CHRISTMAS!!! Never Quite the Same

Christmas is done a little differently over here. It hasn't really felt too much like Christmas this year. There's snow, decorations, music, presents, all the things that make you think of Christmas. I think people take for granted the importance of family around the holidays. I have a wonderful host family and I don't know what I would do without them but it's definitely not the same without my amazing parents and my two beautiful sisters.

I got out of school on the afternoon of the 16th of December after taking 4 exams. I had a great week spending time in the snow with my friends.

Friday I went sledding and then had a party at a friend's house for her birthday.

Monday I went sledding again with a bunch of my friends and then invited them to my house for some hot chocolate.

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent the day with my host cousin. Wednesday night I went ice skating with my host dad and his friend.

Thursday night I went sledding again with Justine. We made snow angels, and a snowman. We decided to take the snowman down the hill with us! It was great!!! When we wanted to go home we went to the tram stop to wait for the tram. We got on the tram that said it was going where we wanted. It was wrongly marked so we got off at a different stop to wait for the tram going back the right direction. It took 20 minutes. When we tried to get off the tram the doors closed in between us and started driving away... I got off at the next stop and noticed that Justine was running after me!!!! As she was running up to me the correct tram came and we hurried and got on. Right when we got on the tram we heard an announcement saying that it was going to be the last tram of the night.We were icicles by the time we got back to my house. She slept over.

Friday when we woke up we went skating. We were planning on taking the tram and then the metro but there was still so much snow that the trams weren't going. We had to walk to the metro station. We went skating and there were some great christmas decorations.

After a long day of walking back and forth to the metro station I was able to relax for a little bit before starting the Christmas party.

We started eating between 7:30 and 8:00. We had an appetizer of chips and sliced sausage while my host sister opened her birthday presents. Then we ate a plate of fish stuff; smoked salmon, octopus, and some other fish.

We started opening presents in between courses. My host family drew names for presents. We went around the circle handing out the presents. Adrien bought me a little table for my computer so that it can sit on my lap without overheating.

The next course was a plate of meat paté. Then we had a soup with shrimp in it.

We opened more presents. I had A LOT!!! I got some jewelry, purses, and a bunch of other stuff.

Next we ate some dinner waffles. They were made with corn bread and spices with mushrooms on top.

MORE PRESENTS!!!!

Finally around midnight, to the sounds of the midnight mass starting, we started the main course. Mutton, chicon, carrots, teeny salad, and potatoes. Everyone was soo full it was hard to finish. Only a couple people actually ate it all.

We finished up the presents and laughed sooo hard at everything!!!

No one was hungry enough for dessert. So we saved it for later.

I didn't get into my room til 1:30

I slept in on Christmas morning. For breakfast I ate a piece of baby Jesus bread. That is something typically Belgian.... bread shaped like baby Jesus. It was sugary and delicious. I watched a couple christmas movies and then ate lunch. After lunch I skyped my family back home to open more presents!!! It was great we talked for 3 hours! I had such a great day!

I still don't really feel like Christmas but it was wonderful anyway!!

I hope everyone else has a good day too! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

It's a Small World Afterall

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Okay in the time I've been away I have acquired a LOT of things to say. I know it's been a very long time since I wrote on here... I haven't had much motivation to write. There have been a lot of great things happening to me lately and I haven't taken the time to put them all on here.

I know that it is so late it's almost not worth it but I just wanna list a FEW of the things I'm thankful for...

- Family and Friends all over the world

- My ability to adapt and overcome challenges

- The Holiday Seasons

- And more than anything in the whole world, the gospel

Once again there's a lot more these are just the very most important to me.

This is such a different Holiday Season for me.

On thanksgiving I went to school and tried to explain thanksgiving. I made dinner on Black Friday. I like to call it 'my altered thanksgiving dinner' I made chicken noodle soup, stuffing, rolls, and pumpkin pie. And for the appetizer we had cooked pumpkin seeds. It was different but it was the best I could do.

December 6th is when Saint Nicolas comes over here. I had so much fun with my host family at our house looking at all the great stuff that St. Nick brought.

I am definitely missing my family now more than ever. I hear about all the great stuff they're doing for Christmas and some of the new things that I'm missing out on and I get the slightest bit homesick. I miss my family but I don't want to leave Europe either.

I'm going to change host families in January. I would really like to stay with this family but it's not going to happen. It's going to be so hard to re-adapt to a new family. I'm going to do my best to make a great impression and make this a great relationship.

Christmas is coming soon and I hope that everyone's holidays go well! I miss you all so much!

It's a Small World Afterall