Hey guys! How's it hanging?
Spring Break has officially begun! This week, Nick, Annie, Grace and I are in Germany staying at Nick's house. I'm not quite sure where it is, and he's gone on a run so I can't ask him, but the googling weather says I'm in Steinach am Glan. Either way, I'm close to Trier, which is where Clemson chemical engineering majors go to study abroad.
The weather. Here. Is. PERFECT. It's presently 19° C, which is close to 70° F. I FEEL LIKE I'M BACK IN SOUTH CAROLINA OH MY GOODNESS. Yesterday, we took a walk through the woods and sat out by a lake forever and played with Nick's dog. It was a good day. We even got to go to Ramstein, AND THERE WAS HAIR CARE PRODUCT I FLIPPED OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE. Seriously, I've never been so excited over hair grease. Ever.
Germany is so pretty I can't even stand it. It's all rolling hills and pastures and farm animals and deer and giant bunny rabbits and perfectly placed trees. Unfortunately, I can't put up pictures right now (not that I've taken many thus far) because I don't have my laptop on me, but they're coming. Oh they're coming.
Later this week, we're touring castles. A lot. Because it's Germany, and what is there to do? Tomorrow, we're going to Mannheim (I think)!
Check back soon for castle rants :D
Things I've learned:
1. Germany is gorgeous
2. Germany has perfect weather
3. Yes. They really do drive 80 bajillion mph--excuse me, km/h.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Napping on castles because I'm a boss
Last Saturday, Nick, Annie, Grace and I went on a day trip to Gand! Gand, of course, is the French name for Ghent. The Flemish name is Gent. Oh Belgium, you confuse me so with you interlingual politics.
Anyway, Ghent was great! It's got canals and awesome churches (y'all know how I love churches) and castles and parks and oh my giddy goodness! I can show you better than I can tell you.
This is Gand. Gent. Ghent. Whatever. It pretty much looks like a Disney movie threw up all over it, except for the lamp posts with Michael the Archangel slaying dragons on top of them. I love Disney movies, so I'm cool with that.
CASTLE. I love castles! This is the Gravensteen which is literally just sort of hanging in the city center. It was built in 1180, and was falling apart until the 1880s when the people of Ghent started reconstructing it. Now it's a museum with lots of castle-y weapons (spears, maces, GIANT SWORDS WITH 5 FOOT BLADES; y'know, the usual) and pretty rifles. Seriously, the rifles had ivory-looking panoramas carved into them. Ridiculous.
And this is me. Laying out on the lawn on top of the Gravensteen. I definitely fell asleep there. That's right. I napped on a castle. Be jealous.
There are a couple of interesting churches in Gand. One of them is Sint-Jacobskerk, which we passed by but didn't go in (it has purple window shutters!), and then there's Sint-Niklaaskerk (which is a MONSTER oh my goodness it looks like a castle but it's a CHURCH), and, my favorite, Sint-Baafskathedraal. This is Sint-Baafs:
Impressed already, aren't you? I know. I know.
Y'all know how I love big old impressive/imposing churches. We walked up to it and my mouth was open. It was really undignified. It got worse when we went inside. Pictures aren't allowed inside Saint Bavo's (the English way of saying Sint-Baafs) but I love it so much I found some on the internet to show you. Seriously, this is my favorite church in Europe thus far and I must share it with you folks back home.
That is the altar. Just the altar. There's a big walk around the altar that you and it's got all these little side cubbies with shrines (I use the term loosely, and only because I have NO IDEA what to call these little rooms that are everywhere in Europe) with impressive sculptures and paintings of Jesus and one of them had a narrative painting of the crucifixion and oh my.
I love Saint Bavo's. Everything is black and white. More specifically, everything is black and marble. You heard me. Marble. Think the altar was something? That's not even the best part. This is:
THAT IS THE PULPIT. THAT IS THE PULPIT. THAT IS THE PULPIT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW EXCITING THAT IS? IT IS OAK AND MARBLE AND THE SERPENT IS A DRAGON AND THE APPLES ARE GOLDEN AND THERE'S A DOVE ABOVE WHERE THE PREACHER'S HEAD GOES DO YOU SEE THIS.
