VACANCES

Yes Yes Yes it's that time of year here too!  The time when nobody (literally, nobody) wants anything but for the week to be over so they can finally be on vacation.  Apparently at lovely Liège 1, this is normally crunch time because the bulletins come out the week we come back, but due to the administration accidentally saying that they would come out before, all the teachers rushed to give enough tests and assignments to fill up their grade books last week.  So I've had a relaxing time of watching movies (lots and lots of movies) and otherwise goofing off in class.

In French this week we've been watching 'Jesus Camp' (which is in English with subtitles, so I sit in the back and really relax), which apparently ties back to our course because they use a lot of persuasion techniques that we could use, or at the very least be aware of, when writing; this weeks' hour of Geography was spent telling jokes-- Belgian, American, and Brazilian, thanks to the other exchange student in my class-- and unfortunately for the native French speakers, explaining them to me; the two back-to-back hours of History were supposed to be spent watching a film, but it ended up being one hour of film and a 5-minute-turned-into-10-turned-into-60-minute break which the boys spent playing cards and the girls spent gossiping with the teacher; in Morales we watched "La Morte Suspendue" (= "Touching the Void"); in Gym we ditched handball and hockey to play ping pong, which ended up being the most physically vigorous and dangerous sport we've done so far.  Somehow, no Belgian girl is willing to sprint after the handball if it gets away from her or whack at the stick of another girl to get the ball, but they will sprint across the room to get a ping pong ball back and sting each other with the balls.

On Wednesday a bunch of AFSers organized to meet up in the carré after school, something that I could technically do every Wednesday but don't because I'm so outnumbered by Rotary exchange students.  After a good amount of dancing and talking and a slightly over-the-top amount of chanting (Rotary kids in Belgium have this weird song into which they break out spontaneously and often, a mixture of "Australian" (Aussie Aussie Aussie --Oi Oi Oi...), Portuguese, and Spanish, and which I don't know or understand), we went out into the rainy streets and said goodbye.  I ended up missing my bus by about 20 seconds, so ended up going to get some fries for dinner before going home.  I felt pretty silly going by myself into one of Liège's many pita/kebab/frites joints by myself on a Wednesday evening-- especially since I was rained-on and still carrying my school stuff-- but my fries got delivered with the worker's number on the tray.  Not that I'll do anything with it, but it was fun all the same.

Well, that's about it for this week.  I'll be keeping busy next week because MY SISTER'S COMING TO VISIT ME and I'll get to show her all around.  aaaaaaahhhhhhh so excited!

I hope everyone else (who has one) has a great vacation!
Bisous!