightful fright.

Despite his desperation, a message he did write.

Keep in mind that when I say 'Piglet' I mean me.  The Meuse hasn't quite crept all the way up to my window yet, but if the weather keeps up it just might.  I had been hoping to get out and do a little sightseeing this past weekend, but all I saw was the inside of the mall in Liège.  It was still a nice time, though, especially since the two other exchange student girls I was with live in small Belgian towns and got really excited to come to the "big city."

While I may have an excuse to remember this song, I have also had quite a few of the things I used to sing in elementary school music class stuck in my head this week, and I can't think of any reason for them to be there.  I don't know if it is some bizarre form of homesickness or if my English is receding back to what is most deeply rooted in my brain.  Maybe there is no reason.  Although if any other exchange students are having a similar experience it would reassure me to know about it.

Until then, I'll be trying to avoid singing American children's songs in conspicuous places like the bus or the bathroom at school.  I've been getting more than the usual number or strange looks.

À tantôt!

A belated happy May Day to everyone in the states!  I was planning to say so yesterday but never got around to it.  Ah well.

It was a 4-day weekend but somehow felt longer, which is surprising as that's generally not the direction weekends go.  I would attribute it to keeping busy and not very much sleep:  on Friday evening I went to sleep at the house of a girl named Aurore with some of her friends.  In the terms we used to describe it to her friends, she is my Belgian "marraine," or godmother; she's supposed to be my AFS contact to talk to if I have problems with my exchange, and someone who would be, in theory, easier to talk to than a lot of other AFS volunteers because she's about my age and just (last summer) got back from an exchange in the US.  The first time I met her it was to talk with her about some of the trouble I was having with my first family, but since then we've met up a few times because we're friends.  It's amazing to me how quickly exchange students, past and present, become friends; after speaking for a couple minute's we exchange numbers and cities where we live and tell the other that they have to come visit us because it would be so cool.  I don't know if it's because we're all so outgoing (or have become it) or because we know what it's like to arrive and know nobody and therefore try to make a connection with everyone we meet... honestly I'm not sure I care.  It's the way it is and it's awesome.  Point.

Bref (from what I can tell, the equivalent of "anyway..."); I spent friday evening and late into the night playing Disney Trivial Persuit, making crêpes and chocolate sauce, and watching movies ("The Notebook," "Grease," and one called "Blood & Chocolate" that was about werewolves but that I didn't quite follow because I fell asleep).  Saturday afternoon I got home and helped keep Constantin and his two friends busy while my host parents, the mother of the friends, and my host-grandmother helped get the house ready for the big party the next day: it was my host brother's first communion.  I played soccer and hide and seek and pushed them on the swings, steered them out of the way (they like to be around to watch tables get moved and floors mopped even if it's inconvenient for those doing the work), took them up to my room to draw, taught them American football, and did my best to keep them from fighting.  Afterwards we all went out for a very well-earned meal at my host family's favorite Chinese restaurant.

The next morning I got up earlier than normal (for a weekend) to shower, got dressed in my nicest clothes (which I slightly embarrassingly don't have a lot of here), and headed to the church for mass.  Since I'm not religious at home and my host family doesn't go to mass unless it's a special occasion, I'm not particularly versed in the ways of church services or first communions, but this one seemed nice.  There was a lot of singing and cute little kids, and the inside of the church was really beautiful.  It didn't last as long as I thought it might and we were back home by 1:00.

From then, people started arriving for the party.  First it was the close family, who joined us for lots of appetizers and champagne followed by a two-hour, four-course meal which left everyone stuffed.  We didn't have more than half an hour to rest, though, before the rest of the guests began to arrive.  I believe I heard the number 80 thrown around as an approximation of the number of people there.  I'd believe it; my host family has a big house and big yard, and both were pretty full up with people.  More appetizers and drinks were served right away, but I was too full to have anything except water and celery.  I was hoping that the work it took to digest it would make me feel less full, but I'm not sure it accomplished anything.

Around 6 they brought out some cold things to eat for supper: fish, ham, carrots and salad-type veggies.  I resisted these, being still full from the meal that had only ended around 4, although when they switched to a hot buffet around 8, I did manage to take some food.  And, of course, some dessert for the finale.  Apparently it's a tradition for Easter and often communion as well to have a lamb cake; Constantin's was made of strawberry and vanilla ice cream.  He, being the star of the evening, got to cut off the lamb's head (which let forth a stream of red "blood" from the neck) and have that piece.

I didn't know a lot of the people at the party, but it was still good to see all of the people I did know and be introduced to a few others.  People like my host-grandmother or the friend that had helped set up hung out with me a lot of the evening, introducing me to some of the people that came up to talk to them.  The crowd started to wane by 10 or 11, and helping to clean up I became even more impressed with my host parents' ability to throw a party.  I don't know if the descriptions do it justice, but it really was an impressive affair.


Monday and Tuesday I took it easy and went in to Liège a bit to see some friends.  Nothing much but it was nice to see them, and the weather wasn't bad.  Although today it was.  So much for May flowers.  It didn't make so much of a difference, since I was in school, so I can be at least glad the rain held off until today.

À la prochaine!

A belated happy May Day to everyone in the states!  I was planning to say so yesterday but never got around to it.  Ah well.

