That next week I ended up being really really sick. I literally thought I was going to die but I only missed one day of school. I didn't want to go to the dr cause I figured it would just pass and the dr I saw from my check up spoke no English. And for me to speak french it takes alot of concentration but when I was sick all I wanted to do was lay in my bed.
Well, I had to get myself up and going on Friday March 12...why, cause I was meeting my mom and Betsy the following morning! I spent that night in a hostel in Paris. It was ok but my cough kept me, and prob my roommates, up most of the night. Finding my mom and betsy the next day ended up being a challenge but we finally found each other! From the airport we headed to the train station to London. We grabed lunch at a cafe and missed our train...may have been my fault. Anyway we caught the next one an hour later. The trip seemed to go by fast given all of us slept the entire way. We got to London and went straight to the hotel. Betsy and mom were less then impressed by european sized rooms ;) but it was ok, the room itself was clean. We went out for dinner and wondering though the main parts of London.
The following day was Sunday march 14. We took a bus tour thoughout the city. It was very interesting and I enjoyed it alot except I was still very sick. By this point cindy was very upset that I had not gone to the dr and now we had to wait till we were back in france. While we were in London we saw everything we could. Big Ben, the changing of the guard, the london eye, and so many more things. Out of everything we did, the changing of the guard had to be the most random. While they were changing a royal band was playing. They broke out into Copacabana and an Abba montague. Yep, I'm sticking with Betsy's theory: the changing is so boaring that they had to figure out how to keep the crowd entertained.
On monday afternoonish we headed back to Paris. Honestly, I have no idea what we did that night...But tuesday morning we went to the dr. He was not very happy with me for waiting so long to come in. He gave me prescriptions for 4 medicines and sent me to get an x-ray of my lungs. We didn't want to be late for the free walking tour, so we went on that for a few hours. Betsy continued the tour and cindy and I went and got my x-ray. Turns out, i have/had pneumonia. I have to go back to a dr in caen and have another one to make sure it has cleared up after two weeks! But good news is I figured out my insurance so it didn't cost us anything! That evening we got on the train at Saint-Lazzar and headed to Caen.
Our hotel was AMAZING there. Right down town and clean and huge rooms and beds. It was crazy nice compared to what I am used to. Anyway, I showed betsy and mom around the town and how to use the tram system and I went to class the next few days while they wondered about town. On thursday they went to the d-day beaches. For st. Patricks day we all went out to O'Donnell's. It ended up being alot of fun. We met a young couple there. The girl was from France and they boy Germany. Both spoke very good english. We are all now fb friends and the girl has offered to go out for a beer or coffee with me. Hopefully I'll be able to get more French practice in and her more english.
Friday, I skipped my afternoon class so we could get to paris earlier. We walked the champs elysee and went in the arc de triomphe. It was fun but the weather was not cooperating. Saturday we ran around like crazy. We went to the Louvre, and a church Sacred Heart on the hill-amazing view of paris, and to the eiffle tower. It was a good way to spend a birthday even if I did get a little crabby cause i needed food. We ended up eating a great meal at this little pub/cafe somewhere in Paris. We headed home for the night and got ready to say goodbye's. Overall it was AMAZING but cindy was getting sick and I feel bad that she has to make the long flight home while she doesn't feel well.
Sunday at 5am betsy and cindy got up and ready to go. We said our goodbye's which were sad but I do think the next two months are going to fly by. I ended up sleeping in till ten then I got up and caught my train to Caen. Laura and I headed to Mc Donald's and got some dinner. I looked up classes for the next semester at UND and I have no idea what to do...there are so many I am interested in and want to take. This next week will be full. Figuring out all my classes for fall, double checking all my french paperwork/visa stuff, and planing for spring break!!!
Well, I think that covers everything of the last month. I will do my best to write everyday, but my internet tends to have its moments...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
continued...
Ok, well that last post summed up my school work. Now for the adventures of the last month...
