Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Family!
My parents are arriving this Sunday at 6:05 AM for a week and a half in France and Germany! I am so lucky!
Geneva
So this past weekend I got to visit the center of the world. Geneva is home to the United Nations, and almost every other world organization. The Jette d’Eau (jet of water), every single watch company, and some of the best chocolate in the world.
It was the first time I had traveled alone on the trains. Nothing exciting happened, on the way there or on the way back (at least not yet, I am still on the train back home). I was going to visit a childhood friend who I was involved in 4-H with.
It was nice to be with someone who was having a similar experience as I was. It was great to share stories, and relate on a level that I really can’t do with my other friends here. We stayed up till 2:30 AM just talking about our experiences, and adventures.
The first day, we had brunch with a couple friends, we all made some great food and just hung out. After that I got a tour of the city, which is about the same sixe as Rennes is. I bought some chocolate for my host mother, got me some stickers, and of course took as many pictures as I possibly could. That night we made some food, talked, and then went out to a nice bar and had a beer with some more friends. It was so much more relaxed and sophisticated then Rennes will ever be. Rennes is a student city and therefore very dirty, aggressive, straight forward, and basically drunk; which I hate. So it was a nice change.
That night we stayed up and watched Grey’s Anatomy online, which is one of my favorite shows that I haven’t had enough time to keep up with while being in France.
And then the next morning walked around some more, and then I hoped on a train to head back home! Over all, a very fun, and relaxing weekend. And I feel so lucky to of had a chance to go and visit the city and the country!
It was the first time I had traveled alone on the trains. Nothing exciting happened, on the way there or on the way back (at least not yet, I am still on the train back home). I was going to visit a childhood friend who I was involved in 4-H with.
It was nice to be with someone who was having a similar experience as I was. It was great to share stories, and relate on a level that I really can’t do with my other friends here. We stayed up till 2:30 AM just talking about our experiences, and adventures.
The first day, we had brunch with a couple friends, we all made some great food and just hung out. After that I got a tour of the city, which is about the same sixe as Rennes is. I bought some chocolate for my host mother, got me some stickers, and of course took as many pictures as I possibly could. That night we made some food, talked, and then went out to a nice bar and had a beer with some more friends. It was so much more relaxed and sophisticated then Rennes will ever be. Rennes is a student city and therefore very dirty, aggressive, straight forward, and basically drunk; which I hate. So it was a nice change.
That night we stayed up and watched Grey’s Anatomy online, which is one of my favorite shows that I haven’t had enough time to keep up with while being in France.
And then the next morning walked around some more, and then I hoped on a train to head back home! Over all, a very fun, and relaxing weekend. And I feel so lucky to of had a chance to go and visit the city and the country!
Teaching
My teaching internship has been going very well recently, I was observed by the Director of my program today. At the end of the class that he observed, he seemed very impressed. I hope that he was, I work just as hard on my teaching plans as I do on my homework for my French classes.
All my students are extremely nice and seem to know a lot. I run two English Clubs, and all of those students are very good too, they love to come and hang out and watch movies. I observe and assist in a few other classes as well, so all goes well with the teaching.
I have to take notes on all of the classes that I teach, assist in, or observe in. And since my dad was interested in my notes, I created a blog with them. It is kind of just boring stuff, but if you are interested in taking a look at it, here is the link: http://franceteacher.blogspot.com/
All my students are extremely nice and seem to know a lot. I run two English Clubs, and all of those students are very good too, they love to come and hang out and watch movies. I observe and assist in a few other classes as well, so all goes well with the teaching.
I have to take notes on all of the classes that I teach, assist in, or observe in. And since my dad was interested in my notes, I created a blog with them. It is kind of just boring stuff, but if you are interested in taking a look at it, here is the link: http://franceteacher.blogspot.com/
Kobenhavn
So this past weekend was a four-day weekend here in France. And I had to amazing opportunity to go visit a friend of mine who is studying in Copenhagen, Denmark for the semester. I left Friday night at about 5 and arrived the next day around noon. We visited most of the city within the 3 days that I was there, which was wonderful. But the thing that I enjoyed the most was hanging out with her American, Danish, and Norwegian friends. We had some late nights playing games, hanging out, talking, and just having a great time.
These activites are things that my friends and I do at home with each other, and I haven’t been able to do that here in France. Late nights aren’t really a possibility for me since the bus to my suburb stops around 8:30 each night. So this type of bonding and relationship had been missing from my life, and I felt very lucky to have a taste of it while visiting.
Days before I had arrived, the entire town had set up for Christmas. All the stores windows had their displays all ready. The incredible department stores were decked out on all 4 floors with Christmas joy. And it all made me think of home and everything that I was missing. The tree lighting on the Common in Union, Thanksgiving with the family, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Nation Dog Show, all of the Christmas hype, the first snow, and the excitement that comes with this time of year. It makes me sad, but I also feel so lucky to be living in France and traveling around the continent.
When I got back from Copenhagen, I was talking with a friend of mine, and she said that the homesickness was hitting the entire group at this point. Everyone was a little sad that they wouldn’t be home for Thanksgiving, and family events around this time of year. Also this is when all of the college students head home for the Holidays.
It is hard, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait to celebrate it.
These activites are things that my friends and I do at home with each other, and I haven’t been able to do that here in France. Late nights aren’t really a possibility for me since the bus to my suburb stops around 8:30 each night. So this type of bonding and relationship had been missing from my life, and I felt very lucky to have a taste of it while visiting.
Days before I had arrived, the entire town had set up for Christmas. All the stores windows had their displays all ready. The incredible department stores were decked out on all 4 floors with Christmas joy. And it all made me think of home and everything that I was missing. The tree lighting on the Common in Union, Thanksgiving with the family, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Nation Dog Show, all of the Christmas hype, the first snow, and the excitement that comes with this time of year. It makes me sad, but I also feel so lucky to be living in France and traveling around the continent.
When I got back from Copenhagen, I was talking with a friend of mine, and she said that the homesickness was hitting the entire group at this point. Everyone was a little sad that they wouldn’t be home for Thanksgiving, and family events around this time of year. Also this is when all of the college students head home for the Holidays.
It is hard, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait to celebrate it.
Wednesdays
So the main course that I take at school is called Etude de la Langue (Study of the Languge for the non-French speakers). And since my university is like high school, where you go to the same classes with the same people all week, I have this class with the same people. We have this class 3 times a week, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Now Monday, the class is usually sleepy from the weekend, and not exactly in the swing of French. Tuesday the class is normal, we are attentive, but still a little timid. However, Wednesday is a totally different story.
