Well,
I guess I should start from the beginning. My trip to Belgium from Canada was filled with exploration and excitement. This was of course my first trip away from home farther than Wentworth without an adult. You might call it Baptism with fire! I enjoyed riding on the planes and the responsibility I had to myself in the airports. The only negative part of my trip over to Belgium was my 6 hour stay over in Heath row airport!
After about fifteen hours of traveling of which two hours were sleep, I arrived at my destination in Brussels, Belgium where I was met by my first and last sets of host parents. They were also accompanied by Vinicius, an exchange student from Brazil who arrived a few days before. I've never been as relieved as I was when I concluded that my first host father and mother could speak some English. We drove from the Flemish area of Brussels to the French speaking area of Liege to my new home for the next 4 months. The house is beautiful and if I was a girl I would've sworn that I had decorated my room myself. There are records on the walls, guitars in a corner, a desk, closet, and bed, just like my room at home. The only difference is the pink walls!
As soon as I stepped into this magnificent house I took of my shoes. I thought my host parents were just being polite when they told me to leave my shoes on. However, they soon informed me that everyone in Belgium wears their shoes in their houses! At least on the bottom floors which are always made of stone. There is a place to put your shoes at the top of the stairs. You remove your shoes on the second floor because it is made of wood. If you think this is strange you won't believe how the bathroom is set up! In Belgium, the bathroom and the toilet are not necessarily the same room. In my house the toilet is in a small separate room from the bath, shower, and sink.
My current home is in Alleur which is just outside of Liege. I have already taken the bus to the middle of Liege by myself. Liege is a beautiful city, with many cobblestone streets, small shops, and even more bars. There is a group of streets that form a square about 4 blocks long. It is called le Carre and it is packed with bars.
I attended my first Rotary meeting in Liege last Tuesday. I met and was picked up by my councilor for the year. He was very welcoming and reassuring. I gave a short speech in Franglish at the meeting and so did Vinicius. I think that there may be a Rotarect Club (Rotary Club for Youth) in Liege. If there is I will be joining it as soon as possible.
I have already met all of my host parents for the year. They are all excited to get involved with the program. Yesterday I went for a two hour bike ride through Liege and the surrounding area with my third host father and Vinicius. The day before this I went for a tour of the Belgny Mines with my third host father's father. I guess I should call him my host grandfather.
The mines were awesome. They've been closed now for many years but a lot of the equipment still works. We were in the mine 60m below the earth's service for like 45 minutes. I'm definitely looking forward to learning more about this wonderful country.
I'm having so much fun and picking up French quickly. I miss all of you at home very much and I look forward to seeing you all in July. I will keep this blog up to date all year. Feel free to send me an email any time.
