Kimille is Back and Better Than Ever!

Family Visit part deux!!

Ok So we have a lot of catching up to do!!! Where did I leave off? Oh yes!
Day 1 in Nantes
So Dad, Kelsea and I headed to Nantes early Saturday afternoon (talk about an interesting train ride) and we were lucky enough to catch the parade for the Carnavale which happens one week in spring every year. I was so glad because some of the students from my internship made a float for the parade and I got to see it. The city was nuts! There were children every where with their parents dressed up like it was Halloween and throwing bombs of confetti and silly string every where. I got so much in my hair while watching the parade. The floats and the people on them were COVERED with confetti! It was so cool though! The theme was things in space (the title was something more eloquent but I dunno what it was) and there were 4 or 5 different divisions of the parade. They had a lot of floats from movies, books and bande-dessine (graphic novels/comics) which were cool. There was a float for Gremlins, Star Wars, Around the World in 80 Days, Le Petit Prince, and the 5th Element (the one made by students from my internship). It was all very creative and fun! There was loud music playing, and most of it was in English which I found really funny. After the parade, I took dad and Kels to my favorite kebab resto in Nantes and they loved it! We caught up and had good times. Then I took them to the Machine de I'ile where we saw the elephant but it was finished walking for the day. We checked out the exhibit and Kelsea and I got on the little ship that I road last time. It was really funny! My dad even got on one of mechanical animals. It was a fish that goes in the air- actually this one was for kids but there weren't any kids there. I couldn't believe it! Because my dad is an engineer, I'm pretty sure he loved the exhibit- at leas I hope he did. We did a lot of walking that day, so we rested on a bench by the Loire River and just enjoyed the sun (at 7:30 in the evening!! haha) As we walked along the river back to the hotel, a man who spoke English started talking to my dad and went on and on about his travels and Obama and the government in the states. It was interesting at first but then we got trapped in one of those awkward conversations that you wish would just end so that you can move on with your life- you know what I'm talking about. Kelsea and I amused ourselves by taking silly pictures, but eventually we escaped and went back to their hotel. I grabbed my things and went on home.

Day 2
The next day, I showed them my school at the IES building and the Passage de Pommeraye . Then we had lunch at their very first creperie. They loved it of course! I mean who wouldn't! It was the perfect first for them! We went to the Chateau de Duc de Bretagne and learned so much. I had to do a lot of translating, but we managed to go through all 42 rooms in the museum! We walked around the chateau a bit and checked out the Cathedral. We didn't get to see the good view from the back because carnival rides were in the space directly behind the cathedral. It was so weird! They had rides with Disney characters on them and competitive games with boom boxes and dvd players as prizes. It was like a mini state fair. On our way back to their hotel we saw this women hold her little girl while she peed in a grate! It was crazy!! We didn't know how to respond! Ahh the French. That night was THE night.... The night when my real family met my faux family! It went so well, and I was very happy. My host brothers were adorable with my lil sis ( it was funny to watch them give the bisous on each cheek to her!) and it was adorable/bizarre to hear my host family speak in English. I was impressed with my host mom! She understands much more english than I thought she did. Thomas is the best of course. We had an apperatif, dad gave them the gifts they bought from Indiana (which my family loved!) and we ate a good dinner. I realize in retrospect that I reverted back to french during the meal and talked to my bros but I'm pretty sure Kels and dad were fine chatting with my host 'rents. After the table was cleared, dad played the piano for us, upon my request. My host fam was really impressed! The said the piano had never been played like that before. It was such a cute moment- us all exchanging smiles and listening to the music, like something out of a 1940s add for coca-cola or something. After dad played, they tried to get me to play , but I diverted attention away from myself by encouraging Thomas to play the song from Amelie that I always have him play for me. I think dad and Kelsea were really impressed despite the minor mistakes he made. Afterward, Thibaud jumped to the piano and played a 5 second little ditty with his pointer finger just for a laugh. We finished of the evening with another song by dad (after his many attempts to play "Take Five" by David Brubek). We took several pictures which I can wait to frame in my room, and we said bonne nuit. It was a fantastic night that I'll never forget. My faux family and my real family melanged so well!

Day 3
Tuesdays and Thursdays I have my teaching internship, and the teacher in charge said that I could bring Kelsea with me, so she sat in on my second class (because dad forgot to wake up to bring her to my first one) and it was really interesting. Kelsea was shy, the boys barely had any questions to ask her, and I ended up discussion God knows what! (I'll have to ask Kelsea to remind me later). Anyway, my boys were goofy as usually, and i was glad that Kels got to meet my favorite class. Kels went to the centre ville with me and we met up with dad and my friend Megan at one of my favorite restaurants in Nante, Brioche Doree, for lunch. We had a good chat and a good meal but I couldn't linger because I had to head to class. After 3 grueling hours of school, I met up with Dad and Kels and we went to the L'ile de Versailles! We had so much fun exploring the little Asian inspired garden. Dad took pictures as Kelsea and I roamed the many different pathways and played on the playground (on briefly). We sat and absorbed the beauty and peacefulness of the space for a little bit before walking back to the centre ville along the River Erdre. Dad just gushed about the city and its architecture! It was a perfect, beautiful day. We dropped Dad of at an SNCF boutique to inquire about trains to Normandie, and Kelsea came with me to my phonetics class. It wasn't that invigorating but she heard a lot of French! :) That evening we roamed Place Royal until 7 o'clock when restos opened and had dinner at Heb Ken- a creperie close to my school. It was a bit disappointing but it did the job of nourrishing us.

Day 4
Dad, Kels and I went to Atlantis - escaping the resonating Carneval where the streets were filled with kids in costumes and candy vendors. The streets were still covered in confetti. We got to check out a different side of Nantes on the epically long tram ride to the mall but once we got there, dad got excited at the sight of IKEA. I took them to my favorite creperie in the whole world- Tant Yvette- and we went all out! It was definitely the best meal out we'd had so far! Cidre, a galette -Lardon,Jambon, Oeuf, fromage and a crepe with baked apples, chantilly and vanilla ice cream. It was a meal to end all meals! That day I ate with my host family because i had work to do and I had to get ready for spring break so after Atlantis, we parted ways for the day.

