Where is the good in goodbye?

We only part to meet again. At another time, maybe in another life or in another day.

This past week I had to say goodbye to all my friends who live in the Western Hemisphere (as in South Africa, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand). Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye? Life is like that, I guess.
My oldie (Matilda) and other good friend (Dominique) left on Thursday for Australia. On Wednesday, Jerry and I got a note to leave during our free period and we hopped on a bus to go say goodbye to our oldie one last time before she left. We went shopping earlier in the week and we got her a crown (since she is the queen) and a picture frame with the 3 of us at a Rotary meeting. She seemed to like it. I also threw in my chocolate stash that I decided I don't need any longer taunting me - keep your fat jokes to yourself. It was so weird though saying goodbye to her. We don't know when we will meet again... and it will never be under the same circumstances as now...it is just bizarre to me. What is more bizarre is that I can't text them randomly asking them a question or asking if they want to hang out in Liege next week. Their numbers are still in my phone... but they just won't be responding to my texts.
On Friday, Jerry and I (again) got a note of dismissal to go to Brussels to say goodbye to the rest of the exchange students leaving. There were about 15 kids all leaving on the same flight this past Friday and we went with a huge group of people to watch them cross through customs and wave one last time goodbye. I wasn't as close with anyone leaving on this flight... but it was still really emotional for me. I cried when I was watching everybody go through customs. I don't know why, but I think I was crying more for myself than for my rotary relatives leaving. Does that make me sound selfish? I saw how all their friends and families had come to see them off and how much they had impacted the people's life just through a few months. They were dragging their extra luggage that wouldn't fit in their bags, screaming English/Spanish/French across the airport as their last words of love, and crying to the point where their eyes were going to be bloodshot for the next few days but I thought it was beautiful (sorry, hippie I know). I was thinking about how I will be doing the same thing in 6 months and who will be crying at the airport over not knowing when they will see me next. It was just really powerful for me... I want somebody to have an impact on my life and I want to have an impact on somebody's life like that. Maybe I already have... maybe I will have more but just made me think about all the people I love and who love me. These next 6 months are going to go by really fast and now I really have to live them up... with no regrets and no looking back or forward. Just living and loving.

Now that I have written my paragraph of living in the now I must write about the weather. It has become a custom.
This weather has been very in tune with what is going on in my life. On Thursday after school, I walked home in the rain. Literally, I walked through the door dripping wet and it took me a good hour to have dry hair again. It really added to my mood of saying goodbye to my good friends. Not. It isn't snowing anymore here though. Instead it is hot and muggy and then maybe an hour later it is raining. So weird. This Sunday, it was really nice and sunny out and it felt like a spring day. Who has ever heard of it raining and being hot (hot as in I contemplate not wearing a jacket in the morning) in January?? Dear Belgium, you continue to surprise me. Especially with your odd weather patterns. I love you anyways but maybe let the sun out a little more.

This Saturday, I went for a run in my new neighborhood and caught up with e-mails and facebook. At night, I went to a going away party for my friend who is leaving... not because he has completed a year abroad but because Rotary is making him go home. Things are complicated but in the end of the story he is going back to Texas instead of staying with us in Belgium. He is actually one of the kids I met in Arkansas for the training on living abroad that was sponsored by Rotary. When I first met him I didnt think we would be hanging out here but now I really consider him a close friend. Belgium won't be the same without him.
Sunday I slept in :) Around one, friends of my family came over and we took a little drive to the Ardennes (forest in Belgium - famous for the many wars fought there) and went for a walk. A walk that took about 3 hours... and I loved every minute of it. It was a really nice day and for once the sun was out and shining. I was really happy and took lots of pictures. I wore my sparkly boots - which were a big hit. They were all making fun of them until they realized they weren't from America but 100 % Belge. It was fun to get some fresh air and it was a good bonding moment with my family :) The part of the Ardennes that we were at is close to Spa (yes, the famous Spa) and we stopped to drink some of the Spa water. The Real, Famous Spa Water! It was actually disgusting and tasted like a penny. I much prefer filtered water with the label of "Spa" on the front than the real water. I hadn't been to Spa since my very first day in Belgium so it was nice to go back conscience and awake. The friends stayed for dinner and we had the customary Belgian, large dinner meal of Racklettes (this is the meal where they have a mini grill on the table and we cook our own food and melt our own cheese). I love it. I don't know if it is really customary but every time a large group of people get together in this country it is most likely going to be a racklette meal. Maybe because it is easy to just cut up slices of cheese and put out lunch meat. Either way - I am a big fan. It is Swedish.

Monday was lame. But the sun was out so for lunch I ate outside with friends. That was nice. After school, I went for a run and I got up the courage to weigh myself and I lost 2 kilos (which is like 4 pounds). High Five!
Yesterday, I had an interview at the University for my french course I have been taking. I felt like I did really well and the teacher told me I spoke really well. Which made me feel better because I finally feel like I have turned the corner with my french and I'm glad other people are noticing too :) French is starting to become easier ... I just had to give it time and put in a little bit of effort. I'm proud of myself.
Today I started the day off with 2 hours of obligatory attendance to learn about safe driving in Belgium. It was just kind of weird since everybody in my class is 17 and only one person out of 30 have a driving license (you have to be 18 to have a license and it is really expensive here and you have to got to a certain amount of auto school to even apply andddd you have to get a 41/50 on the test.. which is really hard to do, I guess). I learned a lot about the system here ... and it made me remember how much time has gone by without me driving. It is weird to think that a normal day at home I would drive to and from school (25 min drive) and maybe more... and here I don't drive at all but enjoy public transportation to the fullest. I miss driving... a lot... but I appreciate public transportation here and enjoy the alone time I get with my music. Just another life here. Which I think that has been clarified many times already though. My bad. We had a half day today and then I just came home to do things... like write this blog. Love you my faithful followers and I hope you appreciate how much time I put into you!

Just one more quote on saying goodbye that I found and made me smile ... and it goes nicely with my artsy tree picture.

Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you
Until we meet again!


All for now. Hope everyone is doing well :)
Mallory