Sophie

A few Fridays ago I had a very special afternoon. Hanne, a Belgian friend and social worker, asked if I could help her with one of the girls she aids. Sophie is a teenager who goes to public school, loves to play music, and enjoys horseback riding. She is also in a wheelchair with little control over her muscles and mainly talks through a computer or the word-chart on her chair. Sophie was doing a project for school on religion; she chose to focus on Judaism, watched a documentary on the religion, and wanted the chance to interview a Jewish person. As Jews are hard to find in Western Belgium, I was sought out for the job. It was a really great experience talking about Judaism with Sophie, one I'd like to share.

Hanne and I went over to Sophie's house, where we sat at the dining room table as Sophie (via her computer) asked me a few questions and I answered as best I could in Dutch. It was wonderful talking with her. She asked me things about the role of men and women in Judaism, about kosher laws, the Sabbath, if we have someone like a priest, how strictly Jews must abide by the rules of the religion, etc. When she had follow up questions, Hanne would ask her "yes" or "no" questions, guessing first what her question might relate to and then guessing more specifics, with Sophie nodding either to the right or the left to answer. Sometimes the topic was so interesting, Hanne would ask Sophie if it was alright if she asked some questions, too!

It was awesome talking to Sophie. I felt like I was really having a conversation with her, despite the communication boundaries. I looked into her eyes, was patient while she answered, and could tell in her movements that she was reacting to what I said. She seemed to really be enjoying herself, sentiments echoed by Hanne afterward. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know Sophie because it's not something a lot of people get to do. She is a very special girl, who had lots of normal teenage interests and talents, and is a pleasure to be around.

I also just had a great time talking about Judaism. My religion is a big part of my life, so being able to share it with interested subjects was really fun. Sophie and Hanne were very respectful and genuinely interested in what I had to share. It was fun talking all about my culture and being proud of Judaism for some of the answers I was giving. The whole conversation felt really nice, as I enjoyed educating and they enjoyed learning.

Just a small story, but I wanted to share! I have been back in America for a few days now, so this will probably be the last I do as the kosher waffle. Stay tuned!

xoxo
kw

Out of Their Minds, Into My Heart

It takes a certain type of person to leave their comfort zone and volunteer in a foreign country, especially when that volunteering involves working with people special needs, refugees, children (in another language!), and other socially important yet challenging subjects. It takes a special person to do this, and I've spent the past nine months lucky enough to build close relationships with people who fit this description.

There were about two dozen other volunteers in Flanders with me, and I feel very blessed to have become close with many of them. We haven't just become friends, we've bonded. We share a unique experience and have been each others support systems and encouragement. We've traveled the country together, shared tales of how strange Belgians are and how tough it is to make friends with them, and spent holidays away from home together (see the Thanksgiving post!) I've gotten to compare stories of working with special needs, learn about how difficult working for the environment and alternative media are, and be inspired by my friends' passions. Plus, we've had a LOT of really, really fun times together, often including the local brews!

One such evening was Friday, my "Totziensenverjaardagfeestje," or "GoingAwayandBirthdayParty." I wanted the chance to say goodbye-for-now to the group of people who have meant so much to me during my experience in Belgium. One of my friends let me borrow his beautiful, cozy basement where we could just sit, drink, and enjoy each others company. I didn't want to go to a bar or anywhere public; I wanted an intimate, personal evening with my friends. Twelve of my favorite people in the whole wide world joined me in Gent for the evening, and it was such a special and sweet event, one I will always cherish.

For hours we shared, danced, snacked, drank, and laughed. There were angel wings lying around in the house because of the play at work, so some of my friends found and got silly with them. Most of my friends even got me cards and gifts! I totally wasn't expecting that, but I tear up just thinking about some of their touching notes and presents. To be honest, the evening was bittersweet as I felt so sad knowing I had to leave them all, but so blissful in everyone's presence. I think I hugged and kissed everyone so many times they were sick of me by the end of the night. Okay, probably not, but by the end of the night they were the ones reminding me that I'd be back in Europe in the fall and we could meet up for new and exciting adventures.

I had an incredibly heavy heart watching one of my best friends wave to me from the platform the next morning. I cried on the train to Holland, texting my friends during my journey and waking up my poor mother in America for moral support. When I was first coming to Belgium, I was afraid I wasn't going to make friends. Now only did I make friends, I made cherished, life-long friends. There aren't people I hung out with just because they were around, or talked to about superficial and trivial things. These are unique individuals whom I love very deeply and will continue to be friends with long after I've left Belgium. As I said, it takes a certain type of person to volunteer abroad, and my life is now about a dozen of these people richer.

