Home for the holidays

After traveling for exactly 24 hours I finally made it home safely. It was a long trip, but I didn’t have any big problems. I was pretty lucky.

Now I have until January 4 until I have to go the 6000 miles back to Belfort. In that time I will probably be watching lots of football and eating lots of good Mexican food to get me through the next 6 months.

I had a good Christmas. I received a new macro lens for my camera. I am so excited to use it in my travels next year. The macro lens allows you to get really close up shots. It should be fun to mess around with it.

Jet lag has not been my friend the last two days. On Christmas morning I woke up at 6 am. Then last night we were watching a movie. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I went to bed at 8:30. Then this morning I was wide awake at 5:30 am, so I had to sit around waiting for everyone else to get up.

I am definitely not looking forward to it again when I go back to France. It really throws you off for a few days! O-well it has been more than worth it to see my family for Christmas!

Let's Party!!!!!

I am finished teaching for the next two weeks. I am so excited that I don’t have to deal with the little French kiddies for a while.

Tonight we had a Christmas celebration at our place. We made a really good dinner and opened our presents. Mandy had brought over some crackers (which I found out are not like the ones you eat!!!). They are a tradition in England at Christmas. They are little popper type things, and inside is a terrible joke, a toy and a really goofy hat. We wore our hats the whole time, and I can say that I am glad we don’t have them in the US!

We had a good time and here are some pictures.

Here we are after we opend all our presents. (I made them the scarfs they are wearing.)




Now you see what I mean about the hats!




I am leaving early Sunday morning to make my way back home. I am catching the train at 2 am from Belfort to Paris. Then I have to catch the metro to another train station in Paris to take the train to the airport. My plane leaves at 11:30 am. Then it is a 12 hour flight, and I get into LAX at 2:30 pm because of the time change. I am then taking the SuperShuttle to my Grandparents’ house where we are celebrating Christmas Eve.

All said and done it will be about 22 hours of traveling!!! It will be a really long trip, but well worth. It will be so nice to be back in the US for a while!!!! I will just have to work on getting out of my French mode!

Christmas in Belfort

Yesterday I went on the little tourist train that goes around town. In the summer it goes up to the castle, but in December it just goes through the town, so you can look at all the Christmas lights. It was absolutely freezing, and we went so slow!!!! The train went through the pedestrian area, and people were passing us on foot. It was one of those times when it would have been nice to just get out and push.

Despite the cold and slow pace it was still fun to see all the town decorated. It took them about a month to put all of the lights up, but I think their hard work paid off!

Here are a few of the pictures I took.

This is the pedistrian area. I can see these lights from my apartment.



This is the town hall.


Here the gazebo in the "Old Town"


All the buildings in town have yellow and red lights, so everything matches. It looks pretty amazing.

The craziness that is French television

We finally have a working TV. The TV connection is included in our Internet cost, so we were looking for a cheap TV for a while. Then last week our neighbor, who just bought a new TV, let us borrow his old, crappy one. It was really nice of him. The power button doesn’t stay on, so I had to use like 8 pieces of tape to keep it in place. Then just as you get settled and into a show it will come lose, so you will have to walk back over and try it again. It still has a good picture, so it really isn’t too bad considering it was free.

There is not a whole lot to watch. A lot of the shows are ones that were cancelled a long time ago in the United States, and after watching about 5 minutes of them it is apparent why. They do have “Friends” though. It is a lot of fun to hear the dubbing voices because it sounds nothing like the actual person. Ross actually sounds like he is a little bit Japanese to me.

I have caught a cold, so last night I didn’t want to do anything. I turned on the TV and watched a little of “Alert A Malibu,” which is the French name for “Baywatch.” I could only stand it for a while because I remembered just how bad that show is. (In this episode there was some kind of huge octopus thing that was attacking people!) I heard that at one time “Baywatch” was the most popular show in the world because it gets so much play all around the world. Go figure…

This afternoon they had actual American football on TV. I couldn’t believe it! Sure it was only a thirty-minute recap from a few of the games last week, but it is the most I have watched in three months. Maybe this means that I will be able to watch the Superbowl at like 3 am come February. I can’t wait.

I am going to be doing Christmas stuff with all my classes this week. It should be a lot of fun. I think I am going to teach them Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.” Then I am going to have them make Christmas cards with the new vocabulary words I am going to teach them. It should make the week go by really fast if they are all well behaved. I am thinking that will not be the case, but I am hoping for the best.

I think I am making progress….

Today I had to call a delivery place because my I am waiting for a package, and I had to set up a time for them to deliver it. I was so proud of myself because the conversation went really well. I understood everything she said, and more importantly she understood everything I said. When I first got here I hated talking to people on the phone because it is so difficult, and I used to write everything I was going to say down before hand. Now I can just call them up and talk…I guess I have improved my French in the last three months!! (I can’t believe it has been that long)

We had a good time when Sarah’s first group of friends was here. They left on Sunday. There were three of them, so we had 6 girls here. It definitely got a little tight at times. I was also amazed at how much toilet paper we went through in about 4 days!! Anyway they were all really nice. I am still amazed that there are so many different accents from a county that is so small!! You can tell a difference with every one.

She has another friend who arrived here today and is leaving Friday. Then she has two more friends coming on Saturday, and they are staying until next Wednesday. So we will have a full house until about the time we all leave for Christmas.

Yesterday was also a really good day because I bought plane tickets to travel in March on our next break from school. On March 1 I am flying down to Nice to meet up with Mandy. I think we are going to try to see Corsica, Monte Carlo, Marseille, and Saint-Tropez in the nine days we have down there. I fly in and out of Bale, Switzerland. The tickets were only 65 euros roundtrip. It was such a good deal I just couldn’t pass it up. I have never been to the South of France, so I am really looking forward to it.

I am also looking forward to going back home to California for a while. I leave in exactly 11 days...YEA!

The Crazy Little French Kids

I don’t know what has gotten into all the French kiddies, but they have been a riot the past few days. In one of my young classes there is this little boy named Hugo who is always causing problems. When we did Thanksgiving he raised his hand, and proceeded to tell me that he “hated the United States.” Not quite sure why he felt it was necessary to tell an American that, but he did it anyway. He is always causing problems, so I am constantly moving him and sending him out of class.

