the first day

I've never been good at goodbyes, nor did I necessarily want to make this goodbye a big deal. But knowing my mother...it would be. The poor thing couldn't stop crying at the airport. My older brother, his girlfriend of 4 years, my best friends, and my mother. I had to say goodbye to some of my most favorite people in the whole world. How does one do that without crying? I hate crying, and I tried my best not to, but once I looked at the sad faces of my family and friends before me, I had no choice but to let the tears go. C o n t r o l l e d, unlike my mother, but I was definitely crying...

I met a new friend in Chicago while we both waited for our flight to BELGIUM. His name was Grégorie, and he was very kind. I was sitting across from him looking through my English-French dictionary when he started asking questions. We soon became friends and even got to sit together on our 8 hour flight. Neither of us slept.

F i n a l l y we arrived in Belgium. My new friend and I parted ways, and I then spent half an hour in the line of the "border control" or the place where your passport is checked. After that I went in search of my bags. After finally finding them, I tried to navigate my way towards the welcome area. It took me a while, and with no help from anyone, I was literally onmyown. Finally I saw my host mother and sister, who greeted me with kisses and hugs. They were speaking French, very fast I'd like to add. I could comprehend some of it, but not a lot. I tried to speak as much as possible. I'd fill every little silence with a question or a comment. After an hour drive from Brussels to my home near
L i è g e, I was baffled by the beautiful European scenery. We stopped at a tiny Patisserie (with sweet treats and breads) and picked out a snack. I then went home and spent some time trying to get to know my new sister. She was a little shy at first, but I was happy she was close to my age at 17. I then met 2 of her best friends, which now, almost a week later, are my best friends. I've met at least 30 people that I know the names of. My parents are nice wonderful, and my host brother is a lot like my brother at home! He PROTECTS me and Juliette, my sister.

I'm so blessed to have this oppertunity. I am not home sick at all, but I'm sure with time I will be. But I am focused on right now, in this moment. Right now I am very content...and I'm thinking about taking a dip in our  b e a u t i f u l  pool! Ohh la-la!

Life is beautiful here. Everything is real and new and fresh. I couldn't have asked for a better family or new home. Thank you, Rotary!