(Yes, I made another video...)



xoxo
kw

ps. Don't get me wrong- while this post may be heavily sentimental, it's important to note that, overall, this group of people is crazy

Tot Ziens...

Friday was my last day at work. There was an afscheidsfeestje (going away party) in my honor and some of the adults who usually don't come to the community on Fridays came especially for me. It was difficult to get through that hour and a half without tearing up, and it's a bit difficult to blog about it without getting teary as well.

I really loved my work. I have been with such special people; the people I've worked with are sweet, they're interesting, involved, intelligent, and kind. I have really become friends with many of them. We share inside jokes, have great memories together, and know each other very well. The fact they have autism makes no difference in how close we got or how much we have done together; they are my friends and I will miss them greatly.

That being said, their autism did make a difference in how much I learned. Many of them are so high functioning that despite having a disorder characterized by communication and social lacking, they can talk to me about their autism. We have had conversations about what it's like to be autistic, what it's like to get diagnosed, how it feels around other people, and why they do some of the things they do (e.g. clapping hands and rocking). Just picking their brains and actually getting to a point where they were comfortable talking to me about autism was amazing. This experience has surpassed anything I could have imagined. I have learned more than I could have expected and made friends I will always cherish and miss.

So the party...there was cake! And presents! The group as a whole gave me a few presents, as well as some of the individuals. I was nearly in tears when I got cards and gifts from some of the adults. One girl got me a basket of Easter chocolates that she decorated herself and wanted me to share with my parents (sorry, M&D, they aren't making it that far!) One guy who couldn't make it on Friday wrote a card and had my boss give it to me. Another who could make it to the party got me a card with very nice sentiments. Part of the gift from the group was a picture in a frame- one I had helped "Paul" make during our time together. I assured Paul and the group that that picture was going up on my wall as soon as I get home.

It was very sad saying goodbye. One girl was very upset during the party and Paul had a hard time when I actually left the building. I was very emotional leaving work for the last time and teared up a bit on the bus back to the station. I don't have the words to fully sum up leaving this community or the impact it's had on me. But I'll always have these many, many gifts from the last day...and the past 9 months.

xoxo
kw

ps another REALLY interesting article!

The Littlest Penguin

During my last week at work the children put on a play. It wasn't a play so much as an over-conceptualized moving production that took the audience through a series of five themed locations involving music, acting, dancing, poetry, and even food. It was quite an undertaking to put on, but a real joy to see the faces of the kids doing something of which they were proud.

My help in the project was limited, but what I was able to do I enjoyed. Months before the play, we put on workshops for the kids to introduce them to the different types of art they might wish to perform in the play; I helped with the poetry workshop. Yes, I did a poetry workshop in Dutch with kids. It was an adventure. Everything went well, although as I am used to speaking Dutch but rarely writing it, some of the kids corrected my spelling :-P Hey, anything that helps make them feel good about themselves!

Allowing the children to choose which type of art they wanted to do was really great for their involvement. They were so confident, so excited. They were enthusiastic leading up to the play (often telling me how many people were coming to see them in it), and would wave at me in excitement when they saw me in the audience. When I told them what a great job they did afterward, the kids BEAMED. It was amazing to see them so proud and confident. I find it wonderful that my last memory of the kids is them bursting with pride after a job well-done.

The best part of the play? The littlest penguin:



I also think the other dance from some of the kids was very impressive:



I am so proud of all the kids and will always look back at these photos and films with incredible fondness! I hope you enjoy them, too:)













xoxo
kw

ps- REALLY interesting article about guide dogs for children with autism

4 Questions, 9 Languages, Seasons Beatings!

For this post, we're putting the Kosher back in the Waffle. Judaism and faith are a big part of my life, and they have been an important and often fun part of my time in Belgium. I found a wonderful Jewish community in Brussels soon after I arrived in this country and have been fortunate to spend a handful of holidays with them, High and other. The latest, Passover, was such a treat since I was able to see most of my congregant favorites for one last time, enjoy some good, Jewy food, and beat these great people with some of that food. Please read on.