Well, yesterday he came up to me with a piece of paper all wrapped up. He told me it was a gift and to open it. Inside was a pen that said New York. He then told me that he loved New York, and I wanted to ask him if he knew that it was in the United States. I know the pen was just to get on my good side, but I don’t know how long it will last with him.

Anyway so the rest of the kids saw him give me the pen, so they started to rummage through their pencil cases to find something to give me as well. In the end I came home with a pens, two colored pencils, a little stub of a pencil and what I think is a crayon pen thing. I haven’t quite figured it out yet.

Then today in another class, some kids start making noise and yelling because someone farted in class, and it smelled. They then all denied it was them, and started accusing someone else. It took me forever to get them settled again. A little later I was reading a book, and one little boy, Jeremy, another troublemaker, moved to another seat. I turned the page, and when I looked up every kid sitting next to him was covering his or her nose and pointing right at Jeremy…so we had finally found the culprit! I started laughing so hard because the look on all the other kids’ faces was so amusing. They all had looks of pure disgust...it was that bad. I couldn’t even discipline Jeremy because all I could do was laugh. In the process all the kids started to laugh at me. I am glad the class was almost over because we weren’t going to get much more done. I am still laughing about it as I write this. There are just some things that are always funny!!!!

I guess kids are the same wherever you go, no matter what language they speak!

I have been really dragging the last two days. I think my trip to Germany really wore me out last weekend, but I am still happy I went. It was worth it. I also think part of the problem is that all of the kids have been really wound up. I can't wait to see how bad it is going to be in the next two weeks especially Friday afternoon on December 22!

Tomorrow we are going to the Christmas market in Bale, Switzerland because Sarah has some friends flying in. They are coming to the Bale airport, so we are going to go meet them. I went to Bale one time before, but it was a Sunday, so everything was closed. Now I will get to see what it is really like.

Then I think we are going to another Christmas market on Saturday in Montbeliard. It is only about 15 minutes on the train from Belfort, so that will be a quick trip. I am going to be a veteran of Christmas markets by the time I go home. They are all so different, so there is always new stuff to see.

I updated my Web site with the Germany pictures, so head on over there and check them out.

Germany

Well, Germany was a real whirlwind trip. We went through three countries in the 2 ½ hour trip…there and back.

We got into Freiburg at about 11 am. After we dropped out stuff off at the hostel, we did a walking tour of the city. Freiburg was a really great town. It is really beautiful, and it has a huge cathedral that is known as the Munster. I think it is the biggest cathedral I have seen. Also, the town had up all its Christmas decorations, so it was very festive.

That night we went to the Christmas market. The Christmas markets started in Germany, so they really get into it. They had lots of handmade ornaments. They were really amazing. They also had a place where you could make your own candles, so we all made one. Mine ended up a little crooked, but at least I can say I made it in Germany.

There were so many people at the market, so it was difficult to move in the crowd. I also found out that German people don’t like to wait in lines, so they will just cut in front of you. Sarah warned us about that before we got there, but it is still surprising to see everyone do it.

We stayed at the Black Forest Hostel. It was a clean place. We had three beds in an eleven-bed room. Sarah and Mandy didn’t seem to mind, but I didn’t sleep very well. I don’t think hostels are made for light sleepers. The showers were also crazy. They looked like big metal space ship things. They were round and tall, and when you got in there was a little window that you could see out (and others could look in which was a little weird). I just squatted down and took the fastest shower ever. Anyway I made it through my first hostel experience, and it only set me back 19 euros.

This morning we went to the Black Forest. It was only about 20 minutes out of town by tram and bus. We took the cable car up the mountain. It took about 20 minutes, and the views were incredible. Then we hiked up the mountain to the very top, which was about 3,800 feet (so really it was just a hill to me). The views were once again amazing, but it was so windy that it felt like we were going to blow away.

After we had something hot to drink, we decided to WALK back down the mountain. It was about 6 miles down because it took us 2 ½ hours. It was on a marked train, but it was still really rocky and steep. We stumbled quite a bit, but we still had a great time. It was nice for me to back near some trees and mountains. I really miss that.

After our long day we caught the train back to Belfort and got home at 7:30 pm. It was a quick trip, but loads of fun. I am still glad to be back in France where I can speak the language. It was the first time I had been in a country where I didn’t speak the language. It can be a little tricky, but luckily for me Sarah speaks German so it was a little easier.

I will be working on the pictures in the next few days. Now I am going to fito bed because I am exhausted, and I have to teach 120 kids tomorrow.

Weekend Plans

Well, today has been a very slow day. It has been the first day in weeks that I had nothing planned for the day. It was really quite nice to stay at home. I was able to read, and to finish editing my Colmar pictures. They are now up on my site.

Sarah, Mandy and I also finalized our plans for this weekend. We are going to Freiburg, Germany. It is really not far from here. Maybe an hour and a half by car, but we have to change trains twice to get there so the ride is about three hours by train. We are leaving early Saturday morning, and coming back Sunday night.

I am really excited to go to Germany because I haven't been there before, and their Christmas markets are suppose to be the best. Also Freiburg is right next to the Black Forest, so we are hoping to go over and see that area as well. It should be another fun filled weekend. I am so excited. Now I just have to get through the next two days of work!

Colmar and Other Happenings

It has been another very busy and fun filled weekend for me. Yesterday I had a meeting with the other language teachers. We have them once a month, and I am not quite sure why we do. I think it is suppose to be for us to check in and bring up any questions we have, but it always ends up just being a social time. At least it was only for a few hours in the morning. After our meeting we went to lunch, and then we went o see a movie. We saw “Fast Food Nation,” and it was a little disturbing to say the least.

Then today we went to Colmar. It is another little town in the Alsace region. It is about an hour by train. It was very cute, and it had the classic Alsatian look. When we first got there we got lost in a residential area for a little while, but it wasn’t bad because we got to see a lot of amazing houses. They were all really large and beautiful, and trees lined all the streets.

