I hope people are still reading this thing....

Well hey there!

I'm sorry AGAIN for not updating recently... I just get so busy and wrapped up in everything that's going on, and I'm really trying to just BE here.

I'm doing a good job of it so far- I'm learning SO much about myself, and I've really started to notice my changes lately. I'm loving it, and I'm SO completely in love with this place, the choices I'm making, and everything that's happening in my life!

Hmm. What has happened since my last entry?? It's kinda hard to remember.... I hate that! I'll be doing something and I'll think "OH! I've got to put this on my blog!!" And then I'll get home and I'll have something to do and I'll forget.

Sorry.

Don't be mad at me.

OH! England! I knew there was something big to update you on!

I went to England this past weekend (the 10th-14th,) to visit my old dear friend Max. We met four years ago when I was studying at Oxford in England- he worked at the ice cream store near my college. We really hit it off, and have kept in touch ever since! He's one of my closest friends, and I was really excited for the opportunity to see him again. It was strange, seeing as how our only communication since the first (and only) time we met was via the internet and phone- texts, calls, and Facebook were pretty much it.

So I left on Thursday morning (5 a.m. was WAY too early,) to head to England via the Eurostar! THAT was really cool. It's a train that goes under the ocean- underground AND under water. It was intense. Google it.

I got there and had to wait for Max's train to get in- he was running a little late, so I just walked around Oxford for a bit and remembered everything I had seen and done four years ago! That was pretty fun.

After he got there, we caught up for a bit, ate dinner, and then went out to have a beer and go back to the place where we met!! We had a delicious beer at The Eagle and Child (a pretty famous pub in Oxford,) and then went to the ice cream store where we first met- I wish I had taken a picture, but it was nice to have that moment just for us.

On Friday, there was a band playing in London that I LOVE, and I really wanted to go see them- they're a really small group, and not well-known at ALL yet. So when I found out via their MySpace (yeah, that's how huge they are,) that they would be playing in London, I HAD to go!

I e-mailed the group asking them about the venue (it said you had to be over 21 on the website,) and the band wrote me back and put me on their personal guest list! THAT was awesome.

So we took a bus into London in the afternoon, walked around Buckingham Palace (and gave the guards some REALLY funny dialogue,) and then found a really yummy Irish pub with great beer and burgers. I had been craving something American, and really wanted a good burger. And it was SO GOOD! Then we walked across the street to the pub where the concert was- it was really small, and the bands were all playing in the basement, which was really cool.

We didn't have to pay (Catherine Bixler plus one, thankyouverymuch!) and we took our seats and had some delicious beers. Halfway through their set, one of the members of the band that I love leaned off stage, looked at me, and said (in her adorable English accent,) "Are You Christine??" And I laughed and said "haha no, Catherine" and she said "so glad you made it- we'll come talk to you after the show!" And they did, and they were just the most precious things ever and SO sweet. They were so flattered that their music is so popular with someone as far away as "the States," and they all loved seeing their name on my ipod. It was adorable.

The next day we slept in and then left to go camping for the night. Max's best friend has an uncle who has his birthday party out in the woods every year- it's just for one night, and everyone camps out. And when I say it's in the woods, I mean it is in. the. woods. But it's really a fun time, and everyone brings huge truckloads of actual furniture out into the campsite- couches and end tables and whatnot- and they set it up to look like an outdoor living room. It's so funny! Old family pictures were nailed to trees and clocks were hung from branches- hilarious. And the toilet. Oh, man. The toilet. I wish I had taken a picture of it! It was just a hole in the ground, with two 4X4's (I think that's what they're called) on either side of the hole. A chair was placed over the hole, with the seat cut out of it and a toilet seat placed on top of it. Next to the "toilet," they had set up an ironing board with a tv, a radio, and a nice little lamp on it. An umbrella was stuck in the ground on the other side of the "toilet," and one of those room dividers was set up to make a little room for the bathroom. Only ladies were allowed, and you had to plug a light in outside the "room" to let others know it was occupied. It was too funny!

Sunday was a pretty lazy day, and we just napped and showered after we got back from camping. We were tired and pretty gross. That night, we watched a few movies and hung out before bed since I had to leave the next morning. England was a really wonderful trip, and I'm so glad I got the chance to take a little break!

