A Veggie Tells: Tales from France

Corse

2010-05-05T13:48:00.001-07:00

The weekend following my trip with my family was a weekend cruise to the island of Corsica. This years Rotary District Conference was a lovely little cruise out to the island. I was extremely excited to go for a few reasons. First of all, I've never been on a cruise. Then, we were going to get to see some of Corsica and finally because I got to miss school that Friday. Paul, Cara, and I left with a rotarian and his wife for Toulon where the boat debarked. We spent about an hour or so in Toulon, taking a quick spin through the mall, before heading over to the dock where our big, yellow, Corsica Ferry cruise ship awaited us. As we were signing in and getting our name tags we saw the other exchange students in our district and got to catch up a bit before heading up the big ramp. Once inside, we looked around just enough to find our rooms and relieve ourselves of our bags. Our rooms slept four but fit about two (no, I think we managed to squeeze all ten of us in one at some point). We then set out to explore our weekend home. We managed to figure out how to get to the dining room and then to the "Dancing Palace" where the welcome speech would be given that night. After a good hour or so of walking around and catching up we went and grabbed our lovely Rotary blazers to go have a cocktail with the rotarians. The ten of us found some tables in the dance hall, which had a huge window showcasing the Med. We were served champagne as we listened to the District Governor give his welcome address to the rotarians. Note: the Governor was, from this first night onward, called the Guhvnuh *cue British accent*. Following the opening words was our first buffet dinner in the dining hall. The Corsica Ferry was loaded down with food from main dishes to cheeses to fruits and desserts. I knew I wouldn't starve on this trip to say the least. Most of the night was spent hanging out with one another and talking into the next day. Sleeping on the sea was very bizarre. I didn't really notice the movement of the ship until I was lying down in my little fold out bunk bed. But, I made it through the night without problems.

The next morning we had to wake up at the crack of dawn (six to be exact) in order to make it to breakfast in time. We grabbed our plates with half-open eyes and sat in the dining hall looking out at the beautiful water underneath us. Soon we would arrive. However, once we got to Corse we could not get off the boat. We sat in conferences for the majority of the morning, and then we had lunch. That afternoon we were given some free time, but we were too exhausted to head out on the island for an hour or so. We ended up napping for a bit then had some time to shower before heading off the boat and seeing some of Corse. All ten of us walked around a bit and went to a café with our youth exchange district rotarian and his wife for a drink-yes, there's always a lot of café-ing and coffee drinking. After this little break and moment on the island, we went back to the ship just to change into nice clothes in order to be presentable for the evening's activity. We had the opportunity to meet the mayor of Ajaccio, Corsica at the town hall. It was actually quite a spectacle. We walked up a large staircase, flanked by snare drummers and horn players, until we made it to the reception type room with large portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte and his likes hanging on the walls (he was born there). The mayor gave a speech addressing the Rotary and also a few other people/organizations. He called all of us (us being the exchange students) up to the front of the crowd to applaud us and give his thoughts on the importance of youth exchange. Overall, a very nice little function. Afterwards we found ourselves among finger foods and live music but only for a minute; we had to head back to the boat for the night's event. We got back on the boat and headed back to our rooms for just a minute before going to eat our last dinner on the cruise. The meal the last night was a sit-down dinner, not just a buffet. It lasted a good, long while like most French meals do. That whole afternoon Cara, along with two other girls, had been preparing to sing at the event of the evening. So after dinner we went back to the "Dancing Palace" to join in the fun. The only problem was that it was rather late already and we were all completely wiped out. Lack of sleep, apart from common thought, does not always work so well for teenagers. We get tired too. It turned out that the three could sing tomorrow since the docket was already full that night and because we were all half asleep. We called it night to try and catch up on some sleep.

The next morning we all woke up, again at the ridiculous hour of six, to go to breakfast and then get ready for some free time on the island before leaving. Paul, Cara, and I went out on the beach and found some sea glass, walked around, and took some pictures. We ran into everyone else and saw a little bit more of the area before getting ready to head back to Toulon. It would take about six hours to get back which meant that we still had a good bit of time on the boat. The rest of our time on the boat consisted of starting a mambo line across the Dancing Palace and going out on the deck of the boat and nearly getting blown away. The wind was INCREDIBLE! We had to hold on to the rails just to walk. It was absolutely ridiculous and so much fun. We were all shouting and cracking up while trying not to get blown into the Mediterranean. As the sun went down we packed everything up and went into the lobby of the boat. We were expected to arrive in Toulon around six, but we soon found out that there was a delay due to weather I believe, and we wouldn't be getting in until around eight or so. We sat in the lobby with our bags, for a couple of hours and then arrived back on solid ground. It was about an hour and a half/two hour drive to make it back to Cavalaire and to our houses. But, we did and were exhausted from the weekend excursion. The next week was a short one of only three days though because we were leaving Wednesday evening to start our twelve day adventure across Europe.

Provence

2010-04-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

The first thing Avignon rendered us was wind, lots of it. It reminded me of home, well home in France. The wind can be brutal in Cavalaire. The four us found the line of taxis, that had napping drivers at the wheel, and woke one of them up to take us to our hotel. The first thing I noticed about Avignon was the size of the streets. They were miniscule! And this is coming from someone who has lived in Europe for eight months and is used to the particularly small size of things: roads, cars, houses, people. The streets of Avignon were something else though. We winded down the cobblestones to our hotel. The hotel was actually more like a bed and breakfast sans the breakfast. We met the owners-a husband and wife- who were extremely nice and helpful. They showed us up to our two little apartments and gave us maps of Avignon along with some helpful hints. We got settled in a bit and then headed over to the pedestrian streets in the center of town to find a restaurant. We sat down at a nice local place, and this is when my use of French kicked in. In Paris one can easily get by speaking English (although it's definitely preferred to at least attempt French); however, in Avignon we found this to be quite the contrary. Our meal was again delicious, and we left to walk around the streets a bit more.

The next morning we woke up and got ready to head to the Office of Tourism to meet our tour guide. His name was Alain, and he would be taking us all around Provence. Each day we went to several little towns, saw the sights, and then came and spent the nights back in Avignon. This first day, we loaded up in the van, after Lucie had a molten chocolate cake for breakfast, and headed out to Gordes. Gordes was a ridiculously beautiful town all made of white and gray stone buildings that spiraled up the huge hill upon which it was set. My first thought was that it looked like Minas Tirith from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Apparently many celebrities and artists have homes there-it's too expensive for us normal people. We went for the Tuesday morning market where many Provencal items are sold by the vendors. It was very similar to the markets around my town but still very interesting. We walked through the town, going down little streets and passageways, and our tour guide pointed out some of the interesting historical points of Gordes. For instance, there are still several little stone huts called bories dispersed throughout the countryside, and also there are stones placed vertically on walls to hold the other stones in place because cement was not used in those times. We went into the cathedral that sits on the very top of the hill and afterwards found a spot with the best view of the valleys below. Provence is breathtaking.

Following Gordes was Roussillon, but before stopping in this red and orange town (explanation to come!) we passed by the Abbey of Senanque. This abbey is still in use today and is in the absolute best location. It is down in a valley surrounded by lavender fields (sadly we didn't get to see them in bloom) that the monks tend. The abbey is the most tranquil looking place I've ever seen; it's in complete peace and quiet which makes for a perfect area for monks. We continued on to Roussillon, a village which used to be an ochre quarry; thus, all of the buildings are shades of red, pink, orange, and yellow. Our guide dropped us off at the start of the ochre walk where we passed through the rolling hills and woods colored in these sun tones. Again, exquisitely beautiful. Lunch was after the ochre walk on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the town and the fields of Provence below.

Our next stop was the town of Ménerbes, but on the way we stopped to see Le Pont Julien, a Roman bridge built around 3 B.C. that crosses the river Calavon. As we were walking across the bridge, we were mesmerized by the fact that we actually could walk across a bridge built in 3 B.C. The Romans never cease to impress me with their architectural feats. We arrived in Ménerbes and passed Dora Maar's house while heading up to the Maison de la Truffe et du Vin du Luberon (House of Truffles and Wine of Luberon). We got to the little truffle museum and discovered the wonders of a black truffle. We even got to smell some of these mushroom delicacies while reading about the history of finding and selling truffles. Downstairs of the House of Truffles was a wine cellar filled with wines from the Luberon region in Provence. Wine and truffles all in the same building; who could ask for more! The day of exploring Provence came to an end after taking a stroll through Ménerbes. We were dropped back off in Avignon and had dinner in the town that night.

The following morning was spent in the city of Arles. I never realized how much Roman influence was left in France, especially in the Provence area. The first thing we saw when getting to Arles were the columns left from an ancient Roman bridge. Arles was a major port for the Romans seeing as it sits on the Rhone river. We walked along the river a bit before having breakfast at a café in the Place du Forum. The Place du Forum is where two columns of the old Roman forum rest. From here we walked over to the Place de la République and saw two well-known monuments of Arles: the Obelisk and the Church of St. Trophime. The obelisk is from the 4th century, erected under the Roman rule of Constantine II, and the church dates back to the 12th and 15th centuries. Next was a walk around the amphitheater and past the Roman theater, both of which were sadly under renovation. We did get to see some aspects of the incredible architecture. Arles is also very famous for its more modern history. Vincent van Gogh moved to Arles in 1888 and spent that year painting many landscapes and buildings in the area before being hospitalized months later. Many of his most famous paintings came from Arles. Gauguin also spent some time in Arles with van Gogh and created several paintings there as well. Throughout the city there are several markers indicating places that van Gogh painted. It was interesting, for me, to know that such an influential artist stood where I was standing and saw what I was seeing. We exited the great Roman walls surrounding the city to drive to Les Baux-de-Provence.

Les Baux is a village on a hill surrounded on every side by a white, grayish stone similar to that of Gordes. All of the buildings are built out of this stone making the whole town an off-white color. We stopped to have lunch outside and ate a delicious meal under the sun topped off with big ice cream desserts and crème brûlée for Lucie. We continued on through the village passing by the picturesque shops and restaurants and got to the Musée des Santons. Santons are little figurines made for the Nativity scene at Christmas. These are very popular in Provence, and many of the French have vast collections of santons. The santons are various people of Provencal life: bakers, painters, shepherds, and even a village dunce. The handcrafted works of art were displayed in the little museum and showed how the figurines changed throughout the years. After seeing the santons we walked up to the Château des Baux, taking us into the medieval period. Today, mock catapults and weapons are dispersed throughout the fortress allowing visitors to see what defending this town was really like. We got great views of the area as we climbed to the tops of some of the intact towers. Lucie and I were put in the stocks before finishing our day at Les Baux.

The next day we were off to Nîmes, a large city laden with Roman history. Nîmes is home to the best-preserved Roman arena in France. We went inside this amphitheater, which is still used today for bull-fights and other events, and learned about the history of what took place there. We saw a bit more of Nîmes before driving over to the Pont du Gard. The Pont du Gard is a giant bridge and aqueduct built by the Romans to carry water the town of Uzès to Nîmes. The size of this bridge is absolutely phenomenal, seeing as there was no conventional equipment. To make things more impressive, no mortar was used on the Pont du Gard. Every stone was cut to fit the other perfectly. As we walked across the bridge we saw the how the gigantic stones fit together like puzzle pieces. Dad, Lucie, and I walked up to where the aqueduct sits on top of the enormous bridge. Sadly, it isn't open for viewing until May when the tourist season kicks in. That afternoon we had lunch at an eclectic little restaurant in Uzès. The restaurant was famous for selling all types of olive oils. The place was covered in various bottles holding delicious oils that varied in all types of flavors. As late afternoon approached we headed over to the famous Châteauneuf du Pape. This huge wine region in Provence was home to the Popes of Avignon who were apparently avid lovers of wine. The vast vineyards stretched as far as the eye could see, and the small grape plants sprouted out of the rocky terrain. We stopped at one of the vineyards, Château Mont Redon for a wine tasting which consisted of red wines of various ages and eau de vie, a type of brandy. Châteauneuf du Pape ended our outings for the day, and we went back to Avignon for our last night there. We had our last dinner at a restaurant called La Fourchette, which had wonderful Provencal food and was definitely a good meal to end on.

Our last morning in Avignon consisted of us dragging our multiple suitcases through the tiny streets to meet our guide. We packed up to car to head to Cavalaire! I was so excited to have my parents and Lucie come see my semi-permanent home and meet Cara, Paul, and my host parents. We stopped about halfway between Avignon and Cavalaire in a town called Cassis. Cassis is a gorgeous town situated on the Mediterranean among mountains. As we were walking over to a café on the seaside we passed by the port which is down in a calanque. A calanque is a little valley or inlet submerged in water. After our coffee and breakfast we got back on the road and headed towards "home."

We were greeted in Cavalaire by Paul and Cara at my second host parents' pizzeria. After the introductions (which weren't really needed seeing as my parents have already spoken to Cara and Paul multiple times over skype) we went into the pizzeria were more introductions were made. I was so happy that Christine and Michel got to meet my parents and Lucie, especially after spending time with Lauren when she was with me before Paris. My family and me, along with Paul and Cara, went to have lunch in a restaurant on the seaside in Cavalaire. I was radiant with everyone at the table together. My first host mom, Laurence, invited us all to the house after lunch for dessert and coffee. It was so wonderful to have Mom, Dad, and Lucie meet Laurence and Christophe. A strong connection was already in place between my parents and my first host parents because their daughter Deborah is doing an exchange in Tupelo. We literally swapped places. My parents got to talk with Laurence over tarte tropézienne and tarte aux mirabelles (merci Laurence et Christophe!). Christophe came a little later before my parents and Lucie had to leave. That night they were staying in Marseille so they could catch their plane the next morning. I was so ecstatic to have them all finally meet. I really couldn't have asked for more. I told my parents and Lucie goodbye before they got back in the car with our guide to leave. It was hard to see them go, but I know I will see them again soon-plus the internet, especially skype, does wonders.

(Don't forget to read the Paris post right below; it's new too!)

Paris

2010-03-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

Once again I've been an unfaithful blogger. I'm sorry... the time goes by fast (especially these past few weeks). The blog is about to be littered with updates all at one time. So back to the Paris trip with my family. Lauren and I got to the Nice airport early Thursday morning, checked our bags, got through security, and then waited. Our plane was delayed about an hour and a half so we didn't take off until around 11. We arrived at Charles de Gaulle, found our bags and the RER, and headed to the hotel where we were to meet our parents and Lucie. Lauren and I love each other very much, but we are not always the best travel companions; just in more stressful situations. I tend to be rather stubborn, headstrong, and figure things out as I go. Lauren, on the other hand, likes to have more of a plan and ask someone for help if there's a problem. Not always the best combination. We discovered this as we were looking for the RER in the airport. Eventually, after finding the RER, we had to buy tickets which required me to go to an ATM then take that money and change it into coin pieces that would work in the ticket machine. All this sounds very simple, and it is, but at the time it was stressful and complicated. We got situated in the RER for the half hour trip into Paris. Lauren was lucky enough to grab a spot across the aisle from an old Venetian man. He began speaking to her in broken English about his life in Venice and how he plays the piano. Lauren, being the kind, caring person she is, did not want to be rude to the old, slightly creepy man so she began answering his questions and making small talk with him. I would have been worried if an American woman fluent in Italian hadn't been sitting next to us as well. He got off a stop or so before us, and we finished the ride with a laugh about the unusual conversation that had fallen upon my sister.

We made it to the hotel all in one piece only to find that our parents had not yet arrived. We weren't expecting them to be there until a little after us so we stored our bags and went to get lunch about a block away. Our hotel was in a perfect spot on the Rue de Rivoli, right across from the Jardin des Tuileries, and in between the Louvre and the Champs-Elysees. Lauren and I walked down the Rue de Rivoli after lunch until we could check into the hotel. Again, we arrived at the hotel to no parents. At this point we checked in and went up to the room (which had a staircase-it was cool). After unpacking a few things I got my computer up and running only to find that the internet did not work. Several failed connection attempts later, Lauren finally convinced stubborn ol' me to call the front desk. The internet man came to our room to try and fix the problem, got on the phone, and told us that he couldn't do anything (Macs and France don't mesh too well yet). Lauren, at this point, was freaking out-to say the least-and began to curse the country that I've lived in for the past 7 months. In the middle of this rant my first host mom called to make sure that we had gotten there and that my parents had arrived as well. I explained our situation and then she got online to see if I had any emails or facebook updates. Turns out my parents had missed their flight in Atlanta due to weather conditions or something of that sort, and they would be getting in the next day. Finally Lauren and I could begin enjoying ourselves knowing that our parents weren't lost in the Atlantic Ocean. By this time it was already about four in the afternoon so we headed out to find Les Galeries Lafayette. The gigantic department store was not far from our hotel at all, and we got to pass by the lovely Paris Opera on the way. Time went by fast as we climbed up the floors in the immense Parisian store, exploring every nook and cranny. We left and grabbed a sandwich at a nearby restaurant before heading back to the hotel.

The next morning we waited anxiously in the room for the travelers to get in. I couldn't keep still and had to pace back and forth in the confined space to keep from going crazy. At last we heard that beloved knock on the door signaling that my parents were there with Lucie. I could not have been happier. Lucie has grown up so much. She was bigger and taller and talked just as much as before. My parents looked exhausted after three days of traveling in the same clothes. Plus, their suitcases did not make it with them after this ongoing journey which tends to add a whole other layer to the awfulness that often is traveling. It was so nice to be with my family after six months without them (if only Will could have made it out; it's ok Brother, I know you had farm duties). Dad and Lucie took a nap-jetlag is never an easy state to battle-while Lauren, Mom, and I walked over to the Champs-Elysees to have lunch at Ladurée, the famous macaroon shop. The restaurant was breathtakingly beautiful; the multi-colored macaroons covering every square inch of the place probably played a small part in this. The food was equally wonderful and the macaroons that we bought after were simply scrumptious. Ladurée was followed by GAP to buy clothes for the three vagabonds. Thankfully, the clothes ended up not being needed. Their suitcases came that night only after we got back from having a nice meal at Le Restaurant in L'Hotel on the Left Bank of Paris.

The next day we had a tour which started at Victor Hugo's house in Le Marais-a district in Paris which still has its old feel because it wasn't reconstructed by Haussmann like the majority of Paris- and ended at the Notre Dame, or Quasi's house as Lucie calls it. Our guide was incredibly nice, and we saw a good bit of Paris on the tour. Lucie's jaw dropped when we saw the Notre Dame up close-a priceless moment. We had an incredible lunch in a little restaurant we stumbled upon on L'Ile St. Louis. (Just a little side note, it's taking all that I have not to describe every morsel of food I ate on this trip. Everything was simply fantastic.) That afternoon/evening we wandered around the streets soaking up the Parisian atmosphere.

