Thursday, November 4, 2010

Ecargot et plus! :)

Guess who ate me some snails tonight? thats right: ME!

aha! they were actually not as disgusting as i had imagined. with a TON of butter and some flavoring stuff, they are surprisingly delicious. but i swear, they are the ugliest things ive ever seen! and a little off-putting to first time eaters. well, and mussels too, but were not talking about that now. ahaha! just thought id share that with all you readers!

Also, this vacation, had 2 exchanger friends over for sleepovers, went to Walibi (the theme park here en La Belgique), ate snails for the first time, tomorrow is a day at the movies, and who knows what else! but sadly, my must appreciated vacation is almost over and school will start again.. boo. lol ;)

Talk soon all! A Bientot! :)

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Thank God for Toussaint! :)

Hey everybody!

sorry for the lack of posts lately, but not a whole lot of anything has happened worthy of writing about. aha. School, french lessons, homework, meeting with friends and the family.. :)

BUT, i do have a week long break coming up this week, for which i am so excited for! It's called Toussaint, which is also called All Saints Day. My friend Nicky (elle vien de Missouri et est en La Belgique aussi!) is coming for 2 days and were going to shop and eat and have a grand ol' time! aha. also going to Walibi, the amusement park here, for Halloween Monster Fest! Who knows what else. should be a fun break! especially the part about having no school: Thank God for Toussaint :)

on a sadder, more depressing note: we ate the last sugar cookie today..

.. my mom sent sugar cookie mix a few weeks ago (with icing, sprinkles, the works!) and now, they are happily digesting in our stomachs. aha. but no worries, i have Belgian chocolate, waffles, and frites to make me feel better! ;)

Talk to ya guys soon!
bisous!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Bienvenue ver la France!

Hey Everybody!

Funny story: last weekend my host dad took me to France! We saw all the amazing things France has to offer.. the countryside, Paris, and of course, what's a trip to France without seeing the Eiffel Tower?? :)

haha, had you going for a second, didnt i? At least about Paris and the Eiffel Tower. BUT, not about the being in France part. because i really was! lol! we drove pass the sign that said we were now entering France, and then we literally pulled over and turned around back into Belgium! Why? you might ask, weeeeell its because my host aunt lives about 10 minutes from the border, of course! aha! It was super exciting and disappointing all at the same time.. i just hope if i go back, ill get a little farther next time..

But now i can officially say ive been to France! i know, exciting, right? Well, it is for me! ;)

Just one of my fun adventures of my life here in Belgium,
Talk to ya guys soon!
Bisous!

Monday, October 4, 2010

YumYumYumMeowMeowMeow

Hey all!

You'll all be happy to know that on Saturday night, i ate my first ever bucket of Belgian Mussels! aha! with a side of Belgian frites, and washed down with an Belgian beer. Let's just say, i was so Belge that night it wasn't even funny! but, no, it was awesome, and after me and family danced and danced and danced until 3am! :)

And also on Sunday, my host mom and sister brought home a new baby kitten! He is adorable! and hopefully he'll like me a little better than Miffy. (the cat who they already had) :)

Just a small update! Talk to ya soon!
Bisous!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Cours De Francais :)

Hey Guys!

Started my french lessons a few weeks ago, which is a very good thing. aha. But, i desperately hope we get to French grammar soon because this whole kitchen utensil unit is really not helping me out in school! lol

But, the people in my class are really cool. its like the invasion of exchangers all over again! aha! no, they are all adults (im the youngest there), but there are people from all over the world and its really neat to meet them and learn their stories, just like what im doing with AFS. Turkey, Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Poland, and more! there's even another American. So, i really enjoy it. Even if i only learn about kitchen utensils.. ;)

aha, just a quick update on the goings-on in Belgium. Nothing really new, ill update when something is..

A bientot pour maintenant!
Bisous!
Katie

Friday, September 24, 2010

I Heart Amsterdam

heyy everybody,

Let me just say, Amsterdam was super awesome and i have officially started my "I <3 ..." t-shirt collection! aha!

and hanging out with the other AFSers in the Hainuat chapter was great :)

school is actually going pretty good. my first post about school was a nice venting session. aha, but now ive got an amazing group of friends and ive fallen into a rhythm with the classes. the French is difficult, and i still dont understand about 90% of the time, but hey, 10% is better than none, right? :)

ive been here a little over a month now. only 10 left! wow! time has seemed to fly! i love Belgium!

talk to you guys soon! bisous :)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

AMSTERDAM!

im goin' to Amsterdam this weekend!
yay! ;)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

First Week: OVER

hey everybody,

just a short post to say that i have offically finished my first week at school as a normal teenage Belgian!

everything is going good, talk to you guys soon

K

Thursday, September 2, 2010

l'ecole...

