Days 92-104:March 30 -April 11 Hols:Before Ireland
Trip Start
Jan 02, 2009
1
15
23
Trip End
Dec 31, 2009
Namur, The Ardennes, Belgium
Sunday, April 5, 2009
lundi: had 2 hours of etude, tried to sleep but jerome (the dude who i usually laugh at/with) was mean, and said: "tu veux un petit dodo?" and imitated me and told me "il faut dormir dans le nuit, hein"...stupid...
mardi 31st: MY BIRTHDAYYYY. Thank you to everyone who sent a message or something in the mail, it really birghtened my day :) Everyone at school knew it was my birthday, even the teachers! All the kids knew thanks to facebook coz I'm facebook friends with almost everyone, but the fact the teachers knew is a bit bizzare!! Didn't do much that night because Germaine was working. They gave me two stylos (frenchy pens kind of calligraphy like, and if you don't write with that pen in exams and tests the teachers get mad) and the magic pen eraser that all french/belgians have which I don't know why it doesn't exist in Aus. Sonia gave me a necklace and Pol gave me a ruler with my name on it (the ones you can buy at the eiffel tour and have a description about your personality on the back). For dinner we ate these shellfish things - the first shellfish I've actually liked - coquillage Saint Jacques (you know those pretty shells you find on the beach rarely unbroken? probably not, but I know what I'm on about anyway!) and spent a nice night with twins.
APRIL 1: HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY (if you can even say that?) Kids surprisngly didn't do too much at school today for the day. However they do have a tradition of cutting out fish from paper and sticking them to people's backs. 4R1 managed to get two stuck to our french teacher's back, and she only knew about one of them. So when asked to take them off we removed one but not the other. In my other class, 4R2, Thomas pretended to be sick and fell on the ground. The teacher thought it was serious and called in the director, then they told them it was just a joke. hahaaa
Jeudi: normal school day i believe aside from the fact I started late (11 :D). Went to pick up Jess in Namur because she stayed here the night (because of the day in Liege on friday...read on...) Bought a waffle covered in melted chocolate again, 2nd time, and it was still heaven! Found a really cool cardi in Zara, but resisted after spending big in Paris. All was going well and we came back and went to play basketball with Pol and Sonia, and things just started going downhill, like really downhill....Two little kids put some stones on the path next to the basketball court and that infuriated Sonia, so off she went, over to tell them off, started yelling at them to clean it up now and was quite rude to them. She walked off and threatened a fight - with little kids, I mean have some heart! Anyway after that we went home because the basketball was spoiled by a freaking pointless fight between Sonia and these two little kids. First thing Sonia did when she came home was told her mum about it, in a brag like voice, proud of threatening little kids? and then at dinner sonia wouldn't talk, so her mum asked pol and I what we thought about the little incident, and both of us thought it was unnecessary and way too strongly put, she could have simply said thats dangerous so please clean it up or something along those lines. et voila, boy did that start a fight. We thought she went to the bathroom but she'd walked out. I asked Germaine (host mum) if she was mad because I didn't agree with what she did or if she realized it was wrong, and she said mainly because I didn't agree but the both contributed. Then her mum went to go find her, because oh no you couldn't have a 17 year old out in the street in broad daylight. So then I'm fairly sure Sonia had a massive bitch session about me behind my back, because after that her mum came back and spoke to me, and told me that I had done a lot of things to upset Sonia. WTF, thank god Jess was there because when I cried I said for the first time that I wanted to go home, and I meant it. The whole time I have been so tolerant of her and this family, have not snapped, not even once and have not even said what I really thing (apart from to Pol, because he's not like the rest...). So yeah, tonight was not a good night, and Sonia continued by not talking to me...yay, life's great when its like that
*sarcasm alert*..
vendredi: went to liege with Jess for a day with Jos, called speak academy, where exchange students come and talk about their country in english and the whole day is in english...basically immersion, its pretty cool! Today there was a little mix up because normally you stay with one class/year level the whole day and play games and develop friendships but this time Jos (the teacher) apparently didn't confirm so the class was out on excursion, so each hour we had another class come, and we repeated the same speech about 7 times in the one day! However, it was still enjoyable as it was not a day at home with the family, and I was meeting new people and out and about. A million times over I was asked if I had been to the famous "carre de Liege" but because I don't live there each time I said no they were stunned! Various people offered to take me there after school but us aussies were going together with some of the belgians anyway. Amy, Kate and Mardy had to leave, so Jess and I were left with the belgians. They were so friendly! Basically le carre (litterally: the square) is just a gazillion bars where everyone goes to drink and socialise. They were in 3e, so were all about 14/15 and the oldest were 16 years old, and as the legal age is 16, they know where to go!! The bar they took us to first they told us was pretty much only for those under age, so Jess and I felt quite old of 17/18 years!!! Then they walked us round and took us to a bar where normally everyone dances. This time we were asked for ID cards by the bouncer, but coz they were underage they asked if they could just show us around because we were exchange students and he happily obliged. They asked us if we could stay in Liege with them because there was a big party on that night, and if we wanted we could stay at their houses if it was too far away to catch the train home. I said no, and explained that my host family don't like it too much when I go out a lot, but after 6 months am hoping to change host families, bu I have to find the host family myself (that's what Yvette said to me anyway, because she doesn't have another host family for me). So they said they'd ask around to see if they know someone who wants to host an aussie, but so far no luck :( On the way home because we ate lunch so early I was dying of hunger so decided to buy frites, but didn't know what size. Thought I can always finish what I start so got the grand (biggest they had!). Regretful choice, and couldn't finish it. Never thought I'd face a portion of frites too big, but yes, the day came.. Anyway, it was a fun day finished by a very amusing night :D
samedi: Relaxed, was just Veronique and I at home - parents were at a christian weekend, sonia and pol left for Scotland on their "voyage rheto" and Francois was at Patro (scouts, he's a leader). So I skyped my parents, avanthi and sam all day and ate croquettes for dinner (basically crumbed cheese usually fried but we grilled them, pretty good shiz!)
