Final update (of the year!) before Paris

Alright this is the last time I get to access a computer for about a week (ok, maybe a little less, but I like being dramatic).

Anyways, Aimee and I have made quite a journey up and down France and the Swiss border over the past few days. While Geneva was interesting for a day trip -- note, fairly cold -- I'm really glad we ended up canceling our hotel for three days. We basically did and saw all there was to do in less than one day. I'm glad we went and now I can add Switzerland to the list of places I've seen in my life. If I get the chance to go back again, I'd love to see some other cities!

But because we've been staying at Dad's house with the family, we've been eating home-cooked dinners and making fun little road trips. For example, today we road-tripped out to Chamonix, France and saw Mont Blanc. It's a pretty cute little ski resort town on the borders of France, Switzerland and Italy. Thus, we ran across many English, French, German and Italian speakers. Same thing was true in Geneva, but mix in a bunch of Asian tourists as well. I keep forgetting that I'm not living in a small little city, I'm really right in the midst of an international destination. Sometimes I need to step back and remember that. This is my home for now!

Speaking of that, I've been in contact with one of my advisors here and she says I can basically leave mid-June to make my sister's graduation in Santa Barbara, even though my contract says I have to stay until June 30th. However, they'll look much higher on my request if I plan to be an assistant again for the 2008-2009 school year.

Now I'm giving that a LOT of thought. This trip this year was pretty much a seat-of-my-pants, last-minute decision. I've had my ups and downs, but I'm very glad I'm getting this opportunity and meeting the people I've been meeting.

Does that necessarily mean I want to do it again? One thing's for sure though, if I stick through a second year, I'm definitely requesting a seven-month contract. Supposedly the high school assistants have far fewer responsibilities than we do at the elementary school level. And their schedules, for the most part, seem much looser than mine does. Those are two very enticing prospects.

Now where would I be placed is the next big question. Because it's officially recognized as a department of the French government, the idea of working in the French Caribbean sounds mighty tempting.

But how much longer do I really want to put off my real life? I'm pretty sure that once I start making a REAL salary, I'm going to be in debt up to my ears to my parents, since they're bailing me out when my salary runs low. In my defense though, I am paying for my rent/utilities and half of my food bills for the first time in my life. Without their help. Then again, assistants in the French Caribbean ARE paid over 1,000 Euros a month after taxes, while we in the actual country are only paid 780...

But what am I going to do when I get back in June?!?! I don't have a job lined up.... nor do I have any idea what it's going to be when I finally do start searching...

Any ideas? Should I put my life off for seven more months and experience another exciting part of the world...?

Whatever, PARIS HERE WE COME! See you next year :)

Joyeuses Fetes!

Lots of traveling going on. And even more picture-taking. But I think even more eating has gone down.

If you're up for the challenge, go to my Picasa Web site to see the five or so new albums I just posted (all beginning with the Christmas ones). There's a lot, so pace yourself.

For the next two days, Aimee and I are off to Switzerland, then we go to Paris for New Year's Eve!!! Can't wait :-)

Oh what fun it is to ride....

Nope, not a one-horse open sleigh. The train. To Cannes.

Aujourd'hui Aimee and I hopped on our last regional train in the PACA region of Southern France. We took it two whole cities to the West where Cannes and all its glory awaited.

Even though yesterday and today were the ugliest weather days here -- my lame over-used joke was, "What is this, the first day of winter or something?" -- I think they were two of the most eventful. I was a little apprehensive about taking the 12:24 p.m. train to Cannes because that meant we'd arrive in the middle of the day. Meaning everything is closed for lunch. However, since it is almost Christmas, every store will be open all day long throughout the weekend, even on Sundays shocking I know, so Frenchies can get in their last-minute shopping. Either way, we were happy campers because we had plenty to do during the lunch hour.

One of the best finds today was the Marche de Noel in Cannes. It was probably the largest I've seen thus far, and we were super close to actually seeing a living creche, or nativity scene. We got inside the building and beheld the French stable with real, live animals, when the booming God-like announcer got in one sentence in French. Something like, "Over 2,000 years ago, God promised to send down a son to forgive all of man's sins." And then the speakers went out. Let there be SILENCE! Technical difficulties exist even in French, who woulda thought??

But the best part of the young weekend happened last night. I finally used the last of my 180 euro gift certificate at Le Brulot in Antibes with Natalie, Kathy and Aimee. After that was done we went down the street a bit more to this Absinthe Bar near the downtown market area. Although I think absinthe tastes like butt and smells like sweaty old man -- super appetizing isn't it? -- the place was a riot! I think it's sort of mandatory to wear stupid 19th century fashionable hats while drinking to the green fairy, which sadly no longer exists. So we got to play the whole bohemian lifestyle thing for a few small hours. I can't really say much more, so take a look at my pictures :)

Limencello shots after dinner. This is what we got when I asked for the bill.
Posters along the walls of the Absinthe Bar.
Check out our AWESOME hats!
Sadly they no longer set fire to the glasses. Apparently water works just as well.
This was probably round 2 of 5 of Musical Hats.

And tomorrow we hit the train for two weeks of non-stop travel across two different countries! Happy Holidays to everyone back at home :) Check back in after New Year's when I'll post stories and pictures from our NYE 2008 adventures on the Champs Elysees!

ENFIN!

Yessssss :)

In a little over two hours, I only have to teach THREE classes (from hell) and then it's Christmas break! No more work until January 7th!!!