I came back to Brussels on Monday, and had two birthday packages waiting for me- one from my parents and one from my brother and his family. I opened my brother's package right away, but saved my parents' for my birthday. My brother and his sweet family sent me such cute presents- it was so nice to get things from home, and it definitely made me miss them, too!

My birthday was on Thursday (June 17th,) and it was the best birthday I've ever had. Seriously. I really can't think of a way it could have been better. I was really worried about it being a bad day since I'm away from home and away from all of my friends, but it was WONDERFUL. I woke up and opened the package from my parents (which contained a really cute scarf, a coloring book for meditation- which is a lot cooler than it sounds- and a silver spoon ring made out of the silver from their wedding. Which is beautiful.) Then I got out of bed and opened my door to a card from my cousins in Bruges, and they told me in the card that they'll buy me a ticket to a music festival in Bruges that I really wanted to go to. So cool! So I'll head to Bruges the second weekend of July for the Cactus Festival to see Elvis Costello, Regina Spektor, Macy Gray, David Gray, Tori Amos, and others.... I'm pretty excited!!

I left the house around noon to go take Milan (the oldest kid,) to his speech therapy, and Gaetan (the dad,) gave me some money to buy lunch while I was out. On my way to the school, I passes by a tattoo shop that I notice every day but have never been in. On my birthday, though, I figured "why not just go in and ask- just ASK- how much your tattoo would cost." So I did (no one in that place spoke English,) and they quoted me 50 euro for what I wanted done. Which is only about $65, so I had the money. I told them I would think about it, and left to go get lunch. I ate the best baguette that I've had since I've been here, had a yummy Belgian beer, and then headed back to the tattoo shop. I stopped and got some money out from the ATM on my way, and made my appointment for an hour later.

I went home really quickly, changed my shoes, grabbed some water, and looked up which font I wanted my tattoo in online. I made it back to the tattoo shop at 4:05 (my appointment was at 4,) and got it done! Everything was over by 4:30, and I am completely happy with the results!

I like even better the fact that no one knew what I was doing- I didn't tell ANYONE when I decided to actually do it- I did it just for me, and I'm really proud of myself.

I just got the word "go." written on my ankle in black ink. It's really small! My favorite quote is "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be made simpler."-Thoreau, and since Belgium has always been my biggest dream, I wanted to get my first tattoo here, and I knew I wanted it to just say "go." See my facebook for pictures! Now that my parents know, it's no longer a secret. :)

After I got my tattoo, I went to a bar near the house and bought myself a nice Belgian birthday beer. It was really yummy, and then when the rest of the bar found out that it was my birthday, they bought me another one! It was nice.

I got back to the house, and my cousin Jo (the one I stayed with when I first got here,) came to the house for dinner to surprise me, and she had made the salad from my first day here that I loved so much! That was really sweet of her. The family gave me the SWEETEST present, too.

A few days before my birthday, Marie (the mom,) asked me for all of the pictures I've taken since I've been here. I gave them to her on a jump drive, thinking she just wanted them for her own albums. Then, on my birthday, she gave me a photo book that she had gotten made with all of the pictures I've taken! It was completely sweet, and so thoughtful! It's a really nice book, too- with the pictures printed right onto the pages. The last page has a picture of the family that Salome (6 years old,) drew, and at the top of the page, it says "We will miss you" in French. I definitely teared up a little bit when I saw it! It's such a sweet gift, and I am so lucky to have found such a wonderful family.

Not too much else has been going on lately... I went out this week for the first time(s), and had a lot of fun! Wednesday night I went out with Gaetan for after-dinner drinks. I ended up meeting some other Americans that were traveling through Europe, and I stayed out with them for the rest of the night- things got a little crazy, but luckily I had the day off the next day. : )

Thursday night, I went out with some friends of Marie's sister, and that was a lot of fun, too! It was a big party by a really nice lake, and the weather was perfect- I had a really great time!

Tonight, my friend Coston from the States is gonna be in Brussels for one night, so I'm taking him out and showing him around a little bit. I felt horrible for not updating sooner, so I figured I'd update while I have some time waiting for him- I have the house to myself, too, which is a nice change of pace!

