By Pauline Leblanc
Today, the 11th of September, it’s been one month since I came to the United States from Belgium. One month that I am not with my family and start a new life. I was blessed with a really good host family. I live with Susan and Gene Johnston. They are always there to talk to me when I am not feeling good. I am comfortable with new words in my own house, and the Johnston’s have welcomed me and made me feel at home. We live In a small town right outside of Mount Vernon where lot of people are there to help me and make my exchange go smoothly.
My first impression was that everything is like the movies! The cars are trucks, the food is greasy, and the houses are huge! I took a school bus just like the ones I saw in movies. I went to the Iowa State Fair over the summer it was a really good experience for me because I saw huge pigs, bulls, and the foods are all on a stick!
I tried a lot of foods but I can see that here you go to get fast food or eat hamburgers often, but I missed bread, Belgian chocolate, and fries. For me during lunch I usually ate a sandwich, but here it’s always warm lunch. During school the lunch it’s at 11 a.m. and the dinner is at 6 p.m. it is too early for me. I used to eat lunch at 12:30 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m.
I made a recipe with my host family that was zucchini muffins with chocolate; it was weird for me to mix the two but I tried and it was good. Also, I like to eat hamburgers and cheddar sausage. Even when I want to eat fruits it’s too sweet because there is too much sugar! Sugar is everywhere.
It’s funny to see all kind of differences between the two countries. In Belgium, I have seven hours difference in time, so it was difficult to adapt myself. I discovered some places in Iowa that are beautiful, like Cedar Rapids, Ames, and Newton.
The first day of school was all new for me; I can choose courses that I like because I already graduated in Belgium. The classes are easier here than at my school last year. Another thing that is different is the class rosters, at my school in Belgium seniors stayed in classes with seniors and freshmen stayed with freshmen.
My favorite class is sewing. I love sewing! My two grandmothers were seamstresses, and they taught me different ways to sew. For me, it’s a good way to learn more and make them proud. I like using the sewing machine and doing new projects!
Overall, America exceeded my expectations, and I am happy with my decision to be a part of the rotary exchange.