We get a little crazy/restless. We seem to have had enough of the same class for the entire week and just want to break out of the shell. We get really excited and rowdy. Our teacher, Mme Paillette, just eats it up. We yell out answers, say silly things, and just have a great time.
By this point in the year, we know that Wednesday is coming. And we all know what happens on Wednesdays, and so when something weird or crazy happens, we all just look at each other and say “C’est mercridi!” (It’s Wednesday!).
We get a little crazy/restless. We seem to have had enough of the same class for the entire week and just want to break out of the shell. We get really excited and rowdy. Our teacher, Mme Paillette, just eats it up. We yell out answers, say silly things, and just have a great time.
By this point in the year, we know that Wednesday is coming. And we all know what happens on Wednesdays, and so when something weird or crazy happens, we all just look at each other and say “C’est mercridi!” (It’s Wednesday!).
VACATION!
Oh my goodness, it has been nearly a month since my last blog update! How the time flies while you gallivant through Europe! While I was gone, I visited 5 countries, 8 cities, and have been having an amazing time! So, my first vacation! I traveled to 4 countries (including France), with 3 girls from my program, Mary (Ohio), Karah (Indiana), Stephanie (New Hampshire). It started Saturday the 25th of October, when we met at the train station in Rennes. We train to Paris, and then took a night train to Munich. Spent the day hanging out in Munich, we had an amazing Bavarian Breakfast, consisting of beer, pretzels, and white veal sausages. We visited the Nymphenburg Palace in the afternoon. Overall, Munich was a great city; it was a little closed down since it was a Sunday.
The next morning we trained to Salzburg, home of my favorite movie, The Sound of Music. The city was one of the highlights for me, it is gently nestled into the alps, which surround the city on almost all sides. It was a great city to just walk around and hang out. The first day that we were there we checked into our swanky hotel (25 Euros a night, about $30, but it was a big deal because we got a PRIVATE room), and decided to look around the city for the day. We ate some lunch and then headed up to Nonnberg Abby, where the real Maria von Trapp spent some of her earlier days. We then decided to keep walking up, and we found the Salzburg Fortress. Which is the castle-looking thing that you see in ALL of the photos of Salzburg. It has bigger then we had expected, and we spent the entire afternoon gazing over the city, and onward to the Alps. It was probably one of the most beautiful things that I had seen in my life, just sitting there on a wall of the fortress, looking out onto what looking like the most powerful mountains in the world, the Alps.
That night, we went to a super market for dinner. We got some cheese, beer, bread, chocolate, oranges, milk, and some yogurt. It was really nice at this point, just to hang out in the room and relax a little, which we hadn’t had time to do yet. The next morning we got up bright and early so that we could us the ‘hop on, hop off’ tour in Salzburg. A hop on-hop off tour is basically a tour bus, but there are stops that you can get on and off all along the route. And since there are busses funning all day, you can just hop on the next bus that comes to the stop that you are at. This is not the kind of thing that I usually enjoying doing, but because there are a lot of attractions that are outside of Salzburg, it was the best option for us.
We went to the Stiegl Beer Factory; Stiegl is the beer of Salzburg. We visited the new museum, had a beer tasting, and even helped make a batch of Christmas Beer! It was a blast because there was NO ONE in any of the museum, and we just got to look around at our own pace, take lots of goofy pictures, and just have a good ole time. Plus, I picked up some Christmas presents there… After that we got to see the places where they filmed the Sound of Music, and a palace/garden that was beautiful. After a very cold afternoon, we went to a traditional Salzburg restaurant for dinner, where I had beer (no surprise) and an excellent sausage dish. It had 3 types of sausage and friend onions throughout; and of course for desert, a little apple strudel to top it all off.
We spent the night in Salzburg again, and then got on the train to Vienna the next morning. But before we left, I went and took lots of pictures at the garden where they had filmed most of the song Do-Re-Me in the Sound of Music. It was great to see all of the cool places that are in the movies, and I definetly will be going back to Salzburg some day.
When we arrived in Vienna, we checked into our hostel, and then decided to go downtown and check things out. That first day, we walked around in the Museum District, and visited the Royal Treasury of the Hapsburgs Empire. When we got out, it was dark outside, so we walked around downtown for about an hour and the decided to go find something to eat. We found a restaurant near our hostel and ate so…interesting… food there. We were all very tired after traveling all morning, and sort of crashed in the hotel room that night.
Before we went to bed, we all picked something that we wanted to do the next morning: Mary- Royal Apartments, Karah- Museum of Natural History, Stephanie- The Sissy Museum, and me- The Spanish Riding School, home of the Lippizaner Stallions. The next morning we got up bright and early, and we did the Apartments, the Sissy Museum, and the Spanish Riding School, all before lunch. Then we did the Museum of Natural History (MNH) in the afternoon, which was amazing. The MNH was HUGE, and really amazing because most of the animals there were at least 100 years old. The museum was founded in the late 1800’s (I think), and everything is SUPER old. That evening on the way to the train station we had a little adventure, and here’s how it goes.
We started out at the hostel with directions to the train station; it was really simple, just get on this S-Bahn (tram) and it would take us right there. We had allotted about an hour to get there, even though they said it would only take 15-20 minutes. So we walk to the tram station and get right on the tram that we need. It was a little odd because the tram didn’t start moving until about 10 minutes after we had boarded, but we did think anything of it. About 10 minutes into the journey, the tram suddenly comes to a screeching halt, and the driver immediately jumps out and runs towards the back of the tram. I thought that we had hit a person or an animal, and a minute later we feel the tram being moved backwards. At this point you can feel the tension in the tram because almost all of the people on the tram are trying to get to the train station. Another minute goes by and the driver gets back into the tram and says something in German over the speakers. Instantly that entire tram just deflates, like they had just been told the world was going to end. People are screaming, and then suddenly EVERYONE runs off of the tram and starts to walk up the street. Since we had NO idea what was going on, we resorted to ask if any one spoke English who could tell us what was going on. Luckily a woman was happy to help us, she said that the tram and gone onto the wrong track and that everyone was walking to the next stop to pick up the next tram. Of course at this point we had about 20 minutes to get to our train. We run to the next stop with all of the other passengers, and hop on the next tram. Luckily, we made it in time for the train. But if we had missed that train to Venice, we would not have been able to complete our trip because it would have messed up the train to Milan, and then the train to Nice as well.