I wanted to curl up in a ball and live in it. I still do, actually (just in case you couldn't tell).
We ended the day by sitting in a park near the train station. If you didn't notice, it was a gorgeous day. It was 75° and perfect, and lying on top of the Gravensteen was the most peaceful moment I've had in the last 8 or so months--heck, let's make that in the last year. Someone build me a castle at home so I can nap on the roof when the going gets tough (or when I otherwise feel like it).
Easter Break starts this weekend and goes through the 22nd! Friday I leave for Germany for a week, and then I'm on to Greece (Santorini, specifically) to lay on a beach and drink fruity drinks all day. Updates will be few and far between (or nonexistent) until I get back because I'm not taking my computer. I will, however, take lots and lots of pictures and post a good percentage of them here so you guys can see :]
Things I've learned:
1. Ghent is the city of French Bulldogs, epic mustaches, pregnant women, and people who speak really really good English.
2. It does get warmer than 55° in Belgium
3. 70° F is 20° C
4. Canals are cool
5. Castles are good places for naps
Anyway, Ghent was great! It's got canals and awesome churches (y'all know how I love churches) and castles and parks and oh my giddy goodness! I can show you better than I can tell you.
This is Gand. Gent. Ghent. Whatever. It pretty much looks like a Disney movie threw up all over it, except for the lamp posts with Michael the Archangel slaying dragons on top of them. I love Disney movies, so I'm cool with that.
CASTLE. I love castles! This is the Gravensteen which is literally just sort of hanging in the city center. It was built in 1180, and was falling apart until the 1880s when the people of Ghent started reconstructing it. Now it's a museum with lots of castle-y weapons (spears, maces, GIANT SWORDS WITH 5 FOOT BLADES; y'know, the usual) and pretty rifles. Seriously, the rifles had ivory-looking panoramas carved into them. Ridiculous.
And this is me. Laying out on the lawn on top of the Gravensteen. I definitely fell asleep there. That's right. I napped on a castle. Be jealous.There are a couple of interesting churches in Gand. One of them is Sint-Jacobskerk, which we passed by but didn't go in (it has purple window shutters!), and then there's Sint-Niklaaskerk (which is a MONSTER oh my goodness it looks like a castle but it's a CHURCH), and, my favorite, Sint-Baafskathedraal. This is Sint-Baafs:
Impressed already, aren't you? I know. I know.
Y'all know how I love big old impressive/imposing churches. We walked up to it and my mouth was open. It was really undignified. It got worse when we went inside. Pictures aren't allowed inside Saint Bavo's (the English way of saying Sint-Baafs) but I love it so much I found some on the internet to show you. Seriously, this is my favorite church in Europe thus far and I must share it with you folks back home.
That is the altar. Just the altar. There's a big walk around the altar that you and it's got all these little side cubbies with shrines (I use the term loosely, and only because I have NO IDEA what to call these little rooms that are everywhere in Europe) with impressive sculptures and paintings of Jesus and one of them had a narrative painting of the crucifixion and oh my.I love Saint Bavo's. Everything is black and white. More specifically, everything is black and marble. You heard me. Marble. Think the altar was something? That's not even the best part. This is:
THAT IS THE PULPIT. THAT IS THE PULPIT. THAT IS THE PULPIT. DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW EXCITING THAT IS? IT IS OAK AND MARBLE AND THE SERPENT IS A DRAGON AND THE APPLES ARE GOLDEN AND THERE'S A DOVE ABOVE WHERE THE PREACHER'S HEAD GOES DO YOU SEE THIS. I wanted to curl up in a ball and live in it. I still do, actually (just in case you couldn't tell).
We ended the day by sitting in a park near the train station. If you didn't notice, it was a gorgeous day. It was 75° and perfect, and lying on top of the Gravensteen was the most peaceful moment I've had in the last 8 or so months--heck, let's make that in the last year. Someone build me a castle at home so I can nap on the roof when the going gets tough (or when I otherwise feel like it).
