sunny blissfulness

How many times can I express to you, my faithful followers, that I love the sun and never want it to leave? It makes me smile.
I keep listening to this song on my iPod while I'm walking through the city or sitting on the bus or waiting for a friend.... Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield...

Feel the rain on you skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten

It makes me happy... I am unwritten. My whole life is before me... and I have no idea what is going to happen but I'm writing a page of my life everyday. I'm breaking rules, following my heart, and the pen is in my hand ... and I love not knowing the ending of my book and that I am the author at the same time :)
I was listening to this song this past Friday while I was waiting for Mollie to get in town. I was just sitting on the bench by myself in the sun... content with having alone time to just think and listen to music. This song came on and I just went into orbit with how I am unwritten and that everyday should be lived with your arms wide open... I think I started smiling a little. A man in a suit and tie then stops in his tracks as he is walking past me (this is a true story) and says - in french- "you look like you are on the moon!" I come back to Earth and smile and tell him, "Juste un peu" (just a little). He smiles back and then asks me where I'm from since my accent is so American. Then we just start talking! For the next 20 minutes! We covered all the places I have traveled, he recommended me going to Bath (in England), I told him why I loved Belgium, he told me that I looked British, and then he continued on with his day after giving me his card if one day I was going to Scotland. My life is unwritten :) I think these little moments of random conversations - with people you might never see again but yet you meet them anways and they make your day (or your life) a little better- are events of happiness that you don't plan ... you can't plan them! They are unwritten... they are what happens when you stop planning and start living.
:)
Just another reason I love life.

