Foie gras et Parfum

With two days to go until 2009 arrives, this will probably be my last post of the year. It has been a good one, filled with many enriching experiences. 2008 has also brought some new people into my life that I never want to part with... and all in all, it has been a year that I would do all over again; from my last practicum, to my graduation, to my first teaching contract, and now my trip, I cannot say that I would erase any parts of 2008 (well, except maybe when the Canucks didn't make it to the playoffs... but that's ancient history).

But before I completely write off the year, I should tell you about what I have been doing for the last days of 2008. Christmas this year will definitely go down as one to remember. It was my first one away from any family, in another language, and with people that I have only known for 2 months. In spite of what would seem an obstacle-ridden holiday season, I had a very charming Christmas. The 24th, we loaded the 2 cars with all the kids' paraphernalia, the presents, the clothes, the non-gingerbread gingerbread house, the strollers, and finally ourselves, and headed to Cecile's mom's house in Mougins, which is close to Antibes. Her house is huge, but seeming as there were 8 of us, plus 3 kids, we were still a little cramped at times. Cecile's brother, Arnaud, came from Paris with his wife and son Karl, whi is this adorable 2 year old. Marion was also there, and so we all had lunch together, then spent the afternoon playing with the kids and finishing the Gingerbread house.

At night time, the kids all went to bed, not before Lisa left the candy-covered house next to the tree with a glass of milk for Santa to snack on when he came. Then, it was the adults' time to have fun. Everyone got out of their jeans, dressed up and we had a 4 course dinner with its accompanying wines by candlelight. I tried Foie Gras for the first time, served with fresh bread, caramelized onion jam, and fig jam; It was to DIE for, and I think after this Christmas with it, I will not spend another without it!! then came the grilled scallop and prawn salad, then theRoasted Veal with Wok vegetables (made by yours truly); and finally the Bûche de Noël, a delicious grand Marnier and Chocolate cake made by Iannis.
It was truly French, to have spent nearly 3.5 hours at the table, eating good food in small portions, enjoying wine; and conversing... then at midnight we opened the grown-up gifts. I got a gorgeous suede designer bag, a french pastry cookbook, a short stories french book, and a beautiful candle holder. I was very pampered, considering I wasn't chez moi.

The morning of the 25th was a flurry of pyjamas and wrapping paper, as the kids opened their gifts. It was a little overwhelming for them, since each one had about 12 presents... they don't even know where to look by the end of it. At 1pm the rest of the relatives came, and after converting the table into one that fit 16, we had the traditional Christmas dinner; with ,ore foie gras, turkey, foie gras stuffing, veggies, mashed potatoes, etc.
Overall, I felt very much like part of the family, and considering how far I am from home, i think I could've spent a much sadder Christmas; I was truly blessed that day!

So, I was supposed to leave for the UK this week, but for reasons not worth mentioning, I had to cancel and postpone my trip. I was pretty devastated, since I'm getting to a point where homesickness is getting very strong, and to have seen my friends, someone familiar, would've really helped me out. But, there's no sense in dwelling; life goes on, and I better keep up!! So I spent the day in Grasse yesterday. Grasse is known as the Perfume Capital of the World. It became so when tanners started to impregnate their leather products with essences from Italy to make the animal hide smell go away; Later, they learned to make their own essences, and being as Grasse has the perfect climate to grow some of the most aromatic flowers in the world (orangiers, jasmine, May rose, lemon), it was easy for the market to develop itself.

I don't know if any of you have read The Perfume, History of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind, but it is in Grasse where a lot of the story takes place, because for centuries it has been renowned as the capital of parfumes in the world. It was also really neat to see all the techniques they mention i nth ebook for essence extraction in real life. It was a gorgeous day for a day trip, and I was able to enjoy the inland city with the sun coming down on the palm trees. My first stop was the Musée International de Parfumerie, where they have exhibits of everything from the earliest uses of perfume by the Egyptians, to a collection of modern day art found in perfume vials. It was truly interesting, and the best part was that they had free entrance for the week of the 24th to the 31st.. yay for free!
After the museum, I had a quick lunch, and made my way to one of the most celebrated parfumeries in France: Fragonard. They have a 225 year old factory in Grasse, which is still in operation, and they offer free tours. They also employ one of France's 10 "noses". A Nose, is someone who studies the science of fragrance. There are only two schools in the world, one in Versaille, and the other in Paris. A nose's formation takes between 10-15 years; by the end of their education, they can recognize over 350 essences (most of us can only recognize about 80) and by the end of their career, they can recognize 3000. They can even tell the difference between jasmine grown in Grasse, and jasmine grown in any other part of the world! To maintain their sense of smell intact, they must renounce all spicy food, alcohol and tobacco.
It was this nose that created the delicious perfume that I bought as a souvenir, called Belle de Nuit. Its delicious... and I got it for half the price that they usually sell it in their stores, since I was in the factory.

These are all the updates I have for now.... i wish you all a very Happy, Merry and FUN New Year's, but most importantly that you may live life to the fullest and love every minute of it in 2009!!!

The Christmas Tree is Always Greener on the Other side...

Christmas is upon us again, my friends. I hope you've all pulled out your stockings, put up the Christmas lights without falling off the roof, and tried your hardest to avoid Santa's Naughty list (although for some of you, that might than others- no judgment here!). I for my part, have decorated the Christmas tree with Lisa and Cecile, tried to teach Spanish carols to the kids, and have strolled through Christmas Markets in Paris, Cannes, Monaco, Nice, and Aix-en-Provence.
Yet, the Christmas-y Feeling is just not as strong this year. I think it might have to do with my association of Christmas to the break I get from university to go home, or the bitterly cold December weather, or the Firefighter's Light display at Stanley Park (who are we kidding... we all go for the firefighters, nobody pays attention to the lights!).

Somehow, between my lugging around of my life from one continent to the other, traipsing from Northern to Southern France, and spending my first Christmas away from my family in 11 years, I think I've lost track of time and tradition. It's as if my life is suspended from all familiarity, and no holiday or special occasion has the same meaning, because it's not "real". To be honest, I'm starting to panic a little... if I feel this way about Christmas, what will happen for MY BIRTHDAY????!?!?! We all know how my whole social calendar and sense of well-being revolves around the 13th of February! What if I don't feel it to be as big of a deal as I do usually? For someone who usually likes to ignore birthdays, that would be fine; but I start counting down the days on January 1st! I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it...

Back to Christmas. I've had people asking me what traditional Christmas is like in France. Well, for one, I haven't noticed that general sense of merriment and festivity that I felt in Colombia and Canada. But maybe that's just the French conservatism coming into play. I know that for my family, we're having 2 dinners. The 24th is the "fancy" dinner, when there's less people. There will be 7 of us at Cecile's mom's house, and I've learned there's seafood, foie gras, and wine in the menu. The 25th, after opening presents in the AM, we'll be eating a more traditional meal with turkey and other goodness. I'm sure I'll have more details to tell you when it's actually happened.

Anyway, I just wanted also to send out a big Christmas hug to all of you. I hope that wherever you're spending it this year, you won't have as hard a time as I am in finding the Christmas spirit within you :) Joyeux Noel mes chers amis!

Very busy December!

To all of those following my blog regularly, to those who follow it occasionally, and to those who pretend to follow it so as to not hurt my feelings... I owe you all an apology for letting my writing slip for so many days! It has been a very busy 2 weeks. A lot has happened, and there's more to come, but that's no excuse to leave my legions of fans in the dark!! (HA! that's a good one)

I guess the beginning is always a good place to start... so, let's commence there. The weekend of the 6th was Lisa's birthday party. I've been talking about it for a while, and if you've been keeping in touch with me, you know I was planning it for a loooooong time. As someone said, it seemed that we were planning the coronation of a king more than a 3 year old's birthday party. But hey, Lisa is only going to have one super awesome Colombian nanny in her lifetime, so she better get the most out of me that she can!
The party was a total success. After spending over 40 man hours cooking, papier-macheing, planning, shopping, and decorating, I was very pleased with the results! The pinata was beautiful, not because it was particularly appealing to the eye, but because it was a very unique experience for everyone involved. I don't know how many of you have ever had a pinata at your birthday party, but for me, it was a staple when I was growing up. The excitement of beating this thing with people cheering around you, the anticipation the little treasures inside, and the sugar high from the birthday cake make for a very singular combination and a guaranteed high. The kids and the parents loved it, but Lisa was the most proud, since she helped me make it, and was telling everyone who would listen.
Then came the birthday cake.. that Barbie creation that took me 5 hours to make and decorate; it almost felt like my baby by the end of it. I had to fight the urge to take the cake and run before the guests ate it and destroyed my masterpiece. All in all, the whole party was a hit, and I enjoyed myself just as much if not even more than the kids themselves.
After the party, my friend Chelsea came to visit for a week. She arrived here last Wednesday, and we've had a lovely week (albeit a little wet) together. She's doing her masters in London, but she won't be there while I'm in the UK, so she came to visit. It's been a nice change of pace, to have a "roomie". I've fully taken advantage of having someone around to do some fun things...
For example, Thursday night, we went to this bar in Vieux Nice that has "Ladies' Night". This encompasses paying 3 euro, and getting all the champagne you can handle for that until their bottles run out. This meant that for 3 euro, we each got 5 glasses of champagne... I don't think I've ever found such a deal anywhere else! Then, the live music begins. Wayne's is a great place because there's a lot of ex-pats and Anglophone tourists, so the band plays everything from AC/DC, to the Beatles, to Bob Marley. The best part about Wayne's though, is the dancing... See, there's no dancefloor, so people just get up on the tables and make those their dancefloor. I know, it sounds like something trashy that drunk girl in the too-short-skirt would do on Tequila Sundays at your local biker bar. But here, everyone does it... literally, there are 12 or 14 tables with people on them, dancing, talking to each other, and having a blast. That night, we met Australian and French guys, and it was a lot of fun.
Being the troopers that we were, we stayed until closing time, and woke up 6 hours later, with a heavy head as a reminder of the Champagne extravaganza of the night before, to go to Monaco. That day, was the ONLY nice we have had as far as weather goes. The pics are here if you haven't seen them:

Monaco was gorgeous as usual, we were able to mix with the rich and powerful, while basking in the sun, walking around the Christmas market, visiting the Prince's abode, and even making a new Canadian friend ( from ABBOTSFORD of all places! It's such a small world!)
The night brought a divine Christmas concert from the Nice opera, and dinner at an Italian restaurant.