Then Aimee and I are off to Cannes, Toulon, Lyon, Paris, and Switzerland!

New Year's in Paris is going to be legit!

Changement d'avis

Remember before how I said I didn't think I was cut out to be a teacher, or it's probably not something I want to pursue once I get back to the United States?

Yeah, I've changed my mind.

Christmastime is a very hard time to NOT want to be a teacher. I only had two classes this morning from 8:30 to 10 a.m., but my teachers BOTH shared their boxes of chocolates with me and then the teachers entering school in the salle des maîtres brought holiday goodies to share with me. In both of my morning classes, teachers were bestowed HUGE Lindt boxes of chocolates. My mouth is still watering.

Then I had three afternoon classes. A pair of sisters brought each of their teachers ridiculously over-sized floral bouquets, while the male teachers also received boxes of chocolates and bottles of wine.

Way cooler than the lame #1 teacher pins you guys get in the U.S.

Oh yeah, one of my classes all chipped in money to buy me a package of Ferrero Rocher praline chocolates (see image above) and drew me a huge Joyeux Noël poster. Too cute :)

12 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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5 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

It's always nice in Nice.

Even in the early stages days of the winter months. See?

I only had to work half a day today, so that left plenty of time for Aimee and me to hop a train 30 minutes East over to Nice -- my former stomping grounds. I say that because that was the last place I studied abroad and I can navigate the city pretty well (shocking isn't it?).

Well we only planned on spending about a half a day in the city, but the beach was calling our names! Even though it was much too cold to even think about taking off our jackets, let alone plunging right in the crystal clear blue water, we did bring a picnic lunch to the lone sandy spot we could find on the otherwise pebbly beach and spent a good hour just taking everything in. Then we decided to walk off our excess hunger by climbing the hills to Castle Hill, where a beautiful waterfall caps off the skyline.

Then you know, we did the requisite shopping thing. Our excuse? It is Christmastime, after all. So we got to wander Vieux Nice as well as the crazy main part of the downtown area.

Around 5 p.m., we figured might as well stay for dinner since we've made it this long. But the ongoing joke in France is that no one will even think about opening their doors for you until it's after 8 p.m. in any restaurant. Upsetting really. Why do you French people eat so darn late?! So we continued on our wandering path, looking for a cafe or someplace to pass the time.

Finally at 7:15, we stumbled across a really cute little Indian restaurant where we ordered up Indian kir (sparkling white wine with rose and orange syrup), chicken tandoori, garlic naan bread, curry vegetables and potato rice. Oh man it was delicious. And that was probably my first real encounter with Indian food. I'm definitely going back another time! This is what the restaurant looked like from our table:

And here I am near 1 a.m. with absolutely nothing to do. My classes are almost done, it's almost vacation, and as usual, I have Wednesdays off :)

So until the next time, check out my photo album from the day's adventures!

14 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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ONE WEEK UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Beware of Dog.

So everyone knows that dogs in France are up on a higher pedestal than children most of the time. However, I find dogs here to be a little mangier than their American counterparts. While they're allowed access into restaurants, gyms, on the bus/train, hair salons and what have you, they're not as neatly-kept as most pets I've seen at home. But then again, I did live in Santa Barbara for awhile where people kept their little doggies in purses and painted their claws. Sick.

Last Friday when I was having lunch with my mom and sister in Juan-les-Pins, this big gnarly Burmese Mountain Dog was busy shoving its nose up a tree, investigating hours and hours of other dogs' piss. That's exactly what I want to see right before I stuff my face. He also was almost entirely white, except the tips of his fur were extremely gray and dirty, thanks to the lack of care he's given by his owner.

Long story short, said dog starts bolting after an older woman and her dainty little old dog. Instead of shrieking and freaking out, the woman pulls her dog close to her and looks directly in the Burmese Mountain Dog's eyes.

"It's nice to meet you. You don't scare me," she says and continues walking on her merry way.

It's almost like they think that dogs are equally rational beings here. Then again, I wouldn't be so apt to call many people that I've met here "rational." Oh well...

15 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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8 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Nous sommes trois!

Now there are three people living in my barely-made-for-two apartment. If you were at all worried, you needn't be because Aimee has settled in with me just fine.

My classes were canceled Thursday and Friday we hung out for the morning in Juan-les-Pins in the morning until I had to go to work. Guess what we found there: F. Scott Fitzgerald's house! Finally, I've been looking for that thing for three months. The weather was beautiful, hot even, and as soon as I got off work, we jumped a train North to Lyon where we'd eventually meet up with my dad.

Lyon is still one of my favorite cities in France. I had a blast for my short stay with Mary back in March 2006, and I had just as good a time (if not better) this year! My only complaint is that it was much too short. So instead of really giving you a play-by-play of the weekend I'll just post some fun family pictures. I'll call it the Moyals do France 2007.

Oh yeah, it was really cold. In that last picture, you might as well call us "Rudolph," or something.

So now I just have ONE MORE WEEK left to teach. Well, technically only half a week, because the second half I'm having CHRISTMAS lessons :) I have a half-day on Tuesday when Aimee and I plan on making a day of lunch and shopping in Nice and Wednesday free, which means some exciting day trip on the train somewhere. Then Sunday we head off to Forcalqueiret for Christmas with the rest of the family, after we'll hit up Geneva, Lyon again and PARIS for New Year's.

I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks. Hooray for frequent school breaks! (Did I mention that exactly a month after Christmas break, I get a winter break?!)