The best part of this congregation is the people; they are genuine, warm, funny, and come from all over the world. During each holiday, the shul tries to incorporate as many traditions from the different backgrounds as possible. It usually provides for a fun and unique Jewish experience. This year, instead of just reading the Four Questions in Hebrew and English, I got to also hear them in French, Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian, Russian, Swedish, and Welsh! I learned that most people struggle in their own language with the words "leavened/unleavened," the Welsh translation takes about five minutes longer, and that this night really was different from all other nights!

Then we beat each other with root vegetables. Really. In an old Persian tradition, everyone is given a scallion and then flogs each other with them during the chorus of "Dayenu." I think this ritual comes from simulating the whip of the taskmaster (the holiday is about our exodus from slavery, after all), but when someone hands me a spring onion and instructs me to whack my neighbor with it repeatedly, I don't ask too many questions. So there we were, well-dressed, respectable adults hitting each other with scallions while singing about Gd. Again, this night was indeed different from all other nights.



I will certainly miss this congregation, but I have exchanged emails with some of my dearest friends and even hope to possibly join the shul again next year for a holiday while I'm in Europe. And if I have to lash them with groceries to do it, well I'm just that dedicated to Judaism.


Happy Pesach,
kosher matzah

We Came. We Saw. We Ate (Again).

While the majority of our Italian adventure is captured in the posts "All You Need Is Love. And Cake." and "We Came. We Saw. We Ate," I cannot skip over the time we spent in Naples and Pompeii! Our incredible journey began with three days in Florence, two days in Rome, and two days on Capri. After these packed yet entirely enjoyable days, we spent an afternoon in Naples and a day at the historic site of Pompeii. Food, history and beauty- right up our alley!

Honestly, Naples wasn't really much to see. There are a lot of old, historic buildings, but such is Italy. The one place we did make sure to go was the National Archeological Museum, because half of what was found in Pompeii has since been removed and placed here! While walking through Pompeii, the guide book often details an object and then says "(in Napoli Museum)." So we made sure to see what was in Pompeii before we went to the actual site!


We also learned that Naples naturally takes their food VERY seriously- and they like to fry things! We kept getting all sorts of delicious appetizers filled with rice, cheese, potatoes, even just dough with tomatoes on top, and everything was incredibly delicious! They also had some of the best pizza of our trip- you can see in the second picture that the pizzas were divided up into five or six sections, with each part featuring a different delicacy, including the sumptuous regional Pecorino cheese. It was a really good thing we spent all day Saturday walking around...



Pompeii is a unique experience, one I would definitely recommend. I had been there about ten years ago with my family, but found exploring the ancient site in March far more pleasant than in July- it was about 30 degrees cooler and 3,000 people less crowded! Buried for nearly 1,600 years following the disastrous explosion of Mt. Vesuvius, visiting Pompeii is like stepping back in time to a nearly intact turn-of-the-millennium Roman city. Kaitlyn and I had such nerdy fun discovering what life was like and marveling at the decor and art that still prevails centuries later. The frescoes that remain covering the ancient walls are astounding- not only are they so well-preserved centuries later, but they give a real insight into the art and culture of that time. As I said, it's an excursion I would recommend!





After Pompeii, we ate, we hugged, and we went our separate ways (tear). It was a holiday I will never forget and honestly am not sure how I can ever top! Spending a long week in Italy with Kaitlyn was such a treat and a big highlight of my European adventure. Thanks for checking out my posts and sharing in some of the fun!










xoxo
kw (and ke!)

We Came, We Saw, We Ate

How does one sum up 10 days in Italy? Probably with a menu. I just spent the most wonderful long holiday in the Mediterranean with one of my best friends in the whole world, celebrating my birthday and eating a LOT of gelato. While I would love to give this trip the travelogue-esque attention it most certainly deserves, our adventure was so full it would take a blog post per day to do it justice! So instead I will do my best to sum up, show pictures, and share anecdotes from what is easily one of the best vacations I have ever taken.


Kaitlyn came to play!!! She is the only one of my friends who has been able to make it over for a visit, and I believe it is safe to say she does not regret it:) It was SO WONDERFUL to see her after about eight months apart! Just getting back into the groove of things, laughing, hugging, and fitting felt so good! It was like putting on an old pair of jeans (with Kaitlyn, that would be designer skinny jeans with cute boots, but still). It was also like a little taste of reverse culture shock...it was nice to know that even after all the time and distance, I still fit in with my life back in America.


