America here I am !

Follow me on my new blog!

2011-04-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

You can now follow me on http://thebelgiankid.blogspot.com/ and on twitter: TheBelgianKid!

Greetings from Belgium!

We will meet again Hawaii !

2009-10-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Ohana,

One day, when I was riding out with my bike to Kailua Town, passing by the tourists, I realized that I felt like a local person. I was thinking in my head. Haha… I live here! You’re going to your home in just a couple of days or in a week.

And there it was… the reason why I wanted to go a year abroad. I wanted to experience how it was like to have a second home, how long it would take me to settle down, at an unknown location, and feel like home. In my case, I still have a home in Belgium, where I will be returning to shortly. But I know that Hawaii will always be my second home. Not my third, not my fifth, my second. I loved spending my year here. I could not have imagined a better place than this.

AFS is a wonderful organization that has been doing this for a long time. It is a community, and I am blessed to be part of the community. The local AFS chapter in Hawaii is just wonderful! Sue Bixler has been so supportive to me over this past year. She believed in us, as volatile people when we arrived, and as stable human beings now. We believe in her, we look up to her, and we will never, ever forget the hospitality she had shown us.

Dropping into a family is hard, not just because they don’t know how you work on the inside, but what you are used to, what you believe in may be different from the family you live with. It takes time, and patience, and work to form a bond. The Howells, that have hosted me for the first month, has been so gracious to me. Sharing me their wisdom, a roof, food and much more J. I wish them the best, and thank them for taking me in, and being there for me, and I look forward seeing them again when I visit Hawaii.

When the Howells were scheduled to leave to Africa, I had to switch families. I met Mr. and Ms. Rice a couple of times during school, and Ms.Rice was familiar with my status, of not having a host family. As you may know them with they willingness, and openness, they took me into their home. Whether it was waking up every time, and seeing Florence behind the computer, or watching dancing with the stars with Joe, I enjoyed every second of my stay. We had good times during the festivities of Christmas, New Year and Thanksgiving as well.

There are just so many wonderful things that I can say about them. Yet again, I gained wisdom of talking to them, about topics that are not related to coffee chat at all. I will never forget them, and I hope they never forget me. I hope to visit them in the future.

I could tell so much good about her, and everybody loves her. She is stunning, smart. Her name is Gabriela. Gabriela is one of the many wonderful AFS volunteers and was my Liaison this year. Always there to make a spot in her busy schedule for a wild teenager. I didn’t need help from my guardian angel this year because I had her. She has done so many things for me that have helped me tremendously. I hope to see here again some day, and reward her for the work she has done.

I hope that I will be able to stay in touch with the people I met along my journey here.

Last but not least, The Hines family:

A family that has been there for me at school (figures, because they work at my school J ), and have learned me so many valuable lessons. Although we had our differences, I felt part of their family. It felt weird, but I am glad I got to experience it, to be the big brother (ultra man actually). They are aware of how much I love them and how much they mean to me. I am looking forward seeing the boys growing along their journey of life. Mark and Sarah, thank you for being so patient at times I wasn’t an ideal human being. I had so many good times with you, and I am glad I got a chance to get to know you, and become a part of the family.

A sincere mahalo also goes out ot John Williamson, for helping me out whenever his help was needed. I was truly blessed and surprised talking to him for the first time when I was getting ready to leave to school (in Belgium). I was in the bath room J.

You know, leaving this place turned out to be hard. Knowing that I will be leaving in a couple of days made me realize what I had, and what I will miss.

Please note, that as long my brain functions, I will not forget the wonderful moments I had, and the people I met.

Mahalo Nui Loa,

Lennart Maebe

Past Month - Las Vegas !

2009-04-27T01:24:00.000-07:00

The past month flew by in no time! And yet again, I went on an amazing adventure! I didnt go swimming with sharks or turtles, but I went to Las Vegas, a city that never sleeps, and is out to your money!

Perhaps it is a good thing that I am under 21. I am not sure whether I could resist the temptation of nice game of poker!

