Bruges Goodbyes

Enjoyed a fantastic day of dining, walking, packing, and plain ol' taking it easy! Yeah!

I realize I've been taking this everyday scenery for granted. There is nothing like this at home. I think I'll have a rude awakening while driving on the highway through downtown.

Chocolate shop!

These are the vodka-filled chocolate cherries. So sneaky!

Mmmmm!

Cha, this is for you! I wanted to bring it home to you, but I don't know if everything is going to fit in my suitcase. If I could do it over, I'd bring about half of the clothes! (But I was prepared for every occasion! Now I know what to expect.)

Lying on the ground trying to get some interesting shots of the square clock tower...

Apparently that was a funny thing to do.

(Hey, look! It's my camera that I love so much!)

 But I saw things a bit differently.

Looks like David took Cassandra's place as the photo creeper since Cassandra stayed home from our evening adventure.

Just hanging out downtown. Look any direction and you'll find every kind of chocolate shop, waffle stand, french fry stand, tea shop, ice cream store, and pub you can imagine. 

Group photo! 

This is the only one we have of all of us, and I think it turned out great! Definitely a keeper! I am so blessed to have been with this group! Spending so much time with people can either be very good or very bad. I'd say I was blessed tremendously. We all got along great, despite our differences. Both silly jokes and deep conversations were shared on many occasions. Last night Cassandra and I stayed up until after 1AM for "Mozart and massages." I've loved investing, learning, thinking, questioning, processing, and discussing.

So long, Bruges! I hope to see you again one day.

Thank you for treating me kindly and teaching me so much.

What in the World...

...has Jessie been up to?

Let me fill you in.

I have been attending concerts.

There have been three faculty concerts that have been so educational and enjoyable! It's been wonderful to hear other fantastic instrumentalists. I think I may even like the flute after this trip. (So that's what the flute is supposed to sound like?)

I have been walking in dark alleys. (Kidding, Mom!)

We walk to and from the concerts together. For the first half of the week, concert nights were the only times I went out. (Minus, the waffle experience.)

Then one afternoon, Cassandra, David, and I took a break and went on a french fry adventure.

Yummy! Ketchup was extra. :(

Isn't this the most adorable fast food restaurant??!

I have been excited about meal times! Yes, we are almost always the first ones at the door for meals.

I have been eating a lot of fruit and veggies. This has been my normal meal twice a day most days. Today there was actually chicken and rice for lunch. I don't think I had one vegetable today. Oh, and I had two helpings of chocolate mousse. Not to mention the vodka-filled chocolate covered cherries...

Haha. I'm serious. I'd been dying to try the cherries, so today I finally bought some. I bit into one and commented on the delicious, interesting filling. Cassandra tried one and then said, "This is vodka!" We got a good laugh out of that one. And then I had two more.

Meal time is fun, because we all sit together (Josh taking the picture).

Bou sits with us sometimes, too.

I have been killing mosquitos in my practice room! This fella was driving me crazy! I finally stopped working and prowled around the room like a hunter until I'd finished him off!

I have been enjoying this old, quaint, beautiful city!

Today, Cassandra and I were in need of a day off, so after her lesson we went to a tea room and sat and chatted. It was so relaxing! This is the first time while being here that I have ditched the piano. I'm finally getting to taste the flavor of the city. My brain and arms were thankful for a break.

After lunch, Josh and David joined us for a leisurely walk.

We found this pretty door.

Photo op!

We went up this cool windmill!

Check out the view!

Ty, this is for you! First time I've seen a big truck while abroad!

Student honors concert tonight, one more tourist day tomorrow, heading back to Paris Monday, and going home Tuesday! Can't wait to be home!

Count to Ten!

Ten things for which I am exceedingly thankful today:

1. A hot shower this morning! It felt like a massage on my sore shoulders.
2. Gluten-free cereals for breakfast. And all the milk I can drink!
3. Online sermons from my home church.
4. Plenty of yummy toppings for my daily salads - corn, eggs, carrots, cucumbers, etc!
5. This wonderful Scripture! (Concerning Abraham, but I want that to be true of me, too!)
6. Practice breaks. During the semester I never have this kind of time.
7. Jackets and cozy covers.
8. The gorgeous music I'm learning. Check out this one. I melt every time I hear it. (Like right now!)
9. Emails from home.
10. It's dinner time! :)

Busy in Belgium!

