Some initial notes and impressions

I am just about to begin my fourth day here so I thought I'd jot down some first impressions and experiences. I am feeling quite exhausted - probably due to the long flight here, the heat (28 degrees is quite a contrast to 13 in Dunedin - not that I'm complaining) and trying to think and speak and listen to French all day. I am trying not to let the tiredness hold me back.

My host family are lovely:  very kind, patient and generous. They certainly do their best to make me feel that I belong. Chantal speaks excellent English: she studied it at university and has taught it in the Cameroon as well as spending time in English speaking countries. I think that she said she was an au pair in Scotland. Fanny, her daughter, went to England last year for 10 months as an au pair. She knew no English before she went but is very good now. She is an inspiration for me. At least I know some words and phrases. Of course, I am trying to speak as much French as I can but it is comforting for me to know that they can translate if necessary. Like Chantal, Guy-Michel makes me feel part of the family and is very patient. I have not seen much of their son, Julien but he also nice.

  They live in a very pretty area where the houses are detached and almost all have gardens and there are lots of trees.(This is unusual as most houses in the city appear to be  semi-detached. Most people, I think, live in apartments). It is probably like the Maori Hill of Liege. Guy-Michel and Chantal are very interested in the environment and fair trade. Chantal buys organic produce where possible. She says this is not typical of Belgian people.

Food - this probably warrants an entry all of its own but here are a few notes, For breakfast, we eat homemade bread and a variety of homemade jams. There is also apple and pear syrup which tastes more savoury than sweet and looks rather like molasses.  Chantal and Guy-Michel have coffee at breakfast but I have an infusion (herbal tea). I haven't found any normal tea yet. The coffee does taste great (made in a machine - magimix- the machine brand not the coffee). However, they don't use fresh milk; it's UHT so I don't think that I would like a cup of normal tea with milk anyway! Chantal also makes yoghurt in an elctronic yoghurt maker. It's delicious.

Lunch is usually bread, wonderful cheeses and some sort of sausage (more like salami than what we would think of as a sausage). This might be accompanied by tomatoes or some salad. Chantal says this is atypical of Belgians - most would have a cooked lunch. The lunch is finished off with a coffee and some delicious chocolate - I am currently eating my way through a lot of individually wrapped 'Galler' brand chocolates. Each one is filled with a different flavour - yum!

Dinner - called souper in Belgian French - I will leave this until another time. It's worthy of its own entry!