So... last time we talked it was Monday.
Tuesday was my only day of school last week... and I only went for 3 hours of it! Hahaha I'm such an exchange student. Jerry and I went to our Rotary meeting and then hung out in town ... in the sun :) ... before our french class. It was a beautiful day to just... hang out.
Wednesday I slept in and went on a run. I went into town around 12 and met up with Marge and Mollie. Marge and I convinced Mollie to dye her hair... my color but a little darker. It was so much fun! One of those ... Why-Not-Dye-Your-Hair-With-Your-Two-Good-Friends-On-A-Random-Sunny-Wednesday moments. You know? Even though is took 3 hours, it was one of the best dye jobs I have ever seen! She looks so good and I'm so happy she finally had the courage to do it! It was great. Then we went and had a little lunch (apples and spice cake) and headed to the park in Liege with the rest of the exchange students. It was so fun to hang out with everyone in the sun :) I love exchange students!! Mollie brought her camera so we took some 'artsy pics in the park'... we messed around in a lot of them but they turned out so cute. I'm proud to say I was that girl posing for the self-timed camera .... :) I love my friends.
Thursday I went for another run and slept in - haha that seems to be the theme of my week. I had french class from 4-6 and then at 7:30 I met up with my family at school to watch the annual Talent Show (Le Tournoi d'Interpretation). It is a really big deal and these kids have been working on their parts for like the past 3 months....! My friends in the "tournament" have all been stressing over it the past month so it was great to finally see what everyone has been talking about and stressing over! The first hour was all acting and the next hour and half was singing and dancing. It was a little hard for me to follow the acting ... but I understand most of it. They were all these little skits and they were all so funny... I mean everyone else was laughing while I was asking my friends next to me to explain why it was so hilarious. The dancing was amazing and the singing gave me chills! It was so fun to watch my friends performing and then being with my other friends in the audience. It was great :) I really felt like I was a part of the school and integrated (since the other exchange students at my school didn't even know what it was/didn't want to go).
Friday - I again ran and slept in. Surprised? Then around 5, I went into town to meet up with Mollie. We had a little girl's night :) We had a pita/hung out in town then went to a party with my friends from my french class at the University - who are from all over the world, studying for a semester or two at Liege, and in between 20-25. It was so much fun! I only knew a few people at the party when we got there but after being there for a few minutes Mollie and I made so many new friends. It was a bit exhausting though explaining to people that we weren't Erasmus students at the University of Liege but instead just exchange students in high school. It was also exhausting explaining where we were from! The conversation of the night literally went like this : "Hey! Where are you from?" "Oh! Hey! We are from Kansas and Missouri." "Kansas? Who is Missouri?" "Ya...you know Chicago? It's by Texas and Canada." "Oh! Ya! Chicago! Ok!" Classic. My geography teacher would be so proud of me. It was so much fun though being at a party where the international language is English instead of French and that the average age is 22 instead of 16 - like it is at my high school parties. It made me excited for being in college... :) The night was complete with Mollie and I running to catch our bus and laughing the whole time while we were waiting for the bus since we weren't late at all. I'd say it was a successful girl's night on the town. Can't wait for the next one!
Saturday I stayed in at night... I was really exhausted and just was in the mood to watch Gossip Girl in my pjs :) It was crazy, clearly. Time well spent!
Sunday I went on a long run and caught up with e-mails and facebook. I finally brought down my clothes that were in my suitcase in the attic for spring!! It made me soooo happy to finally bring down my cute skirts, dresses, and short sleeve shirts!! Yay spring... I think this means that you have to officially happen already! Please? I mean, I think the fact that yesterday I was sweating while I was waiting for my bus is proof enough that this weather is here to stay. I have all my winter clothes in 2 bags ready to send back to KCMO... I will be happily paying for that package to go home. No complaints.
Monday was lame... I wore one of my 'new' springy skirts (from the attic) to help make me feel more in the mood for school... I think it kind of helped. We just have 2 more weeks of school then 2 weeks of Easter break and then a week in Greece :) I think I can suck it up for 2 weeks.... but it is so hard! It is so easy for me to just not come back inside after eating outside with my friends... I'll try to keep it together these next few days! The sun is just so darn tempting... stupid sunny blissfulness!
Yesterday was pretty :) Before my french class I went shopping for a costume for my 100 jours (100 days). This is a big deal my followers. 100 jours is the last 100 days before school is out ... and the seniors all wear costumes to school, play jokes on the younger kids, do little skits, have an amazing time, are so happy since they only have 100 more days of school, and then leave at noon to go romp around in town... in costume of course. It is the equivalent of America's Prom. (That kind of a big deal.) Well, all my friends have had their costumes since their first year of high school I think... so I had to go find mine! My friends are being : snakes, Cruella Deville, swans, Snow White, fairies, farmers, cowboys/girls, professional athletes, dancers, etc. As I said... these costumes are intense and well planned out. So I had to get on mine since it is next Friday! I went to the local costume shop hoping to just find something in my size...so I walked in and was like, "Hi! I'm going to my '100 jours' and I have no idea what to be!" The man was so nice and told me where to look. I found a cute batgirl costume and held it up to look at the size and the man came over and was like, "Hmm... ya, that is a bit short for the 100 jours." I was surprised! I was so out of my league. Then he turns to me and goes, "Your accent... where are you from?" I explain that I'm from America blah blah blah. He cuts me off and says, "You're American!? I have the perfect costume for the perfect American!" And that is how I walked out of the store with a red, white, and blue cheerleading uniform and pom poms to match. I love it! I was never the girl in high school who did any sort of cheerleading... so it is just hilarious to me that I'm going to be That girl. I'm so excited now that I have my costume. Vive 100 jours!
Today was a short day I just came home for lunch and went on a run... and did this blog! I'm so productive :)

This weekend is going to be really crazy busy! My 3 good friend's (Delphine 18, Noemie 18, and Louisa 17) birthdays are this Friday so we are all going into town to celebrate and then back to Delphine's for the night. Then Saturday, Noemie is having a huge party with her other good friend! The theme is 'Chic and Shock' so I have to find something 'shocking' yet 'chic' at the same time to wear... love themed parties :)

I hope everyone is doing well :)
I love life.

Mallory

Bubbly

Lalalalalalalala :)
It is so sunny out and I don't have school! I say a perfect day. I feel all "bubbly" and happy. The sun has been out so much lately and it has been so warm... I'm just waiting for it to be officially spring already. I love the sun :) I can't wait to go in the attic in a few days and bring down my summer clothes still in my suitcase and then I'll send my winter clothes back to Kansas City... I would like this day of changing out clothes to happen tomorrow! I'm so bubbly waiting for it to be constant nice weather with flowers and green grass and lazy days spent in the sun with friends :)

I guess I should apologize for being very late in updating you, my faithful followers. I wish I had a better excuse than that I'm living my life to the fullest... but I don't :) My two days I have to be productive were spent with friends instead of spent on the computer... and that is why I didn't have time to update. So sorry! I'm back! I promise I won't be MIA like that without a warning! Now, you have to read a very long blog update... I'll try to be entertaining :)

