Happy birthday to 'nous', happy birthday to 'nous' happy birthday dear Yasmine, Lori, and tRACY, happy birthday to 'nous'
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: My Birthday!

I only chose the 'Chillin' icon when it asked my mood because it has the symbol of a pill and that seems to fit me right now.

So its my birthday! Which is also my sisters birthday. Which is also my host sister (Yasmine)'s birthday! My big 1 7 (Lori anne's too! :P ) and Yasmine's 2 1!!

I woke up this morning at 5. Sick; *deep breath* oh my... I'm telling you. My whole body ached; I had a fever, I was caughing, my throat hurt. Ouch. Happy birthday to me! pffff. My host mom called the doctor at 7 and made an appointment for 9:30. This goes without saying that I stayed home from school today. Even though I was sick and had woken up really early, I decided not to go back to bed because I seem to get worse when I'm laying down. So from 7-9 I sat at the kitchen table with my host mom, looking strikingly similar to a 'pomme de terre' <--- potato. At breakfast, my mom gave me some strong 'medicamo' <--asprin? and by 9:30 I was feeling much better.

In the car on the way to the doctor's I got a text message from Jorja: "Hey bitch 'happy fricken birthday' and il c yah at the pub tomorrow-hope u have a good day. xxx love, me xxx" <--- I do love that girl! :) Then at noon time Adriana called me to make sure I was ok and to let me know that she brought my birthday present to school today only to find that I wasn't even there! Thank you darling!! Maybe I'll be in school tomorrow... maybe not. But I'm still planning on going into town in the afternoon whether I go to school or not. :P

The doctor didn't find too much wrong with me (because like I said, by 9 I was feeling much better) but she still told me to go to the pharmacy and buy 3 different drugs. Greeeeat. I wasn't too overly impressed with that! After paying so much for this crappy insurance, I then have to go above and beyond the $1000 already spent and spend 35euros because of something that in America would just be looked at as a Spring time flu. Europeans are dependent on these pharmacies because they don't ever give their body time to take care of itself. At the first sign something might be wrong, they stuf themselves so full of drugs they don't know up from down! I tell my host mom, "Its' not like this in America... Maine anyways... we tough it out." She says "well most of the drugs here are bought from the United States." My response to that was: "The United States has to sell its drugs to Europe because no one in America is buying them!!!" lol! my host mom has a good atitude, she puts up with a lot from me. (and if you know me at all, then you can verify that its not an easy task :) )

When the Fauquenoit family goes to visit Laurie in Maine over PAX vacation they said they would take a suitcase with them of all the things I didn't need for the last 4 months that I'm here. So I spent the rest of today unpacking everything I have and chosing what I do and don't need. (This included heaving two heavy suitcases and one lightweight one up 2 flights of spiral stairs, then lugging (lugging?) two mildly heavy suitcases and one that weighed more than me back down the two flights of spiral stair cases.) This is no easy task, let me tell you, especially for a sick person!

The weekend after next I'm planning on going to an art festival (?) or presentation (?) on Saturday with the Marie (Adriana's x-host mom) who works at an Art University and because she believes in my art skills, she has invited me to go with her! Then Sunday is a Rotary weekend thing. I'm not sure what that means, but I have to go to it. Show my support and such.

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ok more about the Latino Party: Come to find out, Thais was there (the Brazilian exchange student who is living at the Fauquenoit's house right now) and saw me but didn't know who I was until she went back to the Fauquenoit's house and saw a photo of me so she felt bad for not saying 'hi' and also, Danial, a canadian who is in the Fauquenoit's district, was there too. Get this, someone stole Thais' wallet out of Danial's bag and that had tons of important information in it!! OMG I feel terrible for her! Who would do that?! I mean, we were all exchange students, and no one knows better than an exchange student, (a Belgian exchange student) how important credit cards, bus passes, and identity cards are.) I'm disgusted... pfff.
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My host mom is complaining of a headache... I hope I haven't given here whatever little virus I may have... poor fragile little european. :(

Well we are eating dinner in the dining room tonight (as opposed to eating in the kitchen like normal) where we have a bigger table because Nicholas, Yasmine's boyfriend, is coming for dinner (since it is her birthday) so I'll go help prepare that.

-ciao

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For dinner we had shrimp and pasta. Afterwards there was coffee and cake... then my host sister brought out a big box and presented it to me: A 6 pound jar of Nutella!! (3 kilos!!) OMG!! That is bigger than me! I am too happy!!!!!! w00t! I'm gonna have to eat all of it while I'm here because I don't see how it is going to fit in my suitcase... better to eat the extra weight because I, unlike my suitcases, don't have a weight limit. Mom's advice was: "got any heavy jewlery? swallow that too, we'll worry about getting it out afterwards!"