The other days, we went to Cannes and Antibes, where I was able to show Chelsea some of the lovely beaches that we have in the Cote d'Azur. Too bad it was raining the whole time... we even had a small version of a hurricane while walking along the beach in Cannes on Sunday morning.We tried to be brave and took a bus to the charming Aix-en-Provence, home of Paul Cezanne on Monday. But that ended up being a bit of a disaster, as the rain did not let up, my boots let all the water in, and Chelsea developed a horrible sore throat and couldn't speak. Aix is really a gorgeous city, but it needs to be appreciated in the summer.

I'm going to be busy again planning Christmas and my impending trip to the UK, but I promise I won't leave as much time between posts as I just have!
I hope most of you have gotten my little surprises in the mail? Let me know when you do, I want to know that they got there okay!
Allez, Bisous!!

Random...

Seen today, in a French street:

A woman driving a motorized wheelchair... on the ROAD. Like a car.
She had blinkers and everything... she was behind a Citroen, and in front of a Renault. This is too good to make up! I was so stunned I literally stopped in my tracks, grocery bags in hand, and just looked at her smoothly change lanes, do a right hand turn, and go on her way.. maybe she was even going to get on the highway! Wouldn't even surprise me. Ah, the little things that remind me I'm in a different country...

Improv at its best: Paris Again.

Well you know, life surprises you, plans change, you find discounted ticket to Paris, you have 4 days off work, one of your friends says she'll receive you with arms wide open and even has plans for you already... what do you do? If your answer was "Go to Paris", you're right!
I had the incredible luck to go to this gorgeous city for the second time since my stay here, and it was a very different, but still electrifying experience. Being far more North than Nice (duh) it was a good 8 or 9 degrees colder than my sunny abode. I was smart enough to buy a scarf, hat and gloves before getting on the train, and I made good use of them!
Paris in the winter is still as charming as when I visited under the warm September sun. I think a lot of its charm has to do with the impending Christmas holidays. The city is dressed to the nines in decorations and lights, making it a completely euphoric experience for the eyes to go out at night. Champs Elysees are a sight, as is the famous Galerie de LaFayette, (somewhat equivalent to Bloomingdale's in New York, and The Bay in Canada). The latter, which has 4 stores all across from each other, pretty much occupying the whole block, leaves no penny unspent when it comes to prettifying its facade and the interior. You can see the pics on my Facebook... but my camera did not do it justice, as it's not very good at taking night time pictures.
Well, when I arrived on Thursday night, we went out to a chic club next to the Arc de Triomph, and we met up with Diana's boyfriend, as well as two of his friends from Spain, who were visiting. The club was not very pretentious, which was nice, and it had 2 rooms, one playing techno and the other playing a little bit of everythign. We stayed in the second one for the most part, where we danced the night away until 3:00 and beat off a particularly aggressive breed of Parisian man, who would do "n'importe quoi" to dance with us, even though we were surrounded by 3 other guys. Anyway, we had a blast, got home close to 4am, and poor Diana roughed it out next morning to go to work at 8:30.
I slept in a little longer, and then met her in the business district of Paris, the very modern, very sober La Defense. It's a little surprising to get off the metro from the Paris I know, filled with classical architecture, into a plaza full of skyscrapers, aluminum and glass. It was an even more pronounced difference with the grey winter sky as the background. Here is where Diana works, and we met up to splurge on Sushi. I say splurge because sushi here is very expensive.. to give you an idea, I had a California roll, 6 pieces of sushi and a miso soup for 20 Euros (about 34 dollars). But, I hadn't had sushi in 3 months, and since I was on "vacation" I decided to just go for it. It was heavenly!
After, Diana had to go back to work, so I spent the afternoon by myself. First, I went to the Christmas market at the Defense. It was a paradoxical place, because the market were all little wood houses, very rustic and welcoming. Yet, it was placed among giant skyscrapers and next to the Arc de la Defense, which is grey and cold. But the market was incredible... very cozy, festive, and full of surprises at every turn. After having some very delicious Hot Wine (a mix of spices, oranges and red wine... oooooh, so ridiculously good) when I was strolling along, I took the metro to the Musee d'Orsay.

The Musee d'Orsay is the Impressionist Museum, home to Monet, Manet, Degas, and Picasso amongst others. It's a lot less intimidating than the Louvre, and I was able to cover it in about 2 hours. I was very tired from our gallavanting until 4am the night before, so I went back home, we had a quiet dinner, a nap.. and then went out again. This time, we just had some crepes on the street, went to Hard Rock Cafe, and had a drink at a Cafe. Still, we were out until 2am. Don't ask me how that happened!
The next morning, Nicolas, Diana's boyfriend was taking his friends on a little city tour of places I hadn't been to, so I came along. We visited the Cour St. Emilion, which used to be an industrial area, and it's turned into a cool little street with all these cafes and restaurants. Then, we headed to the Jardins de Luxembourg. It was pretty cold, and there werern't very many flowers, but it was beautiful nonetheless. After that, a short visit to Notre Dame to see the Christmas Tree, and then to have late lunch with Diana.
We ate at a traditional French Basque restaurant.. the food was really rich, and I was full until the next day, but it was definitely worth it. After that, the garcons had to go, so Diana and I took off to have some girly time parading around the Champs Elysees at night, enjoying the Christmas lights, and doing window shopping at Sephora, Esprit, and others. It was magical, with all the people, the lights and.. yes, one more glass of Hot Wine.. heheh.

It was a lovely weekend, all of it. It was nice to get out of town, see different people, and do different things. It really filled me with some energy that I very much needed, and I'm re-fuelled to attack December and all its challenges! You think Christmas is chaotic? Try it when you have kids (well, someone else's, but still). We have about 4 different craft projects planned, Christmas baking, tree trimming, gift wrapping.... it's going to be so much fun to live this holiday through the eyes of kids again! And speaking of Christmas... don't forget to send me lovely Christmas cards and gifts through the mail! Until next week!

An ode to Life

I have a couple posts to catch up on, but my time and energy are limited tonight, so I thought I would write the most important one right now, and save the more light-hearted and Lonely-Planet-ish for tomorrow.
I want to dedicate this blog to all the beautiful people in my life... the ones who have touched me from birth, to the ones who have stopped momentarily to intervene in my everyday banter. I want to dedicate this blog to Life. The life that zooms by your eyes when you're in your car, the one that you can almost touch with your fingers when you're in front of a magnificent sunrise, the life that curses through your veins when your heart pumps extra hard at the sound of the voice of someone you love so much. I want to dedicate this blog to the life that we sometimes take for granted, letting its precious minutes slip by us, as we complain we wished we had a better life. This blog is for those who are clinging to their lives,by threads of transparent hope wishing they had the Life that you and I are able to wake up to everyday. This blog is dedicated to the Life you know you want to have, and that you're working so hard for, even though sometimes you feel that you're throwing your days away in search of that life.

A very, very close friend of mine has been diagnosed with a very treatable, very curable cancer, that has been caught in time. He is 26, and has his whole LIFE in front of him. In my heart of hearts, there is NO doubt that he will beat it, as his body and mind are some of the strongest I have ever encountered. But, the sudden manner in which it appeared, and how quickly he has found himself in chemo really made me think about how thankful I am for what I have already lived and what is ahead of me.

My own sister, last weekend, also had the chance to be thankful for Life. She was incredibly lucky to escape unscratched and unscathed from what could have been another deadly accident at the Portman Bridge. But, she's okay.. and that makes me want to celebrate Life.

So to all of you out there, who are struggling in the mornings to get out of bed, who have lost the spark that makes your heart race, who wonder how long they will be trapped in the routine they have created for themselves... Stop. Stop, and make a list of what you're thankful for in life. I did it, as I was on the train back from my weekend, and I found myself writing for an hour. I had a list in which I thanked the powers that be from everything to forgiveness, to crepes in Paris, to my family, and to my warm house and full fridge.

I know I'm sounding a little like a Hallmark card here. I can't help it... I need to live the life that has been given to me as fully as I can, for as long as I can. If I don't, I will feel like everyday I'm going about rushing through moments when I should've been paying attention, and later on will have the anxiety that I have missed something really important. Your life, your REAL life, is not about being gifted, about having money, about your successes in school or work, about your car, about your education, circumstances, or failures. Your REAL life revolves around your attitude. Everyday, you have the chance to choose your attitude, and thus, choose your life. What will you choose tomorrow? And the rest of the week?

I can't think of a good, strong way to end this Ode to Life, other than to leave you with this:
" Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending"
- Maria Robinson

I guess I should update this...

