September
My host family invited me to a marche that was in a town near us. My host father and sister both participate in it every year and got to ride on horses which was really cool to see! We paraded around and then they fired guns filled with powder which made all of the air around us smoky. After that, the Marche ended and we all got together to dance and eat dinner. This lasted from about 10am until 11:30pm when I went home with my host family.
This is a photo I took at the second of two weddings I have already attended this year. At both weddings, many people are invited and appetizers are served by staff throughout the evening in small portions until the buffet at dinner. There is a lot of dancing, trying new food, and meeting new people at these marriages. I am now a pro at explaining where I am from in French!
With my host family's friends we made our way to France and visited the Pommery which is a champagne house. We toured this building and visited the cave underneath which apparently store 25 million bottles of champagne!!
During our trip to France we ate very well. We went to fancy lunches and dinners every day which consisted of multiple different courses. Each course was beautifully created and looked almost too pretty to eat! This is a photo of one of the appetizers served at a restaurant we attended.
On the same trip we also picked grapes with a group in the vineyards of Champagne, France. After picking the grapes we drove back to where they make wine and learned about the process and tasted some champagne. We were then served a homemade meal with fresh foods from the area including a homemade crème brûlée.
On the way home we visited the Reims Cathedral which was absolutely amazing to see in real life. There are so many little details on the walls, ceilings, and windows of this cathedral. It was a fascinating sight to end the trip with.
A week later I went with my host mom, dad, and an exchange student from Japan (Mana) to Normandy for the day to visit the D-Day beaches and watch a short film about it the history. Although it rained at the end, the weather was perfect throughout the day and I learned so much!
Here is a photo of Mont Saint-Michel. This was one of my favorite places to see in France as it was like nothing I had ever seen before. Once you enter there is a path that continues all the way to the top to an abbey. It reminded me of the Harry Potter movies because of the medieval architecture and numerous cozy restaurants and shops similar to the alleyways in the movies.
With the Rotary Club of Charleroi, Belgium, we met with the Rotary club of Pornic, France. Little did I know, Brieuc from France who came on an exchange to Oregon last year was a part of the Pornic Club. It was really fun catching up with him and meeting another exchange student from the U.S, Mason, who was placed in France. We all went to the beach together and caught a couple of small crabs and found some interesting shells. Here is a photo of Brieuc holding a crab that he caught!
That evening, Brieuc showed me around his town. This is a photo of Pornic. As you can see in the upper left corner, the town is on the coast and it is known for having very good seafood like mussels.
Before we left to go back to Belgium we ate a delicious meal at La Fabric with the two Rotary clubs and I said goodbye to Mason and the members of the French Rotary. This is a photo of our dessert which is "une omelette norvégienne."