16 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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9 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Guess who's on a plane right now??

My mom and sister. They'll be here tomorrow, in less than 12 hours!!!

So in preparation for their arrival -- I figure they'll be pretty hungry when they finally get in -- I tried to make snickerdoodle cookies with whatever was in my cupboard. However, the French don't really have the same cookie ingredients as we do, so I kind of fudged the recipe. And I wanted to be more health-conscious (since I AM on a diet and all -- really? you'd never guess) so instead of loading them with butter, I put in some applesauce.

Anyways, they definitely didn't turn out like cookies should have. They look like cookies. But they have the consistency of a biscuit more than any cookies I've ever tasted. So they're like really hearty cookies I guess. Whatever, they're still good. I guess it just goes to show that you can't have healthy and (super) tasty at the same time. Oh and sorry Mom and Aimee, my roommate and I have probably already eaten six of them.... warm cookies fresh out of the oven are a shameful thing to waste. Especially when their scent's wafting through the apartment air...

But I figured I'd be able to make some goodies because I've lost about a kilo officially. Pas mal. I still feel a little soft around the edges and my clothes still feel sort of tight, but not as much as before. That's progress, right? But like I said before, my legs are starting to get muscles they've never had before and in certain light, they kind of look leaner than before. Yay! So I'll eat three cookies and gain it all back again, HA! I do have to say though, going to the gym for two hours a day on a daily basis does feel good. And I'm not laying around the house all day long either, which is good.

In other news, my phone came in the mail today! The post and parcel services here are really punctual. They arrive at 9:45 on the dot every single day. Luckily for me, I didn't have class today so I could answer the door when my package came -- yaay!

Also good news, I have a plane ticket back to the U.S.! I fly from Nice to San Francisco on Saturday, February 10th and will be home until noon on Wednesday February 20th when I fly back to Geneva. Then I'll spend a long weekend with my dad and slowly make my way back to Nice for my sixth month of teaching.

So all of my holiday breaks are planned out except for the April vacation.... Anyone want to come travel somewhere in Europe with me from April 5th to 21st?! (And help me celebrate my 23rd birthday on April 6th??!) :)

20 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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13 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Today, I got lucky.

Twice.

It seems as though there are going to be train strikes on Thursday -- the day my mom and sister get in to the Nice airport. So what does that mean? They'd probably have to either figure out the bus themselves (with all their luggage) or pay over 60 Euros for a taxi to Antibes.

But instead, my school is having an afternoon field trip for the CE2 classes to go the the movie theaters, while the CM1s are going to see The Golden Compass in the afternoon -- which, by the way, I totally pegged Nicole Kidman to play in when I read the book for my children's lit class three years ago. So, my afternoon classes are canceled! They offered to take me along and I really wanted to say yes (as well as the students, they really wanted me to say yes too) but then it occurred to me: I can go to Nice and meet my mom and sister at the airport!

Then we can all take the bus back and only spend about 8 Euros total. Plus, they'd have two more hands to help out with the luggage. Not a bad deal. AND I'm not working in the afternoon, so we get to hang out or I get to stay downtown while they sleep, or something like that.

It's also now occurring to me, if the CE2 classes are going in the morning, does that mean those classes might be canceled too? If so, then I get the entire day off! We'll have to see how it goes on Thursday...

Another way in which I struck gold today involves more American t.v. I guess after Grey's Anatomy put out its two-part series, it kind of stopped being available on Limewire. So Aimee sent me to this website that hosts hundreds and hundreds of t.v. shows in their entirety. The latest Grey's was finally released and I've been trying for days to download it. The other night it took me two hours to load about 30 percent of the episode. In short, I've probably watched Episode 10 in fragments about six times, but only about 75 percent of the episode.

So today it linked me to YouTube, where I found the very same episodes instantly! I didn't have to wait for them to load. Thus, I finally got to see the end of the most recent Grey's as well as the second-to-latest Private Practice.

There are some things being in France makes me miss :) Otherwise, once I start losing more weight (i.e. stop eating so much) I'll be perfectly content.

MY FAMILY'S COMING IN TWO DAYS!!!

I SUCK at life!!

Really, I do.

Oh man, my phone fell out of my purse in my dad's car back in Toulon. So that means, no morning alarm for me. My roommate really saved me on this one, as he called her from my phone and she came to pick my up from the train station and she's going to wake me up tomorrow, ha.

...Come to think of it, possibly Tuesday too.

I swear -- to use a totally over-used cliche -- I'd lose my head if it wasn't screwed on tight. But I see where I get it from. Dad and I got our hair cut together yesterday, total bonding moment, and my digital camera was tucked away in my jacket pocket -- or so I thought. When she put the drape over me, the hairdresser put my jacket and shopping bag in the closet. As we're leaving, I reached into my pocket, then my purse and started to freak out because of course, the camera wasn't in either place!!

Turns out it was instead under the seat in my dad's car. Gosh, I don't ever drop things down there. But point of my story, as we returned to Jean-Claude's house, my dad had the same mental lapse. He started freaking out looking for his camera because he too thought it was gone. I think his car is a kleptomaniac, because his camera had also fallen into its depths. That glovebox is pretty deep.

And again this morning, after he put the camera inside of his suitcase, he couldn't seem to find it. But alas, it was in that darn bag all along. We really do make a fine pair.

But what I REALLY want to write about in this blog entry has nothing to do with me (and my dad for that matter) being a total mess. Nope.

