tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76766021082867326532024-03-13T01:07:50.171+01:00Bonjour Amanda!It's Amanda! In France! This is for you to read about what's going on in my life in France: the thoughts, the feelings, the adventures, the travels, the ups and downs and the quest of finding my way through teaching (hectic as it may get)! Since I may not be able to talk to everyone on a reguarly basis, I hope this can give you an insite to my life as a Frenchie!!!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-47417863781627663542009-02-17T19:30:00.003+01:002009-02-17T20:11:49.850+01:00I'm getting way to used to taking naps in the afternoon!!!!!!So what's new in the life of Amanda the Frenchie?<br /><br />Well, for one, it almost vacation!!! YAY! I just have my private tutor lesson tomorrow and then two classes on Thursday and them I'M FREE for two whole weeks! On Friday, I leave for Spain. San Sebastian, Spain to be specific. I am meeting my friend, Barbara there. She was the exchange student who stayed with my family in Australia after I did. She is from Austria and is studying in Spain for a month, so I'm going to visit her :). I met her for the first time when I went to Australia last January to go to Phil (my host dad) and Carol's (my "step" host mom, i guess?? haha) wedding. Barbara is awesome and I can't wait to spend sometime with her, specially in SPAIN! Even though I am so close to Spain (only a 4 hour train ride) I didn't think I would have time to make it, but now I am, so it makes it all the better. I am in Spain from Friday the 20th till Monday the 23rd. After that, I am going to Nirot to spend a few days with Melissa and then we will both head back to La Rochelle on the 25th-ish to get ready to head to LONDON! I'm so excited. I talked with Amanda (my roommate from last year in Mankato, who is now living in London) last night and she gave me some great advise on what we should plan to see, so I feel like we have a jump on things knowing them in advance. We will be staying with her and will be in London for 6 days. So, we should be able to see a lot of things. We may even take a couple days to head up to Scotland??? But not sure, I'll let you know :)<br /><br />Work has been going good. I'm finally at the point where I really enjoy going. Only took five months! Haha. But better late than never, I guess! The kids are finally getting used to me and know what is expected when I come in. It's nice.<br /><br />Last weekend, Melissa, Donald, Jamie, Donald's friend Brandi (who is an assistant in Brittany, which is in northwestern France) and I took a trip out to Fort Boyard. It's just off the coast of La Rochelle and is this really old Fort. They built it as an impenetrable fort, because it's located in the ocean and is very difficult to get in. It's really interesting, because it's literally a lot of cement plopped right in the middle of the ocean. The next sentence I was going to have here was, "See the photos to get a better idea," but our internet is running slow and I can't upload them! Ah! Sorry :( I'll try to get some up soon, but in the mean time google "Fort Boyard" for some photos. We weren't able to go in, because they don't let people and it's actually now used for a game show (crazy, huh?) but it was really awesome to see and definitely worth it. It was a bit expensive, but if I wouldn't have done it, I would have regretted it.<br /><br />AGAIN, my next sentence what going to be, "Here are some photos from my weekends in Niort," but again, I can't upload any. Sorry :( I'll try to get some up as soon as possible. Niort is very different from La Rochelle, because it's very hilly! I love it! It's a very beautiful city and Melissa and I have had many fun times there :)<br /><br />Anyways, just wanted to let you know I'm still kicking :) And I'll have some amazing stories in the next couple weeks!<br /><br />P.S. Count down: 2 months 3 weeks :D It's going soooo fast! I like that it's going fast, but I'm kind of nervous at the same time! AH!!! I can't win! Hahahaha.<br /><br />P.P.S. I remembered something cute that happened today in one of my classes. It was my last class of the day and right before I left, one of the kids said, "Amanda, can you say something in English? Say a really long sentence in English!" In this class, the teacher speaks pretty good English, honestly, I'm not sure why I'm there, because, even though she has an accent, she speaks really well, so I usually end up just assisting her in saying words, etc, where as in the other classes, I'm the English teacher, I do my own thing away from the teacher. So, these kids in this class really don't hear me speak as much as the other. So, my really "long" sentence was, "I hope you all have a fun vacation. I hope the weather is beautiful and that you are all safe." Their reaction was great. They were all like, "Ahh! Wow!!!!!" Hahaha. So cute. Then I said it again really slow and they understood "vacation" and "fun" so they understood what I was getting at.<br /><br />Oh! Another really funny thing that happened last week. I was teaching clothes to my older kids, ages 10-11, and I came to the "boots" flashcard. When I introduce new vocab, I always have them repeat the word three or four times. So, I held up the flashcard of the boots and said, "Boots" and this one kid, I think he may have ADD or something, he's always being really loud and seems agitated all the time, said REALLY loud, "BOOBS." I said, "No! No! BooTs. BooTTTTs!" Hahahahaha. I couldn't help, but have a really big smile on my face and giggle a bit. Obviously, he doesn't know what "boobs" mean, just mispronounced. It makes me wonder how many times I do that in French and they hold back a laugh :) Hahaha, not many I hope!!!!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-21274786281818604922009-02-04T17:50:00.004+01:002009-02-04T18:29:27.138+01:00YAY! I Rock Someone's Socks Off!!!YAY! I WIN! :)<br /><br />+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<br /><br />Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass the Award on to 5 most-deserving Blog Friends.<br />* <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DnejHZ8iGjE/SYeVvv5OPzI/AAAAAAAAAEA/ZXJ1wPpP7_A/s1600-h/superior_scribbler_award.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298368134167543602" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right; width: 145px; height: 200px;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DnejHZ8iGjE/SYeVvv5OPzI/AAAAAAAAAEA/ZXJ1wPpP7_A/s200/superior_scribbler_award.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />You must link to the author and name of the blog from where he/she has received the award.<br />*<br />You must display the Award on your blog and link to THIS POST <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span> which explains the Award.<br />*<br />Each blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add your name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, they will be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives this prestigious honor.You must post these rules on your blog.<br />*<br />Each recipient must post these rules on his/her blog.<br /><br />++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++<br /><br />Now, since I don't have many friends on blogger.com, well, let's get serious, I only have one :) hahaha, so this award goes to her FIVE TIMES!!!!! WooooWhoooOO!<br /><br />My friend Kacie<a href="http://neo-plains-woman.blogspot.com"></a> ---<a href="http://neo-plains-woman.blogspot.com">Neo-plains Woman</a>--- and I go way back, wow, it's really weird to say that. We were friends throughout high school, which, mind you, is now almost 6 years ago!!! And we roomed in college together and filled our walls with dirty words, which really upset our R.A., but we found it entertaining. I miss you, Kacie! And I'm going to come see your train when I come home ;) I love reading her blog, because it reminds me so much of home and it makes me happy :)<br /><br />Before I forget, I have a couple of funny stories from my classroom experience. I don't think I've ever wrote them on here and I need to, because now I don't remember the funny things that HAVE happened, but I'll start now. Yesterday, my most dreaded school, though it's not THAT bad, but some of the classes are just really misbehaved and the director of the school is kind of really creepy, BUT anyways...it was my first class of the day, I was waiting for all the kids to sit down and arrange their stuff as the teacher, like usual, was yelling at them, something you would never see in the States, well at least not to the extent that the French teachers yell, and I look at this kid in the front row, which, mind you, is the cutest thing. He's has glasses and is a bit on the "bigger" side, but you can tell he has such a good heart, even though he's 7, you can still see he is/is going to be a really good person. Plus, he really likes learning and tries really hard in my class and I take a liking to those who like to learn and now I understand why all my teachers didn't like me, not that I don't like to learn, because I love to, but I had a hard time paying attention all the time, haha. ALRIGHT, anyways, I've made a really, really short story really, really too long, but to get to my point, this kid had a sweatshirt on and it had written on it, "South Dakota." I was like WHAT?! I wanted to ask where he got it from, but I'm sure he got it in France, like how you can get "Paris" shirts in the U.S., but I thought it was awesome, because it was South Dakota. You'd expect it to be "L.A." or "N.Y.C." but South Dakato?! I loved it and it made me smile. It was like a little sign from someone up above saying, "Eventhough this school isn't your favorite, you still got home." It was just cool.<br /><br />In another class that day, the teacher wanted me to do an activity where the kids had to think of words that began with "p." Simple enough. So, the kids would come up with a word and I would ask them to spell it, so they could practice their English alphabet, and then I would write the words on the on the board. One girl, who is a smarty pants and is the cutest little thing ever, (haha, if you ask me to describe any of my students, they are all the "cutest little thing ever") raised her hand and I said "Yes" and she said her "p" word like this: piiiiss. I smiled and said "Ah, what?" And she said, again, "Piiiiss." I smiled more and giggled a bit and then asked her how to spell it. It turns out she was trying to say "peace," but with the differences with the vowels from French to English, she got confused. While she was spelling it and said "p...ahhh..." I was just thinking, "Oh my gosh, how am I going to explain that this is not an apporpriate word to use?!?!??!?!?" Hahahaha. Funny story and just thought I'd tell you.<br /><br />Oh! I just thought of another cutest little kid ever. He is in my Monday school, which is my favorite school to go to. The VERY first day of classes way back in October, I was just observing and not teaching, so I sat in the back of the class. This little kid, which I must get a picture of him, because he just is so cute and his looks would make this story better, not that he's "funny" looking or anything, but you understand...I hope :)...but, anyways, this little kid came to me in the middle of class, while the teacher was teaching and came to ask me a question. This was in October, so my ability to understand wasn't where it is now and it's so much harder to understand younger kids, because of their "little kid talk." But he came up to me and asked me a question and I had NO clue what he said, so I'm just like, "Ahhhh, oui?" (Which is "yes" in French, if you didn't know). He looked at me, smiled and went back to his seat. I was thinking, "Alright, good answer...I think..." Then, at the end of that class, he came up to me in his cute little waddle, funny walk and stuck his hand up in the air and said "A lundi!" Which in French means, "See you Monday." And then he walked away. Now, every Monday at this school, this kid always talks to me. I ask him about the toys he's playing with, because he always seems to have a different toy like hacky sacks or marbles. So I ask him what they are called in French and then he goes off in French and tells me about them. Even though I don't understand much of what he's saying, I just love that he's talking to me and doesn't understand that I don't understand a lot.<br /><br />I love little kids, they don't judge.<br /><br />OH! ANOTHER ONE! Well, if you getting bored, it's okay. Even if you don't read all this, I will at least have these written down for the future.<br /><br />I was at my Thursday school, which I really do like as well, but only have two classes at and in between classes, which the kids have a short recess, I sit in the teachers lounge. One day, there was this little kid there, not even my student, but I think he was in trouble, because he couldn't go out for recess. I was sitting there and he had a book. He asks me in French, "Do you know this book." And I said, "I'm not sure, let me see." So he gives me the book and I said, "No, I don't." And then he said, "What is (insert French word I can't remember here) in English?" And I said, "Mmmm I don't know. Is it an animal?" And he said, "Yes." The book had a whole bunch of white chickens (I think it was chickens) on the front with one black one, I think it was the equivilent of our "Ugly Duckling." So I said, "Is it a little chicken, like a baby chicken?" And he said, "Yes!" And then I told him the word in English and he just kept talking to me and asking me, "What is _____ in English?" At one point he asked me in French, "What is soccer in English?" It was so cute. Throughout all of this, there was a teaching in the room who was smiling and everytime I couldn't understand one of the little kids words, he'd describe it to me in French, because I don't think he knew very much English, and then I'd usually get it. It was just really cool.<br /><br />I love little kids. They don't care that you can't speak complete phrases or don't fully understand, but will still talk to you anyways and won't judge you or give you weird looks. I will remember all these little kids and all these little "happenings." They're the best part of my job.<br /><br />I'll try to think of my other cute stories I have, because they are the best part of my day :).<br /><br />Tomorrow's another day...classes, then Melissa comes, hopefully with a date planned with her bus driver man ;) So, hopefully I'll have an interesting story for you soon.Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-34540445273118356352009-02-02T00:34:00.004+01:002009-02-03T23:56:27.524+01:00The Super Bowl In France?!Yup, right now I am watching the Super Bowl. Included: fatty appetizers and some pop. Crazy, huh? It's almost the same, minus the English commentary and the awesome commercials.<br /><br />I had a pretty good weekend. I needed a good weekend (obviously from my last post) and it was good. I didn't have class on Thursday, because the teachers, along with the rest of France (literally all of France: trains, teachers, buses), were on strike. I knew of the reason at one time, but can't remember at the moment. Since I didn't have class on Thursday, I went to Niort on Wednesday evening. Melissa and I had a great time and I really needed just to be with someone from home. I wasn't in a good place at the time of the last post, but now, I'm much better. We cooked really good food: fish soup (which was amazing), our version of chocolate chip cookies (no oven, remind you), deep fried shrimp (with no deep fryer) and an amazing salad. It was great. We also went to the movie, "Yes Man." Yes, it was in French and yes I wasn't sure if I would be able to understand everything, but YES I did, well mostly!!! It was awesome just to know I can watch a movie and comprehend 95% of what is said. It's nice. And it was a really good movie. We also went to see the strike happening, "manifestation" in French. The French strike for everything and only do it for a day or maybe two. It was interesting to see. They marched, but also had music blasting from a car and balloons. It was very different.