Le Louvre was next on the agenda. The day started at the huge pyramid before the tremendous castle. The tour was a scavenger hunt geared more towards Lucie since the rest of us have hit the major highlights before. It was still fun to run around the Louvre with her looking at all the wonderful art. She got a book from the guide that even I was jealous of. It looked like fun. Following the Louvre was more time spent on the Champs-Elysees and just walking around the city.

That night was the big meal on the Eiffel tower. Lauren and I got ready before and took the metro to go find her friend's cousin who is studying abroad this semester in Paris. We had planned on meeting him at the Starbuck's on Avenue Victor Hugo, not too far from our hotel. We took the metro until the end of the Champs-Elysees and not the next stop in the middle of Avenue Victor Hugo. We thought this way we could see the Arc de Triomphe a bit closer and the Starbucks wouldn't be too far down the road. We were wrong. We definitely should've gotten off at the second stop. After booking it down the first half of the huge avenue we got to one of the circles of death that have roads shooting off from every end. We ended up getting completely turned around after completing the circle in its entirety and started walking back down the street we came up. Finally, after much confusion, we ended up at the Starbuck's and talked to her friend's cousin for a bit. We left only to get turned around again trying to get to the Eiffel Tower (I'm convinced that the maps in Paris are backwards just for the record). We ended up making it in time to find our parents with Lucie standing in line, waiting to get on the big elevator that would take us up to the restaurant on the first level. All five of us made it up after waiting in the long line. We got our table, which had an excellent view, and once again had a gastronomical overload of goodness. Lucie finished off her meal with an Eiffel Tower chocolate cake. Paris was seen by night again as we walked a bit, found a taxi, and made our way back to the hotel where the packing commenced. Finally, the suitcases were filled, in a somewhat organized manner, and we could get some rest before waking up at the crack of dawn to head out to the airport.

I always love waking up at five in the morning to travel, but that doesn't make it any easier to actually wake up. Yet another taxi took us out to Charles de Gaulle. The baggage was unloaded, and it was time to say goodbye to the big sis. Lauren left after the sad moment (it's ok, we'll be together ALL summer) and Dad, Mom, Lucie, and I headed to the train station in Charles de Gaulle (extremely convenient). We grabbed breakfast then waited for the train after some confusion with the platform number. Our seats were comfortable which was nice for the four hour ride. It went by fast. Initially, I had had the intention of sleeping; however, adorable, talkative Lucie made that impossible. I was more than happy to stay up and talk to her though. We even took a walk around the train a bit. I think I'm still a six year old at heart; that's why Lucie and I get along so well. Every time another train would pass by we would just look at each other and laugh. Four hours later, we were in Avignon.

Lauren Chez Moi

2010-03-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Friday I came back to Cavalaire after spending five days in Paris with Lauren, Lucie, Dad, and Mom then five days traveling around Provence with Mom, Dad, and Lucie. I have much to tell about the Paris trip and seeing many towns all around Provence, but I plan on posting those tomorrow because this post will focus on when Lauren came to Cavalaire.

Saturday, March 6th seemed like a rather long day. Lauren's plane from Munich, Germany did not get to Nice until around three that afternoon. My first host mom, Laurence, drove Cara and me to the airport to pick up Lauren. Cara was leaving the next day to go skiing with her class so she only got to spend a little time with Lauren. We get to the airport, right on time I might add, only to see that Lauren's plane was delayed an hour. As if it wasn't hard enough to wait until three! Now, I had to wait until five! Finally, it landed. Whoever designed the Nice airport was just mean. The baggage claim is separated from the waiting area by automatic doors that only let passengers come out. Cara and I paced back and forth trying to locate Lauren while the doors momentarily opened to let someone through. At last, we spotted Lauren with her red backpack. Excitedly, I waved and screamed her name. Of course we had to stand there waiting and waiting until her bag came out. I was so happy to hug her when she walked through those doors. As we walked to the car Lauren told us about her flight... apparently Germany wasn't her favorite country. She was amazed at how much the scenery changed from cold, gray, snow in Munich to sun, palm trees, and bright foliage in Nice.

Two hours and much conversation later we arrived safely in Cavalaire. We were greeted at the house by Paul, who was equally anxious to make the acquaintance of my sister. After a moment of byes from Laurence and Cara, I showed Lauren the house I've been living in since the beginning of January. The tour didn't take too long; it is a European house-everything's smaller here. A quick dinner of baguette and cheese-never gets old- and it was off to bed to ease Lauren's jet lag.

Sunday, after eating several pain au chocolat (I think Lauren would have braved the international travel just to have these... it's ok, I understand) we got ready to go eat at my host grandparents' house just like every Sunday. Paul ate over there with us as well. It was good to have him to translate with me, that way Lauren got to follow the conversation as well. The food was delicious (as usual), and Lauren got to try a little foie gras and rabbit. Welcome to France! Oh and for dessert it was a delicious pound cake type cake with mousse au chocolat. mmmm!! These Frenchies sure can cook. We walked downtown to show Lauren Cavalaire in the daylight. She had no luck with the weather the whole time she was in the south with me. The week before was beautiful and the week after she left was too. What she got was wind, cold, and a bit of rain; it was still better than Munich though. After seeing the grand sites of Cavalaire- which included my host parents' pizzeria, several bakeries, the little bookstore, and the few number of boutiques- we went back to the pizzeria and eventually came back up to the house to eat a pizza. What a hard life!

Lauren and I had planned to make a trip over to my high school on Monday. We got all ready to go down into town so we could catch the bus, go to the school, have lunch at a restaurant nearby, and then head back. However, I did not pay attention to the fine print on the bus schedule saying that the 12:30 bus only ran during holidays. Typical. Our plan ended up falling through. Instead, we had a sandwich in a restaurant on the seaside, and then we walked over to Carrefour (the local grocery store/hang out for Paul, Cara, and me). Lauren and I had a nice little moment sitting on the bench that Cara, Paul, and I frequent. We waited there for a while until the bakeries opened back up- they close everday from 1:30 to 3:30. The long wait was payed off as we ate our pieces of apple pie and tarte tropezienne (something everyone must taste at least once in their life). The rest of the day was spent just hanging out and being together once again.

My current host mom, Christine, took us to the market of St. Tropez Tuesday morning. It wasn't as hoppin as it can be in the summer, still a bit too chilly for tons of people, but it was quite adequate. We walked around listening to the rapid speaking salespeople pitch their advertisements as to why we should buy their products. It seems to help that they call all the women Mademoiselle and Princesse. We continued by walking through the market and over to the port of St. Tropez. It is quite a beautiful town, especially when it's not so crowded. The downside is that a lot of stores are closed. After admiring the beautiful boats, views, and gigantic yachts, we sat down to have a coffee at Senequier, a very well known cafe right on the port. The three of us had a relaxing moment looking out over the water sipping our little espressos, well orange juice for Lauren. We left St. Tropez, and Christine drove us by some other close by towns. Port Grimaud is a mini Venice not too far from Cavalaire. The roads are canals and one can park their boat right by their house. We didn't get the chance to walk around, just drive by, but I plan on going back once it gets a little warmer. It seems like a beautiful and interesting little place.

That night we went over to Laurence and Christophe's house (my first host home). Lauren has spent a good amount of time with Deborah, Laurence and Christophe's daughter, who is in Tupelo. It was exciting for Lauren to meet Deborah's parents and see her house/room because she knows Deborah and also because I am so close to her parents now. I feel that her house is my house too. We had a crepe party. (Again, welcome to France!) It was quite scrumptious. The conversation worked out well seeing as Laurence speaks quite a bit of English and then of course my translation. I know Lauren had a wonderful time getting to know them a bit and seeing where I've been. We watched Mean Girls that night (in English) before heading off to bed.

The next day was picture day around Cavalaire. Thankfully, we had some nice weather. My friend Eva from school came to Cavalaire that afternoon. She was so excited to meet my sister, and the two of them seemed to get along quite well. Lauren, Paul, Eva, and I walked around Cavalaire (especially on the port) taking pictures and just having a fun moment together. It was great to have Lauren, who plays such a huge role in my life, meet the people that have impacted me so much throughout my exchange this year. The bonds I have made with my friends over here is something that can never be broken, and it's rare that people from my life in the states get to meet the people I've become so close to this year. I'm definitely grateful for this fact.

The next morning started off at 5:30 so that we could get to the airport on time for our Paris flight. We would soon discover that this early morning was only the beginning of our Parisian adventure.

Horseball

2010-02-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

I watched my first ever horseball match today. Quite an interesting sport. Cavalaire has a nice sized equestrian center with several stables and trails and also courts for horseball. Horseball is a sport that is played on a relatively small field of sand. The players pass a soccer ball that has leather straps encompassing it (the ball looks as though it is in a cage) and try to score in the hoops at the end of each field. When the ball falls on the ground the players have to lean off the horse to pick it up. They must all have KILLER abs. From what I deduced players have a time limit for holding the ball. It was very exciting to watch. I'd never seen anything quite like it. The players would also really fight the other players for the ball, all while on horseback. It really made me want to go ride some trails. I haven't been on a horse in quite some time.

We had a half day at school Thursday thanks to the teachers' conference. Cara and I decided it would be fun to dye our hair; something we'd been talking about since almost the beginning of the year. She decided on chataigne (chestnut), and I went with the slightly redder tinted acajou (mahogany). After laughing and singing Wicked while trying not to stain the tiny European bathroom in dye, we both ended up with darker, slightly redder hair. I can happily say we used our half-day successfully.

Friday was a girls' night. Cara and I made her peanut butter-butterscotch chip cookies. Her mom brought rice crispies and butterscotch chips when they were here last week. Cara melted the butterscotch chips and peanut butter together on the stove; then we added in the rice crispies. After, we made spooned the dough onto trays that we put in the fridge. We waited until they chilled and hardened and then ate delicious cookies!! After our cookie making (and again belting out more Wicked) we decided to put the Veet leg hair removal cream to the test. We bought it with the hair dye to try out. Long story short, it doesn't work. We were mildly disappointed but had cookies to make up for it.

Lauren comes in 6 days!!

Avatar

2010-02-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

This post is going to be much more than just a spilling of wonderful emotions that came after seeing Avatar, but I felt that the movie merited a blog title; it was just that incredible.

The second week of vacation went by way too fast (doesn't it always?). I did end up, finally, seeing Avatar and was quite impressed, even with the French dubbing. That film was just beautiful to watch, and I will openly admit that I wish I could live in Pandora. I'm not even ashamed to say that it would be awesome to be one of those people. I went to the larger movie theater in Sainte Maxime to see it with Paul and my host mom.

The second week of vacation was rather rainy. I was trapped inside for a few days which is not normal here. Everyone has said that we've been unlucky with the weather, but it's definitely not something I can complain about. I feel like it's barely been rainy or cold but mostly sunny and picture-perfect. My Spanish teacher today made a comment in class about how French southerners are just fragile when it's not perfectly sunny; nothing works if it rains, snows, or is windy. I've found this to be true.

Cara left with her family from Saturday to Saturday of the second week. I met her parents, two brothers, and grandmother the Saturday they got here. We all went and had coffee and apple tart at Paul's house (this was Cara's first host family). Paul and I went out to lunch with Cara and her family once they got back the following Saturday. It was nice to finally meet people I've heard so much about but also a bit bizarre to see Cara with her actual family. Two worlds collided but in a good way. Maybe it's better to say that the two worlds met. Soon, I will have my southern life from the States meet my southern life in France. Lauren comes in one week and two days, and Mom, Dad, and Lucie are following on the 11th. I am so very excited and can't wait to see everyone and do some traveling.

February has flown by. I can't believe that several weeks ago we were celebrating Paul's birthday, and now Lucie's (March 2nd) is approaching. I have officially spent six months in France. I told this to one of my friends this morning in class and she responded by saying that I know officially live in France. Technically you don't consider yourself a habitant of another place until you have lived their for sixth months. I can now fully say that I live in France. It still seems like such a distant concept to grasp. I still remember standing in the Memphis airport not letting myself cry to much while leaving Daddy and Mama. I can remember stepping off the plane into the hot, humid air of Nice and seeing my host parents with big smiles waiting for me while I hauled my suitcases out of baggage claim. I remember being so excited and adventurous while at the same time feeling completely overwhelmed, scared, and questioning my decision to live in a foreign country. I have no regrets and would not change one moment of this experience so far.

Les vacances ont commencé... encore (Vacation has begun... again)

2010-02-13T01:06:00.000-08:00

I'm now on February vacation. Yes, I do actually go to school here, (for long, tedious hours I might add) but I am once again profiting from a two week vacation which started the 6th and ends, unfortunately, on the 22nd. I actually enjoy school now so I probably shouldn't add in that unfortunately.

Friday night started off the vacation. We (Paul, Cara, and I) planned on going to a little soirée at one of our friend's house. She lives right across from the high school; therefore, we planned on taking a bus out there-out there being a wee 20 minutes away. We were chatting away with my host parents at the pizzeria, a few meters from the bus stop, when we saw a bus go by. Surely our bus for 6:30 would not leave 15 minutes before it's scheduled time. Or would it? We now have enough knowledge of the French bus system to feel a bit anxious when we see buses passing without rhyme or reason at bizarre hours. We went to wait at the bus stop and much to our dismay, and that of the other girl waiting, we missed the bus. At least this time it was in Cavalaire and not a city an hour and a half away. That was definitely a plus. We did, however, miss the party and ended up coming back over to my house. It was a successful night all the same as Paul and I met Cara's friends, Cara and I met a friend of Paul's, and Cara and Paul talked to my sister and Anna (best friend) via skype.

Saturday night the three of us were invited to a Rotarian's apartment to eat. She's one of the few young Rotarians in the club and was kind enough to let us come over. Her apartment was very modern, decorated in reds and blacks. After l'apéritif we had une raclette. I'm pretty sure I've blogged about this meal in a later post. It's a little grill with slots beneath to melt cheese which you then put on potatoes or different types of meat or smoked salmon if that's your preference. Following the raclette was a raspberry flan accompanied with a pear sorbet and a rousing game of Pictionary. Pictionary brought about much laughter, as we're not the most artistic group when it comes to drawing out French nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

The start of the first week of vacation began, not lazily, but actively. We had planned to run and exercise everyday during the two week break, and we succeeded with that Monday. We were lucky enough to have really nice weather Monday afternoon, warm enough to wear a t-shirt and shorts. However, our luck ran out the next day with clouds and wind. The wind here can be intense, and it made it impossible to run on the Promenade de la Mer because sand was blowing up off the beach. Instead, we took a nice long walk in the vicious gusts that would have definitely flipped another sailboat and cut my other ear open if we had been on the water. Monday night, after our successful afternoon beach body preparation, Cara came back over to my house, and we made quesadillas. Immediately after we began learning Michael Jackson's Thriller dance, naturally. We're quite the experts now and could give any of those back-up dancers in This Is It a run for their money.

Wednesday we took a day trip to Toulon, except this time we added two more people to our group. One of our friends from school, who is originally from England but has lived in France for several years, and his step brother, who resides permanently in England and speaks very little French, joined us on our quest for fun. The five of us went to the center of Toulon, not the mall 30 minutes before. The bus ride was spent getting to know our new English friend who turned out to be, possibly the most amusing person I've ever met. By the end of the afternoon I was laughing so hard at all his little anecdotes from back over in Queen Elizabeth's country. His British accent added a bit to his humor too. We spent the day walking around, having sandwiches on baguettes, dressing one another up in bizarre outfits from Galeries Lafayette, and having an overpriced, tiny cup of coffee before hopping on the bus to head back home.

Thursday, our friend-whose soirée we missed-came to Cavalaire to have lunch. I haven't eaten out much in Cavalaire. In fact, I believe only once or twice, not counting the times I've eaten pizza from the pizzeria. We found a decently priced restaurant with some good looking food. I had an Ocean panini while everyone else got the American-some sandwich with meat, sorry I can't be more specific; I didn't pay too much attention. After staying at the restaurant and talking for a while, Paul went home and us girls went to find ourselves a crepe. We went to a creperie after walking around town for a bit. My crepe was cinnamon and apple. Cara had a crepe with sugar and lemon, and Agathe had the classic crepe with nutella. All good choices. Agathe caught the bus back to her house, while Cara and I began walking back up to her's. We spent the night couple of hours planning out all of her outfits for the trip that she's about to take with her family. That's right, her mom, dad, two brothers, and grandmother arrived in France today! I'm meeting them this afternoon and cannot wait. Cara is extremely excited. They're staying in France for a week and taking Cara with them to visit Paris and Normandy. We're all excited to meet them!!

Soon I will be seeing my parents and little sister and now my big sister too!!! Lauren is coming to stay with me in Cavalaire for the week of her Spring Break. She'll be here for five days, and then the two of us will go up to Paris to meet my parents and Lucie. Lauren is going to fly back to the U.S. the day that Mom, Dad, Lucie, and I train down to Avignon where we'll see some of Provence. Words can not express my joy! She'll be here in three short weeks. Oh, I'm so excited!

Yesterday, I had escargot for the first time. It was yummy too. Mostly the flavor came from the butter, garlic, olive oil, and parsley that the snails were cooked with, but they did add some substance and texture to the garnishing. After this very French dish, my host mom and I made an American staple, donuts. It was the first time she had made donuts and my first time too. She found a recipe online and had already prepared the dough. We heated up some grease and got to cuttin and fryin. We didn't end up perfecting the size and thickness until this morning when we finished using the dough. The next time, they'll be perfect. They turned out to be quite good. Not the perfection of a hot glazed donut from Shipley's or the deliciouness held by a blueberry donut from Connie's, but it was definitely a start. Who knows what the next week of vacation will hold.

Joyeux Anniversaire Paul (Happy Birthday Paul)

2010-02-02T11:49:00.001-08:00

The first day of February marked an important moment in the life of mon ami Paul; his 19th birthday! Paul, Cara, my first host mom (Laurence), and my new host grandparents all came over to eat chez moi with my host parents and me. It was my host mom's-Paul's previous host mother- idea to have a big American lunch with hamburgers and french fries. Everyone got to the house around 1:30. We started this meal, just like all the others in France, with un apéritif- a drink before the meal. After Paul began to cook the burgers, and one piece of tofu, and soon after we found ourselves, hamburger buns and all, at the table. It was my host grandparents' first time to ever eat a hamburger. A weird concept for those of us who hail from the U.S. of A. I can't speak for the carnivores, but my tofu burger was quite yummy as were the fries. We finished off the meal by singing Joyeux Anniversaire and eating a tarte tropezienne after Paul blew out his 19 candles.

Paul and Cara spent the night at mine that night. Paul gave Cara her Christmas present, a little overdue. Cara was a bit surprised when she unwrapped Paul's old advent calendar. He made a little scavenger hunt leading her to eventually find a USB jump drive with all the music she's wanted from him since the beginning of the year. Cute idea Paul! Cara and I gave him the best present!! Paul writes music and lyrics (he's going to major in guitar at college). So, Cara and I came up with the idea of giving him a notebook that he could keep all his music in. We cut out pictures and placed them randomly throughout with little thoughts and quotes from things that have happened so far throughout this year. We figured it would be a good way to inspire his musical thoughts. We waited until that night and gave it to him. It was absolutely perfect... I'm proud of our work. After several hours of talking and laughing, we all went to sleep in the wee hours of the morning.

