Orientation

Last Monday, Marc silently handed me the super official looking envelope and simply walked away mysteriously. It was addressed to me, so I opened it. Inside I found an even more official looking piece of paper. It had the Rotary International stamp, it had the Belgian lion thingy, it had it all. Needless to say, I was a little intimidated. Even more intimidating than all the cool guy stamps were the words written on the paper. . . They were French, and my personal translator had just walked away mysteriously.

So, I pulled out my little French-Enlish dictionary (the old school kind. Marc and Frederique don't have wifi. No wifi = no translator app for me.) and set to work deciphering my official little piece of paper. I had gotten through half of the page, and was feeling extremely proud of myself, when the mysterious Marc walked back into the room. He looked down at the paper, silently turned it over (he isn't much of a talker. Most things he does can be described with the word "silently", which also makes the things he does "mysterious") and walked back out of the room.

I looked down at the paper, expecting to see more French words. Instead I found the already perfectly translated version of the letter I had just spent thirty minutes trying to translate myself. Oy.

The moral of this story is: . . . actually, I'm not so sure if there was a moral to that story. Anyway, the point is I got a letter from the official higher ups of the Rotary Exchange peoples telling me about this important meeting that I had to be to on Thursday. They used a lot of words like "MANDATORY" and "REGULATION" which only intimidated me even more.

I wasn't so excited for Thursday. . . But I ended up having a lot of fun. Every single Exchange Student in Belgium was there. There were Australians, Puerto Ricans, and this one girl from some obscure Island that I can't pronounce. If I thought I had experienced culture shock before, it was nothing like this. Just when I started getting the feel for French, they throw me into an ocean of Spanish/Dutch/German/Chinese/Every-other-language-imaginable speaking teenagers. It was pure insanity. I met dozens of awesome people (and some not so awesome people) and I made some really great friends.

This is me with a few of the other Americans. They kept us all in a group, which was fun but a little sad. I wanted to go out and meet EVERYONE, but I guess that can wait for another time.

This is a picture of ALL the Americans with the President. (Don't ask me what he is the President of, I don't have a clue.)

Thats me :)

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France: Day Seven

PARIS! It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Everywhere I looked there was something beautiful. I'm still freaking out a little bit.

I'm way too excited for words, so here are a few more pictures.

I loved seeing all the historical sights and ancient monuments, but I think I had even more fun looking at all the unexpected things. For example, Paris is FULL of graffiti. It is honestly EVERYWHERE, and some of it isn't half bad. Here are a few of my favorites:

Like I've said before, everywhere I turned there was something beautiful, but it wasn't always something I was expecting. One of the more uber cool unexpected surprises was the bridge with the locks. (I don't know what it was really called, and I'm not creative enough to come up with a better name, so we are just going to call it the bridge with the locks. Its my Blog, I'll call it what I want.)

So here's the deal; this is a huge bridge that crosses over the river Seine in the middle of the city. Thousands of couples have come to this bridge and written thier names on a lock, then fastened the lock to the bridge. I don't know what the story is, I don't know who started it, but I do know that it is freaking awesome.

But my absolutely positutely most favoritest part of Paris were the street performers and artists. It was absolutely incredible. People will dress up as a statue and just stand for HOURS, hoping for a tip from an awe-stricken tourist. There were people singing and dancing in the street, hoping for the same thing.

The best part, though, were the painters. I LOVED watching them paint the crowds, or the scenery, or the pictures in thier heads. It was absolutely incredible.

And so concludes my little trip to France.

 I'm definitely living my dream here in Europe, and my adventure has hardly even begun. I don't know where this road is going to lead me to next, but I do know that I am ready to follow it.

I love you all, and I'll write again soon.

Keep smiling!

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France: Day 6

This day started out very sad. It was the day I had to pack up and say goodbye to the cute little farm with the sweet little family and the pretty little flowers. It was a very tragic moment.

. . .

But I moved on quickly. I mean, honestly, its hard to be sad when you are surrounded by this:

Along the way we stopped at "Le Chateau de Monbazillac" to buy some wine (apparently its some kind of special wine that everyone loves. I wouldn't really know.) and to look around a bit.

I walked INSIDE a real-life CASTLE. hehe I feel like a silly little elementary schooler, but I can't help but be SUPER excited about it. It actually wasn't at all what I expected. . . .I think it must've been a mini-castle or something, because it was kinda itsy bitsy. Rapunzels hair wouldn't have to be very long at all for Prince Charming to come and save her. But still, a CASTLE! hehe

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France: Day Five

Journal Entry: August 19, 2011

"Today we went to the market. I have decided every town in the entire world needs a market just like this. It was incredible. People just set up thier little tables and sell whatever it is they have to offer. There were fruit stands, meat venders, booths of jewlery and toys. One woman had a two tables full of scarves and shawls she had made with her own hands. I had to stop myself from buying the entire street. (Don't worry, Momma. I showed enough self control to make you proud. I didn't spend a single euro, and I think that deserves some serious praise. So go on, praise me. ;] )

I meant to take pictures, but I got caught up in the business of it all. However, Marc came to my rescue and took a few himself.