It's about Miss France. Mees Frawnce.

Total joke. The best part about it was, actually there were two really good parts, French singer Johnny Hallyday's performance. I wish I could put into words what I saw. He's got to be in his 70s to start with and he's a total washup in my mind. Anyways, he actually sang during the performance but I swear to God, the man doesn't know how to play a guitar. He had three other people playing instruments with him, while he strummed his guitar -- infrequently. His left hand never once moved up or down, while with the pick in his right hand, he just kept going back and forth systematically. I'm pretty sure that was all for show.

The other amazing part of the night was the woman in charge of "cultivating" all the young competitors -- Geneviève de Fontenay.

Isn't she a looker?

Man I had nightmares from her. She only wears that hat and is completely plastered in make-up -- nay, face paint, like the stuff circus clowns put on. It seems as if she no longer has any hair, because it's pulled back so tightly as an alternative, or perhaps a supplement, to the years and years of Botox treatments this lady must be receiving. As a result of her hair like that, her eyes, mouth and cheeks are stretched very tightly to the sides and back of her face, like a circus clown's creepy smile once more. And because of all the stress she must be putting on her decrepit skin, her forehead has these terrible splotches all over the place.

I don't think I'd ever want, in my entire life, coaching lessons on how to win a BEAUTY pageant from this woman.

The best image I can conjure up would be just to leave you with one final question:

Have you ever seen the movie Death Becomes Her?

23 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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16 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Elf Yourself.

Seriously. Just do it.

Watch this first, then go to the homepage to make it yours!

I love that movie :)

And now I pack for the weekend! I just realized I'm going to be gone every weekend from here on out. Woo! See you on Monday. Bisous.

Dec. 8-9: Toulon and Forcalqueiret
Dec. 14-16: Lyon
Dec. 22-26: CHRISTMAS in Forcalqueiret
New Year's: PARIS
Jan. 3-6: Annecy, France and Switzerland

Hallelujah!

I figured the title goes well with this month and all...

Anywho, after exactly one week (and already eight times) of gym visits plus two days of toning down my diet, I think it's starting to work! My clothes are still kind of tight, but maybe in another week that won't be as obvious. I think this is seriously a plan I can stick to for months to come -- which is good for my heart issues!

This morning after eating breakfast, I weighed myself on my roommate's scale. I've already lost 2 kilos from my heaviest point here. That's like 4.4 lbs!!!

I'm not totally sticking to the SB Diet, because I'm allowing myself to have fruits, oatmeal and high fiber/bran cereals. I'm just pretty much cutting out all the other breads, fake sugars, high-fat cheeses and what not that I was eating before.

Christmas is a really hard time to say no, but I'm holding my ground against unnecessary sweets. Oh yeah, I haven't had any alcohol in about a week and when I do, it's only red/white wine. And a shot of Bailey's mint chocolate in my coffee here and there ;) That's my treat for when I'm really good. So far I've only used it twice in the month I've had the bottle.

But we'll see if I can still be strong this weekend. I'm going out with my dad -- restaurants galore -- and then eating probably another 5-course meal at Jean-Claude's on Sunday. Then my mom, sister and I are spending next weekend in Lyon, which means even MORE restaurants!

As long as I can make HEALTHY choices and eat sugars in moderation, as well as keep going to the gym frequently, I think I'll be moving in a good direction towards being even healthier than when I first came into this country! If nothing else, I feel like I can run/workout even more than I could before, which is always a good feeling.

25 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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18 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Some days, I'm really proud of myself

In a totally selfish way, today is one of those days. I am proud of me. (Even though I look like a pregnant lady this month... by the way I'm working on that every day. Hardly any sugars consumed today!)

It all started at 7 a.m. with my roommate running into the kitchen this morning, shrieking like a little girl, laughing and HUGGING ME!! A couple of things to consider: French people DO NOT give hugs. She is 30-something, I still haven't figured out exactly how old, but I'm guessing in between 32 and 35 (the age of her older brother).

Why was she acting like a crazy person??? Because I decorated the house in Christmas festiveness and paper snowflakes. Her boyfriend thought I actually bought a mini Christmas tree, but in reality I just hung ornaments and bows on our little tree plant in the living room.

Then at 8:30 this morning, one teacher stopped me up the stairs to her class. She said, "I just wanted to congratulate you on the way you've been teaching the class."

That means a lot. Apparently all the teachers think I have a natural authority (wow, I'd never have guessed that from how rowdy the kids are, but I guess I don't get upset with them and handle it well or something). But then again, she told me the assistant last year would show an English movie and then talk on the phone with her boyfriend or family for 30 minutes. She ended up leaving in April, even though our contract is supposed to go until June. Whatever.

But the best thing to happen to me today...... I RECEIVED MY FRENCH SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER!!!!!!!! So I suppose that means I can go fill out the form to receive government assistance for housing (MEANING France pays half of my rent), and I'll have my medical insurance card coming very, very soon. My paperwork's almost completely done here!!!

And I'm now 100 percent legally in France. It's about freakin' time!

26 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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19 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Not again

I'm having serious issues.

I can't stop eating delicious French food. Looking at myself in pictures, I resemble a woman in the early stages of her pregnancy. And I despise it. The girl I see is not me!!!!

However, it's not that I'm not doing anything. In fact I am. I've been going to the gym daily doing 40 minutes to an hour of cardio in addition to weights and crunches. The only difference I can see is that I'm still the same general size, just parts of my body feel harder. And it's kind of a gross feeling.

