Captions for the Pictures

I can't figure out how to add captions for the pictures so I'll put them on facebook and you can see the captions there.

PICTURES!!!

The First Week of My New Life

Everything is going wonderful!

I saw the school I'll be going to starting in September. It's called Collège Don Bosco. The way they number the years is different over here. I don't remember exactly how it works but I think it goes something like this: In Elementary school, the grades are numbered from one to four, Middle school is one to two, and High school is one to six. There are also grades before elementary. It's like preschool. I can't remember what that's called here though. My school is a little bit smaller than BHS but they have a lot more grades in one school. All of the students go to the same school. This seems to be an advantage because they don't have to deal with changing schools from elementary to middle school and then again to high school. I met the principal and vice principal. They both seem very nice. I know a few people who will be going to my school which will help to make friends. I hope I'll be able to make more friends quickly.

I went to a fair on the 18th. Every year they this fair goes for a month. They have rides and games and all kinds of treats. I ate escargot and beignets. (not together) they were both really good. I went on one ride with Margaux and her boyfriend, Kim. It was really fun. Then they asked if I wanted to go on a different one. No one else wanted to so I went by myself. but it was still fun. I don't understand why people are always so surprised when I do crazy things. That's just who I am!

My French is improving. Every time I say a complete sentence in French my family congratulates me. They say, "c'est une belle phrase." which means that is a beautiful sentence.

On the 19th, Guillaume showed me around Brussels. There was an Opera House that started a rebellion. One of the lines kind of lit a spark in the people. In the Grand Place, there is a building that has a tower. My host mom told me that the architect who designed the building jumped from the top when he saw that the tower wasn't in the center of the building. We went inside the Cathedral of Saint-Michele. It was really cool. Guillaume asked me what the difference is between Catholic churches and Mormon churches. We talked a lot about Mormons. People over here think that Mormons are like Amish people. A long time ago there was a wall around Brussels. It's mostly gone but there are still some parts of it left. There were a bunch of skaters who would skate in the center of Brussels and they broke some things so the people decided to make a skate park. The Justice Palace in Brussels is the biggest gathering place for lawyers and stuff in the world. We went to a little park and saw some people filming a movie. I thought that was pretty cool. We saw the king's palace. He actually has two. One where he works and one where he lives. We also saw the king's garden. There was an era, some sort of expedition, when Each country built something in Belgium to represent their country. We saw the Japanese tower and the Chinese tower.

I went to a goodbye party for Margaux's friend, Allissia. She is in Ecuador now. I will live at her house sometime during the next year. Alyssa, the Californian who is here, is living there now. People were playing a bunch of drinking games. It was really fun just to watch. I was asked if I wanted a taste and Margaux explained to people that I can't because of religion. I thought that was very nice of her.

We had another party for Margaux the next day. I really like being around her friends they are very nice. The only problem is that all of them are graduated...

I finished the first book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. When I finished it, I decided to give it to Margaux. I hope she likes it as much as I did. I can't wait for Catching Fire to come out in paperback so my mom can send it to me. I'll probably give it away too.

On Sunday, Margaux left for Pennsylvania. Everyone cried at the airport. I remembered what it was like when I was leaving. I felt a little homesick then. Everyone here has treated me like family. It makes me feel more at home.

Today is the first day of school back home... (hope everyone's having fun) It's weird not talking to people. I feel isolated.

This is an AMAZING experience! I'm so glad I got this chance.

It's a small world after all!

I'm stuck in someone else's story...

Have you ever read a really good book and gotten so into it that you feel like you are the characters? So when you stop reading you still feel like you should be living their life? Right now I feel like this whole experience is just some wonderful book I read and I can't get back to reality... I feel like every morning when I wake up I'll be back in Utah at my house and it will have all been just a dream. I haven't done much yet. I went shopping today. I bought a new jacket because it's raining so much haha. The weather in Belgium hasn't been like this since 1941. I think it's only because I'm here. In one night it rained more than it would in the month of August normally. There was a really bad accident because of it. I like the rain but not when it causes problems.

I'M IN BELGIUM!!!

On Friday, I left my house at 3:00 to go to the airport. When I got on the plane at 6, I saw the sunrise out my window! It was absolutely gorgeous! Out the window on my right I saw bright pink and purple. To the left everything was red and orange! When I got off the plane in L.A. I was expecting an hour before boarding my next plane... it turned out that as soon as I got there they were calling for me to board. I ran onto the plane and sat down. I wanted to sleep on the plane but I was too uncomfortable. I played games on my iPod and fidgeted a lot! When I got to D.C. I was walking toward my gate and I saw a huge group of Rotary students! I sat with them and started getting to know them. They are all very nice. They were all on their way to different parts of Belgium. The entire plane ride I got more and more excited to finally be in Belgium! I slept for a couple hours on the plane but not a lot. I watched Toy Story 2 in French. After I got off the plane in Brussels and went through customs, I found my family! They are so kind! I really like them. I really want to be able to speak French with them but it's so hard for me. Antoine, my host brother, and his girlfriend, Geraldine, both speak English and said they would help me for the first couple of days. I hope that by tomorrow I won't need their help as much. I ate bread with nutella for my first breakfast here. After breakfast, I slept all morning! I didn't think I was that tired... When I woke up we went to the Grand Place. It is said to be the most beautiful place in the world. This weekend is a holiday in Europe. They celebrate the virgin Mary. Because it is a holiday, it was very crowded in the Grand Place. I saw the mannequin pisse. My host family told me that there is a legend that during a war the enemy put a bomb in the middle of the Grand Place and a little boy peed on it and saved Brussels. Margaux and I went to a concert in the park. We saw Puggy and Charlie Winston. I liked them both a lot. Charlie did a lot of beat boxing and was REALLY good at it. He also whistled a lot during his songs. My bedroom in my house is huge! It's the biggest bedroom in the house. The bed is SO comfortable. Margaux has a lot of really pretty decorations. Last night for dinner I ate cooked tomatoes with meat and lettuce inside. It was delicious. Today I slept in a lot later than I planned. I didn't get up until 11 then I took a shower and when I got downstairs it was time for lunch... I am going to try to wake up earlier now. For lunch I had bread and pumpkin soup. It was really good. My host family bought herbal tea because they know that I don't drink coffee or tea. Haha. They also thought that I would like caffeine free coke. I decided not to mention that I don't drink coke at home anyways. I actually don't mind the water here. It's kinda good. I gave my family their present and they really liked it. They all enjoyed the chocolate covered cinnamon bears and the book with pictures of Utah. I have started unpacking. This still isn't real to me. I can't believe I'm actually here and will be here for a YEAR! I haven't gotten homesick at all... Sorry mom...

I will write more once I have done more stuff. I am so excited to be here!

It's a Small World Afterall!

Typo on my Flight Info

I got an email the other day from the travel agent. She said that she was very sorry for the mix up and that I only have a 2 hour layover in D.C. Phew! That's a relief!

Flight Information

I finally have my flight stuff! I'm going to leave SLC at 6:00 a.m. on Friday August 13, to LAX. I leave LAX at 6:50 a.m. (L.A. time) to D.C. I arrive in D.C. at 3:45 p.m. on Friday and don't leave until 5:40 p.m. on SATURDAY!! I will have a 26 hour layover in D.C. What am I gonna do!? I hope I'll be allowed to leave the airport but I don't know... I'll arrive in Brussels at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday July 15.

We'll see how this goes...

It's a small world afterall!