MY OWN DEAR MOMMY IS COMING TO VISIT ME AT THE END OF THIS MONTH!!!
WOOOO HOOOOOOO!!! CANNOT WAIT TO SEE HER, AS WELL AS MY GRANDMA AND ONE OF MY AWESOME AUNTIES WHO WILL ALSO BE IN PARIS THE SAME TIME AS MY MOM!!!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A MONTH!!!
OHHHH Goodness!!! I can't believe I have not updated this thing in a month!! I deeply apologize!! I will make sure I update my blog more regularly from now on.
SO. Here's what has happened in a month:
Scotland/England Trip: AMAZING!!! Got to see my awesome cousins David and Robbie whom I stayed with for about 4/5 days in Sevenoaks, outside of London. Loved it there, Sevenoaks is beautiful and my hosts were FANTASTIC! Thanks so much David and Robbie!! After that, it was off to Scotland to meet up with Melina and her friend Emily, with whom we stayed with. SCOTLAND WAS AWESOME!!! Loved the landscape, the castles, the rugged coasts, the sheep-dotted fields, the people, the accent......AND THE KILTS!!! One of my main goals while being in Scotland was to get a picture of myself with a Scottish man in a kilt...MISSON ACCOMPLISHED!!!! I got one with THREE guys in kilts!! And they were everywhere....I loved it! I actually really like the Kilt outfit, guys actually can wear skirts and look good in them!! So lots of greasy food, we tried a deep-fried mars bar (which was not as good as I expected it to be) and Haggis!! Which I really liked!! Although if I am being honest, it wasn't the traditional Haggis and it was deep-fried (like pretty much everything else in Scotland...they love their fryers!!). Even though we only toured around Aberdeen, I felt that Scotland was definatly I place I will return too and that it is a hidden gem of sorts. After my trip there I really felt that if you dig a little bit, you can really find some amazing things in Scotland. For instance, we visited Slain's castle, completely abandoned, and it was actually the castle that inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula!! When we visited it, it was just us...no one else around!! Here's another funny thing about Scotland, well more Aberdeen to be exact...almost all of Aberdeen's clubs used to be CHURCHES!! We were partying in old churches from the 17/18 century that had been specifically built for worship! How ironic is that!!! All together it was an amazing week and one that I will never forget....in fact whenever I think of that trip it makes me smile!!!
Than after returning, the kids were still on vacation so I was with them for two whole days, which actually went quite smooth, than on the wednesay it was off to Barfleur in Normandy to stay in the family's "summer home". It is actually Fabrice's dad's house, but he will be inheriting it when his dad passes on so they are welcome to use it anytime. Incredilbe village, incredible house from the 19 century..google Barfleur, it was beautiful!! Surpringsly, even though we were in Normandy in the north of France which is known for the D-Day beaches where the Allies landed in WWII and not particularly warm, the waters around Barfleur were a beautiful crystal clear blue! It really surprised me, it was something I expected to see in the south of France. Ate soooo much good food, from lamb to salmon to fish eggs to the very classic Beef Bourgingnon!!!! (Like in Julie and Julia!) I got to OPEN AND POUR a bottle of REAL, CERTIFIED Champagne!!! And Pam, just so you know, I did a really good job of it too!! :D
From there, life returned to a hectic normal. In between returning from Barfleur and my latest trip to Valence, I applied to university!! After a few convos with my very wise and awesome partner in crime Melina, I realized that I will come home with this amazing experience behind me and all these new people skills and other skills in general, and if I go to Uni, all these things will be fresh in my mind and be able to use them to there full advantage. However, if I were to stay in Penticton for another year I feel these skills would'nt be put to much use and that I might stagnate in Penticton for another year....those six months before I left were hard enough!! So I applied to McMaster University in Hamilton, even if I was late!! I'm going to try and apply for some more universities as well, so hopefully in the fall I'll be off to Uni!! :D
THEN, just this past weekend I went to Valence, which is in the south-east of France. Very cool place, we stayed at a friend of Melina's appartment there. Had another wicked weekend, Valence is sooo beautiful. Very different scenery from the Paris region. Lots of mountains with vineyards on them, valleys, and much hotter too. Day-tripped it to Romans-sur-Isiere, which is the shoe capital of France!! And, that particular day we were there was the national "Night of the Museums", which meant that after a certain time all mesums in France were open for most of the night and FREE!! So being three girls, which museum do we go to? THE INTERNATIONAL SHOE MUSEUM OF COURSE!! Wicked place...happened to have a cool exhibit showing all the steps of creating a good leather shoe, and Melina and I starting chatting up the shoe stylist there who was just sketching piles and piles of beautiful shoes! So we casually asked if we could have one and he said "no no no no! I will sketch a shoe for YOU!" So we each got our own personal shoe designed for us signed by the artist and everything!! it was beautiful!! I will definatly be framing it (at Picture this! ;P) and it will be proudly hung on my wall!!! We also visited this ancient catsle and village settlement completely perched on this mountain just outside of Valence. So cool!! It was called Crussol and I reccomend you all google it to see what it looks like because I can't do it justice describing it here on the blog.
And now you are up to speed folks!! Sorry for the delay, but at least there is lots to read in this post!! haha
Bisous!!
SO. Here's what has happened in a month:
Scotland/England Trip: AMAZING!!! Got to see my awesome cousins David and Robbie whom I stayed with for about 4/5 days in Sevenoaks, outside of London. Loved it there, Sevenoaks is beautiful and my hosts were FANTASTIC! Thanks so much David and Robbie!! After that, it was off to Scotland to meet up with Melina and her friend Emily, with whom we stayed with. SCOTLAND WAS AWESOME!!! Loved the landscape, the castles, the rugged coasts, the sheep-dotted fields, the people, the accent......AND THE KILTS!!! One of my main goals while being in Scotland was to get a picture of myself with a Scottish man in a kilt...MISSON ACCOMPLISHED!!!! I got one with THREE guys in kilts!! And they were everywhere....I loved it! I actually really like the Kilt outfit, guys actually can wear skirts and look good in them!! So lots of greasy food, we tried a deep-fried mars bar (which was not as good as I expected it to be) and Haggis!! Which I really liked!! Although if I am being honest, it wasn't the traditional Haggis and it was deep-fried (like pretty much everything else in Scotland...they love their fryers!!). Even though we only toured around Aberdeen, I felt that Scotland was definatly I place I will return too and that it is a hidden gem of sorts. After my trip there I really felt that if you dig a little bit, you can really find some amazing things in Scotland. For instance, we visited Slain's castle, completely abandoned, and it was actually the castle that inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula!! When we visited it, it was just us...no one else around!! Here's another funny thing about Scotland, well more Aberdeen to be exact...almost all of Aberdeen's clubs used to be CHURCHES!! We were partying in old churches from the 17/18 century that had been specifically built for worship! How ironic is that!!! All together it was an amazing week and one that I will never forget....in fact whenever I think of that trip it makes me smile!!!