So we make it onto the train, and are on our way to Venice where we will get another train to Milan, and then yet another to Nice. When we arrive in Venice it is 2:30 in the morning, and we have to change train stations, so we decide to take a taxi. When we get to Santa Lucia, we discover that it isn’t open yet, and won’t be open for another hour and a half. So we decided to plop ourselves down in front of the doors with some homeless people about 500 feet away from us. There was also a nice looking Italian woman who struck up conversation with us about 45 minutes into the wait. She didn’t speak English, but because French is so close to Italian we understood (for the most part), what she was saying. She told us about the homeless people around us who were yelling; she said that they were fighting about drugs… great! That made us fell REALLY safe. And then she told us about how stupid the train stations in Italy were because they don’t open until 4:30 in the morning. Needless to say, it was an experience, and by the end of it we were freezing and were VERY happy to get inside where it was a little bit warmer.
We got on our train at 7:30, and landed in Milan in time to grab a quick bite, and then catch our train to Nice. And after 24 hours of travel, we got to Nice, where it was dark, raining, cold, and generally not what we had been looking forward to. At that point we were tired, cold, wet, and hungry. And instantly said that we didn’t want to stay in Nice any longer then we had to. So we decided to change our tickets from Sunday afternoon, to Saturday evening. Which was perfect because we saved money and got back to Rennes at a reasonable hour on Sunday, instead of midnight, which was what our original train was.
Nice was abosolutely heaven on Saturday though. It was November 1st, 75 degrees, people swimming and tanning. I got ice cream for lunch at a place that I had been when I visited Nice in April. It seemed to be a nice reminder of home and my life back home. I took lots of pictures here, and just walked around in the warmth. It was a perfect end to a wonderful vacation.
The next morning we trained to Salzburg, home of my favorite movie, The Sound of Music. The city was one of the highlights for me, it is gently nestled into the alps, which surround the city on almost all sides. It was a great city to just walk around and hang out. The first day that we were there we checked into our swanky hotel (25 Euros a night, about $30, but it was a big deal because we got a PRIVATE room), and decided to look around the city for the day. We ate some lunch and then headed up to Nonnberg Abby, where the real Maria von Trapp spent some of her earlier days. We then decided to keep walking up, and we found the Salzburg Fortress. Which is the castle-looking thing that you see in ALL of the photos of Salzburg. It has bigger then we had expected, and we spent the entire afternoon gazing over the city, and onward to the Alps. It was probably one of the most beautiful things that I had seen in my life, just sitting there on a wall of the fortress, looking out onto what looking like the most powerful mountains in the world, the Alps.
That night, we went to a super market for dinner. We got some cheese, beer, bread, chocolate, oranges, milk, and some yogurt. It was really nice at this point, just to hang out in the room and relax a little, which we hadn’t had time to do yet. The next morning we got up bright and early so that we could us the ‘hop on, hop off’ tour in Salzburg. A hop on-hop off tour is basically a tour bus, but there are stops that you can get on and off all along the route. And since there are busses funning all day, you can just hop on the next bus that comes to the stop that you are at. This is not the kind of thing that I usually enjoying doing, but because there are a lot of attractions that are outside of Salzburg, it was the best option for us.
We went to the Stiegl Beer Factory; Stiegl is the beer of Salzburg. We visited the new museum, had a beer tasting, and even helped make a batch of Christmas Beer! It was a blast because there was NO ONE in any of the museum, and we just got to look around at our own pace, take lots of goofy pictures, and just have a good ole time. Plus, I picked up some Christmas presents there… After that we got to see the places where they filmed the Sound of Music, and a palace/garden that was beautiful. After a very cold afternoon, we went to a traditional Salzburg restaurant for dinner, where I had beer (no surprise) and an excellent sausage dish. It had 3 types of sausage and friend onions throughout; and of course for desert, a little apple strudel to top it all off.
We spent the night in Salzburg again, and then got on the train to Vienna the next morning. But before we left, I went and took lots of pictures at the garden where they had filmed most of the song Do-Re-Me in the Sound of Music. It was great to see all of the cool places that are in the movies, and I definetly will be going back to Salzburg some day.
When we arrived in Vienna, we checked into our hostel, and then decided to go downtown and check things out. That first day, we walked around in the Museum District, and visited the Royal Treasury of the Hapsburgs Empire. When we got out, it was dark outside, so we walked around downtown for about an hour and the decided to go find something to eat. We found a restaurant near our hostel and ate so…interesting… food there. We were all very tired after traveling all morning, and sort of crashed in the hotel room that night.
Before we went to bed, we all picked something that we wanted to do the next morning: Mary- Royal Apartments, Karah- Museum of Natural History, Stephanie- The Sissy Museum, and me- The Spanish Riding School, home of the Lippizaner Stallions. The next morning we got up bright and early, and we did the Apartments, the Sissy Museum, and the Spanish Riding School, all before lunch. Then we did the Museum of Natural History (MNH) in the afternoon, which was amazing. The MNH was HUGE, and really amazing because most of the animals there were at least 100 years old. The museum was founded in the late 1800’s (I think), and everything is SUPER old. That evening on the way to the train station we had a little adventure, and here’s how it goes.
We started out at the hostel with directions to the train station; it was really simple, just get on this S-Bahn (tram) and it would take us right there. We had allotted about an hour to get there, even though they said it would only take 15-20 minutes. So we walk to the tram station and get right on the tram that we need. It was a little odd because the tram didn’t start moving until about 10 minutes after we had boarded, but we did think anything of it. About 10 minutes into the journey, the tram suddenly comes to a screeching halt, and the driver immediately jumps out and runs towards the back of the tram. I thought that we had hit a person or an animal, and a minute later we feel the tram being moved backwards. At this point you can feel the tension in the tram because almost all of the people on the tram are trying to get to the train station. Another minute goes by and the driver gets back into the tram and says something in German over the speakers. Instantly that entire tram just deflates, like they had just been told the world was going to end. People are screaming, and then suddenly EVERYONE runs off of the tram and starts to walk up the street. Since we had NO idea what was going on, we resorted to ask if any one spoke English who could tell us what was going on. Luckily a woman was happy to help us, she said that the tram and gone onto the wrong track and that everyone was walking to the next stop to pick up the next tram. Of course at this point we had about 20 minutes to get to our train. We run to the next stop with all of the other passengers, and hop on the next tram. Luckily, we made it in time for the train. But if we had missed that train to Venice, we would not have been able to complete our trip because it would have messed up the train to Milan, and then the train to Nice as well.