Well, I've been putting it off long enough-updating my blog. I think I've hit a bit of a "traveller's wall" if there is such a thing. This week has been somewhat up in the air for me in terms of exciting activities ; it's felt a little like I'm just sitting around for exciting things to happen. Now that I've spent a whole month in Nice, and 3 in France, the glazed-eye look where I see everythign with wonder is starting to fade a little, and for the first time since I left, I'm feeling the toll of being away from home.
One of my best friends back at home is getting married, and talking about all the planning and whatnot via Facebook just makes me wish I wasn't so far away to miss all the details. As well, I keep having all these dreams where I'm back in my grade 3 classroom teaching my little darlings. And, inevitably, with Christmas lurking in the horizon (in a MONTH, can you believe it??!?!!) I'm feeling the pang of missing my loved ones. So I guess coming here to update my blog would be a little like looking at myself in the mirror and finally admitting that inspite of being in love with my life here, and the opportunities and experiences it has afforded me, I can't help but truly miss my life if Canada!
I would like to think that I have always recognized how rich my life is at home, and how blessed and lucky I am to have my education, my job, my family, my friends, etc. But after just 3 months away, I can really really feel the pride and the love that I have for the people and the accomplishments in my life.
Ah, it feels good to get that off my chest! Don't you all feel warm and fuzzy now that you know that I miss you tons inspite of all my fabulous perks here in France? ;)

Anyway, on to more exciting topics. Like I mentioned, this week has been somewhat lacking in exciting activities. I guess what stands out the most is that I have purchased my ticket to the UK. I have my friend Amanda living in Newcastle, who I will spend New Year's with (we're going to an 80's party!!! Aren't you just itching to see the pics of all the awesome costumes already??) and I have some Uvic friends living around London, whom I want to visit as well. I'm very excited, but I have to admit that living my balmy 18 degree city to -2 and snow is not all that appealing... I don't even have gloves!! I guess I'll just have to spend my time inside English pubs to run away from the cold... oh the sacrifices I make!
Let's see what else... last Saturday I went out with Cecile's sister, whom I had mentioned in my last post. She is a lovely, lovely girl , we had a lot of fun, and it was so nice to have a girl-friend to talk with and drink wine with! I'm seeing her again this week :)
As for work, it continues to be wonderful. Lisa, who is turning 3 in 2 weeks is very excited about her upcoming birthday party. Since I'm trying to be a mixture of Mary Poppins and SuperNanny, I have brainstormed with Cecile to make some cool party projects. For example, Lisa and I will be making her very own piñata with papier maché... impressive, no? Also, I have volunteered to make a Princess cake with the top of a Barbie doll, and her skirt being the cake. I will take pics so that you see how very Betty-Crockerish I have become. It's quite impressive, actually. About twice a week I bake for the family while the kids sleep, and so far I've made oatmeal and blueberry muffins, chocolate chip cookies, feta and spinach scones, regular scones, cinnammon rolls, zucchini bread... and they love it. I don't eat any of it, because I'd rather splurge on French food, but if it keeps them happy, then it's all good!
This upcoming weekend I have my American friend Dan coming to visit, hopefully I'll make a good tour guide, since we're goign to try to go to Aix-en-Provence and Monaco.
Well, it sounds like I've done my bit here. I thought I would leave you with a little list of the things that I miss the most from Canada.. so that you can send them to me on the mail, for Christmas!
1) Nonfat vanilla yoghurt in big 750ml tubs.
2) The gym :(
3) Supermarkets that are open on Sundays
4) The ban on smoking on restaurant patios
5) Canadian Diet Coke... it tastes different that French Diet Coke. Don't ask me to explain it, it's like asking me to be rational!
6) Cheap shoes. You can't find a pair for under 100 euros here.
7) Banks who update your online account status immediately... as opposed to 3 days later.
8) Dog owners who don't leave their dog's poop on the sidewalk
9) My L'Oreal facewash that costs 7 dollars at home, and 17 euros (approx 30 dollars) here
10) Organic Peanut butter for my morning toast
11) SUSHI!!!!! All you can eat for 13 dollars at Davie St, or that other place in North Van that's ridiculously good. I actually salivate everytime I think about it.
12) Cheap makeup. For some reason Covergirl hasn't made its mark in France. As a result, I'm economizing on eyeshadow, mascara, bronzer and blush... I don't know how much longer I can go on....

So that's my Christmas list folks... you know what to get me now!!

I REALLY live here

So, it's been (*gasp*) 11 weeks since I left Canada, and took on France. I've changed residences, and had a couple adventures. But now that I'm more of a working girl, I've had to settle down a little bit and actually do things people do when they reside somewhere. You may be wondering then, exactly what I was doing in Nantes? Well, it wasn't the same. I seemed to be in this constant honeymoon phase, where everything was glittery and new. And don't get me wrong, Nice has very much been a dream come true, but I'm actually very happy that I'm more settled and can say I take part in everyday routines of French people. Here are some of the things that mean I really really LIVE in France:
1) I buy my bread fresh from the boulangerie every couple days.. make it a 6 grain baguette. Yum!
2) I have a constant supply of wine at home. Be it a nice rouge to accompany the Camembert I have in my fridge, or a nice chilled white to have a glass as an "aperitif" before my dinner.
3) I do laundry, and hang it up in the lines outside of my balcony, like everyone in Nice does. I don't think they have yet encountered the technology of driers here. All the better for the environment!
4) I watch the news in French, listen to the radio in French, read my free Metro newspaper in French, and watch dubbed versions of Friends, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. It's like good old times in Colombia, where everything was dubbed into Spanish.
5) I have to deal with a garbage cubicle for the building that fits 1.5 garbage bags for 15 apartments. That's how I get my upper body workout.
6) I have become accustomed to paying 3.5 euros (about 6 dollars) for a Diet coke when I go out to a restaurant. I no longer see this as scandalous.
7) I earn in Euros, have a French bank account into which I deposit Euros, and a check book (French people pay for cheques for everything. Let me tell you, it makes waiting in line at supermarkets a patience game)
8) I have to clean my apartment twice a week. That includes dusting, waxing the wooden floors, vacuuming, etc. No more Michelle who did the housework in Nantes!
9) I take the buses, go for jogs around the neighbourhood, and am the butcher's best friend (he gives me a discount on rotisserie chickens!)
10) I give directions to tourists!!! In french, english and Spanish!! That's right, I've had to do it a few times already, and I actually know what I'm talking about, I'm not just making up false directions so that they'll leave me alone.
11) On the tourist subject: They're ANNOYING when they walk all 5 or 6 of them in one single file on the sidewalk. It reminds me of Victoria... and you all know I was an active militant against tourists there...

So yes, my life is a bit calmer and less full of surprises, but I'm really comfortable, and happy with my life. But don't worry, I'm not getting too comfortable... I'm still coming back to Canada!
By no means am I becoming boring though. Last Friday I wanted to have a cultural outing, so I scoped out the shows at the National Theatre, and I went to see Don Juan, in its original Spanish version, with French subtitles projected above the stage. It felt nice to have the upper hand for once with this language business!
Then on Sunday, since I had la voiture, I took off to a couple towns in the Corniches, which are all the towns along the ocean between Nice and Monaco. Cecile and Iannis had made a couple suggestions as to places to visit. So my first stop was at Beaulieu sur Mer (literally: Beautiful Place by the Ocean... Napoleon was VERY creative when naming this town). Here,the Greek villa Kerylos is found. This is a mansion, built by a very rich, very eccentric millionaire in the early 1900s. He wanted the whole house to be an exact replica of a 2nd century Greek abode. The whole inside is built from Ferrara marble, the frescoes and rugs artificially aged to look the part, the beds like those Ancient Greeks sleep in, and even a shower which collected rainwater, and that's how they bathed. It was impressive to see that much passion and dedication being put into recreating something you're in love with, but at the same time, it was excessive! I walked around with this telephone-like apparatus which had the recorded guided tour of the place. Everytime you came to a place of interest, you would find a plaque with a number. I would then punch the number into the machine, and listen to the French explanation of the artifact/room. It was very cool.

Then, I walked 5 km to the other town I was going to visit: St. Jean Cap de Ferrat. This town is not very special, but the walk there, along the Mediterranean is incredibly beautiful. Annnnd, on the way there, I saw Saddam Hussein's ex-yatch. The state of Irak has had it anchored in the Nice port for the past 2 years, and I saw a news reportage on it about 10 days ago, mentioning that Irak was putting it for sale, and it would be showcased to potential buyers in the month of November (for a small sum of 165 million dollars). Well, I was lucky to see one of the potential buyers taking it out for a spin on Sunday, I noticed it was the same name as the one I had seen on TV. Whoever was on it (maybe it was the help that ran away with it! That's what I would do if I worked in a fancy yatch) was having a blast, running the ski-doos around the boat, and soaking in the sun.

I came back to Nice, after a lovely Sunday excursion, and found myself with another proof that I really do live here: it took me 30 minutes to find a parking spot. I'm not even exaggerating. I spent more time circling around the neighbourhood looking for a spot than I did entering Nice from St. Jean Cap de Ferrat. As I have found out this week that I have the car everyday, it's like that always. I guess it's the curse of living right downtown, in the old continent where roads are tiny, and there's literally no more space.
Other than the parking, the driving has been very good.. on my part. On the part of the French. Well, let's just say that they have a diminished regard for civic laws and no fear of authority. That means that they park ANYWHERE -on the sidewalk, on the crosswalk, double parked... you get the idea- they go at the speed they damn please, they run over pedestrians (well, not quite, but little green man=accelerate and scare the people crossing the street), and they often cut in and out of traffic without signaling. I have been very careful, and will continue to be, as I don't trust these baguette lovers on the road. But, I must warn you that if I come back cussing and talking like a sailor when I drive, it's all the French's fault. Doesn't make me less of a lady ;)

This week has been a bit unique, since Cecile and Iannis took off on a little couple holiday to Prague, and I've stayed at Cecile's mom's house. But on Saturday, I'm taking on the town with Cecile's sister, Marion, who is 26, and lives here in Nice. I just met her on Wednesday, and I'm already loving hanging out with her... it's going to be fun to have someone to do things with!
That's all for now, Happy belated Remembrance Day!

A tourist in my own city

Coming on my 2 weeks in Nice, I've still really loved my work, but now it's starting to sink in that I don't really know anyone, and that it might take some extra effort on my part (why not walk up to strangers on the road and introduce myself???) to start building a social circle in this lovely city. Yet, I've really enjoyed balancing what I call the incognito-tourist lifestyle. This lifestyle I discovered a bit of in Nantes, but I'm really becoming a pro here in Nice. Let me explain a bit...