Thanks to the adorable Abby Kraft for inspiring me to update- it's always reassuring to know that people are reading the things I'm taking the time to write! I have two really funny stories about me misunderstanding French and saying things horribly wrong, but this entry is long enough and I don't want to write anymore! I'm impressed with anyone who has made it this far. I'll post the funny stories later, though- thanks for reading!

Elated in Europe,

Catherine

A few fun facts....

*There are:

36 stairs going up from the shower to my room.

46 stairs from my room up to the laundry room.

15 stairs from the front door up to my room.

8 stairs up, and 3 stairs down to get from my room to the kitchen.

29 stairs from my room up to the baby's room.

50 stairs from my room up to the very top of the house.

65 stairs from the ground level of the house all the way up to the very top.

83 stairs from the basement level of the house (where I have to shower,) all the way up to the very top.

*I've been in a car less than ten times since I've been here.

*Walking one way to the baby's daycare is the equivalent of walking to AND from campus from my apartment.

walking in heeled boots is a great idea on streets like this....

*I'm going to be in the best shape EVER when I come home!!

Hope everyone else has a good summer workout regiment...!

Busting my Butt in Brussels,

Catherine

I swear I'm still alive.

from my day of getting lost in Brussels....

Okay.

I will NOT get up from this spot until I finish this entry. I swear.

I'm so bad at blogging. Sorry!! I hope you haven't given up on reading already!

Hmm. Let's see. The last time I wrote, we were getting ready to leave for the beach, I think.

Man, that seems like it was so long ago! So much has happened since then.... That makes me excited, considering how much time I have left here!

Alright. So the beach was pretty great- the apartment that we stayed in belongs to the mother of marie, and even though it's REALLY tiny (I had to sleep with the kids in the attic... and the baby snores. How is that possible? He's ONE!,) it was still perfect and located really close to the beach! The first night we were there, Marie and I went on a walk together on the beach and through the town of Knokke after the kids went to sleep. That was really nice, and I feel really connected with her- I must have known her in a past life or something. She's really great, and we're getting along SO well.

When I think about it, my situation really couldn't be better. More on that later.

We were at the beach for a whole week (Saturday-Saturday,) and only had two days of really nice beach weather- I got a great tan in that time, though!

The rest of the days were kinda gray, but we still went to the beach- but only to play in the sand- not the water!

On Wednesday, we took a train along the entire Belgian coastline (which only took an hour... I don't think you could drive the entire coast of GEORGIA in an hour!,) and went to Oostende for the day. It was kind of a bittersweet trip for me, since that's where my great aunt used to live. It was nice to remember times I've had there, but kind of sad to be there without any family.

On Friday, I took a train in the evening to Gent to visit my cousin Julie. That town is GORGEOUS! I was only there for one night, and we just went to dinner and out for a few drinks- but I still had a lot of fun and REALLY enjoyed being around people my own age! On Saturday, Julie studied for her exams while I slept in for a little bit, and then we went out into the town (it's a university town, so a lot of students,) and walked to an arts festival that was going on nearby. The weather was really nice that day, and the walk was great! I love festivals like that, too, so i really enjoyed getting to go to one here!

When I got back to the family in Knokke, we left and headed straight for Gaetan's parents' house near Brussels. We had dinner there and there house was really pretty! I'll be staying with them on my birthday weekend- Marie and Gaetan are going away that weekend, and the kids and I are staying there. Neither one of Gaetan's parents speaks English, and neither do the kids! Happy 21st birthday to me, right?? haha!

Sunday, we went to Marie's parents' house for an all-day barbecue get-together with all of that side of the family. I like them all a lot! Lots of kids, and a GORGEOUS garden (that smelled like heaven when I stood in it while it was raining.)

Monday was my first REAL day of work with the family, but I still didn't have to do very much. Marie came home early from work to show me how to take the bus to go get the three oldest kids from school, and introduced me to all of their teachers so that they'd know who I am when I come to get the kids. (She also made sure to tell them that I don't speak French so that they wouldn't think I was being rude when I came to get the kids!)

Tuesday was where my week got interesting.

Marie took the morning off from work to teach me how to navigate the subway system here and to get me a bus/metro/train pass so that I'll have access to all the public transportation I need while I'm here. She's really great.