<br /><br />On Saturday, Melissa and I came to La Rochelle and did a bit of shopping. After buying nothing, I dared Melissa to give the cute bus driver her number and, to make a long story short, she did and now she has a potential date this next weekend :) hahahaha. Long story and if you really want to know it, I'll tell you.<br /><br />Today is the first Sunday of the month and since it's the first Sunday of the month, La Rochelle has free admission to all the museums. So, we went to the three museums: La Nouvelle Monde (the New World), Natural History Museum and one I forgot the name about, but had a bunch of plates, yes, plates AND we went to the three towers. It was awesome, because, well, it was free, and it was nice to see what La Rochelle had.<br /><br />Tonight, there is people over at our place for a Super Bowl Party. It is 12:46 a.m. (7 hours ahead of home) and they just started. I have to be up at 8 a.m., so I'll probably be hitting the hay in just a bit.<br /><br />OH! Yesturday, Melissa, Donald (another assistant from Louisiana) and I ordered our tickets for London for our Feb-March break! We will be leaving Feb 28th and staying until March 6th. It should be great, because, HELLO! it's London AND I get to see Amanda (my roomie from last year) because she is in living in London! I'm SOOOOOOO excited for the both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!<br /><br />2 months and 2 weeks till my MAMA comes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And that means 3 months till I go HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, I can't wait! OH! AND our trip that my Mama and I are going on will consist of: Paris, Rome, Venice, Milan, London and.............EGYPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited to see pyramids. It's not definate yet, but we will know this week if we are going to be going to Egypt! I really, really, really, really hope we can!<br /><br />Anyways, I hope everyone is having a Happy Super Bowl Sunday :D !!!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-68521981875958635882009-01-27T21:25:00.006+01:002009-01-27T21:53:01.141+01:00And everything will be just fine....So, this might not be a "happy-go-lucky-I'm-in-France-yay" post. I'm struggling. I thought this time here would help me to accept and understand people from different backgrounds (American, French, black, white, children, adults, etc) better. But actually, it has done the complete opposite.<br /><br />I always saw myself as someone that could be around and get along with almost anyone if I had to, no matter what conflict of interest or views. I was brought up to accept people how they are and not to judge them. I feel as though I do my best at this. In my situation, where, for your own sanity, you must find or form a "family" with the people that are around you and who you can relate the best with, which for me, obviously, is English speakers. And I would have thought that people here would be the "I'm opened minded, love traveling and exploring new cultures and accept people for who they are" like myself. Granted, most of them are or most of them have some of these qualities, but I often wonder, despite having these qualities, are they soulless? Do these people get personal gratification for making other people feel crappy?<br /><br />I won't go into detail, because the details are not my point. But who the hell are these people and when do I get my true friends back?????? I've almost forgotten what it feels like to have true friends by my side, to catch me when I stumble, to be there to listen, to have a shoulder to cry on.<br /><br />I've been wondering lately too, probably more often than I'd like, if my experience here would have been better if I would have been placed with different people or in a different area. My thinking: yes. I think I would have actually enjoyed myself more and not be so homesick. But, then again, maybe I'm wrong? Maybe this is the best there is. In that case, I guess I have to take it.<br /><br />Can a few people ruin a really good thing? My mother always told me never to let other people's negativity get in the way of my fun. But how much negativity can one person take?<br /><br />I can't wait to go home. I want to go home. I miss my family, my friends, my boyfriend, so much it makes my heart hurt every time I think about it. I'm counting the days, the hours, the minutes till I go. I love France and have enjoyed most of my time here, but I'm ready to go home. These people aren't me. My people back home are me. And I need them.<br /><br />I know this post sounds depressing, but I'm just a bit down and out at the moment and don't have anyone to talk to here, so I guess I'll just let it out to anyone who wants to read it. But in the end, don't worry about me, I'll be fine, I always am, I'm Amanda :). I'll still get up and smile and go on with my day, though it probably won't be the real Amanda smile your used to, I'm saving those till I get home :)Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-27099066181236723592009-01-12T00:24:00.010+01:002009-01-12T21:32:28.395+01:00FINALLY, SHE HAS RETURNED!!!ALRIGHT! Since, it's only been a million days since I've updates, I guess now is better than ever :).<br /><br />So much has happened in the last couple months, I don't know where to begin!<br /><br />Well, I think I left off around Thanksgiving...so we'll start there...<br /><br />We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was hosted at our house, because it's the most accommodating for many people. There were around 30 people at our house, who represented 11 nationalities! It was awesome to spread the tradition of Thanksgiving to people who've never even heard of it. It was a really good time. We had a HUGE Turkey and soooo much food. Everyone brought at least one thing, some people two or three, so we had a lot to eat. But it was delicious and we all had a great time.<br /><br /><br />Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, nothing much happened. I was just trying to get through my days till Nick came :). Though, we did go ice skating in Rochefort (a near by town). It was really fun, because it was a really nice day and I haven't done it for so long that it was great to get back up and going.<br /><br />Nick arrived on the 24th (Christmas Eve) in Paris. I went to pick him up at the airport around noon. It was so awesome to see him. We had to hang out in the train station for a few hours till our train left at 3:30. We finally arrived in La Rochelle around 8:30. Poor guy was so tired. He slept most of the train ride and I don't blame him! Traveling for almost a whole day is tiring. When we got back to my house, Melissa, Andrea, Laura, Ben and Salah were there and they had made dinner, which was perfect, because we were starving. We ended the night early, because we were both soooo tired. I woke up on Christmas day with the other assistants and let Nick rest from his travels. We (the other assistants and I) made breakfast. It was SOOOO good! We made eggs, pancakes (with REAL maple syrup, which the French don't really use), and sausages. It was so American and I loved it! Nick slept in till the early afternoon, because he was so exhausted. Then, we started cooking for our Christmas meal. It was all very yummy.<br /><br />After we ate and cleaned up, we opened presents. We did a man/women exchange, so everyone had a gift to open. Then we lite off the fireworks that Ben received as a gift and after the excitement of that was over, we just hung out and played some Wii and enjoyed some drinks. Nick and I called it an early night, because we had to wake up (semi) early to catch a train to Paris.<br /><br />The days before Christmas, Nick and I toured La Rochelle. We went to the beaches, two of the three towers and walked around La Rochelle. It was fun, but La Rochelle isn't THAT big that you can tour around it for days and days. So we were ready to get out.<br /><br />We woke up around 10:00 and left on the train at 11:37. We arrived in Paris at 4:30ish and then had to wait around about an hour then caught a train to Beauvais, which is about 45 minutes out of Paris. It is where we had to fly out of. We arrived in Beauvais around 6:00 and there was suppose to be a bus to take us to our hotel, but since it was New Years day, everything was messed up and no taxi were running or no one was really working at the train station. We almost decided to walk to our hotel, but decided against it, because it ended up being a really long ways away. After almost two hours and me almost breaking down in frustration, the bus FINALLY came. We arrived at our hotel, which could have been classified as a very small dorm room, complete with bunk beds! Haha, thankfully the lower bed was a double, so we didn't have to "bunk up." It was a very small room, but we managed for the night. After getting checked in, we made it over to the "Buffalo Grill" to have a bite to eat. It was so American, and sort of like Applebee's, that it made me giggle. The meal was okay, but we didn't mind, we were hungry. We got back to the hotel and called it a night in order to get up at 7:30.<br /><br />We got up and arrived at the airport by bus at around 9:30. Our plane didn't leave until 12:00, so we had breakfast and sat around for a bit. We checked in, did the security thing and then waited for our plane. When I was booking our tickets, I accidentally asked for "priority boarding," which we had no idea what it was. Well, it turned out to be that we got to board the plane first, because with RyanAir (the airline), you don't have assigned seats, you just, literally, get on and sit down, so with priority booking, we got to choose our seat first. It was kind of crazy, but we got on an got into our seats. The airline has cheap seats, but aren't very customer oriented. They don't serve drinks, well they do, but you must buy them. It's kind of sketch, but what do you do? It's cheap.<br /><br />So we get to Dublin and find a bus to take us to our hotel. We get off, check in and get up to our room and, after one unsuccessful attempt at our key not working and going back down to the desk to get another, we finally made it into our room, which was AMAZING! Big bed, big closet, big desk. A very nice room to say the least...and cheap!<br /><br />We dropped our stuff off at the hotel, then made our way downtown Dublin. We had to walk, but the walk wasn't bad and it was really beautiful. It took us about 25 minutes to walk down. We arrived in the downtown area and walked around for a bit and then made our way to Trinity College and walked around the campus. Trinity College was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It was a really beautiful. It was only around 4:30 in the afternoon, but it was already dark, because Dublin is so far north.<br /><br />We ended up getting a bite to eat at a really expensive pizza place, where we only got one small pizza and garlic bread and then ended up hitting up a Burger King on the way home, haha :) and then heading back to the hotel to get a goodnight rest for the next day. We woke up late, surprise, but it was because I set my alarm wrong. We ended up getting going around 10:00ish and started to pound the pavement. We first went to Christ Church and Dublinia, then headed to St. Patrick's Cathedral and saw where St. Patrick was baptized. We then we walked to the Guinness Storehouse, took a tour of that, then walked to Dublin Castle and toured that also, THEN walked to the tourism office to book our tour for the next day. We got a bite to eat again, which was most likely Burger King cause it was really cheap and I haven't had the goodness that is Burger King in many months, then we went to our Literary Pub Crawl. It was really interesting and fun. It was two actors who took us around to four different pubs and around Trinity College, while telling stories of writers that came form Dublin. It was really fun. It lasted around 2 hours and 45 minutes and after, we headed back to the hotel. The next day we got up and took a tour of the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough and surrounding areas, where many movies were filmed, such as "Brave Heart" and "P.S. I Love You." The tour lasted the whole day and we got back to the hotel around 6:30ish. We rested for a while then went to get a pizza and called it a night, because we had to get up at 2:45 to catch a bus to the airport to fly out at 6:00! Ei ei ei!<br /><br />We got up at 2:30 and were outside waiting for a bus with another lady when a taxi driver pulled up and said he'd take us to the airport for the same price as the bus and it would take 1/2 the time. So we did it and arrived around 4:00. We checked in and found some breakfast then waited for out plane. We flew out and arrived in Beauvais at 9:00 (with the time change). We got a bus to the train station and got on a train bound for Paris. One stop in to our train ride, the train ended up stopping, because some kids were messing around. We sat there for over an hour and FINALLY got on our way. We arrived in Paris, got the metro to our hotel, dropped off our bags and started hitting Paris by foot. In 5 hours, we saw (by foot mind you): Notre Dame (inside and outside and around), Le Louvre (just the outside), Tuileries Gardens, Champs-Elysees, Arc-du-Triumph and the Eiffel Tower! We headed back to our hotel and spent the night watching French game shows. We went to sleep and woke up to take Nick to the airport. We got there and waited in line for two hours just for him to check in. It was so busy because they canceled the flights the day before, so there were double the number of people who had to fly that day. After saying our sad goodbyes, he left and I went to catch my train.<br /><br />And that was our trip! Obviously there was much more to it, but you can see all the details in the pictures. I don't have all the pictures up quite yet, but you can randomly check out: <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);">http://bonjouramanda.myphotoalbum.com/</span> for updates. I have a few up, but our internet is really slow, so it takes awhile to get them up.<br /><br />I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year! I will be updating this more often, so keep a look out!<br /><br />Remember, check for updates on my photo album!!!<br /><br />Talk to you soon :)Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-82965129121657753552008-11-26T12:14:00.006+01:002008-11-26T12:19:04.061+01:00Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!Hello everyone!!!! I just wanted to leave a quick note to let you know that I won't have a computer for awhile. SOOOO if my blog doesn't get updated for awhile, don't hesitate, I'm okay :) I am using the computers at the teacher's college and will probably be here to use them once a week or so. I hope everything is great with everyone!!! It's getting cold here, not Minnesota cold, but it's cold and I'm by the ocean!!! Isn't it always suppose to be warm?!?!?! Hahahaha!<br /><br />28 days till Nick comes :)<br /><br />I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-26577910541150299692008-11-23T02:38:00.006+01:002008-11-23T02:53:12.776+01:00My stomach hurts from eating too many Red Vines!WOW! With a snap of the fingers, I am over two weeks behind on this thing. I am amazing, I know. Haha. <div><br /></div><div>Well, a lot hasn't been going on. Once I arrived back from Corsica, I fell in to the routine of my school week...