Somewhere in the Middle

Carving Pumpkins + English Conversation

This year I've decided to take on more responsibility with the English conversation groups. It's a group I'm really passionate about so I'm enjoying my new role. With so many international women in our community wanting to practice & improve their English, we have a huge demand for native speakers. So my first goal is to recruit additional native English speakers. But it's tough finding people who are willing to set aside time to help.

Being in a community with so many international women is such an incredible opportunity and if you can make friends with these ladies it makes the time here in Belgium so much more enriching. People just don't know what they're missing. Of course, there is a comfort level when you surround yourself with women from your own country but really? Once I move back to the US I'll have lots of opportunities to make American friends but for now I'm focusing on my international Grrrls! 

After talking with an acquaintance from another conversation group, I decided to spice things up with my group. Since I love crafts I thought it would be fun to incorporate some holiday activities.

And with Halloween just around the corner I decided to have a pumpkin carving get together with my group. It was a lot of fun.

For most of these women, it was the first time they've ever carved a pumpkin. I'm happy to say that they really enjoyed the activity.

We talked about Halloween and how it's a big tradition for many Americans to carve pumpkins especially if they have children. And I explained as children when you're trick-o-treating, a light pumpkin is a sure sign that that house is giving out candy!

Before we started I showed them lots of online images of carved pumpkins. But my group is a creative bunch and they came up with some interesting ideas.

Everyone went home with a really cool pumpkin they can use this Halloween.

Cooking with the Sicilians.

Our 2nd cooking course was hosted by Ice Cream Grrrl (on the right). I love this girl! She always makes me laugh and she's a non-coffee drinker like me. Quite honestly, I've never met an Italian who didn't love a shot of espresso but Ice Cream Grrrl is in a league of her own. Instead of drinking coffee, she has a cup of ice cream every morning. lol! Love it! She says it helps her wake up... "so cold & refreshing". About a week ago, I dragged myself out of bed at 4am to do a flea market and guess who was at the market? Ice Cream Grrrl. And she was eating a bowl of ice cream at 5:30am despite the weather being in the 50's. Franchi, her other Sicilian girlfriend brought it for her. How sweet is that? When I see these Italian women together it reminds me of a big group of loving sisters. I once asked Ice Cream Grrrl how much Ice Cream she goes through... her answer, a few containers of ice cream per week! 

Not only can Ice Cream Grrrl polish off ice cream without gaining an ounce but she can cook too! For our cooking class she showed us how to make Polpotte di Melenzane and Franchi showed us how to make Croccante. The food was amazing!

While Ice Cream Grrrl was cooking, Sardegna Grrrl explained to me that eggplant is a very common ingredient in Sicilian dishes.  

To make Polpotte di Melenzane you need eggplant, parmesean cheese, bread crumbs, fresh parsley, and an egg or two. And of course some garlic from Italy.

When I asked about the measurements for the various ingredients I received some sketchy answers so I believe it depends on how much you're making. I suppose it's a bit like your grandmother's cooking. You eventually learn how much to put in based on taste & experience.

Once all the ingredients were mixed, everyone shaped the dough into little patties that were later fried. 

Don't these look amazing!

Franchi made the Croccante using sesame seeds, almonds, honey, and sugar. She toasted the sesame seeds and almonds until they were a deep rich brown color.

While the nuts cooled off, she carmelize the sugar. As she mixed the sugar in the pan, she poured the honey into the middle of the pan & gradually mixed the two ingredients together.

Once the sugar carmelized, she added the nuts. Working quickly she covered the nuts with the sugar mixture.

Then she poured the mixture between two sheets of wax paper and with a rolling pin flatten the mixture. This step requires some muscle as the mixture hardens quickly.

Once flattened to about 1/2 inch, Franchi cut the mixture into little rectangles.

For lunch, Ice Cream Grrrl served penne with tomato sauce and some melenzane she fried earlier.