Last time we talked was on Thursday... well that night I went with my 7 closest friends from school to see Black Swan. I hadn't seen them at all over break so it was great to get together and have a girl's night. We saw the movie in English (the Belges prefer to watch good movies in the original language instead of having it dubbed - which I agree, dubbed movies are so not as good to watch as in the original language). It was a great movie and I can see how it won so many awards... but it was scary for me! My friend (Tersia) and I were grabbing on to each other the whole movie... and I might (just might) have had a hard time getting to sleep that night! It messed with my mind...! Even if it was a scary movie, it was good to hang out with my Belgian friends since I hadn't seen them in a while.
Friday, we went over to Alain's (my host dad) parent's house for dinner. It was a little family dinner to celebrate the birthdays in February and March. I even got to blow out a candle too :) They are so cute. Have I mentioned that I love my brothers? I just love how they really are my brothers. We get in fights, we annoy each other, but at the end of the day we love each other. I have never had this experience before with siblings... and now I think I understand it. I'm really going to miss them when I have to leave... :( I only really have a little over a month left with this family... so I'm trying to make every moment here count since I know I'm going to miss them like crazy.
Saturday, I went to a soccer (football) game with Alain! Liege has a professional men's team and women's team. The men's team, of course, plays in a huge stadium and is on TV every time they play and it is always a big deal when Standard (their name) is playing. So, I thought this is what it would be like to go to a Standard Femina game... but no. It was actually kind of pathetic! The girls played on the practice field right outside the huge stadium and there were maybe 20 people who came to watch them. It was so sad, since this was supposedly the professional level for girls! These girls were like my age... and played how high school girls play in America. Since no sports are associated with school, this pretty much was the highest level for the girls. I think I could have played at the same level as them if I was out there that day... and I haven't played soccer in 2 years! With the sadness said, it was so fun to have a bonding moment with my host dad. The boys don't really like to do things with their parents but I'm always saying yes to any sort of outing in Belgium... so I think Alain appreciated me going with him and I'm glad he took me. It was a fun game and we won 4-0! I think we are going to go watch another game soon :) Then that night, I stayed at home and watched a movie. My parents went to a party, Benoit was playing ping-pong, and Francois had his girlfriend over... so I had a nice relaxing night in. The only exciting thing I did that night was eat croque-monsieur (which is a grilled cheese and ham sandwich). haha
Sunday, we went over to Isabelle's parent's house for a dessert get together again for her birthday. I love it. We just ate pies and cakes and had coffee :) Isabelle (host-mom) turned 46 on Saturday so it was a little celebration for her. It was so fun to chill with the family and eat tons of rice cake and sweet bread with butter. I love rice cake :) It was a good day with the family and we came home late and just watched some TV together.... bonding moments with the fam. No biggie.
Monday was the start of school. Lameeee. I was still pretty sick all this week so getting up early was hard for me since all the week before if I didn't get a good night of sleep I could sleep in... but not with school back in motion. So, I was exhausted. But Monday was my 7 month mark in Belgium. How crazy is that?? I have been in Belgium.... for 7 months. I am over halfway done! Ah! That makes me sick. I only have 14 more weeks left. I think that if we are down to counting in weeks that means that they are going to go by disgustingly fast! I hope not... I am really starting to love my little life here more and more every moment. I can't even think about leaving without feeling sick in my stomach. I don't think anyone knows this feeling unless they have gone through the same thing... I want to stay here the rest of my life but also I want to go home and be with the people I love and start another chapter of my life but I also want to come back here but I know that nothing will be the same as being here now so I have to live it up like no other but time really flies when you are taking every moment like the last... does that makes sense? No? Ya... I don't understand either. Have I mentioned how the next 4 months are going to be ridiculously amazing?? You all know about me going to Greece with my school for a week (April 24th - May 2nd). Well have I told you that Marge, Mollie, and I are doing our own little trips... just the 3 of us :) We are going to go to the beach (Oostende) for a weekend in May for 2 nights, to Costa Brava, Spain for a week (May 23rd - 29th) AND, to Dublin, Ireland for 5 days (June 9th - 14th). I feel so grown up! I'm such a globe trotter :) I don't even care that I'm so broke right now... I will never get the opportunity to travel like this with my 2 best friends when I'm 19 on my year abroad in Europe! I would rather be broke and happy than rich and sad that I never went to sip cocktails on the beach in Spain or that I never went on a walk in the countryside of Ireland or that I never saw the North Sea while I was in Belgium for a year! I have to take these moments .... have I mentioned that I'm bubbly?? Oh, and with Rotary I will be going to Prague for a week too (June 17th - 23rd). haha So much travelinggggg and I couldn't be happier :) I love life!
