Arrival

Though the flight in was rough and tumble (delays and the lack of a cell phone made things difficult), almost everything since has been wonderful. The Ayer (names have been changed for privacy) family was very welcoming and casual, which was well appreciated after spending hours in transit. Jantine, the host mother, is just as warm and friendly as I remember from Skype, and I really think she will be an excellent boss. The children are very cute and the older two, Nicky (8) and Tess (6), seem as though they will listen. Jamie (2) is the only one who might present problems, as he is a typical 2.5 year old. They aren't known for their charm or attention span. Once he gets to know me a little and understands that he must listen, things will absolutely improve. Willem, the father, was on a trip to Russia with Jantine's father, who speaks fluent Russian. Jantine's mother, (who I am to call Oma, or grandmother) was also there, and was very friendly and interesting. Jantine's family is Dutch, so we will be visiting the Netherlands quite frequently to visit them (which I am all for).

My bedroom

Last night, Jantine had invited a Swedish friend over for dinner, so it was very nice meeting her and hearing her speak about her own travels. This morning, I had a French placement test at my language school. I did well on the written test - nearly all correct - but was placed in a lower level, as my speaking ability is not where it should be. It's a bummer, because I do know the grammar and vocabulary when reading, and my ability to listen is ever improving. I just need to get past my fear of speaking. For that reason, it probably is good that I am in a lower class; though I may be ahead in grammar and vocabulary, it will give me a chance to develop my comfort level with speaking.

My bathroom

My little kitchenette

Tomorrow, I am hoping to go sightseeing in the afternoon with a few au pairs. It is "Car-Free Sunday", a yearly tradition in Brussels, which means all transportation that uses a motor will be forbidden. It seems like a lot of fun, and it's good that it's happening before it gets really cold. I'm not looking forward to that; I already think it's pretty cold (I wore tights and boots today). Monday, I will start learning all the schedules and ways around town; right now, it's nice to be able to settle in and unpack without too many stressors.

Upstairs, the dining room

The garden

The house

So far, things have been great. The only complaint I have is with my new ipod touch; I assumed the picture resolution would be similar to the iphone's, but it is not even close. The iphone's images can be up to 5 megapixels, whereas the ipod touch is only 0.7. They should make that much more clear before purchase, because the picture quality is obviously very different. So be patient with my pixelated photos, I hopefully will have my digital camera sent to me soon. It really is beautiful here. Miss you all!