</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday: 8:30-11:00 at a school near my house, I walk</div><div>Tuesday: 8:30-2:30 at a school a millions miles away from my house, 2 bus rides away</div><div>Wednesday: no work, but I do a private tutor lesson for an hour from 4:00-5:00</div><div>Thrusday: 2:30-4:30 at a school sort of by my house, I ride my sweet bike</div><div>Fridays: no work</div><div><br /></div><div>It hasn't been too bad. I kind of like the idea of a schedule to a certain extent. You know what to expect and what is coming. </div><div><br /></div><div>My Mom sent me a care package last week. It was amazing and was filled with: two bags of Red Vines, Skippy Natural Peanut Butter, peanut butter M&M's, Skittles, candy corn, cereal, Stove Top (for Thanksgiving), and a bunch of other goodies. I love it! </div><div><br /></div><div>During the last two weeks, besides going to school, I haven't done tooooo much. This weekend, Melissa (Siltman, my friend from MSU), came to stay with me from Thrusday-tomorrow which is Sunday. It has been nice. I need her here in France just as much as she needs me. We are like each others coach. We keep each other going. So it's nice when we are able to meet up and not talk via text or email. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next weekend is going to be great. A bunch of American assistants and I are having Thanksgiving at my place. We are inviting around 30 people. It will be such a great time. We are asking everyone to bring a dish to pass and a bunch of us are splitting the price of a turkey...because...the tureky is 13 euros/kilo. We are getting 5.5 kilos. So, we are paying about 70 American dollars for a 13 pound turkey!!!!! HAHA! OUTRAGEOUS, HUH?! But, we must have our turkey. It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it! </div><div><br /></div><div>ALSO! My computer has a virus. Dumb, I know. I was just trying to get my weekly fill of Grey's Anatomy, when BAM! VIRUS! Ugh! Thank God Melissa came this weekend and brought her computer :). Hopefully I'll have it fixed soon or have a new one by Christmas. But, what do you do? </div><div><br /></div><div>The countdown is on: 31 days till Nick arrives in France :) </div><div>And on that note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>What am I doing up at 2:38 a.m?!?!</div><div><br /></div><div>Goodnight!!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-48764275567389114922008-11-08T23:28:00.007+01:002008-11-09T20:08:00.587+01:00Extreme tourism at it's best!WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been awhile! I returned back from my amazing 10 day adventure on Wednesday night. Now that I am settled back home, with my clothes washed and my room cleaned (Mom, you'd be proud!), you shall finally hear my tale of my crazy time as an extreme tourist...here goes nothing!<br /><br /><br />To start off, I tell you that I didn't put any pictures on my blog. I have many photos and it takes a long time to do them on here, so I put them on another site. The address is: <a href="http://bonjouramanda.myphotoalbum.com/">http://bonjouramanda.myphotoalbum.com/</a> Just click on my photo album that is called, "Toulouse, Marseilles and Corsica."<br />ALRIGHT! So, day one, Saturday, October 25<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span>, I started my adventure. Melissa (a girl that I attend school with in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Mankato</span> and she's also an assistant in France) and I met up with Kelley (another assistant in France who is from Ohio) in Toulouse. We found our hotel quickly without having to walk around a lot (which isn't the case later in the story). We arrived in Toulouse around 4:00 in the afternoon, dropped of our bags at our hotel and hit the pavement with great enthusiasm. We found the center of Toulouse, which wasn't far from our hotel and had a bite to eat. We walked around for a bit and people watched. We were really lucky we were in Toulouse that weekend, because it was the weekend of the Toulouse Marathon, so, there was lots of people, events, bands, street performers and parades! We ended up hearing these drums in the distance and went to check them out. It was a parade with a bunch of bands and people with crazy (huge) costumes (you'll understand when you see the pictures). We watched them for awhile, then played around on some toys in the square that we were walking through (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">haha</span>, again, you'll see the pictures). We ended that night by exploring a bit more and then made our way over to a small wine bar (thanks to Kelley's AMAZING investigation on the cities we were going to visit, we got to see a lot that was off the beaten track). We had two bottles of wine and just talked amongst ourselves. It was a very nice and relaxing time. The morning after, we woke up at 8:00 to start our day, only it was 8:00. All of us forgot that it was daylight savings time and didn't set our clocks back! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hahaha</span>. That day we explored <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">SOOOOO</span> much of Toulouse. We saw a lot and enjoyed ourselves greatly! We sat in park for about an hour and a half having lunch, watched street performers, saw the start and finish of the marathon and saw the beautiful city that is Toulouse. That night, we met up with my friend, Greg, that I met in France when I was here two summers ago. He has an internship in Toulouse and is not living there. We all went out for a drink at one of his favorite bars. After a couple hours, we said our goodbyes and left him in great anticipation for our beds (remember! we were up at 7:<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">oo</span> that morning! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">haha</span>!)<br /><br />The next day we were on the train headed for Marseilles. We arrived around 7:00 at night. Since it was daylight savings time, it was already dark. Kelley thought she could get us to our hotel by walking (because she IS really great with a map) but she didn't expect Marseilles to be as BIG as it was! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Haha</span>. That night, I bet we walked about 4 miles with about 40 pounds of baggage on our backs! It was terrible, but now we laugh at the situation. We must have looked so funny going through Marseilles with all our bags. After about 3 hours of walking around (no lie!), we FINALLY found our hotel. We dropped off our stuff and went to McDonald's (yes, I said it) and had a late dinner. The next day we went to find this art-warehouse sort of thing. It's an old warehouse that the city converted in to a place for artist to come and just paint on the walls. It was really awesome, but it would have been better if there hadn't been a monsoon!!! It rained <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">SOOOO</span> much!!! And it never let up, so we never got a chance start drying off. It was really miserable, but we fought through and made the day of it. After, we went to a grocery store and bought some food and retired early to our hotel. We sat around for the good part of the night watching movies, eating junk food and drying off! The next day we took a tour of Marseilles. We went on the "Hop-on, Hop-off" bus. It was nice, but, again, it would have been better if it hadn't been FREEZING! Okay, we'll it wasn't freezing, it was just really cold and drizzling the whole day. Despite the cold, we wanted to see Marseilles, so, we rode on the TOP of the double <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">decker</span> bus, which is open and has no roof! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Haha</span>. We couldn't even sit down, because the it had rained and the seats were wet. At one point, I was looking around enjoying the view and I heard a lady in front of me say, "OH!" I looked and saw she was dogging a tree branch that was hanging over. I moved quickly and it just swiped the side of my face. Then, right after that, I heard from behind me, "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">AHHHHH</span>!" Kelley didn't hear the women or see the tree branch. It smacked her RIGHT in the kisser. We all laughed until our sides hurt. I have a picture in my photo album of her face right after it happened. This is when the term "extreme tourist/tourism" was born! We hopped off and once at a beautiful church that sits on a hill in the middle of Marseilles and overlooks the whole city. It was amazing. (See the pics). At one point, we hopped off the bus in a shopping district to have a look around. When we were ready to be picked up, we waited by the stop for the bus. Once it came, we hopped up and down to get the bus driver to stop. That didn't work. All the driver did was look at us and did the motion of "raising the roof." So, Kelley LITERALLY took off running after the bus for it to stop. Melissa and I ran to follow! Finally, she got him to stop and we got back on. That bus driver was not my favorite person of the day! After we got done with our extreme tourism, we got a bite to eat. We ate mussels and fries and shared a delicious dessert! The next day it was off to the train station again to make our way to the town of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Toulon</span> to catch the ferry to CORSICA!<br /><br />The ferry ride was only a short 10 hours, We arrived in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Bastia</span>, Corsica, a little tired and still swaying from the motion of the boat, but happy to be there. We arrive at 7:00 a.m. and couldn't get in to our hotel till noon. So, we stashed our bags in the hotel baggage room and went to have break fast. When we finally got in to our hotel, we all showered and rested a bit. (NOTE: by this point we had almost been up for over 24 hours. On the boat we only had seats and they were very uncomfortable, so we slept on the floor, which wouldn't be bad IF we would have brought a pillow and blanket! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Hahaha</span>. I think we each got about 2 hours of sleep that night.) Since we only had 24 hours (including sleep time) in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Bastia</span>, we set off for a walking tour of the city. It was beautiful! We went off the beaten road and took a walk up in to the hills that overlooked <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Bastia</span>. It was AMAZING and beautiful. That day was Halloween and we actually saw a few kids dressed up! It was awesome! On the ferry ride over, we met some other assistants that told us about this restaurant they were going to check out. We decided why not? and went to find it. I am SO glad we went to it, because it was THE BEST THING EVER. Not only was it a real French meal (with all the courses) but they also served traditional Corsican food, which is exactly what we wanted! For 23 euros, we had: an aperitif (a before diner drink), an appetizer of cheese, bread, dip and lentils, then 3 main dishes which were: fish stuffed with cheese on top of rice, pasta stuffed with cheese and had a marinara sauce and cheese melted over it and a meat (we think lamb) smothered in gravy and mushrooms, then after all that, we had cheese, bread and jam (surprisingly good together), then it was dessert of mixed fresh fruit, finally they brought the "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">digestif</span>" which was schnapps. I don't think I forgot anything! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Haha</span>. All this including 2 bottles of wine and never ending baskets of bread. Needless to say, we were STUFFED!!!!!!! We had SUCH a great time, too. We timed our meal and it was only a mere 3 hours long! :D But it was amazing. That night, we had plans to have a drink at a bar because it was Halloween, but we almost had to have people roll us home, so we skipped the bar! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Haha</span>.<br /><br />The next morning it was off to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Calvi</span>. We went to the train station and after a bit of confusion and a crazy bus ride, we made it to our train. In Corsica, they don't have trains like on mainland France. They have OLD trains. There is only one car with about 40 seats. The motor was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">sooooo</span> loud, because you were in the same place the motor was! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Haha</span>. The driver would rev it and then coast. So, ever 15 seconds, there would be a loud "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR</span>!" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Haha</span>. It was an experience and I was glad we did it, because (I guess) next year they are putting in trains that are like those on mainland France. The cute, old little train went with the scenery of Corsica. It fit right in. I don't have a picture of it, but when I do, I will post it. Corsica is so beautiful and the train ride was well worth it. Corsica is very mountainous. Just spectacular.<br /><br />We arrived in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Calvi</span> and started looking for our hostel we were staying in. Yes, I said STARTED! The directions that Kelley had to the hostel only said 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the train station, so it wasn't that bad, or so we thought. If we would have gotten off at the train station before the one we got off at, it would have been 2 kilometers. Instead, it was about 2.5 miles from our train stop. Again, not so bad, but we had 40 pounds of baggage on our backs AND it was UP HILL. Not a slight incline, but UP!!!!!!!!! It took a long time and we were dead by the time we made it (which took about an hour and a bit)! We dropped off our bags and made our way down to a music festival that was going on. It was actually a festival of the wind, "Le festival <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">du</span> vent," and we think it had something to do with helping the environment, too. Nevertheless, it was awesome. We ate a crepe and walked around and looked at things the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">venders</span> were selling and then made our way to the beach, where we strolled and watched some people trapeze. We then went back to the hostel and had dinner. This hostel was owned and operated by an old couple, so the food was amazing! We ate well that night, too. At the hostel, we met 2 French guys who were hiking through Corsica (which is very popular). One was a gym teacher who was there to check out the area, because he wanted to take his class down to hike. He knew English fairly well and was excited to speak to us! After supper, we hit the hay.