Festival of Festivals- Part Twee

Happy (belated) New Year!

Spending any holiday away from home can be tough, but I easily had one of the best New Years celebrations of my Jewish career in Brussels last weekend. It involved an ambassador, a darling little British couple, nosy women, an Antwerp chef from the past, and, of course, a healthy dose of Jewish geography. Let the games begin.

First of all, I found this wonderful Jewish community in Brussels called the International Jewish Center (IJC) through my cousin, Jordan. They are a community in the truest sense of the word- only about 6 or 7 years ago did a few local families want to start a new synagogue, something warm, close-knit, and in English. You can feel how organic and grass-roots the shul is; the rooms are small and cozy, the people are open and friendly, and there’s a real feeling of connection with the people around you. They even have this really cool program at the shul, Adopt-a-Grandparent, where they match grandparents without grandkids in Belgium with kids without grandparents in Belgium. Um, can I sign up?

On top of that, the rabbi was amazing. At the last minute, the rabbi who was supposed to do our services became ill, and they flew Rabbi David in from Israel to come join us for the holiday. Not only is he an incredibly nice guy but I really enjoyed his services! Mom- I enjoyed services! The best way to describe Rabbi David would be to say he is just like Jason Ellis (for those of you who know him)- extremely enthusiastic, contagiously happy and smiling, and clearly has a love for what he does. Normally I find services to be cold and distant, more like a performance, but I felt really engaged and drawn into everything. It felt really nice and not at all like services I’m used to.

Rabbi David, my cousin is an up-and-coming rabbi who has spent some time in Europe, do you know him? The short answer would be yes…turns out Rabbi David was my cousins mentor during his year in Israel, was the head of his admissions committee, and lead Jordan’s trip to Russia. Oh, and the seder he used for Sunday’s dinner was one that Jordan wrote last year. I’m awesome at Jewish geography.

There were other wonderful people there, including the U.S. Ambassador to Belgium and his family, a couple diplomats (one from Brazil!), the sweetest little old British couple who made the Sidur readings sound like poetry, a possibly gay Welsh couple, the chef of an Antwerp restaurant my Dad took me to for my 23rd birthday, and the typical array of nosy Jewish mothers asking me if I was single. Plus an unfortunate post-doctoral student who was uber socially awkward but devious enough to ask for my number right in front of the rabbi (like you can say no in front of a rabbi?) Not cool.

I really enjoyed my New Years celebration. I feel fresh and ready to face 5770 with hope, inspiration, and another awkward Jewish boy texting me. L’shana Tova…

xoxo
kw

Festival of Festivals- Part Een

You are probably aware that Belgium has loads of waffles, beers, and chocolates. But what you don't know is that Belgium is full of festivals. Everywhere. All the time. There's always something going on somewhere in Flanders, and usually in more than one city at once. They LOVE events and special days. Which can be a little overwhelming at first (how do I make sure I don't miss out on the fun?) but is a wonderful way to get to know the country. And see how strange the people truly are (very).

Two weekends ago I met a few friends in Gent, which is about a half hour away by train and where my dad lived for a year on a job assignment. It's a beautiful old city that was one of the richest in Europe during Medieval times and still holds an eerie castle built in 1180. In 1500, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor was born in Gent, and the Treaty of Ghent was signed there (obvi) a few centuries later, ending the war of 1812. Currently it's the second largest municipality in Belgium and a major university town. Plus, they have LOTS of festivals!

I met up with Anne, who's from France, and Anna, Caro, and Jule who are German, and we had a wonderful and unexpected time wandering the city. There seemed to be several events happening on that one Saturday- and thus people everywhere. The first encounter we had with the festivities was the duck parade. What's a duck parade? A parade of ducks. In a row. With a marching-band man in front and another in back playing a duck-friendly march, naturally. We're still not sure how they got those ducks to stay together and even in line throughout the city (and the crowds!) but they must have had some duck whistles or something we couldn't hear. It was impressive and bizarre, so characteristically Belgian.

Then we ran into some sort of play. There were people dressed up in oversized costumes that reminded me of a mix of Russian folklore and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Kids were in costumes and walked around with signs saying things like "3 months later" and "the end" (in Dutch, of course), and then some people played instruments and everone else danced as they began to move around the canal on their own play parade. So we followed!