I promise. I have to. Tomorrow, I start my diet (start, this will be like the 6th attempt). And I continue going to the gym. I even went twice today -- once in the morning and once this evening.

I just can't help but think that if my body looks like this on the outside, what must I be doing to my heart and all my billions of internal health problems??

On the other hand, even though I want to lose weight for a vain reason, there's another quite practical want behind it too. One by one, my clothes are starting to become too small for my over-zealous frame. I cannot afford to purchase an entire wardrobe. I WILL get back to 125-120 lbs. some day and I WILL fit into all my clothes comfortably! Let's hope that day comes sooner rather than later.

...Like I said, I'm having serious issues. No more over-eating. :( My New Year's resolution is coming a little early this (next) year. It begins December 6th.

Decisions, decisions

So what do you do with leftover kidney beans, corn and tortilla chips from Mexican dinner night?!

...MAKE CHILI!

And then eat cereal for dinner. Alright, so my chili's sitting in the fridge waiting until tomorrow afternoon (yeah mid-week day off!) when I reheat it with cheese and consume with tortilla chips. If only margaritas existed here.

Oh yeah, and the girls who live in my building approached me in class today and asked if they could come see my apartment some day. I'm totally going to be all Martha Stewart and make them cupcakes or something! Love it.

28 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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21 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

This is just to say...

That I am extremely, dead tired.

After one of the most intense days at work -- first test of the year, I even pulled two and am only giving the boys half credit for talking in the middle of the exam -- I felt like I owed it to myself to do SOMETHING other than go straight home and eat a lot, slash watch mindless French t.v. shows.

Lucky for me, my gym is halfway between my school and the bus stop. So planning ahead this morning, I dressed for the gym and attended all my classes in workout attire. That makes me no different than the P.E. teachers and all the male teachers here. Plus, I'm still on my "I've paid too much for a gym membership AND bus pass this month" kick. So I'm really trying to get my money's worth. Anyways I just got home after nearly 2 hours at the gym and I'm fairly exhausted.

So I'm thinking about hopping in the shower, because I told my roommate I'd wait for her to get home (after 8:30 PM!!) to have dinner. We're making MEXICAN tonight... oh how I miss Mexican food. Anyways, this is my usual dinner hour here, so I don't know what to do with myself.

That's why I'm blogging. If I can't eat, let me at least think about food for a minute or two...

29 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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22 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!!

You know what I did last night?

Kicked ass at bowling!

That's right, my roommate and her quasi-boyfriend took me out to the bowling alley in Antibes. Now, it's been awhile since I last went and so I was a bit out of the swing of things. And upon our arrival, I was quite impressed with how similar everything is to American bowling. Except all the sizes and measurements. Thus, it must have been funny for the people behind the counter when I kept asking to try a different size shoe. At least now I know that I'm somewhere between a 38 and 39.

Then the balls themselves were different too. So it took me a few frames to find one I liked. Oh yeah, and you know that oil smell that gets trapped in the back of your throat after a good night's bowling session? It's even more intense here, because they really grease their lanes up.

So it definitely took me the better part of the first game to get into the swing of things. I just had to determine how much the oil was making the ball curve and in what direction, then readjust my approach depending on those variables.

So Game 1 I bowled an embarrassing 111, while I rebounded on Game 2 with five strikes -- not bad I guess -- for a total of 148 that game. Hopefully I'll get a few more chances to practice some more! However, it was pretty expensive at 6,50 a game and 1,50 for shoe rentals. So perhaps I'll keep my bowling days to a minimum like I've been doing in the past. After all they did invite me, so I don't want to have to keep showing them up time and time again ;)

And Day 2 of my gym usage is really making me feel the burn! I got a good hour and a half in this morning because it's only open on Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon. If I'm going to be paying 43 Euros for a gym membership, I better be getting my money's worth out of it!

Oh YEAH, I have a chocolate advent calendar counting down the days until Christmas! So excited to open a door each day :)

30 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

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23 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Salsa, Santa and Sweat, OH MY!

These last two days have certainly been pleins d'aventures. Starting last night, all the girls met up and shared a few bottles of wine and boxes of Chinese take-out at Kathy and Valentina's new apartment right in the middle of Old Antibes. And WOW is that one of the cutest apartments I've seen here! So not only do they have that going, but it's also right in the middle of everything happening downtown. Good work, girls.

After much stalling last night, we finally made our way out to this salsa dance club/bar in Juan-les-Pins, after Kathy and Natalie's French teacher friends invited them/us out. They went last weekend and told me how intense everyone was with the salsa dancing, and since I have NO IDEA how to do it, I -- again -- had no idea what I was in for.

Let me just say that the highlight of the night probably was taking part in this huge line of people doing some crazy choreographed dance. The thing that kept running through my mind was that one line from the prom scene in Not Another Teen Movie, "I didn't know everyone at this school was a professional dancer." Haha, and then right after that some 1950s songs came on and then everyone busts out SWING DANCING. Fantastic!

Natalie and I were asked by this gay man to salsa and he taught us briefly during one song. I was super nervous about it, but he was hysterical so that made things a little easier. But the point of this story is that this morning I was feeling the burn. Salsa is fantastic exercise, even if I only did dance to three or four songs.