When you move to a new city, you're always excited to see the sights, get to know your surroundings, and discover all the hidden treasures your new abode has to offer. For me, I have a really big passion for sharing with everyone back at home what I'm living right here. This, no matter how many pictures I take, and how many blogs I type, is MY experience, and it's hard to convey to all of you... yet, I get out there and I try to be detailed with my descriptions so that you can see and feel a little of what I'm experiencing. So, to do that, I explore and take pictures... but I don't really want the people who live here to see me as a tourist. Firstly, it's not the safest for me as a young woman, alone, to be seen with a camera and looking all gazey and in love with the city. Also, I want to really LIVE here, and not be treated like someone who is just passing by. To do that, I have to be stealth when it comes to my touristy actions. These are the things you should always avoid:
1) Wear a backpack
2) Walk really really slowly so that you're holding back the pedestrian traffic behind you, and people start pushing by to get through.
3) Walk around with your mouth open in awe... even if you really are in awe.
4) Walk with the camera in your hand.
5) Avoid all souvenir shops.

So, I've been perfecting this technique, and today when I went to the place of the Vieux Chateaux, no one could have mistaken me for a tourist! This, my friends, is being an Incognito Tourists. I'm getting to see all the sights, but without jumping out as a tourist target.

I've been doing a couple interesting things. Sunday, there was a series of concerts hosted by the city of Nice, and I went to see the Orchestra of Montecarlo (from Monaco) at the Acropolis theatre. The classical live music was sublime and moving, and I really enjoyed the Opera soloists as well. I feel very cultured when I do things like that... I vow to myself that I will do them more often when I go back to Canada!

Then today, like I mentioned, I went to the place of the old chateaux. It was first a Celtic fortress in the 11th century, until the Sardinians came in, and built it into a modernized version of what it is right now. Later, Louis XIV destroyed it, and all that is left nowadays is the parks, the fortress walls, and some archeological ruins. Not to mention, the best view of Nice, since it sits atop the highest point in the city. See the pics on Facebook!

Weather-wise, I haven't had anything to brag about. It's been a rainy 10 days.. there is a huge storm front going through all of France right now, and 5 departments in the interior have sustained serious flooding from the Loire (just imagine the 3 months of rain squeezed into 5 days of raining, and you'll get a picture of what these people are dealing with). Here, we've had some big electrical storms, one which left 1.5 million people-including myself- powerless for 6 hours Monday morning. Right now as I write there is another big storm going on.. the thunder is so loud the glass on the windows is actually shaking, not a word of a lie!

Aside from drowning in the rain, I've been working lots, and still loving every moment of it. Yesterday, Cecile informed me that we'll be taking a couple family vacations during my stay. The first, is scheduled in late Dec or early Jan, to Switzerland. The other, is a 2 week getaway to a rented villa in Tuscany, Italy. I'm telling you.. life is ROUGH out here.
This is all for now, hope you enjoyed the update and the pics that are now up!
bisous

First few days of work

Tuesday was my first day of work, and really, you could’ve barely called it work. Cecile came to look for me at the train station. I may have not explained it before, but the family lives in a small town called Cap d’Ail, right next to Monaco (as in you walk 3 blocks and you’re IN Monaco). So to get there, I have to take the train or the bus from downtown Nice, either is a 10 minute walk from my apartment. She came to get me at the station, and since it was a gorgeous day out (24 degrees… how’s the weather in Vancouver??) we took the kids to a small park with inflatable jumping houses right on the beach- in Monaco. Cecile explained to me that since Iannis works there, and it’s closer than Nice, they spend a lot of time in Monaco for their shopping, going out to restaurants, etc.
Lisa, the little girl I look after, went to play in the castles (after her mom paid TWENTY EUROS to have her play there for 3 hours) while Cecile , the baby Sacha and I sat on a table in the restaurant next to the play area. We ordered Diet Cokes (She is also in love with it, sign from the universe I’m really really supposed to be here!), and sat in the Mediterranean sun, watching the ocean, and talking about each others’ lives. She’s a super amazing lady, who studied law and practiced it for 5 years before quitting after she had Lisa. It’s not really like they need the money, since Iannis has his own investment company and works with the Stock (and yes, is stressed right now with the crisis). But anyhow, it was so surreal for me to be sitting in a gorgeous sandy beach in Monaco, being paid to talk to this amazingly nice person, and with two super kids. Monaco is gorgeous, but a little overwhelming to the senses, since there are buildings everywhere. We definitely drove by the Montecarlo Casino, and saw the Prince Albert’s castle on the peak of one of the mountains. I will be going back with regularity, so don’t worry I’ll be telling you more about it. Iannis came to meet us for lunch, and then we went back to the apartment.
So far, I have really enjoyed being with the kids. Lisa is a firecracker of a 2 year old, and listening to her talk in her little French accent is the cutest thing ever. She likes to play doctor, cook (we made crepes together!), and anything artsy. Sacha, the baby, is an angel. He rarely cries, always laughs, and is happy just to be hanging out with all of us.
As predicted, I’ve definitely been exhausted after each day of work, not because it’s hard, but because it’s a big change from what I was doing in Nantes. I haven’t had any huge adventures, but I’m definitely just loving the atmosphere of the city, and having my independence again (I missed living alone!!). I went to the open air market today and bought fresh produce, fresh fish, cheese, olive oil, and bread… I wish I could take back all the amazing food to Canada! Annndd, the cheap wine. A good bottle of wine costs between 2.50-3 euros, so I’ve become quite a connoisseuse, and at a cheap price!
My new address is:

Maria Ruiz chez Bok Invest
10 Boulevard de Bouchage
Nice 06000
France

Hope to get mail soon, so I can use my new mail key!

The first couple days in Cote d'Azur

The bags have been packed and unpacked, the train ridden, the welcome at the station given, and now I’m sitting peacefully in my internet-less apartment, writing the my blog’s draft on Microsoft Word, so I can post it later. It was a wonderful last week in Nantes. After all my trials and tribulations at the start, I ended up being quite happy in that city, and very blessed and fortunate to have met the people that I met. My life in the past year has felt like a constant parade of goodbyes, and unlike everything else in life, they don’t get easier with practice! I was definitely sad to leave my French family, as they had been nothing but wonderful with me. And, I made some good friends at the University that I will strive to maintain in touch with. But, life goes on, I had many open doors waiting for me in Nice, and ultimately, I’m convinced I made the right decision.

Leaving for Nice Sunday morning, I found myself with a knot in my stomach, and with the same fast heartbeat and lack of appetite I had when I was coming to France. After a tearful goodbye at the Gare, I rode the train to Marseille, and then to Nice. It was really beautiful to see the change of scenery from the Northern flatlands, giving way to rolling hills, and finally turning into the craggy Alps of the south. My train wagon was nearly empty for over 80% of the trip, but knowing my luck, I had to have the only seat where someone else was sitting next to me. It so happened that it was a woman who had apparently never heard of deodorant, or showers, perhaps. It was a lovely experience to sit next to someone like that for about 4 hours.

I arrived at the gare with my multitude of bags, and the Bokkias family was waiting for my with huge smiles on their faces. Lisa, the little girl, had a “Bienvenue Maria” card, and it melted all my nerves away. We piled into their “station wagon” (I use quotation marks because I think it’s a travesty to call any car from the brand Mercedes a station wagon) and rode 5 short minutes to my apartment. My neighbourhood is one of the nicest ones in downtown Nice, it’s a grand boulevard lined with olive and palm trees. The buildings are all beautiful, with live colours, and very clean. Iannis, who had conveniently forgotten to mention it before, told me that my building used to be the old Russian Tsar’s residence in the 1890s. It was a 3 story mansion, which was converted into this 5 story apartment building in the 1930s. That’s when Iannis’ grandmother bought the place, and it’s been in the family since. It was un-inhabited for 3 years, until Iannis and Cecile decided to take on an AuPair, and voila, now it’s my home. The building has a grand marble staircase, and an old-fashioned elevator that can fit about 2.5 people in it. I love it!!

Cecile and Iannis spent the last two weeks tweaking and working on the apartment, and it really shows. The paint is fresh and crisp, the wooden floors waxed (original parquet wooden floors from the 30s!), and I even have a brand new duvet and duvet cover, and linens. The double bed is a welcome change from my little single bed in Nantes, which had a horrendous mattress. The other room is a dining/tv/living room with a table for four, and a bed-made-sofa for watching TV. I also have the nicest television I have ever had in any of my former abodes- a SHARP flat screen. Don’t ask me how many inches, all I know is that it’s pretty.. hahahah.

Sunday night was spent unpacking a bit, and going to bed early, since I had woken up early and had been traveling all day long. Monday I had off, so I could ease into the routine. I unpacked the rest of my stuff, and went exploring with my camera, since I had no pics. Nice is definitely a grittier, tougher city than Nantes, or even Paris. From the few cities that I visited in the North, I found them all to be very proper, and their architecture sharp and clean. Nice is the opposite… if Paris is your mom, where you go for comfort, Nice is your mistress, where you go for pleasure. The streets are lined with cafes, restaurants, live music, and people are warm and welcoming.The rugged peaks as its background, the city is filled with noisily colourful buildings, sporting hanging lines of clothes waving in the wind. Ladies dressed to the nines and walking all sorts of yappy little dogs seem to be the norm… as is their poop on the sidewalk. Apparently Mediterranean French have never heard of scooping.

Walking around downtown, I heard every language imaginable, except French. I heard a lot of English from England, some Spanish, and definitely Italian. The food displayed at bakeries and restaurants is deliciously Mediterranean, with lots of fresh herbs, tomatoes, olive oil, and fish.

Tomorrow is my first day of work… I think I’ll be completely fatigued by the end of the day, since I haven’t been used to working. My French courses start really soon also, so I’ll be busy right from the start. This is most excellent, since I’ll have no time to sulk around about not knowing anyone yet. But, I’m sure friends will come quickly when I start my classes… and when all of you come to see me in my sweet pad here in the French Riviera.

That’s all for now, folks!

Hi all, just a quick post to say that I have arrived in Nice safe and sound. I have nointernet, and no telephone yet, so Im kind of in limbo and restricted to using internet cafes ahere the owners dont wear deodorant, there's rows of teenagers playing internet games, and the damn keyboards ,ess you up with their mixed up letters. Mais bon, everything else is stellar. My apartment is beautiful, huge, and posh, and so is my neighbourhood. I will post pics and tell more as soon as I can. And remember, just because I can't use the internet, doesn't mean that YOU can't use YOURS to leave me loving messages about how much you miss me. Word.