The big part of our day was De Beloften, the battle of the bands that takes place every year in Gent and other cities; it's a province-by-province battle, so you have to be from East Flanders to participate in this one. It was SO COOL! First, the setting...it was held near an old medieval wall on grassy grounds near a canal, under a canopy of trees woven with strings of white lights and dotted with various tents selling local delicacies and beer. Plus we got our picture on beer labels, so that was cool, too. The battle includes a handful of bands who have made it into the final round, and they each play 3 songs followed by the audience voting for their favorite. While the votes are being tallied the winning band from last year plays. I've never heard of these guys, but I was told that winning De Beloften is a big deal and you become well known in Belgium.

The five of us had a wonderful time! Apparently Belgians don't dance at concerts (told you they were weird), but we do! Everyone was staring at us because we were rockin it out, but we didn't care! As many people know, I'm very good at making friends...and we made friends with one of the bands from the competition, called The Outskirts. They were so interesting to talk to, especially just to get a feel for the event and the bands. We're now planning on being groupies, following them to their next concert in the exotic Veurne, Belgium. What can I say, we're glamorous like that.

The apex of the evening was the concert on the main canal. There was a large symphony structure sitting a bridge from where we could hear beautiful classical music. Starting around 9:30, the event was held under the stars on the water with different shades of lights and light patterns decorating the surrounding buildings. It was really special just standing there, looking and listening with so many other people, and with some new (good) friends:) It was a moment where I just thought, "Gd, I love life!"

That's the first of the festival of festivals, I'll hopefully post about one or two more tomorrow! Stay tuned for a Belgian Rosh Hashana (apples with honey beer, anyone?) and Autoloze Zondag.

xoxo

kw

GHOSTBUSTERS!*

Hello! It has been too long since I've last updated my blog, and it's because I've been so busy! Let me begin to tell you what I've been up to:)

First and foremost, I moved in with a new host family! After only a few days with my old one it became clear that it would not work out. There were several issues, which I could easily detail in an amusing and long post, but I think Mama taught me better than to gripe about others publicly. However, if you want to know the scoop, just ask me in private, I'd love to dish it out;) My new family is a great fit- the Dad is Belgian and the Mom is originally from Singapore but spent much time in Canada. They have two daughters around my age who are at college and a teenage son (who's very sweet) at home. They've lived all over the world, including America and NL, so we have a lot in common! The mom is in my Dutch class and when she heard I was having problems with my old family offered to take me in. They're such nice people- always smiling and laughing, there are very few rules (namely, if I'm making myself something to eat I should offer to make the dad food as well. Just like home), and I don't really feel like a guest, I just feel at home. I feel so comfortable and I think this will be a great fit.

The only thing is I can't get my computer to connect to their wireless...so getting any pictures onto my blog will be an exercise in creativity. So apologies if they're not as visual as usual!

I enjoy Belgium, have a great home, and love my work! The one thing that is a bit frustrating right now is the language barrier. I try hard when I'm at work to only speak Dutch, but it's difficult to not be able to express myself fully. I don't mind being a simple person in my Dutch class, but in real life it's almost like I want to tell people "I'm smart, I swear! Hey, wait- I'm interesting...and funny! Really, I'm funny!!" because all I can say is "I find that nice." I feel really stupid sometimes just being quiet and not saying something, or knowing I could say something great if it were in English, but just have to sit and nod in Dutch. I don't mind the awkwardness or the process of bettering my Dutch, but it's so hard to not be able to be myself because of language.

I'm starting to think, though, that this is a blessing in disguise. If you're not familiar with autism, I highly recommend that you become so (here's the wiki page) It is mainly a communicative disorder, where individuals can't communicate well with others, both due to not processing incoming information/social signals properly, and the inability to express themselves. They have thoughts and hopes and fears just like everyone else, but they can't always let you know about them. They might appear to be quiet, unengaged, and even cold, but they simply don't have a thorough understanding of what's going on around them and even when they do, can't necessarily convey that. This is how I feel a good amount of the time in all-Dutch situations. I'm really trying to take these frustrated feelings I have and turn them into a learning opportunity so I can try to better understand some of the people I work with. Plus, I'm hoping that seeing this as a blessing will keep me from getting too stressed.

