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