Hello 2011.

Hello Everyone! And Hello 2011!

I think this is the longest we have gone without talking! So sorry my faithful followers. I'm going to try to update everyone in the most functional way possible... I'm hoping the outline will help (this is not a joke - I do have an outline).

Finally all the snow has melted away .... which now Belgium is enjoying this weird, cold rain. It is super depressing and I am really starting to miss the snow. When we were driving to the Alps, the sun came out and I started spazzing out because I honestly don't remember the last time I have seen the sun. Maybe sometime early in November?
Okay. Enough complaining about the weather. I just had an epiphany that I'm halfway through my year. A lot of my friends also doing an exchange have had this mood of wanting to go home and since that the holidays are over June will come by so fast and they will happily be home. Which - the thought of going home in a few months actually nauseates me. Not that I don't want to go home! But just the fact that I literally only have a few months here. That is crazy. So now I really want to do all the things I told myself I would do. And I'm going to do it :) I feel like I have this new breath of happiness and strength and confidence... I just want to go flying all over Europe speaking french and smiling. Okay, I'll admit that was a bit hippie-ish but I literally have been so happy lately that I don't know what to do with myself. Sorry to brag :)

Now the spark notes of my past days in the Alps and Belgium :)
On the 30th, I went over to the Gaier's for a Christmas and New Year dinner. It was kind of weird to be back and being a guest. I don't know how to explain it. Not weird bad, but it was not the same feeling when I was living there. They were really nice and Larry made all the things I love to eat. It was an all out dinner - complete with lobster :) I was a happy little fatty. I left presents in my room for them when I moved so they gave me my presents for Christmas when I came over for dinner. I got 2 cooking books - one for quiche! Love quiche. And a nail filer -it was one of my goals to stop biting my nails - and money and movie tickets. It was really nice and made me smile since they just weren't some random gifts... they were specifically for me. I really appreciated it. I had a good time and then went back home to my new family with my bag of goodies :) It was a nice, little visit.

Then New Years!! It was so much fun :) I had my exchange student friend from school (Pamela) and Marge come over before the party and we all got ready together. It reminded me of getting ready for dances with all my friends at home. We would all crowd around the mirror telling each other how to do our hair and taking pictures and making predictions on what would happen that night. It was like that with us 3 girls and it made me miss my friends but happy that I have new ones to share the sport with. I wore my new dress from H&M and new, gold shoes from Maastrict - which is a sad story considering that they are now unwearable after just 6 hours of having the time of my life in them... poor shoes. I felt pretty and very in tune with the theme (Black and Gold). Pame, Marge, and I ate some appetizers with my family and then we took off for the party around 10. It was amazing. There were about 300 kids and I'm happy to say I knew over half of the people there. It was quite a way to start off the new year and I couldn't be happier I spent it in Belgium dancing the night away with my friends. We (as in us 3 and 12 other Belges) got home to my house at 4 in the morning ... and woke up at 9 in the morning for breakfast. That was an interesting breakfast! We all looked... super cute and well rested. NOT. We all were a hot mess and I was beyond exhausted. After everyone left I took a shower and a nice long siesta. Then around 4, in good Belgium tradition we wished the family a Happy New Year. On the 1st of January, it is custom to go visit your family and wish them good blessings for the new year. We went over to Alain's parent's house and enjoyed a waffle. So Belge. Then with our sleep deprivation, Benoit and I boarded a bus at midnight with 115 other students for a 13 hour ride to the French Alps. I hate buses... and I was a fussy mess from my lack of sleep the night before. So.. the bus ride was not as fun as it could have been but I sat by my friends and tried to enjoy it as much as I could. We had lots of gossip to chat about from the night before!
Around 10 in the morning, we were rolling around the wonderful French Alps. The sun was shining from behind the high peaks and onto the white snow. I was in awe... by the Alps in general and that the Sun was functioning just a few hours away from my lovely little country of Belgium. That day we didn't do any skiing - thank goodness.
The next day we all got our ski gear on and tried out our groups we had been signed up for after completing the easy question of, "How many weeks have you skied?" I thought this question meant ... "How many weeks have you skied in your entire life?" So I answered that as 2 weeks. Which is false... but I didn't remember this until I was falling down the first slope... the first green slope. I fell at every slope through out the week and I have bruises on my body that I don't think will ever go away. But I am proud to say that I never cried once from falling too hard ... and I always got up with a big smile. Because let's be honest - sliding on your butt all the way down a slope not on purpose is pretty funny.
I have so many Mallory Moments I could write a book on just these 5 days... and I know you are all dying to hear about them. So story time! Gather 'round children! So the first day, we had to walk up a hill to get to the beginning of the ski resort - now keep in mind my physical shape and not buying the guide on how to successfully walk in ski shoes- by the time we got there I was sweating and was just following a herd of kids I thought looked Belge. We all piled into this line and I figured I would just wait to see what happened at the front of the line and instead to focus my attention on my breathing pace. As I know now, I was actually in line for the "tirefesse" (which a direct translation of this word is "pull ass"). It is a poll that you put in between your legs and you sit on this little part and it pulls you up the slope. It is quite the invention! But somehow I missed learning about it in school and was completely unaware of how this poll worked. So ofcourse, when I got to the front of the line I held it with both my hands and was awkwardly pulled up half the slope and then with a nice bump my arms gave out and I went tumbling down. Yes, the tirefesse was stopped because of me. And a nice ski teacher greeted me not saying hello but asking where I was from. I'm sorry I embarrassed you America. I am happy to say I finally conquered the tirefesse after just stopping it one more time.
My skiing skills are a joke but I had so much fun. Every time I fell it was hilarious. I put on quite the show. My good friend was in my ski group so we had lots of laughs. It was fun to make new friends and become better friends with everyone. This week was so amazing and I'm so glad I went - I was a bit stressed out on how things would go when I first signed up. Although this was one of the best experiences, it was really hard for the girl who needs a good 8 hours of sleep each night. We would ski 5 hours everyday then stay up very late and then I was blessed with a girl in my room who coughed the whole night. Making me the most tired I have ever been in my life. And the french 24/7 was exhausting as well. I sadly never cried from falling on the slopes but instead I cried from exhaustion one morning at breakfast. But you know what? Who has time for sleep when you are having the time of your life? You can always sleep when you're dead.

