The sun awoke on time
ready for the day,
while I simply waited
for the buzz buzz buzz of my alarm clock.
Snooze.

wide open spaces

French Alps

What I've learned in France...

• Men can carry small sacs with straps that hang horizontally across the body (sometimes referred to as a purse) without being called a "faggot" or "queer."
• Parisians collectively dislike sunshine. They tend to prefer life under cloudy, gray skies. (This could be taken literally or metaphorically.)
• French women really don't get fat.

Time is flying by!

Holy cow! It's been way too long since I've written, but there has been no shortage of things to say! Life keeps moving at a million miles an hour here, but all is going well. I got back a week ago from a trip to Toulouse, France (in the south-east), where I had a conference with all of the exchange students in France. We took our time getting down there and visited chateaux, old villages, and even a fromgerie (where they make cheese... I know, so French).

I'm back in Paris now for the next two weeks and then I'll take off for Brittany. Once I get back, my parents will be here for two weeks. I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Winter vacation

Les arénes romaines à Nimes
Barcelona
Stephie (Mexico), Me, Madeleine(Austria)

A street performer in Barcelona

oh my, the life of exchange students...

These are some photos from the weekend when we had a reunion with the exchange students in our district. I think that we have a little too much fun together...

(Side note for anyone in the Kelly family, the hat that I am wearing is one that Gov brought back from Ireland.)

La première photo... c'est ma vie. Du café, du chocolat chaud - c'est tous que j'aime.

La Manifestation du 29 janvier

These photos are from last Thursday's big protest. It was definitely an eye-opener... I've never seen anything like that in my entire life! Quite an experience!

no school today - major strike

I love how in Indiana, school would be cancelled for things like snow or fog (although that got to be a little ridiculous at times...), but here, it is in protest of something.

I'm going to go see if I can catch a bit of this major manifestation. Don't worry, I'll take pictures.

Vive la France...

Coucou!

It's been a while since I've written a real post... time just slips by too quickly. I find myself in the beginning of my 5th month in Paris - WOW! In December I had the opportunity to do a lot of traveling - Alsace, Champagne, and Provence. I continue to see new things every day and try to take it all in.

In December I saw my first ever "blocus" at school. In the right side of the photo you can see that students have piled trash bins in front of the entrance. This was in protest to reforms that were being made in the school system and continued for the rest of the week (no school for me!!! woohoo!). I had a friend take this photo for me and explained that if kids in the US did that, there would be police there in a matter of 5 minutes. She just kept laughing at my apparent shock in the situation. Apparently the trash-bin blocus is a yearly affair because students always protest the reforms. I think that protesting/striking has been added to my list of things that are "typically French" - baguettes, cigarettes, berets, protests.

I tried foie gras and escargot for the first time over my winter break. The escargot were great! As for the foie gras... it tastes like "la cuisine des chats" (cat food). But at least I tried, right?

I changed my host family on Sunday and now have a new address. I'm not going to put it up on the blog, but if you would like to have it, ask me and I'll e-mail it!

Happy New Year to all!!!

ESCARGOT!!!!!

I ate escargot!!!!!!! And I might even go as far to say that I kind of liked it and may try it again.

Christmas in Provence

My host sister, Aurélie, and I had our picture taken with a typical Provrençal "Père Noel."

Here's a photo the Eiffel Tower on Wednesday... it looks like haven't yet finished building it. It was a rainy day, and the city was covered in a beautifully sad mist. Et voilà, Paris en hiver.

This is a photo from Sunday's Rotary meeting with all of the exchange students. The three Aussies have to go back on Thursday... not an easy goodbye!

Agnes

I swear this is the last one!

Agnes

and this one too...

Agnes

Ok, this cracks me up...

Soggy Socks

As I walked down Rue Clotilde I felt the water penetrating through the holes of my old and worn Minnetonka moccasins. I was headed for Place Saint Genviève to find my favorite café and escape Paris's November rain.
I'd been having a rough day (it was just 4 days before Thanksgiving) and I couldn't wait to get out of the rain and sit in my café.
I had been restless all day and was walking at a speed faster than normal, just rushing to get to a cup of tea. As I turned the corner, my old Minnetonka's lost traction on the old cobblestone street and I fell.
"Merde!" I muttered to myself. (I've gotten pretty good with the French "four-letter words.")
"Ca va?" asked a man walking in my direction.
"Oui, merci," I said quickly picking myself up, pretending it hadn't happened.
I took off quickly and continued on my way, but about half way down the block I let out a giggle to myself . . . I could only imagine how funny it must have been for that man to see me take a spill. As I laughed to myself, I was reminded of the time that my cello teacher had once told me that there are times where you have to decide whether to laugh or cry. I could either laugh because I had taken spill that must have been pretty funny to watch, or I could cry because I was having a bad day, my socks were soggy, and I had fallen.
Sure, my knee was a little bruised, but once I started laughing about the situation, it wasn't so bad. "Laughter is the greatest medicine." It's so true, and we musn't take life too seriously. Sometimes we (when I say "we," I really mean, "I") get too wrapped up in seeing the negative and we forget to laugh and life's humor that we stumble upon.
LAUGH. LAUGH. LAUGH. LAUGH. LAUGH. LAUGH.

"The times they are a-changin'"
Bob Dylan

Over my fall break, I got to go to Bretagne (as you know) and stay with my host mom's brother's family. I received a mail from Patrice (my host mom's brother) after Obama won...


Yes ! You can !
From France, the beautiful Obama victory is the victory of all americans (and maybe of all democrats in the world) who do not identify with the 8 years that just passed ...
What a wonderful event which carries in a moment millions of people around the world since the camp of those who couldn't stand anymore this America to the camp of those who want to dream with her...

I have a dream [a hope...] today!
Patrice (from Britany the little !)

Yes ! You can !
Depuis la France, la belle victoire d'Obama est celle de tous les américains (et peut-être de tous les démocrates dans le monde) qui ne se reconnaissent pas dans les 8 années qui viennent de s'écouler...
Quel formidable événement que celui qui transporte en un instant des millions de personnes dans le monde depuis le camp de ceux qui ne pouvais plus supporter cette Amérique là dans le camp de ceux qui veulent rêver avec elle ...

J'ai fait un rêve [j'ai un espoir ...] aujourd'hui !
Patrice de Bretagne

Thank you, Patrice!!!

Notre Dame

Bonjour!

Today I didn't have school so I got to do a little sight-seeing today. I went to Notre Dame with two other exchange students and we got to go up the towers and see an amazing view of Paris. It was quite a walk up to the top, but so worth the view. In the second picture you can see Sacre Coeur off in the distance. It was a gorgeus day for going up, and it was funny to see all of the places that I've been visiting since I arrived.

What a day!