So we make it onto the train, and are on our way to Venice where we will get another train to Milan, and then yet another to Nice. When we arrive in Venice it is 2:30 in the morning, and we have to change train stations, so we decide to take a taxi. When we get to Santa Lucia, we discover that it isn’t open yet, and won’t be open for another hour and a half. So we decided to plop ourselves down in front of the doors with some homeless people about 500 feet away from us. There was also a nice looking Italian woman who struck up conversation with us about 45 minutes into the wait. She didn’t speak English, but because French is so close to Italian we understood (for the most part), what she was saying. She told us about the homeless people around us who were yelling; she said that they were fighting about drugs… great! That made us fell REALLY safe. And then she told us about how stupid the train stations in Italy were because they don’t open until 4:30 in the morning. Needless to say, it was an experience, and by the end of it we were freezing and were VERY happy to get inside where it was a little bit warmer.
We got on our train at 7:30, and landed in Milan in time to grab a quick bite, and then catch our train to Nice. And after 24 hours of travel, we got to Nice, where it was dark, raining, cold, and generally not what we had been looking forward to. At that point we were tired, cold, wet, and hungry. And instantly said that we didn’t want to stay in Nice any longer then we had to. So we decided to change our tickets from Sunday afternoon, to Saturday evening. Which was perfect because we saved money and got back to Rennes at a reasonable hour on Sunday, instead of midnight, which was what our original train was.
Nice was abosolutely heaven on Saturday though. It was November 1st, 75 degrees, people swimming and tanning. I got ice cream for lunch at a place that I had been when I visited Nice in April. It seemed to be a nice reminder of home and my life back home. I took lots of pictures here, and just walked around in the warmth. It was a perfect end to a wonderful vacation.
Vacation Plans
10/16/08
So, as some of you already know, I have a week vacation starting Saturday the 25th. A friend of mine and I worked for hours to plan a perfect trip. Only to discover, that there might be a chance that we wouldn’t get to do any of it because of limited space for Eurail Pass holders (which is what I am). Devistated, we quickly ran to the ticket both to see what we could salvage of our perfectly planned vacation. And for the most part, we were successful in getting what we wanted. Not exactly but close enough.
So the final itinerary is as follows, Munich→ Salzburg → Vienna → Nice, with a short 2 hour stop in Venice. I have my backpack, my tickets, hostel reservations are on there way, and wonderful people to travel with. And when I get back, I will share all of my wonderful stories from all my wonderful adventures, running around Europe.
So, as some of you already know, I have a week vacation starting Saturday the 25th. A friend of mine and I worked for hours to plan a perfect trip. Only to discover, that there might be a chance that we wouldn’t get to do any of it because of limited space for Eurail Pass holders (which is what I am). Devistated, we quickly ran to the ticket both to see what we could salvage of our perfectly planned vacation. And for the most part, we were successful in getting what we wanted. Not exactly but close enough.
So the final itinerary is as follows, Munich→ Salzburg → Vienna → Nice, with a short 2 hour stop in Venice. I have my backpack, my tickets, hostel reservations are on there way, and wonderful people to travel with. And when I get back, I will share all of my wonderful stories from all my wonderful adventures, running around Europe.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Keeping Up
10/17/08
2:53
As most of you know, I am currently working on my college applications since I didn’t get in to any of the schools that I had hopped to go to last year. Right now, I doing a balancing act between school, friends, college applications, teaching and teaching plans, an internship application for next spring, and day to day life in France.
It has been a struggle lately to keep everything in perspective, and keeping one step ahead of everything. I feel like I am constantly typing essays, notes, or a blog. I am excited to visit Europe next week, but I feel like I am drowning in my own work.
But! No worries! I am keeping up every step of the way, and not loosing sight of how lucky I am to be here right now. As I type, I am sitting in the most beautiful park in the world. The sun is out, it must be about 70 in the sun, there are a few puffy clouds, the sound of the fountain in the background is calming and relaxing.
2:53
As most of you know, I am currently working on my college applications since I didn’t get in to any of the schools that I had hopped to go to last year. Right now, I doing a balancing act between school, friends, college applications, teaching and teaching plans, an internship application for next spring, and day to day life in France.
It has been a struggle lately to keep everything in perspective, and keeping one step ahead of everything. I feel like I am constantly typing essays, notes, or a blog. I am excited to visit Europe next week, but I feel like I am drowning in my own work.
But! No worries! I am keeping up every step of the way, and not loosing sight of how lucky I am to be here right now. As I type, I am sitting in the most beautiful park in the world. The sun is out, it must be about 70 in the sun, there are a few puffy clouds, the sound of the fountain in the background is calming and relaxing.
Rennes: A Poem
10/14/08
Ahhh Rennes
The city that I call home, where I go to school, teach, and eat fresh croissants on a weekly basis
Your small market every Saturday could keep me eating from here to the moon
Your ancient buildings accented by your disgustingly sketchy allies
Your large student population that keeps the city alive
I feel luckly to walk your streets every day
Your intense Breton culture fills the air
Your traditional cidre warms the heart
Your Parc Thabor lightens the soul with its beautiful rose gardens
And disgustingly perfect manicured lawns and beds
You sketch me out, and you make me laugh
You are Rennes
Vacation
10/16/08
So, as some of you already know, I have a week vacation starting Saturday the 25th. A friend of mine and I worked for hours to plan a perfect trip. Only to discover, that there might be a chance that we wouldn’t get to do any of it because of limited space for Eurail Pass holders (which is what I am). Devistated, we quickly ran to the ticket both to see what we could salvage of our perfectly planned vacation. And for the most part, we were successful in getting what we wanted. Not exactly but close enough.
So the final itinerary is as follows, Munich→ Salzburg → Vienna → Nice, with a short 2 hour stop in Venice. I have my backpack, my tickets, hostel reservations are on there way, and wonderful people to travel with. And when I get back, I will share all of my wonderful stories from all my wonderful adventures, running around Europe.
So, as some of you already know, I have a week vacation starting Saturday the 25th. A friend of mine and I worked for hours to plan a perfect trip. Only to discover, that there might be a chance that we wouldn’t get to do any of it because of limited space for Eurail Pass holders (which is what I am). Devistated, we quickly ran to the ticket both to see what we could salvage of our perfectly planned vacation. And for the most part, we were successful in getting what we wanted. Not exactly but close enough.
So the final itinerary is as follows, Munich→ Salzburg → Vienna → Nice, with a short 2 hour stop in Venice. I have my backpack, my tickets, hostel reservations are on there way, and wonderful people to travel with. And when I get back, I will share all of my wonderful stories from all my wonderful adventures, running around Europe.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Happy Birthday Patricia!
So last week or so, it was my host mothers birthday! So what do the French do when it is someone’s birthday, well they sing happy birthday of course, but they also have a small get together with some friends. And this is what commenced one evening in late September.
As the guest arrived, more and more French was being spoken, and it just seemed to spew out. There ended up being 4 of my mother’s friends, and then my brother and his girl friend; Eight in total, counting me and my mother. Once we all got settled, someone decided that grab and camera, and a 20 minutes photoshoot commenced.