Sunday was spent lazily. It was a bit chilly, but the three of us had breakfast on the balcony anyway. I ate lunch at my host granddad's house. He lives right next door, and we eat over there every Sunday for lunch. We had coq au vin. I didn't eat the rooster, but I did have the sauce with pasta and it was quite delicious. I definitely cannot complain about French food. I literally like everything here (except oysters...)

Speaking of food (why is it that I can't go one post without talking about food?) yesterday was La Chandeleur or jour des crêpes. This is the day in France where everyone eats crepes... like we need an excuse to eat crepes. My host mom and I made some which we ate with my host dad before they went down to work. Nothing can beat a crepe with nutella. Perfection.

Le Loto (BINGO)

2010-01-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

Only in France would I be able to win three and a half liters of wine playing Bingo sponsored by the Rotary Club. You gotta love this place. Not this past Sunday but the one before, Cara, Paul, and I went to help out with the annual Rotary Bingo in Cavalaire. We were expecting to put out tables and chairs, help pass out chips and cards, things of that nature. Much to our surprise (and satisfaction) we just got to sit and play for free. I was working three cards as were my other Americans. (It was actually good practice for hearing numbers... yes, I know how to count in French by now, but let me be the first to say it ain't easy. All the numbers in the seventies are sixty+a number-soixante-dix, soixante onze, soixante douze, etc.-and the eighties are four twenties + one, two, etc... and the nineties are the worst... four twenties + eleven, twelve, etc.-quatre vingt dix neuf = ninety nine). The three of us were on a role, quickly covering each number as it was called. At one point, all I lacked was 13. Of course, it was 13 that made me lose. A few rounds later, I got to call out that blessed word: BINGO. Well actually I raised my hand while Paul and Cara started shouting "Elle a gagné! Elle a gagné!" It was quite a momentous occasion which turned out to be even better when I saw the numerous prizes that awaited me. As I said before, two bottles of wine-one of which is of tremendous proportions-a video camera (not high-quality, but a video camera nonetheless), a belt, an ipod shuffle, a dinner for two, and a decorative candle holder. Not bad for a Sunday evening.

This weekend, once again, the three of us returned to Toulon, this time going down to the actual city and not just stopping at the shopping center before. After checking out some music stores, we walked down near the port to find the mall that is in Toulon. The huge sales in France were still going on so we wanted to profit from some of the slashed prices. I must say, the three of us can entertain ourselves with just about anything, especially if there's a camera to document our spontaneous acts of amusement. We found two statues of men situated at a table playing cards. We proceeded to then talk to Tim and Dan (yes, we named them), dress them up, and take numerous photos with our new friends. One group of women stopped and asked if we'd like a picture of all three of us. Oh how I love my friends. The exchange student gods were seriously looking out for me when they chose these two crazy people to live with me in France. I couldn't ask for better friends. Eventually, we left Tim and Dan in search of bigger and better things a.k.a. half-priced clothing. As we walked down the cobbled stone streets of Toulon, one store called out our names. More accurately, the rap music pouring into the street screamed, "Americans come listen to music from your country and save yourselves from another techno beat!" A few pictures of Cara with the salesman and the brand Oakwood (the town from which she hails) later and off we went to find the mall. About 20 minutes later we stumbled upon our destination and started with the shopping after grabbing sandwiches on baguettes. We took the second to last bus back, not wanting to continue the misfortune that has plagued our ability to make it back to Cavalaire from Toulon.

I returned to my original house to spend the night with Cara and see Laurence and Christophe. We had a crepe party! Oh this country and their crepes. Laurence knows me all too well. I was more than happy to go back to my house. I think I'll always see it as that. At one point I referred to the bedroom as mine, Deborah's, and Cara's... eventually Paul's. Sunday for lunch we ate bouchée de la reine. Mine was with fish and oh so delicious. We finished the meal with une galette and a piece of chocolate with our afternoon coffee, as usual. I felt right at home. I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to live with them. I'm sure I sound redundant in saying this (I feel like every post I talk about how much I love Paul, Cara, and my host parents), but it's the truth.

I've been in a blissful mood since this weekend, and I know this is where I'm supposed to be. This exchange has taught me about myself, another culture, different people, and so many other things which I will go into more detail about in the future. Words can't begin to express how marvelous my past five months here have been-yes, five months as of Sunday. I am certain that the remainder of my school year here will be equally indescribable.

J'adore la France.

Le Grand Changement (The Big Change)

2010-01-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

Sunday two major events occurred. I will preface the first with a bit of information about what happened in Tupelo last week. It snowed. And not just a few flurries... it down right snowed, and Tupelo High School was actually closed for a snow day. Yes, the high school that stays open even if a tornado, tsunami, and hurricane are all about to hit town closed for the snow. Of course it snows the year I'm not there. I think Mother Earth knew I was bummed about missing the snow (even though I saw snow in Alsace; schneit is the Alsacien word for it's snowing) so she sent some to the French Riviera. No you are not mistaken, I did say it snowed on the French Riviera. I was jumping up and down (quite literally) with excitement. The snow didn't stay, and I had to go to school the next day BUT I can say I saw snow on the French Riviera.

The snow fell as I finished packing up all my things to move to my next host family. I was not anxious to leave my host parents and my house. I was extremely settled in there and really felt that it was my home. But, it had to happen (Rotary rules), and I am already very happy at my second house. I spent about all day Saturday and Sunday morning getting everything packed. I've acquired a few more items since I've gotten here. I ended up leaving with my two suitcases, my computer bag, my purse, another small bag, and two boxes full of things.... so just a little bit more. Cara and her host parents brought all her things to my house to get her moved in. Paul had already moved into Cara's house, and I was the last one to move (I'm now at Paul's). Around 4:30 my host mom, Cara, and I drove over to Paul's (I think we're all keeping the previous host parent/house references). Paul's house is on a gigantic hill and the driveway is not paved for one of the steepest parts. It rained a good bit at the end of last week so driving a car up to the door was definitely out of the question. We had to haul all my stuff up the mini-mountain. We made it, though, and now I'm all settled in with pictures on the walls and clothes on shelves. I already know my Paul's host parents/my new host parents really well. I've spent time with them and everything so there wasn't so much of an awkward get-to-know you time.

My host parents now own a pizzeria down in town. They work nights so I am here alone. We have one dog and two cats, and when the cats want to go outside they go stand by the door. So I let the cats out my first night here, Sunday. As I put my things away in my room I kept hearing a noise that I thought was the cats. There are three sliding glass doors off the kitchen and living room and each one has a set of blinds that close all the way down with a push of a button (quite cool). So every time I heard this noise, I would open the blinds a little to let the cats in, except that every time I opened the blinds, there was never a cat. I'm sure the neighbors thought I was crazy and wondered why I kept opening the blinds every 3-5 minutes, but I was worried about the cats freezing in the cold. Finally, as I was leaving the bathroom I got the life scared out of me by an automatic air freshener. It sprays a little burst of some corny-titled scent into the air at regular intervals. I finally put two and two together and realized that I was hearing the air freshener go off, not the cats at the door. Now I know.

The change has definitely been weird. I find it odd that all my things are in Paul's room, and all Cara's things are in my room. However, I do see why Rotary makes us change; how we'll get to experience a different family's way of life. I was extremely lucky to have such an incredible experience for my first four and a half months, and I can't wait to see what the next ones hold. I know I will be very happy with my new parents and routine. It's already settling in after a day.

Pictures: packing everything up in my old room... I have yet to take pictures of my new room or house. Also, attempted pictures of the snow... but you can't really see anything.

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year) Continued

2010-01-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry, read this after the post below it. I accidentally posted the wrong one first.

Christmas Eve quickly approached, and I was very much in the Christmas mood after the snow, markets, gingerbread-looking houses, and the magic that is Alsace. After breakfast, we went to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute items. We had lunch, and afterwards my host mom and I took a walk around Soultzbach. We walked on a path that wound around the back of the town and then down into the center. Even though Cavalaire is a small town, there isn't much open space. Houses and buildings are very close together. This walk in Soultzbach was the first time I had seen just open plots of grass. There were some horses and other animals on small, personal farms. I even saw some chickens! We walked through a section of woods-yes, woods! I was so excited!-and found some remnants of snow. It was enough to have a quick snowball fight and make a snow angel. Also, in these woods there was a clearing with some benches and a Virgin Mary grotto built into a rock hillside. It was beautiful. We made our way down into the quaint center of town where there is a butcher, a bakery, the mayor's office, a school for small children, several fountains, and a little river called le Krebsbach. Soultzbach used to be a source for bottled water, so some of the fountains have fresh drinking water. The town came to life as my host mom told me stories about her childhood there. She showed me her grandmother's house, and we even stopped by to visit a friend she's had since childhood before heading back up to the house. We returned to find our party of five turned to six with the arrival of my host mom's sister. Sophie was busy in the kitchen preparing the big Christmas Eve meal when we arrived. That night we ate Baeckeoffe au poisson-a traditional Alsatian dish generally with meat but adapted to fish for me. Baeckeoffe means "baker's over." It is potatoes, carrots, onions, some herbs, butter, scallops, frog, and salmon all cooked together in a gigantic, sealed dish. Oh c'était trop bon! Following supper was present time. With ornament earrings dangling down and santa hat securely on my head (thanks Parker!) we started. I was given the responsibility of being Santa. My host grandmother helped me pass out the gifts though. I was given mass amounts of chocolate along with other wonderful presents. Everyone was very happy with all. We returned to the table to eat une bouche de Noel but in ice cream. Again, just another delicious dessert to add to the list. The night winded down. Sophie went back to Colmar, and everyone got in their pajamas and watched a Christmas song program. I was in my new pajamas that my parents sent me along with my other Christmas presents. It's somewhat of a tradition in my family to all get matching pajamas on Christmas Eve so that Christmas morning we all have them on to open presents. My host family found this to be quite amusing.

Now, my host grandparents do not have a computer which results in them not having internet. I brought my computer with me, and they got the internet code from their neighbors so that my host family could skype with Deborah and me with my family. The neighbors live right across the street, but for some reason the internet reception was not strong at all. My host mom never managed to connect with her laptop. The only places where I had internet were in the den behind the coach next to the sliding door or in my room with my computer sitting on the window sill with the shutters open. My host family and I got plenty of laughs with this one. Thankfully, I got to see my house full of my family on Christmas Eve, and Deborah got to see her family all in Alsace.

Christmas Day, just before lunch, my host granddad's sister-my host mom's godmother- and her friend and Sophie all came back over. After exchanging gifts with them we had a big Christmas lunch which included foie gras (again not for me) and another bouche de Noel for dessert. My parents back home planned to skype with me at 3 o'clock my time 8 o'clock theirs'. A few minutes before, I changed back into my pajamas and gathered all my presents from them behind the couch. I got everything ready and logged on. My mother wasn't on skype. I waited, and after a few minutes, my mom's best friend called me via skype. She informed me that there was a terrible thunderstorm that night and that the internet was not working at my house. This was a huge blow to me as my family and I had planned to spend Christmas morning together. My mom was on the phone with Mrs. Valerie as she told me the news. However, I held it together and opened my presents with Mrs. Valerie, Dr. Earl, and Sami. After my mock Christmas morning in Tupelo I changed and finished the afternoon with my French family. We said our goodbyes to Sophie and my host mom's godmother then began to pack everything up. That was a challenge. Squeezing even more stuff into my already full suitcase was not an easy task. I had to wear some of the things I got as gifts and carry a backpack as well as my computer bag and purse. About an hour before we left I checked my computer one last time to see if the internet was back up at my house. I was ecstatic when I saw my mom's name lit up on skype! During our conversation everyone told me to hold on; they wanted to show me something. I jokingly asked if it was another animal to add to our small petting zoo of six dogs and one cat. They said not quite but close. My father came back holding a cardboard me. Well the torso was cardboard. My legs were two extremely skinny pieces of wood. It was dressed in my clothes with a picture of my face for the head. They spend Christmas Eve and morning with the almost-me. Thank you Lauren for being the craftiest sister I know! After I saw everyone, in their matching Christmas pajamas I might add, and Deborah saw her parents, we stuffed ourselves into the car. I empathized with my clothes in my suitcase. We were packed in their, but it wasn't a long drive. We made it to the airport, and once again I was a bit anxious to see how much my bag weighed. 21.5 kilos-the max is 20. The woman at the counter let it slide though because it was Christmas. My host mom gave her a chocolate Santa in return. The flight went by quickly. We flew over a section of Italy right before getting to Nice, and I saw snow-covered mountains, illuminated for skiing and snowboarding. I saw Nice all lit up too.

Flying back into Nice brought back memories of my first flight into this airport August 24th. It honestly feels like yesterday that I first arrived. My time here has gone by unnaturally fast. I'm coming up on my five month anniversary in France. Already five months. I feel so much at home here, and while I will definitely be excited to be reunited with my family and friends, I'm not looking forward to the next time I'll be at the Nice airport.

The rest of the vacation was spent lounging around my house and hanging out with Paul (Cara left for Brittany France the 23rd and came back the 3rd, so I didn't get to see her for the whole vacation-our reunion at monthly Rotary meeting the Monday after she got back was quite joyous!) Paul and I did go to a town, about an hour away by bus, called Hyères. We began to walk around and saw a sign for a circus. Excitedly, we decided to find the place and go see the circus after lunch. One pizza later and we were ready to go (I don't know why we always eat at pizzerias when we go to a different town). The circus was not good. We were lured in by the bright colors and pictures of cool animals, like a hippopotamus. I don't know how it's legal to have all those poor animals kept in those tiny cages like that. I really wanted to free them but figured my French wasn't quite strong enough yet to explain to le Gendarme why I let six lions, six tigers, and a hippopotamus loose in Hyères. I think I'll stick to Cirque du Soleil from now on out if I have an urge to see a circus.

For New Year's Eve I went with my host parents to their friends' (Sophie and Philip) house. The five of us has appetizers and champagne and a wonderful dinner. We brought in the New Year throwing steamers in our party hats at one another. Definitely a fun way to start of 2010.

The first Sunday of January is l'Épiphanie- when the three Magi Kings came to visit baby Jesus. In celebration of this, the French have les galettes. A galette is a somewhat flat, round, flakey cake with, traditionally, frangipane filling-which is made from almonds. I love these cakes (thankfully, my host mom does too. We cheated a little bit and ate some galette back in December). We had Sophie and Philip and my host parents' other close friends Winfried and Anna Laure (they're German) over to eat galette with us. In each galette, there is a little figurine, and whosoever finds this figurine is le roi ou la reine and has the privilege of wearing a crown (the King Cake that's eaten around Mardi Gras derived from this tradition). My host dad used to be a baker and made a galette for everyone. Philip is currently a baker, so he also brought a galette and a round brioche with candied fruit and raisons, called la couronne-crown. We ate our galettes and brioche with our coffee under mine and Philip's rule after we found the figurines in our cake. I don't think I've ever seen a galette in the U.S., but maybe they can be found. I think I'm going to have to master the art of making one so I can have it back home.

School started back the 4th. I was not happy to wake up early again, but I was glad to see all my friends. It is now Saturday. This week went by incredibly fast. I'm about to start packing up all my things because we change host families tomorrow. I am going to Paul's house, Cara is coming to mine, and Paul is going to Cara's. While we all really like the others' host parents, no one wants to change. I honestly feel at home in my house with my host parents. I'm so comfortable around them and everything. I'm also not looking forward to getting all my things together. Ooo la la, it's going to be difficult. However, I do see the positives of living with another family and experiencing a different way of life at another household. I love my next host parents too; it will just be hard, but I guess most change is hard at first. Sorry these updates took so long. I'll be more diligent next time. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year)

2009-12-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas was definitely well spent this year. My trip to Alsace was absolutely wonderful in every sense.

We left Monday, the 21st, around nine for the Nice airport. I packed in one of the big suitcases I brought my life in when coming over to France. It was all I had, and I figured I'd want some extra room to bring back souvenirs and presents for people back home. As we're checking our bags I'm sweating bullets worried that mine will be over the 20 kilo limit... I guess you could say I overpacked a bit (oops). I weighed in at 18... whew. However, my bag exceeded the 90 cm long length limit. The man at the counter jokingly said the French just weren't accustomed to the large sizes of everything from the U.S. So my bag had to go to a special "oversized" area. Typical.

The flight was only a little over an hour long. We flew into Strasbourg. My host parents generously gave me the window seat which had a breathtaking view of some towns on the outskirts of Strasbourg covered in snow and nestled in valleys between rolling mountains. At the airport we were greeted by my host mom's parents and every bag except for mine. After talking to the baggage claim woman we learned that my bag was still in Nice. They never put it on the plane. It would be coming on the last flight from Nice that night. My host grandparents live about an hour or so away from Strasbourg, and the suitcase delivery service wouldn't be running until the next morning. Oh well, just one night spent in my host grandparents' pajamas. At least my bag wasn't lost, and I now have a little Air France travel case with toiletries and an XL t-shirt for a souvenir.

We loaded up in the car and started to make our way towards the small town of Soultzbach-les-Bains. On the way to Soultzbach we passed through the city of Colmar. Colmar is the hometown of Frédéric Bartholdi who designed the Statue of Liberty. They erected a slightly smaller Statue of Liberty, in his honor, in 2004. Lady Liberty greets the people as they enter this beautiful town. Yes, I had to go all the way to Colmar, France to see the Statue of Liberty (which, ironically, I did not see when I went to New York-now that's a shame). My host mom's sister, Sophie, lives in Colmar so, naturally, we stopped to have apple tart and coffee at her apartment. I was bombarded with snowballs as I got out of the car when we arrived at Sophie's. My host parents were magically transformed back into children when their feet hit snow, as was I (although I still think of myself as a child most days). I'm always down for a good snowball fight, and I understand what it's like to be deprived of this white, cold goodness that falls from the sky. It made me extremely excited to live in Vermont next year! Sophie is so nice. I was looking forward to meeting her and then getting to spend more time with her throughout the week. After our afternoon coffee we continued our drive to my host grandparents' house. By the time we arrived in Soultzbach it was already dark. We took a little drive down into the small town, and I got to see the lights and decorations with the snow. It is such a cute little town. We got to my host grandparents' house, and they showed me around. It finally felt like Christmas as the snow fell that evening.

I awoke the next morning in my host grandmother's sleep shirt and my host granddad's pajamas pants to be told that my bag would arrive around 12. After a leisurely breakfast my host mom and I played a game to continue the lazy morning. My suitcase came just before lunch, perfect timing.

