Country side living

Totally forgot what it was like to be living in the country side. First hit me yesterday morning (quite literally) when I got in the Beast to drive to work and nearly had a head on collision with a deer! It just jumped out of the hedge, on the road and got the scare of his life - unless he was suicidal of course. I drove on, shaking like a gooden. With every leaf and twig suspiciously sticking out of the hedge a potential threat to my bonnet.

Also forgot that there will be horses out for a walk on the road (a phenomenon hardly seen in Belgium), that there can be bunnies, foxes and pheasants crossing the road at any given time, that there's the lovely smell of bonfires when driving on the country lanes, that there's tractors you get stuck behind if you're unlucky, that the road fully floods when it's raining for more than 15 minutes flat out, that other Land Rovers all say hello to each other and that the Lollipop Lady (who's actually a guy) lets the kids safely cross the road at the local primary school.

It's great to be back. But lots to get used to again.

And.... sleep.

Did it, have done it, over with. Tired. Exhausted. Comatose. But with a smile on my face.

After my marathon study session over the weekend, during which I slept a total of 12 hours in 4 days I've made it through. I started off Monday morning with an exam in International Organisations and was extremely lucky with the subjects I had to talk about. The UN Millennium targets by 2015 to tackle world poverty, G8 and foreign aid developing with tax money. Swam through that one without the lecturer interrupting me once. Even received a complement from her when I finished. I then had to wait the entire day to sit my very last BA exam, English literature. At 6.20PM it finally was my go - by then I had fallen asleep sitting up straight, head on top of my bottle of water which was balanced on my knee. So when he (sexy thesis man) asked me how I was doing, I literally told him: "Tired, big headache, hungry, aching, and I want to go home, so please keep it short". I love it when you're on good terms with your lecturers. With a bit of Russian luck, I might even get a distinction next Wednesday. Who knows.

Big day tomorrow. Official moving back day for me!! I've been sitting around today, sorting out the last bits and pieces. Wanted to bike into town one last time but as it's constantly pissing it down, I'd rather stay indoors. Having really mixed feelings at the moment leaving here. So looking forward being back in England and starting new things, like my vegetable patch. (it better not rain this weekend!!) But I think it's going to hit me hard when I'll start realising we've permanently left Antwerp...

Another one, another one, and another one.

Yet another great exam today. Must have eaten something special at the beginning of this week... Went in first as well today (starting to like being the first student of the day, whereas I used to hate it!) and sat there for 20 minutes (!), probably the longest oral exam in my life. Had a right laugh about some stuff - the Masters told me to get him laughing as he will give you higher marks - so I got out my 'funny intellectual' brain and made him crack up. Not sure what I talked about for 20 minutes, but I do know it went really well.

Looks like I might sit my last two exams both on Monday. Been trying to swap with somebody to sit the English literature exam in the morning so I can catch the Eurotunnel on time, but nobody is willing to. The only other option is to sit the exam on Monday as he's taking exams on that day as well. Will email him tonight and ask. Does mean I will have to work my frickin ass off this weekend... Also means I will have finished all my exams on Monday evening.

Looked up the Tour de France route on the day after our Moving-In Party and they should be going through Tunbridge Wells by 12.30 - 1pm. But as they come in through Southborough and then go down London Road, I'm sure we'll see the bikers 1/10th of a second as they fly passed down the hill... Sarah is taking her Belgian flag she said.

Miracles might just be happening after all

Had my Russian literature exam which went extremely well. I'd looked up some extra facts about the Russian revolution and communism to be able to place the poems I had to discuss in the right context. Think that did the trick. Also my enthusiastic response to one of the novels, saying I was going to order the book and read it this summer (in ENGLISH!) as it really grabbed me as being an interesting book (honestly!), got her excited.

Good news is that the mark for this course is added to the 8/20 I scored for Russian Grammar in January, and the Russian culture course, of which I'm sure I have passed. Meaning, I will have an overall pass mark. If that one lecturer of Russian Business Correspondence could only be so kind as to give me a pass mark, I might just pass first go after all!!!!!!! Miracles do happen...

Went around Mark & Didier's tonight as I probably won't see them anymore before I permanently move back next Wednesday. (You know when somebody you know gets a boyfriend or girlfriend and you refer to them as, lets say, Bram & Tessa, or, Andrew & Carrie, or, Natalie & Dirk, or, Evi & Robin, and the first name of this duo is ALWAYS the person you have known the longest - I've always found it mostly peculiar how I refer to Mark & Didier and never Didier & Mark... Perhaps I'll try and work out the theory behind this one day when all the exams are done and I have nothing else to do then to wonder why my brain deviates from the norm.) But to get back to my little visit; both were doing fine. Mark's now a fully qualified doctor, going on to do a PhD in electric-shocking brains to get rid of people's neurotic compulsory behaviour (the ones that need to wash their hands 15 times before they can go pick up the phone or water the plants) and will then go on for another 5 years of hard core brain surgery action. And oh yes, he was still up for delivering my first child!

