Les Serres Royales

So here is the deal: The King of Belgium has got this epic garden hidden away behind his stone walls full of all kinds of flowers. For most of the year he keeps his pretty little garden locked up for himself, but the last three weeks of April he opens it to the public. You have to admit though, you can see why he isn't so eager to share. =]

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Les 100 Jours

There is this tradition here in Belgium called "Les 100 Jours" (the 100 days). It's kind of like a right of passage for the Rhétos (Seniors) that takes place exactly 100 days before graduation. . . Okay, that makes it sound WAY more formal than it really is. In reality, all it is is a day to party-hardy. It's kind of like their way of saying "Hey, World! Whatch out, because in 100 days we're taking you on."

The idea is basically to cause as much chaos as humanly possible. Everyone dresses up in wild and crazy costumes, just like Halloween--You know, minus the tasty treats and spooky monsters. . .

I was a little stumped as far as finding a costume went, but my brother, Gaetan stepped in and saved the day and let me borrow his Football uniform. He is on one of the only teams that exist here in Belgium, and he actually plays really well for a European ;) Lucky for me too because my costume was a serious hit. Everybody loved seeing the "American Footballer". It was pretty much epic.

But wait, it gets better. You didn't honestly think parading around in costumes of all shapes and sizes was going to be enough, did you? No, that wouldn't cause NEARLY enough chaos. . . But add a couple sticks of "rouge à lèvres" (that's fancy french talk for "lipstick"), a few roles of suran wrap and a school full of unsuspecting underclassmen and you've got just about enough craziness to satisfy a band of Seniors gone mad.

By the end of the day, there isn't a single student, teacher or janitor who hasn't been caught up in the wave of insanity that is the 100 Jours. Each and every one of them leaves completely covered in kisses and doodles left behind as a demonstration of just what we are capable of. ;)

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