This is why I'm so glad I do what I do right now- help people with autism do art projects. Some of the work the community members come up with is astounding! There's one man who appears to be anti-social, quiet, and closed. However, he created such an extraordinary piece of art- a story with accompanying art and photo-album- that I feel like I have a better idea of what goes on in his head, who he really is. He has so much to say and so much talent, I'm beyond glad he has this outlet. I'm constantly amazed at work and learning so much.

Dutch words learned this adventure:
belachelijk- ridiculous
poetsvrouw- cleaning lady
klevereg- sticky
lijm- glue
hengel- fishing pole
reus- giant
middagdutje- afternoon nap. mmmmm.

English words that don't translate into Dutch:
Jack-o-Lantern
Germaphobe
Commitmentphobe
construction paper
tissue paper
"that's what she said"

Life lessons learned:
I would much rather someone seem rude because they don't know social protocols than to be nice and sweet but fake.

til next time,
kw

* if you want an explanation for my title, ask my family:)

Good Intentions and Word Apprehensions

I take a bus to work. Two, actually. Soon I'll be getting a bike and then I'll split the journey between the two transport modes, but the point of my introduction is that it takes a good amount of time to get to work (which I don't mind since hey, I'm not the one driving the bus). I usually just put on my ipod, take in the view around me, and sort through my thoughts. Today I had one in particular that I wanted to share...

My mom goes to yoga 3-4 times a week, and before each time she asks me to help her set her "intention." At the Yoga Shelter, they ask you to set one before you begin practicing, so that you have a focus and purpose to your yoga session. I'll give Mom suggestions like "feel good in your body" or "don't laugh when someone farts," those sorts of helpful hints. It occurred to me that I want to set an intention every day on my way to work to make sure I'm not taking any of my days here for granted. By consciously choosing what I want to get out of my day, I'm hoping to make sure that everyday gives me gifts AND that I realize it. So today I decided my intention was to a) enjoy myself, and b) learn from the people around me. I'm sure I will reuse these two, but I want purposefully decide each morning what my intention is for the day. Not laughing when someone farts should be a part of that as well.

Outside of work, I spend a good amount of my time (seven hours per week) at Dutch class. I LOVE IT! Yes, yes, I'm a HUGE nerd, especially when it comes to language. And it's really nice to take a class for me, not for a grade or for a requirement, but just so I can learn. There's no pressure, no kicking myself if I get something wrong, I'm really just there to soak it all in. I've never experienced learning like this and it's *awesome*. My teacher is really great- she speaks in that nice, even teacher voice that's never too fast and always encouraging, and the other students create a sense of "we're all in this together." I am the youngest of the group and the only American (there's a Canadian, so we can count that I guess) and it's a great mix of people to learn with.

I have different Dutch skills from the rest of the class, so it makes things a little tough sometimes. I know the grammar very well, and I'm easily one if not a few levels above the class when it comes to that. However with speaking I am behind, because I can study my Dutch book all day all summer (which, um, I did), but I could never practice speaking it. The first day of class, the teacher kept trying to get me to talk more and I almost said, "you might want to buy me a drink, then I'll talk in Dutch til the day is DONE!" Additionally, I speak Holland Dutch, not Flemish, so my pronunciation is often different. Neither is right or wrong, but I'm being taught one way, and I've already learned another. It gets tricky sometimes, but I keep trying to remember I'm not wrong, just different (I think Mom's been saying that to me since I was 4...)

What I do love the most about Dutch is how simple I am in that language. I'm not a complicated person with issues, since I don't know how to say those things! In Dutch, I have red hair, I come from America, and I find waffles delicious. I'm not a commitmentphobe, I have no anxiety, and the most emotional thing I can tell you is "I miss my Mommy." It's awesome. Life is easier in Dutch!

These pictures are from my walk to the bus after class- my camera has a night setting, but the pictures come out blurry anyway (hmm). You can get an idea, however, of how beautiful Brugge is at night. During the day the medieval buildings are stunning; at night, lights illuminate the structures from below, causing a breathtaking scene. And it's only a 10 minute walk!