At 8h exactly, Mom called me and we got to talk for all of 9 minutes (because her phone card was only good for 9 minutes call time to Belgium... where as if she had called South Korea, she would have gotten 12 minutes... go figure, right?!) When our 9 minutes were up, I told her to get online so we could talk more (and its free) but before she got to the computer someone knocked at the door: a florist who brought a bouquet of flowers to my family on mine and my sisters behalf, from my aunt and uncle. MERCI!!! Then when she finally got to sit down and start typing to me the damned phone rang! Guess who it was!?

Me! lol! my host mom said that because it is my birthday, I can call mom and talk to her since 9 minutes wasn't a very long time. That was the best birthday present ever (even better than chocolate) because I haven't talked to her since the last time I was in Germany!

...so... cliff called me tonight. To wish me a happy birthday. I haven't talked to him in over 3 months. Wow it was wonderful. All in all, despite everything, today was a good birthday.
:)

-re ciao

Latino Party
Mood:  party time!
Topic: My Party Scene
On Saturday afternoon I went to the movies with Julien and Alexandre to see "Trouble Jeu" or "Hide and Seek" (with Robert De Niro, Elizabeth Shue, and Dakota Fanning) its cool that I'm here in Europe seeing a film with Elizabeth Shue and saying " hey, I know her sister, she went to school with me."

And then while I was surfing the internet, I randomly come across an article about Wilburs Chocoaltes of Maine. Cool, I know that guy too!

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So Saturday night was the big Latino party!! I only know a handfull of people who didn't go, it was pretty big. I have no idea how Carlos, the person who set that whole thing up, even found the place to do it. It was some small discotec in Sart Barnard (which I don't think is even a town, it is more of a Commune of Namur, like Herstal is a sort of commune to Liege) where there is really nothing else and you can only know about it if you live in the area. People came from alllll over to Namur (there was a hord of us, really) where we all crammed into a small train headed for Sart Barnard. When we got off the train we had to follow this narrow path through the snow... under a bridge... along dimly lit sleepy roads... until we finally reached this little square ... I'm not sure what to call it. It was like a 'dance stall' made up of one big room with a bar on the side, a little bathroom in the back and a dj set up on the stage. (but everyone was up dancing on the stage anyways.) It was so great, getting out and meeting everyone! w00t! That lasted until 6 in the morning but the train didn't come until quarter past 7 (even though everyone was rushed out because someone said a train was supposed to pas a 6:05) That left us standing in the cold for an hour and a half in the wee hours of the morning... I wasn't too impressed with that. Met up with Jorja, a girl who lives right next to me, literally, and took the train back with her. Grabed a quick bite to eat at Quick (Belgium's McD's)

**Why? because it was closer than McD's and I was cold. lol! ;)**

Got home around noon. Ate lunch, then went to sleep until 6. Luckily for me, today is a 'cong?' at my school which is like a teachers day and I didn't have to go to school. I slept through 'till 11 and voil?; thats that.

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So when I got home, my host mom informed me that Dimitri (my club counselor) had stopped by Saturday night and talked with her. I was all worried about that for all of 10 minutes until she told me that he just wanted to let me know that Rotary is going to pay half of the 750 Euros for the end of the year Euro Tour and they have already reserved my place on the first bus!!!! Ahhhh! Cooooool! omg 15 days straight on a bus around europe for half the price!!! (maybe that doesn't sound too appealing, but honestly, this is the best thing that has happend to me!!!) I CAN'T WAIT!!

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well I'll get headed since my host sister needs the puter.

-ciao

The only reason you would buy sunglasses in Belgium is to protect your eyes from when it hails sideways because it is NEVER sunn
Mood:  incredulous
Je suis desole...

Je suis desole a la premiere famille de Adriana qui peut-etre pense que je le n'aime pas parce que j'ai ecrit plein des choses quand Adriana a change sa famille a la famille de Romain... Mais c'est pas parce que je te n'aime pas... je n'ai jamais cru que les choses que j'ecrire te blesserai (i know that isn't right) "could hurt;" :/ Tu es genialle, vraiment!! Super calme et gentile et tout le temps tu as m'aide avec ma premiere famille, je suis desole que je n'ai jamais dit "merci" et pour le grand truc des bonbons de "Saint Nicholas." Tu sais que... en effet, tu n'es sais pas mais je vais te dire: j'ai ecrite beaucoup dans mon journal mais je crois que je l'oublie ici dans mon "live journal" ... Comme ca tu ne vais jamails le sais combien j'aime sa famille et pour ca je suis tellement desole.

I don't see the need to translate that. If you can't speak French then that message probably isn't for you but if youre going to be nosey and find an internet translater, there is nothing I can do about it.