The pasta was really delicious and yet it was a simple & healthy dish to make. Perfect combo in my book. I loved it so much I made it for dinner except I baked the eggplant. 

The conversation at lunch was lively and fun! Sex was the main topic which always makes for an interesting conversation! About 70% of the conversation was in Italian but I had a good idea what they were talking about. But the Turkish woman in our group was a bit lost. So when she asked what they were talking about Sardegna Grrrl said.... "we are talking about sex and how we have it". lol!

Thank you Ice Cream Grrrl for an amazing lunch!

Forget French, I need to learn Italian!

Today was the best day ever. And it all started last week....

Sardegna Grrrl sent me an invitation to participate in a group called "Laboratorio di Cucina". Oh, now THAT sounds fun! I love cooking classes but when I looked at the list of members I realized I was the only non-Italian. Did Sardegna Grrrl make a mistake? Won't everyone be speaking Italian? I understand some Italian since some words are similar to Spanish but I really can't speak Italian. So I quickly sent Sardegna Grrrl an e-mail asking if she really wanted me in the group and I assured her I wouldn't be offended if she had made a mistake in sending me the invite. Her response, "I am sure. And I called you on the phone to tell you and left a message. We want you as the international side are you coming?" Unfortunately, I never received the message since the new IOS update to my iphone has completely caused havoc with my voice mail.

Being included in this group was just the thing I needed! Ever since I've come back from our summer vaca in the US, I've been a little down with the whole friends issue... It's a little lonely when your good friends move away... Especially with Backgammon Grrrl gone, things just aren't the same.

I wanted to express to Sardegna Grrrl how much I appreciated her welcoming me into this wondeful group so I gave her an adorable apron. I saw it on Anthropologie and loved it! So I bought a few not knowing who I would give them to. But I have to say this was the perfect opportunity. And since Sardegna Grrrl is super stylish we had to start the class out right by being fashionable in the kitchen!

I love this photo of Sardegna Grrrl. It is so her! Kneading dough and talking... she's a multitasker all right! She loves her iPhone as much as I do!

The cooking class was so much fun!! Imagine 10 Italian woman + one American and one Spanish woman gathered around a table learning to make Seadas.

Home-made dough and everything. It was fabulous!! And to think I used to pay for Italian cooking classes. lol! But this was much more authentic and a lot more fun.

We also received a lesson in fancy napkin folding.

I love how even though all the women in the group are Italian they're all from different regions so their food is very different.

I was the designated photographer so I got a lot of good shots. In addition to the delicious Seadas, Sardegna Grrrl also made Spaghetti with Bottarga (cured fish roe). I've never tasted Bottarga so it was a treat for me. And apparently it's a delicacy in many Medittaranean countries.

Sardegna Grrrl placed thin slices of Bottarga on top of a traditional Sardinian flat bread. She also had Bottarga powder which she poured on top of the spaghetti along with fresh garlic and olive oil. It was really delicious! I'm always amazed how every Italian who has ever cooked for me makes pasta perfect. How do they do that? It's never overcooked.

Sardegna Grrrl also served a fantastic Sardinian wine along with a special sparkling water that can only be found on the island. It was a real treat! By the time the food was served there were 12 of us at the table... eating, talking, laughing, and drinking. I couldn't have asked for a better day!

After lunch, Sardegna Grrrl fried up the Seadas which were absolutely delicious with a little honey drizzeled on top.

We also received three Seadas to take home and cook for our family.

The first Laboratoria di Cucina was amazing! With such talented, funny, and wonderful women as these it's impossible not to have fun. Here's to the next cooking lesson!

Saying Goodbye

It's that time of year again... when we have to say goodbye to our special friends. This year Backgammon Grrrl & her family are going back to the US. She will be greatly missed and I know C feels the same way about Lil' J. We've shared lots of good times!