<br /><br />Then next day, we took a train to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Ajaccio</span>! For those of you who don't know, I have a great interest in Napoleon Bonaparte. He is from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Ajaccio</span> and he was my main reason for wanting to visit Corsica. We arrived and found a hotel. It was cheap and was run by this little old man who was amazing to us. Our room was overlooking Napoleon Street (the main street) and had a balcony. It also was unlike any ordinary hotel. It had a painting on the ceiling and on the walls. I have pictures and will post them! It was awesome. We got there in the later part of the afternoon and started to get ourselves acquainted with the area. We walked by the port, visited a few tourist shops and walked along the ocean. That night we retired early to get a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">goodnights</span> rest. We woke up and headed for anything Napoleon! I visited the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Musee</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Napoleonienne</span> and we took a walking tour of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Ajaccio</span>. It is such a beautiful city. Since we were there on a Monday and since the French think that things don't have to be open on Mondays, some of the places we wanted to go (like Napoleon's house) was closed, but we went back the next day. We explored the city in every which way. We saw monuments for Napoleon, historical sights, and many other things. That <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">nightwas</span> our last night in Corsica, so with help from the little old man from the hotel, we found a great restaurant and enjoyed ourselves. The next day we went to the house of Napoleon. It was AMAZING! It was just so cool to be in his house. I even saw his bed! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Hahaha</span>, sounds funny, but I am really into Napoleon. Our ferry left at 7:00 that night, so we entertained ourselves until about 5:30 and headed towards the ferry. We got on and prepared ourselves for another <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">looooooooooong</span> night!<br /><br />We arrived in back in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Toulon</span> at 7:15 a.m. and had to RUN, seriously, RUN to catch our train to go home, unless we would have had to wait 12 hours to catch the night train, which was not going to happen. We had 25 minutes and ran practically the whole way. Again, we had our bags, which by this point were probably 50 pounds. It was incredible and an experience that we now laugh at! We made it and I got back in La Rochelle 12 hours later. Yup, only 24 hours of travel. Gotta love it!<br /><br />WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So there's my story! I'm sure I forgot somethings, but when I remember them, I will add them.<br /><br />I hope you enjoyed my story of my first traveling adventure in Europe! There will be more to come! Now go look at my photos! :D<br /><br />This lady need some sleep...Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-6990953581912764252008-10-23T00:44:00.006+02:002008-10-23T01:29:44.759+02:00Riding bike for 30 miles makes your butt hurt...!WHAT A DAY SUNDAY WAS!!!!! We went biking on L’île de Ré (Island of Ré). We ended up biking about 30 miles! It was along ways, but it was amazing and so beautiful! Instead of me trying to explain it, just look at the pictures...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkcsDqcxQu-y7XrpHHrcJiRHEGWI0uuToszk0hTaEYL_XTUH7M0FE-Z_Md84vLNITl9skhVo6l1JEi0I3xrahm5ZOEIKWFtO2IS-04cncGXfrMlEeVlO-2RbozGTiUi5PAtLCyA0LqgI/s1600-h/Picture+278.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260118394575123362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCkcsDqcxQu-y7XrpHHrcJiRHEGWI0uuToszk0hTaEYL_XTUH7M0FE-Z_Md84vLNITl9skhVo6l1JEi0I3xrahm5ZOEIKWFtO2IS-04cncGXfrMlEeVlO-2RbozGTiUi5PAtLCyA0LqgI/s320/Picture+278.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The massive bridge we rode over (and back)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEL1mNZ2yIdeLf9rmVeH_3adBoD2guTrKLeZU8xjYDyvMprKTJHBLmfxyGEH7X9PcoEqjPIlqRh39xCixxa6wsw5g53Aufk4DBOEMCHWDPiaS3vpCVwwjPqMT_nZHjCAhHQbFbt-0Ow8/s1600-h/Picture+275.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260118397194704866" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglEL1mNZ2yIdeLf9rmVeH_3adBoD2guTrKLeZU8xjYDyvMprKTJHBLmfxyGEH7X9PcoEqjPIlqRh39xCixxa6wsw5g53Aufk4DBOEMCHWDPiaS3vpCVwwjPqMT_nZHjCAhHQbFbt-0Ow8/s320/Picture+275.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The ocean at low tide.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZBqjK0t51KsZCH3s24TXOFoPXpEnNr-RyPYNdR2SIhwKraey_uQKf4LT61EvCGjUNYEhuVEVezMWDp7PvExcwq5ZSN2gkXrqwLiSsnApXwVw6YWqTqx0_cq9NlpkccY-WEgkh4s597A/s1600-h/Picture+259.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260115886791599074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbZBqjK0t51KsZCH3s24TXOFoPXpEnNr-RyPYNdR2SIhwKraey_uQKf4LT61EvCGjUNYEhuVEVezMWDp7PvExcwq5ZSN2gkXrqwLiSsnApXwVw6YWqTqx0_cq9NlpkccY-WEgkh4s597A/s320/Picture+259.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The harvesting salt at low tide. Really awesome, huh?!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3O2oz6rl0S1KRzuXNCVA2vd0E4cfrUvJHTffttpyzZs2AqSih9MmDVOXQHC6RG9QEPWvzfLnczt-vmDJdSG_02CiS-OoG6JRYhkwQF7Bkm4k1ByhX1a4K0ZdfxKzUhP8kbeUg3ZrUAI/s1600-h/Picture+246.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260115875917072274" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3O2oz6rl0S1KRzuXNCVA2vd0E4cfrUvJHTffttpyzZs2AqSih9MmDVOXQHC6RG9QEPWvzfLnczt-vmDJdSG_02CiS-OoG6JRYhkwQF7Bkm4k1ByhX1a4K0ZdfxKzUhP8kbeUg3ZrUAI/s320/Picture+246.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The Port at St. Martin (the capital of L’île de Ré)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6I6HMTwcWPJ5PJpQ3KFe4eIxI6jacWR0w64-wl54UdsP9EvBguFnKWEjE-aNmaUp5BwqcTqgulsMqRAagreeITgYbpBEjblLb_iW5OAzl9cYk_uCTLoHdi0rdrgkzU6r7__TMWSscgCk/s1600-h/Picture+248.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260118391572369378" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6I6HMTwcWPJ5PJpQ3KFe4eIxI6jacWR0w64-wl54UdsP9EvBguFnKWEjE-aNmaUp5BwqcTqgulsMqRAagreeITgYbpBEjblLb_iW5OAzl9cYk_uCTLoHdi0rdrgkzU6r7__TMWSscgCk/s320/Picture+248.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The streets of St. Martin.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-66dKJ7dt28-Lg2AEUfOmnjhyzQJZdhok08qkIof_Hnr9LPpC9vd637yVG_lShh8F1JCfV3ZXHamuS0RyNf3tTJPc_tBGkndxMywcrw-oDDLhwEX7INYHkbI4AphrUnjkdZgvKoEPHus/s1600-h/Picture+241.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260115871737303490" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-66dKJ7dt28-Lg2AEUfOmnjhyzQJZdhok08qkIof_Hnr9LPpC9vd637yVG_lShh8F1JCfV3ZXHamuS0RyNf3tTJPc_tBGkndxMywcrw-oDDLhwEX7INYHkbI4AphrUnjkdZgvKoEPHus/s320/Picture+241.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The Port of St. Martin at low tide.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEdpMtdvQqEB5uysnrtXl6h7y5jchaqcgMTT-ZynirSpIHyTvl0ZDrO1SjPejEJEHaWIGNH9sL-1_z5tZbfCxBM5pf2GupNDOuj2252x117_dgLXYnPka4ITPmzLHghGPYlD8OWn3yPs/s1600-h/Picture+256.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260118401261482578" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPEdpMtdvQqEB5uysnrtXl6h7y5jchaqcgMTT-ZynirSpIHyTvl0ZDrO1SjPejEJEHaWIGNH9sL-1_z5tZbfCxBM5pf2GupNDOuj2252x117_dgLXYnPka4ITPmzLHghGPYlD8OWn3yPs/s320/Picture+256.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I know this is really gross, but I had to go pee REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY bad and had to use this, well not this specific toilet, but one just like it. It was probably the nastiest thing I've ever done.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9eyIBnm5wwb0TXcEDuD1lYCSmFehNJ7sYGdSSx2bssBBwRjOlWfNS3fNJ0Ww8nU0DW259qBMWa8pFgASmvpfmyRVzUlPLbJkaTRsuznf5mrtpC5dgnG1qImHXp5pQNJH7K6d0pQGLJQ/s1600-h/Picture+272.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260117069936488642" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9eyIBnm5wwb0TXcEDuD1lYCSmFehNJ7sYGdSSx2bssBBwRjOlWfNS3fNJ0Ww8nU0DW259qBMWa8pFgASmvpfmyRVzUlPLbJkaTRsuznf5mrtpC5dgnG1qImHXp5pQNJH7K6d0pQGLJQ/s320/Picture+272.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Haha...shadow pictures. I love 'em.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskCDg0w8UoEP30Mbp6ZYf2Z8ZMwT4Q6lrmmw-BfXtwVjstuGyLnpbwGf1bARUMpZ8H9UJsicXhJJKzdvvmK_0Brh0SwOZbuFOgNgPOHBXOhvT3KYcY8WPxmjXr1cIW3H7OspMPlW23Uk/s1600-h/Picture+284.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260117079737136066" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgskCDg0w8UoEP30Mbp6ZYf2Z8ZMwT4Q6lrmmw-BfXtwVjstuGyLnpbwGf1bARUMpZ8H9UJsicXhJJKzdvvmK_0Brh0SwOZbuFOgNgPOHBXOhvT3KYcY8WPxmjXr1cIW3H7OspMPlW23Uk/s320/Picture+284.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />A REALLY old abbey. It was built in the twelfth century! How cool! It was actually useable until WWII, then it was destroyed :( But it was SOOOOO amazing!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJTv82Qn1vOJ_Hc9V0uP9GEiqCfCfDraVlKSc0vDovUd91YTC8SK3eGW99pZyQvtGfFFKR2suMGMWSIt7vO_fHIX0THMlXMvbUgagnqko4kWI33WNU1QNddV_hNgYHZLtOwS7jXEnUQA/s1600-h/Picture+291.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260117085329879810" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJTv82Qn1vOJ_Hc9V0uP9GEiqCfCfDraVlKSc0vDovUd91YTC8SK3eGW99pZyQvtGfFFKR2suMGMWSIt7vO_fHIX0THMlXMvbUgagnqko4kWI33WNU1QNddV_hNgYHZLtOwS7jXEnUQA/s320/Picture+291.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />In a hole in the abbey.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Gqonpe3Ok-XyF8bPFTbYqcTCFPV6xRupHvGXfa9ttjI9aFIIy22ANZRaknUOSTJKSGPvsxTkCUaSaZZpMPdKf-VusjVshoKodYQtjjlVQUNLoeQwxwnssX4djfYtgShZ_mkXzguG2e0/s1600-h/Picture+288.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260117093790758082" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Gqonpe3Ok-XyF8bPFTbYqcTCFPV6xRupHvGXfa9ttjI9aFIIy22ANZRaknUOSTJKSGPvsxTkCUaSaZZpMPdKf-VusjVshoKodYQtjjlVQUNLoeQwxwnssX4djfYtgShZ_mkXzguG2e0/s320/Picture+288.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The view of the abbey from the inside.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqpmsB9G6CJ2SqzQ7b5DcCfVAHUYbFXKZ9hijj9PIANBA1Ks0yOv1xTdYy-4r5x_VSS8pcJZ3VUpXDYuJE9utFBcMmK6o-euC9y5WZNyXXXe_GI14yHBQUga4u8ppnGDqoWsaKWIofLE/s1600-h/Picture+300.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260117099686046258" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqpmsB9G6CJ2SqzQ7b5DcCfVAHUYbFXKZ9hijj9PIANBA1Ks0yOv1xTdYy-4r5x_VSS8pcJZ3VUpXDYuJE9utFBcMmK6o-euC9y5WZNyXXXe_GI14yHBQUga4u8ppnGDqoWsaKWIofLE/s320/Picture+300.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Another view from the inside.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbspzgoO4kNWzOlw31KejF2QNkMN0oP6qXiWyV7r60HhaQ18qld5o3q-Ucd_4hPcltD6iUNIZbbifxGFsuvWj3kuNeZdw6IGPzqELo8vyL4rMmTilFxr5n2hYsDUO1Sq3WctYK13HG9tM/s1600-h/Picture+237.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260115860114333650" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbspzgoO4kNWzOlw31KejF2QNkMN0oP6qXiWyV7r60HhaQ18qld5o3q-Ucd_4hPcltD6iUNIZbbifxGFsuvWj3kuNeZdw6IGPzqELo8vyL4rMmTilFxr5n2hYsDUO1Sq3WctYK13HG9tM/s320/Picture+237.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Elisa and I on the big bridge<br /><br />So, as you can see, it was an amazing day! I had such a great time. When we got to St. Martin, we stoped and ate beside the port. Then, we started the trek back. The views were amazing and time weather was great. I know I'll be doing it again!!! (My butt just has to recover!!! Haha!)<br /><br />Here is another great picture. It was on the same day that we went bike riding (Sunday). It was in La Rochelle. I'm pretty sure there was a rescue of some sort from the top of the Tower of St. Nicholas. In the picture, if you look closely, you can see a person propelling down from the helicopter. His feet are just poking from under the flag. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92MLe9MhEl-pjDe54n4x0B1dbh3kqiI9bJrC8DkFzy2xYvXgxj80duOUAmEixLnWcWNzPjqxASQf-ZdKBM3pqMANdArJLMMeaPHy-8bK-Vi34kYc9yXPS6fxscUJjZas2WXiCRa4i2Ws/s1600-h/Picture+227.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260118406254395218" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi92MLe9MhEl-pjDe54n4x0B1dbh3kqiI9bJrC8DkFzy2xYvXgxj80duOUAmEixLnWcWNzPjqxASQf-ZdKBM3pqMANdArJLMMeaPHy-8bK-Vi34kYc9yXPS6fxscUJjZas2WXiCRa4i2Ws/s320/Picture+227.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Today, Kelley (the assisant from Ohio who lives in a near by town) came to La Rochelle and we set the almost-final plans for our trip!!! I'm getting so excited. Toulouse for three days, Marseille for three days and Corsica for four days! YAY! Getting hotels book and leaving on Saturday! So, if you don't hear from me for awhile, you know why ;) But when I get back, I'm sure I will have many, many, many photos for you to see :D<br /><br />It's now 1:30 a.m....I'm tired.<br /><br />G'Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-10759576715532963542008-10-17T23:30:00.017+02:002008-10-18T01:14:06.235+02:00France made me discover that I like brussel sprouts!YAY! I bought a sweet bike!!!!!!!!!! <div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8mEZhSfOBrmP28K5d6OHgMFo3E3aAlMyZ6H_Yh-bJttfVr51ia90nVyCi7ujaoZCAq76H94s8hy1cnDzJcOCVSPap6U8fYBy2sgSCunhfrM3bGoXQzaIQtvph2a805xPIqXiDll2qg8/s1600-h/Picture+202.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258239518560319218" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8mEZhSfOBrmP28K5d6OHgMFo3E3aAlMyZ6H_Yh-bJttfVr51ia90nVyCi7ujaoZCAq76H94s8hy1cnDzJcOCVSPap6U8fYBy2sgSCunhfrM3bGoXQzaIQtvph2a805xPIqXiDll2qg8/s320/Picture+202.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><div><br />It's red and awesome! I feel like Mary Poppins on it. I really like it, though the seat must be raised, but no on has pliers or a wrench!!!!! AH! I don't want to spend the money on one, but it's looking like I will have to! Ah, well!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div>Tomorrow we are riding bikes out to the Ile de Re and then riding around the Island. Even though I have a sweet bike, I am going to rent one, because of the seat. It's possible to ride, but I get tired so quickly and my thighs get a huge workout, which is never a bad thing, but we plan on riding 20-25 miles tomorrow!!!!! :D I'm excited!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>This week was great. I had class on Monday, which I told you about, class on Tuesday and on Thursday's. Tuesday's class went alright. I had to wake up at 6:30 to catch the bus and I didn't like the school as much. The kids were SOOOOOOO misbehaved. In my last class of the day, it was the worst. I was ready to walkout. Honestly, if it keeps up like this, I am NOT going to that class. Granted it was the first day, but I am not going to teach someone who doesn't want to learn. That's just a waste of my time and theirs. On Wednesday, I had my first private tutoring session. It went well. The girl is 15 and basically wants to work on her speaking. It's really easy and it gives me a chance to learn new words in French. She's actually pretty good as speaking, but it's understanding people when they talk is when she runs in to difficulty. I had a good time with her. She is very nice. My Thursday school I like the best. It was my first time going there and the director and the teachers were SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO nice. They accepted me more than any of the other schools. I didn't do much that day because they were having a student-student counseling day. Not sure what that means, but I got to leave early.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Last night (which was Thrusday night), Lee and I rode our bikes into town and met up with Elisa, Jaime, Emily and a couple of Elisa's French friends and played trivia at the Irish pub. We played it last week too and loved it so much, we had to go back for more! We didn't win, unfortunally, but Elisa won the bonus question and won 83 euros! Which is like 110 American dollars!!! It was so awesome. I was so happy for her! We then rode our bikes back home. I gave Emily a ride on the back of mine where there is a rack thing. The pictures aren't too good, because they were taken "en route." AND we didn't even stop to take out the camera or to pass the camera to Lee. We did it as we were riding. If that isn't talent, I don't know what is! Haha.