“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all people cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” - Maya Angelou

11/20/2011

A little more than 3 months. That’s how long I’ve been in Belgium and I can’t believe how fast it’s gone by. I love Belgium and everything about it. (well, I’m not a big fan of the cold haha) I’m not going to lie and say that it’s been all rainbows and butterflies because this has been the hardest 3 months of my life. There have been times when the thought of wanting to go home has crossed my mind but it’s only made me a stronger person because I don’t want to give up. The other day my friends at school told me that they don’t want me to go back and that they will me miss me so much. That made me realize how crazy I was for thinking that I couldn’t do this because I can. I believe in myself. I’m learning from my mistakes and how to be smarter and pay more attention to everything.
"Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles, and the bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else."
~ Brian Tracy
At the beginning of November, I had the opportunity to stay a week in Paris. It was everything I’d dreamed of and more. Everything is so amazing there. There was one day when the weather was beautiful, so I took my book and went to the Eiffel Tower and laid down in the park. It was maybe the coolest thing I’d ever experienced. I also had the opportunity to go to Disney in Paris which made me feel like a little kid again and everything was already decorated for Christmas. It was magical.
As for the French, it’s so much better from then when I arrived but it’s far from perfect.  But I’m happy with my progress and I learn something new everyday. I’m starting to notice little by little that I’m starting to think in French. I have attempted to cook for my family which didn’t go that well…haha. I have also had a women show me her tattoo on her lower back of an eagle with the American flag. I always get asked the stereotypical questions about American which always makes me laugh. I have also inspired my friend at school to go on exchange and she wants to come to Florida!
Next weekend, I’m going to the ocean in France. Exams at my school start the 9th of December and continue up to winter break. I only have to take 2 exams so I’m going to have a lot of time off so I hope to be able to explore more of Belgium and maybe other countries and try not to die from the cold. 

10/31/2011

GOING TO PARIS. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

10/09/2011

being an exchange student

- is fantastic
- is meeting hundreds of wonderful people
 - is giving speeches and writing letters
 - is getting fat and, at times, being poor
 - is seeing a new country and experiencing new things
 - is being homesick and, at times, miserable
 - is getting tired
 - is being an ambassador
 - is personal growth

From my Florida outbound student handbook. Reading this now feels so different then when I read it before I left because I'm living it all.

10/01/2011

7 weeks

Holy crap. I've been in Belgium for 7 weeks. My mind is blown.

Since my last post I have been to Antwerp which was really pretty and I bought a big Belgian flag :) and I went kayaking with other exchange students which was a blast! My arms are really sore though haha.

French is getting better at least my understanding is. I think I can say that I understand much of what is going on around me and the conversations...most of the time haha.

I got my Belgian identification card so I feel pretty legit.

I love Belgium.

I don't do a lot in school but I try. It's hard to understand the teachers and sometime I just can't do some of the work cause I don't understand at all. But I have french class with like 12 year olds and I love it cause it's so much easier than with my class and the teacher is a sweetie. So I actually can do work and learn it that class.

I'm happy.

9/18/2011

School is great. I'm making a lot of friends. I don't understand what the teachers say but that's okay. 

A girl told me that everyone knows I'm the american and some ways that makes me feel really cool but then I feel so much pressure cause everyone's is always looking at me.

I've been invited to hang out after school with some girls and then another group of people invited me to go to the Fête de Wallonie which was so amazing and I had the best time ever.

French is still hard but I'm improving. I had my first dream in french and I understood most of it. :)

Belgium amazes me. My life amazes me. I amaze myself on how I'm doing this all without crumbling. 

Some days are amazing and some days I just want to scream but I just take things day by day.

As my host mom says "petit à petit"
School is great. I'm making a lot of friends. I don't understand what the teachers say but that's okay. 

A girl told me that everyone knows I'm the american and some ways that makes me feel really cool but then I feel so much pressure cause everyone's is always looking at me.

I've been invited to hang out after school with some girls and then another group of people invited me to go to the Fête de Wallonie which was so amazing and I had the best time ever.

French is still hard but I'm improving. I had my first dream in french and I understood most of it. :)

Belgium amazes me. My life amazes me. I amaze myself on how I'm doing this all without crumbling. 

Some days are amazing and some days I just want to scream but I just take things day by day.

As my host mom says "petit à petit"

9/11/2011

shopping is so much better here. I'm going to develop a shopping addiction which is not good cause i'm broke ahhhh
Belgium weather is so bipolar.

9/07/2011

bumps in the road

Lately I have been experiencing my first bumps in the road. I know I'm going to experience so much more of them during my exchange year. Exchange is seriously the hardest thing I've ever done and it's only been about a month. But i'm not going to give up no matter how much I just want to break down and cry and cry and cry.




But on a happier note, I got my bus pass for the year! I feel like a real resident now :)

9/06/2011

first day of school in Belgium!

Today was my first day of school! I was sooooo nervous but it went very well! In my first class this group of girls automatically took me under their wing! They showed me what classes to go to and invited me to eat lunch with them! It was so great! They were all really funny and tried their best to include me. I was really surprised because I was told that usually you had to go up to people and make conversation and they wouldn't come to you but they did! I had no idea what my teachers were saying most of the time but I understood a bit of what my bio teacher wrote on the board because I've already learned about it. One thing I hate though is that they all write in cursive so it's really difficult to read because in the states no one really uses cursive. I'm taking math, french, english, bio, chemistry, physics, geography, history, religion and I think that's it. I do love how short the classes are because I'm used to two hour classes and they take forever.