This woman was singing along to one of those giant music boxes that you have to hand crank yourself, and she had a little mechanical monkey dancing in front of her. It was pretty much epic.

In the center of it all, there was a scene right out of a movie. A beautiful fountain circled by beautiful old buildings, cobblestone streets, and intensely green vines winding thier way up and around it all. People were sitting on the edge of the fountain, all eyes fixed on a man playing a battered old guitar. The sound of it was heartbreaking and healing all at once. A few of the observers dropped a coin or two into the hat at his feet, and the chinking sound they made seemed to blend in with the song he sang in perfect harmony.

I could have stayed and wandered those streets for hours, but Marc and Frederique were in a hurry so we rushed in and out much more quickly than I would have liked. If I ever get the chance to go back to a market like that (which won't be very hard because they are EVERYWHERE here) I will definitely spend more time perusing and people watching."

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France: Day Four

Honestly, does life get any better than this? I think the universe is paying me back for all the nasty pranks its been pulling on me, because this is PERFECTION. The weather is nice and gloomy (just the way I like it) and even when its not, I'm actually enjoying the sun (which is beyond wierd for me). There is bread with every meal, and plenty of fresh JUICY fruit. Mmmmmmm.

On top of all that, I have discovered something absolutely wonderful. I've mentioned it before, but I'm just so excited about it I have to say it again. People in Europe READ. For FUN. Even the kids.

Okay, okay, I admit: there are plenty of Americans that love to read. I don't think you understand though. These people don't just read when they get the chance, they are serious about thier books. There are two hours set aside every day after lunch just for reading. Honest! Its so great.

And so, on my fourth day of France, I spent my day lounging in the "salon" with Roman and Alexi and just read. It was complete perfection.

Roman and I tried to exchange books for a while, but niether of us got very far before we gave up. I read aloud a few sentances (which was not so easy), and we all ended up rolling on the floor with laughter at how rediculous I sounded. They kept saying "funny accent, funny accent" so I challenged them to read my book. It was HILARIOUS.

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France: Day Three

So I've already told you that I went horseback riding through the sunflower fields, so instead of blabbering on about it I'm just gonna post pictures. Good plan?

Now that we're done with that, I'm gonna talk about FOOD. (Mostly because it is my very most favorite thing ever, and there's lots of it here).

I am in serious danger of getting uber fat while I'm here. Honestly, much more of this and I'm gonna be the butt of all the fat jokes. They'll say "Yo mamma's so fat, she has to stand next to Morgan just to feel skinny."

Seriously though, I am discovering a whole new world of flavors and foods, its incredible. I'm eating new and strange foods, but also old familiar foods. Somehow, though, the "familiar" foods are not familiar at all. They look the same, they smell the same, and they even sound the same as I slice into them. But when the flavors dance around on my tongue, I don't know them. We are strangers.

This is actually a very good thing. You wanna know why? Because all these foods I've always thought I hated with a fiery burning passion actually taste good here! Its incredible. For example: I have always had a serious hatred for mushrooms. They are squishy, they have no color, and they don't taste good. HOWEVER, Marc made this sort of mushroom and herb spread and put it on toast and when I bit into it I really think I  died for a second because it was HEAVENLY. Turns out I don't hate mushrooms after all, I just hate AMERICAN mushrooms.

And that concludes day three :)

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France: Day Two

On the second day, I woke up before anyone else. I didn't want to wake anyone up, so I just stayed in my room, watched a not-so-little spider spin her web in the window, and listened to the birds sing. Somehow that sound seems even more beautiful here in Europe. EVERYTHING here is beautiful. Its as if God concentrated all the beautiful things of the world into one single drop of beautey and placed it right here in this place.

The grass is the greenest green. This must be "the other side" that everyone is always talking about, because I don't see how it can get much greener than this.

Even the friggin ROCKS are beautiful. The dirt is so dark and moist, it contrasts against the stones and makes them look almost edible.

 Oh! Rewind! I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you. So before dinner, it was REALLY hot, so I decided to go for a swim. There were these two EXTREMELY good looking French boys playing Water Polo (which, if you don't already know, is like soccer in a pool), and they asked if I wanted to play. Normally I would run away from a situation like this with my tail between my knees, but in my quest to abandon all things normal I joined in. At first I had no idea what I was doing, but I caught on soon enough. They kept shouting all these strategies at each other, but even though I had absolutely NO idea what they were saying, I TOTALLY kicked thier trash. It was very satisfying to watch thier smug, cocky expressions change into shocked disbelief as I scored goal after goal. It was so unlike me, but I think that is what was so fun about it. I am LOVING the new me.