Once that was all done, the meal was served. The spewing of French continued, and I continued to sit in bewilderment. Now, you must keep in mind, that when I am home I don’t have to worry about speaking French quickly or understand quickly because it’s just my mother and I. She will speak slowly when I don’t understand, and sometimes she will translate a word or two. BUT, when you get 7 fluent French speakers in a room, I just couldn’t handle it! By the end I was just drifting off, because my head hurt from trying to pick up on words that I knew, and trying to put the pieces together to figure out what was being said.
By the end of the night, I was exhausted. It was just amazing to see what the REAL French are like. How they interact with each other, and what they think of Americans. Overall a very successful night.
Pictures: The first one is of my brother, his girlfriend, me, and my mother (she is the one sitting down)
The second one is all of my mother's friends and me!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
My Multi-Cultural Experience
9/30
Since I am in the international program at the Univerisity, I am with students from all over the world of all different ages. We have students from China, Nepal, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Morocco, Iran, and Albania. And these students range from the ages of 18- 39.
I find this thrilling to know that I am working, on a daily basis, with students completely different from people that I had ever know before in my life.
Since I am in the international program at the Univerisity, I am with students from all over the world of all different ages. We have students from China, Nepal, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Morocco, Iran, and Albania. And these students range from the ages of 18- 39.
I find this thrilling to know that I am working, on a daily basis, with students completely different from people that I had ever know before in my life.
Cooking: The International Language
9/19/2008
This evening I had to distinct pleasure of cooking a meal for my French mother. This is how the story goes.
Friday night, I ask my mother, “Qu’est-que nous mangeons ce soir?” (“What are we eating this evening?”)
Elle dit, “Rein.” (She says, “Nothing.”)
I think, OK, now what? Of course, she was completely kidding, however she was sick and hadn’t had time to plan a meal for us. I have the wonderful idea to suggest that I cook dinner. Now keeping in mind that the French are very possessive of their kitchens. They rarely let strangers help prepare the meals. And oddly enough when I suggested that I cook, she agreed. However, it was not an ordinary meal, no; she only entrusted me with cooking a meal from a box.
Baked potatoes, with sauce, and fancy Hot Pockets was what she gave me to make. However simple this meal was. The gesture of what she did was extraordinary. And while I was cooking, she cracked open and beer, and asked if I would like some. We continued to chat and discuss random things in our lives, I asked questions and so did she. It was an opening of communications, almost as if we were in peace talks. Not that we had been at war, but we finally seemed to be equals within, her home, which I now feel is our home.
This evening I had to distinct pleasure of cooking a meal for my French mother. This is how the story goes.
Friday night, I ask my mother, “Qu’est-que nous mangeons ce soir?” (“What are we eating this evening?”)
Elle dit, “Rein.” (She says, “Nothing.”)
I think, OK, now what? Of course, she was completely kidding, however she was sick and hadn’t had time to plan a meal for us. I have the wonderful idea to suggest that I cook dinner. Now keeping in mind that the French are very possessive of their kitchens. They rarely let strangers help prepare the meals. And oddly enough when I suggested that I cook, she agreed. However, it was not an ordinary meal, no; she only entrusted me with cooking a meal from a box.
Baked potatoes, with sauce, and fancy Hot Pockets was what she gave me to make. However simple this meal was. The gesture of what she did was extraordinary. And while I was cooking, she cracked open and beer, and asked if I would like some. We continued to chat and discuss random things in our lives, I asked questions and so did she. It was an opening of communications, almost as if we were in peace talks. Not that we had been at war, but we finally seemed to be equals within, her home, which I now feel is our home.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
My House!
My mother suggested that I put of some pictures of my house so here they are!
1) Patio area, and doors into the kitchen
2) The backyard
3) The wee garage
4) My House!
5) The church next to my house
6) My bus stop
7) The back of the church
8) My street
1) Patio area, and doors into the kitchen
2) The backyard
3) The wee garage
4) My House!
5) The church next to my house
6) My bus stop
7) The back of the church
8) My street
Friday, September 19, 2008
Discobolus (as my greek grandfather would call me)
9/19 9:38 PM
After completing my first week of classes, I decided to take a little time to myself. Also I wanted to scope out the public pool, but that was just a little bonus to my little afternoon adventure. Since I don’t have any classes on Friday (I know! How lucky am I?) I decided to go to the pool, which I have been meaning to do for a while now. I went, swam for about 45 minutes and left. When I got to the bus stop, I realized that the next bust wasn’t for another 30 minutes. So I deiced to take a little walk around the building with the pool. I had heard seen on the map that there was a park around there and I wanted to check it out.
As I was walking I realized that I had no idea where I was going. And before an ounce of panic set in, I realized that it didn’t matter. After having that very profound thought, I instantly stumbled upon a bunch of old French men playing petanque (bocci, but French, and therefore way better). There were about 30 old men and women playing this very French pastime. I stood and watched for a little while, watching them laugh, yell, and get out their measuring tapes to see who was REALLY closer to the little ball (cochon?). As I continued walked, I walked past the GRASS tennis courts, the grass soccer field, the astro-turf soccer field, and then the dirt soccer field (the French like their soccer). And on the dirt soccer field, there was a gym class being held, and the kids were learning how to throw discus.
Reflecting back now, it all seems so symbolic. The throwing of a well shaped object. The object can be perfectly shaped, but until the thrower throws it, nothing can happen. Now think of me as that well shaped object. Shaped by four years of high school French, but that French was just sitting in my lap, until I decided to throw myself in the language itself.
I was tossed into the language, the culture, the food, the wine, and the people. That park, those kids, the fact that I had finished my first week of classes, all made me realize that it is up to you to make your life happen. You can sit back and let things happen to you, but then you have no choice in the matter. Or you can choose the say yes, to put yourself out there, to chuck yourself into the unknown and hope that you land on something soft.
After completing my first week of classes, I decided to take a little time to myself. Also I wanted to scope out the public pool, but that was just a little bonus to my little afternoon adventure. Since I don’t have any classes on Friday (I know! How lucky am I?) I decided to go to the pool, which I have been meaning to do for a while now. I went, swam for about 45 minutes and left. When I got to the bus stop, I realized that the next bust wasn’t for another 30 minutes. So I deiced to take a little walk around the building with the pool. I had heard seen on the map that there was a park around there and I wanted to check it out.