9/01/2011

8/31/2011


I have been in Belgium for 2 weeks and four days. That blows my mind because it went by too fast. But I’m definitely making the most out of everything. Being an exchange student is the best decision I’ve ever made. 2 weeks in and I know my life has already changed and I know that I won’t be the same person I was 2 weeks and four days ago when I landed. Sure being an exchange student is hard, you feel like you’re a little baby again not being able to talk or express how you feel. It’s probably the most frustrating thing ever. But when you’re host mom and brother tell you that your French has gotten so much better since you arrived makes all of it worth it. One thing I wasn’t really ready for was the culture shock. I knew Belgian culture in itself was different but I never thought about the culture of your host family. It’s so different and it takes so much getting used to but even though you want to do something the way you’ve been doing for your whole life but you can’t because you need to adapt. I can truly say that I’m adapting, that I’m becoming a part of Belgium, and that my own culture now has Belgian characteristics.
I’m so excited for my exchange year and everything I’ll be able to do and see. I’m not going to let time pass me by and I’m going to take every opportunity that comes my way.

8/28/2011

second week update!

Bonjour everyone! Well, as of yesterday I've been in Belgium for two weeks. It seriously doesn't feel like that long but it was. Exchange is already going by way too fast. SLOW DOWN.

Understanding french is getting easier easier every day. It's still really hard though. My speaking still sucks.






So what have I've done this past week? I went bowling with some Belgian friends which was a lot of fun. I have watched my host brother sail. I have been around Charleroi some more. I went to this really old Abbey with my host grandma and it was so interesting. I went to my first Belgian party which was SO MUCH FUN. Then, I went to Brussels on thursday and met up with the 200 something exchange students in Belgium and went to the Palais Royal, Parliament and the Grand Place. All really cool. The real fun part was getting to speak English with everybody haha. Since everybody has not really been able to tell everyone who they've been feeling and they haven't been able to talk a lot pretty much everyone was talking a lot a lot. I know I was haha. All the other exchangers are really great and I'm so stoked for all the cool things we're going to get to do. Then, I went to musée de la photographie with my host brother which has some really cool pictures. Apparently it's really known around Europe and it's like 10 minutes away from me. I'm looking forward to this week a lot because I get to go to Brugge with some other exchangers!


8/20/2011

first week in Belgium!

First, I'm sorry I suck at blogging.

Second, I love Belgium.

In my first week, I have been to Waterloo, which was really cool and the view was beautiful. I have shopped in Charleroi with two new friends which was really fun, even though we spoke a different language we were able to laugh about normal girl stuff and it made me feel like I could really belong in Belgium. I have learnt a lot of french. My host family is super nice :) I have had Belgian beer and other belgian specialties; the food is really good here. (i have yet to have a waffle which makes me sad haha) It's getting less and less awkward at home and I am adapting. At the end of each day, my brain is dead from trying to keep up with everyone and trying to understand french. It's difficult but my host brother said I have improved since I arrived last Saturday which makes me really happy :)

8/13/2011

first day in Belgium!

After 20 hours of traveling, I finally arrived in Belgium and it's nothing but perfect except for my lack of french. I just keep smiling and nodding haha. But Belgium is so beautiful and different from Fort Lauderdale. The first thing my host mom did when we got into town was go to this little shop to get bread and croissants and it was so delicious. Their house is pretty and has a perfect huge view of the backyard. In all the rooms upstairs they have this skylight which is like the coolest thing ever. Then dinner was just amazing. I forgot what the name is but they're kinda like meatballs and sooooo yummy. We also had frites (french fries) and I tasted my first sip of Belgian beer. I feel like this is all a dream and if it is I hope I never wake up :)

7/15/2011

QUATRE SEMAINES

I leave in four weeks. I leave for Belgium in four weeks. I leave for Belgium for 11 months in four weeks. I leave for Belgium for 11 months to live with host families to speak french and eat and travel and learn about everything and myself in four weeks. I'm so happy I could cry(and I have)!

6/27/2011

Cultural Boot Camp

So this past weekend I spent in the middle of nowhere, florida with 76 other RYE Florida Outbounds. It was so much fun! I wish it could've been longer because they're all so great. Exchange students > everyone else. We learned a lot of things about culture shock and things like that and got to experience culture shock on a smaller scale. This weekend made me more excited and a little more nervous for Belgium. I just can't wait to leave :)

6/19/2011

Where I'll be living

My town is called Montigny-le-Tilleul and it's right outside Charleroi and my school is in Charleroi.

6/18/2011

how it began....

It all started with Mr.Miller. Wait, no it started with my dream to live in France since forever. Mr.Miller just put the idea in my head. Mr.Miller was my European history teacher and he mentioned RYE one day and BAM, I was filling out an application. Long story short, I was chosen to go to Belgium and honestly I cannot imagine going anywhere else. I've fallen in love with a place I've never been to. I don't know if that's possible but whatever.

People ask me if I'm scared and yeah I'm scared. Who wouldn't be? Am I scared enough to not go through with it? NO. I'm scared of looking back on my life and realizing I didn't live an exciting fearless life. I'm excited, nervous and blessed. Most of all, I just can't wait to leave.

My life has changed completely and I haven't even left yet.