Day 5
Our final day together :( Kelsea and I were going to go to my African dance class together, but I needed time to pack, so she just came home with me and hung out. We went to my internship that afternoon, but the teacher I was supposed to have class with bailed with out telling me because her dad died which was so sad, but I was disappointed that Kelsea wouldn't get to meet my other favorite class. One of the teachers tried to find us another class to work with but it was no use. On our way out, we noticed a little cutout space in the courtyard of the school with urinals along the walls. And then we noticed a male student beginning to relieve himself at one of the urnials. We had quite a shock! How strange France is! Did you know that girls and boys use the same bathroom at schools? I was in the bathroom with a boy once!!!! Not ok!! Anyway, that afternoon we had lunch at the first creperie I took dad and Kels to. It was extra good and we were all content/happy. After a brief stint at the post office that turned out to be a bit more than brief, it was time to say our farewells. I took them to the train station where we hugged for a while before I got on the tram to get ready for spring break. It was so nice having the chance to share my French home with my family. I feel like they really got a chance to see the majority of the good stuff. I'm especially happy that they met my host family. I hope my host fam takes up my dad's offer and comes to visit us one day! It would be wild! I was a bit sad to part with dad and Kels, but I had to go back to "normal in Nantes" someday! Besides I'll be seeing them in May. Plus I had to get ready for the most incredible spring break experience of my life. To avoid making this post painfully long, I am going to leave you with some tidbits of things to come: Athens, Acropolis, Gyros, Ekmek, squashed tomatoes, Santorini, stray cats and dogs, Rome, gelato, the Colosseum, The Pope, and me getting hit by a car. I hope that whets your appetites!

To be continued...

My visit with the fam! Part un

Hello my lovlies!!! So these past two weeks have been amazing!! In short, the first week was great because I had some awesome times with my host family and my students at my teaching internship are hilarious/I want to keep them!! We played this game that I sort of made up/sort of borrowed from the improv group at my university where you list different places ad different people and I pick two students, assign them a character and a scene and they play it out in english. I was dying of laughter and they loved it. One scene was between a boyfriend and grilfriend arguing over seeing Gran Torino or LOL at the movies. One boy put his hands in his shirt to make boobs. It was ridiculous. And the boyfriend was like "LOL is a pink film and you like Clint Eastwood. You told me you though he was sexy." I was cracking up!!!

Ok so now on to my weekend in Paris with the fam. So my dad and sister's plane was delayed by a day and I was freaking out!!! I called my friend Alvaro several times, emailed him, and texted him but couldn't get a hold of him. I got a hold of the British guy, Matt, through facebook and he called me offereing to hang out later that friday which was great. There were three other girls from IES on the same train with me so I didn't feel totally alone. I hung out with Melanie on the train and she invited me to hang out with her and her friend in Paris which was awesome. Her friend is from Georgetown University and he is studying at Oxford for the whole year. He actually knows a few guys from my high school who go to Georgetown. One of them is actually with him in Oxford! He has a 6 week spring break! How nuts is that! So we went to the Tuileries Garden and the courtyards of the Louvre to take pictures and hang out which was nice. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and couples out showing off their right to PDA anywhere and everywhere and every age (and I mean EVERY age!) Then we went back to the train station to meet Daphne, another IES student, and got lost looking for their hotel. Matt called and invited me to go with him to the Louvre which is free for students after 6 on Friday nights so we met up and I saw the Mona Lisa! Talk about tiny! I guess I was expecting it to be much bigger but nope! I didn't get up close because their was a crowd and I had limited time, but it was cool to be able to say I've been there, I've seen it! We saw many other paintings that I've studied in Art history class and I got so excited! Now those were so much bigger than I expected! They took up entire walls!! It was incredible. I explained to Matt the importance of the few that I could remember and made up crazy stories about the others. It was fun! We talked about the differences between our cultures and our lifestyles and our slangs. It was so fun! He's really cool to hang out with. So we just promenaded through the Louvre and covered maybe 30% of it but I had a good time! Afterwards Matt walked me to an RER station and I made my journey to the hotel.

Saturday, dad and Kelsea arrived bright and early and gave me the massive hugs I needed. Then dad gave me all the stuff he brought for me including HSM 3, Twilight, Australia, and reese's cups!! After a brief rest, we headed to the Eiffel Tower!!! It was massive and beautiful, if you can call a huge metal structure beautiful. We couldnt believe we were there! We took loads of photos around the outside. It was perfect! The sun was shining and the skies were nearly clear. There were 4 lines in to the Eiffel Tower, one at each leg. We didn't know if there was a difference so we chose the shortest one. It was a 45 minute wait and we chose to take the stairs to the 2nd level and then do the lift all the way to the top. The stairs were a bit brutal, but we made it- dad barely made it but we were patient. On the first level there is a lot of historical information on the creation of the Eiffel Tower and of all the famous structures in Paris that you can see. Did you know that there is a mini Statue of Liberty on a small island in the middle of the Seine! It was a gift from us to France because Gustave Eiffel also made the Statue of Liberty for us. So we spent a lot of time walking around the first floor learning about everything including the fact that a man tightrope walked from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower to a garden on the other side of the Seine! Isn't that intense!!! So after about an hour of walking around, we headed up to the next floor and it started to rain!!!!! It rain on and off again for the rest of our time there! The second floor was painful because it was freezing and wet and it started to hail too!!! Who would have thought that it would hail on our way to the top!!! The sun poked its head out every 20 minutes or so giving us a chance to take good photos. We met a cute old British couple that took our family photo and we chatted with them for a long while. They were really nice. The line for the elevator to the top was ridiculously long and a guy started smoking in front of us (fun times!) Finally we made it to the top at the perfect moment- when the sun was shining and the skies began to warm up a teeny tiny bit. The view was incredible! We could see everything: Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, The Louvre, the Arc de Triomph, everything. It was gorgeous! I couldn't believe I was there! I finally made it to the top! We took hundreds of photos and I explained the importance of many things. We also saw a man propose to his fiance on the top, it was so cute! There wasn't a lot of space, and it was extremely crowded. Finally after we froze our feet off, we headed back down. When we got back to the bottm- about 20 minutes later- it started to poor! So we waited under the Tower until another pocket of clear skies headed our way. It didn't take long, and we went along to Tokyo Place across the Seine to take photos from the best view of the Tour Eiffel. It was great!!! There were a lot of shady guys every where trying to seel Eiffel Tower trinkets and what not, but we just blew them off and enjoyed the view. You have to see it first hand before you die- all of you. Having lived and never seen Paris is like never having teeth (best analogy of my life!) What's the point of life if you stay in one country the whole time! There's so much to learn and discover!!! Well, I must be going. I'm off to Athens, Santorini and Rome for SB 09, but I will continue the rest of this story later.

Bisous mes amies!!