Monkey on my shoulder: The French Bureaucracy

So, as previously mentioned, I'm going to Nice. To get to Nice, there are two options, you fly ($$$$$) or you train it ($$). Since I'm a low-maintenance gal, I bought a train ticket for Saturday the 25th, for 100 Euros. Making use of the wonderful advances in modern technology, I used my bank card (which here in France allows you to make online transactions like a credit card, very convenient!), and agreed to pick up the ticket at the train station (from now on, referred to as the SNCF or bastards).

A few days before I was due to pick up my ticket, I had the misfortune of losing my bank card. No big deal, it's replaceable, and aside from the mild headache of my account being frozen for a couple days until I got the replacement, it's a problem with a solution. So, I asked the bank to give me a statement which proved that I had, indeed, paid for my ticket, so I could pick it up. Armed with this, and my passport as my ID, I went to the SNCF to get my train tickets that I had already paid for. Little did I know, that the universe was conspiring against me through the form of French bureaucracy.

I'm not sure if I've alluded to this particular phenomenon before in my blogs, but let me just regale how delightful this FB is. Firstly, the French don't believe in saving the world one tree at a time. For them, the more documents, photocopies of documents, photocopies of photocopies, translations, photocopies of translations, receipts, attestations on your honour, Hallmark cards, and all other forms of paper, the happier they will be. Never, never, ever plan on finishing one affair or errand on one day, because you will inevitably be required to bring more documents, more photocopies, and more papers. Also, you NEVER, ever, break the rules. You never tweak the process, alter the order of steps to follow, bypass any parts, or Heaven forbid, override any component of the procedue. Too easy for you? Okay, let's add another obstacle to this race. Offices, institutions, and all other buildings that provide a service (minus restaurants, and you'll see why in a second) are always closed either 1, 1.5 or in some cases 2 hours between 1130-130 on weekdays. The French Lunch Hour is as sacred as their devotion to baguettes and football. So if you're ever in a really big rush to do something between the hours mentioned above, forget about it. It will not get done. You might as well go and sit with the throngs of workers who have left their offices to go have a glass of Muscadet with their lunch.

Okay, so now that you have a better personality profile of FB, I can continue with my story. I've been dealing with the bank since 10:30 am. When I went to the SNCF to reclaim my ticket, they told me it was IMPOSSIBLE to get it without the original card it was purchased with. This is to say, that inspite of my account being debited already, a transaction number, and official documentation from my bank, I had no right to my train ticket. The lady I was speaking with was not at the real train station, but just at an auxiliary branch they have downtown. Thinking that this was a "pawn" , I decided to go to the real train station and sort things out. But then, I looked at my watch, and saw that I wouldn't be able to do anything, because it was the FLH (French Lunch Hour).

So, after a mild cry in the middle of the street (yes, yes, I cry when I get frustrated, got a problem with that?) I went to meet my lovely Colombian friend Walfa, who is like my surrogate mom here. She calmed me down, fed me lunch, and accompanied me to the SNCF. After talking to 4 people, we had the same answer, pretty much to the same word ( I swear, they must have a script), I had to resort to plan B. Plan B included cancelling my original ticket, and getting my money reimbursed into my account, searching for another train ticket online, not finding another one for the same date OR price, and having to buy the second one for 30 euros more, and one day after I had planned to leave.

Complaining about it won't do me any good now, after all, I'm still going to Nice. But, all I could think of yesterday was how ridiculous this whole experience was, how SET in their protocol everyone was, and how not one single person could, after paying my 100euros, get me the freaking tickets... C'est incroyable!!!

A Cinderella Castle Weekend

On Saturday morning, at 7:05am, I left the train station for my second French weekend adventure. The destination was Tours, a city 2 hours East of Nantes, in the heart of the Loire Valley. This time, I wasn't braving out the French countryside on my own, but managed to recruit Daniel (or rather, he recruited me. Credit should be given where it's due!) and we set out for a castle, wine, and sunshine-filled two days. Before we left, there was some commotion in the train station, as a group of 3 guys got into a bit of a fight with one of the guards and some other dude. We didn't know what the fight was all about, because they were screaming and talking really fast, but they kept saying "c'est fou! c'est fou!", which means "it's crazy, it's crazy!" It sure was! I was a little scared, but things seemed to get under control, and we made it to the platform without having to give any testimony to the police.

The train ride was uneventful, spent with Daniel sleeping (from this point on, you will see that phrase very often. He's a bit of a chronic napper... no offense Dan). At St. Pierre de Corps, we transferred to another train. At first, I thought there was a misprint on the train ticket, because it said the second train ride was 5 minutes long... but no, it was true. We got onto this ghetto-looking train, which I'm sure used to be part of the New York subway fleet, and rode 5 minutes into the Gare de Tours. Since it was too early for our check-in, we thought we would ask the hotel owner to let us put our bags away at the front desk so that we could wonder around the city without carrying our luggage. However, our room was ready when we got there, and we were lucky to be able to put our things in the room.

The hotel was a charming place, an ancient house, re-made into a budget hotel. It had a winding staircase, vintage wall paper, and creaky wooden floors. Our room was at the very top, on the third floor, and so cute. After lounging around for a little while ( we did get up at 5:30am), we went to the Tourism Office to book our afternoon Chateau tour. The one that we had initially scoped out, with 3 castles and a wine tour was booked up, so we had to settle for 2 of the most famous castles, with the possibility of wine tasting at Chambord. After paying for that, we went searching for a place to eat, since we were both ravenous. We found a delicious restaurant that served plentiful portions of Mussels cooked in white wine and herbs. En suite, we paid a visit to the market, which is always a pleasure. We loaded up on snacks for the afternoon, and off we went.

Our guide was a really nice French guy named David. He was supposed to be speaking English because we had a Brazilian couple with us who spoke no French, but because I kept pestering him with questions in French, he spoke to me in French too. The van ride was about an hour, in which we passed a few chateaus from the outside, and I brushed up on my history with the driver's help while Dan slept. I was informed that the Loire Valley is host to a little over THREE THOUSAND CASTLES, about half of them fortresses from the Middle Ages, and the other half from the Renaissance and 19th century. 30% of these chateaux are public, which means they're owned by the French government, and used as historical patrimony sites, as well as a comfy source of income from the thousands of tourists. The other 70% are privately owned, passed down from bloodlines of the past, or owned by extravagant millionaires. Most of these private ones are either homes to the world-famous Loire Valley wineries, or they're hunting chateaus, a very popular past time even in present-day France.

We arrived at Chambord first. This was King Francois' I second abode, when he wasn't gallavanting with his mistress at Chaunecy, another castle nearby. It is the largest and most luxurious chateau of the Loire Valley, and by default, the largest and most luxurious after Versailles in Paris. Francois I was a young king, who died at 25, caught up in a 5-way bloodline feud for the throne of France. True to French king fashion, his ego was barely contained by the humongous castle, and he sought to make the architecture a homage to his greatness. The castle has 365 chimneys, a futile attempt to keep the place warm. When you have a castle that can host a court of 10,000 people, made in limestone and marble, there are no chimneys that will save you from the winter's cold. As a result, no king could ever spend more than 4 months in a row in the castle. Another important landmark of the castle is its double-helix staircase, designed by Leonardo DaVinci himself. The staircase is a masterpiece of Renaissance architecture. Dan went up one side, while I went the other, and we never met, unless we got off at the same landing... even so, by the time we circled around to meet the other, we could've easily run away. Rumour has it, the staircase was built so that Francois could bring his mistresses whenever he pleased, and they could never accidentally run into the queen while going up or down.

Chambord is also host to France's largest natural reserve, a huge forest spanning for 2000 acres. It is a hunter's paradise, and the fall is prime hunting season. David told us it used to be an exclusive hunting club, where the likes of Jacques Chirac used to hunt. Now, it's open to anyone with a hunting licence. Dan's of the opinion that to make it a fair game, hunters should only be allowed to use bow and arrows....

After awing in the extravagance of the castle, we purchased some wine ( and tasted some too.. obviously!) and moved on to the next chateau, Chauverny. This one is an example of a private chateau. It hosted many generations of officials who worked for the French royalty, and nowadays, a wing of the castle is closed to the public because the Marquis still lives there with his family. Chauverny is much smaller compared to Chambord, but still exquisite in its decor. The walls were draped in Spanish leather and Italian Silk, and there are portraits from important French painters, as well as from Italian Renaissance master Raphael.

We were tired from a lot of walking, and we BOTH slept on the way back to Tours. Back in the city, we had aperitifs in our room (Loire Valley wine, of course), got snazzed up in our fancy clothes, and went out to have dinner. Dan, in true adventurous fashion, ordered frog legs for his appetizer, and I tried some. They were really really delicious... "the best chicken I've ever had".

Sunday was a more relaxed day, where we explored the city with our cameras, strolling leisurely. The day was gorgeous, and we got all the vitamin D that we needed. Mid-morning, we felt like having a coffee, so we walked into the most peculiar place. We thought it was a regular cafe, but we realized by the dog under the table, and the friendly crowd ( who shook our hands when we walked in) that this was no ordinary coffee house. It was called a "communitary" cafe, which I'm sure is slang for hippy. There were board games though, so we sat down, and Dan took onto the patient task of teaching me to play Chess (anyone who's ever taught me anything knows I ask a lot of questions... and anyone who survives that gets a golden medal for patience!). After a few more handshakes from the people in the cafe, a proposal to help me win by another patron, and an unfinished chess game, we left hippy-land to explore the rest of the city. Lunch was at the Place Plummerau, in the old side of town. The rest of the town was spent snapping pics of the city, and relaxing.