After we rode around on the subway and Marie had shown me how to get to the shopping streets and which stop to take back to their house, we went out to lunch with some of her coworkers.

After lunch, I had to leave to take the subway

to take the bus

to walk to the kids' school

to pick Milan (the oldest) up

and walk him to his speech therapy

and then walk back to the bus

and take it back to the house.

....Keep in mind, this was my first day using public transportation here, and I had JUST learned how to get around!

Needless to say I got lost.

I got on the wrong metro going the wrong direction twice

And I couldn't speak to the bus driver to ask him which stop I needed to get off at to get to the school

...I got a pretty good workout that day!

Wednesday, Marie doesn't work, and the kids get out of school at noon, so I didn't really have too much to do that day, either.

Thursday was my first day off, and my first day alone in the big city! I woke up early to take Marius (the baby) to daycare, and then headed for the metro to go into Brussels.

I got off at the wrong stop (of course,) and figured it wasn't too far from where I needed to be, so I decided to walk.

....And I got very lost.

I didn't want to take the metro, though, because I was enjoying seeing so much of Brussels! I saw the tourist part, the shady part, the locals part, and FINALLY found the shopping district where I had meant to go all along. It was kind of nice getting lost- and I'm glad I did it!

I walked a LOT that day, and ate lunch at a not-so-very-good restaurant, so I was very happy to come home, take a nap, and relax until the kids got home from school.

Friday was a pretty easy day- I got to sleep a little later, went out to lunch with Gaetan (the dad,) and his colleague, and then went to get the kids from school and watched them all night while Marie and Gaetan went out to a function together.

It is crazy to me how well I am getting along with the family, and how fortunate I was to find one like them! Considering how quickly this whole thing happened, I really had no idea what I was getting into- I took quite a few risks in coming here! Marie told me after we got back from the beach that she was really glad that I'm here, and she already felt "lighter" having me around- that I was already helping her out a lot. That compliment couldn't have come at a better time- I had been feeling pretty down and homesick that day- and she said just what I needed to hear to remind me why I'm here and that it's not for no reason. : )

She told me this Saturday that they feel like they got really lucky with me- and I told her that I feel incredibly lucky to have found them and to be getting along so well with them!

It's especially flattering when Marie tells her friends and family that I'm not a "typical American"- even though I don't speak French yet, I'm beginning to understand a lot of what people say. But don't tell her! ; )

Saturday was the first communion of Marie and Gaetan's nephew, so we went to that service at a church, and then to the house of Gaetan's sister for a party with the whole family and a wonderful meal. Gaetan's brother looks JUST like Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing,) and I just HAD to take a picture with him. He was a good sport about it!

Sure, I'll have more champagne, Chandler!

Saturday evening, the family left to go to a rental house out in Ardennes with some friends, and I opted to stay home by myself... I'm glad I did! It was nice to have the place to myself to just relax, read, and just spend some time alone. I woke up on Sunday to some wonderful rain on my roof, birds chirping outside, and someone next door playing the most BEAUTIFUL version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." (The neighbors are a father and his two sons... the father repairs and tunes pianos, and they all play- I can hear them playing all day long through the walls! The sound fills the house and it's so gorgeous.)

SO. Today is Monday again, and now I'm all caught up on this blog. I'm sorry I've been so crap at updating and making posts! I'm really trying hard to just BE here, though, and not stay too connected to my computer or anything.

I leave this Thursday (the 10th) for England to visit an old dear friend of mine... We met four years ago when i was studying at Oxford (he worked at the ice cream store near my campus,) and we've kept in touch and become really close since then! I'm really excited to see him and be around people my own age for a little while... I miss that the most, I think! I'll be in England until the 14th, and and really excited for the chance to celebrate my birthday with Max and his friends since mine isn't gonna be the best one ever.

The family has also offered to pay for me to take one other trip (they're paying for England,) and I think I'd really like to go to Italy. I have a family friend from there, and she has a huge family- I'm sure I'd have a place to stay! Max and I are talking about taking the trip together sometime in July. So we'll see about that- but it's on my top list of things to do!

Other than missing people my age and being a little sad about missing my birthday, I haven't been very homesick too often! I'm glad- I think that only reinforces the fact that I'm meant to be here- that there's something here for me!!

I'll do my best to keep updating more often and not let this blog fade into internet oblivion.... I hope more people are reading now!