5 more to go

It's been a while again but my excuse is founded. I've just come out of study-quarantine and sat my Russian judicial translations exam today which went rather well I thought. I even managed to squeeze out an extra point for my technical translation exam (I complained about my mark on the basis that she made preferential corrections), taking me from a 9/20 (loser!) to a 10/20 (good student having a bad day!). You can only try...

After staying at mum and dad's last week, being fed food, dishes done and clothes ironed, I'm back in town. There's a single mattress left at home in between the last bits and bobs that still need to make their way to England next week. I forgot about the fact that all the light bulbs are already in T.Wells and would therefore have had no light if Bram and Tessa wouldn't have lend me a lantern to get through the evenings.

I'm also extremely pleased Bram and Tessa have started writing a blog as well!!! It will be good to stay updated on their Antverpian lives once I've finally moved next week. Especially Bram's thought of mind will keep me entertained for hours I think...

10 things I learned when studying for my American Culture exam

1. That the South really was retarded during the Civil War
2. That the Boston 'Massacre' only killed 5 people - I knew they were always good at over exaggerating their point
3. That I can never remember that the Puritans' believe was somewhere between the 'doctrine of work' and the 'covenant of grace' - now really - how do you make that stick?
4. That Buffalo Bill killed 4280 buffalo in 17 months
5. That Lincoln said about Harriet Beecher Stone: 'So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!' (Uncle Tom's Cabin)
6. That I can not remember where most of the states beginning with the letter M are situated?!
7. That the Americans actually saved the French's vineyards by shipping some of theirs, as the French ones where destroyed by a bug called Phylloxera - which mysteriously came from the American continent...
8. That Californians have earthquake drills instead of fire drills at school
9. That I finally know the insights of fraternities and sororities
10. That I know the history of America now and that the idea of 'the end of the American Dream' is a very interesting topic which I will discuss with Carrie this weekend over a glass of Pimm's.

One down - eight to go

Had my first and probably most difficult exam today, Russian business correspondence. From Dutch into Russian. Think I've done pretty well and left the exam with a general 'well done' feeling. However, am sure I don't come anywhere near her standards and probably made way too many grammar mistakes, so I'm going for a fail mark. Did tell her I've been accepted at Imperial College and will therefore never ever once again in my life open up another Russian book or newspaper in my life (although looking back at it now, I'm quite impressed with myself I can read the russian version of the BBC website!). She might just give me a mark that could be revised by the examination board so I would pass first go after all. As if. Dreeeeaam - dream dream dreeeeam...

Two exams on Thursday now, which all seem like a piece of cake after today's one. Everything is pretty much packed. Just need to take the bookcase, bed and wardrobe apart. Also need to go to the shops and buy 25 crates of Stella and 10 crates of Bollekes - partly for our party, mainly for Jamie's sister's wedding. Not quite sure how it's all going to fit in the lorry but lets not care about that until Thursday.

Managed to get Sarah a job at Wordtrans for the summer so I'm pleased she'll be staying with us for 5 weeks. Will be quite hard not to see each other every day once we've moved to England, definitely now she's going off to Russia as well for 5 months and 30 days. (she's terrified of going for half a year!). Just went to the Singsefoor, the big fair in Antwerp - always right on time when you're having exams, and had a brilliant Belgian waffle with chocolate. I wish Stu would have been there to eat the other half as I'm now severly suffering from lactose intollerance symptoms...

Twenty seven it is...

Another year older. Started my day at Bram & Tessa's as she had prepared brunch for my brother and me. The joys of celebrating your birthday on the same day! Went passed the pattisery and bought a really jummy looking strawberry cake with bavarois which turned out to be delicious. Bonus. They gave me the massive wooden fruit bowl I wanted which was really nice. Mum came around in the afternoon and she and dad got me all sorts of things for the garden - I've been telling everybody for weeks how I'm going to be growing my own vegetables soon and redo the entire garden - so the gloves, rake, scoop, pot planting tools and my very own gardening hat (!) will come in handy!! Sarah and Danny got me 3 really funcky cacti, herbal seeds (I better have green fingers now...) and gardening gloves, presented in the most wonderful basket. The basket will look very 'magazine-like' when filled with logs next to my open fire (note: tell Stu I want the fire place to work).

Tried to fit studying around birthday celebrations and managed to finish off the Russian I wanted to do. Danny and Sarah cooked Bram and me a really nice meal which mum had bought the ingredients for. (mum couldn't stay for dinner) Thank you also for all the phone calls, text messages, emails and cards!! Later in the evening Evi popped by real quick to deliver some 'smoutebollen' from the fair. Think I have had enough sugar to last me till the end of the year...

Getting increasingly tired and have developed this blockage under my left shoulder which is killing me. Had to take 2 painkillers earlier and have a bath just to ease the pain. 3 more weeks to go!!