Our top goal was to go the the NAB-Convention... The What ?! The NAB convention or the National Association of Broadcasters. A show of the latest equipment used by studios, filmmaking companies, etc. Endless halls full of junk for some, but for someone who's interested it is paradise. For me it was interesting to see, but not paradise. I had a good time at the convention, exploring new equipment that my school might purchase in the future.

We went go-carting, bowling, movies (2x) and visited several famous spots, along with the water show at the Bellagio's, and the light show in downtown. Sadly I didnt have the camera on me that time!

These pictures are just a fraction of my library. Many more to show when I get back home.

Talking about going home.. I will be leaving paradise on june 28, then I will spend a couple of nights in LA, where I will be catching a flight to, yes, Brussels.

Hopefully our politics haven't crashed by then, although landing near Ghent would be pretty sick :).

Sadly, I am becoming more and more American. Although I am trying to preserve my European Pride, my mother language is taking some hard hits. My brother said he will give me a emergency course once I get home.

Because I think I will be talking English for the first couple of days I get home. For example, when someone will ask me how it was. I will say Good Good, instead of Goed Goed. Simply but painful.

Oh well, I wasted too much of your time by now!

I hope to see you soon, I miss all of you back home. This year has definitely showed me just how much I love Belgium.

See you soon,

Many Aloha's

Lennart Maebe

PS: Enjoy these lovely pictures !!!

Paris - One of the many casino's in Vegas !

Woohoo- gentlemen clubs for the wins ( I just did not say that! )

In-N-Out: Best burger and fries ever. (in US)

Shoppinng ! (got some good deals)

The (in)famous Luxor Hotel and Casino

Everything is possible.. this is a hotel/casino, called the Excalibur

Me, Myself and I making a weird face when taking pictures with my host mom's camera

"The strip" - a shot from our hotel room at the Orleans

Welcome to Las Vegas (are YOU ready to loose your earnings? We are ready to rob you in each case)

America isnt america without it lovely commercials, wanna fire a gun, please do, learn how to kill people!

ALOOOOOOHHAAAA

Living in Paradise, a quick review !

2009-03-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

As I was thinking of what to write about, I thought, why dont I tell you guys what I have been up to lately....
The end of my adventure is slowly, but surely coming to an end. School will end in approximately 8 weeks, and things are getting more fun then ever.
I have learned to sail toppers, a small boat for beginners, but on Friday's and racing days , I go out on a High-Performance boat, called the Kai Mana (Heart/Soul of the Ocean) a 36 foot sailing boat.
Working out has also become a huge part of my time after school. I try to get to the gym as much as possible, and I go running on the beach..

Tot zo ver, ben ik naar 2 andere eilanden geweest. Maui en Kaua'i. Ik woon op Oahu. We gaan naar Hawaii or the Big Island volgende week. Dat zal mijn totaal naar 4 brengen.
Normaal gezien zal ik ook een weekje doorbregen in Las Vegas, omdat we daar een conventie bijwonen over camera-apparatuur en allerlei hightech-gadgets.

Hier zijn enkele foto's die recent genomen zijn !

Terugkeren van het strand in de eerste foto :)

In actie in Kaua'i... boogieboarding !!

Hiking at west point, Oahu !

Ready to go to prom with my date/friend, Laura

Taken from a bridge in Kailua, the town I live in... (foto taken by Ze Pedro Henriques)

North Shore, Oahu, Pipeline Beach

Hiking at west point, super windy that day :)

Slapende Seal out on West Point, Oahu.

Ziezo, dat is het voor nu, ik heb veel meer foto's, maar dat zal voor een presentatie zijn als ik terug ben.

Tot Dan !!

Lennart

PS: gelieve enkele vaatjes bier aan de kant te houden voor w

Time goes by

2009-02-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

I'm mad at myself for not taking the time to post on this blog.

It's been crazy here for the past time, as you might of noticed.

