Halloween is considered a new holiday here. It has only really begun being recognized over the past five years so Im told.
Generally how kids celebrate Halloween is by trying to find a few houses handing out candy. Teens go to Dances, and adults dont know quite what to do.
The Friday before Halloween all the girls in my class did their makeup in the spirit of Halloween. So some girls teased their hair and went crazy with make up, and others like me just had a cool little spider web in the corner of my eye. At school this is usually not allowed for the majority of students but in your last year of high all the rule like this seem to bend around us. it is a tradition that every student in 6eme annee loves!
Monday, 12 November 2012
Elections
First thing that you need to know is that the government system is very complicated so I have a feeling that this will be the blind leading the blind situation.
Belgium has a king, but i dont really know what power or control he has over the country.
Then Belgium is divided into 3 regions; Wallonia, Flanders, Bruxelles. Where each of them have their own separate government. Each region also has their own provinces which govern themself to a point. Then there are the communities; French, Flemish, and German, each with there own separate government.
Now for the confusing part. Each governing system does not completely cover the needs of the people, and they all work separate and each one holds the same amount of power.
So if you need something you have to find in what government that you problems falls under, and most times you can go to a few different governments to help you.
So as you can imagine, there are a lot f elections because each member of the government is elected, or at least as far as I know.
On the second Sunday of October everyone and I mean EVERYONE has to vote, because it is mandatory, dont ask me why or what happens if you dont vote.
So when you vote, you choose a party, sounds the same as Canada. Then you choose one or two or three, or all the candidates in that party for you city/what ever "area" you are voting for.
I dont fully understand the results, and I dont think that helps my point of trying to explain this to you, but there went my best shot. I hope you were amused and possibly learnt something as I have, and if you are scratching you heads because I made no sense, I only ask that you dont judge my blog but what you just read, its not all like this... I think.
Belgium has a king, but i dont really know what power or control he has over the country.
Then Belgium is divided into 3 regions; Wallonia, Flanders, Bruxelles. Where each of them have their own separate government. Each region also has their own provinces which govern themself to a point. Then there are the communities; French, Flemish, and German, each with there own separate government.
Now for the confusing part. Each governing system does not completely cover the needs of the people, and they all work separate and each one holds the same amount of power.
So if you need something you have to find in what government that you problems falls under, and most times you can go to a few different governments to help you.
So as you can imagine, there are a lot f elections because each member of the government is elected, or at least as far as I know.
On the second Sunday of October everyone and I mean EVERYONE has to vote, because it is mandatory, dont ask me why or what happens if you dont vote.
So when you vote, you choose a party, sounds the same as Canada. Then you choose one or two or three, or all the candidates in that party for you city/what ever "area" you are voting for.
I dont fully understand the results, and I dont think that helps my point of trying to explain this to you, but there went my best shot. I hope you were amused and possibly learnt something as I have, and if you are scratching you heads because I made no sense, I only ask that you dont judge my blog but what you just read, its not all like this... I think.
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
La Batte
Every sunday there is a HUGE market in Liège.
I went one sunday with tow of my exchange student friends who live in Liège. We had three hours set aside to go, and we thought that that would be plenty. NOPE! we barely even made a dent!!
La Batte lines the Meuse river, and you can find anything there. From Jewelry to pets to clothes to farm animals (small ones) to cheese and meat. I can only imagine what I didn't see.
I'm looking forward to the next time, and I will be going for much longer too!
I went one sunday with tow of my exchange student friends who live in Liège. We had three hours set aside to go, and we thought that that would be plenty. NOPE! we barely even made a dent!!
La Batte lines the Meuse river, and you can find anything there. From Jewelry to pets to clothes to farm animals (small ones) to cheese and meat. I can only imagine what I didn't see.
I'm looking forward to the next time, and I will be going for much longer too!
School - Take Three
After going home stressed and in tears everyday for a week, My host mom and I decided it may be time to talk to the school again...
The courses were better, the teachers pushed to the side of the class, and the class was small, and not so patient or accepting of me. I was feeling like an alien or a used kleenex that has to be put in a garbage caa but no one wants to be the one to touch it.
My host mom called the school and explained to a guidence teacher what was going on with me and that this class was not working to well. On that particulaire morning I had gym for the first two hours, and then a 20min break. When my class returned the guidence teacher stopped and talked to all of the girls in my class. Then she talked to me.
It was a difficult conversation for me to express myself, but the guidence teacher was insisting that I needed to try harder and that they can't change my class every week... So she suggested that she talks to the whole class and explain how I'm feeling and my difficulties.
I returned to my class line a,d all the girls were telling me how they didn't know that it was hard and didn't know how to help me or how to talk to me and they promised they would try harder.
Great, things seemed to be looking up for a second go. Then we got to class and all the girls quickly clumped together leaving no place for me, and the boys filled up the rest of the row before I could get there. So there I was alone, again...