We finally found the main part of town, about an hour later. They had alight all along the streets and ornaments hanging form the trees for Christmas, so it was beautiful. They definitely really get into Christmas around here.

In Colmar there is a section known as “Little Venice.” All the multicolored houses are built on the edge of the river, and there are a bunch of cafes that look out on the river. I also heard that they even have little gondolas on the water when the weather is nice. It is probably one of the prettiest places I have been since I have been here.

They also had their Christmas market going on. They had stuff set up in three different areas of the town, but it was still really crowded. The area was a lot smaller than the one in Mulhouse, so it kind of felt like you were just part of the heard moving along. Even though there were a lot of people it was still fun. They just have so many things on display at the markets.

We stayed until about 7 pm, so I got to see everything all lit up again. I will edit my pictures soon. I think I am too tired to do them tonight. Plus I have to finish preparing my lessons because my supervisor is coming to observe me in class tomorrow. I hope it goes well. Keep you fingers crossed for me!

My Thanksgiving in France

I had a great surprise when I got home today. Sarah had decorated the living room for Thanksgiving. When I can in there was a large banner that said “Happy Thanksgiving.” There were also balloons, and she was playing the “Star-Spangled Banner” on her computer. She said she wanted to do something for Thanksgiving, but had no idea what people did for it in the US. It ended up looking a lot like a birthday party, but I didn’t care. It was so nice of her to do something! It made my day!

Here is a picture of our apartment decorated for Thanksgiving. Just imagine the National Anthem playing in the background!

My First Christmas Market

Today, I went to Mulhouse with Sarah, Mandy and another language assistant Andrea. She is from Germany, and she teaches German in the high schools here in Belfort. We went today for the first day of their Christmas Market. They are a really big deal here in this region of France and especially in Germany. We had a great time. Everything looked so great! We are going to try to hit up as many markets as we can before Christmas. Almost all of middle or big cities have one around here.

We left this morning. On the train Mulhouse is only about 25 minutes from here. The sun was out today, but it was so cold. We were all really bundled up! Yesterday it rained all day, so at least it was dry today. We walked around and went to a small art museum. It had some neat paintings from local artists. Then when it started to get dark we went to the Christmas market. There were a lot of different booths. They had candles, candy, woodwork, and leather gifts amoung other things. There was a lot to see. I also had hot chestnuts for the first time. They were really good. I have seen them all over, but I had never tried them before. Plus they kept my hands warm.

Last night I was invited to a concert at the town hall by one of the teachers because one of my classes was singing. They sang songs with an orchestra. They looked so cute, and I think I had one of those “proud parent” moments. The only bad thing was I had to walk there in a huge storm. It was hailing so hard! At least I got a ride home from the principal.

I tried to find something to put together a Thanksgiving dinner here for the roomies tomorrow, but I couldn’t find much that would resemble a real Thanksgiving meal. They didn’t even have stuffing or gravy, so I thought I would at least go buy a nice desert. It may not be pumpkin pie, but France does have some nice deserts!

I have put up my pictures from Mulhouse, so check them out.

http://web.mac.com/downinga

Happy Thanksgiving!

More Pictures for Everyone

I have had a very busy day! Mondays are always bad for everyone, and I am no exception. I definitely stay busy the entire day. At least I can get my worst day out of the way early in the week.

I had some time this afternoon because I am finished with planning for the week, so I put my pictures of Besancon up on my site. If you have a chance you should go check them out.

http://web.mac.com/downinga

Besançon, France

We had a great time in Besançon. We left Saturday morning, and took the train down there. It was just over an hour, so when we got there we went to a park and ate out sack lunches. The weather was good. It was cloudy, and a little cool but still nice. Then we dropped our stuff off at the hotel. In was right in the middle of town, and it was 57 euros total. It was a really good deal.

After that we went to check out the citadel. We had to climb up this huge hill to get to it, but of course it was worth it because the views were once again incredible. Besançon sits on the Doubs River and mountains surround it. From the top of the citadel you could see everything. I was also surprised to see that all the trees were still changing colors. I remember by this time in Colorado all the tree were bare, but there are still lots of colors here. We walked all along the walls of the citadel. Then we went to check out all the other stuff they have within it. They have a couple of museums, a zoo and an aquarium. The zoo was small, but it was really cute. They had monkeys, lions, tigers, goats and even a couple of donkeys. We actually got to see all of this for free because we all had coupons for free entry into the citadel. That made it even better.

After we left the citadel we had a look around the city. It is a really pretty city, and it has lots of museums and shops. After that we had a really nice dinner. It was a place that had seafood, pasta and all that. We also realized that we are starting to eat dinner more like the French now. They don’t eat until like 7:30 or 8 and their meals usually take about two to three hours. We were at the restaurant for about two and a half hours last night, and it didn’t seem that weird to me. It was crazy.

We were going to look around the city some more this morning, but almost everything was closed including restaurants. Besançon is bigger than Belfort, but it is still very much the same when it comes to business hours. It was also raining pretty hard, so we decided we would come back early. We were back home by 1:30 pm. Even though we came home early, I still had a really nice time. I will be putting more pictures on my site, so I will let you know when they are up.

This afternoon we watched “Napoleon Dynamite.” Mandy and Sarah had never seen it, so I had my mom send it to me. I don’t think they thought it was as funny as I did. I guess it is because they are used to dry British humor.

I guess I will get back to planning my Thanksgiving Day lesson. I am excited to present this holiday to the kids. I can bring a little of home to France!

The End of Another Week...Almost

The Internet has been working really well. I can tell because I have not read too much in my book this week, but at least I am more in touch with everyone. I still don't have wireless, so I had to by a long Ethernet cord so I can go on the internet in my room instead of Sarah's. I had to stick the cord to the wall in the hallway with blue tack, so it looks really bad and it falls down sometimes but at least I can be in my own room now!!! Plus not too many people are going to be looking around the hallway in our apartment.

Yesterday we went to see "Babel" at the movie theater. It was another really good movie. I recommend it to everyone. It was in English, but they speak so many different languages in the movie that I had to read the French subtitles a lot. One of the teachers told us that it is good practice to watch movies, so we decided that we are going to try to see one every week. Although we haven't quite figured out how to tell if it will be in French or in English with subtitles until it starts. Even with the subtitles I am learning a lot.

