I had two hours of gym class today. You know, in the States, gym was right up there with math for classes that I detest. Actually, it was higher than math. It was ultimately the worst class in the world for me. I always hated gym because I was just bad at everything. Basketball, baseball, running, volleyball especially. Which is why, my senior year, I avoided the required class at school by taking Pilates and Water Aerobics at the local college instead :P But here, I really enjoy gym class. Because it's not a bs class where your success relies fully on your ability to smack a ball over a net. Here, physical education really is just that. The focus lies on the concept of being healthy and in good shape. They are not afraid, here, to tell us that we cannot sit on our bums all day. That it is necessary to exercise and be fit. They are not afraid to tell us that it is unhealthy to be fat.
Isn't that ironic? In the States, we put the most stress on having "the perfect shape" and "the perfect body", but yet we have the highest obesity rate in the world, and on top of that, nobody is allowed to tell students that for fear of being sued out of their minds. And then here, in Belgium, people care about health and the majority of people are in shape. What a concept!
So anyways, I haven't worked out in about a week and a half because of the rain. There has been quite a bit of it lately and every time I want to go out and run, it's raining. So it's been a while. And for those two hours of gym, we were running and doing some abdominal work and such, and I hate to admit it, but I was feeling pretty weak. But I just kept remembering something that one of my best friends told me: You have to work past your mental boundaries, and once you break that boundary, you'll be amazed at what you can do. I have been keeping that quote tucked away in the back of my mind every since I heard it, and it's wonderful. It kept me going all through the class, and at the end, I felt great because I knew that I had worked hard and gotten some good work in. And not even for the physical hardships. But for the mental too. It's a great thing to think about when I feel overwhelmed and upset. Because sometimes when I take a step back and look at what I'm doing, I am amazed. But we won't get into that right now!
Another little thing that made today great: My good friend, Mathieu, was talking to Talia and I today at break. And we were talking about stores in Hannut, and the lack of them. And he was saying how his aunt owns a store there and it's one of the only good ones and we should go check it out. And he likes to speak in English to us, so a lot of times when he doesn't know the words, he describes things in roundabout ways for us to understand. And he couldn't figure out how to tell us what kind of store it is, so he says, "With those things that you put your boobs in!" Meaning bras. It was the most hysterical thing that I have heard a Belgian person say yet. Talia and I laughed our butts off as soon as those words spilled out of his mouth. See, it's the little things that make me happy :)
Food for today: It's been a while since I have described my meals in depth... But I guess that is because I haven't eaten anything extremely interesting lately and there has been no theme, such as zucchini to laugh about. But today, I had a traditional Belgian dish that apparently comes from Liège. I'm not sure if it has a name but here's what it is: Green beans with potatoes and a sort of bacon, topped with a creamy sauce. Now that may not seem like anything out of the ordinary, but the sauce has a very distinct flavor... It is more like a gravy, made from the leftovers after the bacon-type meat is cooked. It's very good, but I did not care for the bacon. There was just so much fat on it and I despise chewing on fatty meat. But I sucked it up and ate it, and tried to get past the texture and enjoy the flavors because it was actually very tasty. But when my host family asked if I liked it, I did tell them that I didn't like the meat very much. They were not at all offended, yay! :)
Other little things that made me happy: Sending a package home with all different things for my family. Buying new face wash and body wash and mascara. (I swear, shopping for nice things to pamper myself with has become one of my new favorite past times) Going to my dance class. Talking with my friends. Eating lunch with the Belgians. Making plans for the weekend. Just having fun!
However, right now, I'm feeling a bit sick in the tummy region, but I think it is because I am dehydrated. So I am going to go seek out some water and hit the sack! Bonne nuit!
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