Hey everybody!

i really hope that you guys read my comments as well, aha. ill sometimes respond to posts and the such by comment when i dont have time to actually post anything. so if your wondering why i didnt get back to you.. its because you didnt read the comments! so my advice to you is: READ THEM! aha. :)

Okay, well lets get to the real reason for this post. i also posted the same thing in my other blog so most likely, if your Sam or Kenzie, you can skip the next couple paragraphs (unless you havent read my lastest post there.. lol.)

Today was my first day at school, and boy oh boy, do i want to shoot myself now. not really, but i hope you can pick up on the sarcasm. lol. i didnt know what class level i was in or my electives! aha, can i get any dumber? but to my defense, my family never told me and i never thought to ask.. oh well, i suppose.. whats done is done, although once classes start i still have no idea what im doing. moving classroms? staying? who knows! i guess im just so used to South being so enthusiastic and, for a lack of a better word, "into" exchangers, that it was almost surprising when this school really isnt.. it was terrifying and embarrassing, but, im hoping that with time, it wont be so scary. i mean, i wasnt expecting a smooth ride, but you know..

for now though, i just feel so out of place. this school is the best around, so thats a good thing. at least i know im getting a good education. social lives arent that important.. right? lol. and for your info, i would hardly call today "the first day," because there were no classes! aha. it was just to come, get in your classes, double check your schedule (that i still have to fix by the way), and then go home! i was there all but maybe 3 hours, at most. it was so different, but i did meet a few very nice and sympathetic people who helped me along the way. but guess whats the best part?? tomorrow, im goin' on a field trip! :) ahah! we're going to Ghent, or Gand as they say in French, which is a town/region in the Flemish part of Belgium. Gotta love field trips the second day of school, right? i know i dooo! ;)

and also, my school is called College Pie 10. with an accent on the first e, but has no idea how to get special characters. aha. the classes im taking are: religion, PE, geography, history, PES - citoyennete (which i have no idea what it is, aha, but its required), french, english, math, science, and theater.

fun stuff, i know! lol, post pics after my field trip to Ghent tomorrow!

A Bientot for now!
K

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Belgique! :)

Bonjour Everybody!

So, ive finally arrived and let me just start by saying that i cannot believe i am not 400 pounds already! aha. the ice cream, the pastries, the chocolate, and the frites (fries), oh! so good! the food here is amazing. why, oh why, do we not have these delicacies at home in the US? lol. :)

the first night i arrived, i met my family, who are awesome!, and after having home-made belgian frites for dinner; so good that i wanted to lick my plate, i had my first (and legal) drink. aha, Go Europe for having 16 being the legal drinking age ;)

My family has 3 horses! im very excited for that. i get to help with taking care of them and i get to ride them too! fun stuff! lol.

i also unpacked my suitcase today, went to the outdoor market in Charleroi, saw my school and the train station ill have to go to get there, and went out to eat with my family and some of their friends and their other AFS exchanger from Ecuador..

Sorry for such the short post this time. i know some of you are waiting for more, but its late here (with a 8 hour time difference) and ill be sure to post more in later days :)

A Bientot!
K

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Last Day in Good 'ol Missouri

Bonjour Everybody!

Just wanted to post a small message saying that today is my last day in Missouri and that tomorrow i'll be on a plane leaving for New York! I'll arrive in Brussels on Friday morning and proceed from there..

Thanks to everyone who wished me safe/pleasant travels. i truly appreciate it. Love ya guys! see ya soon.

Love always,
K

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Belgium Map!


As an add-on to my last post, for all you non-Belgium geography buffs, here is a conveinent map! The line in the center is the divide between the Flanders in the North and Wallonia in the South. The red dot is about the location where i'll be staying :)

Famille D'accueil!

Bonjour Everybody!

i recieved something very exciting to write about; and that is that i finally recieved my host family information :)

i am very excited and relieved, because i leave in exactly 2 weeks, to find out who they are and where i'll be living this next up-coming year. According to the small amount of info i recieved, i will live in the western Wallonia region, in a city called Villers-Poterie, in the providence of Hainaut. i have a older sister and a younger brother, in addition to the parents. It seems to be a small town in a rural area. i dont know much about the city yet, but when i found out, ill be sure to post it :)

It's all very good news; and im very happy to have finally given the chance to talk/meet them. Considering, my time in Missouri is running shorter and shorter, this was fantastic news to know i have a home in Belgium! aha.

