The weather in the beginning of the week was awful. Cold and wet and foggy… But at the end it was very pleasant. I sometimes didn’t even need a sweater. Anyway, I had an amazing week dispite the poor weather!

Open Mic

Sunday, my host family took us to the open mic competition in the theatre of Griffith. I was so impressed with the nerve all these young people had, coming up to this giant stage, giving the best of their original music pieces. Some of them were really good and I enjoyed listening to all of them!

Tennis

When I was looking for new things I could try, I saw there was a tennis court in Griffith. So, I told my host family I was interested in trying tennis and with some good luck the cleaning lady plays tennis. We called her and she gave me all the details. I could just come to the court and they would help me there.
When I arrived there, with another bit of good luck there was another girl who wanted to learn. And we had a lot of fun hitting the ball, but more often missing the ball. After a while you could see our progress. I really had a good time! The next day my arm was only a little bit sore…

Presentation

A lady of Soroptimists (an organisation who supports women) asked me a while ago to come to one of their meetings and tell them a little bit more about Belgium and my exchange experience so far and what it’s like to be a young girl growing up in Belgium. So Wednesday evening I would have my presentation and the whole day I was so nervous! It was not necessary of course, because all those ladies were so incredibly nice! I really loved how interested they were and I loved to do it!
I got to stay for the rest of the meeting and I thought it was so impressive how much they do with their organisation. It’s completely based on volunteers and they are all people who really hope to and do make a difference. I’m so grateful for the oppurtunity to tell them a bit more about Belgium.

Kangaroos!!

Finally, I saw kangaroos happily hopping around. I basically just stopped and stared, but it was so magical. I’m sorry the picture isn’t too good.

Singing in a nursing home

Saturday morning I got in the car with my hostmom and we drove to a nursing home. There everyone of the choir needed to do a RAT-test to prove they didn’t have covid. Luckily, there was no-one who tested positive and everyone got a sticker to show they were visitors.
We gathered in a hall and sang because we like it. You could easily tell everyone was enjoying it. It’s amazing to see all those people singing or nodding allong.
We all had a really good time.

Little Italy

Saturday night, I met up with some friends to go to a restaurant, Little Italy. I had a lot of fun. Griffith on a Saturday night is pleasantly busy and we all enjoyed the company.

Church

Sunday morning, we went to the big church in town for a change and it was packed! They still didn’t have an organ and the two servants do their tasks differently from what I’m used to. It was remarkable to see how the mass is the same and completely different in other countries at the same time.

Cinema

Some of my classmates invited me to go see Deadpool & Wolverine. It was a really good movie and we all had a great time! The movie theatre in Griffith has lots of snacks and 4 rooms in the complex. There are no fixed seats, but everyone has a lot of room to enjoy the film. It is really nice!

Time flies

I can’t believe I’ve been here for 3 weeks now. So far it has been incredible and a wholesome experience. I’m so grateful to get the chance to be a part of these people’s lifes! And I’m very curious what next week will bring me…