Hey everyone! Sorry it has taken so long to update, but not too much interesting was going on the last few weeks. I finished my first semester (I still have 3 finals in January) but everything finished off rather smoothly. Although I admit I havent been a great student this semester but really? I am a foreign student so it's ok, this is my time to travel and enjoy myself...
So to tell about my Christmas... It was, well, amazing, to say the least. I spent Christmas in Paris with Ingrid and her family. Although really we were only technically in Paris for about one day because we spent 3 days at Ingrid's aunt's house. So I arrived in Paris Thursday evening and we spent the evening resting in the apartment. Friday Ingrid and I went shopping with her friend Wendy (she's from St. Maarten but she has an American name). I bought myself a nice new wool sweater and, to be honest, Im so glad I did because it is FREEZING right now in Belgium!!! Anyways, so we spent the entire day getting gifts for Ingrid's family and then that night we all took the metro to Chatillon Montrouge, a little Parisian suburb just outside the city. Ingrid's family are some of the nicest people Ive ever met! Ingrid's aunt Ali is from Senegal as well as Ali's sister Nabu and their children. At first it was hard for me to understand because Ingrid's uncle Patrick (from Guadeloupe) has a super thick accent and plus a lot of the conversations were a mix of French and Creole. By the end of the weekend though not only was I understanding the Creole, but I was able to speak it a lot more than I was before. At one point Ingrid's dad was speaking to me in Creole and I didn't even know it but I understood what he said and responded back to him in French.
I dont think Ive ever eaten so much in my life as I have the last 3 days. One thing is for sure: African women LOVE to feed you!! Christmas eve we started our meal at 10pm and we didn't finish eating until 4am. No joke! Between each course there was LOTS of African/Caribbean dansing! and just when we thought we couldn't eat anymore, Ali brought another huge course. There were at least 6 or 7 courses total and plenty of champagne. I was designated the official champagne bottle opener and I can officially say that I am now an expert (and I have the sores on my hand to prove it!). So after we all finished eating, dancing, and drinking around 4:30am, most people went to sleep but I ended up staying up with Ali, Nabu, and Ingrid's brother Gary. We finished off the last two bottles of champagne and stayed up talking and laughing (in French we'd say doing bêtises, or silly things) until 6am. Finally I put myself into the mattress on the floor and fell asleep. At 10:30 the next morning we were all 10 of us awake and the apartment. After some coffee and showers, the party started again and we spent the entire day eating, drinking, and dancing AGAIN! The fête finally ended around 2am and Ingrid's uncle drove us back into Paris in the bus des handicappés, which, I admit, we all had a couple jokes about (shame on us, but it was 2am...). The next day we all slept at Ingrid's apartment and then after eating a little lunch together when we all woke up, we all get ready and headed back to Ingrid's aunt where we all ate, and ate, and ate. That makes 3 days of almost non-stop celebration. Now I am beyond exhausted and sick. Ingrid and I took the train this morning from Paris to Belgium (after only about 4 hours of sleep) and as soon as we arrived at our hotel in Brussels, we napped for 4 hours). We are now both freezing, stuffy nosed, and infectious... Tomorrow we are going to get up, eat breakfast, and prepare ourselves for some sightseeing! Personally, I am excited for the delicious Belgian beer and, of course, LOTS and LOTS of CHOCOLAT!!!
I will keep you all up-to-date with my travels and as soon as I get back home (in France I mean) I will add photos!
I hope everyone had a good holiday and that you are not all as cold as I am here in Belgium!
Love,
Doog
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