WHITE CHRISTMASSSS

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Joyeux Noel!

This Christmas was very very very white... it snowed maybe too much! I am amazed here at how much snow can come from the sky. It is kind of ridiculous. We were snowed in on Christmas Eve... I have never been snowed in in my entire life.
It didn't feel like Christmas though. Even with all the family gatherings, snow, decorations, Christmas tree... It just didn't. I am not saying that I didn't have a fabulous time... but it just didn't feel like Christmas. I guess Christmas never really feels the same without your family... I think that was it. I wasn't sad at all - which is a good thing! It just doesn't feel like it happened. And that January is in a few days?? Where the heck did all my time gooooo?? I will have been here for half my time in January... that is just freakish. I still feel like it is October... but then again I feel like I have been here for so long in that I have really grown up since I've been here. It is hard to explain... when I talk to my exchange student friends it is the same feelings.

Okay. It has been awhile since we last chatted so I have a lot to fill you in on!! So much has happened!! I have brothers!

The 21st was the last day with my family... it consisted of me packing my life away into 2 suitcases. That was a failure... so it became plus 5 little bags and my 2 huge suitcases (I packed for a year in). It was absolutely ridiculous the amount of things I have accumulated over the past 4 months. I have bought so many things.... ughhhh. I think I'm going to have to send all my winter things home in the spring just to make it into 2 suitcases for when I leave for real. So after probably the most dysfunctional packing experience I have ever had... my family had this little March de Noel in Liege thing planned. They have it every year for Larry's work where they rent out the skating rink and give all the employees and their families money to go get what they want to eat or drink. It was really fun! I got to meet all the people Larry talks about and finally got to go ice skating!! I went with Marta... and I am actually better than I remembered being :) It was fun to just skate around in circles and be like a little girl (for 20 minutes). That night was fun and a nice ending to a good 4 months at the Gaier's house.
The 22nd I was all set to move... but I didn't actually move until the night. So I just ran errands with Marta all day. And I finally went to a class for Lisa's speech (Logoped?) that I have put off for some reason every Wednesday. Since Lisa can't speak very well... it is a place for her to practice through games and exercises. It was really interesting and I wish I would have gone earlier... it helped me with my french a little bit, I think. Then at night the Gaier Family and I (and my gathering of bags) went over to the Brans for dinner. It was really nice and a smooth transition of families ... :) I was really happy and smiley the whole dinner. It was nice they organized the little dinner for me...
The 23rd I unpacked my life and into my new room. My room here is very different... it is kind of like a dorm room... for one person. And oddly - I like it a lot. It is very simple and cozy and it feels like mine. I don't have very much storage space but that is okay... it hasn't become that much of an issue since... let's be honest... I am not the most organized person even with storage space. My (new) parents, Isabelle and Alain, were at work all day the 23rd so I bonded with my new brothers all day - as in we both respectfully spent a good amount of the day on our own computers. It was great. I did a little bit of wii ... alone. I convinced Benoit (17) to build a snowman with me since it was snowing so much and he finally agreed - but the snowman turned into a snow ball fight. It was funny and exhausting. My other brother, Francois (18), is at the University and his exams are in January instead of before Christmas - like everyone in high school - so he spent a lot of his day studying... or attempting to study. I don't think it is weird to have brothers... it is fun. I have been laughing a lot more here and I think my French is getting better. They are my friends... that I live with. I don't know if that is what is like to have brothers but they aren't too annoying yet :) Just another experience!
The 24th was very snowy! Benoit and I had to go school (yes - something about going to school on Christmas Eve is sick) to get our grades from our exams. He did very well! And ... me... not so much. Here, it is all out of 40 and if you get in the 30's you are a genius and in the 20's is just okay... but if you get below a 20 you get an "echec" - which is bad. I only got one! I was happy! I did pretty decent. Benoit did better than me in English and I did better than him in French. It was funny. That night we were supposed to go to Isa's family for a Christmas Eve celebration - but we were snowed in and just celebrated at home. It was nice :) We exchanged gifts and it was so nice and simple... I got 2 cartoon Tin Tin books (cartoons are kind of famous in Belgium and Tin Tin is a famous Belge cartoon) to practice my French with! I was so happy :) I gave my presents from KC to my family. My new dad got a Chiefs jersey, brother got t-shirts (which they actually wear), and my new mom got a cute, blue royals sweatshirt. They seemed to like them... and everything fit well! I was just really happy even if we were snowed in. Then at night we just chilled and watched the Blestier Awards - which is like the bloopers over the past year and it was really funny. I followed along pretty well... !
On Christmas Day we went over around noon to Alain's family's house for a lunch/dinner. There were a lot of people and it was hard at first to follow along but I did my best :) Sometimes I get really overwhelmed when a lot of people are speaking French at the same time... but I think I am getting better at just going with it and trying my best. It was a really nice dinner and the family was so nice to the random girl from America. I even got a little present. It was a magnet and said something in French about picking a flower everyday for happiness. It was cute. Then we exchanged gifts and chatted a bit. You really only get small gifts for Christmas here. The big gifts are at St. Nick's. A really traditional thing here is to have for desert this like log looking ice cream cake. It is delicious :) It was nice to be with a new family and yet still feel part of the family. After we left and went home... didn't have dinner since we were all stuffed like pigs! Especially me! We watched this comedian that they love. He is a Belge and does skits with hidden cameras. He is just this nasty guy who just messes with people - it is hilarious. I was laughing the entire time and I know what I'm asking for for my birthday present :) That is a good thing right? When you can follow a comedian in French? At least it is a step... !
The next day (26th) we went to Isa's family for a little gathering. All the cousins were young so it was cute... with Alain's family they were older than us. So it was fun to speak baby french with the little 3 year old :) The family was so nice! They got me a very nice scarf from H&M... I love it! The lunch/dinner was where you cook your own meet and melt your own cheese on this little grill on the table... it is awesome. I love dinners like these. I was so happy. The family was really cool and we looked up my house on google earth - which I have never done before! It was cool to see my house (and my car that was sold the weekend after I left - I miss my car!) and then they showed me their house and the other family member's houses. It was a good family moment and I felt like the family... and it has really only been a few days since I moved in. Then after we left and went home and just chilled and did our own thing.
In between these few days I was able to skype my grandparents on my mom's side. Big Deal! It was cute to skype them and they got to meet Isabelle and Francois :) It made me smile. I was glad I got to see my family :) It felt a little more like Christmas...