We're off to see the......Omaha Beach

So I've had an ultra busy week, what with preparing for the arrival of my dad and my little sister, so we have much to catch up on. So last weekend I went to Normandy with the IES program. It was a long 4 hour bus drive with ultra cramped seats. We all tried to catch some Zs but it was not happening. I found my self in the most awkward positions at times! You would have laughed if you'd have seen it.Megan and I ended up listening to the "Legally Blond the Musical"soundtrack the rest of the way. We practically got through the whole thing! Anyway, upon arrival in Normandy, we were given nearly 2 hours to walk around the city and get food. I hung out with this guy Andrew whom I've become chumy with. We tagged along with two other girls for a while, grabbed paninis and explored some old churches in the city. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and everyone was lounging on the grass near the ruins of the old Donjon (keep) built by William the conqueror. Andrew and I decided to explore this said donjon and sit on the edge of the huge wall surrounding it. We made some rebel moves and explored some forbidden and ultra high territories, but don't worry- it was perfectly safe- or at least I didn't die as a result of it so it couldn't be too bad! It was pretty cool and enjoyed the view from the top. When we all got back to the bus, we headed to the Caen Memorial museum. It was a really intense experience. There was so much information about WW I and WWII, I was speechless. They had real nazis flags, and footage from the Blitz of 1940. There were war kits and jeeps and maps of central europe indicating where all of the concentration camps were and what kind they were- work camps, or extermination camps or etc. It was really eye opening. I had no idea how many there were! And they had letters sent by soldiers to their families during the war. This museum gives you a stronger visual of the war than any film can. It made it all the more real for me and thus more difficult to distance myself from it. Some of the boys in our group had bought beers in the city and got drunk before they went in the museum because they said it would be "easier to handle." I was so embarrassed to be an American at that moment- or at least to be in the group with them. Midway through or visit, we watched a video of the Normandy Landings on D-Day June 6th, 1944. I couldn't believe it, but they had actually footage of the soldiers landing on Omaha beach and being shot at. I saw real people really being killed! It was...it was not Saving Private Ryan, I'll tell you that much. Young men, some younger than me even, were walking to their death to fight for our freedom. They knew they were going to die and they did it anyway. That is scary and incredible. The film also gave us a day by day month by month view on the map of the German occupation and the progress of the Brits, Americans, and Canadians during the war. I hope we never have to see a war like that again. Men and guns are such a bad combo. After the film, Megan, Andrew and I checked out a photography exhibit done by this French photo journalist named Raza. His photos were incredible. He showed all of these dark sides of third world countries, but also showed the life that the people in those countries had. I was really moved by many of his photos and their was much to read about each one. He was actually at the museum that day for a book signing. After the Raza exhibit, Megan and I visited the British Garden and the Canadian Garden which are memorials dedicated to those who fought in the war. The British Garden has tall bush trees designed in the shape of a huge Celtic cross that you can walk into with a fountain in the middle and a "quite" place for reflection at the head of the cross. The Canadian Garden was very subtle. It was kind of on a hill that had a winding path way down where you could walk along the base of the museum and go into the Nobel PRize exhibit. I went in this exhibit alone because Megan already looked at it- but it was a bad idea. The exhibit was bigger than it looked, the music was creepy, the lighting was utlra creepy (think 80s space ship with those ugly green and neon lights), and there were only 2 other people in the exhibit. I certainly learned a bunch about the Nobel prize but I walked through it quickly so as not to linger. I took a quick gander at the American Garden because it was time to leave and I managed to take a photo of the memorial plaques for New York, Indiana, and Chicago. I must say that this was the coolest garden of them all with a huge fountain that spilled over into a pond- there was a path under the 'waterfall' where all the state plaques were. It was cool. When we got to the hotel, we all pigged out at the french food buffet (we were all ultra excited about the all u can eat aspect- Americans love to eat!) The desserts were incredible and I think everyone had about 5! Don't worry, they small things. I was ultra tired so I stayed in and played president with a big group of people for a really long time before getting to bed.

Sunday was the big day. We went to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. The first thing our chaperon told us was that we were officially on American soil- America owns the property. We all cheered and hollered, but the celebrating stopped as soon as we got to the cemetery. When you walk in, you see this grand Memorial horizontal arc (like a Grecian building, almost, with pillars) facing the wave of white grave stones in the shapes of crosses or stars of David. In the center of the marble arc is a 22 foot tall statue called "The Spirit of American Youth Rising From the Waves" Its a nearly nude man with his arms lifted like when you stretch or raise your arms. There were maps on either side of the walls of the arc indicating the progress of the Americans/Brits/ Canadians during the war by plane , by boat, and by land. The clock rang 9 and the bells chimed "Oh Beautiful For Spacious Skies" and a few other American patriotic songs. I went to the Overlook that gave a panorama view of Omaha beach and the English Channel and I was stunned by the absolute beauty and melancholy of the view. The day was grey but the water was clear and the beach looked perfect. I tried to imagine what it looked like on that fateful day. It was hard and painful, but I think I managed to visualize a semblance of what it was like. I headed down the steep path/hill to the beach and made my way to where it all happened. The sand was so soft, it was hard to believe that something so tragic could happen in such a peaceful place, but I could hear the gunfire and see the boats being shot at and sinking as they made their way to the shores. I could see the bodies of the young and the loved lying on the sand and dying it red. This soft sand that made cushioned grave. Some of the kids in my group took off their shoes and socks and ran into the freezing water- typial American thing to do. I strolled along the beach and took in my surroundings. I looked at the dunes that are now covered in vegetation, and I walked up to the tide where they water rushed and foamed as if someone had dumped 100 gallons of ivory soap in it. I collected red stone to bring back with me in rememberance of this day and this place. Andrew joined me and I watched him make an American flag sand castle. We then went back to the cemetery to see the graves and the chapel. There are 9,387 headstones. Imagne rows and rows of white crosses and the occasional Stars of David. It was a sea of graves. Our guide plan states that their are 38 sets of brothers in that semetery. WOW. Could you imagine losing all of your children to the war? I definitely wouldn't want to out live my children. The chapel was in the middle of the cemetery and it was like a small, marble, inclosed gazebo with a grand mural on the ceiling. Following our visit to Omaha beach, we went to Pointe du Hoc where the Germans had many bunkers and big guns. It was on the far west side of the beach and high on a cliff. The Americans climbed ladders to get up there and many of them were shot. I don't know much about the history of the place, but I'll look it up and get back to you. The land was full of massive craters where bombs fell, but the craters were over grown with wild flowers and grass- quite the paradox. Most of the bunkers were bombed and partially destoryed, but there were a few still intact so we took a peek. There was no light and it was very scary! We used our cell phones or cameras to see, and they are really harrowing places. I couldn't even begin to imagine spending many days in there where not a drop of sunlight can be found at any time of day. Vampires would certainly love it. Seeing the craters put things in to perspective for me. I was seeing the results of a a war that happened over 50 years ago! The remnants are still there and still as evident. Next we went to Bayeux to grab a bite- probably the best lunch ever! Grilled panini bread with scrambled eggs and emmenthal cheese! And a waffles with sucre glace. It made me feel warm inside and less melancholy about the day. It was a quaint city with qute shops but the streets were totally bare! The only people we saw were tourists. It was almost like a French ghost town. And of course everything was closed excpet for food places because it was Sunday. Our last stop on our trip was Le Harras du Pin- the Versaille for horses. Its this big chateux for raising, racing, riding, breeding, and trading the best horses in the world. It was ridiculous and impressive. People are hardcore about their horses I guess. The museum offered a lot of information about the different kinds of horses, their bone structure and evolution, and the different breeding methods. You could even watch the differents kinds of breeding- lets just say, I'm glad I'm not a female horse. They actually have an airport just for horses in France. Ins't that crazy!!! I guess it makes sense- you wouldn't put animals that weigh several tons on the same planes as people. Planes would fall out of the sky everyday! They are real elitists when it comes to horses in France. We took a guided tour of the place and got to see some of the horses. All of the horses are male because they have some stallions on the property that would break down the door to get at the females- sounds like teenage boys at an all boys school haha. Each horse has its own stall, and each stall has a sign indicating who the mother and the father are (to prevent inbreeding), who the grandparents are, when they were born and where. The horses were all really friendly and ready for their closeups. I really want a horse, and I miss riding. (I was a girl scout- that's the only way I got to ride). One day I would like to buy a horse, and I am going to name it Mephistopheles if it is Black, Nulla if it is Brown, or Angelus if it is white. There was a massive memorial/grave site for their best horse named Furioso who died a few years back, it makes me feel so warm inside to know that while some people die in the streets and barely get a grave, great horses get bigger and more elaborate graves than political figures (please tell me you caught my sarcasm). Some of the horses are older than me (27)! I had no idea they could live so long- before the become glue :(Anyway, it was a very interesting and unexpected experience, but overall it was a great weekend. I will remember it always. I have more to tell you about the rest of my week, but I must get some sleep so it will have to wait. I leave for Paris tomorrow to meet my dad and my sister!!! I'm so excited!! I expect many hugs for they are so scarce in France.