Dutch words learned this adventure:
vrijwilliger/vrijwilligster- volunteer
vlug- fast
voorstad (van)- suburb (of) ik kom uit een voorstad van DETROIT!
uitslapen- to sleep in
nijlpaard- hippopotumus, literally "Nile horse"
slordig/net- untidy/neat, little Valerie/always Amanda
rommel- mess
rommelmarkt- flea market
zaklamp- flashlight
schoot- lap (the noun where you can sit, not the dog-licking-water verb)

Life lessons learned this adventure:
-Be yourself, even if you don't know the socially accepted convention. Sometimes just being you is all you need to get your point across.
-Let others do things themselves (or with a little help/support), even when you think you can do it faster or better. Remember, "better" is all relative, anyway.

That's all for now. I shall hopefully have some time soon to tell you about my fun weekend before I have ANOTHER fun weekend I get to write about!

xoxo
kosher waffle

Cookie Time

Looking at my blog it would be easy to forget that I am actually here for a greater purpose, one beyond simply traveling, making friends, and enjoying local delicacies (mmm). But on Wednesday I began my volunteer project and I could not be more excited to share it with you!

I am working at a community for people with special needs, mainly autism and behavioral problems. Many of the people live in houses within the community- there are separate ones for children ages 6-12, adolescence 12-18, young adults 18-21, and adults of all ages. Additionally, many people with special needs who come to the community live at home or with friends in/around Brugge and commute to the center to participate in the activities- some are even on my bus in the morning! It's a really wonderful place, since everyone, regardless of functionality, can be included and receive the support and services they need. The whole thing is set up in the woods on a very calm, camp-like campus, which is very important for people with autism since it is not highly stimulating.

In additon to living centers, there is a children's school, an art center, and a small farm so the kids can connect with animals. Off campus there are the houses for adults, as well as a place that holds the candle making workshop and the printshop. This location has a store in front so local people from the area can purchase the artwork and goods the people in the community make. All the staff are really wonderful and have been very warm and helpful to me. The members of the community have also been so welcoming and really accepted me quickly- they're even patient with my Dutch since they know I'm trying to learn it better!

What I do there is pretty awesome. I work Tues-Fri from around 9:30-4/4:30 (til 6:30 on Wednesdays) and have Mondays completely off :-D Tuesdays and Thursdays I help adults with art projects. There is a big exhibit coming up in a few weeks so everyone is trying to get their pieces finished and presentable. Wednesday mornings I help with candle making (guess what you're getting for Hannukah this year, Mom, Dad, and Amanda!) and in the afternoons I'll help children with art projects. Fridays I help in the print shop and whatever else they need. It's pretty flexible and I can help out wherever they need/with whatever interests me, and everybody is happy to have me there.

I don't want to say the name of the organization or use the names of the people in the community since I'm not comfortable compromising their privacy, but I promise to share stories from my work, I'm sure there will be many! For now I am just enjoying every minute I'm spending there, especially the cookie breaks we have twice a day (technically they're coffee breaks, but I don't like coffee and I DEFINITELY like cookies). I walk around my "work" smiling and just taking it all in. Sometimes I feel like I'm not making the biggest impact on the people I'm working with, but I also know that I don't know what kind of impact I'm making yet. Even if they could technically get through everyday without me, I don't know what kind of difference I might make just being another smiling, friendly face for some of these wonderful people. I'm doing my best and certainly trying to learn something everyday- it's very easy to get inspired!

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd love to tell you more:)

Until next time,
kw

Please Don't Foil Your Banana Right Here

Hello! I spend last weekend (and then some) at on-arrival training for all the volunteers coming to Belgium. There are only 4 of us from ICYE, but about 23 from EVS (European Voluntary Service), so it was a good and lively group! Our orientation was held in Nieuwpoort, which isn't too far from Brugge, but a pain in the tuchas to get to since it's a much smaller town near the coast. But I made it there, and was rewarded with a camp/old cottage/Bates Motel type setting. Very dusty, very cold, and only 4 toilets for 30 people (that's what I call roughing it!) Plus, one room even had deer heads on the wall- lovely.

