The Year Is Almost Over

I'm not sure when the last time I blogged was... I'm pretty sure the day that I went to Talia's for dinner. Yes that's right. Ok so I should pick up with yesterday.

So yesterday, Mikayla and I woke up at my house, under the impression that we would have to leave the house around 9 30am because we had heard my host mom say something about that the night before. So we got up, even though we had stayed up talking and watching How I Met Your Mother for hours and didn't get to sleep til 3am. Great quotes from last night: "It's not even a one word do!" "It's like a log of duck with a layer of fat on it. Well maybe ducks are just made that way". Anyways. We woke up, ate breakfast, and got ready for the day. But it turned out that we didn't have to leave until the afternoon. So instead of going back to sleep, we wasted time on the computer and talking. Eventually, right before lunch, we went, both of us, over to Mikayla's house. I was going to spend the night there because there was a little get together in Hannut that night at the café to introduce Talia's sister to all the Belgians. But more about that later.

We got to Mikayla's and threw all our stuff in her room, and then almost immediately went downstairs to eat. Of course. We had some couscous and found that the FAHB had taken the Jello that Mikayla had gotten him, and put it in the fridge. Not the made Jello, just the powder in the box. In the fridge. And when he came walking through the kitchen, we asked him why he had put the Jello in the fridge and he thought it was supposed to go there. We laughed at him, telling him that it's just the powder and it doesn't need to be refrigerated until you make the actual Jello. The FAHB cracks me up. We then talked about how the Belgians are not very creative with their food and just stick within the realm of meat and potatoes and blandness. I have to say, being here really makes me appreciate the food I eat in America. You know, all the Belgians make fun of Americans and say that we don't know how to cook and we make terrible food and all we eat is McDonald's. I detest that stereotype. Because I can 100% testify to the fact that the food that I eat in my house is better and more interesting than the food I eat here. I miss beef stroganoff and chicken paprikash and cottage cheese and noodles and macaroni and cheese and tacos and chicken salad and all the wonderful food that was made in my house daily. Don't get me wrong, I lucked out with families and I eat well here. But the food I ate in the States was much more interesting. I didn't just eat omelets. I ate omelets with tomatoes and zucchini and cheese and onion and all kinds of good stuff. And when I didn't know what to eat, I made something up. Belgians don't make things up. They don't experiment with their food and it's boring. They don't even have banana bread! And I really do think sometimes that when Europe came together to decide what European culture was going to be, Belgium was just kinda like no thanks we're good over here. I mean, you think of gourmet food, you think of Italian meats and pastas and French sauces and breads. In Belgium, we have waffles, fries, chocolate and beer. Oh yes. Very high class. I'm just frustrated with the lack of creativity in certain areas of my life. And it's not like I can just be creative on my own. The fact of the matter is that food isn't just sitting around the kitchen. They buy food for what they will make that night and there are never leftovers. Things like sour cream are hard to come by and food is limited. There is cream cheese, but there is only regular. No strawberry, no herb, no cinnamon. And I suppose that could just force me to be even more creative, but when there are no vegetables in the house and I can't just jump in my car and run up to the Giant Eagle, it gets a little complicated. Ok there is my little rant about Belgian food. Let us continue with the events of the days.

Mikayla and I then took a leap of faith. We cut my hair. Not all of my hair, just my bangs. I decided I wanted my straight across bangs back. So that is what we did next. I watched a few tutorials and looked up instructions. We grabbed a pair of scissors and went at it. They turned out pretty darn good, too. They're a little shorter on the sides than I wanted, but they look good and they will grow out. And after they do, I'm going back to the style I had a couple years ago. Which means cutting off a good four or five inches... But we'll get to that in a month or so. We then watched a few more episode of How I Met Your Mother, ate dinner, which was pasta with ketchup, and we were on our way to Hannut. We had to drop of Mikayla's little host brother at the de Wulf house first, but then we met up with Talia and her family at Mister Patate in Hannut. You know, the place with the giant sandwich and all the fries? Mikayla and I split fries and talked with Talia and her family. Eventually, some kids from school met up with us. Mathieu and Maxime sat with us and they spoke English so that the family would understand. They speak very well. I was impressed. Lately, we've all been speaking French so I forget how well some of the Belgians speak English. After we were done eating, we said our goodbyes to the parents, and they went back to the house that they were staying at. The rest of us went over to the café down the road that we always hang out at. I swear, everyone and their mother was there. Ok not for real, no mothers were there, but you get what I mean. There was really nowhere to sit and it was a cloud of smoke. I think Abbey (Talia's sis) was a little overwhelmed at first. But we started talking with the Belgians and they all took a liking to her and she loosened up fairly quickly. We had a good time talking and standing around. But there weren't many places to sit, and the radiator was not comfortable. Towards the end of the night, things started to get a little weird and Mikayla and I were starting to get aggravated, so we left around 10 30pm. We went back to Mikayla's and made ice cream sundaes with peanut butter, Nutella, sprinkles, and speculoos paste. The speculoos paste wasn't our best idea ever. We stayed up til about 2am watching more How I Met Your Mother, and then crashed for the night.