Bon nuit mes amies et bisous!!

I Love French Children!!

So Monday afternoon I went to Notre Dame de Toute Joies which is a primary school and I made an observation for my teaching internship. It was so much fun! I helped out more than I observed but that made it even better. So I got to the classroom at 2:30 and it didn't look that different from the classrooms we have in the states. There were only two girls in the room and the teacher was getting prepared for the next art plastique activity because of the kids had a 10 minute pause - the equivalent of recess. The girls starred at me with anxious curiosity making feel like an alien or some other newly discovered creature. They had big smiles on their faces and I could hear them whispering about me, "Les dents sont blanche!" -her teeth are white! The girls ran back outside to be with their friends, presumably to announce my presence, and I chatted with the teacher a bit. When the bell rang, the teacher and I went outside to collect the children. The organization of this school building is very different from that of grade schools in the states. The building structure is like a big hollow square with a courtyard in the center where the children play during their 10 minute pauses. There are soccer goals and picnic tables but that's about it. And each classroom has a door that you enter through from the courtyard- basically there aren't any long hallways connecting all the classrooms. If you want to go from one room to another, you have to go outside. So anyway, we collected the children and the teacher introduced me to them- this is all happening in french of course. Only half the class was participating in the art plastique at the moment so there were only around 10 or 15 kids starring at me at this point(all 9 years old). Once we got into the room, the kids were all situated at different clusters of desks that were put together for a painting activity. They were painting stained glass window images with the first letter of their name decorated on the paper. When the activity started, I was sitting at a table with a few boys. I asked them a few questions like what were their names and if they had any siblings. Then the children started to bombard me with questions of their own:
What music do you like?
Do you know Pokemon?
Do you like Hannah Montanna?
Have you seen the third High School Musical?
Do you like the cheetah girls?
What do you think of Obama?

It was so cute but a bit overwhelming. I bonded with these little girls named Marguerite, Danny, and Gabrielle who like Miley Cyrus and HSM, so we talked a bunch while they did their work. Then all of the boys and girls started asking me how their names are pronounced in English. The were a ball full of giggles then! It was so cute! Marguerite made me a pretty drawing of us together with the note: Pour Kimi! Of course my hair in the picture went down to my feet :) Then they had another 10 minute pause and I went out to play with them! IT was so much fun! I taught them how to play freeze tag and toilet tag, and they loved it. They were chasing me all around and ever time they tagged someone they shouted "Touche" (pronounced Toosh). Then a bunch of boys and girls from other classes who were on pause asked if they could join - it is really hard to explain the rules to these games in french especially multiple times to 9 year olds, lemme tell ya! Then these boys wanted to race, so I did quite a bit of running. At the end of the pause all of the girls fought to hold my hands as we walked back to the classroom. It felt just like working at the YMCA day camp only better because the kids speak french! During the second half of the my observation, the entire class was present and they were working on making angles for math. They were very distracted by my presence and the teacher had to be stern to maintain order. I helped a few of the students who were having some difficulty, and eventually they finished their work. When I looked at the world map on one of the student's desks, I noticed that they have Indianapolis located in Illinois ! How messed up is that! During the last 15 minutes of the class I introduced myself to all of the students and talked about where I come from. Then each kid had the chance to ask me a question. Half of the questions were about Obama! One kid, the cutest little boy ever named Augustine, asked me if Obama has picked out a dog for his daughters yet! How do they know about that! I guarantee that if you ask any 9 year old American, or even an 18 year old, who the president of French is they would draw a blank. The French are so connected with world news, it amazes me! Its a shame how apathetic our society is with the outside world when there isn't a tragedy occurring somewhere. One kid also asked me who I voted for which was pretty funny! The teacher berated him for it and told me not to respond. At the end of the class I received more drawings from the kids, some of them saying "Miley Cyrus" with hearts everywhere or "Je t'adore." They all asked me to comeback some time soon, and I really hope a can!