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenpKRSfqT3tG3weERuTa4SQora2MvFK80Ee2nZcv-e83uj7tFKh5IoRSxWB3r7Xmp7i2NGjeJFEd2sqQ6elj3J0cFnynl-xouVWAlw4Dv_dAO0IxtBNJ_qDf5zri0v4up3jJeCZqa7wY/s1600-h/Picture+219.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258245075771302034" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenpKRSfqT3tG3weERuTa4SQora2MvFK80Ee2nZcv-e83uj7tFKh5IoRSxWB3r7Xmp7i2NGjeJFEd2sqQ6elj3J0cFnynl-xouVWAlw4Dv_dAO0IxtBNJ_qDf5zri0v4up3jJeCZqa7wY/s320/Picture+219.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZM8I-Lw4L2svoPwjaNtHVIYvSgTtE_OoR0q3RyXtckIKvVi60zvWTLo7fUkJ7Yhyphenhyphen-I3XgxXDk0JBq32nvycHURWsgzVZJJ9FQ2OI_6jo4ImzrACGgQopgbXlpmuaOs4sGt9IhC-7UuM0/s1600-h/Picture+223.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258245082282654450" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZM8I-Lw4L2svoPwjaNtHVIYvSgTtE_OoR0q3RyXtckIKvVi60zvWTLo7fUkJ7Yhyphenhyphen-I3XgxXDk0JBq32nvycHURWsgzVZJJ9FQ2OI_6jo4ImzrACGgQopgbXlpmuaOs4sGt9IhC-7UuM0/s320/Picture+223.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><br />OH! Also on Thrusday, I had my medical visit. The doc just asked me if I ever had different illness' and things of such. Then he did my vitals and then an xray. I actually got to keep my xray, which is awesome! Look!<br /><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEcDjUhF-QW7Cd45dSNIiE2i_iHsin8wzWZbtnNMNRhyphenhyphendtvnxHSUZK6hPu9DaIsa1zDkUon2kFwReePw0d08CgAtqoUc16c58nWPXHrsc0SlK2Q7LpgN8qbI5ece0d8ogm3LlSwSg2eI/s1600-h/Picture+206.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258239522615908546" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEcDjUhF-QW7Cd45dSNIiE2i_iHsin8wzWZbtnNMNRhyphenhyphendtvnxHSUZK6hPu9DaIsa1zDkUon2kFwReePw0d08CgAtqoUc16c58nWPXHrsc0SlK2Q7LpgN8qbI5ece0d8ogm3LlSwSg2eI/s320/Picture+206.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>Pretty cool, huh?<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Tonight, I tried to figure out where we (Melissa, Kelley and I) are going to stay during our trip over the break. I think I have it figured that we will spend less than 300 euros per person for the whole trip. It does seem like a lot, but it includes 9 nights of accomodation in some of the bigger cities in France, which is never cheap. I'm getting really excited, because we will be leaving in ONE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY! </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Well, the morning brings lots of bike riding, so I must get my rest! I will DEFINITELY have some pictures to show you from my adventure to the Ile de Re!!!</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>G'NIGHT!</div><div> </div><div></div><div><br>P.S. Happy 6 months, Nicholas!!!! </div><div>xoxoxoxo</div>Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-77548177430993392842008-10-13T18:11:00.009+02:002008-10-14T16:09:00.337+02:00I'm going to be expert at "Guitar Hero" when I get back from FranceIt's been a lot of fun so far in La Rochelle, obviously, but I was glad that today was my first day of work. It's nice to not have a care in the world, but to have no cares for almost a month is mind numbing. One can only have so much free time. I was nervous going in to today, but not as much as I thought I would be. Turns out, it was good I wasn't, because it was a breeze and I LOVED IT! Teaching these little buggers is awesome. Even when they don't know what you're saying, you know that they are really, really trying. I am really glad I didn't get put in to a high school, I don't think I could have handled older kids. Plus, little kids don't mock just because I don't know the language. I like it.<br /><br />Tomorrow, I will be going to another school for about four hours, plus lunch time. It should be too bad, because, for two hours of it, I will be teaching with Elisa, an American assistant from N.Y.C.<br /><br />A teacher today asked me if I wanted to tutor a girl in English. I said, "Yeah!" The girls mom called me today and I will be tutoring her once a week for an hour. It's not long, but it's extra money! It'll be fun. I think it's cool that I'm getting paid to do something that is natural to me. I mean, really?! It's so easy, too! Just a lot of repeating and such, but I really like it. Plus, the kids are so cute and eager to learn, it makes it all the worth while.<br /><br />This weekend, Melissa (Siltman), my good friend from Mankato, came to visit. She is an assistant in the near by town of Niort. It is about 30 minutes-ish by train. It was nice to see her again :D Really nice. It's like a little taste of home. Something familiar. She was only here for Saturday night, Sunday night and left today. I had to leave her early, because I had to be at class at 8:45. We had a good time and she got to meet a lot of assistants from La Rochelle. I'm pretty sure she'll be coming here quite often, which is fine by me, because I love the company!!!<br /><br />Yesturday, when Melissa was here, we walked around La Rochelle and had a good time. We found this really cool area that had amazing grafitti. I think that it is set aside for people to do grafitti there, because there were some guys doing some when we were there. Here are some pictures from our day!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShvPvZFdoQlnjB5baI1ekELq-yXYuTTL7aVC300yVhVKd3VE7mLo_1NMvgYYr5lmPnfBT-_IV3mYYqRiF4SLl-pre2zAglZr7u7zcm_VmNFumh7umA9kyGOYbwKW3S16P-pkfuT90SYE/s1600-h/Picture+166.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256682419022684754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhShvPvZFdoQlnjB5baI1ekELq-yXYuTTL7aVC300yVhVKd3VE7mLo_1NMvgYYr5lmPnfBT-_IV3mYYqRiF4SLl-pre2zAglZr7u7zcm_VmNFumh7umA9kyGOYbwKW3S16P-pkfuT90SYE/s320/Picture+166.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Me and THE HULK!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXWrtPr9H2DzTkDt1ahpjdFfqbwO-7J9TLEnS3iiAEa0epOPSsbbvjlKAnC5b0zqBj8Ki66QfF5hnntDbSglUHHO-EXM8pkePjLfA4SSTq4mLbdgYFF_RbeYKS4RrvF4GgmWQaCXu5m0/s1600-h/Picture+172.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256682428128733570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXWrtPr9H2DzTkDt1ahpjdFfqbwO-7J9TLEnS3iiAEa0epOPSsbbvjlKAnC5b0zqBj8Ki66QfF5hnntDbSglUHHO-EXM8pkePjLfA4SSTq4mLbdgYFF_RbeYKS4RrvF4GgmWQaCXu5m0/s320/Picture+172.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Melissa and the awesome graffiti wall.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAudsweDnve0wq0YHR9zF5Nd3-DfpDcHqdHqqxX-nv_wy5eCG2C7njc71kJOkLmiad3fZPwV-huo_afHZ233iNRGh-C9Z8Pi6eSxSD-X-EmyKUuoM4WEIgOSnSxHx_KcCTvNV5ICXVNO4/s1600-h/Picture+174.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256682439331177554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAudsweDnve0wq0YHR9zF5Nd3-DfpDcHqdHqqxX-nv_wy5eCG2C7njc71kJOkLmiad3fZPwV-huo_afHZ233iNRGh-C9Z8Pi6eSxSD-X-EmyKUuoM4WEIgOSnSxHx_KcCTvNV5ICXVNO4/s320/Picture+174.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Me being awesome.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfEp_o_MHxRHjqLnGTw1ISoLIQmifPLfKzintB1mrb89Kza3xhS7c_xeA3a5zlyCKwcQalQ759IrwVaWSStQNKc5yLS-qk8tOoxwP59lKph9bm-4xdmrwXUUTaMSuOix5U5ze4ge0YJo/s1600-h/Picture+180.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256682430556797090" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzfEp_o_MHxRHjqLnGTw1ISoLIQmifPLfKzintB1mrb89Kza3xhS7c_xeA3a5zlyCKwcQalQ759IrwVaWSStQNKc5yLS-qk8tOoxwP59lKph9bm-4xdmrwXUUTaMSuOix5U5ze4ge0YJo/s320/Picture+180.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Melissa and I waiting for the bus back to my house.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIeqy7CxQ_FMswi2FWUXp8e4BSe5cbm1yGBiCV2AAMwG1AgWUkXab_1qGQEUBD4ey1BBhyOcduOj2J0tC03migKFGxCVpMAxgeBXpUbwEx_Q3AvjuTEhUN9QzxGeLGD6jXnN7Jo0Haps/s1600-h/Picture+160.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256682445644235234" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIeqy7CxQ_FMswi2FWUXp8e4BSe5cbm1yGBiCV2AAMwG1AgWUkXab_1qGQEUBD4ey1BBhyOcduOj2J0tC03migKFGxCVpMAxgeBXpUbwEx_Q3AvjuTEhUN9QzxGeLGD6jXnN7Jo0Haps/s320/Picture+160.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />A really cool lift bridge in La Rochelle. See the boats going through???<br /><br />This weekend we are planning on going to the Ile de Re (Re Island). It's an Island just off the coast of La Rochelle. You can get a bus there, but we are planning on biking out. I am hoping to have a bike by then, but if I don't, I will rent one. It'll be an awesome day of biking and seeing the island. There will definitely be some pictures :D<br /><br />Well, tomorrow holds adventures at a school I've never been to! Should be exciting :) ! I'll let you know how that goes...<br /><br />Until next time...!<br /><br />BISOUS!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-20484893909882376302008-10-09T00:02:00.005+02:002008-10-09T00:17:30.767+02:00One last thought...It's funny how much people don't understand that speaking to someone else is amazing. Communicating with someone, with mere sounds coming from one's mouth, is crazy, if you think about it. It's frustrating (obviously) being in a country and not being able to speak the language very well. One big reason that it's frustrating is that you can hardly respond to someone in any situation. It's really hard to be YOU when YOU can express who YOU are.<br /><br />The thing is, though, there are some amazing people out there who will take the time and work with you. Who will talk slowly or rephrase sentences. Who will repeat something three times for you. Who will ask questions about you and really get to know you. Who will respect you and not look down upon you and think you an idiot, just becuase you can't speak THEIR language.<br /><br />Next time, when you meet someone who can't speak the language very well, all I ask for you is this: be understanding and help them. If they can't speak well, speak slowly and use simple words. If they need help finding something, show them. If they need a ride, give them one. If they need help in their crazy new culture, show them how you live. It's the things we take for granted, that, if they are taken away from us, we are lost.<br /><br />Please, don't look down upon someone because they can't speak English. Don't think they are an idiot because they don't know how to use the bus system or can't answer a simple question correctly. Because, right now, that idiot is me. I am so, so, so thankful for those who have taken their time to help and understand me. Next time you run in to someone from a different country who needs help, just think that I am in France hoping for someone to help me in the exact same situation.<br /><br /><strong><em>"A hero is anyone who has positively impacted someone else's life." </em><br /><em>-Samita Mohanasundaram</em></strong>Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-53873715598469756082008-10-08T22:21:00.012+02:002008-10-14T16:14:42.840+02:00Today, I paid $4.34 for a Diet Coke and I don't regret it :DHELLO EVERYONE!<br /><br /><br />So much to tell you...let's see what I can get out before I fall asleep...<br /><br /><br />This weekend was GREAT! We (the other primary La Rochelle assistants) mingled at my house. It was fun. On Saturday night, we rendez-vous'ed at Emily's (American assistant here in La Rochelle) place and then walked in to town later that evening. I was going to meet up with this girl named Kelley, who is an American assistant in the near by town of Rochefort. We had been talking for awhile, via facebook, and were finally going to meet eachother in person. When we got there, we were greeted by about 10 other assistants whom we've haven't met yet. Most of them were from near by towns and came in to L.R. (La Rochelle) for the night. The ones we met mostly knew eachother, because they went to the orientation in Poitiers. We (the L.R. assistants) didn't know anyone, because we had our own orientation in L.R. We met people from Australia, Mexico, Germany, Scotland, Canada, England and India. It was SO awesome. We didn't get to hang out a lot with most of them, because they had a ride that was leaving. It was crazy when we were sitting at a cafe. I looked around the table and saw so many people, from ALL around the world, in one place and one time. It was so amazing. I am so lucky to be able to have this opportunity. Meeting these people is one of the best parts!!!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KbJB1sgUFF8j9dRVJIy1LF-_i1AsX9Z7myJD-rHGXCOmYCXpYB3vHwKDxTfh_LBekheHPqAAJtYkPb4OIVVyZgpbaldJOuqOiYFFsIjOW1pF17g12QgIujDOeOWryfciABjMCdB4ZPA/s1600-h/Picture+099.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254886348386955154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KbJB1sgUFF8j9dRVJIy1LF-_i1AsX9Z7myJD-rHGXCOmYCXpYB3vHwKDxTfh_LBekheHPqAAJtYkPb4OIVVyZgpbaldJOuqOiYFFsIjOW1pF17g12QgIujDOeOWryfciABjMCdB4ZPA/s320/Picture+099.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><p>(Left to right) (row 1) Emily (American assistant), Jaime (Canadian assistant), (row 2) Cathy (Scotish assistant), Me (I rock), (row 3) Laura (American assitant) and John (Australian assistant) Not everyone who we met up with is in this picture (obviously), but I just like sharing pictures :) </p><br /><br /><p><br /></p>Sunday was a very, very, very, very lazy day. I woke up, ate and then Laura and I watched a movie. After that, I'm not quite sure what I did. Again, very lazy day.<br /><br /><br />Monday was a first visit to one of our schools. I visited the school right by my house. I really like it and the teachers there seem pretty cool. The kids are SO awesome, too. They had so many cute little kid questions for me like, "Do you like chocolate?" They asked them in English, too, which is impressive. The schools here are very different compared to the U.S. Teachers are much more strict and yell at the kids. Not that it's not an effective way to run a class, it's just I am not used to it in anyway, because if a teacher would treat a child in the U.S. like they do here (in the classroom), someone would get sued. Though, someone's always getting sued for something in the states. I have to note, too, that the kids had IMPECTABLE handwriting. They all write the same, too! Even the teachers. It's just the way everyone is taught and they inforce it in schools, so everyone rights the same. But, dang! These 8 and 9 year old children had a hundred times better handwriting then me! No lie! A typical school day in France is from 8:45-5, but they have a lunch break from 11:45-1:45 and about 4 "breaks" aka recess, that last for about 20 min. each. It's actually a pretty good idea, because the teachers will teach one subject and then there will be a break. The kids get their giddy-ness out of their system and when they come back to start on the next subject, they are ready to go. Pretty productive in my mind.<br /><br /><br />Yesturday, Tuesday, I woke up and caught the bus into town with Lee. We met up with the others and went to eat lunch at the IUFM (a teacher training school), before having to go to a meeting. I came home, did things around the house and that pretty much ended my day.<br /><br /><br />Today, I went into town again with Lee. We met up with a few of the others and went to the "Prefecture" to get our carte de sejour papers. A carte de sejour is basically a green card, so you can have the legal right to work. Unfortunally, we ended up not getting them because you have to come on Friday's before 10:30??? We were told something totally different, which was to go before noon on any day, but that didnt work out. It's so frustrating, because we just need these papers! The longer we wait on them, the longer it will be until we get money back from housing assistants (which shouuld be almost 130ish euros per month! CHA-CHING!!!