So where to being? How about Florence! Firenze...the capital of Tuscany, Athens of the Middle Ages, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance! Home of a 13th century duomo, the Lorentian library (designed by Michelangelo), Michelangelo's David sculpture, museums holding "The Birth of Venus" and da Vinci's "Adoration of the Magi," Galileo's telescopes (!!!), unbelievable views, delicious food, AND a good-luck bronze boar! What more could two girls ask from a destination?





Where does one go from Firenze? Roma! We took the train from Florence down to the Eternal City, where we were charmed by the Italian capital's history, architecture, and gastronomy. There is so much to see and enjoy there; Kaitlyn and I had our work cut out for us, but really loved roaming...and using "when in Rome" as much as possible;) We wandered through the winding streets to the Pantheon, the Piazza Nivone, the Trevi Fountain (my favorite site of the trip..and yes, we threw in coins and made wishes!), the Spanish Steps, and the Piazza del Popolo, where Nero's imperial ghost is said to haunt. And that was just our first afternoon!




Our second day in Rome was really a special day. We went to the Vatican in the morning and saw the most incredible art...mainly on the walls and ceilings! Unfortunately, pictures are not allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but we must have spent a good half an hour with our necks cranked trying to take it all in. We even got to go downstairs and see some Pope-mobiles! A real treat. Lunch was spent with another incredibly beautiful aspect of Rome...our waiter. We did not get a picture of him, but man was he delicious. We pretty much just kept ordering food because we could not say no to his horrible yet adorable English. After an incredibly satisfying visit to that restaurant, we spent the afternoon checking out the Colosseum. It really is amazing to see up close!





Our trip to Italy was a birthday celebration, and Kaitlyn arranged the classiest and coolest gift I could have imagined- a trip to the Opera in Rome! That's right, we went out for a fine pizza dinner and then to the opening night of Mefistofele, an opera in Italian that takes place in Frankfurt, of course. It was such an amazing experience- the music, the singing, the sights, the theater...it was a spectacular show and a special night!




I think this is enough show-and-tell for one Italy post. Make sure you read my "All You Need Is Love. And Cake" post to see the adventure right after this- my birthday on Capri! I'll be sure to fill in our escapades in Naples and Pompei; hope you're enjoying the vicarious traveling!
















xoxo
kw (and ke)

Chickety China the Chinese Chicken

One week left in Belgium. Craziness! It doesn't feel like I just got here, but it also doesn't quite feel like it's time to leave. Next week at work there is a big play we're putting on with the kids. It is a big event and almost fitting that it coincides with my departure. The play will be presented on Wednesday and Thursday, and then Friday is my last day, feestje (party) included. It is a big week coming up with lots of excitement mixed with sadness!

This week while preparing for the play with some of the kids, I got to spend time with a few of my favorites. Oli, an adorable 10-year-old, remembered that I was supposed to be here until the end of May. I couldn't believe he remembered that! It broke my heart to tell him that, actually, I'll only be here through the end of the play. He said that is sad and he will miss me. It was just the sweetest thing that warmed and rung my heart simultaneously. I told him I'll miss them and that they are very special kids. I hope they remember that/me. It was so much fun spending one-on-one time with some of the kids as we made decorations for the play. They fill my heart with such joy and I will carry them with me forever!

As I've mentioned before, the end of a big chapter in my life leaves me in a reflective mode. I've really been thinking a lot about what I've gained from this experience, fully knowing that most of any changes probably won't be apparent until I get home and settled back into my American life. I do know that I feel calmer, more at peace and more positive. I feel very balanced- not much knocks me off my feet.

When I was in Madrid and got my passport stolen, Marisa kept asking me, "What are you on? If it were me, I'd totally be freaking out right now! I'm taking this worse than you are!" Yesterday I was discussing my herniated disk with a friend, and he was saying how this would have made him completely upset; he would have been pissed that an injury was interfering with his time abroad. In both of these instances, I've felt like there's only so much in my control and I can either allow these things to impede my good time, or I can focus on the positives and tune out the lesser ordeals. It feels really good to be in a place that's optimistic and relaxed. I really feel so blessed in my life, it seems easy for me to focus on all these blessings.

So here I sit, one week left in Belgium. My back is getting in the way of me helping out with play preparations, but I refuse to let it get in the way of me seeing the play or saying goodbye to everyone before I go! It should be an emotional and exciting week. I will, of course, keep you posted :)

xoxo
kw