Joy in the Little Things

The past two weeks have blown me away. I have begun to pick up on more conversations going on around me, ran in the rain, seen a different side of Belgium's beauty, danced in the rain, kayaked down a river, saw a castle, realized how proud I am to be an American, and fallen in love with everyone and everything.

The language is getting easier, but it is still a major struggle. I'm able to pick up on a lot more conversations and it catches my Belgian friends off guard when I comment on something that they thought I couldn't understand. It gives me hope when I see the shock on their face after they realize that I've understood something. :) My friends at school are incredible. I've never met people who are so patient and willing to help somebody who's basically illiterate. There are days where I'll be working on my packet of French and they'll sit down, watch me, and correct me when I mess up (which happens a lot). I'm beginning to understand the past, present, and future participles and I can even put it to use with a couple of words! It's frustrating to still not understand everything, but I'm realizing more and more that everything comes with time. Y'all know I'm not a patient person, but I've definitely learned how to be more patient with myself since I've been here. At first, I would get extremely frustrated with myself for not understanding something that my friends were asking me, but then I realized that getting frustrated with myself doesn't help me, it actually hurts me. I still miss a ton in school, and I don't realize little things like having homework or a test the next day, but I can't expect myself to be able to carry the same weight as the people who have been studying the language for 17+ years. That's not possible. So when somebody asks if I completed the homework or passed the test and I say, "no" and get a look of disapproval, I have to be gracious with myself because it's not possible. I physically and mentally can't carry the same weight as the students here. While I am trying my hardest to understand and learn with the students here, my main focus is learning the language and building relationships - not passing the history test. So regardless of what the people around me expect, all I can do is my best.

Rotary organizes trips once a month on Wednesdays (since we have half days on Wednesdays) and the last one was to a place called Blegny Mine. They split up by countries (so we could understand) but they split America up in two groups - one in French, and one in English. I went on the one in French and was ridiculously happy when I could understand what was being said. :)

We watched a documentary on 9/11 in school the other day and it amazed me how much it affected me and made me proud to be an American. I found myself near tears at certain points, angry at some points, and so ridiculously proud of the way we handled ourselves in that disaster. I found myself thinking about how they think they understand America, but they don't understand what it was like to remember that day and how every family sat in front of the TV all night and cried. Or to hear the staggering death tolls. Or what it is still like every year on social medias and with all the memorials. Even in a little town in Texas, it's still a big deal 13 years later... It made me so thankful for every fireman, police officer, doctor, nurse, civilian, and anybody else that helps protect and make our country what it is (especially you daddy). I've never been so proud to be an American.

Rotex are a group of rebound exchange students - meaning that they are natives who have gone on exchange in a different country and have come back and continued to stay involved in Rotary (I want to do this when I get back to Texas). Yesterday I was blessed with the opportunity to go kayaking with Rotex. We paddled 20km (the equivalent of 12 miles), danced in a green field, and saw a castle. The first half I was slightly agitated because I hadn't had sleep in 3+ days and was absolutely exhausted, but then My and I (a friend from Florida) got stuck on a rock it completely changed my view on what not only the day was about, but also what Rotary was about. By that time, My and I had become a good team and were able to maneuver around almost any obstical... that we could see.. :P Well, we didn't see one rock, and once we were on it there was no getting off of it! One of the Rotex and exchange student passed us, laughed, and turned around to help us. I was completely helpless with getting us off because I'd hit the delirium stage of exhaustion where all you can do is laugh. It was one of those moments where you had two choices - 1. get really mad. or 2. laugh and enjoy the (literal) bump in the road. I chose the second. After I'd almost fallen in the water from laughing so hard, I found myself enjoying everything so much more! I saw the leaves changing colors, heard the birds singing, and felt the joy from the water splashing on me. Everything completely changed, and I loved it. Being able to see some friends that I don't normally get to see was so refreshing, and it made me realize just how much I love and adore these people from every corner of the world.