Thursday was a national grève so the buses and trams weren't running as often and I had my teaching internship that morning. Luckily I made it on time but only 2 students showed up to the first class and only 4 at the second. I spent the bulk of the first class talking with this French-Cambodian student and the teacher about video games, american actors, and lacrosse (which was fun to explain). Durning the second class, I gave a totally breakdown of my high school's system. I showed them the film clip of Brebeuf and explained to them homecoming, student council, SATS, ACTs, college applications, prom, legacy children, tuition...etc. They were all astonished by the major differences between us and them, especially the teacher. It was fun watching their reactions to everything. Extracurriculars, team spirit, and athleticism do not exist in French high schools. They don't have championships or anything of the sort like it. All of the kids at the school have no plans of going to university after they are finished with high school. More kids go straight to work after the BAC. After the class my teacher showed me a float some of the students and teachers are working for Carnival. It was so cool! They modeled it off of the film The Fifth Element. with Bruce Willis' car, the elemnts, and stop lights and a bunch of other stuff. It was rally creative and exciting. The French teachers were all really enthousiatic about showing it to me which was cute. Well, despite the low numbers of students, it was a pretty good day at St. Jean Baptiste. Unfortunately, though, I was 20 minutes late to Art History because of the grève. Megan and I watched a french film online called La Belle Personne after lunch. It was a pretty good but there were a lot of "What the heck just happened!" moments. I love the director so of course I love the film, but this one had its stereotypical French film moments (basically meaning that many Americans wouldn't get it or like it). Its a bit of a downer but then again life isn't always sunshine and rainbows ( and neither is art imitating life). So for those sappy Americans who can only tolerate comedies and happy films (which I find utterly astonishing and quite sad-being a filmmaker myself), this movie is not for you. After the movie, we went for a walk outside because it was so nice out (20° C) and we wanted to see the grèvistes in action. There were hundreds of people in the streets protesting/striking anything and everything. It was ridiculous, and the police were everywhere. We didn't linger long because you never want to get caught in the middle of a grève unless you actually care about what they protesting and you want to lose your voice shouting as well. Well, that's it for now mes amies. Tomorrow I head for Normandie with the rest of the kids in the program. Good thing I already saw the first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan so I'm good to go! Bisous!

Update:
So I went to the Chateaux museum with a group from IES (There's a chateux in Nantes) this afternoon, and I was surprised by what I saw on my walk over there. Apparently the grèvistes were a bit violent yesterday because there were stores that were damaged and burn marks in the middle of the street where they started fires or blew stuff up! I couldn't believe the damage they caused! Some really nice stores had cracked or shattered windows! When Megan ad I were walking ahead of the grèvistes yesterday, we noticed that some stores were closing up for protection, but I guess some people weren't quick enough. Isn't that terrible? Could you imagine what the US would be like if people went on strike all the time and caused damage in the streets. Out of the 3 months that I've been in France I've only gone to class at the university twice because my professor is on strike. I don't see how any body learns anything when there are never any classes. It would be a total waste of money for me and my family if I was taking more than one class, but there are others in the program who are jut now switiching into classes at IES so that they can get credit! I guess its easy to do whatever you want when education is free and the salary is cheap. Doesn't work that way for us. I just wanted to share that with you. Bon nuit!!

Paris, Je t'aime et Paris m'aime!

So I have officially decided that I am going to live in Paris as soon as possible- or as soon as I can afford it. I had the most incredible experience ever. I am in love! Now, let me start from the very beginning...

Friday the 13th was the most beautiful day Nantes that we've had so far. The sun was shining, the flowers were beginning to make an appearance, all of the fountains were turned on, and people were laying in the grass in the parks like it was summer. The water was gorgeous- did I mention that there is a river that runs alongside the tram line. I wanted to stay outside forever- but of course I had a date with Paris. I was worried because my friend Alvaro, whom I was meeting in Paris, had failed to give me his mobile phone number and I had no idea how he was going to find me at the train station. Madame Rouchet, the director of my program, gave me some hostel information in case we couldn't find each other. The train ride was pretty smooth, the only glitch was that I forgot to stick my ticket in the ticket thingy that stamps it before you leave, but luckily I ran out of the train and found a conductor to help me out. When I arrived in Paris, I took 3 steps out of the train and saw a blur of my Spanish friend running towards we calling my name. He gave me the biggest hug ever and kept on regarding my face with incredulity, "Oh my, you are a woman now!" he said. Let me explain: I met Alvaro at my high school in the first few weeks of my senior year when he and 3 other students from Barcelona made an exchange and took classes at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School (Go Braves!). I became close friends with them very quickly and we've kept in touch ever since. It's been nearly 4 years since we last met, but nothing about our relationship has changed. We hugged each other for a long time and starred at each other as if one of us could disappear at any moment. He told me he hadn't practiced his English very much since his last visit to the states and he apologized profusely in advanced for his terrible English. He took my bags, and as we walked to the metro he kept grabbing my hand and saying, "I just want to make sure that you're really here." We had so much to catch up on! He took me to the dormitory where he is living this year- he is studying abroad like me but for both semester. We dropped my stuff off and went for a magical walk through Paris talking about anything and everything. Paris is gorgeous at night. Alvaro took me by the Seine and through the courtyards of the Louvre. From the far side of the Louvre I could see le Tour Eiffel and Notre Dame! I had no idea how huge the Louvre is! It goes on for days! The clear pyramids that everyone is familiar with are really amazing, and there are fountains all over the main courtyard. The architecture is so epic. We walked past le Jardin des Tuileries as well. Along the Seine, there are many boat houses and as we walked along the path by the Seine, we peeked in certain boat homes and were astonished by the luxury of each home. They had big flat screen tvs, computers, and big kitchen tables just like any normal home. They looked like normal houses on the inside except for the lack of privacy. I mean we could see almost everything! So we spent most of the night walking along the river talking and looking at all of the splendid french architecture. We could see the Hotel des Invalides from the Seine and it was crazy huge! Finally we ended the night off with an up close and personal view of the the Tour Eiffel. It was unbelievable! I had to pinch myself to make sure I was awake. The lights and the splendor of it all was breathtaking. I was so happy in that moment. I had finally made it!!! Not to the Tour Eiffel but to Paris. It didn't seem officially real until then. So a few small yet interesting facts: 1) The Tour Eiffel stays illuminated all night, 2) a search light spins around the top of the Tour for most of the night, and 3) at each hour, the Tour Eiffel sparkles with white lights that flash all along the Tour (Alvaro says its very kitsch). So after taking many photos and gazing endlessly into the proverbial eyes of Paris, we went back to Alvaro's room. The dorm he's staying in is pretty cool. They don't have the best communal bathrooms and it use to be an abbey and later a nut house or an infirmary so it was kind of creepy, but they have a decent kitchen and the place is filled with students from all over. I was the only American in the whole building, and I met people from Moldavia , Algeria, Spain, England, Germany, Italy, etc. They were all very nice, and they all wanted to practice their English with me. It was like heaven to me because I love being surrounded by people from different cultures. You can learn so much from them! We went to bed pretty late Friday night. Alvaro gave me his bed and he slept in a friends room. He was so hospitable, it made my experience even better!