Soultzbach is right next to Munster-home of Munster cheese, which smells really bad but tastes really good. My host mom and I decided to take a walk around Munster and spend the rest of the afternoon there. It was a bit gray and rainy but not awful. The town was still very picturesque. I love the style of buildings in Alsace. They all look like Hansel and Gretel's cottage in the woods, which makes sense because Alsace has heavy German influences. A large building in the center of Munster had windows that were all decorated to be an Advent calendar. A small Christmas market, which offered some warmth with multiple little fires, displayed hand made crafts and sweets. Munster had several stores for being such a small town. Many of the stores were Christmas shops. My host mom and I spent a good bit of time in the majority of the stores there, only shopping for ourselves for a small portion of our afternoon; how selfless we are! My host mom and I always say we're friends because we both like desserts, chocolate, taking walks, and shopping. I already began to see the specialties of this region of France. It's definitely an area that caters to the Christmas season.

France is a small country but with much to offer. Throughout my time here, many people have asked me the specialities of my region in the U.S. And while there are some things more specific to the South, it is nothing like France. Each area here has specialities that exist, for the most part, only in that region. The architecture in Alsace is completely different from that in Provence. There are differences in food, tourism, and accents. It was very interesting to see.

Wednesday my host dad, host mom, and I took the little train from Soultzbach to Colmar to go to the much larger Christmas markets there. After breakfast we went down to the small station and hopped aboard. We got off the train and walked into the city. Colmar was absolutely beautiful. I think I took a picture of every building in there. Christmas markets were everywhere. Buildings were wrapped in garland and Christmas trees filled the streets. All that was missing was a little bit of snow (a lot of it had melted because the week of Christmas was actually a bit warmer than the preceding days). The Christmas markets were stands set up with vendors selling everything from giant pretzels (a speciality of the region) to cactus flavored chocolate (it tasted mostly like white chocolate with a hint of cactus-it was green!). I saw la creche de Noël (the nativity) with figurines and live goats and also fully in chocolate. Throughout the day I got to taste samples of several different types of Christmas sweets. My host dad bought me a pretzel-the best one I've ever eaten. I tried de vin chaud, hot wine, which is a hot red wine with a spiced taste somewhat similar to apple cider. I also had a sandwich that was on the same bread that makes up a pretzel. My host mom bought us each une tete de nègre (yea, interesting name) which has a white creamy interior (similar to whipped cream) and is covered in a hard shell of chocolate. MMMMM... so delicious. In the evening before getting back on the train my host mom got une gaufre (waffle), and I got un manala (the little man made from brioche-same thing my host dad made his birthday weekend). Ok, so the food part aside, I have to mention La Petite Venise in Colmar. Little Venice is an area in the town which gets its name because of the little river that runs through it. All of the buildings are bright colors, such as yellow, purple, turquoise, and green. There truly is an air of being in Venice (although I can't really attest to that as I've never been to Venice-after I go in April on the EuroTrip I'll change this statement if I find it contradicting my actual venetian experience). A faux santa was even on a gondola in the river. It was wonderful! I loved Colmar, and I want to go back during the Christmas season at some point in my life.

After getting back to the house, we relieved ourselves of all the shopping bags to settle down for the evening. I believe this was the night that my host grandmother called me over to the kitchen. "Leslie, viens ici. Regardes. On vas manger ça ce soir, mais pas toi." I figured this was a meat item since she said I wouldn't be eating it. As I looked at the crescent shaped, red meat on the cutting board I realized that it was a tongue. Yes, they ate cow tongue that night. My host family jokingly said that it was an Alsatian rabbit tongue. I didn't get a chance to steal a picture before they cut it, but I'm not too upset about that. Needless to say, I had fish that night.

Le Repas de Noël (The Christmas Meal)

2009-12-17T12:43:00.000-08:00

J'ai hâte pour Noël. No, I don't hate Christmas-I know, it looks deceiving; literally, I have impatience for Christmas. Better said, I'm looking forward to it. Lunch, today, put an extra gust of wind under my holiday spirit sails. It was the Christmas meal. In honor of this momentous Thursday eating, I wore the ornament earrings and Christmas socks Parker sent me in my package. I also wore my red coat and a green headband. The extremely warm and fuzzy socks were pulled up over tights with shorts to show them off nicely. Yes, I looked a bit bizarre, especially in the French world of black, gray, and brown clothing, but I felt it was my duty to show of my good mood for the holiday I love most. Classes were stopped from 12:30 to 2:30 in order for everyone to have a bit more time to savor the tastes of the season. The meal consisted of l'entrée (appetizer-again, deceiving) of smoked salmon, foie gras, and toast. Le plat principal was fish, for me, green beans, and potatoes dauphinoise. Dessert was a raspberry cake, somewhat like a congealed salad. Everyone also got an orange, bread and a choice of cheese (of course), a little bag of chocolates and candies, and a choice of an orangina or coke. All this at the high school cafeteria. If there's one thing the French know, it's food. They know how to cook it , serve it, feast on it; everything concerning food is taken care of here. This being said, I was very happy to take part in the festivities with my friends over good food.

My good humor has also been enlightened by the stash of Disney movies I found in Deborah's room. I've already watched Alice in Wonderland, most of Aladdin, and Pocahontas. Not only is the dialogue dubbed into French but also the songs. It's interesting to hear how everything is translated.

On a very sad, negative note, I can not go to Paris with the youth center in Cavalaire. It's not possible because the big trips are only available for youth under 17 years old. Yes, I was very upset, but I'm still expecting my holidays to be extraordinary. I'm continually looking forward to Alsace, especially since it's only four days away!

Le Sapin de Noël (the Christmas Tree)

2009-12-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, as my title hints, the Christmas tree is now up and decorated at my house, grâce à moi. My host mom told me I could decorate the tree so after we got it standing and put the lights on she let me have my way with it. Last week when the two of us were in a home store, something similar to Pier 1, we found an American flag ornament that she bought so that I could have a French and American Christmas tree. ☺After I put the last ornament on I told her that I had a little gift for the tree. I then proceeded to give her an ornament Mom had sent me from Tupelo from Midnight Pottery. It is the state of Mississippi and very cute. It's hanging towards the top of the tree. Another Christmas decoration that I'm very fond of is la couronne de l'Avent. Apparently these are very widely known in Germany and since my host mom is from Alsace, which is heavily influenced by German culture, she knows of the decoration from Alsace. It's a round wreath for the table that holds four candles which decrease in size. We light a candle each Sunday before Christmas, beginning with the tallest. It burns down to the size of the second candle. On the second Sunday we light the first and the second, and they burn down to the size of the third, etc. I was so excited the first Sunday to light the candle (which we actually lit Monday because we weren't at the house much Sunday. Oops!) I'm definitely in my full on Christmas mood, though, with all the lights in town, decorations in my house, etc. It also helped that my wonderful, amazing, beautiful, hilarious, perfect, bff Parker sent me a indescribably magnificent Christmas package! It included all the essentials: fuzzy Christmas socks, a Santa hat, blue ornament earrings, candy canes and chocolate, the perfect holiday card for me, a letter that provoked laughter and tears, American flag sunglasses, and a magnetic Barack Obama that I get to dress in all sorts of outfits. That's right, I get to dress our president every morning after stripping him down to his knickers at night. My host parents and I had some good laughs over that.

Friday night I shared with Paul a wonderful fusion of chocolate-ly goodness called Brownie S'mores. Brownie s'mores were created by the wonderful Kathryn Carroll and Kelley Frances Fenelon. However, I made this deliciousy goodness with my aforementioned friend of perfection, Parker, and my equally glorious friend, Janie. Brownie s'mores are quite easy to make. Just put the brownies in and when they are finished with half their time, take out the pan, place crumbled graham crackers-or in the French case butter cookies because graham crackers are not available-on top, then bars of chocolate, then graham crackers again, and finally, top it off with halved marshmallows. After, you put it back in the oven for the rest of the cooking time and voila! Brownie s'mores. MMMMM! I'm so happy I've brought this creation to France; although, now I must share it with a French person.

Saturday, I went to Toulon... yes, again. This time we met up with Anna, a New-Zealand exchange student that's not with Rotary. She lives in Toulon so she took a bus out to the shopping center. While we were there, we ran into Tracy, another exchange student with Rotary that doesn't live far from Cavalaire. It was good to spend time with Anna and Tracy. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant!! Oh I was so excited!! I had missed Mexican so much... of course, it was Las Margaritas, but I settled for what I could get. As night fell and our exchange student group dwindled back down to three, we went to wait at the bus stop. Paul and I had the not-so-great experience of missing the last bus to Cavalaire on the last Toulon visit so we went extra early to the bus stop. After waiting and seeing six or seven buses pull in and stop, we finally saw our bus, number 8814. We stood on the curb and signaled for it to stop but for some unknown reason it did not even attempt to pull into the stop. It didn't even veer a little to the right. Paul tried to chase it down to the next stop, but it didn't pull in there either. Oh it was awful! Of course our bus just drove right on by. Why would it stop? Ugh, so once again we went and sat in the warm McDo where I called my host mom who came and picked us up. Apparently the shopping gods don't want us to get back home after our day trips to Toulon.

The following day my host parents had seven friends over to the house to eat lunch. One of these friends was a Moroccan man who made couscous for the big meal. It was a wonderful blend of sweet and spicy with the sauces and all. Oh, I loved every bite. This wonderful meal was preceded by appetizers and followed by cheese and dessert. Five hours later, I was stuffed. Yes, we stayed at the table from 12:30-5:30. Typical. But I'm not complaining. The food was superb and everyone was friendly. My host parents' friends had some bold personalities that made everything very amusing. Our much laughter and wine, everyone returned home, but the leftover couscous stayed (yes!)

After school Friday I'm out for Christmas! Woo hoo! Holiday time gives everything a euphoric air; one that awaits me year after year. We're having a Christmas meal at school Thursday. I'm planning on being the obnoxiously excited Christmas kid by wearing most of the items Parker sent me. Oh well, I have no shame. I'm an American.

L'Anniversaire de Christophe (Christophe's Birthday)

2009-12-08T09:18:00.000-08:00

I've definitely started getting into the Christmas spirit after December rolled around. At first it was hard because Thanksgiving wasn't present this year, but now I've been listening to Christmas music, wrapping presents, and making cards. I haven't had the chance to make a Thanksgiving meal for my host parents. I don't know if we'll have time to get around to it. I converted all the recipes and made a list of ingredients in French but without a break from school for Thanksgiving I didn't really have the time. Thanksgiving week passed slowly. It was the most homesick I've been since arriving. My family in the States didn't do anything too special, but it made me miss my house, cooking with everyone, our fireplace with a fire in it (although our fireplace here is lit all the time which warms my soul). Plus I missed decorating the tree which is always something joyous to look forward to. I love all the Christmas decorations that consume much of my house the day after Thanksgiving. To say the least, I was feeling a bit blue.

However, this past weekend was the perfect antidote for my not-so-perfect mood. Saturday, the 5th, was Christophe's (my host dad) 50th birthday. In celebration of this, his mother and his sister with her daughter and the daughter's boyfriend, came down from outside of Paris, his brother came to Cavalaire from Alsace, and his other sister came from Rome with her Italian husband and their two daughters. It was so wonderful to meet them all! Everyone was extremely warmhearted and kind. His sisters told me to come stay with them anytime; definitely opportunities I will try and take advantage of in some point in my future. The weekend was spent eating a bounty of food and talking a plentiful amount as well. I spoke a good bit with Amelie (Christophe's niece) and her boyfriend Nicolas, and I also spent a good bit of time with Elisa (one of the nieces from Italy). We ate every night at a house just up the road that has a bit more room. My host parents' friend owns it and rents it out in the summer. Every night we ate at a long, lovely decorated table. It was so picturesque in the cute little French house with everyone talking and laughing, toasting, and passing around the delicious food. Saturday night for dessert we had a lavender cake with raspberries that Christophe made. It was delectable. Christophe also made Manala for Sunday morning breakfast. Manala is an Alsatian bread shaped like a little man. They look similar to gingerbread men except they're puffy and bready. It went great with my morning cup of coffee. Christophe also made a Tarte Tropezienne. It was mouthwatering as well. It was a weekend full of jubilation which made me completely lose all traces of homesickness. I truly feel like a member of this family. I'm very comfortable with my host parents, and I'm starting to realize how extremely hard it's going to be to change host families and in a few short months come back to the U.S. But, I make myself focus on living in the now and concentrate on soaking up every moment as it happens, so I'll cross those bridges when I get to them.

This weekend really boosted my confidence in language skills. I've realized that I understand basically everything now, give or take some words. Speaking remains as the more difficult task, but I've definitely progressed a substantial amount and will continue to do so. My classes at school are much easier to follow as well. And after hearing my host parents' nieces fire off rapid Italian to one another, I think I'm going to try and sit in on one of the Italian classes at school when I have a free period. It's an advanced class not for beginners, but since it's during my free period I figure why not. I can at least be exposed to it.

The town is now decorated in Christmas lights which were illuminated this past weekend. A sleigh with reindeer is down in town along with other lights on the light poles and the likes. I'll take some pictures next time I'm down in town at night. Seeing all the family and then the Christmas lights and receiving my Christmas package with all my presents from my parents has cast an air of delight over me. I've been in the blissful mood that comes this time of year. My host mom's parents have been at their little house in Cavalaire for the past two weeks but are going back to Alsace tomorrow morning. Tonight after dinner they took some of my Christmas presents for me so I wouldn't have to take them on the plane on the way over. They'll be waiting for me. The time is passing my very quickly. Just the second half of this week, next week, and then I'm leaving for Alsace for Christmas. I've signed up for a trip with the youth center in Cavalaire to go to Paris the 27th to the 31st of December. I'm extremely excited and will blog about that more as it gets closer to time and then of course after. For now bonne nuit. I have sport tomorrow morning, which equates to running in the cold. Alors, it's necessary that I get some sleep.

Tentation (Temptation a.k.a. New Moon in France)

2009-11-24T03:57:00.000-08:00

Yes to all of you who care New Moon was wonderful! The two hours went by so fast... the book of course is better, but the movie was great! I had to watch it dubbed in French so the voices weren't the same but oh well! I went to see it in St. Maxime, which is an hour bus ride away. The theater was complet (sold out), and we had to sit on the front row. I'm just so happy I got to see it though!!!

Saturday my host mom and I went to the shopping center in Toulon. This was my first time to go to this one; usually we go to Le Grand Var which is a bit before Toulon. We left mid-morning and had a good shopping trip. I bought two shirts. Then we headed back home. Saturday afternoon we watched the French movie LOL (Laughing Out Loud). I loved it!! I'm really hoping I can find it to buy in the states because dvd's here don't work in the U.S. LOL is about a teenage girl who lives in Paris and her life at high school and with her family. The mom in the movie is played by Sophie Marceau who played in the movie La Boum when she was about 14; LOL is a take off of La Boum. I have yet to watch La Boum, but I hope to get around to it sometime before May.

Sunday I returned to St. Maxime, but this time I was with my host mom. Why did we go to St. Maxime? Because that's where one could find Le Salon du Chocolat that was held this past weekend. My host mom heard about it on the radio and decided we should go. I, of course, did not object to this idea. We got to St. Maxime, searched for a parking spot, finally found a parking spot, then went to the port to enter the exposition. The delicious smell of chocolate wafted through the space as we entered. We shuffled through the aisles amongst all the people, looking at all the scrumptious treats all the venders had to offer and taking a sample of whatever was offered. I tried dark chocolates, white chocolates, milk chocolates, and even chocolate wine. Yes, white and black chocolate wine was there... quite interesting. I did not leave empty handed, but the chocolate I bought is going in my Christmas package to my family. My host mom bought some chocolate, though, to eat with our afternoon coffee.

Which brings me to my next topic. I do believe it was destined for my host mom and me to live under the same roof. We've bonded so much over her yummy desserts, my attempts of making decent cookies with French ingredients, and chocolate. She had a few days off from work at the end of last week, and she made some different little desserts. She had also made some little cakes that we have yet to finish. Tuesday of this week there was une grève (strike) for the teachers that chose to participate in the schools (J'adore la France). Only one of my teachers was present that day so I stayed home. My Tuesday morning instead was spent baking triple chocolate chip cookies. Also, last week my host mom had bought a box of these little cakes from Spain or Portugal that she had tried at work. So we sat down after lunch to our coffee with a multitude of dessert options and just laughed. After, we almost forgot to have our piece of chocolate until a commercial reminded us. But we ate a casserole of zucchini and cheese for lunch that day so as long as we keep it balanced we're all good.

Oh I forgot to mention last post that in France everyday has a saint. Today, for example, was Sainte Catherine. Saint days aren't a huge deal, but one would usually wish another a happy saint day as need be. There are also fete days which are the same thing. I don't have a saint day, but my fete is the 17th of November (on Sainte Elisabeth, probably because Leslie somehow derived from Elisabeth). I went downstairs that morning to find an adorable coffee mug with candy and a card that said Bonne Fete Leslie. I ♥ my host parents! They're so sweet and considerate; always doing little things like that, that mean so much. I must say I'm very happy in France.

Les Films (Movies)

2009-11-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

What do the end of the world, Michael Jackson, and Charles Dickens all have in common? These were all the subjects of movies I watched this past weekend and week. The movie 2012, pronounced deux mille douze en francais, came out in France and also in Cavalaire. I think I've mentioned before that the theater in my town is just one theater. Usually movies don't play here until after they've been released for a few weeks so everyone here was ecstatic about 2012. My friend Imogen who is an exchange student from New Zealand is leaving next week to go back home. The school year from New Zealand runs from January or February to November, and she's been on her exchange for the New Zealand school year. I'm not very happy that Imy is leaving because I just met her in September :( But at least we got to spend this time together. She lives between Gassin and St. Tropez and wanted to spend her last Saturday in Cavalaire with everyone. For lunch, Imy, Cara, Paul, Clare, Clare's dad and little sister, and I ate pizzas at Clare's. It was an English-speakers lunch with accents from around the globe represented: British, New Zealand, American, and American with a Southern accent :) Megan (Clare's little sister) helped Imogen make a cake-sponge cake with raspberry jam in the middle and sprinkles- to take to everyone meeting at the movie. We got to La Maison de la Mer and took some pictures with everyone. After we climbed the stairs up to the top and ate the cake from Clare's and a cake that another friend had brought. Both were delicious! And after we spent two hours seeing how the world would end. Typical fin du monde film. Not my favorite, but it was time well-spent with friends.

Par contre, the Michael Jackson movie "This is It" was INCREDIBLE! Paul and I went Sunday to see it, and it was definitely worth the 7 euros. I am a huge M.J. fan which I didn't realize as much before. That man could sing and oh could he dance. Yes he might have been accused of getting to know to many little boys too well, but he definitely earned the title of King of Pop. I've been singing his songs and moonwalking to my classes for the whole week.