We had to get up early again this morning because Mikayla was supposed to catch a 10 30 train to go to Maastricht with the other girls from her Rotary club. The plan was to drop me off and home and then go to the station. But things got a little complicated and Mikayla's host mom decided that she would drive, and it wasn't quite understood that I was supposed to get dropped off at home before picking everyone else up. So it worked out that I just went too. We picked up Bella, an "oldie" from Australia, at the train station in Waremme and then Gabby from Guillemans in Liège, and then we were off. Basically, Maastricht is just another town, but it's in the Netherlands. So I can now add one country to my list of European countries that I have visited during my stay here. Fortunately for us, everyone there speaks English. We got stuck in some traffic on the way, but it was fine because with us four girls in the car, there was plenty to talk about. We got there, spent a good chunk of time trying to find a parking space, and then we went off to explore the shops of Maastricht with the understanding that we would meet back up with Mikayla's host mom at 4pm. First off, we found food. I got a sandwich with ham and cheese and pineapple, which was yummy. The bread makes it. Bella had this giant hotdog on a baguette with cheese, and the other two had Nutella crèpes. Then we did some shopping. But I did not buy anything. Be proud world.

In Belgium, there is a yearly sale. Almost to the extent of our Black Friday. Except it last multiple days, and it is really the only sale of the year. It takes place normally a few days after the New Year, and the discounts grow progressively as the days wear on. Well the sale had already began in Maastricht, and the stores and streets were very crowded. The giant two story H&M was pretty nuts. Mikayla waited a good 20 minutes to try on a few pairs of jeans. But it was worth it cause she found a great pair!

Around 4, we met back up with Mikayla's host mom, though she had to move the car because she had been parked outside of a "Sex Shop". Not joking, it said that on the sign and there were pictures of women, topless, on the shop window. The parking was just for the... *ahem* customers... of the shop. So we had to walk another ten minutes to get to the car. Which, normally, wouldn't be an issue, but I was not prepared to go shopping, so I was wearing my heeled boots and a very thin sweater under my coat, and with the cobblestone sidewalks and roads, it was a little rough. Luckily, though, I had earmuffs in my purse. So I didn't freeze to death. Bella and Gabby had decided to stay longer in Maastricht and take a train home, so they grabbed their things, we said goodbyes and then me and Mikayla were headed home with her host mom.

On the way home, we stopped at a GB to grab a recharge for Mikayla's phone and some chocolate for her... needs. Then we went back to her house, and waited for my host mom. We didn't wait long, but I ate a good amount of peanut M&Ms in that time. I really need school to start again. I'm much better about my diet when I'm at school...

So I went home after that and ate dinner and searched frantically for a way to watch that good old "Pippi Longstocking" online. However, no dice. All I could find was the 60s version, and I want the 1997 cartoon. Poo. Oh well, at least I'll sleep tonight. Which is very necessary, considering tomorrow is the New Year. It's pretty nuts to think that the year is almost over and pretty soon we'll be in 2011.

2010 was a hard year. There were a lot of hardships, difficulties, and losses. It taught us all how to grieve, how to cry, and how to be angry. But out of it, also, came how to love and how to support the people around us in times of need. In reality, it was was a great year for me. It is filled with lots of memories. I did some amazing shows in 2010. I graduated from high school. I went to my senior Prom. I had a wonderful boyfriend. I grew closer to my parents. I went to Belgium. I began learning French. Here's to 2011 being even greater! I have a lot to top. We'll see how it goes, but let's make 2011 a year of opportunities received and risks taken. No regrets, and don't take anything for granted. Live in the moment, and cherish what you have right now. Because tomorrow, it could be gone. Appreciate everything, even the struggles. Because the truth is, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. We wouldn't be who were are right now without the things that tested us. We passed the tests of 2010. Now let's throw that in 2011's face. Bring it on. No matter how hard it may seem, we can handle whatever life throws at us this year. Happy New Year everyone. Remember not to party too hard, and let's go into 2011 with a smile, holding hands, ready for a year of challenges and rewards. The prizes get bigger and better every year.

School, Friends, and Boobs

Today was a pretty average day at school. But you know, it's the little things that make every day extra special. Today was great because I understood just about everything that was going on! I made plans for the weekend, had a good workout in gym, ate lunch with my friends, took notes in class, sent a package home, ate some traditional Belgian food and had a fantastic dance class. All very seemingly mundane, every-day activities. But just everything made today pretty great.

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!