Easter Break starts this weekend and goes through the 22nd! Friday I leave for Germany for a week, and then I'm on to Greece (Santorini, specifically) to lay on a beach and drink fruity drinks all day. Updates will be few and far between (or nonexistent) until I get back because I'm not taking my computer. I will, however, take lots and lots of pictures and post a good percentage of them here so you guys can see :]
Things I've learned:
1. Ghent is the city of French Bulldogs, epic mustaches, pregnant women, and people who speak really really good English.
2. It does get warmer than 55° in Belgium
3. 70° F is 20° C
4. Canals are cool
5. Castles are good places for naps
Friday, April 1, 2011
Poetry, etc.
Hey guys! Not much going on in the world of me, sadly. It's been sort of a dead week.
It's spring. That means trees are blooming, things are sprouting, and pollen is everywhere in the air. It's by no means as bad as South Carolina here in Belgium, but it's all newfangled European pollen and what not that my poor, southern body has never had to inhale before. Said body is therefore flipping out. I missed 2 days of class this week because breathing outside my bedroom is difficult. Oy.
Yesterday (Friday) I had a poetry reading of sorts at a school sponsored event. Truth be told, I got suckered into it by my Japanese teacher--if I had actually been paying attention I would have NEVER agreed to do it. It was simple: just recite 2 haikus in Japanese at the shindig and be done, but I was super nervous about it. It's sort of nerve-wrecking to perform in your third language in front of a room full of people who speak your second language as their first language, you know? I didn't choke, though, surprisingly enough, and it turned out well! The program's supposed to be put on youtube; when Mariken gets me the link I'll post it so you guys can see!
Exchange rate is still bonkers. This is breaking my poor, cheap heart.
There's something else I'm supposed to tell you all, but I definitely can't think of what it is!
I think I speak better French when there aren't any Americans around. Actually, I know that for a fact., I say that because I know me. I'm lazy. The Americans speak English, so I don't put my best effort into speaking French because I know I can fall back on English with them. When they're not around, I don't have a crutch, so I have to step my game up.
Greece in 2 weeks! :D Get excited.
It's spring. That means trees are blooming, things are sprouting, and pollen is everywhere in the air. It's by no means as bad as South Carolina here in Belgium, but it's all newfangled European pollen and what not that my poor, southern body has never had to inhale before. Said body is therefore flipping out. I missed 2 days of class this week because breathing outside my bedroom is difficult. Oy.
Yesterday (Friday) I had a poetry reading of sorts at a school sponsored event. Truth be told, I got suckered into it by my Japanese teacher--if I had actually been paying attention I would have NEVER agreed to do it. It was simple: just recite 2 haikus in Japanese at the shindig and be done, but I was super nervous about it. It's sort of nerve-wrecking to perform in your third language in front of a room full of people who speak your second language as their first language, you know? I didn't choke, though, surprisingly enough, and it turned out well! The program's supposed to be put on youtube; when Mariken gets me the link I'll post it so you guys can see!
Exchange rate is still bonkers. This is breaking my poor, cheap heart.
There's something else I'm supposed to tell you all, but I definitely can't think of what it is!
I think I speak better French when there aren't any Americans around. Actually, I know that for a fact., I say that because I know me. I'm lazy. The Americans speak English, so I don't put my best effort into speaking French because I know I can fall back on English with them. When they're not around, I don't have a crutch, so I have to step my game up.
Greece in 2 weeks! :D Get excited.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
La Mouche, et autres histoires
Hey guys! Just a quickie update while I'm sitting here listening to one of my flatmates play guitar. They have Lundi de la Guitare here (Guitar Monday), which is pretty much where people get together and have drinks while students/local folks play guitar. I've never been, but apparently he plays it sometimes.
So the exchange rate has gone bonkers. I have stopped checking it, because I had a miniature heart attack Sunday when I looked online and it was $1.42 to €1. Make it stop please dear God I beseech you.
