Bonjour April, you're very pretty.

Hello Hello Hello

Where the heck did March go?? Seriously... is this a joke? It is already the first week of April... and I hadn't even had time to accept that March was here....and now it is over?

I have decided to spice it up and put some of my favorite quotes at the beginning today... with a picture I took yesterday morning. Once again, I woke up to this and had to go searching for my camera at 6:50 in the morning. I love it :) I love how now I search for the sunrise ... I look out the window every morning hoping that one day I will see a beautiful sunrise beaming through the trees over the fields...I guess that is the optimistic person in me :) I like that I take every day ... as every day. I like that months fly by when you are living like that. I like that a friend in my french class at the University was noticing that I don't wear a watch... and he said, "Do you not wear a watch because you don't like to know the hour? You don't want to know what time it is?" I didn't know what to say ... but I guess it was true. I don't really want to know the time or the hour... I am here now and that is the moment I want to know. I like living that way... I think the word for it in Greek is living in "kairos" not "kronos"....
but when you snap out of it it is weird. Is it really April already? Are you sure?

"All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that."
- Baltasar Gracian

"Calenders are for careful people, not passionate ones."
- Chuck Sigars

"Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated by a watch."
- Jane Austen (Mansfield Park)

I have been so busy lately, I have hardly have time to look at the time. Like... really. I can't even functionally keep up with facebook at the moment (that is saying something) nor my e-mails. While I'm super busy at the moment... I have a feeling the next 2 weeks I have off for Easter break are going to be spent by me wishing I was more busy. All my Rotary friends are going to either Italy or Greece for a week ... and I'm not going. Along with all my Rotary friends being gone a lot of my school friends are going on vacation during this time... so I'm going to be so lonely!! And bored! There might be more than once a week updates during my Easter break... to encourage my productiveness. I think I'm going to be spending my free time : running (still need to get into bathing-suit-ready-body), reading (my book for my presentation in French class at school), doing my paper for Science Sociales (over healthcare in America vs. the system in Belgium), blogging (I kind of like you, my faithful followers), going to the park (basking in the sun), and sleeping (since I don't remember the last time I felt like I got enough sleep). I guess I won't be that bored... I mean how bored can you really be when it is sunny and springy outside :)