I also love comments. : )

Hope that entry wasn't too long, and I hope ya'll (I miss saying ya'll,) read all of it!

England-bound and eager,

Catherine

I need to learn French faster than you can say "Rosetta Stone."

My teeny tiny room in the family's house in Brussels! Check my Facebook for more pictures.

Today was definitely complete chaos.

I should really just write a few separate paragraphs about the chaos that has occurred in the last two days....

*Yesterday, Jo and I went into the city of Leuven near her house and walked ALL DAY. We went window shopping, had a WONDERFUL lunch, took pictures, had some delicious ice cream, and were probably out and about for six hours. It was beautiful weather, and we had a lot of fun. I was SO tired by the time we came home, though.

*I thought Jo and I were just coming to meet the family in Brussels yesterday evening and have dinner with them; I thought I was coming back to Jo's house for the night and moving in with the family today (Friday.)

....I was wrong.

Jo came into my room as I was putting my makeup on and said "oh, no- you're not packed yet! We have to leave soon!" and I said "I thought I was coming back to your house tonight! Why do I need to pack?" And she said "no.... I'm leaving you at their house tonight!!"

ummmmmmmmmmm.... okay!

So I was kind of thrown more headfirst into this thing than I thought I would be! haha.

We got to the family's house in Brussels around 7:30 p.m., met the children, had dinner, the parents put the kids to bed, we talked for a bit longer, Jo left, and I got settled into my room and went to sleep.

I thought THAT was a hectic day....

*Today, I woke up around 10:30, and was supposed to go have lunch with the dad- Gaetan (pronounced ga-EEY-tohn. Kinda like Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, but different.) The mom (Marie,) goes to work early and drops the kids off at school on her way, so Gaetan and I were alone in the house for the morning. He works downstairs, though, so I didn't see him at all when I woke up. He didn't hear me moving around, though, so he didn't think to knock on my door and get me for lunch- he thought I was still asleep.

So I missed out on lunch because of our misunderstanding. I was very hungry today.

Gaetan left me a note on the door saying he would be back by 3 to get me and we would go get the children, so I decided to go out into the city of Brussels and explore for a little bit while I waited. I have a key to the house, so I figured I'd be all set.

..Wrong.

I took one step out the door, and was hit with SO much fear, it wasn't even funny. I realized I had no money, I don't speak the language AT ALL, and I had no idea where I was going.

I decided to suck it up and go on my way anyway, but when I turned around to close the door, I realized I didn't know how. There's no handle on the outside of the front door, and it doesn't close on its own, so I had no idea how to pull it shut.

So I decided to go back inside and wait for Gaetan to come back home instead of breaking their front door in the process of figuring out how to work it!

Gaetan came home to get me, and we left to go pick up the three oldest children in the family car. We drove for quite a while, and when we pulled up in front of the school, Gaetan mentioned the I would need to learn the way so that when I go alone to pick up the kids, I'll know how to get to the school. Like it was no big deal.

....didn't know I'd ever be going alone!!!!!

haha- more of this headfirst business, it seems.

We got the kids, went back home, and then Gaetan asked me if it would be okay if I took the children to go get ice cream.

I said yes.

....

A. I don't know how to get ANYWHERE in this city- let alone to an ice cream shop!

B. I don't speak French at ALL.

C. The kids don't speak English at ALL.

D. I don't know how to use the currency well enough yet to buy ice cream!

So I was terrified, but set off with the three kids to go get ice cream- they knew the way, so that wasn't a problem. And the ice cream was REALLY good- I got sorbet, and it was delicious.

After ice cream, we went back to the house and I showed the kids some of my music and they showed me some videos on YouTube- they LOVE the Black Eyed Peas. And they listen to them in English- it was really cute to listen to them singing along in English when they can't speak English at all!

Gaetan came up from working and said it was time to go get Marius, who is the baby, from daycare.

So we all set out from the house to go get him, and we walked this time since the daycare is closer and the weather is so nice here.

We got the baby, and as we were leaving, Gaetan hands me the stroller and says the kids want to go to the park, and asked if I'd take them.

....Sure.

So I head off to a park (that I have no idea how to get to) with FOUR children who don't speak English (one of whom can't speak at all,) to do god knows what with them.