Tuesday evening was the Rotary movie night. For the past few years Rotary Clubs all around France have a screening of a movie for Rotarians and their families. They do this to raise money for helping brain diseases like Alzheimer's and cerebral palsy. The movie this year was Le Drole de Noel de Scrooge better known to us English-speakers as A Christmas Carol. This version was computer animated with Jim Carrey and Colin Firth and dubbed in French. I really enjoyed it and was actually quite disturbed in some of the scary scenes. Not gonna lie, I got a bit scared when Marley's jaw fell open and when the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come came. I really liked this version even though in French Scrooge couldn't technically say "Bah! Humbug." After we had aperitifs with the Rotarians. Always fun.

In other news, I got my stitches out. I think I'll have a bit of a scar, but I think I would be disappointed if I went through that whole ordeal and didn't have a scar to show for it. Plus, it's the back of my ear and unless I say, "Hey wanna see my scar?!" and pull my ear forward one will not be able to tell a difference.

NEW MOON CAME OUT IN FRANCE!!!!!!! It came out Wednesday the 18th which is bizarre because it was released here before the U.S. I don't know why. It's not coming to Cavalaire this weekend so hopefully if the bus and rides work out I will be seeing it in St. Maxime tomorrow. I am so excited! I am a little upset that I won't be able to hear the actors' real voices :( but oh well... it's New Moon! I'll definitely be updating my blog after seeing it!

Les Aventures de Vacances (The Adventures of Vacation)

2009-11-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

My last blog post left off the first Sunday of vacation. The whole next week, Mon-Fri, I didn't have school and also the Mon-Wed of the next week. Les vacances de Toussaint was very nice. I enjoyed my time to sleep late, read, relax, and so on. However, this time was not all spent lounging around.

Monday the event of the day was a walk with my host mom. We drove a little ways out, still in Cavalaire, to a spot where many people go to walk or bike on lovely little afternoons. We drove through an old train tunnel and parked the car. We ended up walking to Rayol, the next town over, but it didn't seem that far. On the way we picked some small red fruits off of a tree. I don't know the name of the delicious, little things we ate, but I see the trees frequently throughout town. We ended up going down to a beach in Rayol that has small rocks instead of sand. These rocks make the water of the Mediterranean the epitome of blue. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was the end of October, and I was able to wade out into the water comfortably. It was sunny and warm. As I looked around at the breathtaking scenery I thought, "This can not be real. I actually live here!"

The next day, I went with Paul, Cara, and Eva to Toulon. The four of us walked around a good bit, did some shopping (I bought a purse that I'm in love with), had lunch, and came home. I spent the night at Cara's. It was my first night away from my French home since I've been here. We had a good night talking and watching movies. Spending the night at Cara's was also good because I got to spend a little more time with her host parents. I think it's going to be quite hard to change host families, but at least the three of us know our other host parents. We won't really have too much of the awkward beginning of living in a stranger's house. Changing families is a good thing too, though. I'll get to experience three different families who have different ways of life.

Mercredi matin was the market in Cavalaire. Cara and I met up with Imogen, and the three of us wandered through the venders. Sometimes one can find wonderful, inexpensive things at the market in Cavalaire. Other times it's just fun to see what all is there. We all three bought the same thing Wednesday morning: apples. They were juicy, crisp apples too. That night was spent hanging out at Paul's. As well as Friday night.

Thursday and Friday I took a first aid/safety class at the gym of Cavalaire. I was there basically all day Thursday, with some time off for lunch, and Friday morning. We went through all the topics of safety: CPR (RCP en francais), burns, cuts, people passing-out and such. Ironically enough I'd use some of this information later on in the vacation. The safety class was a success. Turns out there's not just one emergency number to call in France, like 911 in the states. Oh no, there are four numbers. 18 is for the fire department. 15 for the emergency physicians. 17 for the police. Finally, 112 for all emergencies throughout Europe. So American travelers coming to Europe, when in doubt dial 112.

Now for a more exciting part of the vacation. Saturday, Halloween, I went to Toulon with Paul, yes again. We met up with one of his friends from his Rotary District in New York. She is on an exchange about 30 minutes away from Paris but was down in this area for vacation. The two New Yorkers and I saw the film Le Petit Nicolas. This movie is based on the popular children's book by the same title. I loved the film and picked up on most of it. It was very funny, and hopefully, it will come out on dvd so I can bring a copy home. After the movie, we ate lunch and spent time walking around. That night Paul and I were going to a Halloween party one of our friends was having. Excitedly, we talked about our costumes and what we expected of the night. His friend left with her host mom that evening, and the two of us went to wait at the bus stop for our bus back to Cavalaire. A bus going in the same direction as Cavalaire, about 15 minutes before our bus was scheduled to arrive, pulled up to the stop. Paul told me to pull out the schedule and check the bus number, just to be sure. I called out 7801 and only as the bus pulled away did I see that I had read the wrong line. Our bus, the last bus to Cavalaire for the night, had just pulled away. Oh writing this now brings back how absolutely awful I felt at that moment. We were completely safe and knew our way around so I wasn't worried for our well-beings. I felt awful because I knew one of our host parents was going to have to make the hour and a half drive to come get us. My host parents had neighbors over who were leaving town the next day, and Paul's host parents were working that evening. We both called our parents to tell them what had happened, and we they told us that another bus was scheduled to come. We waited, hopeful that another bus would show up. It didn't. Finally, we went to sit in the crowded McDonald's because it was getting chilly outside. Paul's host dad came and got us. I felt so terrible. I hate feeling like an inconvenience. His host parents and mine assured me that it wasn't a problem. I got back home right around midnight and was so exhausted. We missed the party. Never again will I forget that the last bus to Cavalaire is 8814. Never.

The following day was a dreary one. No sun, a bit of rain, cold. I stayed home and played board games with my host mom for a large part of the afternoon. It was wonderful. It's so good to have a day every now and then when it's cold and dreary to sit around in sweatpants and play games or watch movies. This happiness is multiplied when there is a fire in the fireplace, and there was.

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all scheduled for sailing in the afternoon. It turned out to be too windy Monday and Tuesday afternoons... what an oxymoron! So sailing was left just for Wednesday afternoon. At two I went down to the sailing school. Five others were there for sailing. We put on our lifejackets and went over to the beach to the catamarans that we would be sailing. Three boys were together on one and Paul, an 11 year old girl and I were going to be on the other. This was my first experience with sailing. For those of you that don't know what a catamaran is (don't worry, I didn't) it's two pontoons with a trampoline-like material platform in between. When I first saw the thing I leaned over to Paul and asked him where the boat was. It had no substance, just a little mesh thing. First, the three other boys went out and the rest of us rode in the inflatable motor boat (the sailing instructor and the woman who oversees rock climbing at the gym were in the motor boat too). The sailing instructor, Loic, told the boys on the cat what to do while Paul, an experienced sailor of 9 years, explained all the jargon and mechanics of this sport to me. Finally, it was our turn. The wind was slow at first, and we just had the main sail open. Paul did most of the controlling in the beginning. I looked at the scenery and water a lot. After being out a while and getting a feel for things we got to open up the jib, which is the other sail on the boat. The other girl and I controlled the jib. With this and a stronger wind we went substantially faster. At one point, I got to control the tiller, and thus, the direction of the cat. I was not too great with that position. Paul kept shouting, "Leslie, you have to look forward when controlling the boat. Look in front of you!" It was great. As we started heading back for the beach to go in, the wind picked up. Therefore, we started flying through the water. The catamaran was moving mostly on one of the pontoons, and then out of no where the boat flipped completely forward. I landed on the sail in the Med. It was cold, and I had a throbbing pain behind my left ear. Suddenly, the girl on our boat, now in the water, called out sang a.k.a. blood. I moved my hand away and saw that she was right. There was blood; lots of it. I felt a large cut on the back of my ear. At this point only a few things were going through my mind. First, apply pressure to slow the bleeding (thanks first aid class!). Second, all I could think of was that scene in the movie Pineapple Express where the top of Seth Rogan's ear gets shot off. I didn't want to be missing half of my ear like that. Finally, Loic came out to get us, and I climbed in the little motor boat while the other two flipped the catamaran back. We made it back to land where I called my host mom to bring me some dry clothes. After a quick shower and changing, we headed off to the doctor's office. This brought about the second first experience I've ever had: stitches. Yep, seven stitches in the back of my left ear. I got to wear a lovely little bandage and washing my hair without getting my ear wet was fun, but now all is better. It doesn't hurt anymore, and it makes my first sailing experience sound much more exciting!

Then it was back to school. This past weekend went by without too much excitement. The application for Camp DeSoto is up so I'll start filling all that out. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I don't have school. Tomorrow is a ferie for l'Armistice which means that no one works tomorrow and no one has school. J'adore la France. Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We watched the news coverage for that. I really liked the giant dominoes that people all around the world had made that they lined up and pushed down. I also saw on the news that the healthcare reform passed in the House and is now moving on to the Senate. The times they are a changin. On verra.

I'm sorry it took me so long to update. I'll be more diligent so my posts won't be these gigantic blocks of jumbled time frames. Hope all is well with everyone. I'm going to watch Australia with my host parents. Bonne nuit!

L'Ile de Porquerolles (Porquerolles Island)

2009-10-26T02:53:00.000-07:00

Friday at 3:30 p.m. my fall vacation, of a week and a half, began! This break was much anticipated, although school is not that overbearing. A sense of freedom always comes with vacation time, though. I'll start with Saturday's activities then move to Sunday's trip which gives this post its title.

Saturday Paul and Cara came over for lunch. My host mom has had vacation time and was home Saturday morning so she said I should see if Paul and Cara wanted to come eat over here. It was funny to show Cara and Paul their future home (since we'll all be switching with the same families). We had a delicious lasagna for lunch and for dessert my host mom made a tart of mirabelles. Mirabelles are a small fruit, like a mini plum, that are found in regions of France, particularly Alsace. I had forgotten that Saturday was a special day. This Saturday was the 24th of October, marking my two months in France. My host mom had not only made a tart but also a lot of little chocolate cakes. She put a candle in two of the cakes and put some halloween cookies I made (Deborah sent her mom Halloween cookie cutters and sprinkles since these are not easily found in France) around the cakes. It was a wonderful little display perfect for representing the festivities of this month. After eating this large lunch the three of us watched a movie and hung out at my house.

The time changed Saturday night, actually Sunday morning at 3 a.m. It went back an hour, so at seven the next morning (when I woke up) I thought it was six. The reason I woke up at this ghastly hour is because there was a Rotary District rendez-vous at Porquerolles Island. The island is about an hour drive away from Cavalaire. I rode with Cara and her host family which is composed of her host parents and brother. We ended up leaving a little after 8 and missed the 9 o'clock boat that all the other exchange students and rotarians went on. But, no worries! The second boat left at 10 so we got to spend a little time looking at a fort near the port. We arrived on the picturesque island and walked a long, long while to find our group. I've found that I really enjoy just walking. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. A lot of the walk was on a path lined with tall trees. We saw some olive tree fields and some fruit tree fields. After meeting up with everyone, we walked along some of the coast of the island. I've never seen such clear water. It was the perfect shade of blue-green. We ate our picnic lunches and afterwards walked some more. I saw several of the beaches of Porquerolles, le Moulin du Bonheur (the Windmill of Happiness), and le Fort Sainte-Agathe. A day well-spent.

A few things are planned for les vacances so we'll see how this week plays out. Bonne journee tout le monde.

Rendez-vous a Marseille

2009-10-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

I skipped school today! But it was a necessity. Today was my visit at the doctor's office in Marseille for my visa. I slept in a little late, and after my breakfast and morning routine, my host mom and I left. We stopped a little before Toulon at the centre commercial that I visited the other week. This was about the halfway point of our journey. We decided to take advantage of our morning by doing some shopping. I was in desperate need of a heavy coat. I didn't bring too many winter clothing items because they're bulky in a suitcase, and I figured I'd do some shopping once I got here. I'm now happy to say that I have a coat for winter and another lighter jacket, a shirt, a hat, and a scarf. Alors the morning was a success. We grabbed sandwiches at a kiosk in the mall (mine was tomato, mozzarella, and pesto on olive bread... so good!) and then were back on our way.

By a gracious stroke of luck we found the road that the Office of Immigration and Integration is located on. Marseille is a very big city. I didn't get to see too much of it today though. Oh, did I mention it was raining today? That will come into play later...

So we found the office and went up to the counter, checked in.. blah blah blah. I waited and waited. A lot of Americans were there. A group of young adults, I think with a university, were there together. I talked to a guy from Morocco that was coming to a university in France. I had to get a chest x-ray (which I got to keep as a souvenir :D). Then, I had a visit with the doctor and talked to him for a minute. Following was a talk with a nurse who weighed me, took my height, and gave me a little eye exam. A routine check-up. I'm healthy! Thank goodness, or else they would have not let me stayed. We returned to the receptionist to wrap everything up. Unbeknownst to me was the fact that I was supposed to bring a passport photo for my form. My host mom overlooked this too so we had to go to the nearest metro stop to one of the photo booths. This was easier said than done because it was absolutely POURING down rain. It was ridiculously funny how much it was raining. Thankfully the metro stop was just at the end of the street, not too far away. We stepped out into the sheet of rain, and in seconds we were both completely soaked. The wind was hammering the bullets of water into our faces. I gave up on avoiding puddles after my shoes became filled with water. We both just started laughing as it came down harder and harder on us. After asking a few people if we were heading in the right direction, we made it to the shelter of the underground. I took a lovely picture looking like a wet dog, but it was just for my medical paper so I wasn't too concerned. I think I have five more copies of it though. We traversed back to the office, trailing water behind us and finished everything. Back into the rain we went to get to the car. The water was just up to the bottom of the car door when we returned. I quickly hopped in, and my host mom blasted the heat to dry us off and keep us warm. I don't mind being in the rain... what I hate is the feeling of my jeans being soggy and stuck too me. I took my shoes off when I got in the car and poured a little water out of them. The jeans, however, I was stuck in. The traffic was a little heavier on the way back home. We left right around five o'clock and got home at about seven thirty. The sky was gray from the beginning of the trip home and then turned black a little before seven. The rain came and went. Right before coming into Cavalaire from Toulon there is a long stretch of road that winds around the coastline. It is an absolutely beautiful drive with perfect ocean views from the tall cliffs above. It's a bit scary on a bus... it's a little less than terrifying in a car when the visibility is almost zero because of the thunderstorm. I was a bit on edge in the wet darkness, but I made it back in one piece.

Tonight on the news one of the stories was about the terrible rain in the south of France today, particularly Marseille.

Cinema des Antipodes

2009-10-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

School this week has been wonderful because one full day (Tuesday) was spent on a field trip in St. Tropez, and this morning (Friday) I went again to St. Tropez. Why, you might ask. Because the Antipodes film festival has been happening this week and into the weekend. My class (Premier L-for litterature) got to go all day Tuesday with our English teachers to the Australian/New Zealand film festival happening. Tuesday we watched 17 short films which were all very interesting. Only one or two of the films were not to my liking. Tuesday mornings are one of the market days in St. Tropez too so I got to see a little of that. After the morning half of the films we went to an exposition of photographs from an Australian explorer back in the day. The photos were from an exploration in the South Pole. An Australian visual artist was there showing her own photographs from an expedition on a Russian icebreaker. She's studying global warming and the melting icebergs. I was enthralled... I know think I'm gonna have to go Antarctica or the Arctic Circle. Following was lunch with a group of friends in my class on some of the large rocks by the sea.. quite beautiful! After it was back to viewing which I was happy to do.

Thursday was the first day of real cold here. It was rainy and in the 50s... I definitely felt the change in temperature, but I'm excited for the new season. I need to buy a good coat though. Haha, back to Toulon!

Today, we went again to St. Tropez. We watched a longer film (an hour and half) accompanied in the theater by Anthony LaPaglia-the actor who plays Special Agent Jack Malone in the tv show "Without a Trace." I got his autograph after. The movie was very touching. It was about a strange man who shows up in this town on the coast of Australia. He ends up spending time with these two twin children and their family. The twin girl ends up dying and her brother must cope with the loss, and then there were other little plots and connections. After that film we changed buildings to watch a documentary of an adventurer, John Muir, and his lone traverse across Australia. He went only with his Jack Russel terrier, Seraphine. I absolutely loved the documentary. It made me realize even more that I want to do something with the environment.. he lived solely off the land, taking minimal supplies. Very inspirational! I went back to school to eat lunch, but I didn't have any classes this afternoon (normally I just have English, and my English teacher stayed in St. Tropez with the second group of students).

My day only continued to get better. When my host mom picked me up from the bus stop she told me that a package had come from my sister. Lauren told me that she mailed me a package last week so I've been expecting it. I'm so fortunate to have Lauren as my big sister and role model... this is what all my wonderful sister sent me: a Michael Jackson t-shirt (haha I started cracking up when I unfolded it-I can't wait to wear it), a Furman Tri-Delta t-shirt (it's extremely cute), two Twilight saga magazines giving on the scoop on New Moon (plus they had posters that are now hanging up in my room-I now sleep under Robert Pattinson's beautiful face), an Orbit BigPak in my favorite flavor (spearmint), two really cool picture-like things she made for me with quotes on them, a singing Halloween card with Halloween stickers :D, a pack of cute pens, the movie Dazed and Confused (thanks!), and the book The Time Traveler's Wife (she just finished reading it) with a really cool bookmark that she made me. So basically it was the best thing ever. I love you Lauren!! I'm working on a package for you, but I only have one thing so far.. I'll get on that :D So that's all for this week... if anything interesting happens this weekend I'll be sure to post.

L'automne (Autumn)

2009-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

The weather was absolutely wonderful this Sunday. I've entitled this post Autumn because the temperature seems to be dropping some as we move further into October. I've never had a favorite season because as one ends I'm ready for the next one to begin. I love it when the seasons change, and although I'm sure we're still going to have a few more scorching days here, I'm beginning to feel giddy as the wind blows more, and I can put on more layers of clothes.

This morning my host mom and I went to the Sunday market in Croix Valmer which is another town over. The markets here are filled with venders selling everything from clothes to cheese. Typical France. On one side there are men calling all the women mademoiselle so they'll buy a piece of jewelry and on the other there are five different types of provencal olives. It's great. I definitely had a relaxing day today. After the market we returned, and I did some homework. Then lunch and then a stayed for about two hours by the pool. The water was pretty chilly but lying in the sun with the perfect weather was amazing.

Yesterday I went again to Toulon. Well actually I went right before Toulon to le centre commercial. This was the destination Cara, Paul, and I attempted to find last time but didn't. This time we had a native friend with us. We ate at a pizzeria near the movie theater that boasted a large billboard for New Moon. (I can't wait!) After lunch we went to the shopping center and spent some time browsing in stores. Cara and I got really excited when we found the Sephora. Poor Paul had to patiently wait while we ooed and awed over all the pretty makeup. After the first shopping center we had to walk with our friend to catch her bus. Before the bus stop we visited the McDonald's (they call them Macdo in France). We went for McFlurry's. My topping was CaramBar which is little caramel crumbles. It was pretty good. MacDo is definitely nicer looking in France but overall quite similar. After that excursion we went to the other shopping center in the same area and went to a few stores. I bought some shirts (and a little makeup at Sephora) and Paul and Cara got a few items. We took the bus and arrived back home. My host grandparents left to go back to Alsace today so last night they ate at our house. We had a crepe night. I love crepe nights. My host mom has this little crepe grill that she puts in the center of the table. Everyone has their own little spatula and all the toppings are out on the table. Before living here I had just had crepes for desert, but they eat them for meals. I really like Munster cheese in my crepe. Salad is good too. And then we have nutella and jelly and other stuffings for sweeter crepes. It's definitely a fun dinner.

