My, My, My...It's Been a While

I feel like every single time I post a blog there's a very looooooooonngggg period of time until I post another one. I make no excuses. Blogging kind of took a backseat in regards to my priorities once my classes at Post University started back in January. However, now that my first set of classes is over with and I know how the classes are and how they work I will try my very hardest to stay on track with my blog posts. I do like the degree program I'm in at Post though, for a degree program that's completely online the professors are really thorough and they engage the students. I was pleasantly surprised by that. On another note, I realize that my last blog post was about our time spent in Belgium. Since it's been close to 2 months from the time that I posted that blog I don't think anyone is all too interested in that anymore. However, I'll sum it up for ya. Basically after NYE, when we went ice skating and I tried several different flavors of a shot called 'Jenevers'. I tried the apple/kiwi flavor, the chocolate flavor, and the cactus flavor. Surprisingly the cactus flavor was really sweet, it was my favorite of the 3. I'm not entirely sure what kind of alcohol the Jenever shots are, perhaps they're kind of like schnapps? Either way, my dad said they were really strong. I assure you, they were not. Maybe if you have like 15 of them, then you'd start to feel a little something, but 3 was nothing. Okay so anyways, we watched the NYE fireworks and for the rest of our time spent in Belgium we basically just walked around Turnhout and tried to explore the area, went to eat at my uncle's restaurant every now and then, and before we knew it our time to fly back to Spain had arrived. Taking the train to the Brussels airport was quite the experience to be had. We had to walk maybe like 20 minutes to get to the train station, then when we got there and went inside there weren't any clear signs saying which train to take, so I asked the man that worked there, we bought the tickets, and waited outside for the train. Mind you it was maybe like 30 degrees Fahrenheit. We could have waited inside, but we didn't want there to be any chance of us missing the train, so we sat and waited. The train arrived, we boarded, and we were off to Mechelen where we had to change trains. When we got to Mechelen the train attendant advised us not to change trains just yet, so we didn't. I forget his name now, but he was a very nice man. We told him where we were from and he said he would love to take his son to Vegas someday. So anyways we get to the station that the man advised us to change trains at and told us we had to get to Platform 3 and we had 8 minutes until that train left. This is where you really had to be with us to understand why I'm laughing so hard right now just thinking about it, but Mike and I looked like blithering idiots to say the least. We were on Platform 12, we wasted maybe 5 minutes walking up and down Platform 12 trying to figure out where in the hell Platform 3 was, finally we asked someone. The man told us we had to go down some stairs, walk down the pathway, go up the stairs for platform and that was where our train would be. We had about 1 minute and a half to haul our luggage down 3 flights of stairs, down a pathway, and up 3 flights of stairs. I didn't have much to carry besides a carry-on suitcase and a backpack, so needless to say I took flight going down those stairs, I mean I came just barreling down those stairs. Mike, being the gentleman, he was carrying all the heavy stuff and it was really just hilarious seeing him try to rush down stairs with a giant suitcase, duffel bag, and a backpack. I was telling him to hurry up, but I couldn't help but laugh. Once Mike made it down, we both took off down the pathway towards the Platform 3 stairs, ahhhh I can only imagine what we looked like sprinting down that hallway. We got to the stairs and I swear I have never went up 3 flights of stairs so fast in my entire life. I got to the top and I was half-yelling half-laughing, telling Mike to hurry up.When I turned to look at the train, I saw it leaving. Mike got to the top and I said, "I think we just missed it." Mike said, "No." That's all he said. A couple seconds later we realized the train that left was a different train, and the train we needed was arriving shortly. So after that realization, Mike and I could not help but laugh hysterically. From there it all became quite easy, the train arrived, we boarded, we arrived at the Brussels airport station, checked in to our flight, boarded our plane, and arrived back in Spain around 11 pm. I can't wait to go to Belgium in the Summer during the carnival season they have in August. A lot of games to play, a lot of drinks, and A LOT of deliciously fattening food. Sounds like a good time to me.

 xx - Amanda!