As I find myself more comfortable here, falling in love with it, and understanding more, I also find myself missing little things like the trucks, the sweet tea, and the dirt road, but the thing I miss most are the people. And while I love this place and the people here, my heart is dividing more everyday and I find myself calling two places "home." That gives me hope. There is something so much bigger for this year, and I'm just barely beginning to understand it. I've experienced the division in my heart with Mexico, and that was just for two weeks, so I can only imagine how hard it will be to leave. I'm falling in love with this place and everyday I learn more about myself than I've ever known before. If somebody asked me who I thought I'd be after one month on exchange, this is not what I would have said. But the longer that I'm here, the more I learn that life is unexpected and things happen in time. I love that I've grown to adore this place more than I ever could've imagined and I can't wait to see what happens in the next month. :)

Blegny Mine

My favorite Pita restaurant!

The view on one of my runs

Waffles and friends :)

The river



Dancing in the rain :)



School!

The castle on our adventure

School with Chloe and Valentine :)

Dancing in front of the train station after kayaking

The church in the town we kayaked to

First Month Reflections

I have officially survived my first week of school in a foreign country!! I wish there were words to explain everything that happened, but it's not possible. This post will be short n' sweet. :)

I'm so unbelievably thankful for this opportunity. As I sit here, in this moment, and reflect everything that's happened to me over the past month, I'm amazed at what God has sent me through. It makes me so aware of how... little I can do without His help. Going to school, even in Texas, is a struggle for me. And a lot of times, I can't understand things there, much less in a foreign language. But as I walked through this week in Belgium, I made new friends that I love and adore, realized that I actually knew more about science than I thought I did, lost my ability to type without having to correct myself a million times, and fell in love with this breathtaking country. When I say I can't type in English anymore, I'm not kidding! Just writing one sentence takes a good three minutes with countless journeys to the Back Space button. That makes my heart happy. :)

Today is my one month mark and I'm realizing how much I've grown. My reliance on Christ has gone to new depths, my love for Him has reached new heights, and my thankfulness has seen a new light of His presence. The fact that He would take me on this journey just to show me how vast His love is, BLOWS MY MIND. Every day breaks my comfort zone - and He walks with me the whole way! How awesome is it that I serve a God who walks with me every single step? I am in awe.

This country, this language, these people, this hope - it's a blessing. And for every step of my journey here, I long to be His hands and feet. Every up and every down are worth it when I get to see His face more clearly and His heart in a new light because of it. Thank you to everyone who made this possible, who has supported me with encouragement and prayer, and who has walked with me every step of the way. God is faithful, my friends. And He is shaking this world every day.

Until next time, bisous!
KP

Reliance = Joy

Yesterday was my first official day of school and let's just say... It didn't go well. 

I set my alarm for 6:00 and woke up at 7:35 to my host brother knocking on my door to ask what I wanted for breakfast... I jumped out of bed and threw clothes on faster than I've ever done before and walked out the door as I chugged my coffee. Needless to say, that's not the best way to start your first day of school in a foreign country. We pulled up to the school and booked it only to wait around with friends that I still didn't know. 

Français was my first class and my teacher talked about what books we'd be reading and talk quickly with slurred words. I understood a little, but not much. 

My second class was Biology and my teacher was awesome. I could understand most of what she was saying and was able to identify words like "chromosomes" which made me really relieved. 

Then came Religion class... I'm the only Protestant at my school so I could choose to take a Protestant class but it would just be me and the professor and I'm not sure how I feel about that... So I went with Vincent and Fiona to the Catholic class and the teacher just about scared the bajesus out of me. He talked so fast and didn't enunciate his words at all which made it impossible to understand him. Then he would ask me questions and get annoyed at how I couldn't understand immediately after so he'd ask in broken English with a raised voice, "where es u from!?" And I would answer in a quiet voice, "Texas..." I left that class stressed and hung out to dry. 

Then came Geography. My professor asked where I was from so I told her and she made the stink on a bug face and said "oh Texas accent is terrible" and immediately stopped talking to me. She then continued to talk about me to he people next to me and when I laughed at something she said she looked shocked that I could understand what she was saying. No I don't understand much, but give me a few key words and I can get the jist.  

Math came next... My friends asked me if I understood the equation on the board and I did a little, but not fully. So that caused some problems. I'm not sure if the words were just different and I really do understand, or if I just haven't learned them yet. Later that night my host mom asked if I wanted to switch to a lower math class but to do so I would have to get out of all the classes I'm in now and start over on making friends so I opted out of that. 

