more than waffles: January 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013

here and there

This post is mostly just a life update, and I have to say, things really do get better every month! Admittedly, I did have a bit of a rough patch about the second week of January. I'm not sure why, but I was extremely homesick, even more homesick than I was during Christmas. But I think it was just the winter blues. Right now, I am really starting to feel at home here in Belgium. My French is getting better, and therefore, so is school. I am starting to make friends, interact with my classes and teachers, and almost forming "my own life" here in Belgium. Last week, I started some drawing classes at this art school in Namur called "L'Acadamie des Beaux Arts". I will take them every Wednesday for 4-5 hours. I think it will be good for me, because I am rather terrible at drawing. In general, life is good! I hope that this is equally the same for you! Winter can be a sad and cold time, but I think that that will change with the rise of the thermometer. Until the next time!
Here are just a few random pictures that I have taken in the last few weeks.

I wrote a letter to one of my best friends, Travis, near the beginning of the year and told him that one thing I really missed about Fall was pumpkin flavored things. So he sent me some pumpkin chai tea! What a cool dude.

(January 3, 2013)

I visited Bruges with some other exchange students and another American who was an exchange student in Belgium 2 years ago. It's a really cool city, but I hope to go again in the Spring when the weather isn't as gray!

(January 4, 2013)

People playing accordions everywhere, just how I like it.

(January 4, 2013)

Give us these daily fries.

(January 4, 2013)

Bruges has been called "the Venice of Belgium".

(January 4, 2013)

And encore...

(January 4, 2013)

My host mom taught me some new knitting stitches. I'm like a new woman.

(January 20, 2013)

I got some awesome watercolor painting supplies for Christmas, so I have started painting a little bit in my free time. This is based on a photo I took in Peru two summers ago when we were on the sand dunes.

(January 20, 2013)

Saturday, January 5, 2013

denmark

The day after Christmas, my host family and I went to a little town called Lemvig, Denmark with the basketball team that my host sister plays on. It was rather cold and windy, but I enjoyed myself very much! We took a coach bus (a "car" in French) and we traveled for about 10 hours. We stayed in a cool little cottage along the shore, about 2 kilometers away from the town. Every day, we went and watched my host sister's team, along with many other teams from around the world, play in basketball matches. Belfius Namur Capitale, the name of the team, played very well and actually got second place in the whole tournament! Even though I have never considered myself a huge sports person, I am starting to really like watching basketball. Who knew that my year in Belgium would turn me into a basketball fan?