On Saturday, we woke up at 10 AM, showered, and had breakfast (tea and french biscuits with Emmenthal and Breton cookies). We both didn't sleep very well, but we decided to make the most of the day. We started off by heading to Montmare. For those of you who are Paris challenged, Montmare is the area where all the artists and bohemians work/live. For those who appreciate good French film, Montmare is the arrondissement where most of Amelie takes place. Our first stop was Le Sacre Cœur - a grand and very famous church on a hill. It was incredible! There were many stairs to climb but it was well worth it! The view from the top was...WOW! It was a great view of Paris and we could see almost everything. For Amelie fans, Sacre Cœur is the place where Amelie left all those arrows for Nino Quincampoix which led to the top where he watched her leave his photo album in his motorcycle. If you don't know what I'm talking about, as soon as you finish reading my blog go straight to the video store or straight to your netflix (netflix is the best) and rent Amelie. It is a must-see before you die! No, a must see before tomorrow!!!. Anyway we entered the church and looked at all the beautiful stained glass windows and saintly sculptures. We saw many French nuns in action! Alvaro, who has a crazy obsession with Whoppie Goldberg, said it reminded him of The Sister Act. Believe me when I say that the French nuns look nothing like Whoppie! After Le Sacre Cœur, we went to the square where all the artists work. It was amazing! There were many painters displaying there work on easels and working on new canvases. I had never seen painters in action before. It was really interesting. We walked all through the squares as artists offered to sketch my picture and others tried to sell me their landscapes. I wish I had the money to buy something. It was a really special experience. We saw street performers down the road singing great french music and trying to sell cds. As Alvaro continued our exploration of Montmare, we sang french songs as well- mainly by Edith Piaf. (In fact we sang everywhere we went the entire weekend!)We also saw the Lapin Agile, the bar/cafe where Picasso and other well known artists frequented. For the théâtre aficionados reading, you might recognize that this is the same Lapin Agile from Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile"- a great play that my readers should check out after they've watched Amelie. Speaking of which, Alvaro took me by the bar from the film! Unfortunately it was under construction at the time, but we peeked in anyway and it looks exactly like it does in the movie! Well, at least the parts that were still on the wall and the bar look the same. The rest of the place was vacant. Finally, we made it to the place I had been waiting to see for some time: The Moulin Rouge!! I'm in love with the film, so I was excited to see that it really exists even if it is nothing like the movie, but there really is a windmill on top! And the women actually do the can-can and get naked! I only read the information about the history of the place and viewed the pictures in the lobby. Tickets are around 127 euro or more. We walked along the main road and saw an assortment of seedy shops and theatres. I won't go into too many details about what I saw in case the young are reading, but if you really want to know ask and I will give you the deets because it was crazy! (5 clues: humongous video collection, toys not made for children, booths not made for telephones, "massages" and debauchery- ok so they are pretty big clues). Anyway Montmarte isn't what you'd call the chapel district if you catch my drift. So, after Montmarte, we headed to the Opera Garnier aka the opera house where The Phantom made his home. Yes, I saw box 5. Yes, I saw the Chandelier. Yes, I'm listening to Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera non-stop now. The Opera Garnier is unbelievable! The beauty of all the decor was wonderful! How amazing would it be to perform in such a theatre! All of the seats and walls were red and all of the boxes were magnificent. There was a long hall filled with windows and mirrors on the second floor, and you could go out onto the balcony and see the district of the bourgeoise. I can't even begin to imagine how expensive it must be to live there. Anyway the opera house was beautiful, but I was surprised by how small the infamous chandelier was. I guess I was expecting something epic beyond belief, but when I first saw it I was like "That's it?" The one in the movie seemed enormous! Alvaro explained to me that it probably looked so small because the theatre was dark. They were in the middle of working on stage construction or rehearsing something. Our next stop was the Place Vendôme where Princess Diana breathed her last breath. It was so pristine and lavish! All of the buildings were very posh, and it looked like the perfect place to house a royal on holiday. There were many famous perfumeries and shops along the way. We went back to the dorm for a nap to catch up on the sleep we missed the night before and then headed out very quickly to see if we could get 10 euro tickets to see Le Roi Lion (The Lion King). Unfortunately they only do the cheap tickets on weekdays, so we checked out some more sights. First, we went to the Galerie Lafayette which I have to say is the most intense department store I've ever seen! The architecture was so extravagant and I didn't even bother to check out the prices for things. We just walked straight through and kept our poor college student eyes away from things we couldn't even afford to look at. We promenaded around Paris and I got excited at every Gap (my favorite clothing store) I saw. We saw La Madeleine (a big church) and headed towards the one... the only...Champs-Élysées!!!!!! It was so INTENSE! There had to be 8 different movie theaters, loads of stores, cafes, and off shoot mini malls! The street was illuminated with many glowing signs luring people in like weak little moths. I got so excited when I saw a Virgin Megastore- they got rid of the one in Chicago- so we went to check it out. There was a ridiculous amount of American cinema there. American cinema pretty much dominates France. After strolling down the entire 1.25 miles of the Champs-Élysées we headed back home for dinner. Alvaro made me a good meal and we talked with many of his friends. This guy from Manchester, England actually studied in Nantes last September. We are going to meet up at the end of April when he comes back to visit his host family! That night I watched Ladies in Lavander on Alvaro's computer and had a good night's rest.