On Saturday March 6 Kelli, Laura, and I decided to take a day trip to the D-day beaches. We were going to go the weekend before but the weather was suppose to be bad and we were all exhaused from classes. So, we hopped on the train to the local town of Bayeux. From there we took a bus to the 'beaches'. Well, it was up to us to stop the bus at our stop. Given none of us had been there we had to guess. Yep, we were very very off. We got off the bus and wondered around for a good two hours. It was ok except we went though the woods at one point, extremely muddy, oh and we couldn't find a bathroom...But after wondering in the cold and up and down the hills we finally found a momument. It was in honor of WWII so from there we were able to find Omaha Beach and the cemetery. The memorial was amazing. It was such an unexplainable experience to see it all in person. And, for me being 19...I can't imagine how scared/brave the military men and women had to have been. Most were my age if not even younger. The sacrafice they gave for a country/continent that most knew nothing about. It was something everyone must do at least once in there life. The building was filled with stories of soliders who lived and who died. There were a few films that they showed where they interviewed survivors. But by far the best/most memorable part had to be the cemetery. I didn't realize but there are crosses along with stars of david. It was so amazing to see the rocks loved ones had placed on the stars of david in honor of their loved ones. I still can't believe how big the entire area was. Just when you thought you had seen all of the graves, there was another hill with rows and rows more. It was a GREAT experience, and I'm very thankful I got the opportuninty to see it.
On a much lighter note, that day was fun and exhausting. It was exciting when we got to the museum because it's on american soil. Do you know what that means.....YES! Toilet seats and waterfountains. Which both are in short supply in alot of France.
Anyway, that day was alot of fun and yet very moving. By the end it had been a very long day away from home. Laura and I were both getting sick and we spent alot of time outside in the cold. Then on the way home we got on the wrong track and was going the wrong way. We had to switch trains and backtrack. Let's just say when we all made it home at 9pm, we went to bed.
On Saturday March 6 Kelli, Laura, and I decided to take a day trip to the D-day beaches. We were going to go the weekend before but the weather was suppose to be bad and we were all exhaused from classes. So, we hopped on the train to the local town of Bayeux. From there we took a bus to the 'beaches'. Well, it was up to us to stop the bus at our stop. Given none of us had been there we had to guess. Yep, we were very very off. We got off the bus and wondered around for a good two hours. It was ok except we went though the woods at one point, extremely muddy, oh and we couldn't find a bathroom...But after wondering in the cold and up and down the hills we finally found a momument. It was in honor of WWII so from there we were able to find Omaha Beach and the cemetery. The memorial was amazing. It was such an unexplainable experience to see it all in person. And, for me being 19...I can't imagine how scared/brave the military men and women had to have been. Most were my age if not even younger. The sacrafice they gave for a country/continent that most knew nothing about. It was something everyone must do at least once in there life. The building was filled with stories of soliders who lived and who died. There were a few films that they showed where they interviewed survivors. But by far the best/most memorable part had to be the cemetery. I didn't realize but there are crosses along with stars of david. It was so amazing to see the rocks loved ones had placed on the stars of david in honor of their loved ones. I still can't believe how big the entire area was. Just when you thought you had seen all of the graves, there was another hill with rows and rows more. It was a GREAT experience, and I'm very thankful I got the opportuninty to see it.
On a much lighter note, that day was fun and exhausting. It was exciting when we got to the museum because it's on american soil. Do you know what that means.....YES! Toilet seats and waterfountains. Which both are in short supply in alot of France.
Anyway, that day was alot of fun and yet very moving. By the end it had been a very long day away from home. Laura and I were both getting sick and we spent alot of time outside in the cold. Then on the way home we got on the wrong track and was going the wrong way. We had to switch trains and backtrack. Let's just say when we all made it home at 9pm, we went to bed.
Feb 18- March 21 Days 27-58
So, It's been a very long time since my last blog. I wish I had a good reason but for the most part it is a combination of my lack of effort, being sick and just living life in France. I can't remember all the details of the past month or so but alot has happened! I will give the main details for anyone who is wondering what I am doing with my time here.
I do not remember what day it was but one Sunday in Feb Kelsey, Laura, David and I played an epic game of laser tag. There is a place to play not too far from O'Donnell's so hopefully we will get to play again. It was just part of that perfect sunday. I got to sleep in and watch a movie. When I did finally get up it was to go play lazer tag. I was really bad and took last and second to last out of the two rounds we played. Apparently my screaming when I get scared gives away my location...who knew? Anyway we did take a pause after 20 mins and David bought us all a beer. Then we headed back and played some more. I still failed but I got a good workout in. After David headed to work and the girls and I went to get dinner. We ended up getting a Kebeab and fries! What more could a girl ask for? It was delicious of course. And that's the story of one of the best SUNDAY's of my life.