Sorry Tom, your on your own in the Exchanger Orphanage! ;)

A Bientot!
Katie

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Visa Application and Things of That Nature..

Hey Everybody!

Sorry i havent posted anything in awhile. Nothing too exciting has happened lately, but i do have some news to share. Like i said before, i arrive in Belgium on August 20th, after meeting for a few days at our rendevous location in New York, at around 7:40 am. (After leaving JFK the night before at 6pm.) ill hang around and have a short(er) orientation then leave to meet my host family. (who are still yet to come). I am pretty excited though because both Nicky and I get to ride the plane together. New York - Here we come! I know we ride together to Belgium also, but the initial steps, we get to make together :)

But, the news i wanted to share was that a couple weeks ago i recieved my visa application info, which is vital in my preperation for Belgium. I have to fill out tons of papers and notorize different documents and send it all nice and neat to the consulate in New York, but nothing un-manageable. My visa will allow me to enter the country, allow me to study and attend a school there for the year, and stay with my host family on my exchange - all with the permission of the government. Which is super important. aha.

The process of applying for a visa is long, tedious, and expensive, but all very very worth it in the end! If that's what it takes to get me to Belgium, then so be it! :)

Packing is another thing on my brain. From today, i offically leave in 3 weeks! its a crazy short time away! Lots of different occasions and things to pack for, its all very stressful work. aha. But it will get done. Hopefully.. aha

Its all very exciting. Nerve-racking and stressful. But, hopefully thats normal.. aha.

My goodbye party is also this weekend. Something my parents wanted to do before i leave. Nothing too big, but it should be fun :)

Au Revoir for now!
Katie

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Departure Date!

Bonjour everybody,

Finally, i have some exciting news to share! i just recieved an e-mail saying that i need to be in New York (Belgium's Gateway City; where all the AFS exchangers from across the US meet) for a what-they-call "survival" orientation on August 18th-19th :)

I will offically arrive in Brussels on August 20th and then proceed to my final destination at my host family's home somewhere in the South of Belgium.

A fun fact, for you guys who didn't know this about Belgium: In the North, people there mostly speak Flemish (a language close to Dutch) and across the Language Divide; in the Southern half, most people speak French, which is where i will be spending my year :)

Lastly, still anxiously awaiting on news about my host family, but getting the exact flight departure information was still a very pleasant suprise :)

Amor toujours,
Katie

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Up and Running

alrighy guys, that long awaited day has finally arrived and i have offically started my blog about my adventures while abroad in Belgium. i havent actually arrived yet, but im here now to tell you about some things that have already happened in preparation for my departure in August. i simply cannot wait. :)

firstly, for all those who dont know the whole story, i have been accepted by AFS French Belgium for the 2010/2011 school year. and as i said before, i will leave for Belgium in August and be living with a host family for almost a full year. i will be attending a Belgian school, where it will be taught in the French language. ill be completing my Junior year while abroad and my credits will be on a pass/fail grading scale.

ive always loved travel and the different cultures around the world. i adore all the exchangers who come to our school and have become close friends with many of them. i suppose seeing and hearing about their experienes was the source of my inspiration for jumpstarting my exchange experience in high school. also, along with the involvement of my good friend, Mackenzie, and her family's participation with hosting students who come here (to America) and her not-so-distant semester exchange to Ghana.

sadly, i am still one of the very few unfortunate exchangers without a host family. waiting for news is so hard, yet in a way, i know that once i recieve my family, a whole new round of emotions and questions will arise and right now, i am filled with nothing but excitement and wonder..okay, and maybe a few worries as well.

on May 15th, we had our pre-departure orientation for those kids in the missouri county area. it was neat, i met kids going all over the place; France, Finland, Italy, another Belgian, and 2 others going to Spain. We met and talked and went over important things; answered some questions. Just one step closer to Belgium!

so now i wait and pray for more news to arrive soon. my friend, Nicky, whose also going to Belgium, is just as excited as i am and together we will have a terrific exchange experience.

sorry for such the first long post, i thought youd like to be caught up to everything thats happened and i promise, not all my posts will be this long. :)



a bientot for now

Katie