On Sunday, we spent a wonderful, no, incomparable morning at the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was the most beautiful garden I've ever seen, not to mention the biggest. There was this awesome playground that rivals all others with the coolest things to play on! I totally wanted to join the hundreds of kids playing with there parents. Seriously every parent brought there kids out to play and spend time together in the park. It was totally adorable. Now I know why France has everything closed on the weekends. I saw something there that I don't often see in America: beautiful families devoting 100% of their time together, enjoying each others company and in no rush to go any where else. They were totally free and easy and happy. Happiness filled the air and I absorbed it like a starving woman. There was a grand fountain in front of the Palais du Luxembourg where children pushed big model boats around with long sticks with the help of their parents. It had to be the cutest thing ever. Alvaro and I spent around 30 minutes just watching the children play with the boats, with their parents, and with each other. It was innocence and pure bliss. Others were spread out on the grass and on benches reading or just spending time with each other. It was like something out of a Manet painting. It was magnificent day with the sun shining and the weather too perfect to be considered a part of March. We visited L'Eglise Saint-Severin and the Sorbonne before heading through the Latin Quarter which was quite the cultural experience. There were stores playing latin music, so Alvaro and I danced in the street! He took me to this really cool English book store called Shakespeare and Company. It was amazing, like one of those odd bookshops you read about in fiction that are awkwardly overflowing with books but it works perfectly. You can just sit in the book shop and read or do homework or play the piano! The owners sleep in the shop, and you can chill on there beds during the day, and there's a little reading desk hidden on the second floor which could almost be called a crawl space if it were a bit smaller. Just imagine books stacked everywhere in organized chaos! Surprisingly it wasn't very difficult to find specific books. I never wanted to leave, but of course I had to. Next we went to Notre Dame- which is quite the church, let me tell ya. We arrived just as the bells tolled 2:00- Thanks Quasimodo! Notre Dame is immense and covered with gargoyles just like in the Disney movie. The inside is monstrously huge and full of tourists (there is also a gift shop-eck!) The stained glass was beautiful and the architecture was very impressive for having been made ages ago- construction began in 1163 AD. I spent a lot of time walking around and regarding this massive piece of French history. After leaving Notre Dame, we walked through a flower market filled with many different colors and different kinds of plants. The air smelled sinfully good, I almost wanted to taste the flowers. There were also many colorful birds and bunnies for sale. They were so cute! We grabbed a galette for lunch and checked out L'eglise de St. Eustache and the Bourse du Commerce. Alvaro went back to the dorm to study for an exam (he doesn't have class either because of the greve, so he has to learn everything on his own) while I headed to Pere Lachaise Cemetery- from Paris, Je t'aime for French film lovers ( the scene with Rufus Sewell and Emily Mortimer) . It was the most immense and elaborate cemetery I've ever seen- but then again I haven't seen too many thankfully. The graves weren't of your garden variety tombstones. They had hardcore statues and columns and sculptures and small rooms or towers. All of the graves were practically on top of each other. The dead were crowding in, but so were the living. There were many tourists promenading down the many cobblestone paths and resting on tombs or benches or in the grass in the few free spaces that could be found. You're probably wondering why I would visit this cemetery. Well, there are many, many famous people buried there whose graves I wanted to see. For example: Moliere, Jim Morrison, Balzac, Proust, Chopin, Gericault, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Sarah Bernhardt, Salvador to name a few. It was amazing! Its hard for me to put into words how I felt and what exactly I saw, but it was incredible. The sun shined, the crows cawed, and I explored the graves of the known and the unknown. The cemetery is over flowing with more than a million bodies buried there, and the government digs up any grave unvisited in 10 years and moves the remains to another cemetery- how sad is that! Its quite the contest to get your body laid to rest there, and the dead have to compete for importance in order to keep there place. Some of the tombstones I saw were covered in moss and totally illegible. Its sad to think that those few will be replaced because they aren't "important" enough. I gave a few of the neglected graves a good long look in the hopes that maybe they could remain another good 10 years where they belong. So there are 44 hectares in this cemetery, and I didn't have the chance to see everything- but its a good excuse to return. If anything, it really is peaceful not to mention a good place to write. After nearly being chased out of the cemetery at closing time (I sneaked around to see a few important graves before I left- who knew monstrous tombstones would make excellent hiding places), I scrambled over to the Centre George Pompidou which is a modern art museum that offers a great view of the city. You have to pay to get in, so I just looked around the free areas and watched a bit of a comedic show happening in the square by the entrance. Finally, I checked out the Hotel de Ville which is basically a huge, extravagant building. Then I returned to the dorm- navigating the metro all by my self- and Alvaro and I wrote postcards to our other 3 free friends in Spain about our weekend. It was so sweet and I love Alvaro for thinking of it. Afterward, we said our sad farewells at the train station and promised to see each other soon. My parting was like something out of a black and white Hollywood film (Casablanca comes to mind). It all happened so quickly in yet I saw so much. I can't believe how much I walked. If you look on a map and see all of the ground I covered based on all the sites I visited you wouldn't believe it! I had a blast, and I'm truly lucky. I got to catch up with a friend I haven't seen in years, I got to explore a beautiful city that I've always dreamed of visiting, and I also fell in love... with Paris. There's nothing in the world that can match it, I'm sure of it it. Paris, Je t'aime. Nous serons ensemble très bientôt.

Bisous(kisses) my readers and Happy Saint Patrick's day!

Update:
March 10th I met my host family's grand parents on my host mom's side. They were so cute and really nice. We all at shrimp and had a good chat. The boys all shared their stories about pranks students have pulled on teachers at school, and my faux mom talked about how she didn't like one of the teachers because of a bad encounter. It was pretty funny hearing them joke around about stuff like that. The shrimps we ate were massive and they had their whole bodies intact. It was intense, but luckily I like shrimp. Thibaud likes to eat their brains- Yuck!!!!!!

More Major Differences I've discovered!

More delightful differences noticed between the states and France brought to you by me!

1. The French can bring their dogs anywhere! Restaurants, stores, etc
2. It is expensive to recycle so most people don't do it.
3. Parents get money from the government for each child that they have, even more money if they have 4 or more. Apparently, they had a population problem for a while so now you're paid to have kids here!
4. Everyone drives stick here! Everyone!
5. They pay a lot of attention to American news and politics. Obama is always in the newspapers in France whereas you don't often hear about Sarkozy in the States.
6. They don't have sleep overs here. They think it is bizarre that Americans stay over night and sometimes in the same bed as their friends.
7. They listen to records more than cds because records are way cheaper. My host brother received record albums of The Police, ACDC and Indochine for his birthday.
8. Plain Yogurt (with sugar) or any other kind of yogurt is for dessert, not breakfast.
9. Universities sell alcohol at their cafes and such because the drinking age for beer is 16.
10. High schools don't have swimming pools or swim teams nor are there places like the YMCA.
11. Most of the films people watch and the music people listen to are American or at least in English wheras in the states you'll be hard pressed to find a french film in cinemas or a french song on the radio. The funny thing is though that French kids rarely know what the lyrics in english mean. One of my students in my teaching internship asked me what rape meant, and when I told him he freaked out about the fact that he sings "Rape Me" by Kurt Cobain all the time everywhere! It was pretty funny.
12. Butter, milk, jam, and cheese stay in a cubboard rather than in the fridge.
13. PDA is so popular here! People make out wherever, whenever: on the bus, in the street, right outside their front door, in the park, in the grocery store, on the tram...
14. France is not as strict about having a green card to live here. I mean they have their problems with immigrants just like Americans do, but if I wanted to chill here for a few years or an indefinite peroid of time it'd be no big deal.
15. Everyone and their mother smokes! Not even kidding! Kids start smoking before they hit puberty! Outside the school I walk out, the sidewalk is littered with cigarette butts, and the kids go out to smoke at every 5 minute break they have. Its insane! Luckily most of the host families of IES do not smoke but they are the minority. I have a few French friends who are 16 and 17 who are smokers and it shocks me every time they smoke up especially with their parents!!

Well I hope this has been an educational post for you all. Let me know if you have any questions about things I have or have yet to mention!

Have you ever driven a feesh!