Sadly I don't remember much about the weeks in the end of Feb and beginning of March. I did get settled into a nice routine though. It was alot of school and just wondering though the local shops with the girls. Honeslty, I loved all of it. Classes started to get even more fun. My spoken french has also improved alot. Yi, the girl from China in my class, and I speak almost entirely in French now. There has been the few occassions where we have to give in and switch to english though. Oh and she also showed me how to write my name in Chineese...it's really complicated. Well, by this point I have a good feel for all my classes. My writing class is awesome. I learn alot about grammer and am getting much more comfortable using. Before I knew most of the rules but I wasn't able to apply them very well. So...I feel like this class is helping my French comprehension ALOT. My spoken class is also going well. Natalie is my prof for that class and maybe one of my favorite teachers. She's very bubbly and it's just fun to go to her class. She makes us speak all the time and is always correcting our pronunciation. Thanks to this class I can actually communicate with sales people and cab driver and I don't even have to go to the English speaking teller at the train station anymore!! Other than those two classes I have 3 hrs a week with our workshop teacher. She is a very nice older lady but I feel like not a whole lot gets accomplished in her class. We get small little assignments that should take 10 mins and yet they last the whole class. But, she's a sweatheart so no real complaints. As for phonetics...still don't know the prof's name. She's nice but we only have her class two hrs a week and there is not a whole lot of interaction with her. She says stuff into the headphone thing and we repeate. Nothing too exciting but it is good when I get to listen to the recording of myself so I can hear how it sounds when I say stuff. Also, it has helped me with more challenging french words.
I do not remember what day it was but one Sunday in Feb Kelsey, Laura, David and I played an epic game of laser tag. There is a place to play not too far from O'Donnell's so hopefully we will get to play again. It was just part of that perfect sunday. I got to sleep in and watch a movie. When I did finally get up it was to go play lazer tag. I was really bad and took last and second to last out of the two rounds we played. Apparently my screaming when I get scared gives away my location...who knew? Anyway we did take a pause after 20 mins and David bought us all a beer. Then we headed back and played some more. I still failed but I got a good workout in. After David headed to work and the girls and I went to get dinner. We ended up getting a Kebeab and fries! What more could a girl ask for? It was delicious of course. And that's the story of one of the best SUNDAY's of my life.
Sadly I don't remember much about the weeks in the end of Feb and beginning of March. I did get settled into a nice routine though. It was alot of school and just wondering though the local shops with the girls. Honeslty, I loved all of it. Classes started to get even more fun. My spoken french has also improved alot. Yi, the girl from China in my class, and I speak almost entirely in French now. There has been the few occassions where we have to give in and switch to english though. Oh and she also showed me how to write my name in Chineese...it's really complicated. Well, by this point I have a good feel for all my classes. My writing class is awesome. I learn alot about grammer and am getting much more comfortable using. Before I knew most of the rules but I wasn't able to apply them very well. So...I feel like this class is helping my French comprehension ALOT. My spoken class is also going well. Natalie is my prof for that class and maybe one of my favorite teachers. She's very bubbly and it's just fun to go to her class. She makes us speak all the time and is always correcting our pronunciation. Thanks to this class I can actually communicate with sales people and cab driver and I don't even have to go to the English speaking teller at the train station anymore!! Other than those two classes I have 3 hrs a week with our workshop teacher. She is a very nice older lady but I feel like not a whole lot gets accomplished in her class. We get small little assignments that should take 10 mins and yet they last the whole class. But, she's a sweatheart so no real complaints. As for phonetics...still don't know the prof's name. She's nice but we only have her class two hrs a week and there is not a whole lot of interaction with her. She says stuff into the headphone thing and we repeate. Nothing too exciting but it is good when I get to listen to the recording of myself so I can hear how it sounds when I say stuff. Also, it has helped me with more challenging french words.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 26-Wednesday February 17
Finally, I have gotten caught up on my blog!
Today, more school and cooking with Laura. Tonight we made burgers, broccoli, and potatoes. It was amazing!
Nothing major happend today other then I feel asleep in class. I didn't even wake up when the teacher called on me! oops...but tonight I'm going to bed early so fingers crossed it doesn't happen again :D
Today, more school and cooking with Laura. Tonight we made burgers, broccoli, and potatoes. It was amazing!