Last weekend I went back to Leuven! RANDOM FACTS: Belgium has 3 official languages--French, Dutch, and German. The German speaking people pretty much live in a corner of the country and are in no way/shape/form important because there's like 5 of them, and everyone knows that the French and the Dutch hate each other. As a result, every city in Belgium has 2 names: the Dutch name, and the French name. Leuven is the Dutch name for Louvain (not to be confused with Louvain-la-Neuve, because they are different). I think Leuven sounds better, but when I come home from the weekend and say, "I was in Leuven," people look at me like I'm crazy because they have no idea where I'm talking about. It's kind of funny.
Anyway, we wanted to eat Mexican food, but apparently you have to have reservations to get in ANYWHERE in Leuven on the weekends so we ended up at (you guessed it) PIZZA HUT.
Now, I can't stand Pizza Hut. Y'all know I don't like it. The crust is soggy and the pizza sauce tastes like metal (at least to me). THIS WAS HONESTLY THE MOST DELICIOUS THING I'VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE. I wanted to curl up in a ball under the table and just live there for the rest of my life. Euro Pizza Hut > American Pizza Hut. I kid you not.
I've had a hard week. I came out of one funk to be literally, physically, and metaphorically thrown into another one. But it's a beautiful day in Louvain-la-Neuve, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. (srsly, it's like 60° and beautiful I'd be a fool not to)
That was depressing. To lighten the mood, I'll show you what I call "La Mouche".
It is giant. It is a fly (la mouche = the fly). It is a statue. Yayaaaa.
So the exchange rate has gone bonkers. I have stopped checking it, because I had a miniature heart attack Sunday when I looked online and it was $1.42 to €1. Make it stop please dear God I beseech you.
Last weekend I went back to Leuven! RANDOM FACTS: Belgium has 3 official languages--French, Dutch, and German. The German speaking people pretty much live in a corner of the country and are in no way/shape/form important because there's like 5 of them, and everyone knows that the French and the Dutch hate each other. As a result, every city in Belgium has 2 names: the Dutch name, and the French name. Leuven is the Dutch name for Louvain (not to be confused with Louvain-la-Neuve, because they are different). I think Leuven sounds better, but when I come home from the weekend and say, "I was in Leuven," people look at me like I'm crazy because they have no idea where I'm talking about. It's kind of funny.
Anyway, we wanted to eat Mexican food, but apparently you have to have reservations to get in ANYWHERE in Leuven on the weekends so we ended up at (you guessed it) PIZZA HUT.
Now, I can't stand Pizza Hut. Y'all know I don't like it. The crust is soggy and the pizza sauce tastes like metal (at least to me). THIS WAS HONESTLY THE MOST DELICIOUS THING I'VE EVER EATEN IN MY LIFE. I wanted to curl up in a ball under the table and just live there for the rest of my life. Euro Pizza Hut > American Pizza Hut. I kid you not.
I've had a hard week. I came out of one funk to be literally, physically, and metaphorically thrown into another one. But it's a beautiful day in Louvain-la-Neuve, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. (srsly, it's like 60° and beautiful I'd be a fool not to)
That was depressing. To lighten the mood, I'll show you what I call "La Mouche".
It is giant. It is a fly (la mouche = the fly). It is a statue. Yayaaaa.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Bright sunshiny days!
Hellooooo lovelies! I've had a super busy week; sorry for the lack of updating! It's midterm time, so I've got lots of studying to do. I learned to make stewed potatoes too! I COOKED! AND IT WAS EDIBLE!
I'm going to Germany and Greece for spring break! How exciting is that? I KNOW. We're going to wander around Bavaria and then head off to Thessaloniki. It's gonna be awesome.
Don't get all bent out of shape over this, but lately I've been in a funk. That happens to me sometimes. Most days I'm pretty apathetic, and then one day I'll be ridiculously happy--euphoric, even, and then I crash by 8 o'clock and go back to being apathetic because being that happy, and then randomly (literally, for no apparent reason) I'll get sad and stay that way for a few days, intermittently having spurts of intense anger, and then I'll go back to not really caring. I've been kind of in the dumps since Thursday, complete with angry spells, but today. TODAY. Today I woke up and the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the weatherman said 62°. I've been floating on a cloud since like 7 AM. Not kidding.
To celebrate my newfound non-depression, I took a few (literally, 3) pictures of my neighborhood.