Waking up in their apartment this morning -- did I mention how CUTE it was?! -- Valentina, Kathy and I all got together and made a quasi-American breakfast consisting of fried eggs, toast and jam, Italian coffee to represent Valentina's heritage, and oatmeal. Then we decided to go exploring in their quartier of Antibes. Our mid-morning journey took us to the CHRISTMAS MARCHE that kicked off today, the open-air market, and then Yves Rocher which is pretty much the French equivalent of Bath and Body Works, but much neater.

After that was all done, I said my goodbyes and made my way to the gare routière to purchase my next monthly pass for the city bus since it's finally December, the final month of 2007. Wow, already?! Then I'd been hearing rumors about us already receiving paychecks, so I went to my bank to see if that was true, AND IT TOTALLY IS! Meaning not only do I have 100 percent of my paycheck from November, but also the other 25 percent from October finally!! Needless to say, this month is probably the richest I'll be in France.

Then I came back home around noon only to remember that my roommate said her boyfriend's parents were coming over for lunch, so I see the biggest array of food ready and waiting to go in the kitchen! Oh my, I'm gastronomically in way over my head here. It was another good time. Tomorrow I think Karina and I are going to have another roommate cooking session and make MEXICAN FOOD together, since I purchased a really cheap kit from the international section at Carrefour.

So to end my day, I finally decided to sign up for a gym here in France. I rationalized that decision by a thought process that goes something like this:

"Well, I didn't end up going to Italy today. The train ticket alone would have been 25 Euros. Then I probably would have made a few purchases, including lunch if nothing else. Thus, my total for the day most likely would have been nearly 50 Euros. For one month of gym membership I can pay 43 Euros, plus that will fill up a lot of my down time that I spend eating. And if I'm going to continue eating all these delicious things here in France -- which I'm entitled to do, damnit -- and mentally refuse to give in to buying new, bigger sized clothes, then I better start working out a lot more. And I can't exactly stick to running anymore since I've exhausted all the routes, it gets dark super early, and it's freezing/raining more often than it was at the end of the summer. So it's 43 Euros well spent."

Oh yeah, and did I mention the gym's called Versace Gym and is modeled after Muscle Beach in Los Angeles, because the owner is super obsessed with 1980s beach culture?! Haha, that alone is worth my patronage.

...31 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

- and -

24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!

Goodbye November!

Tomorrow is December 1st. While I've been in France immediately following the winter holidays, I've only been here once for New Year's -- and figures it was the year France switched their currency over from the Franc to the Euro.

But what I'm trying to say is that I've never celebrated Christmas abroad! And here, the celebrating officially begins tomorrow, on December 1st.

I can hardly contain myself. Supposedly there's a Christmas market downtown that goes all month and kicks off tomorrow evening.

After Aimée arrives in France, there's an official tree-lighting ceremony (presented by IKEA, cute huh?) mid-December in Nice and the following night Antibes is hosting a "Christmas log" soirée. The French tradition in most cities is to build a super long cake shaped and decorated like a Christmas tree "log." Then they're going to be cutting out pieces for all the guests and serving hot chocolate, coffee and vin chaud.

I'm kind of torn, however. One part of me wishes it would snow to be super festive. The other part is quite content with warm and dry feet, socks, mittens, etc. So perhaps I'll get to experience that in Switzerland the days following Christmas.

I leave you with this final thought: Today's an exciting day because we get our pictures!!! Let me take a step back, last month was class photo day at one of my schools, and I was invited to be in the teacher picture! My heart warmed at the idea of them accepting the strange foreign girl who comes into their classes twice a week, into their photo which will be immortalized on the school walls for years to come. And I get a free copy!

Here's to hoping this photo isn't as awkward as all my other elementary school pictures...

...32 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

Days are getting shorter

As usual, yesterday was mine and Sarah's ritual Wednesday Carrefour run. And it always takes a good two-three hours out of my normally un-busy Wednesdays, so I can't complain there.

I can complain, however, about the lack of argent in my French account! So I think that means all the food I have in my house right now is going to have to last me until my next paycheck (read: seven to 10 days). I'll make it work, if nothing else I'll just be eating cereal for a couple of dinners instead of a big meal... who knows, maybe I'll shrink my stomach back to what it was in the U.S. and not want to eat huge, heaping meals anymore.

Carrefour was also fun because I was able to purchase some necessities beyond just food there. Although this is not a good example of a "necessity" I did get two Christmas stockings for Aimee and me! Hopefully we'll get to decorate those when she comes next month.

And speaking of that, in exactly two weeks my mom and sister will be in France! So this weekend is my last "free," i.e. unplanned weekend until mid-January. Next weekend my dad and I are going to the Galère in Forcalqueiret again -- it's always the second Sunday of the month -- to visit our family friends and see my great-aunt.

So what will I do this weekend? I'm thinking about taking the train to San Remo, Italy for the weekend open-air and flower market. Could be fun. Especially since I now live in the French Riviera and that's considered the Italian Riviera, I'll get to do some more exploring.

Hmm, you may be curious about me entering Italy without my alleged "carte de séjour." Well don't fret! Last week I received the receipt for the long-stay card so that means I can now go in and out of France to any other country as I please!!!!

I am officially a legal resident and employee of France. It's about damn time.

Another interesting thing I discovered today: At least four of my students live in my building! Do you know how I found out??

As I was walking towards my gate today, a car rolls up and the driver motions towards the back seat asking, "Is it true you're her English teacher?"

"Yes," I smile waving to the little girl in the back.