<br /><br />I'm pretty sure I know where I am going for the first vacation we have (October 25th-November 6th). First, it will be Toulouse for a few days, then off to Marseille to enjoy the beach and then...CORSICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SOOOOO excited to visit the place where Napoleon came from and the place he loved so much! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I can't wait to rent Vespas and cruise around the country side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sure you can't tell I'm excited at all. I think I am going with Melissa Siltman (my friend from MSU) and Kelley, the girl I was telling you about up there ^ a few paragraphs. Should be a WONDERFUL TIME!<br /><br /><br />ANYWAYS!<br /><br /><br />Tomorrow, Lee and I have to go to the school that I visited before. We are really not sure why we are going, because we were never told, but we have to bring our lunch and be there by 10. Ill let you know how that goes.<br /><br /><br /><br />Now, I must sleep.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyVxZp3F5P8W5QgF-Ej5z8CboCfGdvk2vvGFG2ECgPMDveiBbsZwgPsB5nbaxstI-UJyN_uWj9g67aLGqJeTDOmhnRKIZ22JYYu0LgzpKd0mutlVs1WQXeZEtar-fHj28KWeGoPFZZ6w/s1600-h/napo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254888723026909554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyVxZp3F5P8W5QgF-Ej5z8CboCfGdvk2vvGFG2ECgPMDveiBbsZwgPsB5nbaxstI-UJyN_uWj9g67aLGqJeTDOmhnRKIZ22JYYu0LgzpKd0mutlVs1WQXeZEtar-fHj28KWeGoPFZZ6w/s320/napo.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />VIVE NAPOLEON!!!!!!!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-78708426979130084062008-10-03T19:13:00.002+02:002008-10-03T19:14:45.265+02:00And I think to myself...what a wonderful world!!!!!Hello to all! Im sorry it's been a few days since Ive updated! :S I dont even have an excuse! Mais, I am French now, so there for I take life a lot slower than Americans do. :D<br /><br />This week hasnt been to busy. Wednesday was my birthday! WOWZERS! Im 24! I dont feel anything close to that, but I guess that's what people say every birthday :). I started my orientation on Wednesday, too. We did a lot of paper work for insurance, etc. Im pretty excited, because the health care system in France is so much better than in the U.S. I have social security taken out of each paycheck and that gives me 70% coverage on any health related issue and then I took out insurance through a company (which I guess is very common in France) that will give me the other 30% coverage for only 30 euros a month! Plus, I get the first three months free! The insurance covers everything: dental, eyes, doctor appointments, medicine, anything! YAY! I plan on getting my eyes check out and getting some glasses and contacts AND hopefully going to the dentist and getting some work done AND going to the doctor just to make sure Im in good condition :). So, Im pretty excited about that! <div><br /><div></div><br /><div>OH! Tuesday, Lee, Laura and I found this amazing park in La Rochelle. Though it was rainy and kind of cold, this park was still so beautiful! Here are some pics:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNtG6iRMJRdhduQZDh0bNmpbEu3r1bIgQ4NhB0WXs1e_AOxIAYKhjXPKYvoAeyAfj5QnClNfV0EAw0ST8q-0hq4m91KaHwgNbdoBDla7h8e3HTuexo12DiKKiC38_hyphenhyphenhU3CCjZb1DDL4/s1600-h/Picture+057.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252973268785934914" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNtG6iRMJRdhduQZDh0bNmpbEu3r1bIgQ4NhB0WXs1e_AOxIAYKhjXPKYvoAeyAfj5QnClNfV0EAw0ST8q-0hq4m91KaHwgNbdoBDla7h8e3HTuexo12DiKKiC38_hyphenhyphenhU3CCjZb1DDL4/s320/Picture+057.jpg" border="0" /></a>(The beautiful gardens)<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhxvu0l8G3y1CIjGLp3WgYqjpRKy3UgwogO-f6pPQyoJWxmQ4D6IL6D0f0kqiJOJDsYPkFzUS91aPJsDcvJwBAcr9oRASoL4eMp_agcFWo8MF6bKYdJejGqaMoQvjG5yOXV_hdoawwwQ/s1600-h/Picture+065.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252973275077017106" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAhxvu0l8G3y1CIjGLp3WgYqjpRKy3UgwogO-f6pPQyoJWxmQ4D6IL6D0f0kqiJOJDsYPkFzUS91aPJsDcvJwBAcr9oRASoL4eMp_agcFWo8MF6bKYdJejGqaMoQvjG5yOXV_hdoawwwQ/s320/Picture+065.jpg" border="0" /></a>(Lee by a huuuuuuuuge tree)</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaZmMGgBjztI_OMLeYONGKOKxChs6jU65n3_YwidOYoRzxFzUAPUFzI9njbUZp96R7kiKLwuSPNTuvpzEWTBwrlr8aP1f13AwJ4wKuwpKy1LXVFBFgR2UtrPA91Arkx9QcuwOO7JwVEQ/s1600-h/Picture+059.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252975331722797058" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDaZmMGgBjztI_OMLeYONGKOKxChs6jU65n3_YwidOYoRzxFzUAPUFzI9njbUZp96R7kiKLwuSPNTuvpzEWTBwrlr8aP1f13AwJ4wKuwpKy1LXVFBFgR2UtrPA91Arkx9QcuwOO7JwVEQ/s320/Picture+059.jpg" border="0" /></a>(I love palm trees)<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNh_IJ2xRihTKUOtM-irU8rOEBsbP0u2F5EQhuWitRAQeKGv6uD_fLCSmQ8pt0c3nj_qwx55W1v6l-EeDlea9s0NwZZV45_bb0CQGWKRg4O0dt6uZ0NLFz-GczJkmQ_uID0h-ZnC6hzo/s1600-h/Picture+063.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252975335750597394" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNh_IJ2xRihTKUOtM-irU8rOEBsbP0u2F5EQhuWitRAQeKGv6uD_fLCSmQ8pt0c3nj_qwx55W1v6l-EeDlea9s0NwZZV45_bb0CQGWKRg4O0dt6uZ0NLFz-GczJkmQ_uID0h-ZnC6hzo/s320/Picture+063.jpg" border="0" /></a>(Exploring the vast jungles of La Rochelle)</div><div><br />On Wednesday night, the night of my birthday, a bunch of other assistants and I went out to eat. It was wonderful. There was: Me, Lee (American assistant/one of my roommates), Laura (American assistant), Elisa (American assistant), Sarah (British assistant), Greg (Sarah’s French boyfriend), Donald (American assistant), Jaime (Canadian assistant), Scott (Elisa’s American friend who works in La Rochelle) and Emily (American assistant). We went to a restaurant right by the port. It was beautiful. The night was a bit chilly, but nothing matters when you have a view like we did! After we ate, a few people went home and a few of us went to an Irish pub for some drinks. It was such a great night. I really had a good time. We got home about 2ish and had to be up again at 7:30 to get to our second day of orientation! Ei ei ei! We just were taught how to teach through games and song. It wasn’t anything tooooo new for me, because of all the TESL classes I have taken, but it was a nice refresher. </div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzSmiAYf63Vq6ZvK6FQn0MeNMW-CHI_EoPzED-xEO6GH57XtQR8dTKfoC75C2qT-uSH3KfUSJtdxJw9fZUzZRIX_1CjeR0Ap9RfnXRlFJwfy2zT71cb2dFEAgnXp3BoocKmWBkrkYGTQ/s1600-h/Picture+087.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252973265525324018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzSmiAYf63Vq6ZvK6FQn0MeNMW-CHI_EoPzED-xEO6GH57XtQR8dTKfoC75C2qT-uSH3KfUSJtdxJw9fZUzZRIX_1CjeR0Ap9RfnXRlFJwfy2zT71cb2dFEAgnXp3BoocKmWBkrkYGTQ/s320/Picture+087.jpg" border="0" /></a>(The group minus Donald (who's taking the pic) eating at my birthday supper)<br /><br />By the time I got back home from orientation (about 4 four in the afternoon), I was so tired from being up so late that I had to came home and took a nap! Haha. That night (which I guess was just last night), we (Lee, Laura and I) sat at my place and had a few drinks and chatted with my other roomies (Michel and Dorota). I, honestly, have the best roomies one could have in the situation I am in. First, we have Dorota, who is Polish, but speaks native-like French and doesn’t know hardly any English, so I MUST speak French with her. She is very understanding of my broken French, because she said she knows what it’s like to learn a language and helps me with my French. Then there’s Michel. He’s French, so obviously knows French very well, but he knows hardly any English. He (LITERALLY) makes me speak French. If Lee and I are speaking English when Michel is in the room, Michel will say (in French), “Ah, no no no! French not English!” Haha. It’s awesome, because if I don’t know how to say something, I can just reference Lee (cause he knows French really well) and keep speaking French. It’s an awesome combination.<br /><br />Tonight, my roomies, a few other assistants and I are going to get together. It should be a good time. </div><div><br />Know what? Even though I am away from everyone I love so much, I am so happy. I am so lucky to have everything I have. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s the truth. I have a wonderful family, an awesome boyfriend and the most amazing friends anyone could ever ask for AND I have this amazing opportunity to live in France. Wow. Wow. Wow. I just think of how far I have come. I mean, not financially, etc, but just in who I am. I feel like I have come full circle. Even three years ago, if I look at the person I was then, I know Ive grown and changed for the better, so much. Ive learned so much about myself and who I am. And now Ive become who I am today, which is exactly who I want to be. Nothing more, nothing less. This is me and I like me :).<br /><br />I must go play Guitar Hero now :).<br /><br />Until next time…! </div></div>Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-47009857647683737042008-09-29T22:22:00.013+02:002008-09-29T23:21:22.584+02:00Pepsi light does not equal the amazing taste of Diet Pepsi and that makes me sad.Wow, what a beautiful day! I mean, really! It was SOOOO warm. I ate lunch outside and soaked in the sun. It was so nice! Probably around 80-85ish would be my guess. Reguardless, it was nice. I should have gone to the beach, but didnt.<br /><br />I got my phone today! Yay for Frenchie phones! Lee and I walked down to the post to get them and basically ran home to check them out and play with them. I like mine a lot. Nicer than Ive ever had before! Plays music, has the radio, and has unlimited text! So, I cant complain! It's nice to have a phone just to get in contact with the other assistants. I feel fully connected to the world now: internet, landline and cell phone. At any point in time, someone can contact me :).<br /><br />Yesturday, we went to the house of one of our directors, Anne. She has a beautiful house and lives right by the beach. She lives about 15 minutes from La Rochelle in the town of, Fouras. Less tourist-y than La Rochelle, but just as beautiful. We had some cake and drinks, then went to the beach. We first walked to the small one, which looked big, until we got to the "big beach," which was huge! Look for yourself:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHntl8-GTzrBs0pK_Ze-imOPqb8qDh6R2tp5lZSmNDgaUUGyR70GKGOI7C2bxYNFS3Dbh7IgNo0mcuiMnD1pL5XQsXYsVEmdUHEWTB_JOB0Wru3S6pDh4UwgotnVwEVOXFqymMcvU5Zl0/s1600-h/Picture+050.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251543806749843122" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHntl8-GTzrBs0pK_Ze-imOPqb8qDh6R2tp5lZSmNDgaUUGyR70GKGOI7C2bxYNFS3Dbh7IgNo0mcuiMnD1pL5XQsXYsVEmdUHEWTB_JOB0Wru3S6pDh4UwgotnVwEVOXFqymMcvU5Zl0/s320/Picture+050.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0ZvlVx8CC9agRn76zxBaGkvB9gdhkxeiC8MJBR6sqzIecGNdYGZ-NrnzuCY-ZfQRA06vip3NpmpiaKmAXMRhmxSBWUV0rRyzrt1NEqwcctG6NSnitwBS0vLhmbnbV1hFqzFmigmvMqA/s1600-h/Picture+052.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251543820178900722" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU0ZvlVx8CC9agRn76zxBaGkvB9gdhkxeiC8MJBR6sqzIecGNdYGZ-NrnzuCY-ZfQRA06vip3NpmpiaKmAXMRhmxSBWUV0rRyzrt1NEqwcctG6NSnitwBS0vLhmbnbV1hFqzFmigmvMqA/s320/Picture+052.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Yeah, big. We sat in the sun for a bit and soaked it all in. The water was FREEZING, seriously! Anne and Laura (another American Assistant) actually went swimming. They were crazy! Never. I got my feet wet and left it at that. I think I got a bit of sun too, not burnt, but a nice tan-ish color :). Yay for sun.<br /><br />All around La Rochelle there are forts. The pictures up there ^ are taken off of one. This is what it looks like:<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid3aDVRopSigQ1V_aYwnVkcAixi7Z4ouxXZw6yAu8e87RSN15iQXoQuLD89MqHITjgsO4S46komz4qneQF8rt2BKWrS_V5KmIeuFELDTcVOXqa_Fh8VYHGnyukrlnj7uvaDkiGJsEve4/s1600-h/Picture+049.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251543807385841634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid3aDVRopSigQ1V_aYwnVkcAixi7Z4ouxXZw6yAu8e87RSN15iQXoQuLD89MqHITjgsO4S46komz4qneQF8rt2BKWrS_V5KmIeuFELDTcVOXqa_Fh8VYHGnyukrlnj7uvaDkiGJsEve4/s320/Picture+049.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I forgot the name of it, but it was cool. Just off of this area, you could see a few other forts, three I think, but I could be wrong. The history that France holds, is so greatly awesome.<br /><br />After we left the beach, we went back to Anne's, chatted a bit, then made our way back to La Rochelle. When we got back, I was shot! So, so, so tired. I took a shower and hit the hay. I slept hard, but, then again, it isnt hard to sleep when you have shutters that cut out 99.9999% of the suns' rays. When you wake up, you cannot honestly tell what time it is. It stays so dark in my room, if I have the shutters closed. This isnt a problem now, because I dont have to wake up for anything in particular, but once I have to be up for school, ei ei ei! I may have to leave those things open, so I can wake up!<br /><br />Tomorrow, an American assistant, Kelley, who is in Rochefort (just 10-15 minutes away), may come to visit! Im really excited, because Ive been talking to her, but havent met her, yet, and she seems like a really great person. Other than that, Im not sure what I will do, but I will let you know!<br /><br />Oh! Totally random, but Im pretty sure my blister count is up to about ten or twelve. No lie. I know it's gross, but sometimes the truth is gross. I walk basically walk every where! Not that I dont love it (cause I am really getting in shape), but my feet hate me. I try to keep rotating my shoes, so when I get back to the same pair, the blisters that it gave me are gone! Haha! True story. Mais, c'est la vie! And soon it will be raining, so I will walk anywhere I can for right now.<br /><br />Ive finished my book, "Twilight," by Stephanie Meyer. It was okay, but I would like to get the second one, "New Moon," to see what happens. But since I cant go to Barnes and Nobles to get it, Ive been reading, "1984," by George Orwell off the internet. Haha, sounds cheap, but I have no other choice. When your mind is concentrating so hard on French all day, at the end of the day, it's nice to read something in English. So far, I like it! Though, I am only to chapter one :).<br /><br />I hope everyone is doing great! The more and more time passes, the better I am feeling about everything, which is always good. And Im so much more driven to learn French. I love it.<br /><br />Bonne nuit!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4gEpE9xAeyvfIRbGOQ9NWqfwRPmgtWuhb-L-_yCG19Dx0Kqc1VdJnKRzMsnPcmAf2kM1Fk56exKobuKlEDil2ALgahN3rgJxerueL7nW3pwzHNu09ApvSrHr-KOcka7TVt4UblsPTMQ/s1600-h/Picture+051.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251543813737843538" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4gEpE9xAeyvfIRbGOQ9NWqfwRPmgtWuhb-L-_yCG19Dx0Kqc1VdJnKRzMsnPcmAf2kM1Fk56exKobuKlEDil2ALgahN3rgJxerueL7nW3pwzHNu09ApvSrHr-KOcka7TVt4UblsPTMQ/s320/Picture+051.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />(Me, on the fort and the the BEAUTIFUL ocean)Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-66979216150751485792008-09-26T16:50:00.034+02:002008-09-29T23:20:34.581+02:00Ma maison! My house!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpSdgn3RJ8dhrnL8mx0YY-rvyeaA3KdXR8W_uDCnmXKHShbRmlFxalTimz9txIrtQOpC02bGXocrIhhD7GRd_B4OBjYiiSiC2dlBO-8pY_5LYFKAHGHAONBdT5uO8IIKwygiHivgJrsI/s1600-h/Picture+023.