11 Days...

And the Countdown begins... I have 11 days left until the Big Day when I leave this country and go back to the one that I call "home". Before I get all sentimental, let's recap the last few days.

Friday was the day after the ball. Which meant that everyone was EXHAUSTED. But what does this mean? The perfect day to throw a surprise birthday party for Manon! I had to go into Hannut for a dance rehearsal (that didn't seem to exist. I waited around an hour for people that didn't show up) but once I came back, it was a mad house. We were all running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get things ready and organizing and reorganizing around Manon who was wanting to come home early because she was tired, like the rest of us. But we got it all worked out with another one of our friends, Vanille, who made up a story about fighting with her boyfriend to get Manon to stay the whole afternoon with her. Around 7pm, people started arriving at the house and by 7 30, Manon was walking through the door and being greeted by a huge SURPRISE from all of us. I have lovely pictures. The best part about it? Because of the course of events and circumstances, she came home with her hair still pinned up from the ball, her pearls still around her neck, and her pajamas on. Nicely done Manon :) She went upstairs to shower and change and then we all spent the evening together, eating barbecue (again) and chit chatting. Eventually, we got back into Belgian customs and the alcohol came out. The big news of the night? There was a party (techno, of course) just a few feet away from our house and a couple of the kids went over there around midnight. Well, they came back early, around 1am, because there was a huge fight involving a cult-ish group of people, knives, the police, and an ambulance. Serious stuff, man. I went up to bed around 1 30am because I needed to get up in the morning to dance.

Which I did. Saturday was just that. I went to dance in the morning and then went to see Ben in the afternoon. We had to go our separate ways in the evening because I had yet another surprise party, this time for Romane before she leaves. She is going to Australia for a couple of months and her friends organized a little get-together for her. We all walked in a group (about 25 of us) to her house, her sister blindfolded her and then brought her outside and we surprised her. She was very happy and we all spent the evening with her. I didn't know many people there, so Perrine and I passed the night peeling the foil off of bottle caps and then stacking them. It's more entertaining than you think. We had a whole group of people doing it by the end of the night.

Sunday I slept in. Til almost 2pm. It was lovely. That afternoon, I had yet another little party to go to, this time with the students of Madame Noel. We all got together around 4pm, ate ice cream, sat around and chilled. My camera wasn't working, oddly. But it works again now, so I'm not asking questions, I'm just going with it. Eventually we ate dinner also, and then I left around 10 30pm because I was just so exhausted. I went home and I slept.

Yesterday was Monday, a pretty average day, but also topped off by a surprise birthday party. This time for our friend Lucie who's birthday was actually in January. It was cute though because when she came in, they put on "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". We, like all the other parties, spent the night eating and socializing, even dancing like crazy people at one point. Manon and Talia and I left around 11 30pm, again, to sleep. Though I stayed up til about 2am Skyping with my Daddy :)

Yesterday, also, I started to pack. I went through all my clothes and made a nice big pile of stuff that I don't really want anymore. I'm starting to get nervous about getting everything home, even with my nice pile. The fact is that I just have a lot of stuff. I have to continue going through it all and getting rid of things. I'm sure I'll be going home wearing about ten layers of clothing, all heavy and hot and I may die of heat stroke. Hopefully not, but we'll see. I also have to decide where I want to eat the night that I get home, which is proving to be one of the most difficult decisions of my life. What from the States have I missed the most?! It's really hard to choose. But i already told my family that I want a giant American breakfast the next morning. Hopefully the time difference won't mess too much with my head.

I'm not ready to get emotional on this blog yet. I'm already a little ball of emotional wreckage. Can't we wait to publicize it? Sorry, it'll come after I get back from Switzerland. Bye!

On the Bright Side...

I am pretty much finished packing... My mom and I managed to get it all in suitcases and be substantially under the weight limit. But I forgot to record what I packed... The only things that I still need to pack are accessories and underwear and things that I can't pack until day of, such as this laptop. Basically the rest of it is all packed up!!

That's the good news. The other good news is that Ryan came back today!!!! He came over in his uniform and everything and I just ran and jumped into his arms first thing. Then he came inside of course and got the third degree from my parents (hehe not really they were just really interested in what it was like and asked a lot of questions) before we retreated to the heat of the basement (no air conditioning) and he passed out on my couch because he's so exhausted. We even took a couple pictures, but I had forgotten to put the memory card back in my camera so we lost those pictures :( They would have been so cute too... Oh well I fail. Now we'll just have to take more!

Now these are the good things... It's time for the bad news. I don't think I am leaving on Tuesday anymore! I sent my passport and paperwork and such to the travel agent a couple months ago, and she sent it off to the consulate in New York City. And now, it's Sunday, and she has not received my things back to send them to me. They just haven't been processed! So now, I cannot leave on Tuesday because I do not have these essential forms!! So what it's looking like is that my departure date is going to be set back a couple days... Which sucks in a way because I have been preparing for Tuesday. But in another sense, it's good because I get some more time with the people here that I love. So I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how it goes...

I think that is all for today. Overall, I'm happy. Just a little frustrated. But life is good :)

Less Than A Week Left...

Today is Wednesday. I leave on Tuesday. GAHH I only have like 6 days left!! I really meant to post every day since the beginning of August but that just didn't happen. There's been way too much going on. We had my send-off party/graduation party on Sunday. It was really nice because there were a lot of people there that support me in this whole adventure :) I love the support from my friends and family. It is all that is getting me through this, because I'm really starting to freak out. This departure date is sneaking up on me so fast... And it still isn't really hitting me. Well no, I guess it is. But it's odd because it definitely comes and goes in spurts. All of the sudden I'll just realize how real this is and how scary it is, but then it goes away and all I can think about is how excited I am. But most of the time I'm just feeling nervous now. I really am psyched to go, but the level of uncertainty on how this is going to go is just so nerve-wracking.