And just like that he tells me not to worry about walking in the cold because he has an empty seat and can take me along if I want! Quelle chance! And as we're leaving the car, he tells me I can come with them every day and they'll wait for me. Oh man that's really exciting news!

Hooray for living in a small, residential community in the outskirts of the city!

...33 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

Update as promised

I bet you're curious about my two big events today, huh?

Well, the "date" was cool. Again, I offered to pay, but was turned down. Instead, I got a three-course meal and probably three extra pounds ;-) for free! This time, there is such a thing as a free lunch, booyah!

And I got to practice my French for about three hours. It's starting to get better, I'm totally comfortable cracking jokes left and right now. Actually, this guy I think likes to talk more than anyone I know, Lisa, so I got to practice my listening skills a bit. We're going out again Thursday because supposedly that's a big bar night for "working people" in Juan-les-Pins. I guess that means I'm going to be meeting quite a few more French people in the next few days. That'll bring my total for the month to well over 12. Let's see how many I actually keep in touch with and start to hang out with...

And regarding the dentist, I am quite proud of myself.

After only about 30 euros, I've gone and seen the dentist, learned some alternative techniques to help alleviate my pain, as well as a bag full of prescribed goodies that I picked up from the pharmacie.

Ok, at first it doesn't seem worth it that I dropped 21 euros for my consultation at the dentist, only to have him tell me I need a special toothpaste and mouth wash for sensitive teeth. However, he also put some product on the problem area and told me specifically how I should brush my teeth to stop the gums from receding any further -- so that's helpful. Then again, the dentist told me that once I receive my social security card, I should be fully reimbursed for the visit -- SCORE!

He also gave me the name of a very specific toothpaste that's just for this problem, however, I could have easily figured that out at the pharmacie. But he also told me that after one month if this is still a problem, I'll have to come back so he can put a tooth-colored substance on the area (a patch if you will) to protect my tooth's roots from further deterioration.

Oh but the best part about all this was I was 100% able to convey what I wanted in French. Using dental jargon! That's pretty exciting. So it goes without saying that I completely understood everything he had to say to me.

Actually no, the best part wasn't that. When he first saw me, he said, "Wow, your teeth are so straight! And do you whiten them often?"

No, actually that's just U.S. dentistry for you.

I'll finish this post off with his final recommendation to me.

"Even if this does work out and you don't need the patch or surgery, I want to give you some further advice. You should go to the dentist regularly because even if you don't think you have any problems, you still need to check in from time to time."

...Duh! I guess he must be used to telling every patient that here, because most people I've spoken with don't go to the dentist every six months, yikes!

"Elle veut que je fasse"

Yep, I used that phrase today. The subjunctive is starting to come to me.... I still have to think about it a little, but after using it I jump up and down for joy because I remembered it -- in my mind that is.

And two things are going to happen today that I'll absolutely have to update later on.

1.) I realize I'm not 60 years old yet, but my gums in the back have been receding. While that sounds scary and gross, all it means is that I can start to see the roots of my molars. Which means since they're exposed often, it's a very sensitive and painful area. Plus they could rot easily now that they have contact with food, plaque, air and what not.

Basically I need to go to a dentist asap. Hopefully I can make an emergency appointment and get in today. Without paying a boatload.

2.) Someone else is taking me out tonight. A second person. So I guess this is what dating feels like in the real world, except that I'm not totally dating. These are more like English-French exchanges and I'm not complaining that I'm getting free food and drinks out of it ;-)

Updates on the day's events to follow in the near future.

Freedom, Beauty, Truth and Love

Moulin Rouge is hands down my favorite movie -- EVER.

And since coming to France, the only movies I've ever seen the network television channels show from the U.S. are these super old and lame '90s flops. Even the t.v. series are at least a few years behind, so why wouldn't the same be true for movies?

I've also come to the conclusion that I'm on my computer watching American shows too much here. Plus with all the writers' strikes, that will soon no longer be a problem. With that in mind, last night I decided to go back to French t.v. and lo and behold, Moulin Rouge was going to be airing at 8 p.m. last night!!

I showered as quickly as possible and prepped myself for this musical/visual treat.

The most bizarre part about it was how they even re-recorded the songs with the French speakers' voices, however they still sang in English. So most of the songs were heavily accented. Besides that oddity, I was quite impressed because the casting was very true to their American counterparts. Whoever was dubbed over Ewan McGregor sang and spoke almost exactly like him, that if he didn't have an accent while singing in English, I could have believed that Ewan McGregor was actually reading off his lines in French. Not the case, but you get the idea.

So yeah, that kind of made my week and now I'm back to downloading Moulin Rouge songs for my iPod. :)

Unrelated: Since it's left over from Thanksgiving, my new favorite thing is French bread and brie with cranberry sauce spread on top! Fantastique!

...35 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

I bridged the gap!!!

I'm coming out of my shell in a big, big way here. And, as my roommate said, it's incredible what I've already done in less than two months.

For example, I have:

• figured out the trains and buses without (much) help
• opened a bank account
• started making friends
• expressed myself very well in French, as I supposedly continue to do every day
• cooked up one heck of a storm two times and pleased many bellies

But I'll get back to all of that. I just need to reaffirm all the things that are going right in my world, to remind myself that I'm doing something incredible. And I'm doing it well!

That being said, I had no idea this weekend was going to turn out the way it did. At first I was a little nervous about what my roommate had planned for her friends who came to visit this weekend -- one of which being her former roommate who only left two months before I moved in. It started out like that past week, rainy, cold and dreary. So that pretty much put a halt to any major plans.

