I can't believe I'm 19! How weird is that??
Mallory Moment - already? yes - on my birthday I went around telling everyone next year I would be 2 centuries (thinking that a century was 10 years). The Belges were a bit freaked out and when someone finally corrected me I tried to blame it on my french... so embarrassing. But now back to how I am so happy I spent my 19th birthday in Belgium with my friends ... even though I missed my family and friends back home.... I was really happy this year :) I couldn't have asked for a better birthday... honestly!! I think Belgium even knew it was birthday because it was the first sunny day we have had in a long time. It was so nice and I didn't even need to wear a jacket during the day at school... actually it so nice I WANTED to go on a run, because I could without a parka and snow gear. Thank you Belgium for finally getting the weather right on the one day that it was important to me... you're the best :)
Now my week so we can get to the birthday festivities :)
On Wednesday, I went to the movies with my school to see "Desert Flower". It was in English - which I think I got a lot more out of... since it was one of those movies that is a little intense. It was about this woman who grew up in Somalia and escaped to London, where she became discovered and then became a top model... and she suffered from the cruel practice of Female Genital Mutilation. It was really eye-opening and intense for me... so I'm glad I got to watch it in English instead of reading the subtitles the whole time :) Then after this, I met up with Margaret and we wen to fix my phone. Such a Mallory Moment... for the past week nobody had been responding to my text messages and I thought that everyone was being really rude or just really busy. It didn't even click in my mind until a week later that none of my messages over the past week have been sent to anyone. Real cool. So, when I got it fixed everyone received all the messages I have been sending at once. Benoit got 15! Hilarious... and really awkward to explain to the dozen of people being like, "um, ya... why didn't you respond to this 5 days ago?". Then after this moment, we went to meet all the newies! Which I must say was a bit of a let down... maybe because they aren't like our oldies. I don't know ... It just made me miss the REAL Aussies even more. Sigh.
Thursday I had a horrible sinus infection and for the first time in Belgium ... I went home sick from school. Gasp!! I was literally dying and came home and slept from 11-5... I wish this was a joke.
Friday! My Birthday Party! My First Party I (semi) Hosted in Belgium! I miraculously finished school at 1 instead of 4:20 and went to the mall with my two good friends from school (Noemie and Delphine). We ate lunch and shopped and just hung out :) I love them. Then after this Noemie and I went into town and met
up with some other people. It was so fun and everybody was in such a great mood. Around 8, we all went back to my house and had a good party! I felt so special to have such good friends :) Earlier in the week, the girls were asking me what I wanted for a present and honestly I didn't really want anything so I told them a picture of all of us? And they made the cutest little collage of us over the past few months!! It was the best pictures... from my first party with them to last weekend... it was perfect and so meaningful. It almost made me cry... I really do consider these girls my friends for life. My other good friend from school got me a wicked pair of socks... since I always wear really bright, colored socks (which apparently is not normal). Socks are now my trademark ... haha I'm that cool. It was a go
od party :)The next day I woke up kind of early to clean up... and let's be honest, I pretty much did all the cleaning. Which is fine. It was technically my party, so I can't complain too much. My parents (Isa and Alain) left that morning - at 7, ouch - to go skiing in the Alps and around 2 I caught a train with Mollie to go to Margaret's house for the night. To again, celebrate me turning into a grandma. Marge has a new family so it was a bit different than the other times, but we still had a blast! We were actually supposed to go to a soiree (party) that night but when we went shopping with her host mom for dinner we found so many things (like, salsa?) we wanted to make and bake and eat that we decided to stay in instead. Can you say fat? I'm so glad we did though! I was exhausted from the night before and I wanted to just chill with my girls and catch up. Marge (I stirred and Mollie was in charge of the music) made me a special dinner of shrimp scampi and then we attempted to make ice cream - fail. We were so grown up eating pasta and drinking white wine... for like 2 minutes I actually felt like I was at my mom's book club... but let's be honest, we were giggling like 5 year olds the whole dinner. I love my friends :)
Sunday, I got back into town around 3 and got home in time to pack my suitcase to head back over to the Gaier's (my first family). I have to move for a week because my parents are out of town and they didn't want me to be left alone with the boys and blah blah blah. So, I am here for a week. Which has been fun to catch up and compare notes on how I have changed. They really know me well so it is fun :) Lisa is on a ski trip also this week - so things are not completely the same... but pretty close. I have missed my bed here! It is really big and I forgot about it somehow when I moved. Oh, the little pleasures of life here.
