In Finnish: Hyvää Joulua! 

We just got back from Hanna's grandparents' place, where, in true grandparent style, we were plied with all sorts of delicious Finnish Christmas food (I took pictures of every dish - all will be up on DUTCH MY LIFE once I have access to my laptop again). We had rice porridge (delicous!) and fruit stew, pulla (little balls of sweetbread), jouluutorttu (flaky pastries filled with plum jam), taatelikakku (date cake) and rahkapulla (cream-filled sweetbread with lemon and raisins). I also learned how to say "thank you" - kiitos

Hanna's family was there: her siblings came with their children (adroable!). Her whole family is apparetly coming over to her house tonight, so I will get to meet even more Finnish people (and fail to communicate, due to the language barrier - but I have developed he general strategy of thanking everyone copiously and smiling all the time - seems to have worked so far...)

Can't really believe it's actually Christmas, though! I donät know where the time went! But last night, we decorated the Christmas tree, and today, we laid out the presents under it (literally a mountian of them - feels just like home!). I hope Hanna and her family like the gifts I brought- I'm thankful that the Gluhwein survived the trip here. 

Suffice to say, life is quite exciting at the moment, and I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to celebrate Christmas with Hanna and her family - not that I don't miss mine, but seriously, this is something special! :D 

HYVÄÄ JOULUA TO EVERYONE :D 
I still can't believe this place. I still don't understand how this - any of this - is real. I'm still grappling with the fact that with one plane trip - literally, from August 28th to August 29th - life can change so drastically. Groningen is amazing. The people I live with are amazing. Everything is amazing and I am constantly in awe (and I know, I know, give it a few weeks and see what I'm saying then, but right now I'm living in this crazy happy bubble and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts.)

In the two weeks since I've been in Groningen, I've met people from all over the world. I'm making plans to visit places I've only ever known as names on a map - if that. One of my friends, Hanna, is from Finland, and has graciously mentioned invites to her home near Christmas time. Apparently they can hunt moose there by the light of the Northern lights! There are jokes going around about Oktoberfest in Munich, which I am so, so down for. It's crazy.

And that's probably the most extravagant experience for me: I am surrounded by people - and it's awesome. Over the last two weeks, I've been talking to people, connecting with them, initiating and carrying on conversations - and it's been fun! I never knew just being with people could be this enjoyable; is this what normal people feel like all the time? Even though school is already in full swing (I read three chapters of my Industrial-Organizational Psychology textbook this weekend and I have an oral presentation due on Thursday), I'm able to sit with people and just chill, relax, without stressing about projects or deadlines. I'm actively seeking social contact, which is so novel for me that I'm having a hard time believing it myself. This is so different from anything I'm used to; I smile at people in the mornings, say hi to them, even just sit quietly as they talk around me, all of us just doing our own thing - it feels like acceptance, community, and it's such a completely addictive feeling. How have I never experienced this before? It's so liberating, and I never imagined it could be like this.

P.S.: DUTCH MY LIFE
HAHA!



MOI, J'AI FINI MES EXAMENS!

(I am not thinking about how I did, nor everything I ate today, nor all the exchange stuff on my to-do list. I AM ~HEPPI.)

Also: a) PChan: see above, b) Habs, sob, c) THE ROYAL WEDDING IS TOMORROW, WHICH SEAT HAT WILL I TAKE WEAR?

TORONTOOOOOOO, HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 24 hours!
;alskdfj;ewrnt;SSHHG;HLKAHSGEAKHGANQ;EKHA;HA;KLDN

QDC JUST DANCE 2011 = MY LIFE ♥

I can't believe dance is over! There is a gigantic gaping void in my life now, where dance class used to be, and I can't believe that it's all gone by so fast.