We actually had a pretty fun time trying to communicate, though, and the two oldest children are a lot of fun! They want to talk to me and learn from me, too, so we had a ton of fun trying to talk to each other and learn new words.

Once we got home from the park, Marie was back from work and we immediately rushed out the door to dinner. We walked to the restaurant, as well, which was a nice way for me to get to know the city a little better.

Dinner was AMAZING- we went to a pizza place nearby, and I had probably the best pizza I've ever had in my life. It was incredible. Paired with a beer, it was a perfect way to relax.

After dinner, we walked back home instead of touring a little more because the kids were all getting tired, and once we got back, the kids asked their parents to tell me to come give them a goodnight kiss once they were in bed.

The kids are allowed to sleep in the same room on the weekends (which I think is a really cool idea,) so I only had to go to one room to give them all a goodnight kiss before heading back to my own little room.

Tomorrow we leave for the beach for a whole week- I won't have internet access, but I can't wait to write again when I get back about everything I learned while I was gone! I already learned SO MUCH in just one day- I am so excited to learn more!

Sorry this post got so long- but so much has happened in such a short amount of time! I had a little bit of time to write before I pass out- I'm exhausted- so I figured I'd update you all for a minute. I'll post a few pictures of the kids (i forgot my camera when we went to the park, so I took them on my phone and had to take pictures of my phone with my computer so they're kinda bad quality- sorry!) before I go to sleep- hope you're enjoying reading and keeping up with me!

Best from Brussels-

Catherine

Marius ( I can't even type a way for this name to be pronounced.... but it's not like you'd think!) is one, and is SUCH a happy baby! He's learning to smile for pictures, and his smiles are the cutest things ever- he's a lot of fun.
This was just a really sweet picture of Marius and Salome.
Milan is 10, and the oldest kid in the family. He is SUCH a sweetheart, and is so interested in talking to me and teaching me French. He's gonna be so handsome, too! He's such a nice kid.
Salome.. (sah-lo-mAY) is 6, and is the sweetest thing. She loves art and music, and is so excited about trying to communicate with me! She's definitely gonna be my best friend.

It's Happening!

So....

I'M HERE.

Everything happened so quickly, and I didn't really have any time to sit down and write about all of it before now.

But I'm here! And I'll be here for TWO MONTHS.

The family that I mentioned in my first post ended up deciding to hire me for the summer, and it was a crazy time planning everything after that. I'll be living with them in Brussels (and they live RIGHT in the city,) and working for them doing things around the house and helping out with their four children. The kids are in school until July, though, so during the month of June I'll just kind of be hanging out and figuring out the city and traveling on the weekends if I want/need to! I'm pretty excited about it.

I'm staying with my cousin Jo in Lourven for two nights to help with the jet lag, and her house is just incredibly beautiful. It's very modern and a very different style, but SO wonderful and so unique. It's definitely a nice place to relax before heading into the huge adventure part of my trip.

Tomorrow night, Jo and I will go to dinner at the family's house in Brussels to meet them and spend some time with them before I move in, and then I'll be with them permanently beginning on Friday. On Saturday (the day after I get to them,) we'll be leaving for their beach vacation for a week! That should definitely be interesting.

Fun fact #1: the four children I'll be in charge of (ages 10, 6, 4, and 1,) do not speak any English.

Fun fact #2: ....I don't speak a word of French.

The only thing I'm worried about with THAT dilemma is how to say "get back here right now" or "don't take candy from that man" in a way that they'll understand me! I'll guess we'll just have to play that one by ear....!

My flight left on the 18th of May and got here today (on the 19th.) It was an okay flight, and it really seemed to go by quickly! Jo picked me up from the airport and took me to a town near her house to get a few groceries. She walked me around the town for a little while, and I took some pictures of how gorgeous everything was while we were walking and talking.

Once we got back to her house, Jo made an incredible meal for us with shrimp salad, bread, cheeses, and my first real Belgian beer! It was all fresh food, and it all tasted SO good! I'll post a few of the pictures at the end of this post.

I'm SO exhausted from my flight, and the jet lag is really hitting hard, so Jo let me take a little nap after we ate. It was only supposed to be an hour long nap, but it ended up lasting for a little longer than two hours! I was so sleepy.