I always thought that I was going to stay in contact with my family, friends way more. But I havent spoken to some people that are very close to me, just because it's not in my mind. It's like I am living a real separate life here. I am sorry to those that didnt receive any messages from me, but it would be helpful if you understand why.

I am getting pictures from another AFS student from our trip to Kaua'i, and I will also be receiving photo's from my trip to Mau'i.

So try keep an eye on my blog, I will do my best to post pictures ASAP.

Alohaaa

One month passed by

2009-01-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

One month passed by.

It went remarkably fast. Perhaps because of the fact that I moved in with a new family, new location, new semester at school.

I am starting to appreciate the local culture, but I am also starting to miss my own culture.

The last part of my stay will mostly include traveling, for example, I have a trip coming up next weekend to Maui (another island), the following weekend I will be in Kaua'i (another island) and then again to Maui.

I am also going to a convention in Las Vegas for 5 days. (CHeeeeee !)

All these trips are pretty much planned and sure to be attended.

I will also visit the big island sometime while I am here.

For rest, I will be attending school, working out at school and on the beach.

Photo's will be posted soon !

Aloha !

From old to new !

2008-12-28T23:34:00.000-08:00

From old to new: Literal and Figural.

We are counting the days here to New Year, we just had a great Christmas, and straight ahead is New Year waiting to begin.

My American Christmas included Premium Prime Rib, fried rice, and a bunch of delicious veggies.

Followed by some good pie the finished the job of filling up my stomach the the highest level of saturation. I am used of exchanging gifts at the dinner itself, or right after it, but here in the US, they usually wait until midnight or the next morning to share presents. I received a bunch of DVDs, Flash Drive, Magazine, Cookies, etc

We had Eggs, pancakes and bacon the morning after Christmas evening, and I am getting used to breakfast, so I will import that over to Belgium J.

I moved out of the house yesterday that was located next to the school, and moved to, hopefully, my last family. I must admit that the two previous families were great people, and I will never be able to pay them back for all the things they did for me.

The new family consists of two boys, Kaio (6) and Aukai (11) (those are there Hawaiian names). Together with them, and Mark and Sarah (parents) we live in Kailua, which is located on the east side of the island. I am 300 yards away from the beach, so I initiated a work-out plan, with the help of my two new parents (they are coaches) that consists running on the beach, swimming and muscle building.

I am looking forward to get in shape.

I had another experience, and that was a blackout of the entire island-group of Hawaii. We had some stormy weather, with lightning that caused an outgo of electrical generators, which lead to 14 hours without electricity. Happily it was most of the time during the night, so I slept trough the most of it.

SO, to finish this little update, I wish everybody from the bottom of my heart a happy new year, a good health, good business and much more!

Take care,

Many Aloha from Hawaii,

Holy Moly, Halfverwege !

2008-12-09T00:29:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,

We are half way, and so far, SUPER good :)
I have seen, learned so many things that I would of never learned. I will keep on learning new things in the following 4.5 months !
I have to admit that I am glad that time goes by, because I am starting to mis my own little Belgium!
I am finishing my video, that gives you a quick look around the school, my house, etc.
I will try to post it here asap.

Take care,
And see you again soon !

Update !

2008-11-15T17:26:00.000-08:00

Howdy there,

The Belgian Kid or Leo, that's what they call me. It is funny though when I walk around campus, just by saying 'Hey wassup' you can make friends (not reliable ones offcourse).

I will be shooting around campus, and transform it into a movie, so you can meet some of my friends, and look how the school looks alike.

I also recently joined that 'Paddling Team', as a manager. I am doing all the workouts, or most of them, and help the coaches out when needed.

Because I do not live very close to the shore, this is an excellent way to stay in touch with the ocean, and work out. I'm turning into a body-builder soon, unless I keep eating too many burgers :).

I will try to post some pictures, and a video, soon.

I've been meeting some very interesting people, made some connections for later...

There is a chance that I get of the island for a week, to go to a convention in Las Vegas for the daily bulletin of the school. There is a big convention of all the major broadcasting/Camera/Video-equipment producers that we will be attending.

