Top Three Thursday

I know it's technically Friday already, but as I got confused over the day I was flying on, I am still in confused mode and still think it's Wednesday. When it is clearly not. Anyway, time for Top Three Thursday! This week, it's Belgium-themed, as I spent the past week at home.

(1) Family

I was in Brugge (and surroundings) most of the week, spending time with my mom, sister and brother, and also with my other sister and her family and my dad and his family. It was really great, just being a part of their lives for a few days, being immersed into a family life again. I really miss it in Liverpool and it gave me a lot of energy to keep going for a while now! The main event of my trip was of course Easter and with that came Ciska's Confirmation in the Easterwake. It was a wonderful ceremony in the Brugian Cathedral. I saw the bishop and whole bunch of priests and I really enjoyed the mass. Then on Sunday we first had some traditional Easter breakfast (with me cycling to the baker's last minute cos we didn't have enough bread) and after that we had a nice BBQ at mum's, just relaxing in the warmth. It was a laidback day and a really nice family moment - though I must say I slept for a lot of it. For some reason I felt so tired in Belgium! Luckily it was a lot better the next day, when Ciska had a party to celebrate her First Communion. Some of the family came over, including my amazing cousin Delfien and my pregnant auntie whose babybump was just wonderful to see. And then on Tuesday, I left for Liverpool.

(2) Or so I thought...

I had a nice leisurely trip to the airport, arrived at the passport control, give them my boarding card and... *PUUUUUT*. "I'm sorry, Miss, do you have another boarding card on you?" "Erm, no?" "Well, I'm sorry, but this ticket is for tomorrow. You're a day early."
Yes. That actually happened to me. A rebooking of my ticket would cost me 170euros (a new ticket was cheaper at only 135!), so I used my last euro in cash to call Bieke, who was wonderful enough to let me stay with her in Leuven. I actually ended up smiling all the way to Leuven, as I didn't want to leave for Liverpool yet when I left Brugge and now I could stay for a day longer and see all my friends in Leuven! I said hi to Bieke, put my stuff at her room and then she had to go to her evening class so I went to Preparee (after eating an icecream at 't Galetje first, of course). It was great, I laughed til I cried and afterwards I met up with Bieke again, talked for a bit more and went to bed. Spent the next day reading for four hours in my old faculty building (thank God for the series of Eden Hall I brought from home - thanks Mom!), before meeting up for lunch with Anne, for a chat with Katrien and for a quick drink with Nina. In between I chanced upon some more friends, resulting in quite a catch-up day friendship-wise. I really enjoyed my mistake in the end, and as I made the whole passport and security check that evening in ten minutes, I could very leisurely enjoy my flight home. What an end to a great holiday!

(3) Fantine

Last time I was in Belgium, I met for the first time the new cat my mum took under her wing. It is a stray cat, which means she is incredibly shy and barely ever allows to be petted, let alone comes when you call her. I spent the smaller part of a day in the house last time and she avoided me like the plague, so I went away feeling terribly disappointed to not having been able to pet her. This week however, change came about. When Fantine (the cat) wants food, she comes over and acts "nice", so you'll give her what she wants. So when she started curling around my legs again, I decided to take advantage of the situation and picked her up, petting her all the way to the back-kitchen (where the catfood is kept). At first she was very reluctant and tried to get away, but as the days passed, she let me pet her more and more. Two days before I left, I managed to put her in my lap after she had been fed and petted her for a good ten minutes (after which my cat was terribly jealous, so I took him on my lap, and the moment he jumped off again the two cats started fighting - I must say, I secretly felt really loved!) and the next day she actually stayed on my lap for thirty minutes (after which Kamiel - my cat - didn't want to be around me for a fair while, but luckily enough ear-scratching turned him round again). But the true miracle happened on the very last day, just before I left. I sank down in a chair for a few minutes and Fantine, who had been sitting in the other chair, actually lept to the ground, came over and jumped in my lap. She now comes when I call her, she lets me pet her, give her little kisses on her head and will happily sit on my lap and roll round in cuddles. Mission achieved!

Top Three Thursday - Because it shouldn't all be negative

I've decided to start a new, regular post on this blog, listing the Top Three Things that happened in the week. I'll do my best to have a post here every Thursday!

(1) Travel

I have been travelling quite a bit lately, as I wanted to have something to show for my year here once Summer hits. I've been to New Brighton twice, because there is a little spa there and I had voucher for a fish pedicure, and I also went to Wales on Tuesday. New Brighton is a little seaside town about twenty minutes from Liverpool by train (it's on the Wirral, the peninsula on the other side of the river Mersey) and my visit there finally helped me grasp the concept of "a trip to a little seaside resort". You see, in Beligum the entire coast flocks up during Summer, making it hard to even find a spot for your towel on the beach. So for me, the beach is highly unattractive during Summer, despite the fact that I live relatively close to it. Now, because England is an island, it has loooooooads of beaches, which means they aren't all overly crowded! I had a lovely few hours on the beach, taking pictures with Rebecca and just sitting on the promenade watching the water. I also went to Wales with Anne, again to a seaside town, called Llandudno (pronounced "Klandidnow"). It was a booming seaside resort in the Edwardian era and is situated in a bay, which means it looks like an absolutely fairytale. The mountains start straight next to the sea and there's a castle not very far - it would be such a lovely place for a holiday! My family would absolutely love it, that much is certain. Maybe it's an idea for the future, Mum?

(2) Possible Awesome Job

I applied for a job as a playstation game tester; I would basically play playstation games all day and check whether the Dutch translation is okay. It combines my love of language with one of my favourite passtimes: staring at a screen! And the pay isn't bad either, so I'm really crossing all my fingers and toes in hopes of getting the job. It would be great and a real good reason to stay in Liverpool!

(3) Picnic

When the hot weather hit Liverpool last weekend, the group of internationals I meet up with weekly decided to have a picnic in Sefton Park (the biggest park in Liverpool, it's absolutely massive). It was a great afternoon, just sitting around in the sun, playing some silly games and eating gorgeous food - someone even brought some sushi!