Jo is seeing clients in her downstairs office now (she has a private practice and does psychotherapy with her clients,) so I have a bit of free time to walk around and explore the village near her house. I need to get up and move to wake myself up, so I'm gonna go do that! I'll post a few pictures before I go, but be sure to check Facebook for all of the pictures I'll be taking!!

Love from Lourven,

Catherine

My first meal in Belgium.... it was incredible!
My first Belgian beer!
this is part of the town Jo and I walked through when I first got here... I loved these flowers!

Finally!

So....

I'm starting this blog to keep a record of my trip to Belgium this summer. I wanted to keep everyone I love

(and others who might just be creepin' on me)

updated on what's going on, and I figured writing a blog for everyone to read would be easier than making the same phone call five times a night while I'm away!

Explaining my random, unexplainable love of Belgium to anyone who's reading might make sense here....

My mom's side of the family descends from Belgium, and I still have a few family members living there.

I've only been to Belgium twice; once when I was really young, and again during the summer after my junior year of high school.

The feeling I had when standing in the square in Bruges, Belgium is something I have never been able to explain to people.

The only way I can think of to describe it is to say that I felt like

I was home.

I felt like I knew I had to be there for a longer period of time, and I felt like I

belonged

right where I was.

It was a wonderful feeling- and ever since that summer after junior year, I've been dreaming of going back to Belgium to figure out what's so special about it. I feel pulled to Belgium- called to live there, and I can't wait to figure out what it is that's waiting for me over there!

A couple of months ago, my parents and I began brainstorming ways to get me to Belgium for this summer (the summer after my junior year of college,) and began looking for a job as a live-in au pair (basically a nanny,) for three months. We created a resume and sent it over to Belgium to my mom's cousin Jo.

Jo began spreading the word- and my resume- and we waited on pins and needles to see if my biggest dream would be coming true.

After some time had passed and we still hadn't found a family for me to work for, I began to lose hope that the trip would actually happen. I started planning my summer in Milledgeville

(the teeny tiny hick town where I go to school,)

and was counting on staying here to work and take classes for the entire summer.

Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed about the way things were turning out. Belgium has always been such a HUGE dream to me, though, that I had begun to accept the fact that it wasn't going to happen just yet.

So this past Monday night, when I checked my e-mail and had one new message from Jo, my heart rate started speeding up rather quickly. I grabbed my roommate Anna's hand as I read the message, and could not say anything except

"Shutup. Shut.Up. Shut.....UUUPPPP!"

(in a giddy high school girl-ish way,)

as I read the e-mail.

In her message, Jo described the family she had found for me to work for and live with this summer.

And they

seem

PERFECT.

They have four children- ages 10, 6, 4, and 1,

and are willing to have me live with them for any period of time I want.

Shedding tears (lots of them,) of utter happiness was the only thing I could do after reading the e-mail. I couldn't stop smiling, and my face is STILL sore two days later from doing so. I've been on top of the world all week.

Repeating "Belgium" over and over again has become some sort of mantra I've used to calm myself down when I'm stressed or to pick me up when I'm upset.

It hasn't really been decided exactly yet what I'll be doing as work,

but I still found a family!!

And that's a HUGE deal!!

The first step has happened, and I am beside myself.

A little

teeny tiny

part of me is still holding back from getting

too

excited,

but I know that once the dates are set

and the plane tickets are booked

I will be the happiest girl

in the world.

And I mean that quite literally-

I don't think

anyone could possibly be as happy as I will be

once this dream is finalized.

So I got in touch with the mother of the family, and received an e-mail back from her today. I responded tonight, and am just waiting to hear back from her about finalizing everything and making this happen!!

(I don't know why the rest of this is bolded- I tried changing the font back to normal after that last word, but it won't turn off. This stuff is still important, but I didn't want it ALL to be bolded....)

I wanted to go ahead and write my first entry now, just to get things started and to put all my feelings down somewhere! I usually prefer a pen and paper to a keyboard and screen, but I want all of my friends and family to be able to keep up with me and stay updated on my trip while I make my biggest dream come true!! So thanks for reading, and for sharing in my excitement in some way as I begin this super exciting time in my life.

Love and Belgian chocolate : )

-BelgiumBoundBixler