Life is good for me. The weather has me happy. The vegetation here stays the same for the most part in the winter. Deciduous trees are not common in this area. I'll miss the changing of the colors, but I am happy that I get to have these beautiful plants flourishing even in the cold parts of the year. I will enjoy all the green.

Beaucoup de choses (a lot of things)

2009-10-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

I decided to wait for the end of the weekend to do more of a mass post. This week was just school as usual. I really enjoy school now. I love my friends so much! Wednesday was my first rock climbing lesson. Paul, Cara, Clare, and I got schooled by some 13 year olds that are like spiderman. It's so much fun, though. It's the four of us and five others. I'm really excited for next Wednesday.

This weekend was actually pretty busy. Friday, Eva (a friend from school that lives in the next town over) came to Cavalaire. Paul, Cara, Cara's host brother and his friends, Eva, and I went to La Salle des Fetes for the 80th anniversary of Cavalaire soiree. A d.j. was there, who was actually pretty good, but we did not stay long. I was embarrassed to even go in. This "soiree" was the exact replica of a middle school dance. The refreshments were lined up on the tables at one side of the room. 14 year old girls were standing on one side while the adults and some guys were standing on the other. All in all, not good. I kind of expected it to be a bit lame though so I wasn't too disappointed. We all decided to walk around the port and hang out around the beach for most of the night. That seems to be a favorite activity of ours... walking around. I guess that's typical though. I was so exhausted Friday night, but I added to the exhaustion by getting up early Saturday morning. Why did I get up early Saturday morning, you might ask...

Saturday we went to St. Tropez with some Rotarians to meet with all the exchange students in our French Rotary District. A sailboat race was taking place on the beautiful Mediterranean, which means that St. Tropez was packed with people. After finally finding a parking spot, we met up with the other exchange students. Our group consists of a Japanese girl, an Indian girl, four other American girls (not including Cara and me) and another American boy (not including Paul). A nice sized group. Everyone is very nice and easy to get along with. We lucked out. St. Tropez was fun. Everyone brought a lunch, and we found a nice spot on the beach to have a little picnic. After some good conversations and laughter, we all walked around St. Tropez for a while window shopping and eating good ice cream before going our separate ways. I really like how involved Rotary keeps us. It's nice to have all the activities and connections with people. Saturday also made me realize even more how thankful I am to have Paul and Cara. Everyone is alone in their town except for two of the girls. I love being in the same town and school with these two, though. The three of us are already so close. I don't know how we got so lucky because we get along incredibly. This experience has bonded the three of us together :D

Saturday night I went with my host parents and my host mom's parents (they have a vacation house here) down to La Maison de la Mer to watch les artifices (fireworks) for the 80th anniversary. Something about fireworks just makes me giddy. I love the big banging sounds and the bright colors exploding in the sky. Just magical! I tried to get some good pictures but none of them turned out to be worth anything. After the fireworks, I (again) walked around the port and town with my host parents and grandparents. Yesterday my host mom explained to me that there is a German town that celebrates the customs of Cavalaire and vice versa at a certain time. Apparently, that's this weekend. Many Germans are here to share some of their culture with our town. German musicians were playing in the streets last night... very cool. And last night, there was an Elvis impersonator, ironically, at a restaurant on the port. I'm pretty sure he was British because he didn't seem to speak too much French. Very funny!

Today the weather was absolutely perfect. A nice wind has been blowing (which is good at night because I hear the ocean even more clearly). My host grandparents took us out to lunch at a Provencal restaurant with a great view of the ocean. We ate for three hours; well we talked too. I know all my blogs are about food, but I have to document this gastronomical experience. First, everyone got a little coffee cup with a fish bisque. After, I had this puff pastry with goat cheese (I forgot the French name, but I'll ask because I'll need to be eating this when I return to the U.S.) and salad. My main course was a delicious fish in a sauce with some sort of potato-ish vegetable. The fish was brought out in its own little pot. Everyone got a slice of cheese after that, that looked like a piece of cake. Finally, I had my dessert. It was called la peche melba and was a giant cup filled with vanilla-bean ice cream, a large chunk of peach, raspberry sauce, and whipped cream. Fantastic! One coffee and three hours later, we were finished. I love France! We took a nice walk along the beach afterwards. Again I must say, perfect weather today. The wind made me want to go sailing. After seeing all the sailboats in St. Tropez and out on the sea today, I really must have a hand at it... hopefully soon.

I think the Autumn weather is starting to make its way to the south of France. It gets really cool at night now. I always like the changing seasons. I don't have a favorite. I always enjoy when one ends and another begins. I think the weather has had me in a good mood. I absolutely adore sleeping with my window open with the cool breeze. I do have to say, I was looking through some photos today, and I miss my family a good bit. I'm definitely settled in here and feel very much at home, but I will be excited when they come visit (even though it's a long way away). I love y'all and all my friends too! Alright, bonne nuit. I have to get some sleep for school tomorrow.

Toulon

2009-09-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

French is actually getting easier to speak and comprehend! I am so excited! I'm very tired tonight but also in an incredible mood.. mostly due to the fact that I changed classes at school today, and now I am with some of my friends in Premier L. It's great because I speak more French now that I have my friends to talk to. My schedule changed so now I take a lot more French, history, English, Spanish, and then just a little math and science. I know it will help me learn French faster because I have my friends to talk to and a lot more reading and writing. I'm definitely thinking this is a step up.

Saturday was my eventful day of the weekend (as usual). Paul, Cara, and I went to Toulon which is a two euro, two hour bus ride. Isn't that great? Two euros for the bus... very cheap. The plan was to go with some French friends too-since they actually know they're way around Toulon a bit-to go shopping, but instead it was just the three Americans lost in Toulon. Don't worry Mom, we weren't really lost. We got off the bus at the Gare Routiere, the main bus stop in Toulon with the train station right next to it. The city was very beautiful, or at least the part I saw. The buildings are all very picturesque-old, tall, pastel colors with iron rails on the windows. We sat down at a cafe for lunch and after eating and talking took a stroll through some of the streets of Toulon. We made our way down to the port and saw, yet again, some beautiful, gigantic boats. These French Riviera towns just reek of them. After walking through a few port stores and such, we went back up the streets and found great window shopping entertainment. Several boutiques lined the narrow paths that lead to a center open space with a mini-garden. We found another cafe where we ordered coffee and crepes. In taking after the French, we sat at this cafe for a good hour or two talking about life and watching the people go by. I wore my beret-like hat. Ooo I felt so French. Back to the bus we went. Halfway through the return Cara and I had some fun singing Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls (what else?), always a fun option to pass time on a bus. All in all the day was very enjoyable with a lot of laughter among the three of us and some beautiful scenery (pictures to come for this post once Paul and Cara put them up on facebook, and I can take them off there).

Sunday was another relaxing day. Well the morning wasn't relaxing because Paul, Cara, Cara's host brother, and I went for a run on the Promenade sur la mer. After the misery of that was over, the rest of the day remained calm. We walked back on the beach, where I stayed for another three hours or so lying in the sun. For lunch I had an ice cream and a walk down the port. A good way to spend a Sunday afternoon... I highly recommend it to those who have the opportunity. Yesterday afternoon my host mom's parents arrived at their vacation house here. They came over for supper last night and are both extremely nice. They came bearing many gifts from their Alsacian home: cakes, wine, bread, fruits, the list goes on... I will enjoy getting to know them better, very much.

Alors, all in all it's been a good several days. Today I really felt like I could see the progress in my French which got me really excited! It's getting to where I will just start speaking French without having to translate the English to French first. Don't get me wrong, I'm not anywhere near fluent yet, but I'm getting better. I think that's everything for now though: Toulon, beach, class change... of course, there is more to come.

Un Mois (One Month)

2009-09-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

Today I've been in France for one month! I feel like I've been here for a long time but a MONTH! A whole month has passed by, and it passes quickly. I'm much happier in school now because it's not all so confusing and new. I actually know what to expect, which is nice. Tomorrow I have a biology test... yikes! But I'm not too worried.

Yesterday, for my lovely Wednesday afternoon, I met up with Cara and Clare. We walked around our town for a while and took a few pictures.... then we met up with Paul at the gymnasium/sports complex. This town has so much to offer. The gymnasium is so nice, and Paul, Cara, Clare, and I signed up for rock climbing Wednesday afternoons. Next Wednesday will be our first. There are four or five climbing walls in the gym so it's a pretty nice size place. I think this weekend we're planning on going to Toulon to do some shopping (the bus is only 2 euros!), and the following weekend we're going on an outing with Rotary (I think a winery!). The next weekend, if this all goes as planned, I think we're going sailing with the sailing club here. Paul and Cara are both obsessed with sailing, and apparently I'm missing out so I figure we need to have a go.

Tonight after dinner, my host mom surprised me with a Tarte Tropezienne avec les framboises (raspberries). She put a candle on it and everything to celebrate my one month in France day! We both had some (my host dad doesn't really like desserts, isn't that odd?!). C'etait tres, tres bon! My host parents are so great!

Here's something interesting that I realized today... at school Paul and I both had an hour free period after lunch, and a girl in his class came and sat with us for the latter half of the break. The French think that most American high school girls are what they call "pom-pom girls." While Paul's friend asked me if I was a "pom-pom girl" I realized that Cara and I had gotten this question a lot. I think the French teenagers watch the stereotypical American high-school set films and think that the social classes of jock/cheerleader, punk, nerd, etc. are clearly outlined like that in all American high schools. Quite funny!

Another observation I made today on my way back from sport was that there are two places at my high school here where I am engulfed in a cloud of smoke. The first is outside the gate during the 15 minutes breaks at school. I had to walk through a thick fog of cigarette smoke on my way to sport today. There really are smoke breaks for the teenagers; a far-fetched concept for those of us who won't even see teachers smoke on school campus. I steer clear of that area during breaks, but it's inevitable if I'm going to gym. The second is in the girl's locker room after gym. I think spray deodorant is given out free in these French towns because EVERY girl in the locker room starts spraying it on right when her foot hit the tile floor. I embarrassingly pull out my solid deodorant while trying not to choke on the cloud of antiperspirant.

Well those are my random little tidbits of today. Tomorrow is Friday! Yay!

Le Jet Cup

2009-09-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

I'm catching up from yesterday's news today. Today was just school... nothing special. But yesterday I was social :D

First of all, the weather yesterday was beautiful. After a week of treacherous downpour, the French Riviera sun returned to us! The temperature was perfect; cool in the shade and warm in the sunlight. I went into town at the beginning of the evening. I met some friends on the Promenade sur la Mer, and we found a place to watch the end of the Jet Cup. I can't remember if I've talked about the Jet Cup in my past few blogs, but it is the world Jet Ski tournament. It is help in my town because some wealthy man began having it hosted here several years ago. There are always activities and interesting things happening here even though it's a small town. So we watched the end of the Jet Cup and then walked around the port for a little bit before catching our movie. As we started down the port, we saw the simple thing that would entertain us for a chunk of time before the movie. Someone had put soap in the fountain on the port making a wonderful fluffiness of fun! I wanted to jump in the fountain and play in the bubbles so badly, but I resorted to scooping them up with my hands. After a few bubble wars and an ice cream we went to the theater to see "Final Destination 4." The tiny theater can only play one movie at a time, so the selection is limited. "Final Destination 4" was exactly like "Final Destination 1." I think the dialogue was even similar which was good for me because I could pick up on more of the French. It was actually quite amusing to watch a poorly made, gory thriller in French. That's all that happened yesterday. I feel like it was really eventful but hanging out with friends doesn't sound as exciting on a blog.

I really like my friends, a lot. They're all so nice! I wish they were in my class at school, and then everything would be flawless. School is good though, and I see my friends several times throughout the day. In my English class we're talking about Woodstock. Haha, I thought it was a random topic but, nevertheless, interesting. It's nice to comprehend what's happening in at least one class. I did get really frustrated today with not knowing what was being said. I just can't let it get to me though. I know the language will come; it's already getting better. I find myself forgetting English words and thinking only French ones instead. I'm being impatient though.

Well that's really all. Not too much happening right now. I think I'm making plans for Wednesday so hopefully something exciting will come along, and I can give you readers something worth your time. Tuesdays are my long days at school (8:30-5:30) so now it's bedtime. Night to all!

Le Gateau (Cake)

2009-09-19T11:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't forsaken my blog; I just haven't had too much interesting information to write about. It has rained pretty much this whole week. And apparently this region hasn't seen this much rain in 50 years. Many of the coastal towns are flooded, and several streets have been closed. I think it will start clearing up tomorrow though. I have enjoyed the rain.

This week nothing spectacular happened. Just school. My free afternoon Wednesday was spent primarily hanging out with Cara and Paul. I feel like I have known them for my whole life, but it's only been a little over three weeks. The three of us just clicked from the very first time we met. I'm so glad to have them. This is truly a bonding experience for us.

Thursday night my host dad commenced with baking a cake for someone's birthday. He showed me all the steps for the actual cake part, and I watched him like a hawk, repeating the motions continuously in my head. Friday morning he made the cream for the cake and a syrup for a blend of fruit to go in. Friday night he cut the cake into two parts. Then he familiarly chopped kiwi, banana, peach, grapes, strawberries, and raspberries. The motions were so quick and graceful. He blended the fruits into the syrup and then took a pastry brush and painted the fruit blend onto the inside of each piece of cake. Next was the delicious cream. He globbed heaps of it onto cake and swiftly spread it out. I watched as he chopped more fruit, and the juices stained his hands. He blanketed the cream with the multicolored fruits and then laid the other half of the cake on top. Off went the cake to sit in the refrigerator for a night. He said the cake is better after waiting because the fruits have time to soak into the cream. This morning I woke up rather early, and mid-way through my breakfast my host dad came home for just a little bit to finish the cake. I watched as he made whipped cream and toasted almond slivers. Then he cut off the end of the cake and made two little cakes (one for me; one for my host mom). He spread the whipped cream on the top and sides of the cakes and then pressed the almonds around the edges. Following, he took the same fruits from the filling and made decorative slivers of each kind for the top. He cut slices of kiwi and peach so thin I thought they weren't there. He splayed out the strawberries and pressed them into the corners. What delicate craftsmanship! Did I mention my host dad used to be a pastry chef?? He finished the two little cakes and the big one. After wrapping up the big cake he took it with him and returned to work for the day. At lunch my host mom and I ate our pieces. Mmmm! C'etait parfait! Absolutely wonderful...

It rained some more this afternoon. This weekend is the world jet ski tournament in my town, but the rain has prevented me from watching the majority of it. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get to see some of the water sport action. I went into town this afternoon to meet up with some friends to celebrate one of their birthdays. After hanging out for a little bit in town, we went to a friend's (Clare) apartment. A few of us stayed and ended up playing Wii with each other and Clare's little sister. It was so much fun! Clare is British. So hearing her dad and little sister screaming words of encouragement in British and also translating the Wii instructions for the French friend playing was quite entertaining.

Now I just finished dinner. Oh one thing I need to mention.... the rain creates a lot of mist here that is incredibly beautiful when it's rising over the hills. It is breathtaking when the thin layers are seeping up into the tree line. I'll try and take a picture tomorrow that does it some justice if I can. Tomorrow night I think I'm meeting up with the same group of friends to go see "Final Destination 4" in the movie theater. Haha, that should be interesting in French!

La Belle Ville de Cannes (The Beautiful City of Cannes)

2009-09-14T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last night I didn't get back to home until 11:30, hence the posting today. I really like Cannes. I didn't get to see too much, but what I saw, I liked. Yesterday Paul, Cara, and I went with our Rotary Club's president and two of his sons to a boat exposition. It was about a two hour drive of scenic beauty. This region of the country is so gorgeous. One minute we were passing by the Mediterranean, the next, rolling hills with vineyards. Plus this region has a special type of tree called le pin parasol that I find particularly beautiful. They dot the skyline constantly. Alors, we arrived in Cannes to the boat show. I've never seen so many GIGANTIC yachts in one place! Everywhere we looked there were the shiniest, newest boats. We walked to the section that was home to the biggest yachts. Mon Dieu! They were tremendous. I've seen houses smaller than these things. They are quite beautiful pieces of machinery, but I think perhaps a little excessive. I guess to each, his own, though. After meandering through the port, we went into the building that housed the booths from all the companies selling their products. We saw everything from bathroom appliances/faucets to boating-excuse me-yachting clothes. If you're going to have a yacht, you need to have the appropriate clothing, bien sur.

Apres the boat exposition we had a drink at a sidewalk cafe where we sat and talked for a good bit of time. Following was dinner at a pizzeria in Cannes that was INCREDIBLE! It was a tiny hole-in-the-wall restaurant which welcomes customers with a wood-fire oven right when they cross the threshold. We climbed a narrow staircase to our table and began looking over the menus. I had the vegeterienne pizza. Incroyable! For dessert, I had a coffee ice cream in a large glass with coffee and whipped cream. C'etait tres, tres bon! Halfway through the meal, a pair of Italian men sat down at the table next to us. I tried to listen as inconspicuously as I could, soaking up the beauty of the words. I'm definitely learning Italian.

School today. I was not looking forward to today, but it actually wasn't bad. School just continually gets better. Some people in my class actually seem to be warming up to me. A few were interested in talking to me and were nice. I am so anxious to be able to convey my thoughts. My classmates probably all think I'm just boring and quiet, but I honestly have a lot to say I just don't know how to say it. I will learn.

I've been in France three weeks today. I can't believe it. Three weeks! Next Monday will be a month... an ENTIRE month!! It's already going by so fast.

Alright well now it's time to finish up my homework, and afterwards hopefully find the TrueBlood Season 2 finale on the web (thank you internet streaming!). Oh fun fact-they don't know about s'mores in France. Perhaps that will be my next baking experience. I wonder if I can find graham crackers in the grocery store... peut-etre.

Le Beurre de Cacahuete (Peanut Butter)

2009-09-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Peanut butter is not a staple food item in France. Nutella, yes; peanut butter, no. However, yesterday my host mom and I went to Cogoglin after school so I could pick up two books I needed for my French class. After, we ran a few errands, one of which being a trip to the supermarket. I got to choose between two brands once we found the peanut butter, and they had crunchy and smooth. Oh how I have craved it. I didn't even realize I wanted peanut butter until we started talking about it here. After dinner last night I had an apple with peanut butter. One of my favorite snacks! Today, I cleaned out the jar by making peanut butter cookies. Making cookies was a perfect evening activity, combining two of the loves of my life: baking and peanut butter! My host parents do not particularly like le beurre de cacahuete but they applauded me on my cookies saying they were "pas mal" (not bad). They couldn't taste too much of the pb which was good for them.

