My first, big, American holiday that I missed - not so much missed but more as just experienced it a different way :)
Thanksgiving started a bit slow. I went to school and was telling everyone "Happy Thanksgiving" with the daily bisous... and of course got the weird looks. Everyone was a bit confused what it was. The first thing everyone said was, "Oh! Right! The American Christmas, right?" and I would have to correct them and say, "Nooo we celebrate Christmas also". Then after this was cleared up I was asked if we got presents as a celebration.... and again I had to say "Noooo" Thanksgiving is just about saying thank you and being thankful like the pilgrims were. I think by the end of they day everyone had gotten down that Thanksgiving is just a big, family meal with a football game and parade (to spice things up) and by the end of the day I had also gotten down the word for pilgrim! Score! After school I had my French course and I spent the time in between school and the class talking to my friends from home on the phone for my Thanksgiving "present". Which was nice :) I got home around 8:30 and I went into the dining room and realized that my family had made me a special, Thanksgiving dinner. I was sooo happy! Right when I was realizing this out it started snowing! The first snow of the season!! It was such perfect timing - just like the movies! (I love love love snow!) It was a good dinner complete with all the American traditions and I was very thankful that my family thought about me and went out of their way to do something special. After dinner, I skyped my grandparents who were staying at my house in KC. It was cute to skype them and say a little hello. They didn't quite understand that they could talk to me for more than 2 minutes, but it was still good! I'm glad I got to "see" them and my parents on Thanksgiving.
Friday I was still really happy and was so smiley from the night before. It snowed that morning, so I was even more happy! Everyone at school was like, "Do you not have snow in Missouri or something?". It was funny because everyone kinda hates the cold weather here so nobody really gets why I like it... but that doesn't stop me:) After school, I hung out with some friends in town and then came home for dinner with my family. When dinner was finished, I went to this party that 'Scouts' was having for Christmas in my neighborhood. Scouts - pronounced Scoots - here are kind of a big deal and cool if you are involved in it while you are in high school and is pretty much like Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts but combined. A lot of my friends from school do Scouts so it was fun to hang out with them and try my first hot wine! I didn't really like it but I HAD to taste it ;)
Saturday was sooooo much fun. I met Mollie (from Kansas) at the trainstation around 2:30 and my parents drove us out to Margaret's farm. Yes, FARM. WITH 60 COWS. Not only was I beyond happy to be spending time with my new besties but I also got to be on a farm. Sadly, I must report that I didn't meet a single cow or see one. We didn't have any time! We didn't have any time because Margaret's family was throwin
g a huge, Thanksgiving dinner party for 25 people. And we (as in Margaret, Jordan, and Mollie) were in charge of making pretty much everything for the dinner. Quick pause to explain who Jordan is - Jordan is a friend of Marge's from St. Louis who is doing a Rotary Exchange in Germany and wanted to spend a few days in Belgium. I don't think I spent more than 10 minutes with this girl before all 4 of us were like best friends. I think this is an exchange student thing - we all have each others backs and even though we hardly know each other we already have so many things in common with one another for even doing an exchange for a year - so we all just clicked. It is an unspeakable bond that you just have with another exchange student and you just get each other. I like that. But so back to the dinner party! "We" made a huge dinner and only had one turkey for everyo
ne - but it turned out to be just the right amount. Everyone was so nice to us and I was so happy to be around my good friends and such a loving Belgian family. Before dinner, everybody gathered in the kitchen and listened to Marge (in perfect french - jealouss) explain Thanksgiving and we all went around and said what we were thankful for - in whatever language worked best. It was like the scene from one of my favorite book's Eat, Pray, Love. I think I may have teared up a bit... ok...I did. It is the things like this why I love Belgium so much. The dinner was amazing and everybody loved it - especially the gravy (totally stirred this and added the flour!). After dinner, we all played Pictionary and it was soooo funny! There were also 2 Rotary Exchange students from Taiwon at the party and so with every drawing that was revealed we would translate the word from French into English, German, and Chinese. Such a cultural bonding experience :) I drew a cow (une vache, eine Kuh, 一牛) . Surprised? Pictionary finished around 1 AM and then all four of us slept in Marge's room and just talked... it was nice to just talk and find out more little things about each other.Sunday was just as good! We got up around 9:30 to drive to Vise for a Rotary Event called "Exotic Dinner". This is where you get in a group with other exchange students from your country and make a traditional dish (conveniently this event is during the week of Thanksgiving so the Americans don't have to think too hard) and then everybody brings it to this huge gym area. Our parents came and we got to enjoy every country's special food! It was really easy for Mollie, Marge, and I because we just brought leftovers from our dinner the night before (cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes). I have to admit that I was a bit embarrassed to be from USA with the disgusting amount of peanut-butter sandwiches that too many people made. Most of the Belgians hate peanut butter, so that was just too many sandwiches gone to waste. It was fun to taste all the different cultures and I also got to see people I hadn't seen since the last big Rotary event. I was all smiles once again. My second host family (the Brans Family) came along with my current host family and I was so surprised to see them! I thought maybe Marta had told me they were coming but I forgot but no! it was supposed to be a surprise - and I was happy to spend time with them :) I hadn't seen them since we went to FantasiaLand in the beginning of September! We finally have figured out a moving time for me... and it looks like I will be spending Christmas with the Bran's family and then actually moving moving after Christmas but before the New Years. I am excited ... not to be leaving my family I am with now but because it will be another new experience. It will be weird living with two teenage boys but I think it will be really fun at the same time. Every day at school, Benoit asks me when I will be coming to stay with him and today we actually both knew the answer!
The first week of January, I'm going on a school trip to the French Alps and skiing with all my new friends - I'm really really excitedddd! And the New Year should be a blast also! I have so many things I'm looking forward to now :) but I'm still enjoying now too! Promise :)
Today was alright - typical Monday. Wore a dress, but it didn't really help today. It is hard getting up and getting in a good mood when it is dark outside and pretty much dark when you come home from school at 4. So... ya. But today it snowed and I think it started just about when I got off the bus and embarked on my 15 minute walk home from school- in a dress. Even though I think I was numb all over ... it was so pretty! Snow Snow Snow :) Everyone else can hate it while I love it. Fine with me.
Wednesday I'm going to Aachen (which
I just found out is Aix-la-Chapelle in French, not a different town) with Rotary to enjoy the Marche de Noel - the Christmas Market. Liege has a Christmas market too... I think every major city in Europe has one. They just have little shops with Christmasy things, hot wine, and possibly a skating rink or something like that. I'm excited to go to Germany! The last time I was in Germany it was warm and I was riding roller coasters with The Bran's Family... that seems like yesterday.Oh! And Margaret's family let me take some fresh, cow milk home with me (mind you in an empty plastic coke bottle - classy) and I have been enjoying that! Even though I think it creeps out my family a bit. I love milk :) Andddd Sion (my high school in KC) sent me a little goody box in the mail for my exams - which this year will be an epic fail - and an invitation to a reunion at the school in January - that was nice but none of the things really applied to me in the box beside the food they sent. Story of my life. It was still a nice thought and I actually impressed Sion sent me something! I appreciated it and kind of made me wish I could go to the reunion for just a few hours and then come back to my life here. But nope. Won't be home until mid July and I could not be happier :)
I had a great weekend and hope this week I can keep the good vibes going :)
All for now!
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