I will keep you posted, and thanks for showing interest to my blog!

As requested...

2008-10-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

I will be posting some movies I made at school/after school.
I am working on a after-school project. It is a reversed music video with my own created storyboard and a fantastic friend-crew.
A music video is offcourse nothing without music, the song that I will be using is Coldplay - The Scientist.
They inspired me to make my own reverse clip, so I started thinking and made a story.
I think that it should be finished in the next 20 days (hopefully)

I'm finishing installing some wicked software programs...
Aloha

After rain there is always sunshine !

2008-10-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

And there is !

I feel again in paradise... everything settled down, I am hanging out more with friends, getting to know other people, or just better.
I just ended school, like at 12.30 today, what is very common here. I am waiting on my latest purchase to arrive, my very own MacBookPro !
I also enrolled myself in the broadcasting crew of the school, so i will become a geek soon :)
Everything else is going it's usual way, school, my home right next to school, working out in the evenings, sometimes swimming..

See y'all a lil bit later,
Take care,
Aloha

First encounter with sadness... but after that there is always sunshine!

2008-10-12T21:21:00.000-07:00

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening to y'all !

I'm not going to wrap anything arround it. I had a worse week. I was training with the soccer team for the past few weeks, knowing that they might not let me play in the league. Tuesday: The hour of verdict, the meeting with all the AD's (Athletic Directors) was on monday and they were going to try to vote for an exeption. They have a rule that you can only play four years in high school. And because I already graduaded in Belgium, they needed to ask the other schools if it was alright to play this year. The verdict... REJECTED; Yup, I love America and they wonderful rules of playing sports.
The school asked me to train with the team, but I was afraid not to have enough motivation to hold on and I said no.

But I found other ways of spending my time in a wise and interesting way.... Video/Filmmaking ! I have a pretty good connection with the teacher and I work practically everyday after school on projects. Some projects even pay off, literally.

But for the rest everything is going pretty well, the new family is great and it is located right next to the school, so its very convenient.

Aloha

Personal Narritive: Flight + Arrival

2008-09-29T23:32:00.000-07:00

HELLOOOOOW, just wanted to post this essay I made for a class (The written voice)

I grew up in Lede, Belgium, a nice little town where everybody knows each other. But I had a dream; I would and will move to the US. It all started with watching a popular TV show called The OC, and it gave stupid Belgium people and me, a visual of how America looks alike, and I wanted it too. I wanted to live the American Dream!!
July 30: D-Day, my flight to the USA, actually to Hawai’i, but I had to wait a few days in LA before flying to Honolulu, Hawai’i. When leaving my dear family at the airport something just snapped in me. Hey!? I’m bouncing Belgium, leaving my family and friends for one whole year, without even realizing where I was going to. Why am I doing this, what is the purpose of this crazy idea?
I felled like a blind missile, not knowing where to end up. I, and dozens of other people, took off from Belgium bottom, after being checked more than a half hour, to New York. I couldn’t see a lot of New York City, but the feeling of flying above American soil made me feel happy and safe. Why it made me feel safe, I have no idea, but the idea of reaching my first ‘destination’ was pretty amazing. It felled like a rebirth, except of the fact that I am already 6.3 feet and X number of pounds.

I had to wait for one and a half hour before getting on my other connection flight to LA, because there was a huge line at The Emigration stop.
On my flight to LA, I started talking to this lovely lady next to me... she lived in Orange County, oh yeah… the set of The OC, it’s here! It was also my first long conversation while using the most pleasant language in the world: English. This year-long trip was already starting to make sense. A part of the experience is improving/learning a new language.