Than after returning, the kids were still on vacation so I was with them for two whole days, which actually went quite smooth, than on the wednesay it was off to Barfleur in Normandy to stay in the family's "summer home". It is actually Fabrice's dad's house, but he will be inheriting it when his dad passes on so they are welcome to use it anytime. Incredilbe village, incredible house from the 19 century..google Barfleur, it was beautiful!! Surpringsly, even though we were in Normandy in the north of France which is known for the D-Day beaches where the Allies landed in WWII and not particularly warm, the waters around Barfleur were a beautiful crystal clear blue! It really surprised me, it was something I expected to see in the south of France. Ate soooo much good food, from lamb to salmon to fish eggs to the very classic Beef Bourgingnon!!!! (Like in Julie and Julia!) I got to OPEN AND POUR a bottle of REAL, CERTIFIED Champagne!!! And Pam, just so you know, I did a really good job of it too!! :D
From there, life returned to a hectic normal. In between returning from Barfleur and my latest trip to Valence, I applied to university!! After a few convos with my very wise and awesome partner in crime Melina, I realized that I will come home with this amazing experience behind me and all these new people skills and other skills in general, and if I go to Uni, all these things will be fresh in my mind and be able to use them to there full advantage. However, if I were to stay in Penticton for another year I feel these skills would'nt be put to much use and that I might stagnate in Penticton for another year....those six months before I left were hard enough!! So I applied to McMaster University in Hamilton, even if I was late!! I'm going to try and apply for some more universities as well, so hopefully in the fall I'll be off to Uni!! :D
THEN, just this past weekend I went to Valence, which is in the south-east of France. Very cool place, we stayed at a friend of Melina's appartment there. Had another wicked weekend, Valence is sooo beautiful. Very different scenery from the Paris region. Lots of mountains with vineyards on them, valleys, and much hotter too. Day-tripped it to Romans-sur-Isiere, which is the shoe capital of France!! And, that particular day we were there was the national "Night of the Museums", which meant that after a certain time all mesums in France were open for most of the night and FREE!! So being three girls, which museum do we go to? THE INTERNATIONAL SHOE MUSEUM OF COURSE!! Wicked place...happened to have a cool exhibit showing all the steps of creating a good leather shoe, and Melina and I starting chatting up the shoe stylist there who was just sketching piles and piles of beautiful shoes! So we casually asked if we could have one and he said "no no no no! I will sketch a shoe for YOU!" So we each got our own personal shoe designed for us signed by the artist and everything!! it was beautiful!! I will definatly be framing it (at Picture this! ;P) and it will be proudly hung on my wall!!! We also visited this ancient catsle and village settlement completely perched on this mountain just outside of Valence. So cool!! It was called Crussol and I reccomend you all google it to see what it looks like because I can't do it justice describing it here on the blog.
And now you are up to speed folks!! Sorry for the delay, but at least there is lots to read in this post!! haha
Bisous!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
UK here I come!!
Just a really short post to let everyone know that I am going to be in England and Scotland for a week!! Leaving tomorrow on the Eurostar (had a plane book, got cancelled because of the volcano, luckily managed to get a train ticket) to London, staying with my cousins till wednesday than take a train to Aberdeen, Scotland to spend the rest of the week there with Melina! WOOOO HOOO!! This week is gunna be a blast!!
That's all for now, expect a HUGE post about my adventures in the UK, and also about all my other adventures here in France!!!!
Bisous!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Dish on the Weekend!!
Salut!!
So, I left everyone hanging as to what happened over the weekend...well it was FANTASTIC!!!So this is what I did:
Friday night I went over to Melina's place, and we drank some champagne and just hung out before we started getting ready. We got ourselves all gussied up then took the 11:30 train to Paris. It took us about 45 mintues to get to the Bastille area in Paris, which is chock-a-bloc full of bars, restaurants, clubs and whatnot. We had done a bit of research and noted a few clubs that we wanted to try, but the first one we went to ended up being 20 euros just to get in!!! So we deceided against that and tired another one across the street where we only had to pay 5 euro for cover, but that ended up being just a restaurant and a bar!! They did have a DJ playing but there was no dance floor and Melina and I wanted to shake our thangs!! So we had a drink there, left feeling fairly dishearted but determined because it was just before 1:00 and all the metro stations had closed so we needed to find something to occupy us till 4:30!! So we ended up just wandering around a few streets which were just buzzing with people!! It was like it was during the day, only it was dark and 1:00 in the morning!! So we ended up finding a club purely by accident that had actually been one of the clubs we had thought about going too. It was called Le Balajo, had no cover, and it actually had a dance floor this time!! So that was great and we deceided to try it out. I think it had seen better days, but nevertheless, Melina and I made our way to the dance floor and started boogieing!!! It was soo fun!! The DJ was playing awesome music, everything from hip hop clubb stuff to salsa, 80's pop, popular songs now, and even some arabic influenced songs. All great songs for dancing!! It was fantastic!! Melina and I had a blast....and for all the female readers out there, if you are wondering...French men are EXCELLENT dancers, they can actually dance and move their hips! haha, sorry Pops, I had to mention that. So we ended up staying there till 4:00 I think, and then left the with this group of Lebannese-American, Morccan, and French people we ended up meeting at the club!! There was a guy from San Diego who was orginally born in Lebanon, his two French-Moroccan (I think) friends and the American guy's sister who was just finishing architect school in Morocco. So we were all starving from dancing all night long so we went to one of the cafes (there are a ton of cafes open till that hour, which are all hopping because most clubs don't get started till one and then no one really leaves till about 4:00) and had some food!! It was great fun hanging out with the people we meet and they were all sooo nice!! We had a blast! And the one guy had a car so he offered to drive Melina and I home to Saint-Germain which takes 45 minutes from Paris!! So that was so nice!! And don't worry, everybody else was still in the car, so it wasn't like it was just Melina and I in this dude's car. By the time we left the cafe, drove back to Saint-Germain and crashed at Melina's house it was 7:30!!! hahaha and we were just begining to crash! I was very surprised that I lasted that well all night!! It was awesome!! So I think we slept till three then went out and had some lovely pastries and coffee for breakfast/brunch/lunch whatever you want to call it, and just enjoyed the rest of the day.
So that was Saturday; Melina and I had planned to go out again Saturday night but she had to babysit and we didn't make the last train into Paris. So that was a bit of a let down, but we have many weekends ahead of us, so it wasn't that bad! So sunday I came back to Vernouillet and just hung out and relaxed. Monday and today I had class, still great. Today Melina and I finally talked to a couple of American and Canadian girls in another class that go out a ton, so we got the dish on all of the good bars and clubs in Paris. One of the girls ended up taking the same bus as I back to Poissy so we sat together and chatted and exchanged numbers. I think Melina and I will end up going out with them this weekend, and there is a big group of girls that go out all the time so I have a feeling we'll end up going out with them which should be interesting to say the least.....
Tomorrow is wednesday....gah!! Oh well, I just keep telling myself "One more day closer to the weekend, one more day closer!". Hopefully tomorrow will go pretty smooth.
Other than that, I have a three day weekend coming up and the family is leaving to go to Barfleur in Normandie to visit family for easter, so I have the house to myself!! Woo!! That will be a nice break! Not that I'm home much on the weekends anyway. Before last weekend I usually spent both all day saturday and sunday in Paris and usually wouldn't come home till 8:00. I also have to start planning my trip to Ireland this April. I have a week off so I think I'm going to go to Ireland, so I need to get my act together and start looking at flights and hostels and whatnot.
