December 4th the Rotary gathered the exchange students to take a trip to the Marche de Noël (Christmas Market) in Aachen, Germany. Small shelters were set up for vendors to sell their food, clothing, and other handmade crafts. Christmas lights were strung up and wrapped around the evergreens that were hung from the corners of everything. As the day grew darker the lights grew brighter in a truly magical way.
It was a wonderful time! I do feel a bit bad to the Germans the exchange students talked to; we had became so used to speaking French to strangers that we habitually turned to that language. They speak German in Germany.
As for the happenings in Belgium! December 6 is the day when Saint Nicolas comes, not to be confused with Santa Claus! Saint Nicolas is a Belgian tradition for the little children in which Saint Nicolas comes and gives the good children candy and Zwarte Piet, his helper who distributes the candy, puts all the bad children in a sack and takes them away!
Though I am a bit old for the holiday my host family prepared me a basket of chocolate!
So yes, things have been going quite well!
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