I have also started tutoring a lady once a week on Mondays. Her name is Cathy, and she already speaks English really well. She wants to practice because her husband works for a car company, and it is likely that they will be moving to America within the next year or two. She is really nice, and it is nice to have an extra 15 euros every week...to pay for the laundry.

The roomies and I are going to visit Besancon this weekend. It was really pretty last week when I went there for my medical visit, but I didn't get to see much. They have a huge citadel, zoo and of course a cathedral. We are going to leave Saturday morning and then come back Sunday afternoon. It should be a good weekend. I just hope it doesn't rain too much.

Well, I guess I am off to fix some dinner.

Go MICHIGAN!!!

I Am Connected!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well...it is true. I am finally connected to the Internet. The guy came today to look at the connection. Then he said that it would work in 10 minutes, but when he called back it still wasn't working. He then said that we had to exchange the box at the store. Mandy and I then went and waited in line for about 40 minutes to get a new box. Then when I got home it was working...YEA!!

I can connect my computer through the Ethernet wire, but I am still working on the whole wireless thing. The CD that came with the box does not work on Mac computers, so I need to do some research. I am just so excited that I don't have pay every time I want to get on the Internet. Now I just have to get used to using an English keyboard again!

I know everyone has been waiting for pictures, so I loaded all my pictures on to my Web site. Here is the address to check them out.

http://web.mac.com/downinga

Medical Visit

I had a very interesting day yesterday. I had to go into Besançon for the medical visit of my Carte de Séjour, which is what I need to stay in France with health insurance. I had to miss my afternoon classes and take the train. It is about an hour and 15 minutes away. Then I got the doctor’s office and the doctor poked and prodded me then he took an x-ray of my chest and I was told to wait outside. Then a few minutes later the nurse handed me a sheet and the x-ray of my chest and told me I could go. It was all really kind of strange.

So I had to walk all the way back through town to the train station holding my very own x-ray of my chest. I have no idea why they would even give that to us…what are we going to do with it? Sarah said that I should try to sell it on eBay. I wonder what I could get for it.

In the end I had to miss two classes, spend 14 euros to ride the train for almost 3 hours, and I was in and out in less than 15 minutes. At least now I think I can finally check the Carte de Séjour off my list of things to do!

The movies we saw on Wednesday were really good. We went to a French comedy about a guy who had five sisters and a mother who all wanted him to get married, so he hired a woman to act as his girlfriend and they end up falling for each other. It was predictable but still entertaining. Then we went to see "Scoop" the new Woody Allen film, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was in English with French subtitles. I really like this movie, but it was weird to see how so many of the jokes weren’t translated well in the subtitles. A lot of it just didn’t make sense. That may have been why there were only about 6 other people in the theater.

I am still working on the whole Internet thing. On Wednesday I went into France Telecom to ask them what I should do because it has been more than two weeks since they came to install it. They told me that the Internet was hooked up, and it should be working. If it wasn’t then I had to call their helpline. This morning I called the helpline, which is not toll free and cost me about 20 euros on my cell phone because they still put you on hold! After I was disconnected once I called back and did my best to understand what he was trying to tell me to do. It was very difficult! The guy ran a few tests then he said that it was not working properly (surprise, surprise), so someone is going to come out on Monday to look at it again. At least now we know it is not something we are doing wrong.

I am not quite sure what we will be doing this weekend because tomorrow is a national holiday. I think they call it Remembrance Day here, which is our Veteran’s Day. Nothing will be open. It will be like a weekend of two Sundays, and Belfort looks like a ghost town on Sundays! O-well maybe next week I will have the Internet to keep me company! I’ll keep my fingers crossed!

Happy Tuesday!

Another day is finished, and I am half finished with my week!

The kids have been crazy these last two days after coming back from break. I had my really bad class today "Les Misérables," as we refer to them. They were exceptionally bad today, but the principal who was teaching next door heard, so he pulled out the four worst kids. They had a good talking to by the teacher, and he told them that if there were any more problems their parents will be called. I really hope this changes things now!

Although the day started off bad it ended well. I was doing colors with the youngest groups today. We read Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See by Eric Carle, and they loved it. They did really well and learned 10 new colors today. Although they could not understand that orange is one syllable in English. They kept saying it the French way. I guess we will have to keep working on that.

Tomorrow I don't have class, so I think the roomies and I are going to see a couple of movies. November 8 is National Cinema Day in France, so everyone under 25 gets to see movies for cheep. We can see two movies for 3 euros each. I am really excited.

Sarah and I saw Flags of Our Fathers on Saturday night. We thought we read that is was going to be in English with French subtitles, but we were wrong and it was in French. We were both really surprised how much we understood though. I guess my French has improved in the last two months...YEAH!

Well it is getting dark, so I guess I am off to rest up for my busy day of watching movies...it's a hard life!

The first leg of the trip

Wow!!!! What a crazy few days it has been. I have been on a train for many hours in the last few days. I left early Wednesday morning and went to Rouen. It was four hours on the train to Paris, and then I had to take the metro to another train station. Then I took the train an hour longer to Rouen.

The town was nice. It has about 100,000 people. It is also where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in the 1400’s, so everything has her name on it. They have a museum there about the life of Joan of Arc, but it was closed so I was not able to go in. I did get to see the huge cathedral. It is called Notre Dame de Rouen. It is really famous because Claude Monet painted it in every season, but they all look the same gray color. It was almost completely destroyed after WWII, so they had to rebuild everything. It is a really amazing church and the inside is incredible.

I also went to the coast on Friday. That was a really fun trip. The weather was nice. It was cloudy at times, but it never rained. It probably would have been a really long day had we been wet the entire time. We took another train to Le Havre, which is about an hour away. Then we took a bus for another hour to Etretat. This beach is absolutely gorgeous. There are white cliffs all a long the coast. We walked all along them, and I took tons of pictures. It was nice too because there wasn’t too many people. I can just imagine it would be hard to walk around there in the summer. I definitely could have stayed there for days.

