BELGIUM -POST IMPRESSION (NOW THAT I’M HERE)

Liege, Belgium, is legit.  There apartments/dorms we’re staying in are right down the street from a strip of boutiques in one direction and a grocery store -which is inside the mall. I must say that I was wrong.  The City of Liege is beautiful -when it’s not raining. Our apartments are chic and cozy, there’s no AC but we’re never there during the day ant we can open the windows at night so it works out. Definitely a nice place to temporarily call home.
The Belgian Culture is divided but unified at the same time. There’s the French Wallonian Belgians in the South (Closer to France), the Flemish Belgians (Near Flanders in the North); then there are pockets of German Belgians in random areas throughout the country. 4197340 I found out that when you’re taking the train across the country, you will here the language over the intercom change from one city to the next, for example,  in Liege (See map) they speak French, and Brussels, Belgium’s capital, they speak Flemish. Crazy right??
Another observation, is that the people of Belgium are kind and have humble souls. It’s almost as though their Ethical Judgement and Culture values have been molded by a peaceful force that it no where to be found. After chatting with a married couple who have lived in Liege for 11 years (Natives to Italy) I was informed that most Belgians actually do like Americans and what America Has done to help Europe. Though there are those few stubborn ones who will give Americans a hard time just to do it.
Being an American in a another country, for the first time at that, can be quite intimidating. However, when I first arrived in Belgium I wasn’t expecting it to be as developed as they were. Which only goes to show you shouldn’t believe ANYTHING of what you see on TV, you should get out and see for your self!


PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS

My only preconceived notions of Belgium are what I’ve seen on the movie Blue is the Warmest Color on Netflix. It looked like ant other lower- middle class neighborhood I’ve seen. Granted it WAS only a movie, the environment of where it took place was no facade. Though, after watching the video of the Residence Meuse Campus in Liege I was proven wrong within the first few seconds! IT’S IN THE CITY!! ^^) Words cant express how overwhelmed with excitement I am.


NUTS & BOLTS OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION ASSIGNMENT

This assignment was enlightening for me. I posted on Facebook asking my friends if anybody had experienced learning a second language; the response was shocking.  I found quite few commonalities in their responses’. Some said it was difficult because they were young in a new country (Spanish speaking -Learning English in the U.S) where their peers spoke English; another said it was “like a puzzle” (Spoke English; Learned French) because their parents spoke french in front of her and her brother when they didn’t want to them to know what they were saying (that was one made me laugh :). Their motivators were touching and i could feel the tough love in one their words  (LOL) but here are what a  couple of them had to say:
” I was motivated by my parents, who told me that I better learn [English], or else I would be left behind” 
-Gibran
“I was motivated to learn sign language because I had a deaf friend that I wanted to talk to.” -Tiffany
” I was motivated [to learn English] because I moved here haha”
-Luz
“My motivation was to understand my parents, and I also quite honestly thought it was cool to be able to speak and understand another language
(French)”
-Annique
The process and obstacles they went through to accomplish what they wanted (learning a new language” was truly inspiring:
GIBRAN 
“Awkwardly enough, I didn’t exactly go through a systematical process. Most of the class spoke to me in English, so I paid extra attention as to what they say and what they’re doing. It came natural talking English, since most of the class spoke English and my teacher was actually bilingual. She helped me translate certain words and phrases.”
 
LUZ
“I just moved here, got hired in a Mexican restaurant and learned English working as a hostess and since you don’t have to talk much, I wasn’t afraid. Also, speaking on the phone was very very scary for me!”


ANNIQUE
“The process is a long one. But, the fastest way to learn is to immerse yourself in that language by going abroad. For me, one semester abroad equaled years of learning from books.”
After reading my friends responses about learning a knew language, I’ve learned it can be challenging but well worth the obstacles. I also gain insight from each one of them that one should motivated. Simply put: if you want something that bad, for any reason, you’ll apply yourself to it and come out successful
PART 2: “MOTHER OR FREEDOMI had to write either the word mother or freedom on a scratch piece of paper. Choosing the one that meant most; i had to look at it, and then think what it meant to me (mother). Then on second sheet, write one or two descriptor words of the most disgusting thing I could think of; which was pig feet and Chitlins (Chitterlings on Google). With the disgusting sheet (Pig feet and chitlins) I had to get a visual (which was clear as day -the smell too) and then kiss it. Gross. With the sheet I wrote”mother” on, I had to place on the floor and step on it.My Response: Yes I was hesitant, and yes, I complied. I felt sad afterward. I felt as though I was stepping on my mom. Even though we weren’t instructed to get a visual, one came instantly when I saw the word “MOTHER”.