Back in Nantes, after such a fun weekend, it's dawned on me, that I leave for Nice in 4 days. YIKES. I've been so excited thinking about all the perks that I'm going to have, that I've barely had time to reflect on what LIFE is going to be like. I'm sure that after 2 months of taking it easy here in Nantes, and enjoying life, the shock of working 25 hours a week, and going to class will be something to get used to. Also, I've built some good friendships here in this city, and I'm sad to leave them behind. I'll be back to spending time by myself for the first little while. But I think now that I've done it once, I can prepare myself mentally for the change, and be a little more relaxed about it. I'm a little nervous, but mostly excited! Packing will commence on Thursday of this week, and my evenings are all taken up with social engagements... i.e. goodbye soirees with drinking, French, and good times.

Okay, I'm finishing this essay, it's way too long. Thank you for sticking with me until the end!
My next blog post will be from Nice, stay tuned :)

My 2 Cents on the World Financial Crisis

Heading to Rennes, I was reading the French paper Ouest France. The editorial piece talked about the bailout plan that the European Union is planning to inject cash flow into the disproportionate debt of American and some European banks, in order to salvage this wreck called our economy. The amount: 1000 billion dollars. With astounding ease, and surprising speed, this amount was unblocked and ready for use to help those banking giants of the USA get out of the mess our credit-happy Western world is creating.

Inevitably, a sum like the one above leads one to think firstly, of where this money is coming from with such ease, and secondly, why is it so easily available during a financial crisis of the rich, but never to bail out the poor? The answer to the first question lies in the complicated lending system of Central Banks to other banks. The electronic games these institutions play everyday with deposits, withdrawals, transfers, and loans are nothing but numbers, that don't really affect the liquid totals of money in Central Banks. Each country, like they do with their petroleum, never really tell how much they have in their Central Banks, rendering the guessing game a nearly impossible one. But, when a situation like the one today arises, it is necessary for these institutions to drop their veil of secrecy and pump out some of their exorbitant reserves.

Countries and their leaders are all for using these sources of cash, as we have seen in the past two weeks, where everyone from India, China and Europe is scrambling to salvage the financial market. But as bankers jump from buildings, and people in the states lose their homes, we fail to see that this money being put into a capitalist market could have just as easily appeared for the millions of starving humans in our world today. For example, if the European Union were to invest 30 billion (less than 1% of what they've pumped into the US economy in the last week) every year, they could insure that 923 million people in the world, who go hungry everyday, receive the basic alimentation they need to survive.

Yet, where is this money going? It is going into saving a Capitalist system that focuses on instant gratification. The western "go happy with credit" society will buy anything, at anytime no matter if they are going into negatives in their accounts. Yet, it's this greed for posession and "well-being" that supports over 60% of markets in the world. Consumer and commodity goods have replaced basic necessities such as milk and bread in the revenue ladder of world markets. So, world governments are happy to dish out the dough that will temporarily stop the crash of a failed easy-credit system. But, we still have close to one billion people in the world with nothing in their stomachs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for a socialist system where no one purchases nothing, and we all share our crops. I'm all for spending my GST tax at LeChateau. But, as responsible citizens, we have to advocate for the intelligent and socially-responsible spending of our country's money into causes that are really worth fighting for. It's hard to know where to start from... I myself have no solutions, but I just wanted to share my reflections with you. I know elections just passed, but it's never too late to pressure our government to become more actively involved financially into the markets that really matter- not crude oil, or technology, but the market of humanity.
That's my 2 cents on the financial crisis...

Rennes and Thanksgiving

Another week, another blog! This last week was very enjoyable. Just as I published my blog about the rain in Nantes, the skies decided to open up and let a gorgeous sun come out for 5 days in a row. I took advantage of Apollo's chariot to ride my bike, have picnics at the park, read outside, and plan an impromptu visit to the city of Rennes.

Rennes is the capital of Brittany. It's a smaller city, of 140,000. The trains that go there are TERs, which are regional trains, as opposed to the TGVs that cover longer distances. So, instead of going 280kms/hr like I did when I went to Paris, I traded for a slower version going at 170kms/hr. I have decided that apart from the frequent stops, voyaging by train really is the best way to travel in France. You travel comfortably, at very reasonable prices ( I get a 60% discount when I reserve in advance just for being under 25), and you arrive at the very heart of the city. Perfect for tourism!

I arrived at the gare in Nantes at 9:30am, and settled into my seat with a croissant, a coffee, and newspaper. After what felt like 20 stops later (I swear, there were little stations EVERYWHERE, and we had to stop the train at ALL of them), I finally arrived at downtown Rennes at 11:45am. When I got out of the train, I realized that I had left my map of the city at home. So what did I do, you ask? Well, I decided to not freak out, and just wing it. I started walking, and decided I would go wherever the road would take me...it's not like I was in a metropolis of 20 million. I know, I live life on the edge.. hahaha

Even though it's only 2 hours away, it's incredible how much the feel and architecture changes from city to city. Rennes is famous for its timbered houses, dating back from the Middle Ages. The city's old downtown is charming at every turn of a corner. The houses with different coloured wood planks, crisscrossing on the facades give the streets a cozy, narrow feeling. Some of them are crooked, and leaning into each other, giving you a slight feeling of being inside one of Dr. Seuss' stories. The whole time I was exploring, I was looking up at the facades, which makes for a dangerous hobby, since I almost crashed onto oncoming people and poles more than once.

The city is also host to the Portes Mordelaises, the last vestiges of the city walls from the Middle Ages. To be there and touch those 700 year old walls is very exciting for a History geek like me. I actually took a picture of my hand on the bricks (you can check out the pics here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2102307&l=6e2a0&id=122504569)
After a couple hours of aimless wondering, I got hungry, and decided to splurge on a nice meal at a nice restaurant. I had baked oysters for the entree, a fish cassoulet for the plat principal, and a pineapple crepe for dessert. After that, I visited the parliament building, which was burnt down in the 1700s and re-built exactly the same 2 years after. Since the sun was shining, and the benches were so inviting, I laid down for a good half hour, just enjoying the peaceful surroundings, and resting from all the walking.

On my way back to downtown, I stopped at the Musee des Beaux Arts. I had heard they had a good collection of 18th century French paintings that I wanted to check out. Unfortunately, the paintings wing was closed due to reparations, so I had to settle for a tour of the Egyptian and Greek artifacts wing, and the French sculpture patio. On the plus side, since some of the museum was closed, I only had to pay 1 euro for the entrance :)

There was an accordion festival going on downtown, so I enjoyed listening to some Breton accordion, and later on to a Celtic bagpipe from an excentrically dressed man. As the time was arriving for me to leave, I walked to the train station, and took the train back to Nantes. Watching a gorgeous sunset outside the window, I had the chance to reflect on the pros and cons of traveling alone:
Pros:
1) You don't have to follow anyone's agenda but your own. You can linger for as long as you want in the Victorian antique lace and doilie store (or whatever you fancy) without anyone throwing furtive looks at their watches, or impatiently tapping their foot.
2) You don't have to worry about entertaining someone on the train, plane, etc. If you want to sleep, do it. If you want to read, do it. If you want to make a royal ass of yourself, do it, knowing that no one will be embarassed that you do.
3) You get lots of time for self-reflection. You know, to ponder about things like the world economic crisis (see following blog post), what colour to paint your toenails, and how many situps you have to do to counteract the pineapple crepe you had for dessert...
4) Helps you grow and become stronger and more self-reliant, as well as learning how you react to situations when there's no other people around. Metacognition!!
5) You never have to carry anyone else's stuff.
6) You never have to be seen with someone who wears ridiculous clothing when they travel. This includes moo-moos, "Canada girls kick ass" t-shirts, ugly animal print, CROCS, sandals with socks, tiger-head t-shirts from the 8th grade, and other fashion monstrosities.
7) You may wear moo-moos, "Canada girls kick ass" t-shirts, ugly animal print, CROCS, sandals with socks, tiger-head t-shirts from the 8th grade, and other fashion monstrosities without anyone criticizing.

Cons:
1) You never have someone to take your picture, this often results in the awkward approach to a local (or other tourist), in which you exchange a polite conversation asking to take a picture with the monument/sight/famous building/street name that is the same as yours. With this option, you run the risk of getting ugly pictures b/c you're too embarassed to ask for a re-take. Not to mention, the friendly local/tourist may be a thief looking to run away with your camera. Bastards.
2) You have no one with you to help you make fun of other people.
3) You have no one to drag with you to the "romantic tour for 2" of the city's castles/gardens/river, etc.
4) No one's helping you with your luggage!
5) No one will bail you out from the annoying male/female who is hitting on you on the town square, and who will just NOT take the hint that no, in fact, you don't want a personalized tour of the city's biker bars.
6) Meal times are always spent alone :(
7) There's no one to split things 50/50 with.

So after a lovely and productive train ride of much thinking and list making, I arrived at Nantes, ready for a night out on the town. My friend Dan, from my class, had accepted to go salsa dancing with me. He brought along 4 other Americans, and after a drink to "lubricate the joints" as Dan calls it, we headed to Casa Canne. I gave group-wide lessons of salsa, merengue, bachata and reggaeton, and we had a total blast... not to mention that my students are now resident experts on all Latin dances. I'm that awesome.

After such an agitated 24 hours, I sure would've loved to sleep in. But since I was hosting the first ever French-Colombian-Canadian-American Thanksgiving, I had to make do with 6 hours of sleep.This was my first time cooking a whole Thaksgiving dinner by myself, so I was very excited, but also nervous to screw things up (in spite of my excellent cooking skills.. hahaha) Prep started at 1pm, and at 3:30 the help came. Dan, who has no idea about Canadian thanksgiving, gave me a hand with some of the cooking. At 7pm we had aperitifs with the family, as well as Melanie, a friend of Pauline's from her faculty. Dinner was a lovely, drawn out affair, where we enjoyed roasted chicken, stuffing, gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, glazed carrots and green beans, brussel sprout casserole with wine and parmiggiano, and a made-from-scratch pumpkin pie. Dan had brought us a delicious wine to have with dinner, and we all laughed, talked, and even sang while practicing our French. If you haven't seen pics yet, go here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2102330&l=f8b69&id=122504569
It was so nice to be able to share a little bit of home with this family who has shown me so much of the French life.

