3/19

someone called and left a message on my mobile today entirely in french.
a year ago, that would have scared me.
heck, three months ago it would have alarmed me.

ok, so it did alarm me a little, but for one reason alone: the fact that i could understand the message fully! since when do i know french? i've also found myself able to wander around dutch and italian websites with ease. the other day, i picked up a brochure covering 2000 years of the colchester museum, entirely in french.
and the saddest part was that i could read most of it with ease.
it's funny when people say you shouldn't bother to study in a foreign country where they speak your language. i think it's quite nice to do so. i have the advantage of being able to read signs and talk to people with a culture barrier alone, no language barrier. and being in europe, i've picked up quite a few languages in my free time!
who would have guessed that french and dutch are a breeze? german's trickier, and to tell you the truth, i am a little scared of going to germany (due to the fact that the two things i can say are "plum cake" and "do you speak german?"), but can't wait to hit holland or france now! of course, italy will be quite lovely as well. i'm just so confused by my picking up these languages. i suppose that there is something to not being able to access a webpage in english, it forces you to use the "treinplanner" instead of the "trainplanner." but what's the point of bothering with clicking the little british flag in the corner of the page anyway? it's more fun to do things in other languages! i can even say "paris" in dutch now!
ok, ok. on to other things. i'm enjoying my new flat here quite a bit. it does seem much more like a studying flat as opposed to the crap i had before living with a group of first-years. NEVER AGAIN. i am looking forward to living with clare and yiyi next year, and particularly after that, when i have a place of my own somewhere. :) ahhh...hopefully there won't be people smoking up the kitchen or playing loud music straight through the night...
it's not to say i sleep well every night. last night john and i got into fight, and i had trouble falling asleep. but that was my own fault, it wasn't because it was too loud for me to sleep. it still is leaving me pretty crazed if i don't get enough sleep, but i'm hoping that i'm out of the absolute craziness i felt last week. it seemed like i was losing my head. :( now i know what people feel like when they say they went mad from lack of sleep. twas kirsten a week ago, but hopefully it isn't kirsten anymore!
i can't really understand that in four days i'll be in belgium. it should be quite nice having my own room, though. :) i'm just going to try and do a lot of touring, but also a lot of just resting and taking it easy. i think i'm primarily going to do the resting part in rome. :oP be it that i'll be on the go for two full weeks before that. what a life, huh?