Tuesday was really pretty and sunny. Before my French class, I bought an apple and sat in the square with the sun shining on me... it was glorious. I love Liege :) A lot of my friends at the University (doing a semester abroad with Erasmus) that I know through my french class don't like Liege... they think it is boring and not very pretty. I disagree! I think there are so many fun things to do but you have to go out and do them... they don't just come to you if you just sit there. You have to be active. I also think that Liege is gorgeous... yes, it has some ugly parts but what city doesn't? I love the old, cobble streets, the fountains, the historic buildings, the flowers outside the houses, the woods, the flat green areas that cows are in but also where the local kids play soccer, and the people. People are what make the city gorgeous. I don't think it is just me that every time I go out in Liege I meet a random person who just wants to sit and talk while he/she is waiting for the next bus or we are sharing a bench. I love these people in this city that I love.
Wednesday was a fun day. I went into town after school to meet up with Marge and Mollie to do some shopping. Mollie was leaving to go to Czech Republic the next day so I wanted to wish her a good trip. Then when she left, I convinced Marge to go to Brussels with me for a few hours with some other exchange students to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. I love St. Patrick's Day so I had to do something special since of course nobody celebrates it here like Americans do. So, we all went to a pub in Brussels and had a fun time on a sunny, Wednesday afternoon :) It was an Irish pub and Marge and I met a nice couple from Ireland who told us all these cool places to go when we are in Ireland! It was great! It made us so excited for the trip :) I love those moments where you meet random people and you share a moment that makes your life better... like now I know the best pub to go to in Dublin and to take a 2 hour train to the south of Ireland to enjoy a different ambiance than the busy, city of Dublin. So worth it :)
Thursday I had french class and I was really tired and still feeling kind of sick.
Friday was the Rheto Soiree (the huge party that 200 plus kids came to and all the money went to our Senior Trip). After school, I hung out with some friends in town and then Marge and I got ready at my friend's (Justine) house for the party. It was so fun to get ready together.... :) The weather was horrible and rainy though.... but we still had a great time at the party! The theme was "Rich and Famous" so it was fun to see all my friends dressed up :) So many people were there and some of our teachers going on the trip too. It was a great night :) I danced the night away and didn't stop laughing the whole time with my friends!
Saturday Marge left around noon and then I skyped my parents for like 3 hours with Francois. Frans was so cute with his english and my parents loved asking him all these questions about school and if my french is getting better... it was a cute moment for us 4. Francois even got all the beer out of the fridge to explain to my dad which ones were the best... and yes, explaining why all the beer was on the living room table was awkward when the parents and Benoit came home. I love how I have a family here and at home and that they like each other :) Francois doesn't think he speaks very well so I think it made him really happy that he could have a long conversation with my parents! My head hurt though after translating for everyone when we were lost in translation haha I still can't believe it went on for 3 hours! It made me happy :) Then that night I realized that I would be home alone (Francois was going to a party, Ben was playing ping-pong, and the parents were at a party) and I was talking to Marge and she was going to be home alone too... so we had another sleepover at her house. It wasn't planned but it just worked out! I took a train then when I was in her city I took a bus to her house... it was quite the adventure :) That night we had baked mac and cheese and then watched Talledega Nights (shout out to my best friend, Liz, for sending me the movie in the mail. I love you!). It was such an "American night" for us. We went to bed early and then got up and went for a long walk in her neighborhood. It was a fun little weekend with Marge :)
Yesterday, I just realized that I didn't have school today... and that actually the only day of school I have this week is tomorrow. It was so funny because Isabelle was like, "So, what are you doing tomorrow?" and I was like, "Um, going to school?" I had no idea that we didn't have school! So that was a nice little surprise and I still have no idea why I'm not at school the rest of the week. Hhaha. Such a Mallory Moment. And last night we had Racklettes! One of my favorite meals... so it was a good day :)
Today is sooooo nice. The most productive thing I have done all day is go on a run and finally update the blog ...!! I'm very happy with having a lazy Monday to catch up with all the things I put off doing last week :) Maybe I'll start reading my book for French class I have to read and maybe start my paper for Science Sociales.... hmmmmmmmmm.... oh the possibilities!