Recital was a huge success! :D I haven't gotten much audience feedback (parents don't count; I think they were more preoccupied with my haircut), but on Saturday, the crowds were amazing, and being on stage felt amazing, and the other dancers were amazing, and it was all ~so beautiful~ ;asldkfjals;d I AM WHELMED BY THE AWESOME!

alors on danse~ )
I wish we could all just dance forever. ♥________♥

*I keep wanting to make self-deprecating jokes about people seeing me in my underwear, and then I remember that for Videodance, my costume was underwear, so it's a bit late to be worrying about modesty, I guess.

PHOTO POST

Mar. 20th, 2011 11:05 pm
BECAUSE PRODUCTIVITY IS FOR N00BS.

Below the cut: my partial costume for our Videodance number, which is choreographed to a Lady Gaga mashup (Bad Romance, Alejandro, Just Dance). Uh, warnings for derpy photos and me wearing revealing clothing? If this offends anyone, I apologize in advance!
Image-heavy-ish! Also, again, I'm wearing kind of saucy clothing? IDK, IT'S GAGA!  )

I feel really weird posting this, but I'm really excited for recital, and I've never bedazzled a sports bra done my own costume before.
THIS IS SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING I COULD BE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW: OMGOMGOMG DISCWORLD CONVENTION, ALSDKFAL;OMGGGG NEW BOOK COMING (EVENTUALLY),

;ALSKDJF;ASKLTJ;LSDTN;A GOOD OMENS ON TV

OMG OMG OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG SO MUCH DOPAMINERGIC ACTION IN MY BRAIN AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH SHAKING AND CRYING AND FAPPING AND DYING HARDCORE RN ;ALSKDJF;ASLDJ;ASDJG; FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF DO WANT


~*~FANSPLOSION IN MY PANTS~*~
These books should not make me as happy as they do. Really, they shouldn't. I'm in my second year of university. My friend and I are renting our own apartment. I'm almost two decades old. And these books still have the power to send me flailing off down the hallway of my house, giggling to myself like a lunatic.

Spoilers for Halt's Peril, the ninth book in the Ranger's Apprentice series )
But aside from that, I am SO, SO EXCITE for the next book, which is scheduled for a North American release in Spring 2011. *commences frothing at the mouth*

*They're not jailbait anymore. SHIPSHIPSHIPSHIPSHIP
ngl I think I hate this layout a little.

BUT THAT IS SO NOT THE TOPIC OF MY POST.

LAST NIGHT?! WENT CLUBBING!!!! WITH [livejournal.com profile] music_est_vita  and her mom (Sheila), and her mom's friend, Susan, who is a charming lady but reminds me of my grandmother. IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME :DDDDDDDDDDDDD

Um, I mean cover was cheap, we danced a fuckload (and then people came up to me afterward and were all "We like your dancing!" and I was all "...CREEPY but thanksIguess"), and more guys hit on Sheila than on [livejournal.com profile] music_est_vita  and I combined, which was, you know, hilarious. (But Sheila is awesome, so at least the guys had taste?)

Pomegranate martinis are kind of the most delicious thing ever.

Today, I went and talked with my mom's friend, Cheerleader Mary, for two hours about University and the First-Year Experience, for a paper she's writing. It was... almost fun. :S Just got back from dinner with the grandparents (we bonded over White Collar, because my grandparents rock), and it was good times.

But, um, actually what I wanted to say was: HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY FUCKING SHIT, I AM SO EXCITE YOU HAVE NO IDEA, YOU GUYS YOU GUYS YOU GUYS, HOLY FUCKING SHIT, GUESS WHO THE FUCK JUST GOT TICKETS TO EDDIE IZZARD'S TORONTO SHOW?!?!?!?!!?!!?!? 

SHAKING AND CRYING RN NEGL SON, SON I AM SO WHELMED. I made some really embarrassing fangirl noises at my mom when she showed them to me (the benefits of having parents you can flail mutually with: she read a newspaper article about his tour and Got An Idea).

I may not have a summer job or a way of paying my rent as of this post, but I have TICKETS to see EDDIE IZZARD and OH my GOD, that, like, makes up for it.

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