Soooo, wish me luck tomorrow!! Hopefully all goes well. (Fingers crossed!!)
Bisous!!
So, I left everyone hanging as to what happened over the weekend...well it was FANTASTIC!!!So this is what I did:
Friday night I went over to Melina's place, and we drank some champagne and just hung out before we started getting ready. We got ourselves all gussied up then took the 11:30 train to Paris. It took us about 45 mintues to get to the Bastille area in Paris, which is chock-a-bloc full of bars, restaurants, clubs and whatnot. We had done a bit of research and noted a few clubs that we wanted to try, but the first one we went to ended up being 20 euros just to get in!!! So we deceided against that and tired another one across the street where we only had to pay 5 euro for cover, but that ended up being just a restaurant and a bar!! They did have a DJ playing but there was no dance floor and Melina and I wanted to shake our thangs!! So we had a drink there, left feeling fairly dishearted but determined because it was just before 1:00 and all the metro stations had closed so we needed to find something to occupy us till 4:30!! So we ended up just wandering around a few streets which were just buzzing with people!! It was like it was during the day, only it was dark and 1:00 in the morning!! So we ended up finding a club purely by accident that had actually been one of the clubs we had thought about going too. It was called Le Balajo, had no cover, and it actually had a dance floor this time!! So that was great and we deceided to try it out. I think it had seen better days, but nevertheless, Melina and I made our way to the dance floor and started boogieing!!! It was soo fun!! The DJ was playing awesome music, everything from hip hop clubb stuff to salsa, 80's pop, popular songs now, and even some arabic influenced songs. All great songs for dancing!! It was fantastic!! Melina and I had a blast....and for all the female readers out there, if you are wondering...French men are EXCELLENT dancers, they can actually dance and move their hips! haha, sorry Pops, I had to mention that. So we ended up staying there till 4:00 I think, and then left the with this group of Lebannese-American, Morccan, and French people we ended up meeting at the club!! There was a guy from San Diego who was orginally born in Lebanon, his two French-Moroccan (I think) friends and the American guy's sister who was just finishing architect school in Morocco. So we were all starving from dancing all night long so we went to one of the cafes (there are a ton of cafes open till that hour, which are all hopping because most clubs don't get started till one and then no one really leaves till about 4:00) and had some food!! It was great fun hanging out with the people we meet and they were all sooo nice!! We had a blast! And the one guy had a car so he offered to drive Melina and I home to Saint-Germain which takes 45 minutes from Paris!! So that was so nice!! And don't worry, everybody else was still in the car, so it wasn't like it was just Melina and I in this dude's car. By the time we left the cafe, drove back to Saint-Germain and crashed at Melina's house it was 7:30!!! hahaha and we were just begining to crash! I was very surprised that I lasted that well all night!! It was awesome!! So I think we slept till three then went out and had some lovely pastries and coffee for breakfast/brunch/lunch whatever you want to call it, and just enjoyed the rest of the day.
So that was Saturday; Melina and I had planned to go out again Saturday night but she had to babysit and we didn't make the last train into Paris. So that was a bit of a let down, but we have many weekends ahead of us, so it wasn't that bad! So sunday I came back to Vernouillet and just hung out and relaxed. Monday and today I had class, still great. Today Melina and I finally talked to a couple of American and Canadian girls in another class that go out a ton, so we got the dish on all of the good bars and clubs in Paris. One of the girls ended up taking the same bus as I back to Poissy so we sat together and chatted and exchanged numbers. I think Melina and I will end up going out with them this weekend, and there is a big group of girls that go out all the time so I have a feeling we'll end up going out with them which should be interesting to say the least.....
Tomorrow is wednesday....gah!! Oh well, I just keep telling myself "One more day closer to the weekend, one more day closer!". Hopefully tomorrow will go pretty smooth.
Other than that, I have a three day weekend coming up and the family is leaving to go to Barfleur in Normandie to visit family for easter, so I have the house to myself!! Woo!! That will be a nice break! Not that I'm home much on the weekends anyway. Before last weekend I usually spent both all day saturday and sunday in Paris and usually wouldn't come home till 8:00. I also have to start planning my trip to Ireland this April. I have a week off so I think I'm going to go to Ireland, so I need to get my act together and start looking at flights and hostels and whatnot.
Soooo, wish me luck tomorrow!! Hopefully all goes well. (Fingers crossed!!)
Bisous!!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
So just a quick post, I apologize for not posting in quite a while but this week for whatever reason I haven't had a lot of time for this kind of stuff. So I'll give you an abreviated version:
Weekend: Last weekend was great!! Saw the Arc du Triomphe, went up it, which was awesome, watched the crazies driving in the huge Round-a-bout around the Arc, which is so entertaining I think I watched them for a solid twenty minutes. Yes, it is that crazy!! Also went to the beautiful, beautiful Jardin des Tuileries, right neat the Louvre. Sunday turned into a sort of foodie day, tried ESGARGOTS and LOVED THEM!! (snails, if some of you are wondering) Had amazing hot chocolate (real mealted chocolate!! That's it!!), and ended the day with a cocktail outside at a nice little cafe with my friend Melina, who I also spent the whole day with too.
Week: For the most part, good. Wild Wednesday was what it was, wild but this time awful too. Won't go into details, if you're really curious just ask my mom and she'll tell you the story.
School: Awesome!! This is the first time in my life I am excited to go to school (like genuinely excited). For some of you who thought I liked high school just because I did farily well, well that statement is obviously a surprise, but I really didn't like school all that much. But I love my french course!! The stuff we learn is super relavant (we don't just sit there and conjugate verbs for two hours), our teacher is great and the girls in the class are pretty fun too.
Tomorrow (Friday): SO EXCITED!!! Tomorrow after work I am going to Melina's house in Saint-Germain and we are going to go experience Paris' night clubs!!! WOOO!! It's even more exciting for me because I can't go clubbing back home because I'm under-age (and I didn't have a fake ID either, haha), so this is kind of a first experience for me, plus it's PARIS!!!! WOO I can't wait!! And we will have to do it the Parisian way, which means staying out till 5:00!! Why? Well all the trains close around 12:30/1:00 so it's too early for the Parisian people to home, so they stay out till 4:30/5:00 when the trains re-opend again!! So that's what me and Melina will be doing!! After that we'll crash in her appartement. I have a sneaking suspiscion that Saturday will be a rough day!! hahahaha!!!
Well I think that is it for now, it's time for me to hit the hay.
Hopefully I'll post more about my adventures this weekend.
Bisous!!
PS I've been here for one whole month already now!! I can't believe it!! Time has gone by so fast. Now I only have four months left! Crazy huh?
Weekend: Last weekend was great!! Saw the Arc du Triomphe, went up it, which was awesome, watched the crazies driving in the huge Round-a-bout around the Arc, which is so entertaining I think I watched them for a solid twenty minutes. Yes, it is that crazy!! Also went to the beautiful, beautiful Jardin des Tuileries, right neat the Louvre. Sunday turned into a sort of foodie day, tried ESGARGOTS and LOVED THEM!! (snails, if some of you are wondering) Had amazing hot chocolate (real mealted chocolate!! That's it!!), and ended the day with a cocktail outside at a nice little cafe with my friend Melina, who I also spent the whole day with too.