After arriving in LAX, an AFS volunteer picked me up, and drove me to a wonderful hotel. I ate my first American Burger there, and it was good too! I didn’t get a lot of sleep that night, and I woke up early in the morning and I started exploring the streets around the hotel. I saw Starbucks, Safeway, big SUV’s, school busses, English speaking people...
That day, I went, oh yeah, you hear me coming… to Santa Monica, Orange County, the set of The OC! It was one of my dreams to see the location where the OC was shot. I saw Beverly Hills, Sunset Boulevard, some huge villa’s, and more big cars.
I was enjoying my first sight of the American culture, or not?
When we went back to the hotel with the bus there was an ex-con (he said that himself) on the bus that was yelling and searching trouble, so the bus pulled over after the guy was messing with another passenger, and the driver must have called 911 or bus security, and after the guy had left the bus because he had too, he exposed himself before getting arrested by the police. So this is America eh? Nice nice... But overall it was a magnificent day, and I was already starting to feel home, and that after 2 days of being on American soil. I started to think that when u leave everything behind, u get a whole new fresh start. Some things of the past may follow u, but I realized that I could change everything if I wanted too.
My clothes, my actions, my gender perhaps?

I had some very good days in LA, but I had to move on to my final destination for one year: Honolulu, Hawai’i! I was excited to finally reach my resort for the following year. I slept most of the flight though. But when I was walking towards outside the airport suddenly… bwoeeeh, the warm, dry air was there instantly, and it felt great! You should know when u walk outside the airport in Brussels, Belgium u can expect for more than 50% of the times to get rain on your head, so it was really pleasant to have a change for once.
When I arrived here, the first few hours were pretty amazing and strange at the same time. You realize that one way or the other, there is no return for a long time, and no escape, unless u take the SuperFerry or plane, but just imagine for a moment that there is not enough fuel to get away. That was my feeling while I was taking my first swim in the magnificent water of Hawai’i. A few days later school started. My first time to an American school, and not a normal school, a private one. I am still very honored to be the chosen person to spend a year on a fantastic school like the Mid Pacific Institute.

I was feeling pretty amazed when everybody started talking to me the first day. AFS told us that we would be ‘popular’ the first few weeks, but that their interest quickly lowers. I did not have a really hard time finding new friends, and the funny thing of the friends I made, is that they have familiarities with my friends back in Belgium.
I have a hard time explaining why I wanted to do a exchange program. But I already have gained so much new wisdom, friends, expertise, that I really get the idea why a exchange can only be positive in most cases. After being here now for almost 2 months, it has been pretty awesome. I could only advice other people to make the step, and go on a exchange, because being a blind missile is not always bad. I can open new interest, and u could have the best time of your life doing it!

Woooohooooo !!! 18 !!!!

2008-09-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hellow everybody !!

I turned 18 here at the fantastic island called Oahu! We had a great day, it started early in the morning when Morganna received an award for her contributions to the American Red Cross. After that, we went to the north shore, went to the beach (i loved it) and then to the dinner-party !! Some pictures now !!!

North Shore pictures !

2008-09-12T00:17:00.000-07:00

Trip to North Shore of the Island ! ( the forgotten beauty )

TURTLES by the dozens !!!!

PS: Pictures taken with my new photocamera, Mahalo Nui Loa to the people who sponsered it ! Click on images to enlarge, they are soooo nice !

Thank you for your reactions !

2008-09-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

Hey you guys, me again real fast !

It is great to read reactions, so if u have any, please mail me or try to post them as a reaction on the message I posted. U can either choose to leave an English or Dutch message, I really dont care!

For those who started their last year of high school, do good, and remember that I am also still in high school!

Mahalo,

Leo

Time fly's BY !

2008-09-10T23:29:00.001-07:00

Hi everybody,

Time fly's by is the new subject of this message. It seems always like yesterday that I posted something on this blog. But in fact it's 18 days ago.

Everything is going great with me, and with Morganna (girl on picture), my girlfriend ! She is the best... she is smart, cute, friendly, and we fit perfectly :) !

Soccer practice started also today, I have now every monday, wednesday and friday soccer practice. Well, it is actually condioning, aKa getting in shape for the season!

I'm going surfing again this weekend, at the North Shore of the Island, with Morgaaaannaaa !

School is going great, I have good grades, I love my video filmmaking class... I earned BONUS POINTS today because I was the only one who finished his homework! (I feel brave now)

Well, I think that that's all I have to share right now, I will see u guys/girls back in a bit!