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250344140161935474" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTpSdgn3RJ8dhrnL8mx0YY-rvyeaA3KdXR8W_uDCnmXKHShbRmlFxalTimz9txIrtQOpC02bGXocrIhhD7GRd_B4OBjYiiSiC2dlBO-8pY_5LYFKAHGHAONBdT5uO8IIKwygiHivgJrsI/s320/Picture+023.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Bonjour! Welcome to my house! 19 Rue du Muguet!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSKgEfxwn1YFg2V2sbe-Cgxq58rOZIyxI95U2fDLKjkjb7a1dwq5vPn0LC8Ulnm8YqQs1Rg8qVRRmugrKAizskYekfClN2UDPcYBWwnUElIxDROCv6VM_NSGm0QFJnjyqyK27pi4iXBg/s1600-h/Picture+022.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250344150008150866" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSKgEfxwn1YFg2V2sbe-Cgxq58rOZIyxI95U2fDLKjkjb7a1dwq5vPn0LC8Ulnm8YqQs1Rg8qVRRmugrKAizskYekfClN2UDPcYBWwnUElIxDROCv6VM_NSGm0QFJnjyqyK27pi4iXBg/s320/Picture+022.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />It's so nice of you to stop by!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250344147163772354" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37LlzBQk4umeXTveoys2muHiBM-SXtmogXVNUuA1s5TTHDlmZMupXbMFjd0lJBtcMXbSTfAe3DCJCsHmk2Yc6EUDDYb8xH1D9Ho9jit0U0V-OwwI4Nl9uP4oxrzTU_NxaIu2v89I7Dck/s320/Picture+025.jpg" border="0" /><br />Yup, that's the front door!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lMePpqGBvJMvS1F5nrhWlobFXeV3rCj0aOcRVq8lC1Q84WJbwvAbCre5JzS8q2RcKDCzf4Kqqza6VCJkwaFAa7IuPd6-oPeIY4wr8Gnw9Kj9-qEwL8Eg0NQaKXcwV28KjqQt4CsjiYw/s1600-h/Picture+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250344153694832914" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lMePpqGBvJMvS1F5nrhWlobFXeV3rCj0aOcRVq8lC1Q84WJbwvAbCre5JzS8q2RcKDCzf4Kqqza6VCJkwaFAa7IuPd6-oPeIY4wr8Gnw9Kj9-qEwL8Eg0NQaKXcwV28KjqQt4CsjiYw/s320/Picture+024.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And that's my window...but we'll get to my room in a bit!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250344162840199634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpt70zHtpNdUlf4HoDkjLuz_HzN8Ps9rQ5W6zBBgFbDu4Jh00FKO9KsOloQUztN1xVZoVQnPsNRSlqs9mUXSV-onortuHsyw8MRTlzCFdHFqCjv9iXjh_f_Q5z7V-1vyxePDjCG2ZrjEE/s320/Picture+026.jpg" border="0" /><br />Come inside! Ill show you around!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaLkY0NEK8nEcYKSyfVc-E6NaiBEWslMkW4vhQdMJWqismMZyI_ykkdhAG1d9JFyhEVYeidiH1ru9bJZaAjuHroAFeGM1BhpjT4B6Tw8ut0UdVQw73MAgmnq2xT_RAA1rU6VcjEzZKgc/s1600-h/Picture+020.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250345403284302306" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaLkY0NEK8nEcYKSyfVc-E6NaiBEWslMkW4vhQdMJWqismMZyI_ykkdhAG1d9JFyhEVYeidiH1ru9bJZaAjuHroAFeGM1BhpjT4B6Tw8ut0UdVQw73MAgmnq2xT_RAA1rU6VcjEzZKgc/s320/Picture+020.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Alright, here is the entry way. Now, take the stairs up and turn right!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrFQvDoCZMyPH_OPypMuHRGfR3W7vtayCKRmFGO6B03-34wJuty47Kxx75sYZBJEMoMuPZ_pxgXqGgLzri2pAqkkFAZKkCAkKGKyWDOxKVve5cfMIBDUIeqHi6NHacQmhmnjjWwcUA-8/s1600-h/Picture+018.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250345404314463442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrFQvDoCZMyPH_OPypMuHRGfR3W7vtayCKRmFGO6B03-34wJuty47Kxx75sYZBJEMoMuPZ_pxgXqGgLzri2pAqkkFAZKkCAkKGKyWDOxKVve5cfMIBDUIeqHi6NHacQmhmnjjWwcUA-8/s320/Picture+018.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />No, silly! I said right, not straight ahead! That's the toilet. Now listen! Take a RIGHT!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5_O5Oh_Lt_Nf0SBc43LDl_bNsmLShyg9HLbDrcQ4YfYnEWewpFbofF1517XBlxY1G08z4YH-YYKSm0um2nsTycXB1EulGaayEM1HouHtD-trUMLo3XpJ8W3kFeYIT9ODD3_Vf2n6Wnk/s1600-h/Picture+019.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250345407935624130" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5_O5Oh_Lt_Nf0SBc43LDl_bNsmLShyg9HLbDrcQ4YfYnEWewpFbofF1517XBlxY1G08z4YH-YYKSm0um2nsTycXB1EulGaayEM1HouHtD-trUMLo3XpJ8W3kFeYIT9ODD3_Vf2n6Wnk/s320/Picture+019.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /> There ya go! Now see the first door on the right? Yup! That's me!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmzesVeTi-VJ8qcugdSKvim6mXC_w0ek-XiVebVHpEePEcpPwgID_AYvpaDKLSG-FFTsRlYct670azVidOsh7IDbsB49JdLYraTC1CvX4v_YFiKGwWSiu5qPdLR3mEcHEsSkdlXbpmTM/s1600-h/Picture+013.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250345409853438210" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmzesVeTi-VJ8qcugdSKvim6mXC_w0ek-XiVebVHpEePEcpPwgID_AYvpaDKLSG-FFTsRlYct670azVidOsh7IDbsB49JdLYraTC1CvX4v_YFiKGwWSiu5qPdLR3mEcHEsSkdlXbpmTM/s320/Picture+013.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Voila! It's my room! That's obviously my bed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqDzAQVSD94o2bKwN80KwmhXA6BlSP1jyokNInVP7iDq24U_7FelPVDPQuOI5EIygPf5hjnBip6wPzdmI8SFMfef83_0830NbIcuiCKxtlzgSaKuFAJdUBOWk7mEDfMCS8tRubOOZBwM/s1600-h/Picture+014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250345409514875842" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqDzAQVSD94o2bKwN80KwmhXA6BlSP1jyokNInVP7iDq24U_7FelPVDPQuOI5EIygPf5hjnBip6wPzdmI8SFMfef83_0830NbIcuiCKxtlzgSaKuFAJdUBOWk7mEDfMCS8tRubOOZBwM/s320/Picture+014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />There's my desk with a lot of pictures on the wall of everyone!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wR6jfDzmugVoIPzqGBS4rLKBRrktJtOIXOdntMb26wZQj3nNOthaxUdoCKcdVoB9bBAQ0RMKoHT6GjqzfEmBn8fPwZQ2GkllWP5eobrXJHCwgy-C1CAtvG7LZOLaigIdWYL2Plio88Q/s1600-h/Picture+015.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250347476643387826" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wR6jfDzmugVoIPzqGBS4rLKBRrktJtOIXOdntMb26wZQj3nNOthaxUdoCKcdVoB9bBAQ0RMKoHT6GjqzfEmBn8fPwZQ2GkllWP5eobrXJHCwgy-C1CAtvG7LZOLaigIdWYL2Plio88Q/s320/Picture+015.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />That's my closet which has big mirrored doors. I love it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaGliywhO9XiT3ITbR-QY4ibtfZyyyh9tteQK6eyJis8hAQLfX45mD3Dvx9kZt5TefYCf30ONnZH4biw1guyb_tOHxgMzdK6Peq1gNek5abIk-Qv7agP-XrBuSDca3HoWrQpPLuBElUg/s1600-h/Picture+016.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250347483285364482" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiaGliywhO9XiT3ITbR-QY4ibtfZyyyh9tteQK6eyJis8hAQLfX45mD3Dvx9kZt5TefYCf30ONnZH4biw1guyb_tOHxgMzdK6Peq1gNek5abIk-Qv7agP-XrBuSDca3HoWrQpPLuBElUg/s320/Picture+016.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This is the view out my window. Not much of a view beacause of the big tree blocking my view, but I like the privacy!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mwswGfvnyMro-OweJBrk32sBYcjaoh1M8qViUf9xD7gwZX3dmPHnqbbs6A-tNg4PW8IAX9SU4R4OrDJjv6R8atlXFPnesH3o2ZL2to61opTlJZUGAkh1bp2aRrp6S5JEYvpmiN7w_0w/s1600-h/Picture+017.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250347485639069410" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mwswGfvnyMro-OweJBrk32sBYcjaoh1M8qViUf9xD7gwZX3dmPHnqbbs6A-tNg4PW8IAX9SU4R4OrDJjv6R8atlXFPnesH3o2ZL2to61opTlJZUGAkh1bp2aRrp6S5JEYvpmiN7w_0w/s320/Picture+017.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Alright, since you turned right out of my room, instead of left to go back downstairs, you ran in to my bathroom. Well, the shower room. Ei ei ei, since you asked, Im not sure what the toilet looking thing if for. Pretty sure the looks of it translate in to something like, "bum washer." Haha.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Kas-mIG9_YN5wWlWrcOMm9_AS3i7wACYwUoegVFcxoHRjd0nRqgyiteGCiZGhkgwStrK9ffOcJkgaZc12vCUNzMAk8gjfgowdTh6aEBzpJ5wIFyk1PDXcVpVqPlG7xr_j1KZsuzXk2c/s1600-h/Picture+030.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250347487056923314" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Kas-mIG9_YN5wWlWrcOMm9_AS3i7wACYwUoegVFcxoHRjd0nRqgyiteGCiZGhkgwStrK9ffOcJkgaZc12vCUNzMAk8gjfgowdTh6aEBzpJ5wIFyk1PDXcVpVqPlG7xr_j1KZsuzXk2c/s320/Picture+030.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Alright! You've made it back to the stairs. Now, go down and turn right, then go straight through the French doors.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESlXnqJ5S9KTCXNjZInRMHRq3bbjPqcZaEdSJsRnDH4_uwtrXt1hdN0hKI7kXXxY_tza1qAWrmc_WmzO_bxZ49V_txDN3CiQnHWs_PSGEYe3YqUh6QRV134eMMgPgLhX-3F4v45KwdRs/s1600-h/Picture+031.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250347490054146706" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESlXnqJ5S9KTCXNjZInRMHRq3bbjPqcZaEdSJsRnDH4_uwtrXt1hdN0hKI7kXXxY_tza1qAWrmc_WmzO_bxZ49V_txDN3CiQnHWs_PSGEYe3YqUh6QRV134eMMgPgLhX-3F4v45KwdRs/s320/Picture+031.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />EI EI EI! What is with you and bathrooms?!?! Well, since you HAD to see it, this is my other toilet room. Le WC, as the French would call it.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKabuxrGGQdC_Rd1oxg7dnzDXoDoQ7huJOw9pJcl41fIyVv2NpaqWqZMI-LTwoLPZPbBOzLl_DR6tQx7mfuflWuixGLWNeYIEVPHEy9JVdtk5z7CQSBPr18dxHiCoBnfWvpsaqqgtzCQ0/s1600-h/Picture+021.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250350208063551970" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKabuxrGGQdC_Rd1oxg7dnzDXoDoQ7huJOw9pJcl41fIyVv2NpaqWqZMI-LTwoLPZPbBOzLl_DR6tQx7mfuflWuixGLWNeYIEVPHEy9JVdtk5z7CQSBPr18dxHiCoBnfWvpsaqqgtzCQ0/s320/Picture+021.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />There you go! Those are the doors I was talking about!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdomT9LvBRLvMa1brJb_SuMZuJNAR5J5xM_mNMz6-uBJP5XOX1AjN0RyTS0gZcvYaIPMFLvn6xzvYRLsEHm2CQ20FA_Qtqei6RHI7oAEqw80HFjkcg-0fBwtDBTutDY1fGeX-92XQVrc/s1600-h/Picture+027.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250350213873206418" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdomT9LvBRLvMa1brJb_SuMZuJNAR5J5xM_mNMz6-uBJP5XOX1AjN0RyTS0gZcvYaIPMFLvn6xzvYRLsEHm2CQ20FA_Qtqei6RHI7oAEqw80HFjkcg-0fBwtDBTutDY1fGeX-92XQVrc/s320/Picture+027.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here is the living room! It's quite nice and has satalite tv :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeD83s7hbz4v6WIJp7VknH-0gLoBjuHw4Brkj4k2XtehF8K7gxk2ACPDWKeg2YKEG-Z3jRoncmHPxRO9Hu7gSAGuc0QNblWELP9CdY7MbbG_uNB7maK5ZSJKeTH6-5BfOl9n3P5bALwp4/s1600-h/Picture+037.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250350211828310818" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeD83s7hbz4v6WIJp7VknH-0gLoBjuHw4Brkj4k2XtehF8K7gxk2ACPDWKeg2YKEG-Z3jRoncmHPxRO9Hu7gSAGuc0QNblWELP9CdY7MbbG_uNB7maK5ZSJKeTH6-5BfOl9n3P5bALwp4/s320/Picture+037.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Ah, I see you looked in the corner and saw my fireplace. Nice, eh? Too bad we can't use it!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPeLaHn5ORN1JXqhLsK8_Qf5StLxGZE_N-jCqHinn-hryqbd_QdejMfMvRrfOnJfxM83ihgdhnd41khKeJ_h3uXwU38fn-fft79xNSogYgrDc-oXm3Ksl860ItGG0NFhEfhFannMq55Q/s1600-h/Picture+029.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250350220414652546" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPeLaHn5ORN1JXqhLsK8_Qf5StLxGZE_N-jCqHinn-hryqbd_QdejMfMvRrfOnJfxM83ihgdhnd41khKeJ_h3uXwU38fn-fft79xNSogYgrDc-oXm3Ksl860ItGG0NFhEfhFannMq55Q/s320/Picture+029.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Yup, those are the doors you just came through. Those steps? Ah! They lead to some storage. Nothing too exciting. Let's skip that.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqgFvPTSEKJZTN8uw0_k6iz2BrZiT2-wATHDltqmtFK-WxpOBv8y0c9LybQJSw_8wWGWYVcKXf1YbiDetwNCU7C5c4eRlqPXzPIL9hK3LgjlvfYbRDpVIlZzzLXJkiK-JwIBNLZcm9S4/s1600-h/Picture+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250350218543569026" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqgFvPTSEKJZTN8uw0_k6iz2BrZiT2-wATHDltqmtFK-WxpOBv8y0c9LybQJSw_8wWGWYVcKXf1YbiDetwNCU7C5c4eRlqPXzPIL9hK3LgjlvfYbRDpVIlZzzLXJkiK-JwIBNLZcm9S4/s320/Picture+028.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />You're right, this is the view from the dining room and if you turn around...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCqZ-isLwvDJVz-W7Pu8Z8p1FoXqYJy5YOlfosBfWEVCZhyphenhyphenYjP9nEYZwT0mKDmCrpio1eyu9omniFkilsNFjZOqKpd-JzdulzjXBD-8EpX5FzF8pQrqO6fi0NOn2W45hspgZBowdiFgE/s1600-h/Picture+036.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250352691038473138" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCqZ-isLwvDJVz-W7Pu8Z8p1FoXqYJy5YOlfosBfWEVCZhyphenhyphenYjP9nEYZwT0mKDmCrpio1eyu9omniFkilsNFjZOqKpd-JzdulzjXBD-8EpX5FzF8pQrqO6fi0NOn2W45hspgZBowdiFgE/s320/Picture+036.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Ici! The kitchen and dining room!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9K94Kt81k-P-fzs1YAEKARQ9rpe_OYINsUf-4DSL0fXmuY763VFGijBmFMrZe-Y7ViwWZon5dHZmZeMtn4MWoRx3dO8Q49sazgpgEjC701iaC1OzeF-Huhx4_ZuDXHrEgFTPhk-jBMsk/s1600-h/Picture+033.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250352697028042866" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9K94Kt81k-P-fzs1YAEKARQ9rpe_OYINsUf-4DSL0fXmuY763VFGijBmFMrZe-Y7ViwWZon5dHZmZeMtn4MWoRx3dO8Q49sazgpgEjC701iaC1OzeF-Huhx4_ZuDXHrEgFTPhk-jBMsk/s320/Picture+033.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />As you can see, this is the full view of my kitchen!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapMI4qM4TDSTH9z6NHs9Mtgp23n8SbTAPPRG1Dvd5Es3vNrhM4V1BgvgCRUIYoLJ_OxeXS8LK2JNpB7c5dNioSfyOkF0iSJzawga-28XHyYgoryDYFcM7ryzokJLQvJB6oWOthhua3X4/s1600-h/Picture+034.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250352694540804354" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapMI4qM4TDSTH9z6NHs9Mtgp23n8SbTAPPRG1Dvd5Es3vNrhM4V1BgvgCRUIYoLJ_OxeXS8LK2JNpB7c5dNioSfyOkF0iSJzawga-28XHyYgoryDYFcM7ryzokJLQvJB6oWOthhua3X4/s320/Picture+034.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The dining room!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpx-7Gz-uq2hzvrlhbU08D_j69mLI8DNG1IGTLFSGZvjJQiODHJVhzKS5cm35eapeO0sBFKEYmYb6peoN96wWUlJfvP9mNPN1LF4r6oPJveQbHLgHuM4BsD5Dgo0hBWY5PFrwHCZOJ_8/s1600-h/Picture+035.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250352704300810706" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpx-7Gz-uq2hzvrlhbU08D_j69mLI8DNG1IGTLFSGZvjJQiODHJVhzKS5cm35eapeO0sBFKEYmYb6peoN96wWUlJfvP9mNPN1LF4r6oPJveQbHLgHuM4BsD5Dgo0hBWY5PFrwHCZOJ_8/s320/Picture+035.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Ah! The sun is shining! Let's go outside! Just past the table and out to the patio!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgNKztgIE8kC2qro4XjBVpN-eU0be0F0jJoBskVcuy2XdPMcVZSsgKP32i6GbijaBHOclL_G15dY7H7_qAaAjZhVnBiscp6v2llKrYPWUu8nLgxPjxCWoL_oR9Tp_U2_VdTaYjdotCgA/s1600-h/Picture+038.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250352707349004258" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGgNKztgIE8kC2qro4XjBVpN-eU0be0F0jJoBskVcuy2XdPMcVZSsgKP32i6GbijaBHOclL_G15dY7H7_qAaAjZhVnBiscp6v2llKrYPWUu8nLgxPjxCWoL_oR9Tp_U2_VdTaYjdotCgA/s320/Picture+038.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Wow! You are quick! You are already on the other side of the pool looking at the door you just came out!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFOapzWZD7U2VPYP4v23JqeEg02N6xO8fFHTn-gJFkrTClumm2BYmQRIB2y_0QfDK4W7D3Lkybx4EXPtRIqgn5X37uxKsYQmqVTwUe34ecfM2Zrwy8X69t8KTaavoPsNMozHVxmGc4Jo/s1600-h/Picture+039.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250355928945770178" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFOapzWZD7U2VPYP4v23JqeEg02N6xO8fFHTn-gJFkrTClumm2BYmQRIB2y_0QfDK4W7D3Lkybx4EXPtRIqgn5X37uxKsYQmqVTwUe34ecfM2Zrwy8X69t8KTaavoPsNMozHVxmGc4Jo/s320/Picture+039.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I know, I know. It doesn't look like much, but this is my garden. It has herbs and some very yummy tomatos!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitt5SfeLk6IEU5zc8OtiP105E_hKihBYfJBhX-OjML_QtYNoBB54Ejt4NY_Gboc3ZaLaEStFO393-gFL3UK7N4f5Kcg0Gve_YmCPRImdwVTxSocDtNFWMv_d45ZD6GVENHQMKDdMD6FPQ/s1600-h/Picture+040.