Week: For the most part, good. Wild Wednesday was what it was, wild but this time awful too. Won't go into details, if you're really curious just ask my mom and she'll tell you the story.
School: Awesome!! This is the first time in my life I am excited to go to school (like genuinely excited). For some of you who thought I liked high school just because I did farily well, well that statement is obviously a surprise, but I really didn't like school all that much. But I love my french course!! The stuff we learn is super relavant (we don't just sit there and conjugate verbs for two hours), our teacher is great and the girls in the class are pretty fun too.
Tomorrow (Friday): SO EXCITED!!! Tomorrow after work I am going to Melina's house in Saint-Germain and we are going to go experience Paris' night clubs!!! WOOO!! It's even more exciting for me because I can't go clubbing back home because I'm under-age (and I didn't have a fake ID either, haha), so this is kind of a first experience for me, plus it's PARIS!!!! WOO I can't wait!! And we will have to do it the Parisian way, which means staying out till 5:00!! Why? Well all the trains close around 12:30/1:00 so it's too early for the Parisian people to home, so they stay out till 4:30/5:00 when the trains re-opend again!! So that's what me and Melina will be doing!! After that we'll crash in her appartement. I have a sneaking suspiscion that Saturday will be a rough day!! hahahaha!!!
Well I think that is it for now, it's time for me to hit the hay.
Hopefully I'll post more about my adventures this weekend.
Bisous!!
PS I've been here for one whole month already now!! I can't believe it!! Time has gone by so fast. Now I only have four months left! Crazy huh?
Friday, March 19, 2010
An Enjoyable train ride.........
Friday!!! WOO!! That means another awesome weekend in Paris!! I'm so excited!! This weekend, depending on the wheather, I will either A) spend all day Saturday at the Louvre if the wheather is crappy or B) Explore Paris' streets and parks if the wheather is nice!
This week went much more smoothly than last week, especially Wednesday, a.k.a Wild Wednesday. For those of you who don't know about Wild Wednesday, well, I have the boys for the full day because they don't have school. Instead of school on Wednesday the boys have Tennis and Judo lessons, so I have to drive them to their lessons too. Last wednesday was an absolute disaster, right from when they got up. This Wild Wednesday however went much smoother, so that was sooo nice!! Although I am totally exhausted come W.W. evening!! Everyday with the boys seems to go just a little bit smoother, so that is really nice. That doesn't mean I don't have stories to tell, oh no! Quite the contrary. In fact I have a real interesting one from yesterday:
After a really nice lunch spent sitting on the steps of St. G's lovely square with my new friend (Melina, the Canadian girl) eating what I think was the best sandwhich I've had so far in France, I started making my way home. From St. G I take the bus to the train station at Poissy, and then I hop on the train at Poissy which takes me to Vernouillet. So the train was almost at my stop at Vernouillet, and I was standing right near the doors waiting to get off. The train has two floors, and where I was standing the stairs to the second floor on the train were right next to me. There was an older lady standing on the stairs next to me, also waiting to get off the train. All of a sudden, completely out of nowhere, without any warning whatsoever, this old lady throws up! I gasp really loud since it surprised me so much and notice that she also spewed on me and my school books. Awesome!! Now it was only little liquid droplets, but still it was so gross!! She apoligized and I said it was OK, beacause I could tell she was really embarssed, so I asked if she was OK. But as soon as a I got off the train I dropped my books and wiped everything off. In the end, it wasn't getting puked on that was the worst, it's the fact that what if I contract some kind of crazy disease because of this lady??? Because when you think about it, why did she puke randomly on the train?? I hope it was only because she was carsick!! I don't want to get sick while I'm here!! Especially with the weekend coming up!! What if I've contracted a new strain of Avain flu?? But anyway, that was quite something!! When something wacky like that happens, my motto has been "If it's not a good time, it's a good story", which since I've been here is so true!
I also went for a run today, and I ran all the way from my french house to Vernouillet (it really doesn't take that long, about ten minutes) and it was so neat!! I ran all along the tiny streets of Vernouillet, and this little town is so charming!! There are so many old, old houses made completely of stone, and some of them even have huge stone walls built around them, almost like they were some kind of small fortress when they were first built! It is so neat, and in my imagination I can just see what the old houses must've looked like when they were first built, with farmer's fields all around them and little dirt roads.... It was fantastic!
I think this is all for now, I'll try to post some more pictures but they take forever to download on my computer so don't get your hopes up!!
Bisous!!
This week went much more smoothly than last week, especially Wednesday, a.k.a Wild Wednesday. For those of you who don't know about Wild Wednesday, well, I have the boys for the full day because they don't have school. Instead of school on Wednesday the boys have Tennis and Judo lessons, so I have to drive them to their lessons too. Last wednesday was an absolute disaster, right from when they got up. This Wild Wednesday however went much smoother, so that was sooo nice!! Although I am totally exhausted come W.W. evening!! Everyday with the boys seems to go just a little bit smoother, so that is really nice. That doesn't mean I don't have stories to tell, oh no! Quite the contrary. In fact I have a real interesting one from yesterday:
After a really nice lunch spent sitting on the steps of St. G's lovely square with my new friend (Melina, the Canadian girl) eating what I think was the best sandwhich I've had so far in France, I started making my way home. From St. G I take the bus to the train station at Poissy, and then I hop on the train at Poissy which takes me to Vernouillet. So the train was almost at my stop at Vernouillet, and I was standing right near the doors waiting to get off. The train has two floors, and where I was standing the stairs to the second floor on the train were right next to me. There was an older lady standing on the stairs next to me, also waiting to get off the train. All of a sudden, completely out of nowhere, without any warning whatsoever, this old lady throws up! I gasp really loud since it surprised me so much and notice that she also spewed on me and my school books. Awesome!! Now it was only little liquid droplets, but still it was so gross!! She apoligized and I said it was OK, beacause I could tell she was really embarssed, so I asked if she was OK. But as soon as a I got off the train I dropped my books and wiped everything off. In the end, it wasn't getting puked on that was the worst, it's the fact that what if I contract some kind of crazy disease because of this lady??? Because when you think about it, why did she puke randomly on the train?? I hope it was only because she was carsick!! I don't want to get sick while I'm here!! Especially with the weekend coming up!! What if I've contracted a new strain of Avain flu?? But anyway, that was quite something!! When something wacky like that happens, my motto has been "If it's not a good time, it's a good story", which since I've been here is so true!
I also went for a run today, and I ran all the way from my french house to Vernouillet (it really doesn't take that long, about ten minutes) and it was so neat!! I ran all along the tiny streets of Vernouillet, and this little town is so charming!! There are so many old, old houses made completely of stone, and some of them even have huge stone walls built around them, almost like they were some kind of small fortress when they were first built! It is so neat, and in my imagination I can just see what the old houses must've looked like when they were first built, with farmer's fields all around them and little dirt roads.... It was fantastic!
I think this is all for now, I'll try to post some more pictures but they take forever to download on my computer so don't get your hopes up!!
Bisous!!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Pictures- The Boys!