The guidence teacher arrived at my class to talk with them, she hesitates, and studies the class, then pulls me out to they hall. "Ok, I understand now,"
After another conversation she said that a girl in the other class of my program asked if I could join their class. I quickly said yes, I felt like this would be and must be the right class for me if they were asking for me. It wasn't that the other class was mean, they just didn't know what to do with me or have the patience to try and talk to me.
It was decided after lunch I would join the other class.
6Q3B here I come!
The courses were better, the teachers pushed to the side of the class, and the class was small, and not so patient or accepting of me. I was feeling like an alien or a used kleenex that has to be put in a garbage caa but no one wants to be the one to touch it.
My host mom called the school and explained to a guidence teacher what was going on with me and that this class was not working to well. On that particulaire morning I had gym for the first two hours, and then a 20min break. When my class returned the guidence teacher stopped and talked to all of the girls in my class. Then she talked to me.
It was a difficult conversation for me to express myself, but the guidence teacher was insisting that I needed to try harder and that they can't change my class every week... So she suggested that she talks to the whole class and explain how I'm feeling and my difficulties.
I returned to my class line a,d all the girls were telling me how they didn't know that it was hard and didn't know how to help me or how to talk to me and they promised they would try harder.
Great, things seemed to be looking up for a second go. Then we got to class and all the girls quickly clumped together leaving no place for me, and the boys filled up the rest of the row before I could get there. So there I was alone, again...
The guidence teacher arrived at my class to talk with them, she hesitates, and studies the class, then pulls me out to they hall. "Ok, I understand now,"
After another conversation she said that a girl in the other class of my program asked if I could join their class. I quickly said yes, I felt like this would be and must be the right class for me if they were asking for me. It wasn't that the other class was mean, they just didn't know what to do with me or have the patience to try and talk to me.
It was decided after lunch I would join the other class.
6Q3B here I come!
School - Take Two
So, My first class did not work out for me...
It wasn't the students, or my teacher really, it was the courses themselfs. They were too hard and not interesting to me. For you see, I was in an Accounting program. In Canada, I'm more of an "artisitc student," My favourite subject are Drama, Music, French and English. Needless to say, I understood nothing that went on in any of my classes.
Come monday morning of week two, my host mom and I had a talk with the Director to determine what a better program would be for me.
I am now in a program for people who want to work with kids, seniors, and people who are handicapped.
6Q3A here I come!
It wasn't the students, or my teacher really, it was the courses themselfs. They were too hard and not interesting to me. For you see, I was in an Accounting program. In Canada, I'm more of an "artisitc student," My favourite subject are Drama, Music, French and English. Needless to say, I understood nothing that went on in any of my classes.
Come monday morning of week two, my host mom and I had a talk with the Director to determine what a better program would be for me.
I am now in a program for people who want to work with kids, seniors, and people who are handicapped.
6Q3A here I come!
Afraid of the Bathroom!
I am afraid and intimidated by the bathroom at school.
Let me start off by saying thhat there is only ONE bathroom for the students at my school.
Looking at the bathroom from the outside you can tell that it's different. the wall that faces the courtyard is all glass. but besides that it has all the normal componets of a bathroom.
For the first wekk I didn't know what to think or do about this bathroom so I didn't. I advoided the bathroom at all costs. then by week two I had worked up enough courage to go to the bathroom with a friend after we had finished our classes for the day.
I've been in school for 4 weeks now and... I'm still scared, but I can muscle up the courage to go.
The number one comment that I get is, "man, you're fast"
Cramignon - Bassenge
Cramigon Checklist:
1. A Partner
2. A Ball Gown
3. REALLY STRONG ARMS!
Sooo....
I've now seen many cramignons, and I am becoming more and more familiar with what it is. In fact people in my village believe that I will be the cramignon expert out of all the exchange students, which could be true because cramignons are almost exclusive to my area. However even after all my studying and many hours of observations,I was not nearly as prepared as I thought I was to actually participate in one.
I apoligize for not having pictures to share; I'm still without my laptop.
I got dressed and got the pre-cramignon pictures taken at the house. Then I was picked up by my host grandpa to be taken to the community hall of bassenge, and boy was that an interesting challenge of trying to get in to a tiny european car with a huge ball gown on.
Everyone gathered at the comunity hall waiting for the time when we will embark on this exciting and fun endeaver.
At 2:30 we all got in a line two by two with our partners and we started walking towards the war memorial of the village. The front and the back couples of the line laid flowers at the memorial and we had a moment of reflection.
Shortly after the craziness of the cramignon started. We all form a line single file by grabing on to handles that every boy had, so the line went girl, boy, girl, boy with all the couples. Then we RAN!! we ran in every which way curving and swerving until we arrived at the first "halt."
we all stopped, talked, had a refreshment, and continued the process. This went on until 7:00pm!!!
I went home to changed, eat and get ready for the dance later that night. I was already to go, then I made the mistake of sitting down. I COULD NOT MOVE!!! Once my muscles relaxed I was done.
All in all, I will never forget this experience and I am slowly working up the courage to participate in the next possible one.
Now to start the checklist again...
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