LOOK AT THAT SKY. LOOK AT IT. THE SKY NEVER LOOKS LIKE THAT HERE!
The best part? IT'S SUPPOSED TO STAY LIKE THIS ALL WEEK. YESSSSSSSSS.
Clearly this is a sign from God that everything's going to be alright.
Side note: happy birthday to my dearest darling friend Kevin! He's a big boy now :]
Don't let that face fool you. He does actually like me. I've even gotten him to admit it before.
I'm going to Germany and Greece for spring break! How exciting is that? I KNOW. We're going to wander around Bavaria and then head off to Thessaloniki. It's gonna be awesome.
Don't get all bent out of shape over this, but lately I've been in a funk. That happens to me sometimes. Most days I'm pretty apathetic, and then one day I'll be ridiculously happy--euphoric, even, and then I crash by 8 o'clock and go back to being apathetic because being that happy, and then randomly (literally, for no apparent reason) I'll get sad and stay that way for a few days, intermittently having spurts of intense anger, and then I'll go back to not really caring. I've been kind of in the dumps since Thursday, complete with angry spells, but today. TODAY. Today I woke up and the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the weatherman said 62°. I've been floating on a cloud since like 7 AM. Not kidding.
To celebrate my newfound non-depression, I took a few (literally, 3) pictures of my neighborhood.
LOOK AT THAT SKY. LOOK AT IT. THE SKY NEVER LOOKS LIKE THAT HERE!
The best part? IT'S SUPPOSED TO STAY LIKE THIS ALL WEEK. YESSSSSSSSS.
Clearly this is a sign from God that everything's going to be alright.
Side note: happy birthday to my dearest darling friend Kevin! He's a big boy now :]
Don't let that face fool you. He does actually like me. I've even gotten him to admit it before.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Day trippin' : Leuven
Hey guys! Long time no post, I know, but I've been sickish lately (yayyyyy sinuses!) and therefore hiding in my room, not doing anything exciting (like taking over Europe). Gear up though, because this might be a long one.
Yesterday, I was supposed to go to Brussels with Grace but we didn't so I ended up on a train to Leuven with Nick and Annie instead. Leuven's about 50 minutes from Louvain-la-Neuve if you catch the fast train, and it's the site of the original UCL (the university I'm studying at). The only problem is that Leuven, and, consequently, the university, are in Flemish country, and the Flemish and the Walloons (French speaking Belgians) hate each other, so they kicked the French students out of the university. I'm not joking. I couldn't make this stuff up. We wandered around Leuven for about 5 hours, getting into mischief, chasing ducks, and meeting funny Irishmen in restaurant/pubs named after Nostradomus.
Random river/large creek that ran through the city
Saint Michael's church
The canal!
Saint Gertrude's Cathedral at twilight
Leuven's pretty great. It's slightly smaller than Greenville, area-wise. It's about the size of two Mauldins. There is Mexican food there, which has endeared it to my heart forever, and cool old buildings, and it's got a cozier feel than Brussels. There's some huge mansion/castle/thing on top of a hill that we didn't make it to before dark, so we're going to see that next time! I count this day trip a success.
Next week, we're going to Waterloo, where Napoleon had his last stand. I like Napoleon. He was tiny and powerful and didn't take anyone's crap. Like me!
Now I'm gonna go off on a tangent!
So, I love French hip hop. It's AWESOME. Kayna Samet, Soprano, Sinik; they're all great. When we go out, however, they play house music (i.e., techno) and not hip hop, so I'm all pouty and going through francophone rap withdrawals. I was having lunch with Nick yesterday before we jetted off to Leuven, and he played me a song by this group Sexion d'Assaut called "Désolé" ("Sorry"). It's got your bread and butter of rap songs (I had to go find myself in the streets, etc.) but some parts of it are also really political. One of the guys (Adams; how random is his name) calls Paris ALCATRAZ, and talks about war and how he wants to be with his people in Senegal.
Here's a link to the lyrics in French and in English so you can follow along!
http://lyricstranslate.com/en/desole-sorry.html
SO. MUCH. AWESOME. IN. ONE. SONG. When Nick played it I was sort of "Buhh" about it until the guy who does the chorus started singing. LISTEN TO HIM. I LOVE HIM.