This year though I'm going to try my best not to say any final goodbyes. When Lil' C & I said goodbye to Numeracy Grrrl and her family two years ago is was so incredibly sad. During their last playdate, Lil' C was so brave. He didn't cry while in Lil' J's presence but when we got into the car he completely broke down and it broke my heart. I just can't let him go through that again. So this year I'm going to try and keep it light. We all hate to say goodbye and would rather say, "... until next time" but it's easier said than done.

Yesterday, I met Strawberry Shortcake & Meditterean Man for coffee. It was great catching up with them. Meditterean Man & I both signed SS's Belgian flag with well wishes. What a great idea! I'm sure it will bring her lots of good memories when she looks at it years from now.

In the afternoon, I met up with my English conversation group for our last meeting of the season. I'm really lucky to have such a fun group! These ladies always make me laugh.

Today we all discussed our summer plans. The ladies that are not permanently moving are all planning to visit their home countries... it's funny when you talk to them and ask how long they'll be gone... "Oh, just for 6 or 8 weeks." lol!! Is that all! lol!

Happy New Year!

This New Year began with lots of enthusiasm and excitement! Thanks to my Secret Agent I spent the New Year in Times Square. That's right, baby! New York City! It was absolutely fabulous!!

We were having dinner with C's Godfather, his partner, Mr. "NYC-On the Street", and of course Mr. Secret Agent. Around 11pm, Mr. Secret Agent asked, "Are we going to do this? Who wants to go to Times Square?" S said he'd pass and stay with Lil' C. He didn't want to be with all the crowds. When Mr. "NYC-On the Street" & R said they didn't want to go either I was completely shocked. Not me! How many times in your life do the stars align and allow you a special pass to celebrate New Years in Times Square without the 5-6 hour wait? "I'm in!' I told Mr. Secret Agent. Immediately, R, Mr. Travel Man changed his mind too.

We left the house at 11:15pm and walked to Times Square. It was a beautiful night too. It wasn't really cold which was perfect! There were people EVERYWHERE! It was absolutely crazy. Hand in hand we walked or I should say they walked, I jogged. lol! Mr. Travel Man & Secret Agent walked so fast. We went through about 5 blockades. The first one was a little crazy because there were hundreds of people who wanted to get through the blockade but the police officer kept yelling at the crowds to get back. But when Mr. Secret Agent used his secret powers the police offficer told us to go through. After a minute or two the crowds disregarded the officer and started running through the street. But there were blockades at every street so when we arrived at the next blockade we had to wait a bit. I think the police were worried that if they let us through the crowds would again rebel. So we squeezed our way to the corner of the street and the NYPD escorted us through. It was such an amazing experience! The sidewalks were completely empty except for the NYPD and us! lol!! Now I know how celebrities must feel. lol! 

With Mr. Secret Agents superpowers, the next 3 blockades were a breeze to get through. We ended up in an area reserved for family & friends of the NYPD & NYFD which was great. We had space to move around and we weren't completely crammed in.

By the time we arrived to this spot it was 11:45pm. Beautiful! We counted down to midnight, watched the fireworks, and sang Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" along with thousands of other New Yorkers as billions of pieces of confetti fell from the sky! It was so amazing!

Afterward, we had drinks with some of Mr. Secret Agent friend's that work for the NYPD & NYFD. These guys were true New Yorkers... with their deep NY accents and mannerisms. I loved it. 

Here are a few photos from that night. I also took these videos but because I wanted to focus on the moment not on where I was taping it's a super crazy video.

The photo quality is absolutely horrible but really I don't care... everytime I look at these photos & watch these videos my hearts beats a little faster and I just can't help but smile and think about what an awesome night it was! Thanks Mr. Secret Agent!! I owe you one! ;)

Friends + Oktoberfest = Good Times

Celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany is so much fun.

Even if you're not a beer drinker it's a blast. S & I went twice while we lived in Germany and we have some wonderful memories.

The last weekend in September we celebrated Oktoberfest here in Belgian with some of our good German friends. The German community put on an amazing event... the music was fantastic and of course there was plenty of good German food.