While I was Rouen both Tamar and I wanted to find some Mexican food. This is now the longest I have ever gone without Mexican food. It has been a true test of character for me to go this long without Mexican food! We found these two restaurants that said they served “Mexican” food. One had enchiladas and burritos with tomato sauce, and the other had their meals served with coleslaw instead of beans and rice! Both of those things just seemed wrong to us, so we decided instead to try to make tacos at Tamar’s apartment, which is an adventure because her kitchen I actually located in a closet. It is tiny. They were edible, but the guacamole we bought in the three foot Mexicqn section at the store was terrible. I think it is a lost cause if I think I am going to find some good or even decent Mexican food in France. I guess it is a good thing I will be coming home for Christmas maybe we could make tacos for Christmas Eve dinner the first night I am home!

Tamar and I came back to Belfort on Saturday, so it was another long day of traveling on the train. It was even longer because from Rouen to Paris the train was so crowded that we had to stand the entire time in the area connecting the cars. I really felt like the true American backpacking through Europe.

Tomorrow Sarah, Tamar and I are going to Strasbourg with one of the English teachers we have met. She went to college there, so she offered to drive us and show us around the city a little. It takes about an hour and half to drive there, so we are leaving early in the morning. I am really looking forward to seeing this region of France. I have heard it is really beautiful.

The people from France Telecom came on Wednesday and successfully installed the telephone and Internet, so I think it will be up and running by the end of the week. I am really hoping it will all be done. I can’t wait to put up al the pictures I have taken in the last six weeks. I guess I should go get those organized.

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have very BIG news…I finally moved into my own room! They finished the floor yesterday evening, so I was able to put all my stuff in last night. I was really amazed by how much stuff I have collected because I know I didn’t come with all the stuff I put away. Sarah said she wasn’t going to be able to sleep because we have shared a room every night for almost 4 weeks. Now maybe we can actually get some sleep instead of talking into the wee morning hours!

My break for Toussaint, or all Saints, has officially started. I am leaving tomorrow to go to Normandy for the next three days to visit my friend Tamar. She is going to take me around Rouen, and we might go to the coast for a day, which will be really cool.

I think Tamar and I are coming back to Belfort on Saturday. Then we can go to some of the other cities in the area. Then we are going with my roommate Sarah to visit Strasbourg. Then at the end of next week we will probably be going to Paris. It is actually Versailles, which is right outside. Sarah has a friend who is an assistant there. My other roommate, Mandy, is going back to Leeds in the UK for her 21st birthday.

I had a pretty good weekend. I went to Bâle, Switzerland, but for only a few hours because the trains do not run very often on the weekends. It was the first time I have been anywhere in Europe other than France, which is a little exciting. The weather was wonderful. It was sunny and probably in the mid 70s. It couldn’t have been better. The town was really pretty, and we took a little boat across the Rhine River. All the trees were changing there as well, so everything looked even better. I definitely want to go back sometime this winter when they have snow. I sure the town would be just gorgeous.

I saw my first French film in a theater on Saturday night. I saw ‘Les Rebelles de la fôret” which is “Open Season.” It was animated, so the dubbing didn't look too bad. We went to the 10 pm show, and I was really tried, so I actually fell asleep a few times. I don' think I have ever fallen asleep at a theater before. It was OK because I still know what happened. I'll have to go to an earlier show next time.

The past two days went pretty well with my classes. I talk about Halloween in America. The kids also got vocabulary words. They found pumpkin and ghost really hard. There were a lot of kids who couldn’t say ghost. It kept coming out goat, so I had to explain that that was an entirely different word. It did sound funny though.

Well, I am off to pack my stuff. I leave tomorrow at 7 am, so I have lots of stuff to get done.

Good Times With the Roomies

I had a very interesting conversation with my roommates the other day. I said something about the Revolutionary War, and they asked if that was another name for the Civil War. I then went into the story about the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere and all that. They had never heard about any of that, which I guess proves the point that war is told by those who win. Sarah said that she did American history in high school, but the course started at the Civil War.

It has been really interesting to see how different we are even though we speak the same language. Our vocabularies are completely different, and there have been many times that I had to ask what they were saying they use so many different words. I have also learned that in England they don’t know the game Red Light, Green Light, and their French toast is just small pieces of toast. I am going to have to make them some real “American” French toast.

I have found out that in England a flannel is not something you wear, but what they call a washcloth. We have also had quite a few misunderstandings when I talk about chips and they talk about chips. Also in England anytime you have to ride in a car for more than two hours is a really “long” ride. Yet there are many different dialects from places that are just a few hours apart. Which I found really interesting because in the US you can’t tell too much of a difference between the people from all the Western states.

Sarah is from Croyden, south London, and she goes to Oxford. Mandy is from Leeds which is further to the north and also goes to school there. Their accents are completely different, and at first I found it a lot harder to understand Mandy. Now I really don’t notice their accents, and it has only been a few weeks!

Anyway there is a little background on my roommates, and some of the differences I have found so far. We are really having a good time living together. It has made the adjustment to France a lot easier for me because there are people going through the same things as me.

So both of my goals for yesterday were not accomplished, which was a little sad. It looks like the floor in my room is done (it looks really nice now), but it is still a mess. I am waiting on the landlady again. Then the guys came to put in the Internet, and they said that they couldn’t do it because the wires are on the front of the building and they don’t know how they are going to get it around to our apartment. They said France Telecom would have to come out and look at it. They are suppose to call us later, but I have no idea when. I hope it doesn't take too much longer!

I had four classes today, and they all went really well. I played BINGO with my third year students. They really loved that, and it was good for them to review their numbers. Then with that little kids I went over what countries spoke English. They had to put the names of the countries on a map. I started by asking if they knew any countries where people speak English. One kid said England, the next said Canada, and then this other little boy yells "RUSSIA". I had to try so hard not to laugh too hard because he was so proud of himself. It was really cute.

I have two classes tomorrow afternoon, so I can sleep in the morning. Then on Sunday I am going to with Sarah and Mandy to Bale (or Basel), Switzerland to meet Sarah's parents at the airport. They are coming to visit for the next week. The three of us are going to go in a little early on the train and explore the city a little. I hope the weather is nice! I have been to Switzerland, so it should be fun. Even if it is only about 35 miles form here!