Luckily, the people were more than enough to make up for it. There are volunteers from all over the world- Germany, Costa Rica, Lithuania, Latvia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Nigeria, Turkey, Malta, Italy, Spain, Serbia, France, Austria, and Georgia. Everyone was very sweet and very friendly. It was a really warm group, and we all enjoyed spending time together. Lucky for me, English was the common denominator so I did alright when I wasn't surrounded by some of the 8 German girls! However, it was pretty amusing to see/hear some people's not-so-good English. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand what it's like to be the one speaking in a broken second language. But it was still funny to read that someone was afraid of being "hoamsick," hear "photogroup" shouted, or hear one guy declare while packing his lunch, "I think I'm going to foil my banana!" Let's just say the other American and I had to try our best not to laugh hysterically. Or say "that's what she said."

We had a wonderful time together and talked a lot about ways to navigate our time in a new country. This included a "Philosophical Walk" to the beach where we got to know each other better, and visiting other cities in small groups to get to know Belgium more. My group went to Leuven, a historical city about 18 miles east of Brussels which houses the oldest Catholic university still in existence. Little did we know, the day we went to Leuven there was a yearly festival going on! It was their "jaarbeur"- an annual sidewalk sale, kermis, and dierenmarkt. What's a dierenmarkt, you ask? Well, "dieren" is animals and "markt" is market! There is one time a year farmers from surrounding villages bring some of their livestock into the center of the city to sell them, and the local breed of horses, the Brabant draft horse, is shown in a ring.

Here are some pictures of the jaarbeur:



Leuven is a nice place to visit at anytime, and we were fortunate to see some calmer, beautiful parts of the city as well. There is a Begijnhof in Leuven, which was a village for religious women (widows, spinstresses, etc) who wanted to dedicate their lives to the church during medieval times. It's a well-preserved and stunning brick and cobblestone community that now houses students and teachers from the nearby university. One student told us the Begijnhof was his favorite place in Leuven since he had belonged to a tight-knit religious community within it and it made the city much smaller and more meaningful for him. Another lady we met in Leuven directed us to a small park nearby that you basically need to know is there in order to find it- and we were glad we found it! It was tranquil, pretty, and the perfect place for an afternoon walk in the park!


Overall, I had a very nice five days, got to experience more of Belgium, and, most importantly, made some really great friends. I'll of course keep you posted on all of our adventures!


Dutch words learned in this adventure:
geestig- funny
tof- cute
goesting- desire
wreed wijs- dialect for "pretty cool"

xoxo
kosher waffle

Wablieft?

Belgium is strange. I've always said the Dutch were, but they're more like quirky neighbors at whom you just kinda chuckle. Belgians make you scratch your head. I pretty much walk around going "wablieft?"

What does this word mean? Funny you should ask...one of the things that makes Belgium much odder than its northern counterpart is the plethora of dialects. In Holland, you have proper Dutch, the "Queen's Dutch," if you will. Friesland (one NL province) has its own dialect, but outside of that everyone speaks the same Dutch with slight accents here or there. In Belgium, there are more dialects than you can imagine considering the Dutch speaking part isn't even half the size of this small place! Each province has a dialect, and within that each major CITY has a dialect. So while Gent and Brugge are 20 minutes apart by train, they have completely different dialects. Imagine people in Baltimore speaking different from the people in DC. And ditto for Philly, Boston, and NYC (ok, bad example...) It makes it hard to prove I can speak the language when I have no idea what people are saying because it's their city's tongue. It can all be summed up with wablieft- a word that doesn't actually translate because it's not real Dutch, but means "I didnt understand/what?/can you repeat that", kind of like the Yiddish "eh?"

Also making it hard to communicate? They use French keyboards in Flanders. Yes, the keyboards designed for usage of the French language, which employs the Q way more often than the K and mixes up everything in between. Which would make sense if they spoke French here, but they don't. The English keyboard makes much more sense for the similarly Germanic Dutch than a Romance keyboard, but again, it's not always about making sense...