The 27th I kind of needed to get out the house and speak English so I went over to Margaret's house for the night. We made snowmen, talked to the cows, and just chilled. It was fun and we watched a hilarious movie (Date Night?). In the morning we went for a run... which I don't even remember the last time I went on a run since this snow is ridiculous... so that was a fail for me but I was nice to get out.That day my family was going to Maastrict for the discounts and it just so happened that Margaret could come so we all went to Maastrict for a little day trip. In January, all the big name stores have huge discounts after the holidays and Maastrict is a huge shopping town soo I think everyone and their mom went to the "solde". I bought shoes for my new year's party and a sweater that was 100 euros but was on sale for 50. I had to buy it :) It was a fun bonding moment and it was fun to have Margaret with us! After this it was kind of just like, "Oh, by the way Marge, you're spending the night." So my parents went to a party and Benoit went to another one. Francois stayed home but he had his girlfriend over and so Marge and I were the awkward younger sisters with that situation. We made no-bake cookies ... but instead of oatmeal we used frosted flakes... which turned out to be the biggest fail. Nobody ate them and they were just kind of weird tasting... have to admit. Everybody blamed it on me since I'm the horrible cook... which I just laughed about. Oh well... our next cooking adventure will be better! I actually helped Isabelle tonight with dinner... and she let me actually cook it cook it... like not just stir things! I was happy I helped and it was a little bonding moment for us :) I'm learning slowly here! I'm coming back a whole new woman... let me tell you that!
Then today Marge and I slept in... really late since we stayed up talking to people on skype and watching a movie. We were supposed to go into town ... but that was a fail and we just chilled at home until like 3 trying to figure out things for our upcoming trip to Paris :) Which it looks like I won't be able to go... but I'm trying to figure it outtt!

I think I have filled you all in very well :) I won't be able to update for awhile since I am spending a week in France skiing with my school and hopefully, from the 8th until the 9th, I will be spending this time with exchange students in Paris... cross your fingers!
All is well and I don't think I have laughed so much or smiled so much. When I went to school to pick up my report card my friend came up to me and was like, "You look like a different person! You are so happy!" I just smiled away. I am happy. And I am a different person. :)

All for nowwww. Miss you all and happy holidays! Hope Santa was good to everyone this year :)

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