Spring is comingggggggggggggggg :)
I have two nice signing off quotes to go with my bubble picture and the sunshine since I know you all have missed those terribly :)

“Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place. But there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around.” — E.L. Konigsburg
“All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within.” — Horace Friess


Hope everyone is healthy and doing well :)
Life is good !!
Mallory

Hello Carnival Season

Hellooooo Dimanche-Gras, Lundi-Gras, and Mardi-Gras!! I've never experienced the carnival season like this before :) Only Europe would give everyone a week off school and work to enjoy the season with orange throwing, huge feather hats, and ridiculous floats.
I love Europe.

(warning - this is going to be a long entry!)

The Carnival Season goes way back in history.
Hundred and hundreds of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent (fat tuesday or mardi-gras in French) . Because Catholics are not supposed to eat meat during Lent, they called their festival, carnevale - which means "to put away the meat". As time passed, carnivals in Italy became quite famous and the practice spread to France, Spain, and all the other Catholic countries in Europe (like Belgium). All the countries put their own little spin on the their tradition of celebrating carnival....
Many parts of Belgium celebrate Carnival, typically with costume parades, partying, fireworks, and beer drinking.
So, on Sunday (dimanche-gras) Margaret, my parents, and I went to a carnival in Malmedy - and hour south of Liege - to start the festivities. (Most of the carnivals start on Thursday and go until Tuesday at midnight.) It was not what I was expecting at all! There were so many people packed into this small little town with small streets and old buildings... it was crazy! We got their around noon and the parade was just about to start. It was beautiful with the sun shining and all the people so happy... a great "ambiance". When the parade started, Marge and I were literally in shock at all that was passing by. There were maybe 15 bands in this parade all decked out in intense costumes, 20 huge floats with themes for every one that passed by, and confetti everywhere! It was so pretty... all the colors :) It was a very interactive parade as well. In the states, you would never be touched at a parade - but in Europe it was almost mandatory for the people in masks to mess around with the crowd. It definitely made it so much more fun than just standing there and watching! Marge even got stole by one of the floats and came back with confetti all in her hair and black make-up on her cheeks! It was a Mary Poppins float and she "helped clean the chimney". I was worried at first when they took her away but then I couldn't stop laughing! I made a friend too who taught me the dance to his tropical themed float. There were these people dressed up as bakers (Boldji) in all white, a baker's hat, rosy cheeks, and with a wooden shovel called the "Panula". They would sometimes come around with their children dressed the same (so cute) and they would come up behind you and pat your butt with their paddles! It was hilarious and Isabelle (my host mom) was very popular with them! There were these other people (Lu Long-Bresse) who were dressed up as clowns but with extra long hands and when they were walking in the parade they would come up to the crowd and mess up your hair with their long hands! Sometimes they would steal the hat of a random person in the crowd and then give it to another random person. So funny. They loved Marge and I, by the end of the day our hair was so crazy by the Lu Long-Bresse messing with us all day. There were these other people called Lu Long-Ramon (long blade) that were dressed the same as the Long-Bresse but without the arm extensions. They carry a huge broom about 5 meters high decorated with the Malmedy colors (black, yellow, and green). The brush is mainly to just mess with people and it always kept surprising me when I didn't see it coming. It added to my hair looking great by the end of the day! Then there were these other people called Lu Long-Ne who would gather by 6 or 7 and in single file follow around a random person until the random person finally gives up and gives them a tour of the city. They wear a striped hat, a mask with a long nose, and a blue coat. They are totally unrecognizable with their clay pipe in their mouth. It was hilarious. At first, I just thought they were running through the town following their "leader" but not until the end of the day did I realize they were following a random man...! I always saw them running because the "victim" would want to wear them out so they would give up. Not only do they follow the random person around, but they also have to drink what the "victim" drinks! Of course! Then there were these other people who had a little, wooden things that would trap your leg. When they would catch you you would have to go down on one leg and promise the person that you have never drank and you never will. It happened to pretty much everyone and it is hilarious because everyone is drinking but you say you have never tasted beer just so they will let you go. There were these other people called "Lu Lu Savadje-Cayet" that were covered in black make-up (from head to toe) and are covered with colorful, wood chips that would rattle at the slightest movement. When they would come by in the parade they would have a club full of foam and rub you with it ... for some reason. It was an awesome day full of interactive traditions and I'm so glad I got to experience it :) Little cultural experience on a beautiful Sunday in Belgium.