Two Down...

Well, I have completed my first two days of teaching, and I am exhausted! In the past two days I have taught 10 classes of three different levels: first year, second year, and third year of English at three different schools. Every single class is at a different level, even is they are at the same school. It was a little difficult for me to know where to start. I had one third year class that blew me away with how much they knew. Then there was another that was fine with reviewing how to intoduce yourself.

Most of the kids are great! The little ones who are 8 and 9 (so not that little) are so cute. There is one little boy who is missing both of his front teeth. He is having trouble pronouncing anything in English, but when he smiles he is just the cutest! They are so eager to learn, and they were the ones who asked me the most questions when I did a little introduction about the US. Although there was one little girl who asked if I was English at the end. I then had to repeat that I was in fact American, so I am not sure how much they understood.

Of course there has to be one class that is difficult. For me it is one class of second years, and all they do is talk all the time. It is so hard, but when I observed that class they did the same thing with their teacher. I hope they will get better in the upcoming weeks.

I think my bedroom is almost ready...finally! They have fixed the wall and put up new wall paper. It is bright orange, so it will clash quite nicely with all the colors on my bed. Now they are putting in a new wood floor. I was happy about that because the carpet was absolutely disgusting after they fixed the wall. The guy came this afternoon, so I hope I will be able to finally move into it tomorrow on my day off. There is no elementary school on Wednesdays here. Instead they go to school on Saturday morning, but I don't have to work on Saturday or Wednesday.

So on my day off I can move all my stuff while I wait for the cable guy to come install the internet and everything. Then is only 10 days until I can use the internet!

Today marks exactly 4 weeks that I have been in France. It is crazy how fast time went by! It will be time to go back home for Christmas in no time!

I would like to end with a word of advice to anyone who ever makes a call to the US from France. Never use your credit card on the payphone. I had to do it when I arrived because my phone cards didn't work, so my five minute call home to my parents cost me 35 bucks! I can't believe how much money the phone company made at 7 dollars a minutes. Just remember to always have a phone card that works!

Saturday Blues...

Every Saturday I have to admit I get a little sad because I know that in America everyone is watching football. It has been so hard for me not to watch football every weekend. It is one of the reasons why fall is my favorite time of year. At least my Dad has been sending me updates, and I will be home for Bowl Week! Actually I haven't been watching any sports at all because we don't have TV. This is probably the longest I have ever gone without some kind of sport!

So the guy came to work on the wall in my bedroom this morning at 8 am. We were all a little sad that we had to get up so early on a Saturday morning. Again I don't quite understand the French! They work early on teh weekends, but not during the week. He is coming back again on Monday, so I hope it will be finished then!

I had one of those "lost in translation" moments yesterday. I was talking to a teacher at one of the schools, and she asked me in French what kind of baggage I had. I was a little confused, and asked her if she meant the baggage I brought from the US. She said yes, so I proceeded to tell her that I had a big suitcase and a backpack. She just looked at me and laughed a little then said I didn't quite understand the question because she was talking about a diploma. I was so embarrassed! How was I suppose to know that baggage is another name for a college degree? I know that is something I will remember forever! I am sure it is not the last mistake I will make either. I guess it is all part of the experience!

Well, I think I better get back home because it looks like is is about to start pouring and I only have a sweatshirt. Good thing I don't have far to go.

Still Adjusting...

So...I just have to say that I think France is now officially the slowest country in the WORLD! We went in to get our Internet sorted out. We had to go in three different times because they kept telling us different things that we needed. Then they told us it would be a week before anyone could come to install the stuff, so I thought that we would have the Internet next Wednesday. Sadly I was wrong. Apparently it takes another 10 days before we can even use the internet, so I have to wait until October 28. Then on top of that it will be another 10 days after that before we can use the phone and TV, so sometime in the second week of November I think everything will start working.

I am not quite sure what the reasoning is behind all of this, but it seems to be the norm around these parts. I have a week and a half of vacation from October 25 to November 5, (I know I haven't even started teaching yet!) so I guess by the time I get back from my travels I will have a ton of pictures to put up for everyone to see. It will give everyone something to look forward to!

The landlady came yesterday, about 2 hours late, and she managed to fix the hotplate so At least not we can boil water. She also worked in my room for almost an hour, but it doesn't look like she even did anything! She is suppose to come back with someone else to work on the wall again tonight at 8 pm, so we should probably expect her at about 10 pm!

Anyway I am still observing my classes. Tomorrow is my last day of observation then I can finally start teaching. I am really excited. I have so much I want to do with them.

Well I going to venture back out into the beautiful fall day here in Belfort, France. The weather has been great. I don't think we have had any rain in almost a week! I better not get used to that!

Just another day...in France

Well, I am still not in my room yet because the landlady came on Saturday to fix the wall, but she said she didn't have the right stuff. It has now been three days, and we haven't heard anything from her. It is a little annoying because the other girls are all unpacked, and I have everything just falling out of my suitcase and I have my mattress on the floor in Sarah's room.

At the moment we also don't have anything to cook with. The landlady said she was going to change the stove from gas to electric. In the mean time she gave us a hot plate to use, but when we tried to use it it didn't work...surprise, surprise!

Anyway for the past few nights we have been eating salads and sandwhichs. I am sure that in a few days we will be really tired of eating only cold food. At least it is cheaper than eating in a restaurant everyday.

Other than those few things the place is nice. It is close to all of my schools, so I can walk to all of them. The other girls have to ride the bus, so at least I can save some money because I don't have to buy a bus pass.

On Sunday Mandy, Sarah and I went to this huge bookfaire that Belfort holds every year. It was so cool. We were there for almost three hours! I was in heaven because we all know how much I love to read. I found the first two Harry Potter books in French, the first Briget Jones book, and some other classics that I have wanted to read for a long time. In all I bought 8 books for 15 euros. To top it all off I opened a bank account today, and they were sponsoring the fair. So they reembursed me the 15 euros for the books. In the end I got 8 books for free. It was really cool!

