Avoriaz...an alpine adventure

I'm really sorry it's been so long since I've written, but like everybody else, holidays are a busy time of year for me. Holidays in Belgium are much different than in the US but still fun. We had two weeks off of school and the second week I got to skiing in the Alps! We drove about 8 hours to a ski resort in France. I went with my host parents and two friends from school. The first day my parents gave us a crash course on the basics of skiing. Surprisingly I learned quickly and ended the day without a bruise! For the next six days we enrolled in morning lessons. Although my friends and I were all at different levels it worked out fine because we had a picnic lunch together and skied together in the afternoons. As many people from different countries come to Avoriaz for their holidays, my class was very interesting. We started the week with only English and French speakers but by the end of the week we had people from France, Ireland, England, Germany, Holland, Ukraine, Spain, Italy, and of course the US. It was funny because everyday we added a new language. This meant my teacher gave the lessons in primarily English, but little bits of French, Spanish and Italian! Throughout the week I progressed well and by midweek I skied with my friends on red slopes (3rd level difficulty) and we even crossed the border and spent an afternoon in Switzerland! Returning home Saturday and having to go back to school this week was not very exciting and I am already missing the snow. But on a lighter note, upon re-entry to school I understand my teachers and participate fully in class...although not perfectly. At least once everyday I make some weird mistake that makes every laugh, but I heard laughing helps you stay healthy so really I'm just helping their health!