Tonight I went and saw a French movie. Haha, but not some dark, romantic, bizarre film (that's the image I always get when I hear French movie). It was actually some pre-teen movie about a boy who moves from one town and school to another. I guess it was fitting for me to go see it because I had to get my host mom to drop me off at the theater. That took me back to the Middle School years :D I really like the theater here. It is downstairs in La Maison de la Mer, which has bathrooms and the Office of Tourism in it. The theater only plays one movie at a time because it's just one room. I love small theaters, though.

Tomorrow I get to go to a nautical exhibit in Cannes with some Rotarians. I'm pretty excited and will definitely blog about it. School has gotten better. I know my way, more or less, around the buildings, and I'm happier with everything in general. Oh, I meant to blog about something that happened the other day (this is really random, nothing to do with school). We have some neighbors that have a vacation home here. They come for the summers and also for various weeks throughout the year. They are from Germany and have been friends with my host parents for over decade now, I think. Before heading back to Germany, they came by to say goodbye to my host parents. My host mom grew up in Alsace which has a strong dialect with a lot of German mixed in. She took German throughout school and can still speak it now. So when our neighbors came by they spoke in French and German and also English with my host mom and me; let me clarify, they spoke in French and English with me, I know no German! It took all that I had not to gawk as our company switched between three languages. Without thinking they'd response in one language and begin a conversation in the next. Quite amazing. Hearing this conglomeration of words stirred my language passion even more. I am now determined to fully know at least one more language after French, preferably two or three more. I think Spanish then Italian will be my next victims. Who knows? But I'm going to be at least trilingual.

I guess that's all for now. Cannes' blog will most likely have some pictures and hopefully some exciting events. Bonne nuit!

Mercredi (Wednesday)

2009-09-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

I do believe that Wednesdays will become my favorite days in France (along with Saturdays and Sundays too). Wednesdays are half days at school. It's such a reward to have only a half day of school every week. It's like dessert after supper weekly, not just for special occasions. Wednesdays will also be a good time for blogging since Tuesday is my long day at school with Monday only an hour shorter. I feel like I can get much accomplished on these beloved afternoons.

Also, I think for the sake of all my faithful readers, Wednesday is a good day to write about the beginning of my week. My four hours at school has put me in a much more cheerful mood which is bound to result in an optimistic spin on the hardships I've faced these couple of days. School was good today. I found myself dreading the two hours of math that awaited me this lovely morning, but those two hours were surprisingly comforting. Math is a bit easier to understand than some of my other subjects here because it's primarily numbers. I was happy to find that what we covered today was something that I've already learned and remembered. In fact, I'm quite sure that everything I'll do this year in math is something that I've already covered; now, it's just a matter of remembering. Hopefully, I'll be able to think back to my days of Mrs. Llew screaming "Oh my stars!" and remember what math lesson had gotten her so excited for the hour. After math I had French and ended with physics/chemistry (we're starting with chemistry though). Overall, a good morning.

School is difficult though. I'd love to sugar-coat things, but since the hard times are just as important in this process I have to be honest. Monday and Tuesday were very trying. I found myself craving the familiar. I wanted my home, my family, my friends, my English! Scattered throughout those days I felt that pang of homesickness that tends to arise more frequently when I'm in a not-so-fun situation. Of course I'm so grateful to be here and would not forsake this opportunity for anything, but I can't help but feeling alone. The schoolwork is frustrating because it is all in French, of course, and I feel like I've had all of it but have just forgotten so much. I need to dust off the cobwebs that formed in my head this summer. I think once I got the mentality of "hey, I'm finished with high school" I let some information slip. This year will definitely be good preparation for college, though. School is also socially very frustrating. Before school began, Paul, Cara, and I, talked about how we thought it was going to be so easy to meet people and make friends because at our schools people are always interested in the exchange student. We always love to get to know the foreign kids and all the aspects of their cultures. Apparently this is not the French mentality. Instead, I've found myself with people who are not mean but are not friendly. I feel like everyone in my school has their own group of friends and isn't going to bother with taking time out to try and understand the girl that doesn't speak French. And no I'm not just socially awkward; Paul and Cara are feeling the exact same thing. However, we stay with the same class all day, every day for the entire year. I think this will help. Monday and Tuesday I felt very alone and frustrated, but today, I've felt a surge of happiness. The students in my class are all younger than me, and I think that's one of several reasons why it's a bit difficult. I know that it will be easier to make friends within my class when I know French too, and one girl gave me her phone number. There is a group that's been kinder to me than the others. But my surge of happiness today came from my realization that I have many friends, not necessarily in my class, but in my school. It's a big help to have Paul and Cara. The three of us get along so well. We all just click. Also, I have several French friends that have introduced me to more of their friends. In the hallways and during our breaks I get several bisous (the cheek kissing thing) that reminds me these people are here for me even if my class is still warming up to me. I think as I get more acquainted with the school, things will become easier too. I'm already learning my way around the buildings, and one boy in my class today showed me where to go without me having to ask him. This made me very happy. He actually took the initiative to show me where to go. It was very kind.

I think my host mom has some sixth sense that tells her when school was rough because Monday she was practically shoving tarte tropizienne at me and last night we had crepes for dinner. Oh how this food can soothe my soul. I think the long, hard days I had at school are bringing me closer to feeling at home here, though. I'm always happy to get back to what I know in Cavalaire and in my house after school. I very much look forward to spending my afternoon/nightly time conversing with my host parents. I already feel like I can comprehend more which helps my speaking too. I'm anxious to know what to say when I feel like saying something, and to understand people when they first speak. I know I still have more time for that to come, but hopefully it will start picking up even more within the next few weeks.

I am happy to be here, and even though right now I'm in a bit of a rough patch I know things will start looking up. In fact they already are. I've have such a good day today, and I don't feel like I'm alone. The routine of school is actually nice to have, and the schoolwork will only help me progress in learning French. In fact, I already find myself saying French words automatically in my thoughts. For example, today I was thinking about something with the word because, and all I could think was parce que. It actually took me time to remember the English word. Very exciting! And when I talk to family/friends at home I find myself wanting to interject with d'accord, ouai, c'est vrai. Yay, it's catching on! Ok well now I have to prendre une douche (haha don't worry that means take a shower) and look over some Spanish homework (that should be interesting). I'm sorry if this post was a little unorganized with my ramblings; it's late here. A plus tard.

Le Relachement (Relaxation)

2009-09-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

I feel like my time in France is just a perpetual vacation. The weekends in this warm, seaside town just seem like mini holidays dispersed between the work days. Again today, there were Polynesian festivities in my town. I don't know why or how they came here but here they were. I woke up fairly early this morning to join two of my friends down at La Maison de la Mer. The three of us were going to faire le pirogue, which is just canoeing in Polynesian boats. We put on our lifejackets, grabbed our paddles, and went off into the perfect green-blue water of the Mediterranean. Every other person paddled on the same side, and we switched when the man in the back made some chanting-like noise. As the power of paddles glided us through the water, I would gaze down into the sea below. The water was perfectly clear down to the floor of sand. I would have loved to capture the magnificence of that water with a picture, but I didn't bring my camera into the canoe. Too much water for my little piece of technology. After a lengthy row out into the sea, we returned to the sandy shore. A boy I met when we did l'accrobrance was waiting his turn to fly a seaplane, you know one of those planes with the pontoons on it that takes off and lands in the water. Those things are so cool! Too bad with Rotary I'm not allowed to operate anything with a motor. I would love to take lessons on how to navigate one of those.

After our Polynesian rendez-vous, we went to a bar/restaurant on the port and had a lovely cocktail. Don't worry it was non-alcoholic; it was still before noon! I ordered a fruity drink that came out with a souvenir flower for my hair. It was delicious!

The rest of the day I spent back at my house. My host mom bought something special this morning for us to have after lunch today. Le tarte tropizienne, a speciality of St. Tropez and this region. It is a fine little dessert, well actually big dessert, that looks like a giant hamburger; except instead of sesame seeds on the bun there are large chunks of sugar, and instead of meat there is a delicious cream in the center. It is the perfect texture, smooth and sweet, almost like ice cream. Oooo so delicious. I'll take a picture next time we pull it out of the fridge. I think all the hardships of this whole year will be worth it for that taste of the tarte tropizienne.

Following lunch was swimming in the pool (I had to burn some calories somehow) and reading for most of the afternoon. Tonight was supper and now time for bed. School awaits me tomorrow. I think it will be a better day. We'll see. Bonne nuit!

L'ecole et St. Tropez (school and st. tropez)

2009-09-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I did not post after school because all I simply wanted to do was lie down for a long time. Looking back on the day, it does not seem bad, but while I was living it, I'm not going to lie, it was pretty brutal. I know that the first day is probably the hardest. I keep telling myself that things can only go up. The whole day was a blob of overwhelming emotions. First of all, it's hard to comprehend most of what is happening. Also, the whole layout of the school is new. I didn't know where anything was. The people in my class were not overly friendly. When exchange students are in my classes at school I generally make it a point to talk to them, ask them questions about where they're from, see if they're ok. Here, it must be different. I had biology in the morning for two hours. I think that I'll be ok in that class since I've already had biology. After it was English, which will be oh so relaxing to my brain. They do learn British English in my school, but I don't think that will be much of a problem. At the end of English some girls took pity on me and asked if I wanted to sit with them at lunch. Thank goodness. I found Paul in the courtyard before lunch, and he ended up sitting with me too. Not too many of the French girls tried to talk to me at lunch, and the day had already exhausted me so much that I was too tired to try and jump in the conversation. Monday I'll try. Following lunch was two hours of French. I think French will be a bit difficult to understand. I sat next to a girl who let me copy her notes after she took them, and I think she's going to make me a copy of the notes I missed when I couldn't understand. I hope that's what she said! Oooo what an overwhelming day. That's all I can say. It almost seems like ages ago even though it was only yesterday. I think things will progress, though.

The amusement of today overshadows the grief of yesterday. I woke up this morning, and after a bite to eat, descended into the town to watch the little Polynesian parade with some friends. The women shook their grass skirts vigorously with their hips while a band of drummers followed. A canoe race followed. Today was a day for strolling lazily through out the town with friends, grabbing an ice cream or a coca light. Very fun in its simplicity.

This evening my host parents took me to St. Tropez. Such a beautiful city. It reminded me much of Rome. Tiny streets, old buildings brightened with playful shutters, the ocean playing a soft rhythm against the large boulders by the beach. St. Tropez is quite a ritzy place as well. It's a town that reeks of money. Gigantic yachts sat expectantly on the port being washed by their crews clad in matching uniforms. Shoes were left strewn on the earth to not dirty the large sea vessels. Oh I felt like such a tourist as I snapped photo after photo, but I couldn't help myself. We went by the Gendarmerie and finished the trip with window shopping in the never ending store fronts. All can be found in St. Tropez: Dior, Louis Vuitton, Stuart Weitzman, Dolce and Gabbana, and many more names housed in the numerous boutiques. Such a lovely town overtaken by the snooty air of the extremely wealthy. I'm definitely glad I got to spend some time there, and I'd like to go back. However, I'm quite positive that it would not be the place for me to live.

I've picked up a new hobby recently. I've discovered that I quite enjoy finding out which country a car has come from. This is easily done in Europe because the license plates are all marked with the letter, or letters, that represent their country. St. Tropez housed quite a collection of countries. There were many plates from Italy, France (duh), Germany (which has a "D" on the license plate for Deutschland), and even a few from Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Monico. The best is when I find the UK cars. Not only is it a rare thing to find their license plates but also the steering wheel is on the right side instead of the left. Oh and on the drive home I saw the "L" for Luxembourg.

J'attends toujours (I am still waiting)

2009-09-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

I thought today was the big day; the start of school. But, no! Tomorrow. I took the bus this morning-it is the town bus, but it goes to the school-and met a girl with whom I waited until I found Cara, the other exchange student. Cara and I, along with our new French friend from my bus, met up with the two Rotarians that were waiting for us at school. Oh the faithful Rotarians, how wonderful it is to have them! So, through the gates we went and up the stairs we climbed, until we arrived at the bulletin boards that had everyone's name and class posted. I was told that I would be in seconde, which is mostly 15 and 16 year olds, but they moved me in to premier (thank goodness). I will say, one of my main concerns was being with students much younger than me.

Happily I moved up to premier. However, those students returned to school yesterday not today. After choosing to be in premier scientifique, I got my schedule which consists of the following: Monday, some class that is a project of some sort (I don't really know what that is), physics, lunch, math, English, and Spanish (haha, more on that in a minute); Tuesday, history/geography, math, lunch, Spanish and some other class (je ne sais pas) that switch between weeks, physics, and biology; Wednesday, French, math, history/geo. and physics which switch between weeks-Wednesdays are half days at school so I only go for three hours; Thursday, math, P.E., lunch, Spanish, math, French, and history/geo.; Friday, biology, English, lunch, and French. Ok. Sorry if that was confusing. The scheduling here is way different from the states. I guess it's more similar to college with so many hours of classes a week, but seeing as I've never been to college I guess I don't really know.

Anyhow, school seems interesting. I'm really not nervous at this point at all. I feel like I should have all the pre-school butterflies, especially since I won't understand the majority of what is said tomorrow, but I'm honestly not that worried. Spanish should be interesting. All the Spanish I possess was learned in third grade or from the few moments I catch of Dora when Lucie is watching Nickelodeon. Learning a language I don't know through a language I don't know. Very humorous, I know. I'll have to let y'all know how that one goes, but it's not until Monday. I think I'm going to like the way the scheduling works out though.

Tomorrow's post will surely be more interesting as I explain all the overwhelming emotions of tomorrow. I've heard the first day is pretty brutal from several of my fellow exchange students, but things can only go up! I feel like I have settled into my home and town, though, so school is coming at a good time.

Today was yet another relaxing day without school. This afternoon my host mom and I went to the grocery. Following, we went and got an ice cream on the port and walked around looking at all the boats and restaurants. After, we took a drive to some tall points of Cavalaire to see the views. I didn't have my camera, but I think we'll return so I can snap a few photos. Ahh, ok so the craziness of school will make for an interesting read demain (tomorrow). Ciao for now.

J'attends (I am waiting)

2009-09-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

As my lovely older sister so kindly pointed out to me, all my posts so far are mainly about food. Haha, typical. That is France, though. This will be a short post because my life has been boring since the other night. Not so much boring to me but rather, boring to those of you who bother to read about my life. Yesterday and today I did my typical reading, walking, going to the beach routine. However, this morning I did have a new experience...

I woke up pretty early today, and after some breakfast got ready to walk into town. After wandering the streets for a good 20 minutes, I finally found was I was looking for: the Wednesday market. Every Wednesday there is a market full of all sorts of goodies to buy. I walked down the hot, extremely crowded street seeing bright clothes hanging from tents and laid out on the tables. I smelled Provencal herbs sitting in their little canisters, waiting to accompany some delicate French cuisine. Swimsuits, shoes, touristy items-such as I heart St. Tropez shirts-the works. A fun place to go. I did not buy anything today but went as a bystander to witness the crowded open air Wednesday market. Perhaps next time.

Tomorrow is le rentree for me; the return to school, or in my case the beginning of a completely new school where I won't understand most students who are three years younger than me. I'm really excited though! School will push me to learn the language faster, I do believe. I will definitely post about my first day. For now, that's all.

Le Club de Rotary (The Rotary Club)

2009-09-01T00:08:00.000-07:00

Hier soir (last night), I had my first Rotary meeting. At home, our meetings are in the afternoons, but here they are night time gatherings. We went to a restaurant that had the soft sand, bright moon, and calming ocean as its main decoration. The deck where we ate was quickly filled with Rotarians ranging from young to a bit more aged, all rapidly speaking the language I am so eagerly trying to pick up on. I brought my lovely exchange student blazer but only had to wear it when I introduced myself to the club. After receiving my monthly stipend and having an orangina for a cocktail, I was seated at the President's table. I was a bit nervous about that, but it was not bad at all. The club secretary was also at my table; she is a genuinely kind woman who came with us on the ropes course. Paul was also at my table, which was nice. Together our French worked with the Rotarians.

It would be quite an understatement to say that the meal was fabulous. The three course dinner started with salad, cantaloupe, and shrimp and was followed by the main course of shish kabobs (fish for me), baked potato, and vegetables. Finally, for dessert a lovely piece of moist, chocolate cake with a little cup of coffee. The meeting, which basically consisted of eating and talking to one another for three hours, was something I won't mind attending the first Monday of every month.

I was escorted to and from the meeting by a Rotarian and his wife in their tiny European convertible. I felt famous as I was driven down the narrow French streets of this seaside town with the wind whipping my hair in all directions. Ahh the life of an exchange student. I'm sorry my friends have to be in college classes right now while I get to eat and drink with the French. This all seems to good to be true. I guess the trade off is that I have to learn their language; that, however, is one of the main aspects of this whole experience I love the most. As you can tell, my faithful readers, I love what I am doing. I'm so grateful for the love and encouragement everyone has given me, and continually gives me, that has allowed me to step into this surreal life. I am already experiencing wonderful things, and it's only been a week!

L'acro-branche (ropes course)

2009-08-31T02:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was so overwhelmed with the need for sleep that I decided to update my blog this morning. As my title suggests, the previous day was one of activity in the treetops. Paul, Cara, and I went with some members of our Rotary club to a town about thirty minutes (maybe more) away to have a picnic-actually more of a feast on picnic tables-and partake in some playing in the trees. The drive to the other town was incredible. We winded through narrow roads with the sea below the cliffs on one side and picturesque, little villas carefully placed within the hills on the other. Several times we stopped to take pictures of the perfect landscapes. The natural flowers of this area are gorgeous. The neon blues, pinks, and purples burst from every bloom, and Provencal olive trees line the curvy roads.

Once we arrived, we set up our food. My host mom packed me a lunch of two pieces of baguette each with butter, two kinds of cheeses, and lettuce. I also brought an apple, and then I was overwhelmed with the food from the Rotarians. There was a quiche (with ham so not for me), the juiciest cantaloupe I have ever eaten, some chips, bread, and cheese. I had to save my apple for later in the afternoon. After lunch we had a delicious fruit tart for dessert. It was the perfect blend of sweet and sour. Simply delicious. The best scene of the meal, though, was the beginning. I took a bite of my sandwich only to be told to stop. First, of course, we must all have a bit of an aperitif. The licorice-tasting drink was mixed with some water but still rather strong. Have looking everyone in the eye and saying "chink, chink" (the equivalent of "Cheers!") we downed the drink and began our lunch. I was so full after. In France, lunch is the big meal of the day. It is a good thing because I have time to swim, walk, or in yesterdays case, play in the trees to work off the mass amount of calories consumed. Don't worry Mom and Dad, I won't come home 10 kilos heavier! In fact, I think this is a key ingredient for the French. Everyday life is more physically demanding with walking everywhere or swimming. With lunch being the meal with the most food, it is easier to put those cals and carbs to good use. Back to yesterday events though.