After the festivities ended, we went home. I was supposed to go to a birthday party for Francois but I was so exhausted after the exciting day I decided to stay home. I took a "nap" that lasted 14 hours. I am sooo sick! I slept from 6 PM on Sunday to 8 AM on Monday. I was a mess. So on Monday (lundi-gras) I didn't do anything special. Except upload all my photos from Sunday on Facebook!
Tuesday, I took a 2 hour train with Mollie and Marge to the legendary city of Binche to celebrate Mardi-Gras. The Carnival of Binche has a history of dating back at least to the 16th century. Parades are held over three days before Lent. In 2003, the Carnival of Binche was recognized as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The most important participants are the "Gilles", who go out in traditional costume on Mardi-Gras and throw blood oranges into the crowd. In Binche, the "Gille" is only allowed to wear his Gille costume on Mardi Gras. Tradition also forbids "Gilles" to make performances outside Binche (carnival has its strict rules). The "Gille's" day starts with his dressing - l'habillage - with his family and is only attended by close relatives. Later the drum comes fetching the "Gille" at his home and his family and friends go from house to house collecting the other members of the town (called the "ramassage"). In the afternoon, during the parade, the "Gille" wears his impressive hat covered with ostrich feathers and offers the huge crowds hundreds of oranges! Marge and I went to Binche thinking that it would be a huge parade like in Malmedy but really all that Binche is known for on Mardi-Gras is orange throwing thrown by these huge, feather hat people. It was kind of funny to think that all these people came just to have oranges chucked at their heads (yes, one hit me in the head) but it is tradition! I'm so glad I was a part of it... it is so different than the Mardi-Gras I think of in New Orleans with beads and huge floats. I'm so glad I got to experience this with my friends :)
We took a train home at 7 and the girls came over to my house for the night. Then we woke up early to go meet Rotary at the train station to go to Bastogne. Bastogne (for those of you not really into history) was liberated by the Allies in late 1944 in World War II. Bastogne was attacked by German forces looking for control of the Ardennes. The goal of the German army was to advance toward Antwerp to cut off supplies and separate the British troops from the American troops. On December 16th, the legendary, war-changing Battle of the Bulge started. This was Hitler's last attempt to win the war in the west. On December 22nd, German emissaries asked for the Americans to surrender since it looked like neither side was going to give up any time soon. General McAuliffe answered the Germans with his famous quote of, "Nuts!" The next day, things started looking better for the Americans. On December 26th, troops under the command of General Patton broke the deadlock and won the battle and liberated the people of Belgium. Bastogne is covered with memorials dedicated to the American soldiers who liberated the town from the German control. I am not very patriotic, but there was something about looking at all the memorials and going through the museums of the town that made me proud of the troops who fought in the Battle of Bulge. This war was 70 years ago and yet, you still feel it when you walk the streets. In America, you just learn about this war in school through text books that don't really give you a real image of what life was like for these people that are now grand-parents. The war didn't just affect the soldiers but the towns people... that had to leave their houses they grew up, that had to watch their sons and fathers be taken, that had to watch their town burn to the ground. This war affected everyone it came in contact with and still affects people to this day... you feel this untimely appreciation for the American troops who left their own homes in America to come fight for another countries independence. So ya... I was proud to be from America yesterday as I looked at the Madassan Memorial - a huge star with the 50 United States erected to honor the memory of the American soldiers wounded or killed during the Battle of the Bulge. Along with looking at all the war memorials and museums we also went to a farm that where handicapped people work. We got to spend a few minutes with sheep and llama! It was so much fun! I have never seen a real llama so it was really fun! We were all scared they were going to spit on us...so that was exciting :) It was a fun day along with being a sad with the emotional museums about WWII.