Aloha

HAHAHA, long live America !

2008-08-22T00:30:00.001-07:00

Oh boy, that's the favorite line of my host-father.

Everything has been wonderfull up here, I am taking for the first semester 6 courses:

- AP Environmental science: Course with in center: The environment, we learn about world problems, and try to make the school a greener place.

- ITGS: Info Technology Global Issues: We discuss about many things like for example: Should there come a railway from the east coast to Honolulu to get some pressure of the freeway.

- Video/film-making: name explains itself: Making video's with music (my message in januari will be made with help from this teacher)

-Team Sports: Training, training and training, getting in shape is one of the goals that this teacher knows! Football, soccer, volleyball, etc are sports we do in this course.

- US History: Name says itself -> a 4 lbs heavy book, full of history (gotta love it)

-The Written Voice: English, many essay's, poetry, etc (like this one a lot)

- Free period: time to work on projects

So school is going quite well, Week 2 is almost over, and week three has some interesting stuff: SENIOR CAMP: a well know camp at school that should be a lot of fun ! Cant wait !!

I have met some cool guys for lunch and we went together to an italian place and after that to the new star wars movie (sucked tough).

I've met some very rich kids, who's father&mother owns 2 hummers, and some other very expensive cars.

The food here is ok, but I havent go the chance to cook some real 'Hawai'i'an food.

Many japenese and chinese places, but also greek, italian, etc

I have some other exiting this to look forward to: A prived-flight over the island, some boot-trips and perhaps a free trip to NYC, OWYEAH !!!!

I am planning on buying a photocamera soon, so I will be posting some pictures!

Stay tuned and reactions are always welcome !!

Or mail me to lennartmaebe@hotmail.com

(reply can take some time, but I will get back to you)

Mahalo,

Lennart Maebe

Arrival at Hawai'i !

2008-08-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Just a short message with the message that I have arrived safely and well in the US and Hawai'i!
I've been swimming and bodyboarding (in Hawai'i), but I also visited Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, Orange County, the pire where scenes of the OC is shot...(this is all Santa Monica, LA) on my way to Hawai'i.

We have seen alot of fat people, but also some very hot ones :) !
My welcome host family is very nice, friendly and I will learn alot from them and stuff...
I have seen many iPhone's, Hummer, SUV's and the fuel prices are way lower then in Belgium! It's about 3.5$ for a gallon and a gallon is about 3.1l... so do the calculating!

This was LM live from Honolulu, Hawai'i
See you later and thanks for watching me!

Why did I pick out USA ?

2008-07-25T04:28:00.001-07:00

One of the most important reasons is that I am waiting for so long to visit the USA to see the one and only culture of the America by myself. America would mean more to me than just a ‘Dream’, the power, the language, the habits, it attracts me! Just because of that it would be the perfect chance to not go on a vacation to America, but stay a whole year in the USA and live on American soil. Because when u go on a vacation to the USA as a tourist, u will see it more as a tourist and not like a real civilian, because I think that u will see the reality better as a civilian than as a tourist. Offcourse also to encounter the ‘high-school’ and take place in the big lesson-packet from chemistry to sports to computering, etc. You can see in a lot popular series how the life is in America, but I want to experience it by myself. I think that the mentality is quite different than here in Belgium/Europe, but I think that mine comes close to other Americans. It will also be the first time that I am going to live in a country where there’s a President leading, and how this affects the living in the USA.

Preparing for takeoff !

2008-07-25T03:46:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends and family,

From now on, my messages will be written in English.
The countdown has begon.
My flight depards the 30 of july, and I will fly towards Los Angeles where I am going to stay for one night and fly the next day towards Honolulu, Hawaii !!

Landingsplaats tonen met google earth

2008-03-11T14:14:00.001-07:00

Landingsplaats 1: Los Angeles

Landingsplaats 2: Honolulu, HI

Van daaruit zal ik een bijkomende vlucht nemen naar Honolulu, Hawaii !