all apologies.

I've been in Belgium for 13 days, and I haven't updated at all. Desolée, but can you truly blame me?

It seems as if every single one of those 13 days has been planned out, minute by minute. Though, now, I have some time to breathe.

Okay, you don't really want to hear me apologize, do you? What's my host family like? What have I been doing? How's Belgium?!

Well, my host family, in all honesty, is what I expected more or less. Actually, my entire stay so far has been almost exactly like how I expected it to be. I think I spent too much time thinking about Belgium when I was in the United States that now nothing comes as a surprise to me.

Everyone in the family is kind, generous, and patient. They smile with me and understand what I'm going through language-wise since everyone (my mother, father, and 3 host sisters: the youngest being 12) are all fluent in French, Flemish, and English. And yes, the latter is the greatest downfall.

We're always told by Rotary that we shouldn't let our host families speak to us in English, etc., etc. But simply having the knowledge that my family speaks English inhibits my learning. When I find myself tongue-tied while speaking French, I don't become frustrated, I just speak in English. I don't mean to, truly: it just happens. Then at the end of the day I become frustrated with myself for talking in English so much. I tell myself that the next day I'll talk only in French, but the temptation of English is too strong.

But don't get me wrong, I'm learning: just really slowly. It seems as if I'm in a never-ending French class in the United States. I learn, but just not as much as I would if I was completely submerged in the language like I should be.

Okay, enough with talking about language.. I get frustrated just expressing myself. So what have I been doing?

Well from the 22nd up until yesterday (the 28th) I was at the sea: the town of Knokke to be more specific. Most of the days the sun was out (surprisingly), so we spent hours at the beach appreciating the rarity which is sunshine, making Ségo (my youngest host sister) into a sand-mermaid, and walking along the shore.

We also went on a day-trip to the Netherlands


as well as a day-trip to Brugge


and I loved every single minute of both trips (although it was raining). They're both my idea of Europe: beautiful architecture and small, independent shops bordering every crammed, stone street.

And I apologize, once again, but I have to go. We're eating dinner and afterwards I'm going to a welcoming party for another exchange student.

à bientot!

waiting.

It's currently 1:30pm, and I'm sitting in Pittsburgh International Airport. I've been here since 11am, and now in 15 minutes I'll finally be boarding my connecting flight to Washington.

I didn't sleep last night so that I could sleep soundly on my flight, but, unfortunately, excitement is the strongest caffeine. I don't think I'll be able to sleep, at all. But I'll hope, since I usually pass out in any moving vehicle.

From D.C., my flight to Belgium leaves at 5:47pm, and then, after eight hours in the air, I'll arrive in Brussels airport at 7:30am, finally meeting my host family and beginning my adventure.

& now I need to go, my flight is boarding.

Au revoir,

Jordann

mots de juillet.

My last post was on my last day of school, and now it's already my last day in Pittsburgh.

Last year, I started the tradition of staying at my Aunt and Uncle's house (in Pittsburgh) during the summer to attend a Young Writer's Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. It's a two week program, and I love every minute of my stay: one, because I love the city life; two, I love Young Writer's; and three, I love spending the time with my Aunt, Uncle, and their dog (my cousin) Guinness. I left my hometown on the 10th of July, a little over two weeks ago, and now I have that same amount of time until I leave my town (and country) again for Belgium. Am I really leaving?

I don't think that the reality of my departure has quite set in. I think about leaving all of the time, but I just can't grasp the truth of it. I have a date, August 15th, which is truly the only substantial proof I have. My visa has yet to come in, but my travel agent said not to worry about it. So in a week, I'll worry. But for all I know, my visa may be waiting for me at my house. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

18 days.
18 days and a long list of "to-do's" and "to-buy's". I'll get it done. Procrastination rules above all others. Therefore, instead of working on my host parents' photography books (the gifts I'm making for them) or writing some more thank-you cards to everyone who has supported me, I'm sitting in a dark computer room- illuminated only by the computer monitor, chewing on a water bottle cap, and typing this post. I might as well do it while I can (which is a very common motto for me now-a-days).

As for my french, I had been fully convinced that the summer would be a time of devotion to learning so that I'd be able to converse by the time August 15th rolled around the corner. But I was wrong. Summer brings laziness, and I've been infected by the "oh well, I'll learn" plague. I mean, I know basics: a little over 2 years worth of french studies. I can read and understand fairly well, but when it comes to speaking.. it's another story. J'ai un accent américain, un accent terrible. I guess I'll just have to go with it and finally learn to be a quiet person.

It's an adventure. Who wants to jump in feet first?

Well, this water bottle cap has suffered enough. That means I'll be going.

Goodnight,
Bonne nuit,

Jordann

last day of school.

My best friends and I in Photoshop class:

greensburg, kansas.

I just created this in Photoshop class, and I felt like sharing it with the world.

quelle heure est-il?

Why, hello there.
Wait, I mean, salut.

Il est minuit et demi, et je ne suis pas fatiguée. Donc, je vais écrire, mais juste un peu.

This is supposed to be an english blog, forgive me.
Well, I've yet to share a few details about belgique avec vous.