I forgot to tell you about my past Friday! Last Friday, the break started and for some reason all the buses went on strike and weren't running. So annoying. Bus strikes are very common here... and really inconvenient. Everyone wanted to go into town after school since it was the start of break so instead of easily catching the bus into town we all walked... 2 hours into town! It was crazy... and so much fun! I was with 3 guy friends and 6 of my close girl friends making the most of the nice weather and walking into town. It was a day I will never forget with my Belgian friends :)

I have had quite a busy week with traveling and enjoying life! I thought I would have a very calm break and I'm happy to say that it has been the farthest from that. I'm so thankful I got to go enjoy the carnivals around Belgium and take a little day trip with Rotary to a historical town.
Life is good :)

Hope everyone is doing well and you all enjoyed the carnival season in some special way also!
Spring is coming soon!

All for now
Mallory

Wait... it's March?!

Woahhhh... everybody hold on... IT'S MARCH?!
This is what ran through my mind yesterday when I was writing the date at the top of my paper...I can't even believe it is March already!! That just sounds like Spring... and after Spring comes Summer ...and after Summer comes Fall ....and Fall brings me back to school...! The thought of being in actual, real life school makes my head spin! And that I will be in school in less than 6 months is absolutely crazy. Everything is just going way too fast. Can we just slow down the clock for like 2 minutes so I can actually have time to realize that time is moving really fast...?!

Today was really nice :) My body is doing this weird thing where it thinks it is REALLY nice out whenever the sun is out... like today. The sun was out but it was actually pretty cold... but my mind thinks it is gorgeous and I went on a run in a short sleeve shirt! I don't know anymore what it means to have normal weather! Oh Belgium, you are really making me appreciate the sun even when it is still cold out!! I just miss the sun so muchhhh!! Have I already mentioned I'm totally ready for Spring to come... like this week preferably?