My last class of the day was Physics. I don't know how to write in French yet so I always look at my friends paper next to me and see what they've written. So when the professor looked at me and asked why I was "copying" my friends explained that I was an exchange student and he just let me do my thing. After class he came up and asked if I had "déjà-vu" which is a way of asking if I'd already done the class or not. I told him I hasn't and explained that before Monterey I was homeschooled and science classes were difficult. He was very nice and told me that I was welcome to come in any time I needed help. 

When we got in the car to go home, my body went limp. I was exhausted and frustrated with myself. I thought I was doing better with my French, but every time I think that I get proved wrong. When we finally got home I told them I was going to take a nap and collapsed on my bed. Then the tears came. And the fear. And the "why did you choose me." And the "I can't do this."  And in that broken moment, I sobbed about how much I needed Christ to take me over and show me more of His heart, and He wrapped me in His arms and carried me. After spending an hour and a half in my room (the first time I've locked myself in my room), I was able to pull myself together and go down stairs with a little bit of hope. 

Later that night I went to a dance class. I've never realized just how much I love dancing until that night. Dance is a universal language and "5, 6, 7, 8" is so comforting to hear. I was able to get in it and let go of the stress from the day and by the time I got home, I was happy and laughing again. 

After dinner I talked to my host family and we played Skip-Bo. It's awesome to see the difference from the first week when I would just sit in silence and watch them make fun of each other, to this week where I was able to do the same in my broken Franglish. My host mom taught me some words in Italian (because my host families Italian so they know Italian) and it was one of my favorite memories so far. :)

Today at school I made a bunch of new friends, which I'm very thankful for, and overall it was a fantastic day. :)  

My first class was English. My teacher is fantastic and so sweet. Just being around her and listening to her talk is so encouraging! She's one of those people that is so confident in who they are that they give you confidence when you're around them. It was extremely helpful to be able to understand but also slightly different since they teach British English, not American English. 

After English I went back to Relgion. My professor asked what we believe in and what we don't believe in and a lot of people said they believed in the scientific method. Obviously I said I believe in Jesus and it got a little awkward but c'est pas grave. I can handle awkward. Then when we got to what we don't believe, a lot of people said the resurrection. They said, "c'est impossible." And went on to say how there's no way that could ever be practical. The professor had pulled out a catholic bible at one point so when he got to me I asked if I could see it and I turned to Philippians 4:13. It was different so I said, "c'est différent. I believe that the bible is true, and Philippians 4:13 says that nothing is impossible with God, so I believe that." It got so tense. He kept asking me to expand and I was thinking "I can't I have limited vocab dude!" But I did my best and we left the class with me saying that. Next week I'm switching to "Moral" which is where all the atheists are so I won't have to see that professor again. But I hope that one word of what I said today sunk in with just one person in that class. The first guy that said he didn't believe in the resurrection was one of my first friends outside of Vincent's normal friends. I really like him and we had a good conversation after school yesterday and he was extremely helpful cuz I was fried yesterday. How ironic.

Then came Italian. I'm in the language school which means that I'm taking a bunch of language classes (obviously) and I jumped into the second year of Italian. So I missed all the basics, but it sounds like we hear in movies which is very helpful!

Last was Gym class which actually ended up being really good! I was able to show them the little bit I know about volleyball, run faster than the people around me, and teach them some Texan dances. I was able to talk to them and build relationships with people that I was too afraid to yesterday. 

I'm so thankful that I have this opportunity to be in such an amazing place and put my faith to the test. It hasn't been easy, and it won't get any easier, but it's so worth it and I'm loving every second of this incredible journey. :) 

Continued prayers for the language barrier and peace would be greatly appreciated. And for everyone reading this, you are in my prayers. Go be bold, friends. 

Until next time - à tout-à-l'heure

KP

Night Terrors and Scouts

Chelsea and I got the opportunity to go on a retreat type thing this weekend with some "natives." We played lots of games, attempted to talk in French, got woken up at 4am to go to "war" and become motivated. 

When we first arrived the Chefs (chiefs) were very welcoming and patient with our Franglish. After being there for about an hour, the took our phones. Chelsea and I both got hit with the, "good gravy we're in a different country and can't talk to anybody we know.." homesickness. There were people there that acted like my two bestfriends in Texas and that emphasized the "we're in different countries" thing. They kept us awake until 1am, which is very difficult for Exchange Students because we're having to work twice as hard as everyone around us to understand what's going on, and after having our first day of school, it made it even harder.

