Not what we were expecting

Well, I am finished my intensive two week french course. I got a 75, so I'm really pleased with that. I don't think I could have done better, given how the course was organized, and the TERRIBLE material we were using. (Brennan, the language teacher, knows these things!) I put it on the course evaluation, so hopefully they change it. I doubt they will, but I hope they do. The first thing I learned the first day of my french course (it was beginner's level) was about french celebrities.





I'm not kidding.





Anyways, now that THAT is finished, I will high tail it on my thesis, because Ralph and I go to the UK the week after, and then APPARENTLY my older brother is coming to visit me, but the plans haven't been made yet, and I haven't heard from him, so I am doubting it. I'll be REALLY angry with him if he doesn't, and I haven't heard from him, so I'm wondering what is going on and clearly, this might be yet another travel debacle.





I'm still recovering from the family trip, which ended at 7:30 Monday morning two weeks ago, and my intensive french course started at 9:30 the same day two weeks ago, and ended yesterday around 3 'o'clock, and now I am ready to gauge just how tired I am.





Very. =/ =/ =/





So, until I recover, I might just crash a bit for the day, a couple days, whatever. I have a LOT of work to do on my thesis (Can we say, needs serious polish?) but my meeting with the grad student isn't until Tuesday, and I am still editing the first section he gave back to me, so it's a long process. Honestly, writing the thing for days on end was much more fun than editing it. Ugh. I just get exhausted thinking about how much editing there is to do. It's ridiculous. And I fear the books that loom as I tall as me that're stacked next to my desk.










A lot of things are changing here. Patrick and Montseratt are supposed to move into their new house pretty quick...I am now having to deal honestly and truly with the fact that I won't have an address in a month and deciding what exactly I want to do this year. I have made one decision already...I don't think I'm going to do the PhD or the MPhil here...my languages aren't good enough and my heart isn't quite in it for a variety of reasons, namely that if I don't do Augustine now for the rest of my life, I have to seriously consider what I'm going to do for my PhD, and there's so much prep to be done, and I'm not going to rush into it like I did my Master's...it's too much to do so, and the ride is rather bumpy and unpleasant otherwise, speaking from experience. I'm considering exactly what a 'year away from the regular plan' means, and I'm not sure exactly what it means just yet. (I'm assuming poverty, but I'm open to all offers! Really!)





I'm in an EXTREMELY contemplative mood now that I'm off my thesis/finals/family visit/9 hour intensive french course-a-day-high. I finally have WHOLE days to myself, and I can finally start to evaluate all the things that need to be evaluated since the rather large gamut of life experiences started about two months ago with no end. Honestly, I can't believe how busy I have been, now that I think of it, two months moving from one task to the next in extremely erratic order...what a mess. =) Belgium makes people lazy, and I feel very happily lazy currently. I'm listening to one of my favourite songs, "9 Million Bicycles" by Katie Melua, because it's helping me think and putting me in the mood for thinking about the future. I like all the flutes and unconventional instruments that contribute to the melody. It's extremely pleasant when thinking about the future. It's the sort of song you would want played at your wedding when you have a wedding dance. Well. Maybe it's just me. It makes me feel all sentimental and happy inside.

It's been very strange here. Summer is always weird in a place like Leuven, where most people leave, and never come back, and you know they never will...it's similar to Saskatoon in a lot of ways, but I guess the difference for me is that Saskatoon is where I grew up...it's the Canadian 'Leuven' that I left for some place like it on the other side of the earth. I still have some of my friends here, but it's quieter. I have an ankle injury so I can't do any running for a while, so I'm stuck here, but I'm alright with that. I have the new Harry Potter book, and it's a good summer read, and I'm going to finish it today, maybe do my laundry, or maybe just read the Rowling. I'm not a fan like some people are, (in fact near the start, when something 'bad' happened, I didn't feel a lot of remorse, which says how far away I am from the series.) but I like the writing and the thematizing keeps getting better, so hopefully I can really get into it.

As I sit here in my underwear, I think about all the things I need to do today, and for the rest of my life. It's a long list, and I wonder where I'll be in the next couple years. I used to worry that I could never see into my future like I used to be able to, but now I'm a little better with it, and I realize that you won't always have the plan that you planned and even you did, you might not be happy with it. So, I guess the only thing I have to say of real importance is, don't mail me anything after August 15th...I probably won't get it. *Grin*

OK, later! I'll post photos when my mom sends them to me!