Monday!!! February 7th, 1992... the day that the European Union was formed AND the day that I was born :) Coincidence? I think no
t! I wore a pretty dress (not just because it was Monday) and when I walked into school all my friends sang me happy birthday... so cute. I kept getting messages from people all day saying sweet things and I couldn't stop smiling ;) Benoit was really cute and gave me my birthday present from him and Francois during school... it was 2 DVDs of Shrek! I have this sick obsession with Shrek - and so does Francois - so it was really made me smile :) Oh little brothers! (Oddly, I have really missed them this week and skyped them on my birthday after school.) When I went home, I had so many messages from people at home I thought had forgotten about me and from people here that I didn't even think knew me... It made me happy! Then to complete the happiness, I went on a run in the woods and in the lovely sun. I felt so good and happy after :) I even got up the courage to weigh myself and (drum roll please) I have lost 3 kilos! Yay me! (Only 98 to go!) Right as I realized this, it was time to go out to dinner for my birthday. For some reason, I thought we were going to eat Chinese and when we got to the restaurant and sat down I was like, "Wait, Is this Chineses?" Marta was like, "Does this look like a Chinese Restaurant?" And the answer was no - it was an Italian restaurant.... and just as good! I had an amazing appetizer with spaghetti scampi and then completed the meal with an amazing ice cream and chocolate sauce. The ice cream was to die for and I think I could have just eaten that all night... to say the least - I was stuffed like a pig and it took me forever to get to sleep that night! I have not eaten that much in a really long time... my poor body.Tuesday was not so fun. I stayed up really late on Monday and was just beyond exhausted at school. The sun was out again though :) So, I took advantage and made myself go for a run again. I really can't help but like running when it is nice out... even when I am about to pass out from fatigue.
Then yesterday, I went to the University's library with my Science Sociales class. When you are a rheto (senior) you have these huge presentations you have to do in each class you are taking. Like in French class - everyone has to read a book and then in a group of 3 they have to present the book to the class and it is a huge part of their grade. Everyone has been freaking out about these "expos" ever since we have been back at school. Some of them are due in June - like the Science Sociales one. We have to write a 10 page research paper on a question under any subject we want related to the class. Of course being the lazy exchange student I am - I went to the teacher and asked if I had to do the paper too. She looked at me all weird and was like, "Well, yes? Why wouldn't you have to? Your french will be even better in June!" Super! So, then I had to figure out a question related to something we were studying and something I'm somewhat interested in. I decided to compare the Social Security System (mainly the Healhcare) of Belgium with the system of America... and then to add the thoughts of the Americans (democrat and republican) on the subject, why it is complicated to change our current system, and why it works in Europe. I was so excited with how intense my question was and how it is actually something that is an important issue right now. The next day after I picked it out, I told the teacher and she was so impressed also that now she wants me to give an oral presentation to the class since it "is such a big issue".... along with the 10 page paper... all in French. So, now... I'm kind of regretting my question since it is more than I think I can handle. Yesterday when we went to the library, we were all looking up our questions and most people have really weak questions... like one girl's is "why do people become vegetarians?" I'm too smart for my own good! This is what happens when I put in a little bit of effort! Lesson learned. Yet, the paper is still due. Cool. Oh, and oral presentation. Super.
After school, I was going to work on this blog since I was overdue! But then Marta and Larry came home and were like do you have plans tonight? I didn't have any plans and then the next thing you know we are mini golfing! And then had pizza after! It was a cute little bonding moment and a reminder that my golfing skills still suck on another continent. So, that is why I am updating everyone a bit late!!
Today was pretty lame... it rained. Only eventful thing was I went for another run... and completed this blog!! Score.
Pictures later!
All for now
Mal
No comments:
Post a Comment