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250355932885186962" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitt5SfeLk6IEU5zc8OtiP105E_hKihBYfJBhX-OjML_QtYNoBB54Ejt4NY_Gboc3ZaLaEStFO393-gFL3UK7N4f5Kcg0Gve_YmCPRImdwVTxSocDtNFWMv_d45ZD6GVENHQMKDdMD6FPQ/s320/Picture+040.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />You are now looking the opposite way of the garden. So, the garden is to the back of you, the pool to the left and the house just kiddie corner on your left. On this side of the yard, there is a pear and apple tree!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEu8xdf-VNbELoILdtTmvfjtLIfqO_e_Y3hPm4ciuZG7X1erpMNajDKHPaEeNL9R0KDuAJQbPp1stCvSx8SFzFp8Sdjqjg_bdIIhFledoGIn8eGcN3zGxBGxsniIeJmknNeACnTrqidQ/s1600-h/Picture+041.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250355943076063154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEu8xdf-VNbELoILdtTmvfjtLIfqO_e_Y3hPm4ciuZG7X1erpMNajDKHPaEeNL9R0KDuAJQbPp1stCvSx8SFzFp8Sdjqjg_bdIIhFledoGIn8eGcN3zGxBGxsniIeJmknNeACnTrqidQ/s320/Picture+041.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This is on the oppisite side of the pool. On this side of the yard, there is a grape vine! It's growing straight ahead of you, on the fence-wall thing!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYHI4_oQB9p1A5QhO8rLK7bFXHd_HhMxOV6tVxd-rY3OtZalKrj6xvM2e0R9dQLvUQ36OHLxNnbLzeIbytX9_sO3i11rwvxhs7q0NY9Y8SMidcuTjaOQ7No3pxZlcw0UqXKx3AavWHBs/s1600-h/Picture+042.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250355949363680898" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTYHI4_oQB9p1A5QhO8rLK7bFXHd_HhMxOV6tVxd-rY3OtZalKrj6xvM2e0R9dQLvUQ36OHLxNnbLzeIbytX9_sO3i11rwvxhs7q0NY9Y8SMidcuTjaOQ7No3pxZlcw0UqXKx3AavWHBs/s320/Picture+042.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The part of the yard that you just looked at is right behind you. This is the pool. It's covered up for the season. Getting too cold to swim or so they say! Whimps! Haha. Just across the pool, behind the clothes line, you can see the garden in the left hand corner of the lawn. The house is now to the left of you.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl0wTvGYJ6YXlimUBKOm36HdGl3XNz-k6u5PBO9d0EK7g4Ibl9im3j5f_wfWUR8FYFwerx0qSVKTb0NIT2r2QJ8ZnevzKnFbQ9eD33EwhqPc2b6aP1ZH_bXkXg_O-yKShPeWNthIqEVI/s1600-h/Picture+043.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250355953776472930" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnl0wTvGYJ6YXlimUBKOm36HdGl3XNz-k6u5PBO9d0EK7g4Ibl9im3j5f_wfWUR8FYFwerx0qSVKTb0NIT2r2QJ8ZnevzKnFbQ9eD33EwhqPc2b6aP1ZH_bXkXg_O-yKShPeWNthIqEVI/s320/Picture+043.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Yup! You're right! It is a nice patio! It's a nice place to sit outside and enjoy the sun!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4vKHiTKK4Awh8oC5FfwwUICWF1DFmMF9EHCqfAxQ7HCrpDD_nBlQHuCXKZqymtCvqYdNqMMl1T9TOCGVCP0qIxPaT-RMTWFEocrbRmrxeCbYvbcrp1UxvvjA6NTk_Z0kpq7GQ-AuZpk/s1600-h/Picture+046.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250358417737259138" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm4vKHiTKK4Awh8oC5FfwwUICWF1DFmMF9EHCqfAxQ7HCrpDD_nBlQHuCXKZqymtCvqYdNqMMl1T9TOCGVCP0qIxPaT-RMTWFEocrbRmrxeCbYvbcrp1UxvvjA6NTk_Z0kpq7GQ-AuZpk/s320/Picture+046.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I know you're in a hurry, because you went so quickly back to the entry way, but, really quick, let me show you the downstairs/garage. Go down those stairs!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7BNDRkVAf5qYBHky_aoA92mkx2ARmwzgI2tmHKwTPB07rFP63un26CtpxvlAt7E_lSnfYngrRR239jDSG8_UDBxht5vFRo_nNv4q_y4vSPxfNCKuvgC_Gj2wHW-biNTT3yPTgWLnuMI/s1600-h/Picture+044.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250358418734756850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7BNDRkVAf5qYBHky_aoA92mkx2ARmwzgI2tmHKwTPB07rFP63un26CtpxvlAt7E_lSnfYngrRR239jDSG8_UDBxht5vFRo_nNv4q_y4vSPxfNCKuvgC_Gj2wHW-biNTT3yPTgWLnuMI/s320/Picture+044.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Here is the garage! No, I didnt not buy a sweet grey car, that's the owners of the house and no, that's not my sweet bike either, it's Lee's.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKCuSRUwnDx3lz2fUBAi7Q6p7qIR1ykIJ1DJvS-6yC8_O1Kd5yaVkkRgyVGjeLkxWD0ex1q-d5pvk66pBy3PPtdA3fe2-okC3D_ZXQhat2SCFv-f94SNYWfxX_1gzvwesL_9GtToQ4a0/s1600-h/Picture+045.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250358419554476722" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKCuSRUwnDx3lz2fUBAi7Q6p7qIR1ykIJ1DJvS-6yC8_O1Kd5yaVkkRgyVGjeLkxWD0ex1q-d5pvk66pBy3PPtdA3fe2-okC3D_ZXQhat2SCFv-f94SNYWfxX_1gzvwesL_9GtToQ4a0/s320/Picture+045.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />And right in front of the car by the wall, there is my wash machine! Yay for a washer in the house! And, as you can see right in front of you, there is also a ironing board (and iron, which you can't see).<br /><br />Well, thanks for coming by! If you're in the neighborhood again, stop by and we'll have some wine on the patio!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kkraB0v8M02eapd2IQCfM6M67H8Impl2MvPX_ItfiV5bzA3pXVJI65QS6-wfv9Lm-4gXBrEGJKVRAyTTBIg3d_hSmH3cTUBz5iIktT_YmYU6oHQ2IqL9rEklJ16-kaH8DMDzYVnQomU/s1600-h/Picture+488.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250360617530151410" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kkraB0v8M02eapd2IQCfM6M67H8Impl2MvPX_ItfiV5bzA3pXVJI65QS6-wfv9Lm-4gXBrEGJKVRAyTTBIg3d_hSmH3cTUBz5iIktT_YmYU6oHQ2IqL9rEklJ16-kaH8DMDzYVnQomU/s320/Picture+488.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#009900;"><strong><em>Now get out or Ill kick your butt!!! :)</em></strong></span>Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-49886160032900511532008-09-25T18:37:00.012+02:002008-09-29T23:20:23.476+02:00I really, really, really, REALLY love baguettes.How was your afternoon??? This was mine....<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Io_MdNNxFCHevrOIiMgDoQBd0LEy5jWtc_KN9axJ8TBwbD7wV3N7qoZ56203EnAMGgYFitXRdWcy-2hLVTsNsJkbrrBO64EkxbjKWiiPvX8HgZMJje1bYve7U06RPdFL4cluzbUBG7A/s1600-h/Picture+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249999400360716946" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Io_MdNNxFCHevrOIiMgDoQBd0LEy5jWtc_KN9axJ8TBwbD7wV3N7qoZ56203EnAMGgYFitXRdWcy-2hLVTsNsJkbrrBO64EkxbjKWiiPvX8HgZMJje1bYve7U06RPdFL4cluzbUBG7A/s320/Picture+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8TwYPMkIjW4I0HuZWhSw_66C-ay6wvlr9rpwE2ejgdPRdajQI5n6npIchD0bT76MKsu0LVjJo_73BCkBtBCW1HoDzG7k3XtKPQpBobJlj0nd1av6TeA3RQIpieXdZqjk6lKAoY9O8hA/s1600-h/Picture+012.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXjNSxhJihwqBhCSvsIfom0pXNvSnQUHPgaPTC-fyMEcXyv3GlogFnSuttl6NmVGT-y8IluNqZMAMWtPZMDoOUP31LFrTjpnIGhoLYA4BtLSoubUmiHQOVE0plGgIoRGLHI81EMkYfSo/s1600-h/Picture+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249999934115496834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXjNSxhJihwqBhCSvsIfom0pXNvSnQUHPgaPTC-fyMEcXyv3GlogFnSuttl6NmVGT-y8IluNqZMAMWtPZMDoOUP31LFrTjpnIGhoLYA4BtLSoubUmiHQOVE0plGgIoRGLHI81EMkYfSo/s320/Picture+006.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8TwYPMkIjW4I0HuZWhSw_66C-ay6wvlr9rpwE2ejgdPRdajQI5n6npIchD0bT76MKsu0LVjJo_73BCkBtBCW1HoDzG7k3XtKPQpBobJlj0nd1av6TeA3RQIpieXdZqjk6lKAoY9O8hA/s1600-h/Picture+012.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249999924809152338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8TwYPMkIjW4I0HuZWhSw_66C-ay6wvlr9rpwE2ejgdPRdajQI5n6npIchD0bT76MKsu0LVjJo_73BCkBtBCW1HoDzG7k3XtKPQpBobJlj0nd1av6TeA3RQIpieXdZqjk6lKAoY9O8hA/s320/Picture+012.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The first is the towers of La Rochelle.<br />The second is the Port of Minimes<br />The third is of the Plage de Minimes (Minimes Beach) which has on the left "The most beautiful place in the world," and the light house at the end of the world (small dot looking thing on the left).<br /><br />As you can see, I walked around La Rochelle today :). It was nice, though I received many blisters from my adventure. I love just wandering. I got myself lost at one point, then saw our school we attended last year, Sup de Co, and knew where I was immidiately. Im gettin gmore confortable using my French. I dont know what it is, but something about me must scream I AM FRENCH, because people come up to me and start asking me something in French. I dont understand and I dont want to keep asking them, "What? What? What?," so I just say, "Je parle francais un peu, desole!" (I speak a little French, sorry!) And they seem to be really cool with it. I wish I could respond to them, but, though I have gained confidence, I havent gained that much, plus, it's frustrating for the both of us. It's happened twice in two days that people have come up to me. A young girl yesturday and a older-ish man today.<br /><br />ANYWAYS!!!...<br /><br />I walked all around La Rochelle today. It was wonderful. Hearing all the sounds from the port and the beach brings back so many memories, so many WONDERFUL memories. It was nice just to be by myself, lost in my own thoughts. I love this place so much. I also love the French way of life, but Im not sure if I could do it the rest of my life. Now, dont get me wrong, I love the come to work whenever, have a two hour lunch, go at your own pace, kind of life, but Im American and Im so used to getting things done when I need them done! Haha. For example, when I say the French take a two hour lunch, I mean a two hour lunch, all 120 minutes of it. And it's just not business people, its everyone. Cell phone places, clothes places, banks... EVERYTHING! Maybe it just that we've been going to places during the wrong time, but it seems like it happens a lot. I guess Im just used to being able to go to a store and get my things at anytime I want. Living the French life will be interesting and fun. Ill just have to get used to taking my two hour lunch as well :D<br /><br />Also today, Lee, Laura (two other American assistants) and I went to get phones. They will be here, via the mail, on Monday (hopefully). I got a pink slider phone! Yay for pink! :) We then ate a yummy sandwhich, fed the pigeons and went our seperate ways. Lee and Laura went to Ile de Re. Ill get there someday. I have many to choose from :). Tomorrow brings grocery stores and paying off my place for October. I love giving away thousands of dollars in one go :)<br /><br />Well, time to go pop my blisters (I know you wanted to know that)!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-61482145687311314062008-09-23T22:24:00.006+02:002008-09-29T23:20:13.359+02:00I hate military time.EI EI EI! Im so sorry for all my shinannigans. I FINALLY found a place to live. Which is soooooo nice because I actually DONT have to live out of a suitcase, which I HATE! I am living with four other people. One is another American assistant, Lee, one is a Polish girl, her name starts with a D, and the last is a Frenchie guy, Michel. Only Lee and I are moved in so far. I guess the Polish gal is suppose to be here tomorrow. I just got everything unpacked. Now, just getting everything organized, which will probably take a couple days because I will switch things around a million times.<br /><br />My living situation is really awesome. I live in a house with a HUGE yard (huge meaning huge for France AND for the U.S. There is also a pool! It has a cover on it now, but hopefully when it starts getting warm, we can uncover it :). I also have a washer, which saves a bunch, and a full kitchen! Not just a small fridge and a hotplate! Hello Thanksgiving turkey!!! My room is nice. A big bed, a desk, a HUGE closet (well huge cause I only have 1/16th of my clothes) and a side table with a lamp. I live on the same bus route that Francine (my "host-mom" from last summer) lives on, just a bit farther down.<br /><br />If anyone wants my address, here it is:<br /><br />Amanda KACK<br />19 Rue du Muguet<br />17180 Périgny <br />France<br /><br />Tomorrow it's opening a bank account and getting a cell phone. Looking forward to it...not. Well, the cell phone part, yeah, but banks are borning, except the money part :D.<br /><br />It's weird being in La Rochelle. I mean Im enjoying myself A LOT, but it's just not the same without people I know here. I didnt expect it to be the same by anymeans, because that summer was one of the best times ever. I just think it's a lot of stress/sadness/thinking. I really miss everyone so much. So much. And with all the paper work going on and all the French talk and concentrating so much, it's just taking a lot out of me I guess. Mais, c'est la vie for the next nine months!<br /><br />Dont get the wrong idea, I LOVE being here, so much. Surrrounded by everything French. And once I get working, everything will go by so quickly, TOO quickly! It's so beautiful. The sounds of the port, the towers, the people, the language. I find myself many times during the day smiling like a fool. Im sure people can tell Im American :)<br /><br />The language is blowing me away, well, let me rephrase that, the SPEED of speech is blowing me away. I can understand (most), but wowowowowowow! slow down s'il vous plait! But, I can feel myself getting better even from the time I arrived here, which was Thrusday the 19th, so four days compared to nine months! Wow, watch out world! Amanda the Frenchie is coming for you!<br /><br />Time for bed!<br /><br />Bonne nuitBonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-68408535605151718212008-09-22T14:38:00.006+02:002008-09-29T23:19:29.247+02:00I have yet to see Stanny!Hey guys! Sorry I havent written much. I dont have much access to the net! Ei ei ei! I just want you all to know that I am here and safe! I am currently looking for a place to live and hopefully will be moved in by the next couple of days! I hope all is well with everyone and I miss EVERYONE so much! It's awesome being back in La Rochelle, but so different cause I feel like Amy should be in my bedroom when I wake up :) Hahaha. Anyways, I hope all is well with everyone! Ill write more when I get the interenet!<br /><br />A bientot!Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7676602108286732653.post-78881963071620781102008-09-02T07:32:00.005+02:002008-09-29T23:19:38.957+02:00There's always a first!<span style="font-family:verdana;">HELLO!!!! (or must I say "Bonjour?!?!?!")</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">wait...</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Im not in France...yet...</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">so...</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">HELLO!!!!!!!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">Ei ei ei!</span> T-minus <span style="color:#33cc00;">16 days</span>!!!!!!!!!!! My heart starts beating fast just thinking about it. I can't believe IT'S almost here. My day! AHHHHHHHH! So much do to, yet, but Im not sure if I want to start conquering! Im so excited to go, SO excited, but the whole 9 plus months is starting to get to me. I know Ill be fine, it's just the whole before jitter-y thingies. Plus, I will have a few visitors while I am there and that acutally makes me even more excited to be able to show them <span style="color:#000099;">my world</span> in France. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#cc0000;"><em>Things to do yet:</em></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">1) Get train ticket from Paris to La Rochelle via Poitiers. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">2) Finish quizes (crosses fingers)</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">3) See my peeps in Mankato again and have a BLAST with them on Friday.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#330033;"><strong>4) PACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</strong></span>Bonjour Amanda!http://www.blogger.com/profile/12083036333395660695noreply@blogger.com0