It also doesn't help that I am without my rock this week :( My boyfriend left yesterday to go to his ROTC orientation, and he is without communication for the next four days. Since we started dating we haven't gone more than a few hours without at least a text message. And now there will be nothing until late Saturday night. But I am extremely grateful that he is coming back for those two days before I leave.

My family is taking me out to dinner tonight. My whole family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents included. We are going to a Lebanese restaurant that is apparently very good. We are Lebanese and my mother and I have been eating Lebanese food for our entire lives. (My father and sister really don't like the food, so they leave it alone) But the point is that we have family recipes and we are very picky about the way other people make these foods. So I'm really looking forward to this because it got the stamp of approval from my uncle, so it should be pretty good. And I'm really excited to spend this last time with my family before I go.

For now, that is all. I need to finish packing. Grrrr the chores that go with this... (ha) I'm sure I'll be posting a new packing list later tonight, along with pictures of the wonderful food that I will be eating :P

I wish there was a lip-licking emoticon... Just a side note.

13 days...

It is quite a gloomy day outside. However! I am not feeling gloomy today like I was yesterday! Everything is looking way up. And the best part about it is that it's for no real reason. After a nap and some blueberry pancakes last night, I was feeling much better. Of course it helped that the boyfriend came and got me and we went to go watch a movie with friends. Then we went back to my house and just watched "The Office" and he stayed til 3am (shh don't tell my parents!) Of course his is now taking a toll on me as I had to get up at 8am for work... And I am now exhausted! But that's ok because it was totally worth it.

Today, I go over to his house for dinner. With his parents. Oh. My. Gosh. I'm a little nervous! I've met his parents before, multiple times, and talked to them but never to the extent of real conversation that isn't your typical chit chat and small talk. So that should be interesting to say the least!!

I really need to finish packing. I need to sort out my shoes and underwear and pajamas and all that. The really hard part is going to be shoes. See, I'm kind of a shoe addict. I have over 70 pairs of shoes. And there is no way I can take nearly as many pairs of them as I want to. So picking and choosing between all of my beloved shoes is going to be one my biggest challenges for packing! And shoes are probably the heaviest of all the stuff I'm going to be taking with me so I need to be extra picky. Figures.

Maybe I shall post an updated packing list later tonight. Hmm we shall see.

16 days...

So I have started, yet again, to pack. I probably doubled my load of clothing. But I stuffed it all in the suitcase and, luckily, it all came to about 46 pounds. Which means I have 4 to spare!! But I didn't pack any pajamas, underwear, shoes or accessories yet. I think I'm just going to have to shell out the $50 for a second suitcase. Oh yah I looked it up today. It's $50 for the second and $100 for every case after that. Of course, I get a carry on and a personal also. But that doesn't do me a whole lot of good. Right now, my packing list consists of:

-4 pairs of jeans

-1 pair of khaki pants

-2 pairs of dress pants (one brown, one charcoal)

-11 casual skirts (wow that sounds like a lot when I write it out...)

-8 casual dresses

-2 fancy dresses

-12 casual shirts

-2 vests

-9 pairs of shorts

-4 sweaters

-6 fancy skirts

-3 blazer/jackets

-15 tank tops/sleeveless shirts

-1 casual jacket

-4 button-down shirts

-6 dressy tops

-8 cardigans

-1 Rotary blazer

Phew! That's a long list... And again, that's without some things... Maybe it is too much and I should cut it down... But my style is so big for me!! I'm known for it. Ughh this is just too hard. How about I just stay home??

P.S. Now that I have actually finished this entry, it now the next day, meaning I only have 15 days left now. It's all going too fast.

And So It Begins... Some Thoughts On Packing... And Leaving...

So once again, I'm posting late, and when I refer to "today", it really means yesterday.

So today, I made my first attempt at packing. It's much more difficult than I thought it would be. Because of course, I have to think about every single article of clothing I have and decide if I will wear it at all over the course of the next year. Not to mention the fact that I am allowed one 50-pound suitcase, a carry on, and a purse. (Although I'm pretty sure I'll just cough up the cash to take a second case) I have also discovered that I own wayyy too many pairs of pants and I cannot possibly take all of them. But then I realized that I don't even want to take many of the pairs because I don't really like them. Which then made me wonder why in the world I have them in the first place...

Anyways... I realized how difficult this is going to be. Not only do I have to decide what to take as far as clothing, but what about sentimental things? All the knick knacks that clutter the shelves and walls of my room? Pictures and figurines and posters and books and assorted dust-gatherers... Obviously I have no intention of packing my entire room, but I don't see how I could leave EVERYTHING behind. It's not as if I'm leaving for 2 weeks and coming back. Being gone a whole year, I think I am entitled to a few sentimental things. But it's hard to decide what to take and what to leave. And then I had an OHMYGOSHI'MGOINGTOBELGIUM moment. I'm beginning to realize what I'm about to do in roughly 26 days... I have a whole list of things that I have to go buy before I go and it keeps getting longer and more expensive... Part of which is underwear. I hate buying underwear. But I realized today that I don't have any decent underwear. So that's something I'm gonna have to go get :P

But pretty much, it's just beginning to sink in and it's freaking me out.

Tis all.