Last time we talked it was Wednesday. Sooo... Thursday I went to french class and that was pretty much the most productive thing I did. Benoit and I made a cake for the girl's (Noemie, Delphine, and Louisa) birthdays. It was cute...:)
Friday was the girl's birthday... and everyone from the Dutch class went to Ghent (in northern Belgium) for the day. So, Benoit and I couldn't bring our cake we made to school because we forgot they would be in Ghent - and neither of us are in Dutch class. It was hilarious. So, instead the family and I enjoyed the cake during the weekend. Friday was so long though! We went into town to do a little celebrating after school and then went back to Delphine's house around 11. Her mom made us all pasta ... and it was pretty much epic. I think I ate way too much... but it was so good! Everyone was really tired though after a long day of school and a day in Ghent so it was not as exciting as I thought it was going to be... and I was beyond exhausted myself. Benoit and I left around 1 and didn't end up spending the night at her house like we thought we were going to. Oh well... it was still a good night spent with friends :)
Saturday I went around 5 to help Noemie get ready for her party. I was the official butter spreader for maybe 200 cheese/ham sandwiches. I wasn't really needed but it was nice to help out since Noemie was really stressed out. I got to meet all her family and friends - they were all so nice and friendly to me. Noemie is the girl that I'm going to be living with when I change families in a month. All night she would introduce me to people as "her future sister". It made me smile. She is one of my good friends at school and I love her :) Noemie had her party with her best friend (Kat) -who goes to another school... so the party was huge because it was both my and Noemie's school and Kat's school. I met so many new people and had a great time with my friends :) The theme was such a success!! It was "chic" and "shock" - so it was so fun to see what everyone interpreted the theme as! I ended up wearing these crazy bright, blue feather earrings with bright colored bobby pins in my hair and bright pink sneakers with a black shirt and skirt. I thought I looked so cute :) It was a great party and I didn't get home until 4 in the morning!
Sunday I got up wayyy too early to catch a train to Verviers before 1 to go to a carnival. It was a rainy Sunday morning so ... I was really not in the mood. A lot of cities have carnivals a month or so after the carnivals in March because more people will come... so it was one of those carnivals. Every carnival though is different and this one was in Stavelot (about an hour and half from Liege). The Stavelot carnival is known for having incredible costumes and the "Blanc-Moussis". The Blanc Moussis wear white robes with masks that have outrageously huge noses. The costumes are mocked after the religious wear of the monks (of an old Abbey founded in 648 near Stavelot). The monks used to mingle in with the commoners during the town's festivities (in white robes) during the Middle Ages. In the 1500's, strict sanctions were made on the monks leaving the Abbey during holidays and enjoying life... so the Stravelotians put on their own white robes and caps in memory of them. Of course, this independent act by the commoners was banned in 1502 and so the Stravelotians fought back and replaced it with a different style of a white robe and added a mask with a hilarious nose. The mask hides the identity of the the person and when they wear the robe they are not allowed to talk... in honor of the monks (and their identities). They had these balloons that had pig intestines in them... they reaked!! The Blanc-Mouissi would come up to the people in the audience and hit them with their rank ballons. It was gross. I'm not sure if the monks used to do this... but they have had this tradition since the 1500's ... so everyone is cool with getting wacked by disgusting balloons full of pig intestines. It was a bit bizarre. But the parade was so intense! Every costume was crazy good and intense... I was shocked at how much attention was given to each costume. This was another interactive parade... and Marge and I were once again very popular! Marge got stolen to go ride a "magic carpet" and I got stolen and attacked with confetti and hay! It was hilarious! One thing was different at this parade though: for your spirit in participating in the interactive parade you would be rewarded with a shot of alcohol. Hi, Welcome to Belgium. Marge and I kept being like... "This would never happen in America!" Which is true! It was a great, Belgian carnival :) So glad I got up early to go enjoy it!
Monday came way too soon.... and it was a rainy, gross day. I was really stressed out all day because I had to do a huge presentation for my french course at the University over America (yes, how do you sum up America on a slideshow?), Missouri, and Kansas City on Tuesday. I hate public speaking... and it is even worse when you do it in French because not only are they listening to what you are talking about but listening to your french. I was stressing and I also had to write a paper for my school's newspaper. I guess every year students submit writings done in their second language as a way to show how well they write and stuff... so my English teacher asked me to write a paper in French. I wrote a paper about the differences between America and Belgium and what it is like for me to be an American in Belgium. I thought I did really well :) I wrote a good closing paragraph on how the Belges know how to live life. They live life like they deal with their weather... Belges make the most of every sunny moment because they all know that tomorrow will definitely not the same. I thought it was a cute comparison :) The teacher that asked me to do the writing is also my German teacher... the one I handed in a paper to that I "wrote" in German but really my German friend pretty much wrote it. The teacher totally knew I didn't write it and called me out in front of the class... so when he read what I wrote in French he was like, "This is really good, are you sure you wrote this?" Hahaha It was funny and I was happy to say that the really, good French writing was mine :)
Yesterday (Tuesday), I had my French presentation.... and I did really well :) I wrote everything I wanted to say down so it went smoothy and my slides were good! I feel good about it and I'm glad it is over!!
Today was sooo nicee!! I had two tests in my Science Sociales class today... over Freud and nurture vs. nature. I think I did pretty well! It feels good to be able to actually try on a test and do well! I love it :) Then I came home and went on a spiritual/nature walk... it was glorious. Judge my spirituality and love of nature all you want :) I actually passed up a day in town shopping to spend time with myself and the sun. I was just walking in the meadows with the cows, sun shining on my skin, and iPod on. It was something I'll never forget. And now I'm working on this blog... !!
Such a wonderful day
C'est la vie!! (That's life!! )

all for now ;)
another busy weekend coming up! 100 jours this Friday!! 2 weeks until Greece and 2 weeks to lounge around in the Belgian sun :)

i love life.
Mallory