It is hard to keep track of everything that has happened since the last time I wrote. In that time, I took a trip to Croatia, changed host families, and visited Normandy as well as a bunch of places amazing in Belgium.
My host family situation is a bit unique-
My second host mom is my first host dad's ex wife. As their son is in
the USA right now, they both took it upon each of their separate
families to host me. Although at first I was a bit apprehensive to
change host families, especially as I had really begun to feel at home
with my first one, the transition has gone very smoothly. I definitely
feel like a part of my new family, who I have been with now for almost
three weeks. And because of the interesting relationship between my two
host families, my first host dad still picks me up for school every
morning, and I see he and his family fairly often.
My
new host mom is a dentist, and her office is separated from the rest of
the house by a door in the kitchen. I have only accidentally set off
the alarm system, which was very intimidating at first, once! One thing
that has struck me about Belgium is how many small businesses still
exist. Rather than go to a giant supermarket for grocery shopping, my
host mom visits the boulangerie for bread, the local farmer's market for
vegetables and fish, the butcher for meat, etc. And while in the USA I
have never heard of a private dentist's office run out of someone's
home, here that is normal. I think that it is great and means that
consumer money gets spread around to more places, rather than going all
to one giant industry. Also, I love going to the boulangerie and seeing
amazing pastry creations that would never exist in the US, like le merveilleux, my host mom's preferred dessert.
My
host mom's boyfriend is from Morocco, and both he and my host mom are
practicing muslims. It has been interesting for me to learn about the
muslim religion, which is very centered on peace and respect for others.
Also I have gotten to eat amazing moroccan cuisine and learn the
complicated technique for making traditional Moroccan tea! One thing I
love about Belgium is that although prior to coming here I would not
have imagined it to be a diverse country, a large part of the population
have immigrated here from other parts of the world, bringing with them
new cultural influences which I think draw Belgium apart from it's
neighboring countries like France and Germany.
While school
can be frustrating at times (sometimes I feel that my fellow classmates
are trying their very hardest to live up to high school stereotypes), I
am now definitely fitting comfortably into Belgian life and I feel fully
settled down here. Belgium is my home now.
I love taking the train somewhere for a day trip on the weekend with other exchange students- this past friday
we went to Brussels to see the hunger games in english! It was very
exciting to see a movie without dubbed over french that doesn't match up
with the mouths of the actors and actresses. I also love traveling with
my host family. This saturday
I visited Bruges for the first time with my host mom. The city was
already decorated for Christmas, with lights everywhere and an ice
skating rink set up in the middle of the city center. We ate warm
waffles with nutella and tartiflette, which is an amazing french dish
made of potatoes and cheese. Food has become a very important part of my
life since being here! If there is good food available, I am happy no
matter what.
Recently in Belgium there have
been country wide strikes due to the newly elected government taking
office. The new government is cutting down on the pension fund, salaries
for professors, and unemployment aid. This has caused a lot of outcry.
When there is a strike, the buses and trains shut down for the day and
almost no body goes to school or leaves their homes, as the streets are
filled with protestors who make it difficult to get around. Belgian
politics are very complicated because it is almost like the country is
split up into two different ones- the french speaking side and the
Flemish speaking side, and they are always warring with each other. Even
traveling to a flemish speaking city, like Bruges, is a bit like
entering a new country. The differences between the Flemish and the
French are pronounced. As a result of all this, I don't understand a lot
about the specifics of the government here in Belgium.
Anyway,
to conclude, I am continuing to learn a lot! I am having an amazingly
great time, my french is progressing every day, and I cannot thank the
rotary enough for giving me this opportunity!!
