Birthday!

Hi!

I'm seventeeeennnn!! Finally! I'm happy i'm seventeen but I know if I were still in Canada I probably would have been more excited to turn seventeen because I could go get my N and drive by myself! I'm really hoping that I will be able to go for lessons when I come back a few times and then go get my N right away. Turning seventeen in BC at least is way better I think! I had a good birthday here in Belgium! On Friday night I went to Mons for a sleepover with 3 other exchange students, two from the States and one other from Regina. I hung out with the girl from Regina and the girl from New York whose house we were sleeping at so I had a lot of fun with them! When we got there we walked to the Grand Place in Mons and then we ate pizza. I love the pizza here and I always want it. I feel like i'm getting addicted or something even though i've only ate it twice. I'm pretty sure its healthier for you than pizza in Canada too because it is so thin. But yeah that night was really fun and during the night we met up with some more exchange students. I also used the trains here in Belgium for the first time since i've been in Belgium. I was a bit nervous because unlike Switzerland the train doesn't announce where you are so you just have to look around for a little sign saying where you are. It all went fine though and I got there and back fine. I did almost miss my train going back home though! I didn't check the train schedule online like the other girls before we left the house so I just went with them thinking there would be a lot of trains going to Brussels. We had to be at the station for 10:26 in the morning and we got there at 10:19. The girls I was with just ran off to go to their stations and I looked at the board for the list of the trains and the times. I saw there was a train for Brussels right then at 10:19 and I saw a train at the platform so I decided to run really fast and try to catch that train. Just as I got up to the platform that train started pulling away and the only other train was at 11:19 so I was really dissapointed! But then right after that train pulled away another one came and a lot of people were getting on to it so I asked a lady if it was for Brussels and she said yes. I was so happy but I think I was very lucky because the trains are usually on time and this one was 2 minutes late! So I got home safe and sound and had a long bath and nap. A little later on in the day my host mom asked me if I wanted to go to a rugby game with them and I said yeah I would and I had never been to a rugby game before! I thought we were just going to go to a game in Boitsfort where I live and watch Louis' old team or something but we ended up driving about an hour to Namur, another city in Belgium, and watching the mens boitsfort team against the Soignes team. It was really good and I really couldn't believe how much contact there was! I'm so suprised more people don't have broken legs and arms playing that. A few people got hurt but I don't even think they came off the field. Boitsfort lost but it was still a really good game. And it was so weird because I heard a girl who was speaking french but had an english accent so I turned around just to look and it ended up being another exchange student from Kamloops who was sitting right behind me! So we talked the rest of the game and she explained the rules to me because she plays rugby in Kamloops. When we got home we ate steak, fries, and vegetables for my birthday dinner and then we had cake. The cake was really really good! It had cherries in it and cream and chocolate cake and then it was covered in really good chocolate. By the end of the day I was really tired though and was glad to be going to bed. I also had my first day of school on Friday! I was pretty nervous but also excited. We just got put into our classes and then went to them and heard the teacher tell the rules ( I think) and give out notebooks and things like that. It was only for two hours so tomorrow is my first real day! I'm not really expecting to understand much but i'll try! I'm actually really looking forward to Art because I never got the chance to take in Canada because I always had too many academics. I also get to take Gym again which i'm happy about but my feet are really really hurting lately and I can't walk for 20 minutes WITH my orthodics without them really hurting. On Wednesday I don't have school past 1:00 and on Thursday I only start school at 10:30 so I'm really happy about that! My schedule is pretty good I think. I only have one day where I have to go to school until 5:00 but the last hour is just english so I don't think it will be too hard. After school I went to get sandwhiches with a few other girls that go to my school and they only spoke french to me so it was very tiring after a while but I think that will really help me learn faster. I also have my first French lesson as well tomorrow so I'm really hoping those will help!

Bye!