So these are my boys!! The one on the left is Gregoire, and the other Thomas. For the most part they are good boys, but they can be a real handful and REALLY get on my nerves from time to time! But for the most part it is pretty good. The only day out of the week that I ABSOLUTELY dread is Wednesday. Every Wednesday they don't have school, so I have the boys for the full day, so that is almost twelve hours. God, am I ever exhuasted Wednesdat night! Today was, of course, another Wednesday, which went relatively better than last Wednesday (which was a disaster!), but I will blog about that later. Time for more pictures!!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Time just flies by!!
Another week has almost passed! Thursday I will have been in France for three weeks! And I'm really enjoying my stay here! I love the french culture (except for the driving), the food, the cities and towns, and the language, which is I think is improving. I love living in another culture, everything is so interesting. Just watching the way french people talk is entertaining!! I would absolutly love to live and work in France one day!! Have a little appartement overlooking the Seine, or a lovely town square.....Maybe even a view of the Effiel Tower...(That's a majour stretch I know!!) But it would be a dream come true!!!
So this week I have finally started my french course in Sainte-Germaine-en-Laye, and so far they are great!! There are about 9 or ten girls in the class, two swedes, one norweigan, a russian, an amercian, another canadian (!!), three or four german girls and me! Our teacher is named Eleanor, and she seems like a really good teacher. Unfortunatly I have only gone to one class because today Thomas was sick so I had to stay home and take care of him, which meant I had to miss my class today! :( Oh well, hopefully I can make it to Thursday's class!
Like I just said above, there is another Canadian girl in my class who's reppin' Toronto and her name is Melina. She seems quite nice! Hopefully we can become friends and explore Paris together! That would be really nice!! Yesterday after class she took me to Monoprix (which is like a really really small Walmart with a nice grocery part to it and a really, really nice clothes section!) to buy some school supplies. On the way there we were talking about our respective families and her family sounds like a bit of a nightmare!! She is staying with an Italian family in Sainte-Germaine-en-Laye, and got to France around the same time I did. She has to take care of three kids, and she was telling me that the oldest (about ten) is allowed to play Grand Theft Auto, which is an awful, awful video game for those of you who haven't heard of it. Basically the object of the game is to steal cars (stabing and killing people if you need too). It's rated R or something like that and has been quite controversial in the past because of the amount of violence in it. So not only is the ten-year-old allowed to play Grand Theft Auto, they can swear without getting in too much trouble, and on top of that, the mom doesn't even back Melina up! For instance, if Melina punishes one of kids for swearing, they run to the Mom and complain, and the Mom completely gives in and doesn't continue the punishment that Melina gave. It sounds really difficult!! I thought, wow, my family is totally different!! I really like all of them!! Of course the kids can grate on my nerves from time to time, but that's expected.
So I've been meaning to blog about this practicly since I got here, as I've noted a lot of cultrual differnces. So here are just a few of all the cultrual differences I have noted:
1. In houses, there is a room for just the toliet. No sink, no shower, just a toliet. As a result, the French people don't wash their hands.......EWWWW!!! I know. But I make the long walk across the hall to my bathroom with just a sink and shower and wash my hands, just in case you guys were worried!! haha
2. The French don't understand the concept of "customer service". Not only do YOU have to say hello when you walk into a store, just so the person working will say hello to you (well most of the time, there are exceptions), the French speak their mind and don't care. Ex: I was in the bakery today buying a baguette with Thomas, and I let him pick out a little sweet he wanted to eat. He was taking a little while to deciede, and as a result the lady behind the counter said to me: "Could you decide, because I have things to do in the back" Could you imagine if someone said that in Canada??? OOOO that would be bad!! I just laughed and odered my baguette. But for the most part, once you say "Bonjour" the French are usually pretty friendly.
I think I'll include some more differences in my next blog, as this is a lot to write about already!! But now for a few special notes....
Mr. Scott Wilson Myres, HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY!!! I hope you have a fantastic day (and night, hehe!!) and I hope that everything goes well!!
Another note to the lovely Pam Genick, can you send me you mailing address? I would like to send you guys something in the mail...
Anywhoo I think that is it for now, we are having delcious roast chicken for dinner tonight!! I love the food here!!
Bisous!!
So this week I have finally started my french course in Sainte-Germaine-en-Laye, and so far they are great!! There are about 9 or ten girls in the class, two swedes, one norweigan, a russian, an amercian, another canadian (!!), three or four german girls and me! Our teacher is named Eleanor, and she seems like a really good teacher. Unfortunatly I have only gone to one class because today Thomas was sick so I had to stay home and take care of him, which meant I had to miss my class today! :( Oh well, hopefully I can make it to Thursday's class!
Like I just said above, there is another Canadian girl in my class who's reppin' Toronto and her name is Melina. She seems quite nice! Hopefully we can become friends and explore Paris together! That would be really nice!! Yesterday after class she took me to Monoprix (which is like a really really small Walmart with a nice grocery part to it and a really, really nice clothes section!) to buy some school supplies. On the way there we were talking about our respective families and her family sounds like a bit of a nightmare!! She is staying with an Italian family in Sainte-Germaine-en-Laye, and got to France around the same time I did. She has to take care of three kids, and she was telling me that the oldest (about ten) is allowed to play Grand Theft Auto, which is an awful, awful video game for those of you who haven't heard of it. Basically the object of the game is to steal cars (stabing and killing people if you need too). It's rated R or something like that and has been quite controversial in the past because of the amount of violence in it. So not only is the ten-year-old allowed to play Grand Theft Auto, they can swear without getting in too much trouble, and on top of that, the mom doesn't even back Melina up! For instance, if Melina punishes one of kids for swearing, they run to the Mom and complain, and the Mom completely gives in and doesn't continue the punishment that Melina gave. It sounds really difficult!! I thought, wow, my family is totally different!! I really like all of them!! Of course the kids can grate on my nerves from time to time, but that's expected.
So I've been meaning to blog about this practicly since I got here, as I've noted a lot of cultrual differnces. So here are just a few of all the cultrual differences I have noted:
1. In houses, there is a room for just the toliet. No sink, no shower, just a toliet. As a result, the French people don't wash their hands.......EWWWW!!! I know. But I make the long walk across the hall to my bathroom with just a sink and shower and wash my hands, just in case you guys were worried!! haha
2. The French don't understand the concept of "customer service". Not only do YOU have to say hello when you walk into a store, just so the person working will say hello to you (well most of the time, there are exceptions), the French speak their mind and don't care. Ex: I was in the bakery today buying a baguette with Thomas, and I let him pick out a little sweet he wanted to eat. He was taking a little while to deciede, and as a result the lady behind the counter said to me: "Could you decide, because I have things to do in the back" Could you imagine if someone said that in Canada??? OOOO that would be bad!! I just laughed and odered my baguette. But for the most part, once you say "Bonjour" the French are usually pretty friendly.
I think I'll include some more differences in my next blog, as this is a lot to write about already!! But now for a few special notes....
Mr. Scott Wilson Myres, HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY!!! I hope you have a fantastic day (and night, hehe!!) and I hope that everything goes well!!
Another note to the lovely Pam Genick, can you send me you mailing address? I would like to send you guys something in the mail...
Anywhoo I think that is it for now, we are having delcious roast chicken for dinner tonight!! I love the food here!!
Bisous!!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
PARIS!!