As I was walking I realized that I had no idea where I was going. And before an ounce of panic set in, I realized that it didn’t matter. After having that very profound thought, I instantly stumbled upon a bunch of old French men playing petanque (bocci, but French, and therefore way better). There were about 30 old men and women playing this very French pastime. I stood and watched for a little while, watching them laugh, yell, and get out their measuring tapes to see who was REALLY closer to the little ball (cochon?). As I continued walked, I walked past the GRASS tennis courts, the grass soccer field, the astro-turf soccer field, and then the dirt soccer field (the French like their soccer). And on the dirt soccer field, there was a gym class being held, and the kids were learning how to throw discus.
Reflecting back now, it all seems so symbolic. The throwing of a well shaped object. The object can be perfectly shaped, but until the thrower throws it, nothing can happen. Now think of me as that well shaped object. Shaped by four years of high school French, but that French was just sitting in my lap, until I decided to throw myself in the language itself.
I was tossed into the language, the culture, the food, the wine, and the people. That park, those kids, the fact that I had finished my first week of classes, all made me realize that it is up to you to make your life happen. You can sit back and let things happen to you, but then you have no choice in the matter. Or you can choose the say yes, to put yourself out there, to chuck yourself into the unknown and hope that you land on something soft.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Lost in Translation
Hello to all of the people back in the states! How is life? Well here it is fantastic, with a dash of stress and constant confusion! We signed up for classes over the past couple of days and for the most part, it has been utter chaos!
Let me explain. First of all, 35 of the 40 students on my program at college juniors or seniors doing their study abroad programs. Therefore, they all need to receive credit for their semester here. In the exchange student program at the university (CIREFE) there are 7 levels of French that you can be enrolled in, and each has different classes that you are allowed to take. They base all of this on a test that we all had to take, blah blah blah. NOW, some of the other students had a level that they had to place into to receive credit, and some of them didn’t place into their required level. Obviously, this spells disaster. Keeping in mind, that our program (CIEE) advisors seem to have little knowledge of how the levels work. There have been lots of tears, hugs, maybe even a couple of yells. One girl is scheduled to graduate this year, and unfortunately she didn’t place high enough, which is forcing her to graduate late AND give up an internship in France that she had set up for next year.
But, enough about the disorganization of my program! Everything is great here! We just finished up our 2-week intensive French classes. We had classes for about 6 ½ hours a day. And at the end we had a gigantic test! Which would tell us if we needed to be place up or down a level at the university. I placed into the same level, which is what I expected. The next day we got to take another test! This it was an oral test. We went into a little room with a professor and they asked us questions and we had to respond accordingly. It was quite simple and I think I did fine. This test was to place us into a level for our oral expression classes.
What else has happened? Not too much, I start classes today (Monday). And it looks like I will be having Fridays off, and I wont have classes on Monday until 1 in the afternoon. So that means lots of travel time for me! But, we still haven’t been scheduled with the teachers who we will be interning with. So, that schedule might completely change within 2 weeks.
Mostly, my life is up in the air at this point! Nothing is concrete yet, and nothing will be for at least another 2 weeks. Mostly because of me not knowing when I will be teaching. But, I am keeping my head up, working through it, always looking to tomorrow.
My French mother is great. My house is good, and my friends are wonderful. I went to a club here in Rennes Saturday night, well more like Sunday morning. The clubs open at 11 and go until 5, so we went at midnight and party-ed it up! It was a great stress reliever, and I am so glad that I went.
So that is my life in a nutshell. I have just started to miss some things back home. Like going to soccer games, homecoming is coming up I think, or has already passed. I miss that kind of stuff.
But this is an adventure in it self and I love it. I don’t have a choice; everything is wonderful, how could I not love it?
Let me explain. First of all, 35 of the 40 students on my program at college juniors or seniors doing their study abroad programs. Therefore, they all need to receive credit for their semester here. In the exchange student program at the university (CIREFE) there are 7 levels of French that you can be enrolled in, and each has different classes that you are allowed to take. They base all of this on a test that we all had to take, blah blah blah. NOW, some of the other students had a level that they had to place into to receive credit, and some of them didn’t place into their required level. Obviously, this spells disaster. Keeping in mind, that our program (CIEE) advisors seem to have little knowledge of how the levels work. There have been lots of tears, hugs, maybe even a couple of yells. One girl is scheduled to graduate this year, and unfortunately she didn’t place high enough, which is forcing her to graduate late AND give up an internship in France that she had set up for next year.
But, enough about the disorganization of my program! Everything is great here! We just finished up our 2-week intensive French classes. We had classes for about 6 ½ hours a day. And at the end we had a gigantic test! Which would tell us if we needed to be place up or down a level at the university. I placed into the same level, which is what I expected. The next day we got to take another test! This it was an oral test. We went into a little room with a professor and they asked us questions and we had to respond accordingly. It was quite simple and I think I did fine. This test was to place us into a level for our oral expression classes.
What else has happened? Not too much, I start classes today (Monday). And it looks like I will be having Fridays off, and I wont have classes on Monday until 1 in the afternoon. So that means lots of travel time for me! But, we still haven’t been scheduled with the teachers who we will be interning with. So, that schedule might completely change within 2 weeks.
Mostly, my life is up in the air at this point! Nothing is concrete yet, and nothing will be for at least another 2 weeks. Mostly because of me not knowing when I will be teaching. But, I am keeping my head up, working through it, always looking to tomorrow.
My French mother is great. My house is good, and my friends are wonderful. I went to a club here in Rennes Saturday night, well more like Sunday morning. The clubs open at 11 and go until 5, so we went at midnight and party-ed it up! It was a great stress reliever, and I am so glad that I went.
So that is my life in a nutshell. I have just started to miss some things back home. Like going to soccer games, homecoming is coming up I think, or has already passed. I miss that kind of stuff.
But this is an adventure in it self and I love it. I don’t have a choice; everything is wonderful, how could I not love it?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Newspaper!
I was in a French newspaper! Just for being an exchange student! Well, I didn't get quoted or anything, BUT, I am in the picture! (Can you find me?)
Saturday, September 6, 2008
24/7 French Class
9/6/08 8:38 AM
There is so much to tell! And I don’t know where to start! I haven’t blogged in such a long time, it feels like I have been here for an eternity! As I sit here on Saturday morning, with my skylight open, the chilled crispy fall air spilling in, I feel lucky.
Even though I feel lost half the time, the joys that come along with that fear are worth it.
So I have now been living with my French mother for a little over a week, she is wonderful. She has some weird quirks, but then again don’t we all? She does fold and iron my underwear, as well as all of my other clothes, and she makes dinner every night. We eat between 7:30 and 9, and we eat tons of bread! My room is good, comfortable and very functional. I just wish I had a corkboard over my desk, that would make everything a lot easier. I guess that’s the update on the home front.