For example, if you are driving straight down a road in Belgium, and there's a car on a sidestreet to your right, THAT car has the right of way. As in you're going straight, and you must stop so that the car who is already stopped on a perpendicular street can turn in front of you. Really?

And now for the weather report...you've never seen such crazy weather in your life. It cannot make up it's mind! I don't mind mild weather- mostly in the 60s, partly cloudy... that works for me. Except that will probably only be half of your day, just not a continuous half. To be safe, when going anywhere in Belgium, you should have with you at all times: an umbrella, sunglasses, a scarf, sunblock, a windbreaker/parka, bug spray, a fan, wellies, and a ski jacket. Just to be sure. In the wilderness of life, you can never be too prepared.

Now while I might find the Belgians strange, I MUST say they are easily some of the friendliest people I've ever met. Whether at work or class, on the street or bus, or trying to figure my way around a new city, Belgians are incredibly friendly and helpful. They just do some of the weirdest things. Wablieft?

xoxo
kw

I'm Alive!

I have been incredibly busy in the past week, which means I have a lot to share and little time to share it. This weekend I will have the chance to blog about my first Dutch class, my 5 day on-arrival training with a gaggle of Germans, my project (yay!), and why Belgium is strange (tip of the iceberg, I'm sure).

Stay tuned, and by Monday morning you'll have a handful of great posts to distract you at work!

xoxo
kw

The Lance Armstrong Carpool Lane

Taking children to school in Belgium is indeed a cultural experience. As everyone uses their bikes around here for everything from grocery shopping to transporting pets to hauling loads from the hardware store, hauling children to school would be no different. I saw very few cars, but instead a parade of bikes with every combination you can imagine for transporting children. Some kids were on their own bikes in front/behind/next to their parent(s). Other children pedaled on the little bicycle-built-for-two add-on you can attach while teaching your kid to ride on their own. Some parents had a little kid in the front near the handlebars and another in the kiddy-seat behind them. A couple of parents had their children in wooden baskets in the front of the bike. I think I saw a unicycle with kids stacked up high on the father's head (or maybe that was in Dr. Seuss)- either way, it was quite a show. Next time, I think I'm going to surreptitiously take pictures to show you these Belgians in their natural habitat.

Although the transport routine might be different, the children certainly are not. After I pulled the stroller up to the playground, the kids immediately jumped off and ran away. What am I, chopped liver? Oh, THEN they realized they left me behind and waved. Thanks, guys.

In the afternoon I went with Tine and the kids into the city center to look around- Brugge may be relatively small, but it is packed full with delicacies. And I'm not just talking about the chocolate and waffles (we'll get to that- don't worry). A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Brugge became an international commercial center in the 11th century. Europe's first stock exchange started here in 1309, and by the 15th century Flanders saw a period of booming wealth. Although by the end of the century the wealth and grandeur faded, the city remained a nearly perfectly-preserved medieval town. When British travelers visited Brugge in the 19th century, they became set upon restoring and conserving this architectural and historical gem. The city has very strict rules about renovating and building in the city (it was the first city in Europe to get cable, eliminating antennae), as they with to keep with the overall look. It makes for quite a scenic place! Even the road remains cobblestone, which is awesome if you don't get car sick easily like me. Looking forward to biking...


I did it! I finally got my waffle! And made friends with the guy at the waffle stand, which I'm hoping to use to my advantage as much as possible. When I asked if I could get a waffle with both strawberries and chocolate, he said of course! Then asked oh, would I like whipped cream too? Maybe the chopped hazelnuts? He put on quite a show putting it together! And, when I noticed the kind of peanut butter they have is my favorite brand from Holland, he decided to put some on a strawberry and give that to me too! People really are nice here, and as long as that contributes to more deliciousness, I'm really, really okay with that. This is the before picture. Below is the after picture. I must tell you, it was LEKKER!


Additionally, every other store front here seems to be a chocolate shop. I looked into it, and Brugge even has its own chocolate GUILD. Can I join? Each of the shops claims to have the "best chocolate in Belgium," so all but one must be lying. It would simply be my duty as a world citizen to discover which are making false claims and who is telling the truth.

