I promised more.

     So, I shall add more. Hi everyone. I really don't know what to talk about. I had more that I wanted to talk about yesterday, but today was twice as exciting, and I have much I want to cover about today. So I guess I will just talk about what comes into my mind first and stop after a few events.

     Ok, so the first observation i want to share is driving over here. I will tell you, Europeans, or at least all the ones I have met and seen, are crazy drivers. I kid you not, the first time I drove with my host mother, the first image that popped into my head was from 101 dalmatians, at the part where Cruella Da'Ville is drivind around in her car chasing the dogs. Her hair is whipped behind her and her eyes are crazy. My host mother is no where that mean, but her driving had a bit of a crazy lady feel. It made me laugh so much. But later in the day when I drove with an 18 year old friend of my host brother's, I was shown the real craziness. It wasn't that much worse, but flying down this one lane road in the middle of pastures while it is raining and the windshield is all fogged up is something that surprised me a bit.

     Speaking of crazy, that is how I think all of my host brothers friends are. Today, after they went go-carting, myself watched and tried to memorize names, we went to the Quick, Belgian fast food. It was pretty good, I will say. Then after eating, one of the group with a little better English said to me, "Watch what not to do." As he is saying this, one of his friends is stripping in the parking-lot outside the Quick. When he is significantly clad in only his boxers, he and another guy with a camera run across the road to the median. He danced around a little bit, but then stood right next to the road, waving he hands and directing the cars to drive right next to him. It was at this time that I observed the large puddle in-front of the place where he had strategically placed himself. A few of the cars obliged him with a good soaking. It was very funny. Made me laugh a lot.

     Something that is really different here, that I like a lot is beez (sorry, spelling). When greeting, instead of a wave, or a high five, or a hug if you are really close, everyone gets a little kiss on the cheek. Now, I guess it isn't on the cheek, but you make a kissing noise in the other persons ear while touching cheeks. I like it because it seems very personal, and yet it is something everyone does when they meet. Guys, girls, everyone. I will say that guys whom don't know each other very well are more hesitant, but I have gotten them from a few of the guys in the group I have been hanging out with most. It is something that I like and am considering keeping up when I return ;-)

     Something a little sadder that I want to end on is based on that last statement. I feel it is a bit sad that two days into the trip I am thinking about the end, and though these thoughts don't come often, they do occur every once in a while. I will say it is worse after I write to someone at home or blog or... So I think that I am going to hold off blogging to just once every week. It is temping to blog every day before bed, but last night after shutting off the computer I have this overwhelming fear. It wasn't home-sickness I don't think. No, it was just an overwhelming fear of failure mixed with, "What the hell are you doing here Weston!" thoughts. I was afraid I wouldn't learn the language mainly, and that every day would be as much of a struggle as the first. Today was better, and that is good, but I think switching to English for an extended period of time made this fear very true and cutting. And then after that feeling washed over, my mind wondered to people that I would talk the over with, and then the homesickness hit a bit. Not as bad as the fear, and something I could manage, but it still was there. So I will try to go the week without much contact back home, and then next weekend I'll go over all the stuff that happened this week. And talking with Andria it seemed like this trend reversed as the trip went on. That blogging became difficult and hard to do. So I propose that this becomes a long term trend. I'll write every week, and ya'll keep me true to this. Ok? If I post before then, I expect angry emails. If I am late, I expect angry texts.

     Thank you all for caring enough to read this. It makes me feel loved to see the number of followers growing each day.  Not that I don't feel loved. It is just proof that the feeling is not misplaced. I hope you all are having fun in KC, and I do miss you all. So until next week, I love you all and I wish you all the best.

~Weston Halberstadt