Wow..its awesome here. Life is very chill and everyone just kind of goes around doing their daily business- having coffee, riding bikes, etc. We had quite a welcoming when we stumbled jet-lagged into the Brussels airport and about 1/4 of the belgian population was there to greet the olympic athletes. Quite a party (loud music, etc.); it was an appropriate idea of what life is like here in belgium! But yeah- the adventure never stops. Last night we met the supposed "Belgian/Slovenian (combined) Olympic Bowling Team". They had matching yellow jackets- yes, matching- and yet, when I googled it, there IS no belgian olympic team. Cool. Oh well, it was interesting at the time.

Tonight we baked Ziti- except we didn't exactly bake it, and the noodles wouldn't boil. It was edible, but the noodles were a bit mushy. When in doubt- cover in cheese. And salt. And a little Basil, and you're good.

More to come! Paris is on Saturday- and lots to do until then!

There's way too much to do in a one day window. I still need to get one last starbucks before I head over to Europe...my roomz is leaving tomorrow and I wish her all the best! SHE knows the language of the land she is visiting....I, on the other hand, only know how to say Hello in Dutch. Thankfully, "Dag" means both Hello and Goodbye, so at least I got two words out of one.

Hopefully the next time I post I will be in Leuven! (and not stuck in the Newark airport with a delayed flight and a battery-challenged laptop)

this is my first post...very exciting, but I'm drained already and I haven't even left yet! I swear the US government goes out of their way to make it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to obtain legal documents on purpose. And this trip has me making a copy of almost every single official document that proves I exist. oy. (AND the copies cost money. great.)

I haven't started packing yet, and I don't want to. I just want all my clothes to magically float into the suitcase, sort and fold themselves accordingly, and not wrinkle. So I am going to procrastinate in hopes that happens. I also have to find a way to carry a purse, my computer, AND a weeks worth of clothes without getting strip searched by airport security. I will definitely be asking my dad for help- he managed to pack two floor lamps, a TV, my down comforter and a year's worth of school clothes into a Toyota camry. With three people inside it.

Thirteen more days to go! (Please let me wake up and it be time to go)...