So this week wasn't the most eventful, but it was fun nonetheless. On Monday, my friend Kelsey and I made dinner for my host family. The menu included: Meatless Chili, Cornbread, Hay Stacks, and Snickerdoodle cookies with ice cream. I couldn't find cream of tartar or shortening anywhere so we used substitutes that we learned about online. The cornbread was an epic fail- initially- and we decided to spare my family the shock. The rest of the food was great! The snickerdoodles didn't look the way they do at home because we used way to much butter to replace the shortening, but my family loved them! My host mom especially ate all the cookies she could get her hands on :) The meal was a success, everyone was happy and full, and my mom said it was so nice to come home and eat dinner without having to cook. Maybe I'll give it a try again sometime soon.

Tuesday I did my teaching internship and I got a new group of younger boys who were all 16. They were adorable! We did fill in the blanks to the lyrics with the song Don't Speak by No Doubt, and they loved it. Our second time listening to it, they were all singing along! It was great. We also played charades in English which was hilarious!!! My second group was the older boys that I've had for 2 weeks now. We did the same thing plus one other song: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. They all were already very familiar with the song but it was funny hearing them sing the words they hadn't known before! Being an English teacher in France is so fun!! At conversation club, we played Catchphrase which made me ultra happy!

Wednesday for my teaching internship class, we went to a school to observe some classes. I choose music and French class. The music class was ridiculous! The kids were playing the recorder and they had a "test" that day on their ability to play. The teacher had small groups play one at a time, so I heard the same song 50 times in 1 hour! It was painful, but watching the kids battle with their recorders as swords was pretty entertaining. Children really have no respect for their teachers in France. They talk the entire class and ignore her and she doesn't really try to demand respect either. In the French class, they were watching a movie called the Beauty of the Devil which is basically Faust. It was pretty interesting. The school was intensely huge and spread out. We had to go outside to get to certain class rooms.

Thursday is when all the real fun happened. A few girls and I went to the Tonus which is a student hosted dance party at a dance club that happens every Thursday night at 11 PM. This Thursday it was at this club called CooKoo. Each week has a different theme, and this week it was masquerade. Tickets in advance cost 9 euro which includes free coat and purse check and 2 drinks. The venue had two floors with a balcony on the top overlooking the first floor, and their were pillars you could dance on and comfy couches tucked away in corners and along the walls. The bouncer gave us each a mask, but they were cheapish so we didn't use them. Other people brought their own though. The music was techno for about 2 hours and I thought I was gonna die! We kept on screaming "Britany Spears!" The club got ultra crowded and the 6 of us were packed in tight while dancing. We stayed close because many guys kept on trying to pull us away from each other to dance with them but we weren't interested. One time while walking to the balcony, we were all holding hands an pulling each other along when this guy just put his arm around me and pulled me away from the girls. He didn't even say anything, he just held me and kept talking to his friends. It was bizarre, but my friend Megan saved me! That happened a few times throughout the course of the evening but I was not deterred. Finally, at 1:30 AM, the normal dance music came on. All the music they played was in English which surprised me! They played songs by Lady Gaga, Danity Kane, Britany Spears, the Spice Girls.... and then their were random songs like Summer Nights from Grease and a techno version of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie theme song. I had a blast! I really needed to go out and dance! Even though I had a 45 minute walk home and I didn't get back til 4:30 AM, it was worth it!

Friday I had to wake up early after 4 hours of sleep to go to grammar class, but I survived and we didn't really do much in class. I had done my homework way in advance because I knew I was going to go to the Tonus. My university class was once again canceled for the 5th week in a row so I went to the Machines De L'ile with a group from IES. It was incredible!! There is this humongous mechanical walking elephant that you can ride around the island and a gallery with many other mechanical animals. We only had tickets to the gallery, but it was so cool. There was a crab, a squid, one of those blind fish with the big light hanging in front of it (think the scary fish in Finding Nemo), a shrimp, a sting ray, and many more! It was incredible!! The tour guide choose people of different ages to ride each different animal. Multiple people on each animal have a speccific device they move whether its bike pedals with their feet or knobs or pulleys which make the animals blink, turn, rock, blow steam or water etc. The title of this blog is a direct quote from the tour guide who asked one of the girls form IES "Have you ever driven a fish" before commencing with the ride. But when he said "fish", it sounded like "feesh" which made it even funnier! There was also a boat with a simulated storm. Me and this guy Justin from IES got chosen to ride the boat and it was hilarious! We wore yellow sailing slickers and I had to control the utter as we tipped and rocked and water splashed on me and the wind blew! It felt real! Apparently there is this big plan to turn the island into this huge metal/plant tree with "branches" people can stand on to see all of Nantes "Herons" that people can ride. All of the mechanical animals we saw are going to be put in this 3 leved carousel that people can ride. Its going to be amazing! It won't be complete until 2011. I definitely want to come back to see it! We watched a video showing us how the animals were made and how the tree is being made, and then we got to walk on the branches that have already been complete. It is going to be awesome when its done! Next time I want to ride the elephant!

Saturday I saw the worst French film I've ever seen! Its called Le Premier Cercle and we thought it would be good because it has Gaspar Ulliel in it, but no! Mathilde, the French girl who organizes conversation club, told me he has never been the same since he came to the states to play Hannibal in Hannibal Rising. It was a horrible action flick with annoying music and a predictable plot. On our way back from the movies, this European man on the Tram -he's an immigrant from I dunno where- he called Megan and I FBI. We were like "No we are just students." Then he explained that in France FBI means fabulous, beautiful and intelligent! It was hilarious. We spilled out of the tram cracking up with Mathilde! That night, though, was very important because..... I HAD MY VERY FIRST HAMBURGER!!!! IN FRANCE!!!! Isn't that ironic? My friends were so shocked by the fact that I'd never had one, that they insisted on going to The Burger House- which is actually run by a guy from Seattle- and making me try one. I had a Bacon Cheese Burger which was actually pretty good! I dunno if I'll become a frequent hamburger eater, but at least I've covered the "milestone" haha. We shall see what waits in store for the future!!

Update:
I forgot to mention this but I wanted to add it so that at least I would remember it. So the day we went to the Machines De L'île, we all walked there from IES and saw a tram stopped on the tracks. As we walked closer and closer, to our horror, we saw a cluster of people surrounded by a man on the tracks in front of the tram. Apparently he had been hit!! We were so freaked out. It was such a nice day and we were all so excited about seeing the elephant, and then we see a potentially dead or soon to be dead man on the tracks! Not only was it a buzz kill, but it was pretty traumatic. That was one thing I didn't expect to see. Anyway, its not the best of news, but I wanted to include that in my blog because its important.