Yesterday I finally made it to Paris!! It was amazing!!! I spent almost 12 hours there, so when I got back I was T-I-R-E-D!! But it was an awesome day!! I went grocery shopping in the morning with Veronique and the boys so she could buy food I like to eat, so of course I got Peanut Butter!!! But anyway, enough about grocery shopping, now about Paris!! After grocery shopping she dropped me off at the train station and then I took the train all the way to Paris, to Saint-Lazare station. From there I took the metro all the way to Ile de la Cite and found my way to Notre-Dame! I walked around Notre-Dame and Ile de la Cite for quite a few hours. I bought (of course) a chocolate crepe, and baguette sandwhich and ate that right in front of Notre Dame! It was really neat. I also went to the Crypte Archelogique because A) it looked and interesting, but more because B) it was sooo cold out and I needed to warm up! haha But the Crypte was neat, it was underneath the Notre Dame Square, and it housed the foundations of a very ancient Paris, and explained all the history about the beginnings of Paris. After that I crossed the Petit Pont and made my way into the Quartier Latin, which is chock-a-block full of restaurants!! I got another chocolate crepe ( I had too!! I needed lots of energy!!) and explored that area for a while, then I made my way to the Effiel Tower!! It was soooo amazing! I have been there before, but I forgot how huge and imposing the Effiel Tower is!! It truly is magnificent! I took lots of photos and then got in line to climb up it! I walked all the way up the the to the second part, but to get the very top you have to go up an elevator, and there was a HUGE line up so I thought I would just come back another day in the morning, because by then it was dark out. It was neat because while I was on the tower it light up and then started to sparkle!! It was quite magical actually!! After some time of looking at all the sights, I made my way back down. I then took the metro back to the Quartier Latin, got a bit to eat, then took the RER back to Sainte Lazare then back to Vernouillet! I was so tired so I just flopped into bed and went right to sleep!
While that was yesterday, here was today:
So today I had planned to just spend the afternoon in Paris at the Musee d'Orsay as I was tired and didn't want to do lots of walking. So I drive to the train station only to find out that there is no to train to Paris today! Wooo hoo!! That's just great!! Some a**holes decieded to attack the attendants/security guards that patrol each station at night so as a result, those workers went on strike and my line to Paris was cancelled. I was upset because I had really wanted to go into Paris again, and wouldn't be able to into Paris till next weekend, but what can you do? I cut my loses and knew that whoever these jerks were, Karma would get them reaaaaaaal bad!! So I drove back home and told the family what had happened because they were very surprised to see me again. But much to my delight, Fabrice offered to drive me to La Defense, where I could take the train to Musee d'Orsay!! How very nice of him!! Of course I said yes, so after a very very VERY delicious LUNCH of a whole Norweigan Salmon, potatoes, and leeks and green onions fried and mixed in a lovely cream sauce, Fabrice and I headed to La Defense. (Ya, I know, that's how the french do Sunday lunches: big, tasty, and delicious!! But followed by a light dinner. Last sunday it was a whole roast chicken for lunch!! Yummmmmm) So from La Defense I took the RER and metro to Musee d'Orsay, where I spent a lovely afternoon!! I saw many beautiful sculptures and paintings, and they have a huge exhibit on Van Gogh that I didn't even get to today but most certainly have to go back to see!! There was one especially beautiful statue that really caught my eye. It was a statue of a woman made in marble, but the marble was coloured!! It was incredible, I had never seen anything like it!! Her dress was a beautiful pattern of earthy browns, with a large turquoise pendant just underneath her bust. She also had a beige shawl drapped around her shoulders and even her hair and skin were different shades of marble!! It was so beautiful, I don't know how the artist managed to get all the different types of marble together because all the different pieces of marble were so seamlessly pieced together. After a few hours at the Musee I made my way back to the metro stations then to La Defense and then back home!!
You know, navigating all the metro stations and streets all over Paris all by myself has made me quite proud of myself!! I haven't yet got majorly lost (knock on wood!!) and have managed to find all my destinations relatively easy. I am quite proud of myself!! :D
Back to the subject of museums, Veronique was telling me that I can buy a museum pass to practically all the museums in Paris so I can go see them anytime I want for free!! I'll definatly have to look into that!
Another week of "work" is coming up, hopefully this week will be better!! I haven't metioned much in the blog, but this past week was really challenging!! The boys, especially (and mostly) Gregoire were putting me through their little tests and made it really challenging to take care of them as a result. I think they are more used to me now and hopefully (!!!) will be a bit easier to take care of this week.
I'm really, really enjoying my time here, everything is awesome!!
Next weekend I think I'll hit up the Louvre all day saturday!!
Bisous,
Kelsey
While that was yesterday, here was today:
So today I had planned to just spend the afternoon in Paris at the Musee d'Orsay as I was tired and didn't want to do lots of walking. So I drive to the train station only to find out that there is no to train to Paris today! Wooo hoo!! That's just great!! Some a**holes decieded to attack the attendants/security guards that patrol each station at night so as a result, those workers went on strike and my line to Paris was cancelled. I was upset because I had really wanted to go into Paris again, and wouldn't be able to into Paris till next weekend, but what can you do? I cut my loses and knew that whoever these jerks were, Karma would get them reaaaaaaal bad!! So I drove back home and told the family what had happened because they were very surprised to see me again. But much to my delight, Fabrice offered to drive me to La Defense, where I could take the train to Musee d'Orsay!! How very nice of him!! Of course I said yes, so after a very very VERY delicious LUNCH of a whole Norweigan Salmon, potatoes, and leeks and green onions fried and mixed in a lovely cream sauce, Fabrice and I headed to La Defense. (Ya, I know, that's how the french do Sunday lunches: big, tasty, and delicious!! But followed by a light dinner. Last sunday it was a whole roast chicken for lunch!! Yummmmmm) So from La Defense I took the RER and metro to Musee d'Orsay, where I spent a lovely afternoon!! I saw many beautiful sculptures and paintings, and they have a huge exhibit on Van Gogh that I didn't even get to today but most certainly have to go back to see!! There was one especially beautiful statue that really caught my eye. It was a statue of a woman made in marble, but the marble was coloured!! It was incredible, I had never seen anything like it!! Her dress was a beautiful pattern of earthy browns, with a large turquoise pendant just underneath her bust. She also had a beige shawl drapped around her shoulders and even her hair and skin were different shades of marble!! It was so beautiful, I don't know how the artist managed to get all the different types of marble together because all the different pieces of marble were so seamlessly pieced together. After a few hours at the Musee I made my way back to the metro stations then to La Defense and then back home!!
You know, navigating all the metro stations and streets all over Paris all by myself has made me quite proud of myself!! I haven't yet got majorly lost (knock on wood!!) and have managed to find all my destinations relatively easy. I am quite proud of myself!! :D
Back to the subject of museums, Veronique was telling me that I can buy a museum pass to practically all the museums in Paris so I can go see them anytime I want for free!! I'll definatly have to look into that!
Another week of "work" is coming up, hopefully this week will be better!! I haven't metioned much in the blog, but this past week was really challenging!! The boys, especially (and mostly) Gregoire were putting me through their little tests and made it really challenging to take care of them as a result. I think they are more used to me now and hopefully (!!!) will be a bit easier to take care of this week.
I'm really, really enjoying my time here, everything is awesome!!