I am now on a quest to find more French rap, preferably of the Belgian variety because I think these guys are based out of Paris. Wish me luck!
Yesterday, I was supposed to go to Brussels with Grace but we didn't so I ended up on a train to Leuven with Nick and Annie instead. Leuven's about 50 minutes from Louvain-la-Neuve if you catch the fast train, and it's the site of the original UCL (the university I'm studying at). The only problem is that Leuven, and, consequently, the university, are in Flemish country, and the Flemish and the Walloons (French speaking Belgians) hate each other, so they kicked the French students out of the university. I'm not joking. I couldn't make this stuff up. We wandered around Leuven for about 5 hours, getting into mischief, chasing ducks, and meeting funny Irishmen in restaurant/pubs named after Nostradomus.
Random river/large creek that ran through the city
Saint Michael's church
The canal!
Saint Gertrude's Cathedral at twilightLeuven's pretty great. It's slightly smaller than Greenville, area-wise. It's about the size of two Mauldins. There is Mexican food there, which has endeared it to my heart forever, and cool old buildings, and it's got a cozier feel than Brussels. There's some huge mansion/castle/thing on top of a hill that we didn't make it to before dark, so we're going to see that next time! I count this day trip a success.
Next week, we're going to Waterloo, where Napoleon had his last stand. I like Napoleon. He was tiny and powerful and didn't take anyone's crap. Like me!
Now I'm gonna go off on a tangent!
So, I love French hip hop. It's AWESOME. Kayna Samet, Soprano, Sinik; they're all great. When we go out, however, they play house music (i.e., techno) and not hip hop, so I'm all pouty and going through francophone rap withdrawals. I was having lunch with Nick yesterday before we jetted off to Leuven, and he played me a song by this group Sexion d'Assaut called "Désolé" ("Sorry"). It's got your bread and butter of rap songs (I had to go find myself in the streets, etc.) but some parts of it are also really political. One of the guys (Adams; how random is his name) calls Paris ALCATRAZ, and talks about war and how he wants to be with his people in Senegal.
Here's a link to the lyrics in French and in English so you can follow along!
http://lyricstranslate.com/en/desole-sorry.html
SO. MUCH. AWESOME. IN. ONE. SONG. When Nick played it I was sort of "Buhh" about it until the guy who does the chorus started singing. LISTEN TO HIM. I LOVE HIM.
I am now on a quest to find more French rap, preferably of the Belgian variety because I think these guys are based out of Paris. Wish me luck!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Random update
I did my hair yesterday-today! I thought I'd try something new, so I did a braid out, which is pretty much where you braid your hair while it's wet and let it dry that way.
I'm pretty fond of the way it turned out :] The other girls are too
Sunday dinner was today, as usual, but tonight we made breakfast food! I did scones (and didn't burn them this time!), there was strawberry coffee cake, hash browns, potatoes, french toast, omelets and homemade biscuits (courtesy of Eliana). I definitely just tried to spell omelet the French way and autocorrect flipped out on me and I didn't understand why it was freaking out because I KNEW I was spelling it right, hahaha.
My faculties for French are coming back to me after Karen's birthday party Thursday night. They're not back up to par yet; let's hope they are by class tomorrow!
This weekend, I realized that when I have to leave this place, I will miss it. I haven't quite figured out how to deal with this yet.
I'm pretty fond of the way it turned out :] The other girls are too
Sunday dinner was today, as usual, but tonight we made breakfast food! I did scones (and didn't burn them this time!), there was strawberry coffee cake, hash browns, potatoes, french toast, omelets and homemade biscuits (courtesy of Eliana). I definitely just tried to spell omelet the French way and autocorrect flipped out on me and I didn't understand why it was freaking out because I KNEW I was spelling it right, hahaha.
My faculties for French are coming back to me after Karen's birthday party Thursday night. They're not back up to par yet; let's hope they are by class tomorrow!
This weekend, I realized that when I have to leave this place, I will miss it. I haven't quite figured out how to deal with this yet.
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