- Made a friend
- Spent the night in my second host families house (foreign to me)
- Explored the Plaza in Liege with another exchange student (no host families)
- Rode a bus with Chelsea (no host families)
- Tried tons of food (and found a Pizza Hut)
- Went to Walibi (the Belgian version of Six Flags)
- Went to a aqua park
- Taught my second host dad how to Two-Step
Chelsea came to the Delia's on Friday (my first host family, her second) and we talked for hours, explored a little bit of Liege, ate the best dinner yet (almost like chicken strips... aka home), and played a card game. After we finished the card game, I got my stuff and went to the VanderVeldes (my second host family, her first) to spend the night... Do you notice the switch in our families?
As you know, I've had a little bit of homesickness... of course, for my friends and family, but especially for physical touch and comfort. You never realize how important a hug, or a pat on the back is until you don't get it everyday. Belgians do this thing called "bisous" which is a kiss on the cheak, typically the right but it varies sometimes, and you do it with everybody. I've actually found that I like bisous better than a handshake because it's more personal, but it does not replace a hug. Since they do bisous and not hugs, my heart aches for a hug constantly.
The first thing Chelsea and I did after officially meeting in person was hug. Side note: In life of an exchange student, you have to become good friends with people you've never met. Partially because you have to, and partially because it's exhilirating and awesome. That fact is such a God thing right now....
At the beginning of the summer, I realized that it's not the place that makes it "home," but the people. Home is where the heart is, and the heart is with those we love. By the end of the summer, I had learned a whole new side of that. And now, I've learned even more. Those we surround ourselves with make more of an impact than we realize... a friend that you walk with everyday from class to class, a friend you call for lunch, a friend to watch the sunset with, a friend to drive around town with you when you're craving a certain type of chocolate and no place has it, a friend to drive an hour away for ice cream just because, a friend to spend the night with 9 nights in a row, a friend to bring you coffee at the airport, a friend to hug you and tell you they love you, a friend to encourage you when you're discouraged. Those are the things that I consider "home." And being away from that, from the comfort, the encouragement, the memories, is hard. But what has made the past three days so amazing, was making memories. Yes, I just met this girl. Yes, we've had 36 hours of face to face conversation - total. Yes, that's not typical. But it makes Belgium a little more "home" and a little less "foreign" and that makes all the difference in the world.
A hug. A conversation. A smile. A movie refrence. It's the little things, y'all. It's my host mom making fun of the way I draw out my "A" when I say, "y'all," and the way my host brother sings along to the TV, and the way my host dad quizes me on kitchen utensils. Little things like that make Belgium a little more homie and a little less foreign.
Chelsea and I went on an exploration... by ourselves! We rode the bus to the Plaza in Liege and explored for hours... we found a Pizza Hut, and of course we had to check it out cuz we both missed home (it's better at home). We tried Ice Cream, Waffles, Frozen Yogurt, and Tart de Fraise (strawberries). When we bought the Tart, they didn't have forks to eat it so we had to go on a hunt for one... we ended up at a resteraunt called Quick which is a fast food chain here. Once we had our fork, we ended up sitting under a tree in this neat little stone bench area. 10 minutes later, a performance group showed up. It was SO COOL! They were singing and dancing for a good 30 minutes... the passion they had blew me away and it made my heart so happy to see it. :) They all wore bright colors (not common in Belgium) with quirky patterns and add ons... one woman had toilet paper attached to her pants! Afterwards we went to H&M and I bought my first pair of black jeggings (because I don't like jeans and that's all they wear here).
Pascal picked us up and we went school supply shopping... as I mentioned in a previous blog, the baskets are different here.You put a Euro in when you're using it and it unlocks it from another basket, but when you return the basket and plug the lock in, it spits your Euro back out. While we were at the market I found La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast), so of course I had to get it cuz it's my favorite!
Sunday I went to an ammusement park in Belgium... Walibi. It was so much fun riding the roller coasters with my family and getting to see their silly side. However, I have to say that Texas roller coasters have more thrill to them. The ones here are good, but there's not much roll to their coaster. I got the chance to "command" (as Vincent said) the order during lunch, and luckily didn't mess up too bad! I'm working on my accent.... but I think the Delia's were impressed that I stepped out and ordered instead of standing by quietly and observing like normal. We also went to Aqualibi (a water park) and they have Rapido (rapids) but they were so rough. In Texas, you typically have to wait a certain amount of time before you can go on a ride like that, but here they send clumps of people through at a time... So it gets a little bit crazy. But overall, it was a fantastic day. :)
I'm finding it easier to live. Easier to love. And easier to laugh. I still find myself thinking of home and wondering what my family and friends are doing, but I'm also content here. I'm able to see myself here and I feel like just a little part of myself belongs here now. Things aren't as awkward with my family, we're getting more comfortable around each other, our personalities are coming out, and I have memories which means that I would miss this place if I was to leave now. Which is a good thing. I'm becoming more comfortable and bold with my French, and I'm willing to actually attempt talking. My french is bad, and my accent needs work, but I'm slowly, oh so slowly, getting the hang of it. I'm falling in love with Belgium... with the people... with the culture. Slowly but surely.
God is faithful. God is good. God is BOLD.
until next time - tout-a-l'heure
KP
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