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Saturday, August 20th, 2011

Playing a bit of catch up here… So sorry if my accounts aren’t as detailed. But then again, that just might be a good thing! I always find myself rambling on quite a bit, with way more to say than I originally thought. So today, we got up and had a breakfast of croissants. They remainder of the morning was spent reading and waiting for the arrival of Eddy’s friend Michel, and his family (as well as their Australian host student, yay!) When they arrived around 10 in the morning, we all got ready for a long day out on the boat. The day was heaps of fun (and now I find myself talking like an Australian… haha). We just spent the day swimming a lot wherever we stopped. The first time we stopped was closer to the port and in a little cove near some not-so-high cliffs. We probably spent the most time there, and had a lunch of pizza which we had bought from a pizza truck the night before. Swimming in the ocean was a lot more fun having people to be with. Even though both Becky (the Australian) and her host brother Coco had goggles, we just traded off and took turns touching the bottom about 15 to 20 feet down.

After our first spot we drove around quite a bit near Marseille to show the whole family the sights. Even though I had seen it all before, it was a lot of fun because Becky and I braved the waves splashing on us and the bumps from going over huge waves and sat in the very front of the boat, which isn’t padded and all you hold on to is the metal railing. It was painful the day after, but definitely worth it. It was also quite nice having someone to talk to all day that spoke perfect English and really knew exactly what you were going through. Even though I have only been in Belgium for a little less than 2 weeks, I still find it quite hard to adjust to all of the changes, such as listening to things in French, reading menus in French, and not being with my family who always seems to know the perfect time to do everything and I don’t have to say what I want to do when I want to, because they just seem to know. They are my family. SO needless to say, it was quite nice not to have to adjust so much.

Another nice thing about having Becky with me is that she has been on exchange since last January because of the weird school system in Australia. So I got to see firsthand how maybe I will be after being here for 7 months. She said that I actually understand and know a lot more than she did when she first came here, and now she is talking quite fluently to her host family as well as mine. And to hear about all of her trips and what she has done in school, it’s just comforting because it is something to look forward to in all of the homesickness and worry that I will NEVER be able to learn French, no matter how much or how long I try for.

After boating, we went to the same old restaurant that we had gone to twice already. Apparently, it is just THAT much better than any other restaurant in the area. But then again, I wouldn’t really know…. Being around Becky and her family made me realize how different I act around kids rather than just adults. Even with Coco who didn’t speak English, I was more open and playful and less reserved. I don’t really know why I am that way, but maybe it is just because I find it harder to relate to the adults. It also made me realize how much I want to have host siblings in my next two families. After dinner, we all were exhausted after a tiring day on the boat and went to bed almost immediately, although it was quite the cram. Pascale and I slept in our normal places, Coco slept where Eddy been sleeping, the host mum slept in the same type of bed across from Coco, Becky slept in the tiny area that is squished up against the ceiling, which is actually where I have been putting my luggage and things, and eddy and Michel slept on the speed boat where luckily there was a nice covered and cushioned area at the front of the boat. Although it was quite squishy, we managed.

Suprise Snapshot by Coco... yes, the bathrooms were for both sexes. I just liked the cool reflection :)

Pretty Sunset