Update (with pictures!)

I got my visa information earlier this week and am now working on getting that done (it's a long process, but very worth it). I have just 43 more days until I catch a red-eye to JFK International Airport and meet with all of the other exchange students. In 46 days I will be in Belgium. This doesn't even feel real! I can't believe my dream, the one I've been waiting three years for, is now only 6 weeks away.

I realized I didn't include any pictures in my previous posts about my placement, so here they are!

This is the town I will be living in, called Vedrin. It is 5km north of Namur. It's described as suburban, and from what I've seen on Google Maps (I'm not creepy, I promise!) it's a very pretty, green town. It has a population of 6,163 which is VERY different from the closest "small" town I live by which has a population of 155,937! I think my high school alone had over 2,000 students so this will be very different for me. My host mother offered to invite me along the walks she takes around the town, so I will be able to become familiar with it and also bond with her as well!

This entire area is the region of Namur, known for the two rivers that intersect at the center. Vedrin is the red area.

I don't have any pictures of my house, but my host sister told me it was three stories tall. It is really close to a bus stop, so I'll be able to access Namur very easily.

Speaking of Namur, this is what it looks like.


It is the closest city to me. It's also the capital of Wallonia, the French region of Belgium. I'm glad I'm close to a city but also glad that I'm living in a small town. It seems like the perfect mix.

My host sister also told me that I would probably be going to the school she and her sister (and the previous exchange students they hosted) attended, Institut de la Providence Champion, and that my neighbor would take me to school, which is very nice of them! I must remind myself to include a thank you gift for them as well.








The school is very proud of its gardens, and from the pictures I've seen online, they have every right to be because the school and its grounds are beautiful!

Besides school, I think I will try "scouts". Both of my host sisters have done it and though they found it difficult to explain in English, they said it was a great way to make friends.

With all of this information, my new life seems more tangible, rather than just hopes and dreams. I now have a vision, an idea of what my life will be like and who I'll be around. I've even started packing. It's harder than it sounds, I've already packed too much and yet not enough. How do you fit a year of your life - a life in a year - in a 44lb suitcase? I guess I'll figure it out somehow. I'm very excited for everything to come. My last month and a half in California (in the United States, even!) is going to go by very quickly, and I want to enjoy every minute of it.

À bientôt,
Nicole

HOST FAMILY!

After MONTHS of waiting (two and a half isn't a lot but it's enough to make things plural!) I have a HOST FAMILY!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you read that correctly. My phone buzzed while I was getting ready to go out, and I immediately stopped what I was doing and logged onto my account. So without further ado, here is my new family:

Bérengère is my mother, and she works as a pharmacist. I have two older sisters, one named Margaux who is almost 24 and another named Louise, who will turn 20 while I am on exchange. My family also has a cat. I live in Vedrin, Namur, Belgium. It is about one hour away from Brussels, one hour away from Liège, and about 15 minutes away from Namur, the capital of Wallonia.

I've added both my mother and Louise, but I didn't get the email address of my oldest sister, so we'll see if I can find her. I've already been in contact with Louise, it's amazing and she and my mother seem very nice from the photos I've seen! I think they've hosted other students before.

I'm extremely excited and it all seems so bizarre, I've been waiting for this experience to feel "real" for nearly three years and now it DEFINITELY feels real now.

I hope I can update you all very soon with more information on my new life!!!

2 Months

PDO

I had my Pre-Departure Orientation just yesterday. It was an all day event, and I really enjoyed it. I didn't learn anything particularly new because (being the freak that I am) I had already read information from the internet and the AFS Wiki because I am just too impatient for my own good I guess! Plus, I've been a member on Cultures Shocked for almost a year. Actually, I just checked my profile page and it'll be a year tomorrow, time flies! But I was reading info from the forum long before I became a member. There are some things I knew that others didn't, even some of the volunteers and returnees were asked questions that they hadn't been asked before, but since Cultures Shocked is such a huge community of exchangers, I had access to so much information.

It seems most people in my female dominated PDO are going to Turkey or are doing summer programs. I was the only Belgian bound, which didn't surprise me, but I was able to talk to a returnee from The Netherlands, which is close enough to Belgium.

I'm still anxiously awaiting news of my placement and host family but I had a lot of fun at the Pre-Departure Orientation, and loved being able to help out others. I can definitely see myself being a volunteer with AFS in the future.

In other news, I got my travel itinerary and am now looking for domestic flights to JFK.... how weird! I've been waiting so long and now it's all finally happening - and fast!

79 DAYS LEFT!

Hi everyone!

If you would like to send me a message or a question you can reach me at http://adventuresinbelgium.tumblr.com/ask
I'll try and post the good questions and answers up here as well

GRADUATION!

I am officially a high school graduate! I had an amazing four years at my high school, and my graduation night was fun and very nostalgic. I was mentioned a few times in the various speeches, one for leading my team in mock trial and another for bringing the experiences of my high school as far as Belgium! (I definitely had the coolest and most exciting future plan mentioned).
Also: I found out that my Pre-departure orientation is in the beginning of June! I’m very happy to have found out and RSVP’ed and am awaiting that day when I can update again!

Update

I have ONE week of high school left. I graduate on May 16th.
I still haven’t heard about my Pre-departure Orientation, but I’m checking my email every day.
Also, check this out!!!

I’m officially added to the AFS Student Blog!

AFS Blog

afsblog.org

I’m now a member of the AFS Study Abroad Blogging Network! How exciting!

(Or at least, I’ve been accepted and am awaiting the day my name will be put under “Belgium”!) 
I’ve added a click-through link and a link on my sidebar if you want to find more about the AFS Blog, as well as blogs from people around the world