My REAL last Rotary meeting

So at my "last" Rotary meeting at which I was supposed to give my presentation, the file wouldn't open. So, I came back this week accompanied by my first host parents and Shelagh, a Canadian who was on exchange here last year who is back to visit.




Shelagh


Presenting...


Getting my certificate



Chantal and Philippe
(my AMAZING family...)

WE DID IT!!!

Last Rotary meeting
or...was supposed to be
but my presentation wouldn't open (this happened last year too!!)
so I'm going back Thursday
Thats okay I made it even better!


Outbounds to America (Arkansas and New York)


Last Rotary District 1620 Exchange Students meeting


PEACE OUT BELGIUM
welcome to the world girls :D
(many additions have been made to the vest I just didn't have pins to attatch them then)

I'll be back in 12 days!!
(I do NOT want to leave..
and I'll be back to Belgium next August)

last few days of school...people I will miss dreadfully!

Caroline, Me, Céline


Aurélie, Mélanie, Me, Célestine


Célestine


Tara, Me, Gaud


Leo - Brazilian


The girls again

Ghent (english), Gent (dutch), Gand (french), (Flanders!)

on the train
Nicole & I

Ireland 5/08

My rotary club took Kaitlyn, Nicole and I to Ireland for a weekend
We spend most of the time driving through the country side not seeing much, but it was still a really cool experience. One of the rotarians has a son (Jolan) who is going to Arkansas on exchange next year. He came along and he's in some of the pictures.


Nicole, Me, Jolan, Kaitlyn


Nature Walk
Kaitlyn and Clarissa


Waterfall


Moi et le beautiful blue


lucky boy ;-)


the SEA




Kaitlyn
looking off into the unknown...


Beautiful

there is something about Paris...

My host family took me to Paris for the weekend (3 hour drive...)

Clarissa, Francoise, Mathilde


Mee


Clarissa, Mathilde, Didier at dinner


devant le Tour Eiffel


Picnicing at the bottom of the Champs-Elysees


Dinner at Montmartre
the restuarant was called Chez Eugene so we picked it



Mathilde and I

le 4 avril and on...

I switched to my third, and last family the day after I got home from Greece. And oh, what a great change. I love this new family. I have two sisters, Emilie (22) and Mathilde (9), and a brother, Francois (19), but he is gone to uni during the week. They live in a bigger village called Sivry (3,000 inhabitants versus 400 from Renlies). Its about a ten minute drive from my last house. My host mom is actually my last host dad's twin sister. Its interesting to see the differences in families that came from the same family. Anyways, they are really great. They are in the midst of a 20 year remodel, imagine that! I guess I shouldn't expect my house to be done any time soon, we're only at 12... We have a huge sunroom where I spend just about all my time.

Last weekend I went to a (get ready for it....) .... Ball in a Castle. And to top that off, it had a moat. Let me just say, I am really living the life over here. I went with Emilie and her friends from school (she just finished last year and is working as an Elementry school teacher down in Chimay region). I had a blast. The next night was another late one, we went to a party in my village. There were 4000 there, 1/3 size bigger than the whole town! In fact, it happened to be a famous french DJ who they paid 20 000EUR to come do a set. I had so much fun and danced all night long...

Tomorrow I'm going to the coast with Nicole, the Australian in my club who arrived in January. That should be fun. On Wednesday we're having a hair dyeing party. EEK!!

Anyways, life has been a lot of fun lately. Living up the last bit of my time over here. I'd write a thing about my Greece trip but there is just too much to say and too little time. I'd better save some stories for when I get back too.


Emilie and I


Mathilde and I


host parents: Francoise, Clarissa, Didier

Greece & Venice

These are way past due..
mostly pictures of me and people, I figure if you want to see the monuments you can either go there or travel there on google earth! The other day I traveled all the way around the world in about an hour with my host dad on that thing. Technology is magic these days.


Obviously before we left Belgium to find the sun...


After the 24 hour bus ride, we take a break in southern Italy before taking a 15 hour ship to Greece.


Sitting in an olive tree at Athena's Palace


Delphi...my personal favorite thing we saw in Greece


The beautiful mountain range of Delpi, the center of the world.


Vanessa, Clarissa, Emily, Apolline
Tahoe, Eugene, Humboldt County, Saskawatchen


New Life Goal: Move to Greece, buy a boat like this. Live in it.


Olympia
It was a beautiful sunny day


Venice & I


Colorful Venice


Look to the sky...we're in Venice

May your heart always be joyful, may your songs always be sung.

May you stay forever young