I started classes last Monday. Now these are not the classes that I will be taking for the next 4 months. These are just private classes that our program has arranged for us to take to prepare us for the entrance exam into the University. We have one week left of these prep classes. We have class from 9-3 with an hour and 15 min break in the middle. And then after that we go to an information session with our advisors, usually on culture shock, or general information on life in France.
I am in the lowest level (which is what I had expected) and I hope to place up a level so that I wont have to take as many classes at the University (I no that sounds backwards, but its true). If I’m in the lowest level at the University I have to take 4 classes, but if I’m in the next one up, I only have to take 2. It’s really weird. My classes have been a good review, and we have gotten some good information on the culture.
Now I would like to paint a picture for you: imagine when you wake up every morning, everything is in foreign language. And I mean everything, the television, the radio, the signs on the bus, signs in the streets, the graffiti, everything. For those of you who have had Madame Jourdet for a teacher, take the ounce of fear that you have (or had) whenever she would start to ask YOU a question. Multiply that by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Welcome to my life in France. Now I’m not saying that I am scared all the time, but there is always that intensity around you, that what if feeling. And that feeling is the learning process, where ever I turn I am learning something new. I have a list of new words hat spans about 4 pages in my binder (front and back). But despite all of that, I love it here! Its great., I wouldn’t have asked for anything else.
There are 2 things that I have had difficulty with at this point (not counting the 24/7 French class). The first being that I never really have alone time: I am constantly with people. Weather I’m with friends after class, friends in class, my mother at home in the morning or night. I am never truly along to get things done. I do have a 30-40 min commute in the morning, but that’s it. And I can’t bring my computer with me on the bus and metro, it just doenst really work. And when I am home, I feel obligated to be social with my mother, so I never really have time to talk with friends or family, update my blog, listen to my music, watch a show.
The second thing that is hard is knowing how much connection to keep with the States. In terms of family and friends that is a no-brainer, but when it comes to music, television, Internet. I almost feel guilty when I get onto iTunes to get some music and it isn’t French. It’s a weird feeling.
Other then that life is grand! Im am making a day trip to St Malo, which is just north of us, with some friends tomorrow. I am taking a shopping/personal day today. Just some time for myself hanging out, getting some more school supplies, toiletries, maybe some clothes! H&M here I come!
There is so much to tell! And I don’t know where to start! I haven’t blogged in such a long time, it feels like I have been here for an eternity! As I sit here on Saturday morning, with my skylight open, the chilled crispy fall air spilling in, I feel lucky.
Even though I feel lost half the time, the joys that come along with that fear are worth it.
So I have now been living with my French mother for a little over a week, she is wonderful. She has some weird quirks, but then again don’t we all? She does fold and iron my underwear, as well as all of my other clothes, and she makes dinner every night. We eat between 7:30 and 9, and we eat tons of bread! My room is good, comfortable and very functional. I just wish I had a corkboard over my desk, that would make everything a lot easier. I guess that’s the update on the home front.
I started classes last Monday. Now these are not the classes that I will be taking for the next 4 months. These are just private classes that our program has arranged for us to take to prepare us for the entrance exam into the University. We have one week left of these prep classes. We have class from 9-3 with an hour and 15 min break in the middle. And then after that we go to an information session with our advisors, usually on culture shock, or general information on life in France.
I am in the lowest level (which is what I had expected) and I hope to place up a level so that I wont have to take as many classes at the University (I no that sounds backwards, but its true). If I’m in the lowest level at the University I have to take 4 classes, but if I’m in the next one up, I only have to take 2. It’s really weird. My classes have been a good review, and we have gotten some good information on the culture.
Now I would like to paint a picture for you: imagine when you wake up every morning, everything is in foreign language. And I mean everything, the television, the radio, the signs on the bus, signs in the streets, the graffiti, everything. For those of you who have had Madame Jourdet for a teacher, take the ounce of fear that you have (or had) whenever she would start to ask YOU a question. Multiply that by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Welcome to my life in France. Now I’m not saying that I am scared all the time, but there is always that intensity around you, that what if feeling. And that feeling is the learning process, where ever I turn I am learning something new. I have a list of new words hat spans about 4 pages in my binder (front and back). But despite all of that, I love it here! Its great., I wouldn’t have asked for anything else.
There are 2 things that I have had difficulty with at this point (not counting the 24/7 French class). The first being that I never really have alone time: I am constantly with people. Weather I’m with friends after class, friends in class, my mother at home in the morning or night. I am never truly along to get things done. I do have a 30-40 min commute in the morning, but that’s it. And I can’t bring my computer with me on the bus and metro, it just doenst really work. And when I am home, I feel obligated to be social with my mother, so I never really have time to talk with friends or family, update my blog, listen to my music, watch a show.
The second thing that is hard is knowing how much connection to keep with the States. In terms of family and friends that is a no-brainer, but when it comes to music, television, Internet. I almost feel guilty when I get onto iTunes to get some music and it isn’t French. It’s a weird feeling.
Other then that life is grand! Im am making a day trip to St Malo, which is just north of us, with some friends tomorrow. I am taking a shopping/personal day today. Just some time for myself hanging out, getting some more school supplies, toiletries, maybe some clothes! H&M here I come!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
My Room!
Here are some pics of my room. Also a little update: It looks like I wont be blogging instantly. Which means that I will type my blog update and then load it when I get a chance. So I will try to time and date everything in the text. So dont believe what the date and time says below the update, its not true. So, I hope all is well with you, where ever you might be!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Oh La La! Beacoup d'information!
Update! It is about 9:25 over here in Paris and about 3:25 your time back in les Etats-Unis. So, today was a VERY long day. I only slept for about an hour on the plane ride over. However, I did make a friend, Becca! She is totally awesome, and has been looking out for me a lot. I didn’t get to share, but there are about 40 of us here at the hostile together. But only 5 of us are on the Gap Year program, the rest are college study abroad students. It is a little bit challenging because they all have a lot more knowledge of the French language then I do. The other thing that I didn’t realize was that the advisors and monitors (student advisors) will only speak French. Again, a bit challenging, well actually EXTREMLY challenging because I don’t often know what they are saying and I am afraid that I am missing important information.
However all is well despite the little bumps in the road! We landed today and got picked up at the airport, and had about a half hour drive into the city to the Hotel Fauconnier. It is the most beautiful youth hostiles that I have every seen. Madame, you might now this beautiful building. It is set in the very old area of the city and is just down the road from Notre Dame. It is amazing! In the afternoon we kind of just hung out and relaxed, I gave my parents a call to let them know that I had made it here ok. And after waiting for a pay phone, a man came out and began speaking to us in French, he told us that his ex-wife had decided to come back to him. He was SO excited. We congratulated him, and he told us that the world needed young people like us. After that little excitement a few of us went to diner and I got to taste my first French wine! It was very yummy, but I don’t think I will be making a habit of it. We took a little walk after diner just around the Latin Quarter, which is one of the oldest parts of the city.