Last time we talked was Wednesday... sooo on Thursday FRANCOIS TURNED 19! Yayyy! We are now both old! I had already given him a present (2 free movie passes) in early February but I felt bad for not having anything to give him on his actual birthday so before French class I went and bought some chocolates for him (and some candy for Benoit too since I know his favorite kind). Francois and I both have a sick obsession with Shrek, so I also got him a little Pez thing with Shrek as the head. He loved that the most. I'm such a great, OLDER sister. Thursday was also the day I finally got my birthday present from Blakelee (best friend in KC). Just when I was starting to give up hope that I was actually going to get a present from her... :) She was so cute and wrote the sweetest card and then sent a necklace with the word "Dream" on. It made me smile so much and miss my friends at home so much. Love her :) I can't wait to see her this July!
Friday all my classes ended at 1! Score. So after school, I came home to eat lunch then I went for a run. I caught up with some e-mails and facebook and then had dinner with the parents and Francois. Francois was going to a college party and I was going into town to meet up with friends to go to a party... so we hopped on the same bus into town after dinner. Francois was with one of his friends (Romain) and it was entertaining to hear them talk about this huge party they were going to with the other med students. College life is sooo different here but also the same too. By the way... I'm kind of super excited for next year at Arkansas. Marge and I decided not to room together next year... which was totally mutual and probably the best idea. So now I'm on a roommate search! Arkansas has this thing where you find your future roommate through this website they have by answering a few questions... like eHarmony! It is so cool! I already have 7 girls that are "interested in me". So popular! (haha... not.) It just gets me so exited to think about next year :) Before I came I did not want to go to Arkansas at all but after being here just a few months I realize I want that total "American College Experience". I love my life here and I can't wait for my new life waiting for me in Arkansas. One of the reasons I'm coming home so late is because I don't want to have time to get my life together... I just want to start the new chapter of my life right when I get home! I don't want to try to match up the person I was when I left with the person I am now... no thanks. So instead, I'm just going to hop into my next life. I'll let you know if this plan is a fail or not. I've just been really excited about the future this week... and at the same time enjoying the moments I'm in now. Life is good. Are you getting sick of me saying this in every blog entry?? Sorry... I got a little off track on how my Friday went! So, when I got into town I met up with my friends and hung out for a bit there then went to a party of a girl in a grade lower than me (with Benoit and our friends). The party was kind of lame... but I danced the whole night with a good friend so I had a good time :) Then we left around 2 and got home around 3. Long day.
Saturday was rough. I had to wake up at 7 in the morning to catch a bus to Luxembourg with Rotary. I have been looking forward to doing this little day trip for awhile! I have never been to Luxembourg before, so why not go? This is where it gets tricky... where we went was not the country of Luxembourg but the province of Luxembourg. It is in the southernmost province of Belgium and actually borders the real Luxembourg. So, we visited the city of Luxembourg in the Province of Luxembourg which borders Luxembourg the country. Confusing, I know. I might have been telling people all week at school I was going to the country of Luxembourg... oh well another lost in translation mallory moment for the books. But the Province of Luxembourg is the largest of Belgium but has the smallest population. Very interesting! It was fun to hang out with everyone I hadn't seen in a long time and it was one of the first trips with the newies... so that was fun. It was one of those typical Northern European days though... where it is rainy, cold, and cloudy... for the entire day. It really didn't help my lack of sleep mood but I hung out with my friends all day and that made it somewhat better. We went to one of the oldest Breweries in Luxembourg (and the most modern) and had a little beer tasting before a tour of the Brewery! It was so cool... to see where it was actually brewed and to learn all the terms in French. It was too bad though that the beer was absolutely awful... I had 2 sips and I couldn't drink anymore! It was so bitter! Oh well... it was a really cool experience :) For lunch we had the "typical" Luxembourg lunch - ham, beans, and potatoes -which was not the best lunch... and didn't sit very well with me, the almost vegetarian, because after lunch we went to a place where they package meat (a Buchery?). We did a tour... and nobody was really paying attention since nobody really knew why we were touring a meet packaging place in Luxembourg. Oh Rotary... sometimes you confuse me. It was fun though to chill with all my friends. After this we went into town to do some shopping... yet with the rain and everybody's mood after the meat department - nobody was really in the mood to go shopping in the cold rain so we just hung out in a coffee shop and drank tea and ate pastries :) It was the best decision of my life. Around 5, we got back on the bus and pulled into Liege around 7. Then Marge and Mollie came over to my house for the night and we made tacos (Marge had real tacos and taco seasoning sent to her)! The boys were both playing ping pong (until 2 in the morning... not normal) and my parents were at a movie so we had the house to ourselves. It was just fun to make our own meal and listen to music and just chat about life :) I brought some chocolate chips from the states in my suitcase so we made some chocolate chip cookies... but that turned into being a fail since we didn't have any baking soda or enough sugar. Surprisingly the cookies turned out well (and I brought the extras to school for my friends)! It was nice to spend the day and night with friends :)
Sunday we woke up pretty early to take Mollie to the bus stop in my neighborhood... but taking Mollie to the bus turned into running her to the bus stop since we were late. Marge and I had planned on going on a run after we dropped Mollie off at the bus stop so it was hilarious since Marge and I were in running gear and Mollie was in a dress and all her bags. Poor girl. But we made it to the bus in time and Marge and I had a successful run in my neighborhood... win win. After Marge left, I did some homework and caught up with e-mails and stuff. Pretty successful day!
Monday was lame. I was super exhausted from the long weekend with not a lot of sleep. I forced myself to go on a run after school... I guess that is something exciting.
Yesterday Jerry and I went to our Rotary Meeting. We finally got paid! That was exciting. Then we hung out in town before our French class since we were finished early. Jerry hasn't been to the past 2 weeks of our French class at the University and yesterday was the first day he went... so that was fun. The French class I think is the right level... so I feel like I'm learning more than last time! For dinner last night, the grandparents came over and we had lasagna :) I love lasagna and I love these grandparents so much... so it was a good night!
Today was nice and sunny. After school finished at one, I came home to eat and run :) A productive day I would say! Spring is coming very soon!! I just have this feeling!!

I keep sneezing and I have a bad cough... I hope I get better! This Friday we will be on vacation for a week because of the carnaval season! I'm hoping to maybe take a train somewhere with friends this weekend to see the legendary carnavals of northern europe! I'll keep you updated :) And Wednesday I'm going to Bastogne with Rotary!
Should be a relaxing break :)
I do have to start my research paper for my Science Sociales class... ughhhhh! I don't remember how to actually do work anymore. Help.

All for now!

Mallory