Live is confusing here in Belgium lately. Adriana got back from Portugal last Sunday. A lot has changed since she has been gone and there is no way to ever go back to the way things were. I won't explain, lol because I'm like that and because I don't even understand it so it will be completely impossible to make you, my reader, understand it. Or maybe I've already sent you an e-mail! I'm still adjusting to her new host family. They are nothing like her first host family and (ok this might hurt someones feelings... I'll apologize ahead of time but this is my journal and I have a right to say the things I want to) sometimes when it used to be the three of us (me romain and adriana) or just me and Romain ;) things were good.. now I am feelings somewhat left out. (ok go ahead think what you want about that last statement... chances are I've already been called it ) :/ His family likes it when the house is calm and doesn't like a lot of people around, so Adriana can stay there but it is better if I don't just go and hang out... not like with her first family where if I just show up they were cool with that. I'll adjust.

Tomorrow Adriana has opted "sleep" over going into town with me. cool, ill go alone, hopefully hit up Serena's GSM (oops, that is Belgian for cellphone,lol) and make some plans with her and her boyfriend for tomorrow night!! "My angel!!" :D Romain is working and Julian has not spoken with me tonight so I'm gussing we do not have plans for this weekend. :/

I'm supposed to be going to church with Serena and Adriana on Sunday but we will see if that happens.

-ciao

And the difference between schools here and schools in America is...
Mood:  chillin'
I am so relieved! I have completed my presentation in French class! *phew* THANK GOD!!! For the past 3 or more weeks I have been spending every waking hour working on, thinking over, or worrying about that project. Today I did it. After all the practice runs, it was hard for me to realize that this one actually counted... this was the real deal. It was awesome! Genial!! Je suis trop contente!

Ok now I will go into every grusome little detail about it. Just giving you a heads up!!

Before I started, I put on my Rotary blazer with all my little pins. I wrote the words for the "Pledge of Allegeance" on the black board and then I drew the outline of America... Stuck a small American Flag to the window and told everyone to stand up and face the flag while I recited the "Pledge of Allegeance" Then I began...

Of coarse the entire thing was in French and my pronounciation is terrible, but I still think I did an excelent job. I brought a film in to present to the class and half way through my presentation when I was ready to show my film, I made everyone change rooms, which was good for me because I got a 5 minute break to breath... think of my next phrases and points, and try to get my face back to a normal color (which of coarse never happens until atleast 2 hours after a speech anyways.) I think the film was a big hit, it wasn't anything corney and I got it in French, obviously, so everyone could understand it. Then when I finished they got to ask me questions... that was the difficult part because I couldn't prepare myself for all the questions they would ask me but I tried to answer as best I could. My presentation took up the entire class (which is 50 minutes) and that is, let me tell you, a hell of a long time to stand up infront of a group of people and speak in a language that you don't know very well!! But it felt so great at the same time... Like: look everyone, I can speak in French!!! And you all thought I was as good as a boiled egg! Look at me! And my actual presentation went so much better than every time I had practiced it before. I could not have asked for a more perfect preformance! It was (for me) perfect to the highest level of perfectivity!! I didn't rush my words... I paused in all the right places, made eye contact, interacted with my crowd, didn't read off my paper unless it was utterly necessary, and then did a question and answer session at the end which was totally unexpected!!!!!


And now I have nothing to do... I have spent every waking minute working on that project and now that it is over... I'm lost. Ok, I still have my Homosexual Marriage Project to work on... and 5+ books to read for French2h ... and a letter to write also for French2h... and the DREAM program that I have to start for Science Sociale.

So as it happens, I'm not actually lost... I've just run out of things to focus my attention on that I feel strongly about... the things that interest me. My presentation for French was something that I looked forward to doing... all these other tasks are just looked upon as... well... tasks. :/

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Tomorrow I don't have school because of a teachers meeting also known as a : Conge. My host mom is taking me into Liege to do I don't know what but it seems pretty important to her. She has asked me twice if I will go with her. I guess we are just going to have lunch, but thats cool.

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Lourenco went back to his beach house until March and I didn't even get to say "bye" :( He waited for me for 4 hours on MSN but my host mom was using the computer and by the time she was done she said that it was to late for me to get online. Errrrr! I'm so sorry Lourenco!!!! Eu te amo!! And I just put two pictures of him in my "And Ends" Photo Album so if you want to see how absolutley amazing this guy is, that is where you will find him!!

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pffff its midnight 0'1 so I'll be going now.

*bisous* -ciao

Vacation is over and I couldn't be happier!!!!!
Mood:  amorous
Topic: Carnival Vacation
Hello sweetheart
[...]you are unbelievable...when i thought that the world had ran out of sweet girls, i found you...

(Exerpt from Lourenco's email to me :D!!)

He was on vacation but he just got home tonight!!!!!! weeeeeeeeeeeee!

So today (or tonight rather) is the official end of vacation. School tomorrow... up at 6... errr. I still have to finish my project for French class. Its gonna be good, but I'm running out of time!! I always find myself saying that, such a procrastinator (sp??)

oh no its 10:32 and my bed time is 10:30! I have to go *vite* before my host mom sees that I'm still online. Just had to write this quick note to say that I'm happy again!!


-ciao