It was a 4-day weekend but somehow felt longer, which is surprising as that's generally not the direction weekends go.  I would attribute it to keeping busy and not very much sleep:  on Friday evening I went to sleep at the house of a girl named Aurore with some of her friends.  In the terms we used to describe it to her friends, she is my Belgian "marraine," or godmother; she's supposed to be my AFS contact to talk to if I have problems with my exchange, and someone who would be, in theory, easier to talk to than a lot of other AFS volunteers because she's about my age and just (last summer) got back from an exchange in the US.  The first time I met her it was to talk with her about some of the trouble I was having with my first family, but since then we've met up a few times because we're friends.  It's amazing to me how quickly exchange students, past and present, become friends; after speaking for a couple minute's we exchange numbers and cities where we live and tell the other that they have to come visit us because it would be so cool.  I don't know if it's because we're all so outgoing (or have become it) or because we know what it's like to arrive and know nobody and therefore try to make a connection with everyone we meet... honestly I'm not sure I care.  It's the way it is and it's awesome.  Point.

Bref (from what I can tell, the equivalent of "anyway..."); I spent friday evening and late into the night playing Disney Trivial Persuit, making crêpes and chocolate sauce, and watching movies ("The Notebook," "Grease," and one called "Blood & Chocolate" that was about werewolves but that I didn't quite follow because I fell asleep).  Saturday afternoon I got home and helped keep Constantin and his two friends busy while my host parents, the mother of the friends, and my host-grandmother helped get the house ready for the big party the next day: it was my host brother's first communion.  I played soccer and hide and seek and pushed them on the swings, steered them out of the way (they like to be around to watch tables get moved and floors mopped even if it's inconvenient for those doing the work), took them up to my room to draw, taught them American football, and did my best to keep them from fighting.  Afterwards we all went out for a very well-earned meal at my host family's favorite Chinese restaurant.

The next morning I got up earlier than normal (for a weekend) to shower, got dressed in my nicest clothes (which I slightly embarrassingly don't have a lot of here), and headed to the church for mass.  Since I'm not religious at home and my host family doesn't go to mass unless it's a special occasion, I'm not particularly versed in the ways of church services or first communions, but this one seemed nice.  There was a lot of singing and cute little kids, and the inside of the church was really beautiful.  It didn't last as long as I thought it might and we were back home by 1:00.

From then, people started arriving for the party.  First it was the close family, who joined us for lots of appetizers and champagne followed by a two-hour, four-course meal which left everyone stuffed.  We didn't have more than half an hour to rest, though, before the rest of the guests began to arrive.  I believe I heard the number 80 thrown around as an approximation of the number of people there.  I'd believe it; my host family has a big house and big yard, and both were pretty full up with people.  More appetizers and drinks were served right away, but I was too full to have anything except water and celery.  I was hoping that the work it took to digest it would make me feel less full, but I'm not sure it accomplished anything.

Around 6 they brought out some cold things to eat for supper: fish, ham, carrots and salad-type veggies.  I resisted these, being still full from the meal that had only ended around 4, although when they switched to a hot buffet around 8, I did manage to take some food.  And, of course, some dessert for the finale.  Apparently it's a tradition for Easter and often communion as well to have a lamb cake; Constantin's was made of strawberry and vanilla ice cream.  He, being the star of the evening, got to cut off the lamb's head (which let forth a stream of red "blood" from the neck) and have that piece.

I didn't know a lot of the people at the party, but it was still good to see all of the people I did know and be introduced to a few others.  People like my host-grandmother or the friend that had helped set up hung out with me a lot of the evening, introducing me to some of the people that came up to talk to them.  The crowd started to wane by 10 or 11, and helping to clean up I became even more impressed with my host parents' ability to throw a party.  I don't know if the descriptions do it justice, but it really was an impressive affair.


Monday and Tuesday I took it easy and went in to Liège a bit to see some friends.  Nothing much but it was nice to see them, and the weather wasn't bad.  Although today it was.  So much for May flowers.  It didn't make so much of a difference, since I was in school, so I can be at least glad the rain held off until today.

À la prochaine!

Well, that was April. No matter how much certain days may have dragged along, the weeks and ultimately the entire month ended up as just one big blur. The first two weeks of April I was out of school for Easter break, most of which I spent sightseeing and chilling out with some friends from Belgian school. April first is "poisson d'avril," a slightly more specific version of April fool's day in which you try to stick a paper fish to people's backs. The weather was actually for the most part pretty nice, and there were a couple of days where you could almost say I tanned. Between school, Wednesday afternoons in the carre, weekend travels/sleepovers, and a brief visit from my mother on her way through Belgium, nearly the entire month has already been filled up. It's so weird to think that I really only have two more before I go home; if they pass anything like this month did I'm in trouble... I'm not ready to leave! I have a brief pause to breathe this weekend thanks to the "fete de travail," on April 1st. I was trying and failing to remember the American equivalent (I know it's not called worker's day, but I don't think it's that far off either) so am hoping someone will help me out here and remind me. My school, like a lot of schools in Belgium not, apparently, including my host brother's school (poor thing) is giving Monday off to the students as well to have a 4-day weekend. May, it seems, is full of days off: this, ascension, pentacost... So the number of days of school left is much smaller than I thought. All the better for cramming in last-minute sightseeing and exchange-student-visiting before my return July 7th. But enough carrying on about the end being near (with all the 2012 hype I hear enough of it already). April was lovely; not, perhaps, the month I have the most to write about, but filled with speaking French and being in awe at the fact that I'm here and only a little complaining about the rain. I really will try to write more often in May! A la prochaine!