I think I might even be enjoying the language barrier, oddly enough. It's nice because nobody really expects you to be a real part of the conversation. I can simply sit back and listen to the rythm of the language. Maybe that is why I was so bold with those boys. I didn't have to be clever or witty, I could just be Me. . . Well, Me minus the words.

I am finding, however, that it can be VERY frustrating not to be understood. I'm learning the value of over-dramatic facial expressions, hand motions, and funny sounds. (Thank goodness for Drama, right?) No worries, though. I am learning, just slowly.

It will come to me soon enough.

A bien tot!

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France: Day One

I woke up on the morning of August 15 in Brussels, Belgium preparing myself for a long day of travel. I went to bed that night in the squishiest bed on the cutest farm in the south of France. I am officially a world traveler.

Oh my bloody bleep, France is BEAUTIFUL. There are fields and fields of "tourne de sol" (sunflowers) EVERYWHERE, and when the sun hits them just right the entire hillside lights up. It is indescribable. I could hardly tear myself away from the scenery long enough to eat dinner.

Which, by the way, was the most bizzare yet strangely scrumtious meal I have ever eaten. It started with a salad. Sounds fairly routine, right? WRONG. It was a strawberry, tomatoe, and basil salad. STRANGE. But, I was brave and gave it a try. It actually wasn't half bad. I don't think I would eat it again, but it wasn't horrible.

Then we had duck meat and rice with some kind of green sauce that made the meat look like poo. However, I have been taught to never judge a book by its cover so, again, I gave it a try. Man, oh man, am I glad I did! It was INCREDIBLE! I didn't leave a single bite behind, and even went back for seconds.

For dessert we had something chocolate and very creamy. I have no idea what it was, but it was like heaven on a spoon.

As much as I LOVE food, I think it's time you met the Tyriee family.

I know its not the greatest picture, but the one in the red shirt is Roman (french boy whose trash got kicked #1), sitting next to him is Alexi (french boy whose trash got kicked #2) , then Tyriee, Marie, Me, and that is the back of Jens head.

Again, not the greatest picture. In my defense, I was more focused on understanding what they were saying than taking pictures. That is Tyriee on the left and his wife Marie on the right.

My host Father, Marc, and my host Mommy Frederique.

This is Jen (the allusive back-of-the-head person)

This is my buddy, Frippo. At first he didn't like me much, but then I snuck him some of the liver (YUCK) that I was supposed to be eating. After that we were great friends.

This is Knick-Knack. He is a typical cat; always craving attention but refusing to admit it.

Well then, that is pretty much it. We drove for hours, we showed up, we ate, and then we slept.

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France- At a Glance

So to start off, I have to apologize. Apparently my absence from the blogging world has been too long to please certain people -- *Ahem Mother Ahem*. In my defense, I was spending a RELAXING, fun filled week on the cutest farm in the south of France. There was no computer, so no way to blog. That is my excuse, but I have to admit I honestly wouldn't have updated until now anyway. Once a week seems like PLENTY to me (sorry, Momma).

Anyway, on to the juicy stuff! Are you ready to hear about France? Well then I will tell you.

Now, you have to understand, we crammed A LOT of adventures into one short week. To dedicate just one short post to the experience would be nothing short of criminal. So then, this is how it is going to work: today I am going to give you an outline of the week. It will be just the tiniest slice of the pie. Don't worry though, you will get to taste the rest soon enough. Later (tomorrow maybe, but probably not. I don't know) I will give you a detailed look at the first day, then the second day, and so on.

Sound good?  Alright then, let us begin. :]

Day 1: My first sigting of the Eiffel Tower. It was just the tiniest peek through the window of the car as we passed through, but I was THRILLED.

Day 2: Played Water Polo with two French boys. Totally schooled 'em. They never saw it comin'. :]

Day 3: Horseback riding + fields of sunflowers in the south of France = PERFECTION

Day 4: Read for HOURS. Roman (cute French boy #1 who got his butt kicked by yours truly) did too. I discovered European people like to read. FOR FUN. I was born for this place

.  

Day 5: Went to the market in the itsy bitsy little town. Why hasn't America caught on to this brilliant plan?

Day 6: Had to say goodbye to my new French friends. It was very depressing. HOWEVER this introduced me to a wonderful French/Belgian tradition which made me a very happy camper. When you say goodbye to friends, do you know what you give them? Thats right, a kiss. SO little ol' me got a kiss on the cheek from little ol' cute French boy. Hehe :]

Day 7: Took the "Tour de Paris". Crossed off lotsa things on my Bucket list, but added SO many more.



How's that for different, eh?

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