I'm proud to say I spent the first week of 2011 skiing in the Alps with my Belgian friends, falling all over myself in an attempt to ski, and crying at the breakfast table. I really had so much fun on this trip and I would do it over in a heartbeat - even falling all over myself part I thought was skiing.
Oh! And Benoit and I had our first brother sister fight - over a wet towel. It was cute and ended in a hug. This shouldn't be a big deal but for the only child - it kind of is. I won't make this into a "appreciate you brother and sister whenever you fight" paragraph but ... I so easily could.

The sky trip came to a close and it was sad to leave the sunny Alps and come back to depressing rain and school. Blah. School.
Sunday I just caught up with e-mails and facebook and went for a little run in the neighborhood. It is really quiet here and nice to just go for a light jog. Plus since all the snow has melted now, I really have no excuse to not go for a quick run...
Monday I wore a dress to help me with my Monday issues. It worked :) It was fun to see all my friends that didn't go on the ski trip at school... and it was just as great to see all my friends I spent my time with on the ski trip. I really have made friends for a lifetime here. We had a soiree the last night and my good friend's little sister came up to her and asked her who I was. My friend responded by saying I was the American exchange student. The girl looked shocked because she thought I was a Belge but didn't think I went to our school and that was why she was askign. My friends were all like, "You're one of us now!" I couldn't be happier to be mistaken for a Belge.... I know how to pull off the skinny jean and side bang pretty well now :) I think my integration has been successful. Check!
Today was the last Rotary meeting for my good friend, Matilda. She goes back to Australia this Thursday (which I'm hoping I can go to the airport to see her off - since I have no idea when I will see her next). The last meeting wasn't sad... just kind of weird that the next meeting it will just be Jerry and I. That is just weird. She will be missed :(

Tomorrow all the exchange students are going into to town for maybe the last time we will all ever be together. Super depressing. I hope I don't cry...
I know that whatever happens in the years to come that I will always have my Rotary relatives ... I love you guys :)
Sorry - I'm quite emotional these days.

All for now. Hope that lived up to everyone's expectations !!
Happy New Year!
Mallo