168!

24 weeks in belgium! like 22 to go. i don't know why i like counting it so much. maybe its because my life here and my life at home are both starting to come into a very good perspective for me..thus i look forward to going home, and am also proud of what i have accomplished so far. today was a normal day. there are lots of normal days, but actually every day is special at the same time! language class was boring this morning, but i got a book about anne frank in dutch to read so that might be depressing, educational, and interesting at the same time, eh? there was a rotary meeting at lunch and it wasn't that exciting. we didn't have to eat fish and there was even chocolate mousse for dessert. that makes two desserts today, because after dinner tonight we had pie. i love being an exchange student, or better yet..i love being me! i think sugar does something to my mood, haha..or it was because i had three coffee's today. my caffeine addiction is coming back to me. back in the usa i'd have coffee in the morning, caffeinated pop at lunch, and probably more after school. i was too lazy to make coffee at my first families house but all i have to do here is press a button and the machine starts grinding and buzzing and BAM there's my frothy fresh coffee. (usa mom-buy me one for my future dorm room. please and thanks). at the rate i'm going, i won't be able to afford a coffee machine for my dorm room because today...i went shopping. shoe shopping. well, i really didn't mean to do it-i promise! i was just walking along the shopping street with manuella from brazil because i didn't have a last hour class...and first we found these really cool colored contacts that i impulsively bought. here's a picture. guess which eyeball is normal! (hint: they were one size fits most contacts). don't let the picture gross you out, haha. i showed my mom on skype and she about had a heart attack! "ewww get those things out of your eyes!!!!" -direct quote.

so after manuella had taken the bus home i thought i'd be a good girl and go look for a nice dictionary for myself. what a practical thought, right? STUPID SHOE STORE NEXT DOOR!!!..why did it have to be closing in a couple days thus causing everything to be on sale which really isn't that cheap because it is an extremely overpriced store anyways thus causing the 65% off to be more like 30% off in a regular store let alone 10% off in the usa because everything is cheaper there anyways????! (doubt you could follow that sentence. lil hyper here tonight folks.) so i bought some shoes. here they are..what do you think?

that would be about all the excitement for today. now i shall answer the question from yesterdays reader Marilena. "I would actually like to know what you don't like about school, even if it might just be about your school." was the question! Hard one to answer, especially since my answers tend to be just my exaggerated opinion. But what i can say over school here is this: for me, school in belgium is a lot different. first of all, in the US we can't choose a direction to follow, we are required to take certain classes and the rest we can choose to fit our interests-so choosing here was not only difficult but weird. somehow i ended up in music and maybe it wasn't 100% the best choice for me, but the people are the only reason i haven't switched it. my class is great. thats the other thing that bothers me, in the US we have different people in every lesson. staying with the same class all week for every lesson is nice, because you become close with them..but the variety and bigger social opportunities that come with new people every hour is something i miss. what else i don't like about school is lunch. at home we can choose to leave school, bring a lunch, or eat school lunch. school lunch was awesome! here we either sit in a cold music room or go out somewhere. buying things everyday is annoying, and bringing your lunch somewhere and buying something to drink is just awkward for me. a crowded lunch room with my friends from not just my own class is something i find myself missing as well. i can't say i miss these things, i guess...but that i prefer them. another thing i don't like are the teachers. its so casual in my school..jeans, swearing, cell phones-maybe its just a more modern or university style way of teaching, or maybe its just my school. i also don't like how the buildings are always dirty and cold, that bothers me. what do you expect when you go to an old school with a name that translates to "holy grave". i also dont like the attitude of about 3/4 of the students. the girls dress up like they're going to a fashion show, skirts and all..in the middle of winter. back in the US of A we wear sweat pants and tee shirts and its beyond normal. the last thing i dont like, and sorry this is going on forever...but, i don't like the grading system. if i receive a test at home, it is usually at least five pages. here i've seen tests that are not even one side front and back. what i don't understand is if you get anything above a, say..55% on that test, you did a good job. i find that ridiculous! all that says is that the content of the test and lesson is too hard. we take ten page tests and get a 75% and fail. maybe its just too easy in america. i honestly don't know. no way is better or worse, but different. and thats why i dont like school. i know the question was not to compare but if you subtract all the comparisons then there is your answer! but above all the negative aspects of school there are positives, such as having the ability to sit in the library for endless hours unnoticed. and getting to be the girl that speaks good english. trust me, when i have dessert twice in one day...i don't worry about how much i dislike school. life goes on. not to mention i'm already done with high school at home...hehe! well thanks for reading, if you've made it this far. or thanks for skimming to the end if you cheated. love you all, and thanks for the question! :)