Sunday is a day of rest in Belgium, but not for us. Most of the boxes are unpacked, but things are everywhere. I apologize for not posting any new pics lately, but I just haven't taken any in the last few days. I did take a lovely break yesterday. The hubby and kids baked me a fabulous birthday cake, and took me out to eat for dinner. We live a short walk away from a fantastic little pizzaria. (I know that Belgium is famous for beer, chocolate and waffles, but these people can REALLY cook some fantastic food. It's a wonder they are all so thin. I'll weight 500 pounds by the time I leave this place!) Anyhoo, Jess and I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese, Brandon got a Margaretta pizza (cheese), and Russ got one with ham and salami. I really couldn't tell you what was better, and trust me, I tried every one's. They were all delicious! Did I mention the rolls with garlic butter spread? See my problem? The food is just too good! Now feel free to go and get a snack, because I'm sure that if you weren't hungry before reading this, you certainly are now!
It's not just the unpacking that has kept us busy. There are lots of thing we have to do to get settled here. One of those things is order Mazut. It's a very heavy fuel oil that is used to heat the houses in Belgium. I called a local company to arrange for delivery. The lady I talked to spoke very good English, so things were going pretty well until she asked for the name of my street. I gave it to her and she paused for a minute. "Could you repeat that?" she asked. I tried it again. She was very patient. "Could you spell that for me?" she requested. I spelled it out and she said, "Oh, you mean..." Let's just say that the way she pronounced my street and the way I pronounced it were not even remotely close to each other. "Uh.......yeah. That's it," I replied. In my defense, my brain was saying it correctly, but my mouth just won't follow along. (I apologize. I did not mean to butcher your language. ) Yesterday, the hubby and I made a purchase at a store that required us to give our address for a warranty. I am feeling much more confident with my street name, so I say "I'll handle this." I tell the salesman the name, and receive a confused stare. "Could you repeat that please?" he asked. Why does this seem to familiar? I tried it again, and he said "Could you spell that please?" Can anyone say 'deja vous?' If my street name is that hard to pronounce, do I even stand a chance with the rest of the language? Oh, well. I refuse to give up. I can say "please" and "thank you" in Dutch. I think that is not to bad for now. They are the magic words, you know.
