Happy New Year

Hello again everyone.
First of all, I'd like to wish you all a very happy start of 2011, and my best wishes.
I'm still luckily on Christmas Break here in Belgium, and I just got back from England today. (This was a change ringing trip, and if you have no interest in my change ringing, then check back later, because this post will mean little to you.) I left on the 28th of December with the de Kok family of Dordrecht. We took the ferry from Rotterdam overnight to Hull and stayed at Helen Rigby's farm in Newhey, Lancashire for five days. I did what I would probably say is the most ringing I've ever done in such a short span if time. I rang at over 40 towers in Lancashire, Yorkshire, and in the Birmingham area around New Year's, and got to do lots of new things. Among these were my first 12 and 14 bell ringing, some new methods, and I had my first ever British open day, during which I "grabbed" 23 towers in about 8 hours. It was a packed stay, but thoroughly enjoyable.
While in England I celebrated the New Year with ringers at Helen's farmhouse with traditional English foods. I tasted for the first time during my stay Yorkshire pudding, fried prawns, boiled chestnuts, English Christmas cake, sticky toffee pudding, green apple cider, venison pâté, bacon sandwiches, HP sauce, porridge, steak pie, and mice pies. It was really interesting, and English food turns out to be a lot better than I had always imagined. I will also note that in North England the ketchup is not only curry ketchup. There were some normal varieties to be had as well.
I am really happy to have gone on holiday, and grateful to the de Koks for letting me tag along on the trip, they were better to me than I could've asked for. It was really great.
This week concludes my stay with the Rossi family, and Wednesday I'll be moving to my new home for the next few months in Sirault. I'm looking forward to seeing a new family, and hope all goes well. That being said, I'll get packing.
Best wishes and happy holidays,
Noah