dimanche: Day with WEP at Namur (town closest to where I live) for exchange students to talk to other families and students going on exchange soon. Veronique was bored so ditched... Anyway, spoke to a very nice family and their daughter, Fanny (common name here) is going on exchange to Blacktown, Sydney for a year. They hosted an australian last year and despite them saying it went well, they did speak of some bad experiences - she did nothing at home, they took her out and she was never interested, they took her on holiday to Turkey and she slept all day and went out at night etc etc so it wasn't perfect. They told me WEP want them to host again, and I asked if that was what they wanted as well, and they said "we'd like a bit of calm, but maybe". So, in conclusion, they would be a great family to live with if they do want to host! At the end of the day, Debra and Carleen (the co-ordinators from Australia) made an appearance, having just stepped off the plane. Debra asked me when no-one was around how things were going and I said not great and then someone else came up and changed the topic of conversation. The next time it was just her and I she asked me how I was getting home, and I said I had to walk back to the bus stop around the corner and catch the bus and she said she would walk with me (basically so we could talk) but then the Belgian lady rushed her and said we have to go, so her consolation was please send me an email, which was comforting. Cried on the walk to the bus stop because everything just built up, and had to wait two hours for the bus because I missed it by 5 minutes.. :|
lundi: Sat outside for the first time today, because it was sunny and nice, and 20 degrees - WOW. That night ate frites...again, so many frites I am putting on so much weight its yuk I need to diet..
mardi: started a 500 peice puzzle because had not much else to do. veronique started a 1000 piece. It was the most frustrating thing I have done in so long. I hesitated in saying I would do it, but then I thought it would be OK because veronique was doing her own puzzle, but no, I should have known, she took over and did it for me. So no, I didn't do the puzzle. That was just typical of my life here. Things I'm more than capable of doing just can't be done here.... :@ frustrating!
mercredi: Decided to make lasagne for dinner, that I can do BY MYSELF. Also decided to buy the family easter presents from Leonidas, which is near school (need to take the bus) and I wanted them to be a surprise. So when the parents went out I took the bus to the shop, which was a long walk to the stop. Got everyone something except for Pol who doesn't love chocolate so I bought him lollies. Just caught the bus home (and it only comes once every hour or two hours so I was lucky with that) but then realized the lady gave me milk chocolate when I asked for dark, and Sonia is fussy and won't eat anything else. Woot, so then I had to go to the supermarket and buy her a block of dark chocolate. Oh well, I thought. When the bus started going in an unfamiliar direction I got off. I asked some roadworkers which way was Leuze (the town where I live) and they said, oh, its a long way in that direction, and you just missed the bus. I didn't bother saying I just got off it, and absentmindedly didnt ask the driver where he was going...idiot. So I started walking with two bags of groceries for the lasagne, a baguette and the chocolates, and it started pissing down. Woot, so much fun trying to stuff bread down your coat to not get it wet and the chocolates too. Ok, I walked for a decent hour and a half, and I was trying to get home quickly so they weren't suspicious (I said I was going to the supermarket around the corner to buy ingredients for the lasange to the host sis). All that in an attempt to be nice. Spent 15 euros making the lasagne, and another 20 on the chocolate presents. To all those who say life isn't expensive here, how do you justify that? And, in addition, I bought home brand goods!! At least the lasagne went down well that night...
Jeudi: Went to supermarket to buy that block of chocolate for Sonia, wrapped their presents and also made brownies.
Vendredi: literally spent all day writing the blog before paris, paris blog and this, so voila, there goes my day! Tonight I'm off to a party with some buddies and I'm being picked up in 20 mins so I really need to go, but relief, I am up to date before I go to Ireland!
samedi: Will pack for Ireland. Pol and Sonia will come back. And I will not get much sleep (have to get up at 3am sunday morning!)
Love you all lots, and missed you a lot the past few weeks, xoxoliza
