New family!

So this past Monday, I changed families. I have to say, I think I am going to have a wonderful time here. I haven't seen much of how they interact at home, because right after I got here I went to a church camp with my new siblings, but what little I have seen, and with the interactions I had with them during this camp, I have a really good feeling about this family. That isn't to say I disliked my old family. It just was difficult because my parents worked all the time and there was no one my age. All of that has changed with my new family.

For starters, as I have stated before, there are 4 other children living with me. It finally hit me today, while sitting down for a meal together for the first time, that this family is bigger than mine at home. And it is my opinion that going from 6 to 7 in a family is a much greater change than from, lets say, 5 to 6. And maybe the change is exaggerated by the fact that for the last 4 months I have been living with just one sibling.

Also, both of my parents will be home a lot more often than in my previous family. My host dad is a preacher for a baptist church, something fairly rare in Belgium, and my host mom is a religion teacher for elementary schools. So my host dad usually works from home and my host mom will usually get home before me. Always having someone at home is something I think I will enjoy.

As far as my new host siblings, they are all really awesome. The oldest, Jérémie, is fairly quiet, but really nice. He reminds me a bit of Damien. He is 22 years old, and was one of the councilors at the church camp. He and I get to share a whole level of the house - the renovated attic. The next oldest is Jonas. He is 20, and was a senior last year with my host brother, Aurelien. He is now at university, and is studying Latin and Greek, I think. Physically, he is a monster. If Jaret is my baby brother bear, he is by big
brother bear. But he is really nice. He is very mellow, and nothing really gets under his skin. And my youngest new brother, at 18, is Jaquime (sp? :-/). I swear, he is Sasha, except instead of a shaven (I don't know if that is even a word, but bald doesn't seem appropriate. And he probably isn't still bald, that is how I remember him) head he has a black pony-tale, and instead of cow pants, he has slippers like these.------------------------->
I don't know what else to say, besides I am really excited. And then there is my little sister. She isn't that little; I think she is about the same age as the twins. She is really nice. I didn't have much contact with her at the camp, so I don't know what much to say, but the times I did talk with her, she was very nice. I think I am going to get along very well with my family here.

I think I have rambled enough. I hope you all had a wonderful chirstmas/winter holiday, and I hope you all have a wonderful new years. I miss you all.

~Weston Halberstadt