Next weekend I think I'll hit up the Louvre all day saturday!!
Bisous,
Kelsey
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
I think I will really enjoy my time here.....
Woo! So today I went to Sainte-Germaine-en-Laye to take a entry test to determine what class I will be in when I start my course, and it was really neat!! St. G is a BEAUTIFUL city!!! To get there from where I am staying I have to drive to the train station from my french home, take the train to Poissy, then take a bus to St. G. Right across from my bus stop in St. G is amazing!!! There is a huge castle, a magnificent park with beautiful tree lined walkways, a fountain, and a beautiful view of Paris!! It is amazing!! I couldn't believe it when I got off the stop! And my school is right around the corner, right in the heart of St. G, with all these shops, bakeries, and AMAZING arcitechture!!! It is soo lovely and I am really excited to take my course!! I think I will really enjoy staying here!!
So yesterday was my first offical day of being an au pair, and it went well! I picked the boys up from school, played with them for an hour or so, then it was bath time for the boys, while I made supper for them. After supper we played for about an hour or so, help Gregoire (the older boy) with his homework, then Veronique and Fabrice came home around 8:00. Usually Veronique comes home around 7:15, but she had lots of work to do so she didn't get home till 8:00. It was actually pretty fun!! Everyday here seems to get better and better, because each day I get accostomed to the family more, the town, etc, etc!! So things have been going good, but there have been some minor bumps in road in regards to driving!! So in France, in general, French drivers, roads, and rules are comletely crazy. They have the most retarded rules here, like Priorite a Droite, which is Priority to the Right in english. So for example, if you're driving on the main road and another small road joins the main one on the right, you would have to stop for that car!! I know, completely retarded!! Not only that, they have traffic lights in the most useless places!! On the road I drive on to go Vernouillet, right in the middle of no where there is a traffic light. No roads joing the traffic light on either side, you can only go straight. Yet I still have to stop. So those are just some of the wacky things in France!! Not only that, there are a TON of one way streets that are not very well marked!! For instance, when I drove to the train station today, I couldn't find any parking in the parking lot. So I drove down a little ways down a street just near the station, parked, and started walking to the train station. But something in me was telling me that I can't park there. So I turn around, look down the street, and sure enough it was a one way, and I was going the wrong way!!!! Thank god it was only a residence street, but just at that moment too, some ticket officers were walking to my car!!! So off I ran, yelling "EXCUSEZ-MOI, EXCUSEZ-MOI" to the ticket officers. I caught up to them and told them I would move my car as I just realized this was a one way street!! Thankfully he didn't give be a ticket, and obviously could tell I was a foreigner!! I was just about to say "I'm not from here, I'm from Canada! I'm not used to this kind of driving!" But he told me I could park somewhere else and went on his way. So OK, avoided that mishap, but where to park now?? So I turn around drive out of the train station and start looking for places to park. Well there aren't any near the station. So I had to dirve all the way up to the town center where I knew there would be parking, and walk back. So I found a parking space and walked to the station, which took me about fifteen minutes!! Ohhh, goodness!!! But I still caught my train and on the way back I looked around the train station and found a side street that I can park on!!! haha, Everytime something like this happens to me, I keep saying to myself, "Well, think how good of a driver I'll be when I come home in the summer!!" Oh my goodness driving in Penticton will be a piece of cake when I come back!!!! Ahhh, nice wide roads, stop lights that are usefully, drivers who aren't insane......ahh it will be nice!! But I think I've figured out the general layout of the streets around the town center and the train staion, so I should be fine from now on!!
But I should probably go now, I have to pick up the kids from school soon!!
Bisous!!
So yesterday was my first offical day of being an au pair, and it went well! I picked the boys up from school, played with them for an hour or so, then it was bath time for the boys, while I made supper for them. After supper we played for about an hour or so, help Gregoire (the older boy) with his homework, then Veronique and Fabrice came home around 8:00. Usually Veronique comes home around 7:15, but she had lots of work to do so she didn't get home till 8:00. It was actually pretty fun!! Everyday here seems to get better and better, because each day I get accostomed to the family more, the town, etc, etc!! So things have been going good, but there have been some minor bumps in road in regards to driving!! So in France, in general, French drivers, roads, and rules are comletely crazy. They have the most retarded rules here, like Priorite a Droite, which is Priority to the Right in english. So for example, if you're driving on the main road and another small road joins the main one on the right, you would have to stop for that car!! I know, completely retarded!! Not only that, they have traffic lights in the most useless places!! On the road I drive on to go Vernouillet, right in the middle of no where there is a traffic light. No roads joing the traffic light on either side, you can only go straight. Yet I still have to stop. So those are just some of the wacky things in France!! Not only that, there are a TON of one way streets that are not very well marked!! For instance, when I drove to the train station today, I couldn't find any parking in the parking lot. So I drove down a little ways down a street just near the station, parked, and started walking to the train station. But something in me was telling me that I can't park there. So I turn around, look down the street, and sure enough it was a one way, and I was going the wrong way!!!! Thank god it was only a residence street, but just at that moment too, some ticket officers were walking to my car!!! So off I ran, yelling "EXCUSEZ-MOI, EXCUSEZ-MOI" to the ticket officers. I caught up to them and told them I would move my car as I just realized this was a one way street!! Thankfully he didn't give be a ticket, and obviously could tell I was a foreigner!! I was just about to say "I'm not from here, I'm from Canada! I'm not used to this kind of driving!" But he told me I could park somewhere else and went on his way. So OK, avoided that mishap, but where to park now?? So I turn around drive out of the train station and start looking for places to park. Well there aren't any near the station. So I had to dirve all the way up to the town center where I knew there would be parking, and walk back. So I found a parking space and walked to the station, which took me about fifteen minutes!! Ohhh, goodness!!! But I still caught my train and on the way back I looked around the train station and found a side street that I can park on!!! haha, Everytime something like this happens to me, I keep saying to myself, "Well, think how good of a driver I'll be when I come home in the summer!!" Oh my goodness driving in Penticton will be a piece of cake when I come back!!!! Ahhh, nice wide roads, stop lights that are usefully, drivers who aren't insane......ahh it will be nice!! But I think I've figured out the general layout of the streets around the town center and the train staion, so I should be fine from now on!!
But I should probably go now, I have to pick up the kids from school soon!!
Bisous!!
Monday, March 8, 2010
I know, this post is waaay later then it should be, but I had no internet connection at the hotel I was staying at Les Arcs 1950!! And it's been a whirlwind week so far too!!
So, I'll start from the beginning then. At 6:05 AM, February 24, I said goodbye to my family and Meagan at the Penticton airport and flew to Vancouver, then to Toronto, then to Paris. A lot of tears were shed at the airport, some more on the plane, but otherwise the flights and all the connections were fine. When I arrived, Veronique and Gregoire, who is seven, picked me up. From there we took a bus to Paris, got on a train, then a short drive to my new home for five months!! It is really lovely, we're quite in the country, but still really close to the town, and only 25 minutes by train to the heart of Paris!! So it's the best of both worlds I think! Everything is so green here, and the road that leads to the house is lined with Cherry trees that will be all in bloom in just a short while!! We have a big beautiful yard with a lovely patio, and the back yard joins with the forest right behind us!! It is soo lovely!! And my room on the second floor has a nice big window which opens up and looks right onto the quaint little street I am on!! It's so pretty!!!