Nothing major happend today other then I feel asleep in class. I didn't even wake up when the teacher called on me! oops...but tonight I'm going to bed early so fingers crossed it doesn't happen again :D
Day 25-Tuesday February 16
Hm...Tuesday. I LOVE TUESDAYS! I have class from 1400-1600. That's it! So, I layed in bed till noon cause it seemed like the right thing to do :D
After getting my self out of bed I took a quick shower and headed to class. After class Laura and I ran to the post so she could send off some post cards. As we were waiting at the tram stop I somehow managed to roll my ankle over a crack in the sidewalk...resulting in me falling down. Not just tripping, I was legit on my hands and knees! To say the least a few ppl were giving me funny looks so I made Laura walk with me to the next stop so I didn't have wait with all the people who just saw me make a fool of myself.
Laura and I ended up making dinner that night that would have made our mothers proud. It wasn't as good as the rice, chicken and veggies the night before but it was close.
When we finished dinner we headed to centre ville (down town) to go to a Mardi Gras party for the american students. After trying to figure out the directions we gave up and went to O'Donnell's. We all got hot chocolates and apple frosts and enjoyed just hanging out. Laura and I left early cause I was really tired but it was a good night. It was entertaining to watch how into soccer everyone is here (there was a game on the tv).
After getting my self out of bed I took a quick shower and headed to class. After class Laura and I ran to the post so she could send off some post cards. As we were waiting at the tram stop I somehow managed to roll my ankle over a crack in the sidewalk...resulting in me falling down. Not just tripping, I was legit on my hands and knees! To say the least a few ppl were giving me funny looks so I made Laura walk with me to the next stop so I didn't have wait with all the people who just saw me make a fool of myself.
Laura and I ended up making dinner that night that would have made our mothers proud. It wasn't as good as the rice, chicken and veggies the night before but it was close.
When we finished dinner we headed to centre ville (down town) to go to a Mardi Gras party for the american students. After trying to figure out the directions we gave up and went to O'Donnell's. We all got hot chocolates and apple frosts and enjoyed just hanging out. Laura and I left early cause I was really tired but it was a good night. It was entertaining to watch how into soccer everyone is here (there was a game on the tv).
Day 24-Monday February 15
Good news, starting to feel a little bit better! Went to class and had a good time. The stuff we are going over I already know and it's a little lame but I'm getting more comfortable speaking in French.
Since I wasn't able to go out at all this past weekend, I was going to meet Kelsey at the bar to hangout. Going to take the tram downtown and it made it all of 10ft before it suddenly stopped working. I ended up getting stuck in the tram for 20 minutes. That was fun! When I finally got out of the tram it would have been another 30 mins before the next one. So needless to say...I went home for the night.
Since I wasn't able to go out at all this past weekend, I was going to meet Kelsey at the bar to hangout. Going to take the tram downtown and it made it all of 10ft before it suddenly stopped working. I ended up getting stuck in the tram for 20 minutes. That was fun! When I finally got out of the tram it would have been another 30 mins before the next one. So needless to say...I went home for the night.
Day 23-Sunday February 14
Valentine's Day!!! Do you know what that means? -YES!!! today is the day they dearmed the bomb. Good news=no explosion...Bad news=I was still to sick to go to Saint Micheal
I felt really sick and just wanted to lay in bed all day but remember that thing I forgot about...yep that would be toilet paper. So I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the store. Suprise! Since the public transportation was down due to the bomb-releated activites, Carrfour was closed. I got Lucky though, the food court place was still open. That ment even though I wasn't out of tp yet, but feared it would happen, I bought an orange juice and fruit. Why? Cause then I could use the bathroom! I pulled a Bethie and stole alot of tp so I'd be set for at least a few days :D
The stealing of the toilet paper was the highlight of my day. Sounds lame I know. After I got home with my stolen goods I continued to lay in bed thinking I was going to die. And that was my crazy fun Sunday :S
I felt really sick and just wanted to lay in bed all day but remember that thing I forgot about...yep that would be toilet paper. So I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the store. Suprise! Since the public transportation was down due to the bomb-releated activites, Carrfour was closed. I got Lucky though, the food court place was still open. That ment even though I wasn't out of tp yet, but feared it would happen, I bought an orange juice and fruit. Why? Cause then I could use the bathroom! I pulled a Bethie and stole alot of tp so I'd be set for at least a few days :D
The stealing of the toilet paper was the highlight of my day. Sounds lame I know. After I got home with my stolen goods I continued to lay in bed thinking I was going to die. And that was my crazy fun Sunday :S
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