At the beginning of the event the Germans continued the tradition of a high official tapping the keg. In Munich, the mayor of the city is the person who taps it but in our case one of the German Generals did it and once he tapped the keg the beer flowed while into the late night.

We went with our friends Herr Adventure and Frau Golfer, who just so happen to be the couple that exchanged homes with my sister & her husband. It was a lot of fun sitting with so many fun Germans.

Herr Adventure loves to dance so immediately when the band began playing he was out on the floor dancing with his wife. Then Herr Adventure & Frau Golfer took S & I out into the aisles and had us dancing a very typical German dance that was so much fun. Imagine yourself dancing hand & hand with another person and skipping side to side at a record speed up and down the aisles. It was crazy! lol! For sure I thought we'd bump into one another.

All throughout the night, people were buying boxes of these little bottles of alcohol. I'm not quite sure what kind of alcohol it was but the Germans had an interesting way to drink them...

First, you vigiously shake the bottle on top of the table, then you take the cap off and put it on your nose, and then put the bottle between your teeth and down it.

S & I danced a lot that night! On the dance floor, in the aisle, & even on top of the benches.

The music was really good and we managed to sing a few German songs while locking arms and swaying to the music.  It was definitely a night to remember!

Beach Day in October

So happy that Friday is here! And that my written & oral exam are over! There's no French school next week so it'll be nice to have some time to catch up on things. Like blogging & preparing for C's birthday.

The next few days are supposed to be gorgeous... classic Autumn days filled with lots of sunshine and cool weather. A combination I love!

About two weekends ago we had a mini heat wave so we took full advantage and hit the beach. That's right, the beach! lol! We had lots of fun with Backgammon Grrrl and her daughter.

The water was freezing but it didn't stop the kids from going swimming. ;)

Lil' C  & Lil' I also had lots of fun playing with the sand.

 

Making new friends

French grammaire has to be THE most difficult subject ever. My head is in a cloud trying to make sense of passe compose, complement direct and indirect, pronouns, reflective meaning and trying to figure out why on earth verbs like running and talking are NOT verbs de movement. I can go on & on and we're just learning about verbs!  Yesterday, I was so frustrated with my homework that I felt like throwing my books across the room, texting Madame V and lettting her know I was switching schools so I could be in a class with students of a similar level of French. But of course I didn't. Instead, I ordered some French grammar books to help me figure out the mystery surrounding passe compose. I really do love my class even if the majority of students are at a higher level than I am. Madame V is absolutely wonderful. According to Madame V the economic crisis is effecting the number of classes the school offers which means there are people who are repeating this class for the second time.

This year the students are much more serious about learning French. Which is great. I've met some great people too. On my first day of class, I instantly clicked with a man from Turkey who is just the sweetest person ever. Mediterranean Man has lived in Belgium for less than a year & is learning French now that he is starting a new life here with his husband.  We spoke about many things among them were our star signs. The things he told me about Scorpian people he has known was spot on. As class was ending, I told Mediterranean Man how happy I was to meet him especially because he's not moving any time soon!  He told me how our meeting was meant to be... it was the laws of attraction at work.

Visiting J & Numeracy Grrrl

Over the pre-lent break, C & I went to Germany to visit Lil' J's family. They live in the Bavaria region which is about 6 to 7 hrs away. Considering I'm usually the first one to fall asleep in a car, driving to Germany was not the best option. So C & I took the ICE train. The train ride to Bavaria went pretty smoothly except our train was delayed in Frankfurt for almost an hour. Once the train arrived it was as if they made announcement that said, "The train is here. Get on NOW!" lol! I felt like within 2 the train arrived and departed. Everything happened so fast. So we didn't have enough time to find our train compartment and the signs were a bit confusing. So we played musical train seats with some of the German passengers not once, not twice but three times. lol! And on our way back, C & I had exactly 8 minutes to exit the train, walk from Track 9 to 18, and board our next train. If we missed it, the next train wasn't for another 6 hours so we literally sprang out of the train, dragged our suitcase & backpacks and ran to track 18!