Saturday we played lots of games which was helpful for my vocabulary because I was able to learn certain words or identify words that were similar to English words. Then we had mashed potatoes for dinner and Chelsea and I both just almost had a heart attack because we both adore mashed potatoes! Its the little things, right? :) We played Scrabble which was extremely helpful for my French and helped identify things I wouldn't have even asked about if they hadn't put it down... then we went to bed around 1 again....

4am: Alarms going off - screaming in an unknown language - no coffee - mass chaos - no understanding - can't speak - people running around - WWI bombs going off - CHAOS. 

That is what we woke up to. How is that even a possibility? Je ne comprends pas (I don't understand). I wish I could explain the panic and anger I felt, but there are no words. There's no frustration like not being able to understand what somebody is screaming at you, or why you've been woken up from a deep sleep and good dream. There are no words. At first it was simply confusion and fear... then it turned into anger. They made us do 25 pushups and told us we were on a hunt for a certain spot. We walked for an hour and thirty-five minutes... and our leaders were mad because it was only supposed to take 20 minutes. Once we arrived at "the spot" (a place in the woods) we got a lecture in unknown words and for unknown reasons. A group of 10 students had just walked an hour and a half to get a lecture about how long we'd taken. Really? I kept thinking, "I'm glad I can't understand. This is pissing me off. These people are crazy. I want to go home. Why did I come on this retreat? Why am I here?" and it got so difficult to be there. But I made it difficult on myself, nobody else did that. That was the most, "I want to go home and be comfortable" moment that I've had since I've arrived in Belgium. But it was also the most motivational moments I've had since I've arrived. We lined up and they explained what the upcoming game was supposed to be like, but of course I couldn't understand anything so I just waited until I could follow somebody else. My team went up the mountain to a spot and we played a creepy game of hide and seek. The goal was to make it to the middle without our Chiefs figuring out who we are. To do so, we were supposed to hide behind trees and run. The first time I didn't catch on, the second time I started to understand, the third time I acted, and the fourth time I played. The more I played, the funner it got. This game involved no words, just stealth. I may not be the fastest person on the planet or be able to understand a different language, but I'm very good at watching other peoples mistakes and learning from them. As people would run and get caught, I found a pattern. It made running and getting to the middle so much easier. Had we played longer, I think I could've gotten a lot more questions (the goal was to get questions) but since it took me so long to catch on, I didn't get that many. The first time I made it across that line my Chef exclaimed, "is that Kate!?!" Talk about a rewarding feeling. :)

Something that had started out in frustration and exhaustion had turned into a fun memory that would last a lifetime. How many people can say they've played hide and seek in a European forest at 5am? Nobody that I know....

I found myself more reliant on Christ the more frustrated I got with myself for not being able to speak. When you can't talk to the people around you, all you can do is talk to yourself or pray. That was difficult but I'm so thankful that I was able to go and experience something like that. 

Here's a picture of me and Chelsea before we left the VanderVeldes. :)

Until next time

KP

Le Premier Jours D'école

Today was my first day of school... needless to say I was nervous. However, I was blown away at how faithful God was today. Vincent and I had to take the bus today... school started at 10:30, but we left at 9:00. We got off the bus and walked to Franca's Saloon, which was helpful for me to see Franca before we went. As we walked up the slope to the school, I kept thinking about the word Courageous. It is beyond nerve wracking to go to a school where you can't speak the language, with very few people that you actually know (aka 3). But as I was walking, I kept thinking about being courageous... and then I started praying, "Lord, make me courageous," and next thing I know He's whispering, "you are courageous." That reassurance and whisper was what I needed to keep my feet moving as my heart pounded faster and faster and it drowned out everything in my brain.

When we arrived, we checked the schedule and I was in the same class as the three people I knew, which was very reassuring. Vincent introduced me to some girls and they did the whole, "ohhh you're an American!?!?" with shocked looks on their face. That's always fun to try and explain that you're from Texas and you don't have guns with you.... I love stereotypes :P When we got to the class, I lost all understanding. The teacher and people all talked ridiculously fast and I completely gave up on trying to understand. My brain got overloaded and it just stopped working. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to concentrate and understand, I couldn't. But that didn't bother me because when I hit the point of exploding, I started praying.