All in all, a perfect weekend! I hope you all had a chance to share it with your family and friends too! Oh, and on a side note: I am instilling a new Thanksgiving custom: since my French family didn't know what Thanksgiving was all about, they thought maybe we gave each other presents. So they got me a beautiful necklace, as my Thanksgiving gift, and also to thank me for making dinner, and sharing it with them. I was very touched, and had a little tear in my eye ( yeah, b/c it's so hard for me to cry...) So, in future years, if you're coming to my house for Thanksgiving.. dont' forget your present for the cook!
Until next time!

The big "N"

Let's start talking about the rain. In Nantes, very much like Vancouver, it rains 3 or 4 days a week, and 2 or 3 times a day every time it rains. A saying here: "It's beautiful outside more than once a day", which means, every time it stops raining in a day, it's considered beautiful weather.
My umbrella has become a permanent fixture inside my purse, to the point where if I left my wallet home, instead of my umbrella, it would be no big deal.

Nantes is still beautiful in the rain. The drops falling on the River Erdre and the Cathedral give the city a serene and peaceful ambiance. Contrarily, the way it rains in Nantes is quite chaotic. The drops never fall in a vertical manner,neatly onto the shelter of my little green umbrella, but rather in a disarrayed chaos of horizontal showers, diagonal curtains, and even upside down sprays. As a result, I have become quite the expert in yielding my umbrella like a Samurai's sword: in swift strokes, slightly changing the angle at every turning corner, anything to avoid the demented raindrops that are out to get me no matter what. This uneven falling of water often results in bizarre patches of wet: a left shoulder and a right shin completely soaked, while the rest of me is completely dry. Quite an adventure, this rain.

You might be wondering why I picked the rain as my opening topic, and moreover, why I spent 2 paragraphs speaking about it. Well, that's because, I won't have to put up with it anymore...
That's right Ladies and Gents, I'm leaving Nantes. I'm moving to NICE!!! (Please, I'm begging from now on, don't make any lame "oh Nice is so nice" jokes) I had been toying around with the idea for a few weeks now, since I was contacted by a family who lives in Nice, offering me an AuPair job (no, not out of thin air- I know I'm awesome and everyone wants to work with me. I subscribed to an AuPair agency search thing on the internet that I got from the University). They seemed like a lovely family, young parents, a 2 year old girl, and a 5 month old baby. I struggled with my decision for a while, since my very responsible, organized, side was telling me to stay where I had planned to stay since the beginning. But really, that side of me usually gets its way too often, and I don't give enough credit to my more adventurous, carefree side. So, deciding to root for the underdog, I made the administrative rounds at the university, met with the family, and voila. I'm leaving October 25th!

Let me explain a little bit better what an AuPair usually does. She lives with the family in their household, and takes care of the kids for a maximum of 30 hours a week, as regulated by the French government. In exchange for her services, she is given Room and Board, she is given time to take French courses, and she is given a weekly stipend of a minimum 65 Euros. There are horror stories out there about au pairs turning into the house servants, working overtime, and having to share a room with the kids... Naturally, I would never consider a position like that. This family is the JACKPOT of AuPairing. This is my official job description:

1) I do NOT live with the family. Instead, I get my very own 2 bedroom apartment in downtown Nice. Walking distance from the University. Walking distance from the beach. Walking distance from the bus and tram. Walking distance from the Outdoor Market.

2) I have access to their 2nd vehicle, to drive the kids when needed, as well as one night a week when I do late night babysitting, so I can drive home and not have to take transportation at night.

3) I get way more than the average weekly stipend, with 100 Euros/week

4) In addition to the meals I have with the kids at home, I get 150 Euros to buy food for my other meals.

5) Did I mention I get my own apartment?

6) They pay for half my courses from now until December, and my full courses from January-May.

7) I get 3 days off a week.

8) I will be living 25 minutes away from Monaco, 45 minutes away from Cannes, 2hr ferry ride away from Corsica, and next door to Italy.

9) I may have mentioned it before... but I get my own apartment!

SO really, I would've been a fool not to take it. The French Riviera is one of the most expensive places to live in in the world, and I will be enjoying all its glitz, glam, and gorgeousness (not a word, I know) for practically free.

It's funny, even though I'm approaching 7 weeks of being in France, I feel like my real adventure isn't starting until now. I'm glad things worked out this way though, because here in Nantes, I've been able to really think and know what it is that I want to get from this year abroad. When I was sitting at the airport in Vancouver, I was kind of numbed, not really expecting a whole lot other than to learn French. But these 7 weeks have opened my eyes to the possibilites for growth, adventure, and change from the mundane that this trip is affording me. In a way, I'm glad that this time in Nantes has been calmer and more relaxed, as it's allowed me to ease into a more open mindframe, and be ready to make this year another notch in my belt of successes.
It goes without saying, that now that I'll have an apartment, you're all more than welcome to come and visit. There's plenty of room for all of us :)

As for the latest tales, there's not too much to tell. The French continues to improve day by day, and I've surprised myself a couple times having deep and meaningful conversations, and not really having to think too much about what I'm saying. I think in another 7 weeks, the talking and thinking in French will be automatic! Very exciting! I was given quite a compliment the other day. A French friend (her name is Justine) told me that I had the "Penelope Cruz accent of French". I was SO flattered, because I've always been jealous of Penelope Cruz's spanish accent when she speaks English. I think it's the most adorable thing ever... and now apparently I have it when I speak French. Oh-la-la.

There have been a couple nights of debauchery, both with my new French friends. I met a dude at the library about 3 weeks ago, his name is Geric, and we agreed to help each other, I'd help him with his Spanish, adn he would help me with my French. He's introduced me to his little group of friends, and we've all had a blast. I've always been a beleiver that the best way to get to know a culture is to drink with the people from it... so far I'm right! But, the Frenchies definitely drink me under the table, they have such a tolerance for alcohol, I don't think I could ever develop anything similar without acquiring liver cihrrosis in the process. So I'm not going to try :) (Don't worry mom and dad, I'm not becoming an alcoholic).

I hope I can find a cool little group like this one when I move to Nice too. The "I'm foreign and I want to learn French" face and eyes seem to break the ice everytime! hehehe
As a last note, I've acquired Skype, so any of you who have it, let me know and we can talk. I will keep you all updated on the rest of my trip preparations!
Missing all of you :)
Biz,
Maria

Paris, Paris, and... PARIS!

Well, after 5 weeks of keeping it local, I went to have the weekend to end all weekends. As some of you know, one of my elementary school friends from Colombia, whom we've kept in touch with, lives in Paris. Having someone in one of the most expensive cities in Western Europe (and the world, for that matter) is something one doesn't pass up.
So 60 Euros, and a TGV ride later, I arrived at the Gare Montparnasse, exactly, to the date, one month after I had left it to come to Nantes. This little coincidence gave me a lot of to think and reflect upon about how my feelings have changed a month after. I was literally gripped with anxiety and fear the last time I was riding that train, thinking of everything that could go wrong, and wondering exactly what I had gotten myself into, being all alone in a foreign country. But hey, if you've been reading my blog, this ain't exactly torture, you know? At least I'm not like Bart Simpson, who got made a winery slave.. hahah, that's for all of you Simpsons fans.
So anyway, I arrived to Paris on beautiful sunny Friday afternoon. I caught a bus that left me 3 blocks away from Diana's house, and had to make a conscious effort to keep my mouth closed as we drove through Paris. The city is freaking GORGEOUS. All its labels of being the city of love, and whatnot are deserved beyond doubt. What I saw that day when I first arrived from Canada was an infinitesimal part of this amazing place. The architecture is mind bogglingly detailed; you could spend a day alone looking at just one building and noticing all the little adornments on the columns, window frames, etc.
After successfully surviving my bus ride without getting lost, I met up with another of Diana's friends that was also staying at her apartment (which by the way, is the most charming little studio, in the loveliest neighbourhood). We took off to meet her, and to sightsee like a real tourist. I was the only newbie to the city, since Daniel had been there numerous times. And, I must give them both kudos, because they were fantastically patient with my touristy whims, and took all the pictures I asked them to!
First up, was the Arc de Triomph. It sits majestically on a small hill, overlooking the Champs Elysees. Napoleon built it as a sign of his military supremacy, and to honour all the soldiers that fought in his battles. It is certainly an imposing structure, and it accomplishes its mission. At the bottom of it, there is a torch that has been alight since WW1 that commemorates all the French soldiers that have fought and perished in the wars.
After the Arc, we strolled leisurely down the champs Elysees, which is really just a very crowded street with TONS of stores and restaurants. It's beautiful, but a bit of a sensory overload, with the sea of people, advertisements, and cars. We went into Sephora, hoping to score some free sprays of perfume, and I ended up being kidnapped by a very flamboyant man from L'Oreal, who sat me down on a chair, and let one of his French makeup girls re-do my whole face. I looked great, if I say so myself... And, it was free, so double bonus.
Speaking of free, at 6pm, we took the metro to the Louvre, where every Friday people under 26 can go in for free after six. Diana and Daniel had been already, so they waited for me while I attacked a very small part of it. The facade of the museum is one of the most incredible ones I have ever seen. It spans for blocks and blocks, curving around the streets, filled with sculptures of all the kings of France. And in the middle, the incongruously modern, but still beautiful glass pyramids, with their fountains. The museum is so big, even if one went for a whole day, you couldn't see everything in it, and one couldn't appreciate the beauty and the magnificence of all that lies inside. I went in heading for the Italian, Greek, French and Spanish wing, knowing that I would encounter the Louvre's most famous inhabitant- la Gioconda- in it. Along the way, I was able to see the Venus de Milo, paintings from Boticelli, Veronese, and Ribera. I was in awe of being in front of these renowned pieces of art , that had so much history behind them! The Mona Lisa was also beautiful. It's almost surreal being in front of her, like you don't quite believe this is the true Mona Lisa. There were mondo people there, but I managed to get a good long look at her, and she's extraordinary.
After leaving the museum, a sunset visit to the Jardins de Tulleries was in place. Then, off to party! We went to a salsa club in a hip neighbourhood in Paris, not before getting pre-drunk at the apartment, and danced our happy colombian feet until 3:00.
Next day, we battled the hangover with a couple litres of water, 4 aspirin, and big dark sunglasses, andwe tackled Montmarte with its surrounding the artists' neighbourhood. For any of you Amelie fans out there, Montmarte is a featured in the film, and it was beautiful. The cathedral is more reminiscing of a Taj Mahal than a Catholic landmark, but it was nice to see a variety of architecture. It's also a chic gathering spot for the young, beautiful, and moneyless- a variety known as "students". The sun was out, and people were sitting on the steps that lead to the church, listening to the performers play their music. The view from the top is beautiful, you can see all of Paris spanning in front. We joined the crowd for a while, enjoying a Mexican guitar player that was charming the pants off the audience with his Spanish songs. The actual cathedral is quite beautiful too, but there weren't any pics allowed, so I can't share, sorry :(
The walk through what used to be Bohemian Paris was lovely. There were artists offering to draw portraits, little cafes where Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and others used to meet, quaint houses, and even a couple mimes. Then, we visited the Moulin Rouge, went to the Luxembourg gardens, and finally finished with a big dinner at a typical French restaurant.
Sunday was also filled with touristy things, starting with the Place de Concorde (and before that, we visited Starbucks to get a caffeine pick-me-up. The prices are the same... you know, i paid 3.10 for a latte, like I would in Canada. That would be 3.10 euros... blind robbery). In the middle, there is a huge obelisk which ends in a golden point, a gift from the Egyptians. The petit and grand Palais are nearby, so we visited those, admiring once again, the grandiose architecture. Crossing the Pont Alexandre III, and the Seine, we looked at the Invalides, and then went to buy some food for our Parisian picnic. We bought a baguette, ham, some cheese, tomatoes, etc, and headed to the Champs de Mars, right next to the Eiffel tower. We ate, and laid on the grass next to all the other Parisians who were enjoying the gorgeous weather. After our petit nap, we went to mass at Notre Dame, and words fail me to describe the grandeur of it. Just look at my pics, I'm still winded from the majestic vaulted ceilings, and the spectacular stained glass windows... and I even got a peek at the hunchback! He was sitting a couple rows ahead of me during the service.. hahah, oh, I'm goign to hell for saying that, I know it.
Well, I won't bore you anymore with the guide of the city. But I just had to share all the awe and happiness I felt this weekend, being in such a celebrated city, and with a good friend I hadn't spent time with in ages.
Will keep you posted on more news at the homefront soon.. can't fit it all into one blog!
Bisous!