C & J were so excited to see one another. They were completely inseparable the entire 4 days. I was a bit concerned they'd tired of one another after the first day or two. I even had a conversation with C about savoring the time he's with Lil' J and not to waste time arguing or being upset with one another. Numeracy Grrrl told me she also had a similar conversation with J. But the kids did great. They played non-stop.

According to C, his favorite time with J was spent playing Wii & imaginary pet hospital and watching movies.

Even though the kids would have preferred to be home bound the entire time we did venture out a few times. During one of our outings C & I had the opportunity to meet Carino & Coco, their new horses.

Lil' J did great during her riding lessons. Carino & J make a great match considering they love speed and really enjoy galloping. She looked absolutely adorable on her little pony. 

We also went into town for a nice walk before celebrating Rocker boy's birthday with a delicious dinner and dessert at a classic Italian ice cafe.

It was really nice spending time with Numeracy Grrrl. I miss having her close by. We had a lot of good laughs and spent our afternoons relaxing, drinking tea and catching up. Hopefully, we'll see them again this summer in Belgium.

Goodbye for Now Lil' J

C & J met over three years ago and have been inseparable ever since. These two have developed a special bond I rarely see among children their age.  And their friendship has lead our families to become good friends. They've celebrated & experienced so much together... birthdays, vacations, sleepovers, etc. Lil' J's mother, Numeracy Grrrl and I talk about how her daughter in several years will come to live with us as an exchange student once we're back in the US. Lil' J is a special part of our family.

Knowing how much C loves J it was with a heavy heart that we said goodbye to her a few weeks ago. The weeks prior to her leaving were spent bike-riding, doing touristy things in Brussels, and of course as many play dates as we could organize.

While we were in Brussels, we visited the Atomium which is such a cool place. The kids had a great time!

The weekend we were there was also the weekend of the Flower Carpet which happens every other year.

The Flower Carpet was absolutely spectacular. They really out did themselves this year especially with the addition of the water fountain!

During that week we also visited Mini Europe. S & I went to a similar park years & years ago so I didn't have a desire to go to Mini Europe but it ended up being really fun. C loved it.

We had fun taking lots of pictures. I must admit it is really interesting to see so many famous sites throughout Europe. Numeracy Grrrl joked how she no longer needed to travel after going to Mini Europe... You can see all of Europe in one day.

After visiting Mini Europe, Lil' J came over to our house for a playdate which eventually turned into a sleepover. J & C played so nicely. Seeing them together just broke my heart. They both love horses so they played imaginary horse games and later in the day we took a walk and feed the local horses.

J was so excited to give the horses carrots.

J takes riding lessons so she's really comfortable with horses. Her family also plan to buy a horse when they return home which J is absolutely estatic about. Needless to say I learned a lot about horses that afternoon! lol!

That evening I made Lil' J's favorite dinner: Chicken & Rice with her favorite dessert... Pumpkin Bread.

The following morning I checked out a book from our library about two best friends who move. After I read the story we talked about how C & J can keep in touch. I wanted both of them to know that even though they wouldn't see each other every day it didn't mean they couldn't maintain their relationship. I definitely think keeping in touch will be easier for them since our families are close.

Later that evening I took her home. Immediately, J & C ran upstairs to her room to play like any other day. And when it was time to say goodbye C gave her a hug. I got quite emotional seeing them say goodbye to each other. But when J saw me with tears in my eyes she thought I'd an allergic reaction to their dog. It made all of us laugh.

Once we got inside the car, C who had been so strong, broke down and started crying. You know that type of crying where you feel like your world is never going to be the same again. In that moment, I wanted to tell him that everything would be okay, that he'd make new friends, and possibly even become best friends with someone else. But of course this isn't what you want to hear when the one person you love to play with moves away. So instead I just hugged him.