Yesterday we had a training day in Vesoul, which is a little over an hour from Belfort. On the way there we drove through the country. It was the first time I had been out of Belfort since I got here. The country side was so pretty. The trees are all changing colors, and in the morning there was some fog on the hills with green pastures and a few cows. Everything was just beautiful, and it all looked quintessentially French. The drive was the only good thing about the day though because the training was useless in my oppinion. At least it was the last one!

I have the rest of the week to visit my schools and make a lesson plan for next Monday when I start teaching. I have 6 of my 8 classes on Mondays, so it will be busy but lots of fun as well.

I am off now to go deal with France Telecom to set up the Internet for the apartment. This is always a bit difficult, but it is even more when it is all in French. Wish me luck!

The big move

Today was moving day and what a day it was!

We had to carry so much stuff today. First we had to carry all of our huge suitcases and bags down two flights of stairs in the hotel. Then we had to carry all of them back up three more flights of stairs when we got to the apartment. It was such hard work. Then we went to get some groceries, but the store is like a mile away. So we had to carry big bags back to the apartment, and when we got there our keys to the outside door didn't work. We had to call the landlady. Then she called someone else who lives in the apartment to come down and let us in. It was such a mess, and I am sure we are all going to be really sore tomorrow!

They are still doing some work on the apartment, so my bedroom won't be ready until early next week. I can' wait until I can finally unpack everything in my suitcase. I am sure there are things in there I don't even remember packing.

We observed another class today. It was the youngest group. They are about 8 years old and have not had any English before. They were so cute! They had to go around and introduce themselves and say how they were feeling today, and they were so into it. I can't wait until I start teaching, which will be October 16.

This weekend the main thing I have to do is laundry. Which I am not too excited about. The laundromat is a little ways a way, and it is SO expensive. It costs 5 euros to do a load of laundry and then 2 euros for only 15 minutes in the dryer. (A euro is about 1.25 in American dollars) So I think I will be doing a lot in the sink at the apartment.

Well, I am off to get a key that works for my apartment, so that I can actually get back in when I go to do laundry tomorrow.

Everything is gonna be alright...

Well, what a difference a day makes! Yesterday I found a place to live...YAY! It is really big. It has three bedroom, a living room, dining room, kitchen, a balcony and...furniture!

It is located right in the middle of town, and it is right next to the train station. It may be a little loud, but I can deal with that. I am just so happy that I now have a place to live! When we visited it yeterday we were really surprized to find that it had furniture (although it does look well used). Now if people want to visit they don't have to bring furniture with them!

Mandy, Sarah and I are going to move in on Friday, which was really good timing because we had to leave the hotel by Saturday morning because it is completely booked this weekend. The lady we are renting from is also a taxi driver, so she is going to help us move all of our luggage across town. We kind of lucked out with that one.

Now I can do everything else I need to do like set up a bank account, get my long stay visa and apply for housing money from the government. That will all be next week I guess.

Today we went to the French version of Wal-Mart, LeClerc, and found sheets and stuff for our beds. The French do bedding a little different than we do in the US. They don't sell sheets as a package, so you have to buy everthing individually and none of the colors match. So I have a pink fitted sheet, yellow top sheet, and a blue pillow case! I guess I am really living like a Frenchie now!

Yesterday I also observed my first class. It was the oldest students I will be teaching. This is their third year of English. It was really helpful, and I learned a lot in just one day. The kids were really eager to learn English and really seemed to enjoy it. They thought it was great when they heard that I was from the US. One little boy asked me in French if I liked the rapper "50 Cents." I had to try so hard to keep from laughing! Then there was another little boy who was leaving and he said "Hello!" It was so cute. They definitely know quite a bit of English and they are only 10 years old.

Well I am off to try to collect all my stuff for the move. It is amazing how big of a mess I have made in a week and a half at the hotel. I have a lot of work to do!

A little stressed and only have 10 minutes.

I have exactly 10 minutes to do this. I can't wait until I can get on my own computer.

Well we are still looking for a place to live. There are three of us now: me, Sarah and Mandy, who is also from England. We are trying to find a place with three bedrooms, but it is proving to be very hard and time consuming. We have totally given up on the idea of finding a furnished place. We have decided instead that whenever someone comes to visit they must bring us a piece of furniture with them!

We have tried calling this number that has three apartments available, but no one has answered the phone or returned our phone calls. There is also a place we asked about on Friday, but apparently they are advertising the apartment but don't have the key. Therefore we have to wait until Wednesday to see it.

I am really surprised that anyone makes any money here because they are never open and they certainly aren't proficient. I guess they are probably happier than most Americans though because their jobs aren't too stressful!

Only have 3 minutes left. Gotta go...

The search continues...

I am still looking for a place to live. Sarah and I have decided that we wanted to see if we could find a place together, so yesterday we looked at a couple of places. The first one was too small for the both of us and a little far from the main part of town. The second one was just the WORST aparment I have ever seen.

It was in the student housing area which had been reccommened to us. It was suppose to be good because it was furnished. Anyway it was in a high rise bulding in the middle of the "projects" of Belfort. The room was on the 15th floor, but the elevator only went to even floors. So we had to climb up a flight of dark stairs that smelled like they hadn't been cleaned in 10 years. Then when we got to the apartment the guy said there wasn't any electricty and that there might not be any for about a month! Everything was covered in dirt and disgusting. By the time we left I felt like I need a shower it was that gross.

Anyway we are not any closer to finding a place to live, and it is a little discouraging. I know it has only been a couple of days, but it is so frustrating because we really aren't getting any help. Our contact at the school was the one who reccommened looking at the apartment from HECK!

We are continuing our search today and tomorrow, so maybe by next week we will be able to find something. We really only have today and tomorrow this week to look because everything is closed on the weekends.

Everything else is going pretty well. I have changed rooms in the hotel because I have to stay longer. At least this one does not have dripping water all night. The weather is also a little better. There hasn't been any rain the last two days, but it has still been cool...sweater weather as my mom would say.

Well, I better continue the search for a place to live. I hope we can find something soon!

And the rain begins...