My patience was tested today because I get so frustrated with myself when I can't pick something up. God is definitely working in me on that right now, though. There's not very much I can do for it at this point, but God is so much bigger. When Vincent and I were on the bus home, there were people packed in around us and it was literally impossible to move... after not being able to understand anything that was going on around me for over five hours, it was very annoying to be crammed in between tons of people that I didn't know for at least half an hour. My patience was already limited because I was frustrated with myself and how limited my understanding was, so that pushed me a little farther than I was expecting.

As I get ready to go to a camp this weekend with Chelsea, I can't help but be thankful for how far I've been pushed up until this point. If I wasn't here, I would be going through the college system with people I didn't know, and I would have gone home for Labor day weekend and hugged my friends and family that I miss more than I thought was ever possible. But I am here, and I wouldn't have it any other way. And that's exactly why I'm more thankful for the little things that push me past my comfort zone and make me learn new things than I've been for the little things at home that I miss. Now that I'm here, I can't imagine my life any other way. Being able to take a day trip to Holland, go to Italy for a week, or meet people from all around the world is something that just blows my mind and fills my heart with so much happiness. God is so faithful, and He will give me the strength I need to get through every day of school, and the courage to speak boldly about His name. Love knows no borders. His truth knows no boundaries. He is love, courage, hope, joy, truth, faith, redeemer, healer, King of Kings, and I will do everything I can to glorify Him... even if I can't speak the language around me.

Until next time -à tout-à-l'heure
KP

Carre, Busses, Church, Holland, and Rotary!

The past two days have been full of blessings and laughter...
 
Chelsea and I attempted to go to the Carre around 1... but we ended up there at 2 because we got lost. I love getting lost. The memories that come from it are priceless. :) After missing a bus, we almost opted to call our host dad, but decided against it in the end. We went back the The Carre this week and it was so much better because we had friends that we started building relationships with. While I still don't agree with a lot of the decisions that go on there, I found myself loving the people in spite of it. I can honestly say that I love each of the exchange students that I have met, and I'm excited to see the relationships that are built and how God moves because of it.
 
I was able to go to l'eglise (church) with my new friends and felt just as welcome this time as I did on Sunday. Words can't express how thankful I am to be able to sing praises at the top of my lungues with people that strengthen me constantly. I'm beginning to learn French worship songs which makes me so excited and I'm caching onto the rhythm of things there.
 
Today, I went to Holland. It blows my mind that you can literally drive 20 minutes from my town and you're in a completely different country. How is that even a thing!? SO COOL!! Holland is absolutely stunning. The building are gorgeous and people ride bikes everywhere. The people that I mean (that doesn't mean they aren't) weren't as nice as they are in Belgium or Texas, which is perfectly fine, just different.

I had a rotary meeting tonight and since school starts tomorrow, I took a shower to make sure I was clean after the Holland voyage, and my amazing host mom (who's a hair stylist) dried my hair for me. I'm seriously so thankful for the little things like that... How'd I get so lucky? We were able to talk while she did my hair (mostly through expressions and miming) and laugh about things that I hadn't understood before. I'm in awe of the fact that I find so much joy in just laughing with her and the rest of my host family. It's little things like that realization that make me understand just how much I enjoy Belgium and how I'm falling more in love with it every single day. It gives me hope. God is so good.

I'm having one of the biggest battles in my mind right now. Like I know all this truth that the bible says, but good gravy I'm so overwhelmed with "I cants" and even though they aren't true and I know they aren't true, they are still overwhelming. But my God is victorious, and psalm 139 declares that He goes before me and follows me, so I will believe that He is already in that moment of fear and doubt. And in this moment of "holy guacamole I'm going to high school in a foreign country what was I thinking run fast" and every other moment between now and the rest of my life. And He is taking me to dance the greatest dance and love radically more than I could've ever thought or imagined. Because that is the God I serve and He is faithful. He is bold. He is victorious. So I will not fear, I will not doubt, and I will not loose hope. Because my God is bigger, and He has called me to something far bigger than I could ever ask or imagine.

Since my first day of school is tomorrow, I'm gonna post some pictures and stories and go to bed... Peace n' blessins fam :)
KP

Statues in the Square

Being touristy

We ordered two dishes and split them... cuz how often do you get to go to Holland!?

One of the church's has a library in it!

The river (my favorite)

With my awesome Austrailian friend :)

One of the cute little streets :)



A school bus turned into a tour bus

This man reminded me of Opaline and her love for street performers... I stopped just for you, OP. :)