After our meal, we all got harnessed up and began the instruction session. The instructor knew to talk a little slower for us Americans and repeated the most important things in English. The ropes courses began with number one and got progressively harder until number five. I felt like Jane as I barreled through the treetops in my harness. So much fun, and by course four most of us were finished. We were all sweating gallons even in the shade of the trees. I was happy for the semi-long ride back home to sit and relax for a few moments.

I was returned to my house and had some personal time to strip my self of the non-pleasant smelling clothes I had worn, before dinner. For dinner, we had a simple, but incredibly wonderful tasting casserole with zucchini, tomato, and mozzarella. Also bread and cheese. The flavors of the three ingredients complimented each other so strongly to make an explosion of flavor. Ahh, the cuisine of France is just indescribable. Following dinner was Pretty Woman in French on the tv. And then sleep for me after a few skype conversations.

I woke up late this morning and read. Now time for lunch. I do more than just eat here, but the smaller events are mundane and boring to read. Tonight is my first Rotary meeting. I'll blog about that experience too. For now, c'est tout.

J'ai assez mange (I have eaten enough)

2009-08-29T13:31:00.000-07:00

Tonight, at dinner, my host mom suggested that I title this blog "J'ai assez mange." This is my new favorite phrase that I learned a few evenings ago. At every meal, and often in between, I find that everyone is always saying "Manges! Manges!" (Eat! Eat!). I'm constantly being handed bread, cheese, orangina, and the other staples of French meals. Now, though, I can simple say "j'ai assez mange" or "je n'ai pas assez mange" (I have not eaten enough), but I don't think that one will be put to much use.

Today was quite eventful. Ce matin, Paul and his host family picked me up at my house and we went to view the fire station. I thought most French men seemed to be on the shorter side, but that's only because I had not yet met the firemen of the Cote d'Azur. Mon Dieu! These men were gargantuan statues of safety. Paul and I got to climb up onto the Mercedes-brand firetruck and view the several different types of rescue vehicles. Quite interesting. At first, I was a little nervous because I thought we were going to join the gym. As I glanced around at all the men, I thought, I don't know if I can work out with these enormous firemen. That might be a good bit intimidating. But, soon to my knowledge, we would take a looksee at the gym apres our tour.

We left the pompeirs (firemen) and went to a few stores for some delicious foods. It was at this moment that I was in the idyllic French scene. A crammed street lined with open air speciality stores. First, we visited the fruits and vegetables. The sweet scent coming off of the perfectly ripe melons was intoxicating. Each tomato was a rich, blood-stained red. The apples and grapes were abundant in all sorts of varieties. Ahh... I was simply in heaven. Every basket holding its precious cargo was marked with a sign to tell the name of the food and its place of birth. The majority came from France and several from the Provence region. Following was the fish market across the street. The smell of fresh seafood wafted through the air as we entered into the crowded room. A large, whole fish was being stripped of its head with a long, serrated knife at the moment we entered. The prawns were about the size of my forearm, and several pairs of eyes glared up at me from the iceboxes as I inspected the sea creatures. We walked next door to pick up some bread, of course. This time the scent in the air was sweet with sugar and dough. My mouth watered as I gazed around at the pain au chocolat, croissants, brioche, baguettes and more. Thank goodness I left my euros in the car, or else I would've bought everything I could grab. After purchasing a few baguettes we were off to return to Paul's house.

Following the food shopping was hang out time. Paul and I killed some time before eating lunch with his host parents around 2 o'clock. We had some of the fish bought earlier that morning, salad, one of the baguettes, and some cheese. Voila! The perfect meal. Mmmmm.

To get some exercise and burn off some of the lunch, Paul and I walked down to the beach to meet up with some of the French girls I have hung out with previously. The beach was lovely and not too crowded. We spent a good hour in the ocean chatting away, and then continued the conversation lazily on the beach. The sun was beginning to dwindle behind the mountains of the town when we decided to all part our separate ways.

I look forward to the conversations that will happen at the dinner table here. Sometimes I'll spend moments before meals planning out how to say something that happened during my day. My host parents are so happy when I speak in full sentences. They give me encouraging looks and help me find the words I can not bring to mind. Tonight, we ended the evening with Disney movie conversation. It's fun to hear the different titles in French. My host dad cracks me up all the time. Tonight, when I asked if they knew Mulan they said of course of course. After recalling the dragon's name, Mushu, my host dad continued to tell me the other day he saw a girl with a dragon tattoo on the back of her neck. He said out loud, "It's Mushu"!! The girl was confused, but everyone else understood and laughed. Haha! I thought that was hilarious, plus I was extra happy because I understood what he said (he speaks very fast French). While my host mom was cleaning up some after dinner, he told me something, but I did not understand the main verb. He spelled it for me, and I looked it up in my little dictionary. Turns out, my host dad loves bothering my host mom (J'aime bien embeter Laurence). Haha! He's quite the character.

Well I believe that's all for today. Tomorrow I have exciting plans, but I will not reveal them on my blog until after the day is finished. I have to keep y'all someone interested.

A la Plage (at the beach)

2009-08-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Salut tout le monde! I didn't post yesterday because it was a rather boring day to write about. Really the only exciting events were that I started a new book, The Poisonwood Bible, I went to the school (just for a moment though, I didn't see much), and I had my first trip to a French supermarket. We didn't get too many items there, but it is near the school and we were out.

Today was a bit more eventful. Around noon I began descending the hill from my house to the main part of my new little town. I had a rendez-vous with Paul and Cara, the two other exchange students in my town. Paul's host family (who will eventually become mine; the three of us are switching among the same three households) owns a pizzeria in town, so we decided to meet there for lunch. I saw this pizzeria my first day in Cavalaire, so I had to do some searching through the haze of my memory from the past few days here. The days run together. I finally stumbled upon the cozy, little restaurant. After kissing the cheeks of my already known acquaintances, I greeted Paul with the same gesture. While we waited for Cara to arrive, we folded pizza boxes to pass time. Finalement, Cara came and soon following the three of us ate some delicious homemade pizza. Half of mine was cheese, goat cheese, and mushroom, and the other portion was made up of tomato sauce, cheese, olives, bell peppers, and artichoke. C'etait fantastique! It was also a relief to speak non-broken English with normal people (you can never tell with exchange students; sometimes they can be quite "interesting" characters). The three of us conversed in French as well and helped one another recall vocabulary.

After dejeuner, we were off a la plage! I think if one wants to become a member of the Cavalaire community, they must first, have a tan (even if one is as pale as a ghost, they will have a tan line), second, be skinny, and third, look very attractive without makeup (since daily life is spent on the sand or in the water). I think I'll get there, at least to some extent. The tan, I am working on. Usually, I just burn, but today after two or three hours at the beach I became a darker shade minus some of the redness. Perhaps the French sun will be my miracle worker! Swimming in the Mediterranean cooled me off an extreme amount. The water is as clear as crystal can be. I can always see my feet. Ahhh, and it is oh so refreshing after a hot day without air conditioning. I think the Office of Tourism will be my sanctuary on the hottest days because it seems to be the only place on the whole Cote d'Azur that has le climatisation. It is nice to be able to keep my window open all day and night though. In fact, since I've gotten here I haven't closed my window. All the windows in the house have huge shutters that we close during the hot times of the day and open back up mid-afternoon. All our meals are eaten outside on the patio with the true French doors open to lead into the house. The outside space is very much a continuation of the rest of the house.

I never thought I would be the kind of person that could live on the beach. That was before I came to live on the French Riviera. I do believe that I could spend eternity out on those sandy shores. It is just so incredibly beautiful. This whole region is! I think it will be nice to start school and have the structure that comes with a routine, but I'm glad I'll have time to relax sur la plage before I begin. Tomorrow afternoon I think I will repeat the afternoon of today. Time on the beach and in the water with friends.

Here's a fun fact: In France, Dora from Dora the Explorer speaks in French and teaches English words. Interessant!

Repetez, s'il vous plait! (Repeat please)

2009-08-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

Today is my second full day in Cavalaire. Yesterday, was quite typical for a first day. I slept pretty late, about 9:30, and woke up to find a croissant waiting for me on the breakfast table. Both my host parents were working so I nosily went through the kitchen to find everything's place. After locating une tasse and le jus d'orange, I sat down to eat mon petit dejeuner (don't worry I took a picture of the scrumptious croissants). After breakfast, I unpacked my things with Mean Girls playing in French for background noise. Around one I ate lunch with my host mom at the house, and then some of Deborah's friends came by. Instead of me practicing French though, they practiced a little English. But, next time, French only!! Then to town with my host mom so I could buy a swimsuit. I know, I'm probably the only person who wouldn't pack a swimsuit with me to come for a beach town. Mine at home though, was all worn out, and I didn't have to time to buy one. Alas, my purchase was made. Dinner followed with my host parents. As we sat around the table on the patio I fervently listened to their conversations trying to decipher the fast language. Of course, when they speak to me they slow it down. I still sometimes must ask them to repeat though. Overall, it hasn't been too difficult to pick up on ideas even if I do not understand the meaning of every word. They wait for me patiently as I try to conjure up the correct phrase or sentence structure. And now my host mom calls my little French-English dictionary my new friend! It does come in handy.

Today I awoke at about the same time. Had some cafe avec sucre and read for a while (a book in English, but after it is finished I might try something in French). Today, it is not quite as hot as the first couple of days I've been here. There is more of a breeze, and it is a bit cloudy. Perhaps rain for tonight which would cool things off. Around noon I took a little walk down my street. Our house is on quite a steep hill, but my adventurous self walked to the very outskirts of the main street before turning around to trek back up the small mountain. My host dad saw me while he was driving up to the house and stopped the car to ask if I wanted a ride. Even though I was tempted, I figured I needed to work off breakfast so I declined. I arrived back home, sweating profusely, and read for a while on the patio while my host dad did some work. I got distracted from my book as he absentmindedly counted aloud. French is such a pretty language. After lunch I went to the bank which is in the post office. I'll skip over most of that because it is boring business. I did get to see where my host mom works (at the post office) and meet some of her fellow employees. The highlight of my day was when I met up with some of Deborah's friends at the beach. The ocean was the only repellent against the heat of the day. I should have gone yesterday! My new friends would help me with my French and were patient while I spoke (see, I told you today we would only speak French). I got to wear my new swimsuit from yesterday! After an hour and a half or so on the beach we walked around town. They showed me the shops and restaurants while teaching me important words such as shut up and bus stop. Definitely good things to know. After a nice shower I am sitting in my room. I think for supper we are having quiche perhaps.

I hope this post hasn't been too boring. Just a run through of my days. Everything seems so exciting to me, of course, because it's all new and in French! Tomorrow I am going to the school to look around and get my classes. I still have about two weeks before I start. Well c'est tout. Ciao. (I know it's Italian, but they use it in France too).

Bon Voyage!

2009-08-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

Finally, after applying a year ago, I am in France!

My last night at home, my family, Deborah, and my best friend Anna came to eat a gastronomical French feast my mother prepared for an entire day. I woke up to hearing her in the kitchen at eight in the morning beginning to make the dough for her puff pastry. The pesto puff pastry was absolutely PERFECT! It was flaky and light and tasted like heaven. Bruschetta was the other appetizer which was equally full in flavor. For the main course Mom prepared a shrimp and crab quiche. After dropping part of one in the sink (good job Dad :D), we devoured the scrumptious pie-like entree with a big salad along side. Finally, for dessert, Dad baked molten chocolate cakes. The gooey center mixed with some vanilla ice cream tops my list of top three favorite desserts. They were exquisite. Some of the best food I have ever eaten.

The company wasn't too bad either. I was so happy to see my family gathered around the "Bon Voyage Leslie" centerpiece on the dining room table. As we ate the delicious meal described above we were all our usual loud selves. Just happy to be together before I hopped on my plane and Lauren drove back to school. After long hugs with my family members, I had to say a teary goodbye to Anna. In between sobs we each communicated our hopes for one another in the coming school year and our excitement for the wonderful things bound to happen to each of us. It will be hard without Anna; without having the ability to call her at a moment's notice because something only she would think is funny happened. I know our friendship will grow stronger though as we each become our own person. We will be able to teach each other such different things when we reconnect next summer. It will be wonderful!

The next day was D Day. Departure Day. This day had been looming around us for several days, even weeks. It was almost oppressive to know I was being taken away all at once from everything I've ever known to be put somewhere COMPLETELY different. A place where I don't even understand much of what is being said. Lauren left that morning to drive back to school. I miss you already Lauren!! Having a sister 13 months older than you creates quite a bond. The longest we had ever been apart (prior to last year while she was at college) was a month. Lauren left around nine that morning. I held it together while I told her bye and gave her a hug (something we don't usually do because she doesn't like to be touched), but after, in the confines of my bathroom, I broke down a little bit. We're already working on planning a skype date though.

The last friend goodbyes I said were to Alexander (Fred Big Owl Lucas Weatherford), Bradley (more formally known as B Rad), and Deborah. The lunatic boys I call friends brought me an obnoxious, button-down American flag shirt. I plan to wear it the first day of school (well, maybe that wouldn't be the best first impression). After they help load my two 48 pound bags into the car (haha thanks y'all) I gave them each a hug. Deborah went back to her host families house after sending me off as well. Now to the airport...

I told myself I wouldn't cry at the airport, but I'm already pretty emotional. This is a big step for me too. So after a few tearful hugs and kisses Mom, Dad, and Lucie dropped me off. I couldn't look back at them at security because I knew I'd probably fall out on the floor if I did (sorry Mom, I know you'll probably start sobbing when you read that). Such a bittersweet feeling. I was so extremely excited to be off to France after an eternity of waiting, but to leave the most important thing in the world to me, my family, was hard. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't.

It actually sunk in, what I was doing as the plane from Memphis lifted off the ground. It is so odd to have talked about something for so long, to explain it to everyone, to hear the praise of how brave it is, and then finally have it happen. As the plane took off I started to wonder if I was doing the right thing, if I was really going to be able to take the plunge. Every anxiety and doubt was thrown out of my mind, though, when I heard a family conversing in French before boarding the plane from Chicago to London. I couldn't help but smile. What an opportunity this is! I am so fortunate to be able to have an experience such as this, and it is because of the ones I love and cherish so dearly that I have the confidence to take off, to explore the vast world and make it a little smaller by understanding a different culture. For the long flight to London I was on a gigantic, two-story airplane. The five year old girl sitting next to me had the cutest little British accent. So many people, from so many places. It's crazy to think that everyone on that plane had a life and a story from places all over the world. I started freaking out in the London airport. The terminal had so many stores and so many people. I couldn't find where my gate was on the departure board, but finally I realized they release the gate numbers only an hour before a flight. All was good. I felt like I was going to vomit everywhere. I was so nervous before boarding the flight to Nice. Well, probably more anxious than nervous. After sleeping a little on the plane, I woke up to find the Alps underneath me. Thankfully, I had a window seat. I got to see the beauty of France from an aerial view. Quite exquisite. Nice is beautiful. Well, at least what I saw from the airplane was. The runway is right off the Mediterranean so it seems as if you are going to land in the water when the plane starts descending. Huge yachts and sailboats were out on the bright blue water. It looked like a scene from a movie. After getting my passport stamped and grabbing my bags (Nothing was lost) I met my first host parents. They are both so sweet, and our communication is pretty good. So I was thankful.

The two hour drive from Nice to my town was so incredible. New scenery that is just breathtaking. The first glimpses of le mer (the sea) were gorgeous. I was so excited to finally see the quaint little villa I'll call home for the next few months before moving to my second family's house. Such a French house it is. No air conditioning (none in the school either, it's a French thing). So that'll take getting used to. Also, the toilet is in a separate room than the rest of the bathroom. Also something I'll have to get familiar with. After a nice dinner with my host parents and cheese following, of course, I am in the bed about to let exhaustion take over me. I didn't want to get behind on my blogging (I just love that word) so I pushed through the weariness. If I have any grammatical errors I'll blame them on that. I don't think I'll have bad jet lag. I get to sleep late tomorrow! Woo hoo! And I plan to post again tomorrow evening once I've explored a little more of the town and unpacked. I'll put some pictures up too. For now a bientot....

Les Premiers Pas (The First Steps)

2009-08-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

I assume the first post should be somewhat of an introduction. So, I will proceed with such. I am Leslie (for those of you who don't know me), and I am going to be an exchange student in the south of France. This blog will act as my online journal throughout the year and will tell of my travels, adventures, embarrassing moments, and times when no one can understand what I'm saying (and vice versa... je ne comprends pas).

The first important detail I must point out on this blog is that my sister, Lauren, so cleverly came up with the creative name. I don't think she would have let me use it if this statement was not made.

Since the formalities are over, I will begin more of the actual post....

Packing for a weekend trip can often be a daunting task for me, so one can imagine how overwhelming packing for a year abroad has been. I know, I know... everyone always makes a huge deal about packing, but it is a pretty gruesome task. I am the type of person that doesn't like to throw ANYTHING away because I one day foresee its use in the future. It was almost painful to see some things left behind in the packing. After a few last minute items were picked up, I can finally wrap things up. All that's left is putting the space bags and packing cubbies into the two big blue bags I'll tote from Memphis to Nice and several places in between.

Lately, I have become so thrilled about the upcoming year. Most of this excitement is due to the fact that the French girl I am swapping places with arrived in my town a little over a week ago. Deborah and I quickly became friends as our similar interests proved to be broader than our language and cultural barriers are. After a trip to mountains, our friendship and eternal exchange student bond was solidified. Alas, Deborah moved into her first host family's house, but we will still see each other a few mores times before I head off for her town.

Goodbyes have never been on the top of my "Favorite Things To Do" list (but who ever likes goodbyes?). Already, I've seen many a friend move into their dorms and leave the town we've all called home for so many years. Earlier this week I spent a fun night visiting two of my very best friends, Parker and Janie, doing the things we do best: laughing, cooking/baking (we make the best brownie s'mores), eating, and talking about life's most meaningful questions (for example, if you were on a desert island what five cd's would you want to be there with you?) Tonight, three days before I leave, was a rather momentous goodbye. I very sadly had to tell my best friend, Gus, bye. We now enter into unchartered territory as we move our friendship to the virtual world of skype. After three solid years of companionship we have to resort to video chat for the upcoming year. But, it is much better than an email (I at least try to be optimistic about the sad). However hard it may be to say goodbye, I know I will reunite with the ones I have left on my home soil. Just think how exciting it will be to share our adventures together next year!

I am certain my year abroad will open my eyes to a much bigger world. I will learn and experience things that will shape the person I am to become. As I look forward to departing to my home for the next year, I do not feel that I am leaving a life behind to start a new one; but rather, I am taking the life I have had-the memories, the friendships, the laughter-with me only to return to tell my veggie tales.