Fragments of session 4 - Leuven The person I most admire from my country Teacher Let me tell you about a very famous Belgian who lived in the previous century. His name is Jozef Deveuster - better known as Father Damian. He was born in 1840 in Tremelo, a very small and quiet village in Flanders, not so far from where we live. (…)he heard about a place where all the lepers and people who suffered from tuberculosis were living in exile. That's how he ended up on the island of Molokai. He lived there among these poor and banned people and tried to give them some feeling of humanity. He built a church there and tried to improve living conditions. After some years he noticed the first signs of leprosis on his own body, but he continued his work. So after a while he identified himself so much with these people that he talked about 'us, the lepers'. He finally died on the island in 1889, but his spirit of self-denial or renunciation has continued to attract people since then. Ann (back to top) Students Definitely most of the students in Leuven admired Kim Clijsters. She's living in Limburg, it's in the east of Belgium The people in Limburg sing a little bit when they are talking that's funny !!!!In a few years she won many international tournements and now she stand on number 5 of the world ranking !!! I'm admire her because I'm fond of playing tennis and I want to play as good as Kim !!! Tennis don't look difficult at all , but that isn't so You must concentrate very hard and you have to be quick and alert This is where Kim is good at so that's why I admire her so hard She had a nice character too, especially because she isn't pretentious I don't know her personally but I often see her on tv. Charlotte (back to top) Kim lives in Flanders (where we live too).She's 18 years old and her father Lei Clijsters played soccer in Belgium. Leyton Hewitt(also a top tennis player) is her boyfriend. She played the final of Roland-Garros but she lost it against Jennifer Capriatti in a very exciting match. Last week in The Australian Open she lost again from Capriatti in the semi-final. Now she's ranked 5 on the world-ranking. Before last season she wasn't famous at all. In one season she got from zero to hero. The same with Justine Henin who was also not famous. Henin lives in Walloon country (the other part of belgium). She's 19 years old. She played the final of Wimbledon against Venus Williams but she also lost the match. In the Australian Open of this year she was beaten by Kim Clijsters in the quarter-final. Justine is ranked 7. Jan (back to top) The Belgian I admire is Frederik Deburghgraeve, he is a swimmer who used to have an Olympic and a World record on the 100 breaststroke. He has stopped with swimming and now he is selling shoes because he didn't earn enough money as a swimmer. He stopped because he wanted to make time for his family and that's what I admire of him. He's a very sympathic person and he's quite popular in Belgium. He's the only professional swimmer Belgium has(had). Jeroen (back to top) But the person I admire the most is Steve., a good friend of mine. I told you yet that a lot of youngsters in Belgium drink a lot and that your more an exception when you don't drink then when you drink. And all those bad stuff, he just don' want to touch it or even see it. This boy was born on February 2, 1985. So he's one year older than I am. He's got one sister and one brother. His brother is 18 years old and he ran away for home and lives now with his friends in a small apartment. And Steves father died when he was 11 years old. He was an alcoholic and felt of the stairs when he was tipsy. But Steve always took care of his sister and gave her all she wanted and needed. Katrien (back to top) Today I have to tell you about a famous Belgian, that I like, but there aren't a lot, the group I like very much is Zita Swoon, a belgian band and the singer is Stef Kamil Carlens, he was first a member of dEUS, another veeeeeeeeeeeeeeery good Belgian band , he is from Antwerp, he speaks with an Antwerps accent , he is a little bit a strange guy, he wears sometimes a dress and he makes his own clothes, he also makes art They make rock , disco music, I have their last cd, life= a sexy sanctuary In the attachment is a picture of him, he is quite handsome don't you think??(their website is : http://www.zitaswoon.com and http://zitaswoon.cjb.net) Liesbeth (back to top) The person I admire a lot in my country is Jan Vermeire, the man who founded Poverello. Poverello is a place where people who lost everything or people who never had anything can go to. There are children who go to Poverello with their mother and father, these are people who start with a handicap and it is very difficult for them to find their way in society. One day, Jan Vermeire discovers a disused hall in a wing of the Capuchin monastery. he is allowed to fix it up and open it. In May 1978, he puts a sign above the door that says 'Poverello' and serves coffee, soup and sandwiches at very low prizes ( 5 Belgian francs, 0.125 dolar) A few people offer their services as volunteers. The reception is started, the community of volunteers is born. Unfortunately, Jan Vermeire passed away suddenly after a short illness on 30th July 1998. at the age of 78. He was still fully active, regularly travelling from one ¨Poverello-house to another. He was the father of the Poverello-family. His greatest aspiration and concern was that everyone, great or small, rich or poor, would feel at home in Poverello. At Christmas, people can go there for a nice meal and some company. Lisa (back to top) Now I have to tell you about my idol. The person I admire most is Boudewijn de Groot. He's not from my country, but he's from the Netherlands, that's the country near our country. He was born in 1946. He is a singer from the sixties and the seventies. He sings in Dutch and he also plays the guitar. He has a lot of albums. My favourite song of him is "Naast jou" that means, 'near you'. When he was young, he was really handsome, but now he's a little old. Lynn (back to top) I have to tell you about a person that I admire, but I haven't got real idols. So I'm going to tell you about one of my best friends. Her name is Marleen Delvaux. She's been my best friend since years. I can tell her everything!! She's a great listener. If I have a problem she can help me to get over it, she always has a crazy idea to help me get over it. If I'm down, she helps me up, if I'm happy, we laugh with the craziest things. The way we act if we're together is just so wacky!! No one understands our secret language. We know exactly what the other thinks without telling it. Monique (back to top) The person in my surroundings I admire most is Dirk De Becker. He isn't famous at all, but I admire him cause he is what I want to be. He was my scouts leader and he was in charge of an other club. Now he is the group leader. He is studying for computer engineer. He is a good student and he often goes with friends to a pub. Everybody who knows him, likes him because he helps almost everyone and you can have a good talk with him. Greetings, Wouter P.S.: Visit the website I made on this project: www.geocities.com/cuencaproject (back to top)