Most excitingly, this is my school:

Collège Cardinal Mercier en Braine l'alleud. Just a step down from Hogwarts, huh?
For you to gain a better understanding of how I feel, this is my school now:

and on my first day of high school, I felt like I had never been in a building so big.
I can't even begin to imagine how I'll feel as I ascend those stairs, staring up at that I building I had seen, but never truly saw. But I can estimate that my heart will be racing 978,562 beats per second, and I'll be wishing I was studying my french right now instead of writing this post. And, more than likely, I'll trip at least once. Us Americans don't use no stairs, we have our escalators and elevators.

Which reminds me, I never really went over the title of my blog to ensure a full understanding. Most of you probably caught it, but I'll go over it for those of you who aren't as witty. From US to Them: it's a pun more or less. It can be interpreted as: From US (The United States) to Them (Belgium); or From US (as in all of us, a sense of belonging and togetherness) to Them (a more distant, less comforting sense). Nifty, eh? I was listening to Us & Them by Pink Floyd when I got the idea, so I can't take all credit for originality.

Mais je pense,
I think it's time for sleep. I have to go to (the latter) school tomorrow. It wouldn't be so bad if it were the former.

bonne nuit.

-_- zzzzz

j'oubliais.

I think my lack of posting conveys the amount of time I have en ce moment. My life: work, school, work, sleep, repeat. What haven't I written about? Too much. An attempt to record everything would probably mean no sleep for me tonight, but that's not really unusual anymore.

Well, let's see, since my host mom e-mail messaged me, we've been in steady correspondence. Currently, we write to eachother en français, which calls for a need of improvement on my half. Donc, I've been skipping lunch and studying with mon prof français, which I feel is truly helping (hence my random words in french throughout this post). My teacher couldn't be more supportive of my upcoming experience, and I'm more than excited to return to school my senior year just to have conversations in french.

All in all, my life has been consumed by my job at the oh-so-wonderful Pizza Hut, but Rotary, thankfully, allows me some time to breathe. I've had district conference, which was a weekend at Nemacolin Woodlands resort with five inbound & six outbound exchange students. We made music & laughed, sang & rock-climbed. But most importantly, we fit five people in a smart car (: Three days we stayed together, from April 9th-11th, and then two days later, seven of us left for a week I'll never forget.

Maxi, Sabina, Bia, Edwin, Zack, Emmeline, and Jordann all got on a plane on April 13th at a time too early to remember. They left to go on a trip to volunteer, but they didn't realize it'd be so much more than that.

For lack of time, I'll just post the article I wrote for the Rotary newsletter to explain & describe:

Before leaving for Greensburg, Kansas, I could not imagine why people would try so hard to reconstruct a town located in the heart of Tornado Alley. How could everyone work so hard to rebuild their businesses, homes, and lives, fully aware that they could easily be destroyed again? But before leaving for Greensburg, Kansas, I also never imagined that a natural disaster- one of the worst recorded in our country’s history- could devastate a town for the better. Prior to the EF-5 tornado, Greensburg was falling apart: it was just a small, rural town, like Mount Pleasant, struggling to make it through today’s age. But after the tornado, Greensburg was able to fall back together again. The ability to rebuild and “go green” brought publicity to the town- and is now bringing tourism and revenue. Though not only did the tornado positively impact Greensburg’s economy, but it also strengthened the community. Every citizen shares a pride in their town, having all contributed to piecing it back together again. Although the tornado demolished houses, trees, and parks, it did not affect Greensburg’s spirit. It’s a town where everybody greets anyone they see with a wave and a generous smile. We all, as strangers, felt more welcome there than we do in our home towns. Also, the citizens of the Greensburg share true gratitude for everything they have and are given. We were only a group of kids volunteering for a week, out of the thousands of volunteers that have helped, and they treated us as if we had given them the world. This appreciation, which is absent in the lives of most Americans, made me think that maybe our country would change for the better if it were devastated- but that’s beside the point .

Throughout the week I painted, hammered, and sweated- but every drop of sweat was worth it. I learned new skills, such as how to use a table-saw, and gained insight of the different lifestyles around the world, causing me to become more prepared (and excited) for my exchange. Although Kansas is in the United States, it felt like another country. I’ve never been in a place so flat, and instead of vast forests and winding roads, there are miles of level farmland, adorned with an occasional windmill, and straight, seemingly ever-lasting roads. I also had the opportunity to strengthen friendships with exchange students from Italy, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil, and, while I was at it, I learned some Spanish (and that I can’t roll my R’s).

When I agreed to go on this trip, I never imagined I would gain so much. Now, I can’t wait to return to Greensburg and see the buildings we helped to finish and the town completely rebuilt. All in all, I would like to thank Rotary for making this trip possible. I can’t have enough gratitude for every opportunity they have provided for me.

And that's that. For some reason I feel like my writing has lost all of its jordann-esque tonight. I guess it's just what exhaustion will do to a creative, existentialist mind.

Mais il est 11:11, donc je souhaite aller me coucher.
I'll write to you at a future time, unknown now, but surely to be discovered.

Bonne nuit.



PS: I finished my visa and found out everything about my home, school, town, etc. I'll post details next time.

:D