PS

Also, I forgot to say.. today is my 4 week anniversary of leaving Canada. A whole month has gone by already!!!That was pretty fast... well, the first 2 weeks weren't. But, it's going fast now!

Apples, Horses, and Pornic

I feel like I'm letting this blog thing slip, I've realized it's been a whole 11 days since I updated it- c'est pas cool (fyi: the French actually use "cool" in their everyday lexicon. They use it in the same context Anglos do)And while on the subject, I might as well address the progression of the language. It's going FANTASTIC. Really, my learning curve has been super steep this first month. At first, your eyes and brain feel really overloaded with the change in the language. Then, I got all mixed up in my head because I was trying to think in either English or Spanish when speaking French- it was a nice little scramble. But now, I feel really comfortable, and the tongue is rolling off the French like there's no tomorrow.
The social aspect is also picking up. I'm rolling with a posse from Belgium, Brazil, the States, Canada, and Mexico. I had my first soiree on Friday night, and although it was a bit lacking in spirit, it was still nice to go out with people my own age. The French on the other hand, know how to party. I was *this* close to just going and joining someone else's party.. hahah. But, alors, I'm sure it'll pick up the next time. Also, I won't miss the last tram, like I did on Friday, having to pay 15 Euros to get home (that's about 25 dollars, for those of you who don't operate in that currency) But, overall, it wasn't a bad night either. We went for drinks, where the bartender surprised us with free shots (really, who's surprised that I'm getting free things? It's my trademark! I would be disappointed if I went out and DIDN'T get a free something). Then, we headed to a creperie to have a delicious crepe and recharge for the dancing. Except, that we didnt' dance. The two girls that I was with were.. er.. what's the word... Reserved. Yes, let's call it that. And then, the Brasilian boy that was supposed to come and lighten up the Latin scene with me, couldn't come b/c he was feeling sick. After the non-dancing, we went to a bar called Le Lieu Unique. It was a hangar, very industrial looking, and with wicked decor. But, the music was techno, and that's not my style (even though some people think it is, when I drive my Honda Civic... *ahem* JAG). I missed the tram by one minute, and had to wait 45 minutes for a cab to show up.
Let's see.. I've also been picking apples, and that was a lot of fun. It was very rustic, the sun was shining, and we stuffed ourselves with orchard pommes.
The big trip these last days though, was to Pornic. It's a small town an hour away from Nantes, on the beautiful coast of Brittany. Michelle and I met up with her brother in law, his wife, daughter, and little dog. We hiked for 10km, stopped to have lunch (delicious specialty- Mussels in white wine and fries. Cheap as all hell, I had that, and 2 glasses of wine for 10 dollars). And hiked the 10km back again. It was a sweet hike... and we discovered a nudist beach by accident. It would've been fine except that we were with Marion, who is ELEVEN... it was a bit awkward. But apart from that, it was a perfect day. I've posted the pics on Facebook already, so if you get a chance, take a look.
I thought I'd finish the blog with some interesting and random things I've noticed or that have happened:
1) Walking through the supermarket, next to the meat section, I found HORSE MEAT.I thought I was reading it wrong, but when I asked Michelle, she confirmed it. She doesn't eat it, but she says that lots of people do. I was so shocked! I know that a cow and a horse aren't that far apart, and I love eating cow, but really... that's just sad!
2) At McDonald's (not that I had any, because it's disgusting, but while accompanying Benjamin I saw), you can get BEER with your meal. Instead of Coke. For the same price. Which inevitably led me to question: If you get your meal in the drive-through, and you choose beer, wouldn't that technically be drinking and driving, sponsored by McDonald's? Classy. They're not just happy with being the catalyst to the obesity epidemic in the Western World, but they also offer you a quick and cheap way to be reckless on the road! I love corporations.
3)People do actually eat baguettes ALL THE TIME. I thought it was a stereotype, but you see people with their loaves everywhere, everyday, ever munching.
4) Quick language lesson:
- Preservatif is not put in food to keep it from rotting. It's a condom.
-Draguer means to hit on, not to drag, unless you encounter an overly aggressive flirt(and they are aplenty).
- Rage is not just regular anger, it's rabies. Rabais, it follows, is not the disease you catch from a dog, but a discount. A sale is not an event with a lot of rabais, it means dirty.
-Ranger is neither a woodsman, nor a morpher cartoon from your childhood, it means to tidy up.
- A smoking has nothing to do with tabacco, it's a tuxedo.
- The patron is the boss, not the customer
- And lastly, if you think the French Language seems full of deception; think again. Deception in French actually means disappointment.

Before I leave, I'd like to thank all of you who have been keeping me up to date, and sending messages, letters, packages, cards, and e-mails my way. Although this will be my home for a few more months, I'm carrying all of you close to me, and those little signs of affection make it all the more easier.
A la prochaine!

Adaptation- Part 2

I've decided to brave it out and write my first blog using a French keyboard. I've been using my own computer so far, but you have to live on the wild side sometimes, no?
French keyboards are CRAZY. The QWERTY row does not exist; instead, it's the AZERTY row. And the M, Q, W are also in places they shouldn't be. AND, get this: you have to press Shift everytime you want to write a number! Isn't that crazy?
Anyway, don't think that I've spent all my time here analyzing keyboards. I'm on my way to the last day of the first week of classes. I get a certain deja vu when I'm in the university, because it was built around the same time as UVic, so the building where I'm in is really similar to, say, Clearihue (for all those Uvic alumni reading this) I'm half expecting to run into someone I know... But I don't :(
The classes I'm in are pretty cool, the teachers are very nice, and I was very happy to be classifed at an advanced level ( 4 out of 6). So far I haven't really bonded with anyone in my own classes. There's no specific reason for it, I just haven't had a really good conversation with anyone, the kind that makes you want to get to know someone better. My classes are composed mainly by Asian students, followed by Eastern Europeans, Africans, and lastly one or two North and South Americans. I wish I had the chance to interact with more young French people, but they're not that readily available to socialize with in my part of the University.
As for what I've been doing for fun, I know I'll disappoint many, but it's been reallt mellow. I went to the movies for the first time, and was happy to learn that I could understand over 70% of the dialogue. I tried to look for a flim that would be in original English with subtitles, and not dubbed, but alas, no luck. On Saturday though, I had a really nice vening out. I was able to reunite with one of my Colombian school friends, whom I hadn't seen in 5 years, since I went to COlombia last. She now lives in Paris, but was in town visiting people (she also went to the university of Nantes). She introduced me to a lovely French couple, and one other OClombian guy, who isn't in town any longer. We went for a delicious French dinner, escargots included, and then we went bowling. Could you believe that Bowling alleys here are open until 4 AM??? And it was JAM packed at 1AM; people drinkign beer and bowling- all 35 lanes were busy, we even had to wait half an hour for one to open!
Sunday, I went on a 3 hour hike around the area, on a path next to the Erdre river, and saw some magnificent châteaux. People actually live in them, but they also rent them out for pqrties, weddings, etc. It was then when I decided I'll be getting married in france, in a Château, with a fancy dress. Whether you all choose to come or not, is your problem, but I have two words for you: OPEN BAR. Hahah
Well, there's nothing else really exciting. There are some good leads with language schools to teach ESl, but until my work permit is given to me in 3 weeks, I can't do too much. I'm already scoping flights to England for Xmas break, finding some wicked deals: 2 way between Paris and London for 70€.
Thanks for tuning in, keep on reading :)