Well, I think my 4 days of good weather is all I may have. It started rainig last night and it han't stopped! I am not sure if I will be able to deal with this for the next 9 months! I brought I rain jacket, but it wasn't enough so I tried to find an umbrella. The cheapest one was 15 euros and bright ORANGE. It really makes me stand out, but Sarah said that she would still walk next to me!

Sarah is really nice, and we are getting along well. It has been fun talking to her and learning all the different words we use. I will probably come home calling french fries chips or say things like bugger off and blimey.

The past two days we have walked all over Belfort. Yesterday we went up to the castle and had a look around it was really amazing. There are some spectacular views from the top. I took a ton of pictures, and I hope I can find a way to get my computer on the internet soon so I can put them up.

Today we went and met two of the English teachers. They gave us a better idea about where to start with the kids and what we should cover. Then we went to lunch. Tomorrow one of the techers is coming to pîck us up, and we are going to have dinner at her house. Again everyone was so nice and really helpful.

Tomorrow I think we are going to look some more for a place to live, and also try to open our bank accounts. We were going to try today, but there are many places that are not even open on Mondays. That is definitely a change from the US. We have also found out that the grocery store is not open on Sunday, and that most places are closed from noon to 2 pm for lunch. I am sure this is just the start of all the things that are different!

Well, I guess I am going to venture back out into the rain with my ugly orange umbrella. At least when it starts to snow someone will always be able to find me!

I made it!

Well I am finally in Belfort. I found an Internet cafe, but it has a French keyboard so I am sorry for any errors! Also I will put up pictures just as soon as I am able to hook up my laptop. Although that may be a few days.

Anyway...I left LAX on Tuesday at 1:30 pm about an hour late. The flight was 10 and a half hours long, so with the time change I got into Paris at 9:15 am, midnight California time. Then I spent the next 45 minutes lugging around all my stuff trying to find the train to Paris. Finally I found it. Then I took a taxi from the train station in Paris because I could barely handle my luggage because my arms were so tired. The train stations are definitely not made for rolling suitcases. Many people had to help me lift it up the stairs. I do not know why people say the French are mean because I found that they were all really helpful!

I finally got to my hotel a little after noon. So I took a shower and a nap because I had not slept in almost 24 hours. My friend Tamar got to the hotel at about 7 pm. So we went and got a sandwich for dinner then went to bed really early because we were both exhausted.

Then on Thursday we saw some of the sites I hadn't seen before. First we went to the Opera which was really beautiful! Then we went to Notre Dame and climbed to the top. My legs were burning so bad when I reached the top, and I was dizzy from the spirial staircase. It was all worth it though because the view from the top was amazing. I was right up next to the gargoyles, and I even saw Quasimodo's bell. Then after that we went to the Catacombs, which required climbing up and down even more stairs. It was really interesting though. There are 6 million people who are buried there. After the catacombs we went to Sacre Coeur Basilica. It is on a hill, so we climbed many more stairs to climb, but again the view was great. After all this we went back to take a nap at the hotel. Then that night we went on a boat tour of the Seine. Everything was so beautiful at night, and I got some great shots of the Eiffle Tower at night. We got back to the hotel late, but couldn't fall asleep until a lot later...stupid jetlag!

Then yesterday we had to get all of our stuff together so we could go to our separate trains. Tamar's ride was only an hour to Rouen. Mine was 4 hours to Belfort. So I had to drag all my stuff around more train stations. My contact Beatrice met me at the train station, and she took me to my hotel. I was in bed at 8:30 last night because I was so exhausted! The hotel is really old! My room is clean, but when you use the sink the water comes up the drain in the shower. There is also an old radiator next to the bed and all you can hear is dripping water all night which was really annoying. Owell I guess it is all part of the experience!

There is another assistant, Sarah from the UK, who is coming tonight and she will be staying at the same hotel. We have been talking all summer over the Internet, so it will be really nice to finally meet her.

Overall I have been able to understand almost everything everyone says to me, and Beatrice said that I my French was really good which was reassuring. Just in the three days I have been here I am already picking up more of what they are saying on TV!

Well this is really long, so I think I am going to go explore the town. I am sure there is a lot to see because it is 700 years old. It makes you realize just how young the USA is!

A place to lay my head...for a few days anyway

I have now finalized my living arrangements for at least the first week and a half in France. YEA!

I will be staying in Paris for two nights with my friend Tamar, who will also be an assistant in France this year. Although she will be on the other side of the country in a town near Rouen. I will then be going on to Belfort on Friday, September 22 where I have a reservation to stay at a hotel for a week while I am looking for an apartment. It was the cheapest hotel I could find, so I am hoping it is not too bad. I guess I will just have to deal with it for one week.

I think I finished everything I needed to do. My mom and I had another crazy week of running around, but I was really happy when I was finally able to throw away my "To Do" list. Now all I have to do is pack all the things I bought!

I can't believe I only have three more days until I leave. I have been talking about going to France as "next year" for long, and now it is crazy to think it is just days away.

No matter how nervous I am I know I am more excited. This time next week I will be in Belfort, France!

10 Days to Go

Well...I have been running around like crazy trying to get everything ready. I really underestimated the time it would take to exchange money, find plug adapters, and get the power of attorney thing figured out. My mom and I have been working on stuff everyday, and every time we think we have something figured out there is always something else we need. Anyway... We have 10 more days to figure it all out. Then I will just have to do with what I have!

I received an email from one of the other girls who will be a primary assistant in Belfort. She is from the UK, and she was on vacation in Switzerland. While she was there she took a trip over to see Belfort. She said it was really "pretty, quiet and French." She also said it is pretty flat, so it will be perfect for using a bike to get around. She also sent a couple of pictures.








It looks like such a nice little town! I will be there before I know whether I am ready or not!

Getting Ready...

I will be going to France for the next 9 months to teach English to elementary school kids. I will be located in the town of Belfort, which is in northeast France. It is only about 30 miles from the Swiss border. The town has about 50,000 people within the limits. I will be leaving in exactly one month on September 19.
Right now I have everything I need to actually get there, but once I am in France it is a different story. The biggest thing I will have to do is find a place to live. I guess I will have to see how that works out. Maybe I will just be another American wandering around Europe!