Here are a few more pictures of Brugge, including the Belfort from which Mad-Eye Moody fell in "In Bruges":


































I start my first Dutch class tonight, so fingers crossed it goes well! Either way, you'll hear about it...

xoxo
Kosher Waffle

Big Boss Obama and the Cabbage Patch

Hello from Belgium!

I am finally here, my home for the next six months. I took the train (three, actually) down from Leiden on Saturday and was greeted at the Brugge station by 3/4 of my host family- Tine, the mom, and two of the CUTEST little girls you've ever seen. They helped me get home and settled, and the entire trip Sarah, who is 4, kept looking at me excitedly with her big, brown eyes and telling everyone I'm her new sister (cue: awwwwwww). Seraphine (2) also looked at me with her big, brown eyes, but doesn't really understand what's going on as much as Sarah does. Because Sarah will say (in Dutch), "You come from America. With Obama. Who is the big boss."

Sarah can say my name, and with her front rolling "r"s it is beyond precious. Seraphine can kind of make the vowel sounds, and it really is just as presh. They also like to call me "meisje," which simply means "girl." So I'll hear them come home from the store and start shouting "where is girl?? GIIIIIRL!!!" I am their new toy and they are exhausting me. But yes, they're so cute I might take them home with me.











More on where I'm living: the city, like every other one in Belgium, has two versions of it's name. Bruges is the French, and Brugge is the Dutch. It's pronounced like the Hebrew "blessing"...as in "I'll say the b'rucha over the Belgian beer." If you're not Jewish, just go ask someone in your company's financial department to say it for you. The area of town I live in is called Koolkerke, or "cabbage church" (naturally). As a non-Christian, I say I'm living in the Cabbage Patch. It's a beautiful little village right next to the big city, so I get the best of both words. Koolkerke itself only has about 3,000 people, plus lots of greenery, horses/cows, corn fields, and a scenic tree-lined canal. Even though it's vastly different from the medieval, larger city (about 117,000, including these 3,000), it's only 3-4 kilometers to the city center.

More on with whom I'm living: I like my host family a lot, although there are certain habits I will have to get used to. Tine and Tario, who are just 32 and 34, are both very open and nice, and appropriately treat me like a mature adult roommate rather than a host-child. They want me to have open communication with them and be myself. It's kind of a weird situation though- on one hand, I'm living here 6 months so I need to be comfortable, but on the other hand I am a guest in their home and they are nice enough to house/feed me. So I'll have to find the least awkward balance there. Anyway, they are very simple, minimilist people- they try as much as possible to conserve water, electricity, food, and stretch every dollar. These are all things I believe in, but as a gluttonous American am certainly not used to. Tine also likes everything completely clean and put away, which I also believe in but I know sometimes can be difficult in the rush of life. So I'll do what I can, knowing that Amanda trained me very well in the ways of being a house guest.

Also, I might actually lose weight living in Belgium. Weird, right? But the family eats very healthy (as do I...mostly) and keeps plenty of fruits/veggies and very few sweets in the house. I'll have to go elsewhere for my waffle fix. They are incredibly accomodating with me being vegetarian, especially since Tario (who is Pakistani) cooks a lot of Indian food. My sinuses shall stay clear!


Emily and I toured Brugge last year for one day, but I'm excited to get to know the city more in depth, especially things tourists don't see! Let me know if you have any questions about my living situation- I included some pictures of my room (I almost feel guilty having my own sink and working internet when my friends in South America don't always have water and computer access), but none of the house yet since I want their permission before putting up pictures of the house/family. I'm here for the rest of the week, have orientation this coming Friday-Monday, and then start my work next Tuesday! I shall, of course, keep you posted:)


Words learned on this adventure:
Daarom- there are several words for "because," but this is the answer to when a kid asks "why?"
Mag Niet- literally "may not," it means "not allowed." What Tine says to the girls when they want to come into my room (without kloppen, knocking).
Poppenhuis- dollhouse
Kabouter- gnome (almost as useful as invisibility cloak)
Toverfee- fairy
Moe- tired, and the reason I can't jump on the trampoline anymore!
Konijn- rabbit
Kuiltjes- dimples. Seraphine has these huge dimples when she smiles!!

XOXO
kosher BELGIAN waffle!