Today we Gap Year students learned a little more about how everything is going to work. We will take the one intense class at the University for a month and then the focus will shift to teaching at a local school. (So yes, Eddie we will be connecting both of our classes!)
Everything is beautiful, everything reminds me of you, Madame. Every time I walk past one of the spots that you would talk about in class I think of you. Everything is perfect, and I just have to remember to take one step at a time. Lets hope that I can dream in French soon!
Plane Ride!
So here I sit on the plane somewhere over the Atlantic at about 12:53 our time and about 7:53 France time. I had a little trouble getting through security in Portland only because my carry on bag was packed so well. My first flight was fine, a little delayed which made me nervous, but as soon as I got off the plane I booked it as fast as I possibly could to my next gate. I instantly met 3 other people who were traveling to France on study Abroad programs. Not nessicarily MY study abroad program. But many were also going through CIEE (which is who I am going through). When I got on the plane I sat next to one of the people who I had met inside, and soon found out that the girl on the other side of the aisle was going on to the same city as me, the only difference was that she is a college student. I’m sure she and I will become friends, we have already agreed to stick together for the frist couple of days, at least until we get our feet underneath us. I just hope that my luggage made it to Paris OK. My worst nightmare would be that it wouldn’t make it here and it would be lost. Lets just keep our fingers crossed that it made it in time.
Friday, August 22, 2008
It has arrived!
YAY! Here is the update on the visa! My mother and I got in the car at about 5:15 Wednesday morning knowing that the Consulate opened at 9. We drove down and had no problems what so ever, until……. Well let’s just say we ended up on the WRONG St. James Street. The trusty old GPS sent us to St. James Ave. in Roxbury. But with some quick problem solving we made our way to the correct place and found the building that the Consulate is in.
Fast forward about 20 minutes, we had given them all of our information, and they told us that my visa would be ready by Friday at 3pm. Which was very good, but we couldn’t get back to Boston on Friday. So we gave them an overnight envelope with our address on it, and they said that they would mail it at 3pm on Friday.
We comfortable with our decision for about 20 minutes (its about 10:30 by now) and then started to get nervous about the US Mail Service, and what if they didn’t put it in the mail on time. So on the way back home we decided not to leave it up to fate (too risky), so we called the Union postmaster, the Rockland postmaster, and anyone who could help. When I got home I had to leave within the next hour to get on a plane to head out to Matinicus for 2 days to visit a teacher (thank you BB, Ali and I had a blast!). So my mother, being the amazing woman that she is, is on the phone with a senators office, a woman she knew who worked in the office building across the street from the consulate building, and anyone who could help. My father was constantly checking the postal service website to track the envelope.
Friday morning comes around and my father gets a call at 7:38 AM, it is the Union postmaster letting us know that the envelope has arrived in Union! My dad calls my mother and then me. Lets just say I sat upright in bed when my teacher told me. I was, and still am, beyond pumped. It was the best news ever.
So I would like to thank EVERYONE who sent good thoughts my way, who talked to my mother and I on the phone, and anyone who helped out in anyway what so ever. It was a great help and we really appreciated it. Because of you, I’m going to FRANCE!
Fast forward about 20 minutes, we had given them all of our information, and they told us that my visa would be ready by Friday at 3pm. Which was very good, but we couldn’t get back to Boston on Friday. So we gave them an overnight envelope with our address on it, and they said that they would mail it at 3pm on Friday.
We comfortable with our decision for about 20 minutes (its about 10:30 by now) and then started to get nervous about the US Mail Service, and what if they didn’t put it in the mail on time. So on the way back home we decided not to leave it up to fate (too risky), so we called the Union postmaster, the Rockland postmaster, and anyone who could help. When I got home I had to leave within the next hour to get on a plane to head out to Matinicus for 2 days to visit a teacher (thank you BB, Ali and I had a blast!). So my mother, being the amazing woman that she is, is on the phone with a senators office, a woman she knew who worked in the office building across the street from the consulate building, and anyone who could help. My father was constantly checking the postal service website to track the envelope.
Friday morning comes around and my father gets a call at 7:38 AM, it is the Union postmaster letting us know that the envelope has arrived in Union! My dad calls my mother and then me. Lets just say I sat upright in bed when my teacher told me. I was, and still am, beyond pumped. It was the best news ever.
So I would like to thank EVERYONE who sent good thoughts my way, who talked to my mother and I on the phone, and anyone who helped out in anyway what so ever. It was a great help and we really appreciated it. Because of you, I’m going to FRANCE!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Visa!
I just wanted to let everyone know that I just received the go-ahead from CampusFrance so that I can begin my visa process. Basically that means that I will be traveling down to the French Consulate in Boston tomorrow so that I can attempt to get my visa! With any luck they will give it to me tomorrow and all will be right with the world. But, again, we will just have to wait and see!
PACKING UPDATE:
My suitcase is up to 74lbs and counting. It is a miracle what I can fit in that bag!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Its Time!
I know it has been a long time since my last entry (here you go Mollie), but nothing has really happened since a month ago. But it is now time, I will be leaving in 8 days. That is if everything comes through. I have had a little difficulty with the payment for my visa, which will possibly delay my departure date (not a big deal, it happens all the time). But with any luck it will come through within a week, and I wont have any problems.
I bought my luggage, and I have been thinking a lot about what I need to take and what can stay behind. It is a little frightening to think that I have to pack 4 months of my life into a VERY small piece of luggage. If you know me at all, you know that I like my clothes........ and I like A LOT of them. We will see how that process goes.
So, in my last week here in the states I find myself looking forward and trying my best to keep my composure. Everything seems to be ending, but at the same time, my life is beginning. I finished my last day at work, I am packing, planning, studying, taking pictures, and taking in my last days as a resident of Union, Maine.
My life will never be the same after this moment.
And in the words of Martha Stewart:
Its a good thing.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
First Blog!
Ok, so this is my new blog! I will be tracking my events as I live, study, and volunteer in Rennes, France. I will live with a french family, go to school at Universite Rennes 2 Haute Bretagne, and volunteer at a local middle school teaching english. I leave August 24th, and will return December 20th.
Over the 4 months that I will be there I will do my best to blog at least once a week and keep everyone updated. I will load pictures and perhaps a few videos of my travels across Europe.
The countdown is on! 29 days until departure!
Nick
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