The house is really nice, so I was there for only a day and a half, and then the next evening Veronique, Fabrice (the dad), Gregoire, Thomas (who's four), Mammie Annie (the grandma), Octavie (the cousin, she is also seven), and me, all piled into there van, and drove for eight hours (we stopped overnight) to Les Arcs 1950 in the French Alps!! It was soooo amazing!!! Everything was incredible there, the mountains, the skiing, the village, the lifts, the VIEWS!!!! So incredible!!! It was a great week full of awesome skiing, good food, and taking notes on the family! haha I'm so thankful that they invited me on their trip and I had a week to settle in and get to know them because otherwise if they hadn't of invited me, I would've just got here yesterday (!!!!) and most likey would have started working!!! Man oh man that would not have been nice!!!
Well, as I just said, today is my first day working, and today I have to pick up the boys from school at four thirty, take them home, play with them, give them a bath, make their supper then play with them some more until Veronique comes home around quarter after seven! I haven't even started working yet, but today was already an eventful day!! Veronique always takes the boys to school but I went with her this morning just so she could introduce me to the kids teachers so they know who I am when I pick them up. So then Veronique usally takes the bus to the train Station, then the train to Paris for work. But she was running a little late today, so she suggested I go with her to the station then I can drive back. Sure, that's fine I said, I was already fairly familar with how to get there. So we arrive at the station, I say good bye, then I get in the car and start driving. Well, I take a right turn instead of a left turn, and I start heading in the wrong direction!! I start driving to god know's where, passing round-a-bouts, and tiny little streets, all while getting a little scared, and realizing I'm completely friggen lost!!!! I've been driving for a little while now, hoping I will some how find my way back, when I get on to a fairly large road that I realize could be heading to Paris for all I know!! So I pull over, hazard lights go on, pull out the GPS, and start finding my way back again. So I start driving back, but not without some incidents!! At one intersection I stall a couple times and the line of cars keeps getting bigger and bigger until they finally all pass me...I heard a couple of honks, some yelling, but I just ignored them all. French drivers are sooo incredibly impatient and crazy!!! I eventually get going, and after a little while longer find my way back to the main road!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so happy and relieved, knowing now that I knew where to go!! I finally made it back to the house, and all this took about an hour, when it shoul've taken no more then 10 minutes!!! I was really shaken when I got back, but it kind of made me feel a bit empowered knowing that I safely made my way back, navigating these tiny streets, ignoring the crazy french driver, all while driving standard!!!
Well I think that is it for now, will probably update the blog tomorrow about other things that I have experienced so far like the language, the food, etc, etc, etc,!!
I think I will go to the town center now and buy some baguettes! (yes, being serious here!!)
Bisous, (kisses)
Kelsey
So, I'll start from the beginning then. At 6:05 AM, February 24, I said goodbye to my family and Meagan at the Penticton airport and flew to Vancouver, then to Toronto, then to Paris. A lot of tears were shed at the airport, some more on the plane, but otherwise the flights and all the connections were fine. When I arrived, Veronique and Gregoire, who is seven, picked me up. From there we took a bus to Paris, got on a train, then a short drive to my new home for five months!! It is really lovely, we're quite in the country, but still really close to the town, and only 25 minutes by train to the heart of Paris!! So it's the best of both worlds I think! Everything is so green here, and the road that leads to the house is lined with Cherry trees that will be all in bloom in just a short while!! We have a big beautiful yard with a lovely patio, and the back yard joins with the forest right behind us!! It is soo lovely!! And my room on the second floor has a nice big window which opens up and looks right onto the quaint little street I am on!! It's so pretty!!!
The house is really nice, so I was there for only a day and a half, and then the next evening Veronique, Fabrice (the dad), Gregoire, Thomas (who's four), Mammie Annie (the grandma), Octavie (the cousin, she is also seven), and me, all piled into there van, and drove for eight hours (we stopped overnight) to Les Arcs 1950 in the French Alps!! It was soooo amazing!!! Everything was incredible there, the mountains, the skiing, the village, the lifts, the VIEWS!!!! So incredible!!! It was a great week full of awesome skiing, good food, and taking notes on the family! haha I'm so thankful that they invited me on their trip and I had a week to settle in and get to know them because otherwise if they hadn't of invited me, I would've just got here yesterday (!!!!) and most likey would have started working!!! Man oh man that would not have been nice!!!
Well, as I just said, today is my first day working, and today I have to pick up the boys from school at four thirty, take them home, play with them, give them a bath, make their supper then play with them some more until Veronique comes home around quarter after seven! I haven't even started working yet, but today was already an eventful day!! Veronique always takes the boys to school but I went with her this morning just so she could introduce me to the kids teachers so they know who I am when I pick them up. So then Veronique usally takes the bus to the train Station, then the train to Paris for work. But she was running a little late today, so she suggested I go with her to the station then I can drive back. Sure, that's fine I said, I was already fairly familar with how to get there. So we arrive at the station, I say good bye, then I get in the car and start driving. Well, I take a right turn instead of a left turn, and I start heading in the wrong direction!! I start driving to god know's where, passing round-a-bouts, and tiny little streets, all while getting a little scared, and realizing I'm completely friggen lost!!!! I've been driving for a little while now, hoping I will some how find my way back, when I get on to a fairly large road that I realize could be heading to Paris for all I know!! So I pull over, hazard lights go on, pull out the GPS, and start finding my way back again. So I start driving back, but not without some incidents!! At one intersection I stall a couple times and the line of cars keeps getting bigger and bigger until they finally all pass me...I heard a couple of honks, some yelling, but I just ignored them all. French drivers are sooo incredibly impatient and crazy!!! I eventually get going, and after a little while longer find my way back to the main road!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so happy and relieved, knowing now that I knew where to go!! I finally made it back to the house, and all this took about an hour, when it shoul've taken no more then 10 minutes!!! I was really shaken when I got back, but it kind of made me feel a bit empowered knowing that I safely made my way back, navigating these tiny streets, ignoring the crazy french driver, all while driving standard!!!
Well I think that is it for now, will probably update the blog tomorrow about other things that I have experienced so far like the language, the food, etc, etc, etc,!!
I think I will go to the town center now and buy some baguettes! (yes, being serious here!!)
Bisous, (kisses)
Kelsey
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Beginning!!!
Well it's my first post!! Yes, I haven't left yet, I'm still sitting in my kitchen in Penticton writing this. BUT I leave for France tomorrow!!!! I can't believe I can actually say that!!! It is very wierd, all this waiting and it is finally here!!
This blog is for anyone to read, and it's a way for me to let everyone who wants to know what i'm up to and all the latest adventures that have happened. I'll try to update the blog twice a week, but it may be more sometimes, it may be less. So just stay posted people!!
Anyway I'll save some blogging for when I am actually in France!!!
Bisous,
Mlle K
This blog is for anyone to read, and it's a way for me to let everyone who wants to know what i'm up to and all the latest adventures that have happened. I'll try to update the blog twice a week, but it may be more sometimes, it may be less. So just stay posted people!!
Anyway I'll save some blogging for when I am actually in France!!!
Bisous,
Mlle K
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