Hi there!
Life is still carrying on in Belgium. I've had little time to do much in addition to 8-10 hours of practice a day, so there's been little to post about!

Okay, actually there's this story...
Day two I continued my early practice routine, but I was so rudely interrupted at five till six by two girls in PJs. One looked like she was going to rip my head off and tried to yell at me in three languages until she figured out I only understood English. At breakfast that morning, everybody was talking about the "American girl who was practicing in the early hours." Needless to say, my practice habits have had to change a bit. I've even been practicing a few hours after dinner.

Tonight I ate a Belgium waffle. Yes, I did. My body is already in need of a major gluten detox (having a hard time with the cafeteria food - sticking to salads from now on), so I figured a waffle couldn't hurt me too much. :) Even if it does, it was a worthwhile cause.

My cute room! And yes, it's always this tidy. My mom believes that.

My practice room!

I usually snag several pieces of fruit to hold me over between meals. Bananas, apples, pears, kiwi. Mmm. :)

Beautiful city! I hope I can spend some time getting to know it! I've been inside almost the whole time here so far. In Paris, our practice rooms closed at 6pm, so we were forced out. That was good for my extremism. It's hard to leave the bench here! Think I can get the piano moved to a nice park?

Loving the red!

Town square.

The waffle.

Conquering the waffles!

And with that, I say goodnight.
I'm happy to say that one week from today I'll be sleeping in my own bed again! :D :D :D

P.S. If you're wondering if I've tried the chocolate...let's just say yesterday was a rough day and I drowned my sorrows in dark chocolate (and pistachio, raspberry, rum, mocha, and hazelnut fillings).
If I go back to the shop, I'm taking limited funds and requesting gift wrapping...

Au Revoire, Paris!

Ever seen Funny Face with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn? If you answered no, go find it on Netflix right now! Anyway, there's this musical scene about arriving in Paris, appropriately named "Bonjour, Paris!" Yesterday my song went a little differently...

We quit the big city life and relocated in a smaller town in Belgium. I love it here! I haven't had much time to roam the city yet, but I plan on getting to know it well.

Hey, look! We picked up David and Rochelle (from my college studio) at the train station. It's been fun having two more around!

Love, love, love!

I have my own room! Isn't it adorable?

A bookshelf, even!

Toilets and showers are down the hall, but I can brush my teeth right here! Unfortunately the shower water is less than hot (read: chilly), but everything else here is amazing, so it's a small price to pay. Actually, the entire building is freezing cold, so I'm always wearing a jacket and socks!

View from my window!

Belgium pros and cons:

Pro: I'm not in Paris anymore! (I didn't hate it; I was just ready to move on.)

Con: Moving all that luggage through the train, metro, two more trains, and a taxi made my shoulders and upper arms extremely tight. Annoying for practice.

Pro: Buffet-style meals, three times a day. Hello, vegetables and hot food! Yes! And cereal for breakfast!!! We all eat our meals together, so that is really fun! They chef speaks English, so we're able to communicate about what is GF.

Con: My body is not used to packing it in at three big meals, so I'm taking as much "to-go" food as possible. Think I may go into a food coma after tonight's dinner.

Pro: I can practice whenever I want! I share a piano with one other girl, but we worked out a schedule that fits us both. I began at 4:30 this morning. I love my old routine. It feels good to be back. I finished eight hours and had a lesson all before 5pm!

(Extra benefit: This schedule makes it easier to call back home. I talked to Ty at 4:15 this morning with bed head and sleepy eyes. Good thing he likes me anyway!)

Con: My neighbors may not like me very much. Even though the dorms are two floors above the practice rooms, the sound carries rather well. I hope they don't egg my door.

Pro: Dresser! No longer living completely out of a suitcase.

Con: Somehow it all needs to fit back in there...

Pro: Everything is located on the same campus, so I don't have to leave our little community unless I want to.

Con: I probably won't get as much exercise.

Pro, pro, pro! There is functional WiFi! No downside to that!

All in all, I love it here! The people are friendly, and I can do all the practicing I want when I want. Planning to soak in these ten days before returning home!