Kathy, Nina (her friend from the Netherlands) and I were supposed to all go out to Monte-Carlo and Ventimiglia in Italy to check out the large open-air market they have. But alas, they drank too much the night before and the strikes still hadn't lifted 100 percent. So long story short, I woke up very early in the morning and had nothing to do most of the day.

Karina, my roommate, invited me to have lunch with her and her friends. At first I was hesitant and thought I'd have to leave, but then I decided, "What the heck?" I can go to Monte-Carlo anytime, it's ok if I meet up with them a little later. So I rolled up my sleeves and helped cook some pasta and on the spot created our very own, homemade sauce. I had a very good lunch because I got to see a side of my roommate that's been hidden from me. Maybe we were both just too shy and too new with each other to let those parts of our personalities out, but seeing her with her friends made me realize that she's probably not all that bad. And might I add, I've never ever relented my kindness around her, so perhaps that's finally starting to pay off.

As soon as we finished cleaning, Kathy, Nina and I all met up at the Antibes train station and headed off towards Monte-Carlo. I was only going to be there for an hour, because Karina's old roommate, Thomas, invited me out to dinner with all of them. So instead we improvised and decided to get off the train at Nice, halfway to Monte-Carlo -- especially since I was just there the weekend before with my dad. And what a fabulous idea it was! The entire city is already decked-out beyond imagination for Christmas and the light-rail tram they've been working on over the past four years -- terrible traffic when I last studied here because of all the road closures -- had its grand opening this weekend. So there were free concerts, with festive holiday-themed songs to be had. And even though I could only stay an hour and a half, it was time well-spent!

Then I rushed back home and got ready to go out to dinner. Karina told me I'd want to dress up a little bit, because she was going to present me to some "guy friends," and some of Thomas's former co-workers. And they did.

We went out to this excellent French restaurant where everyone ordered of all thing, individual pizzas à feu bois. Delicious! Karina felt inclined to watch after me all night long, which was very nice of her considering I knew practically no one. But, the "California curiosity" eventually came out and I was the talk of the table for a short period of time. So that helps open up my shell and force me to talk more in French! And I kind of made a little dinner-time friendship with the two guys sitting near me which held up later in the evening.

After dessert and coffee, the younger ones of us decided to go off to a club. Imagine my shock when my roommate conjured up the whole thing! All the guys were really excited to go out and dance, and Karina and I were kind of apathetic to it all.

But then if you know me, you obviously know that's not true.

We got into this club -- which didn't have a cover charge for WOMEN OVER 25 AND MEN OVER 30 -- that's right Aimee, I crashed the old person's dance party so we don't need to do it in Geneva next month. And since there were so many of us and very young to boot -- maybe only two of our group of eight actually fit that age category -- we got in without a problem and went straight to a reserved table. However, that was the last I saw of the table, as Karina grabbed my hand and whisked me off to the dance floor.

At first I was kind of shy and nervous, but whenever American songs come on here, especially oldies and disco, something inside me just snaps and I go crazy dancing like no one else is around! And they loved it. They kept cheering, "OUAIS, ELLE EST AMERICAINE!" which made me laugh and only made me want to do it more. The two guys who befriended me earlier and Karina kept egging me on all night and at one point this guy and I kind of choreographed a dance to M.J.'s "Billy Jean." Very, very fun. And her friends thought I was a riot -- which I equally thought of them.

It might have been the sangria and wine I had with dinner speaking -- promise I didn't drink a drop of alcohol at the club, which makes it all that much MORE fun -- but I started talking about how much I miss American Sunday brunches. Tout d'un coup, Karina and our house guests were signing me up to cook it on Sunday and they started pitching in money, suggestions and food.

Basically, we finally got home at 4:30 a.m. reeking of cigarettes and sweat, looked up a bunch of recipes online and by 5 a.m. I was fast asleep. Six hours later I woke up with THE SUN!! (no rain today!) and accompanied Karina to the grocery store where we bought all the necessary items for our brunch.

This morning I made apple-cinnamon and walnut muffins, French toast (ah the irony), pancakes, fruit salad and scrambled eggs for everyone to try. It was quite a hit!

Mom, I've been getting so many compliments on my cooking here! It's kind of like in a previous October post I had. I feel like I'm testing out someone else here in France. I wake up early, I cook, and I don't remember what else, but this person doesn't seem to be the Monique I used to know. And I kind of like this one. Needless to say, I'm pretty full now.

So not only did I have an excellent weekend, but my roommate and I are kind of starting to open up and be friends! I've been waiting for a moment like that for nearly a month and a half now! And even better, we're going to start cooking like this every Sunday. Yay brunch and baked treats!

...36 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

Mo-neye-k

That's my new French name. Mo-neye-k.

Anyways, it's 4 a.m. -- nearly 5 -- and I'm just now going to bed.

But t'inquiète (pas). I'll tell you all about my journey at home, Nice and in St-Laurent du Var tomorrow. Plus some details from the Sunday brunch I'm about to make for three Frenchies, with Mimosas mmmm.

And I'll also tell about the soirée de malade (yep, they say sick as an adjective in French too) I had in a club with my new "friends."

I bet you can't wait.

Thank GOD I'm missing "Black Friday"

Alright, I'm sitting at my desk, listening to LIVE 105 on iTunes, eating an ENGLISH MUFFIN and drinking French chai tea -- so not the same, don't bother with it -- thinking about how I've made it to this point. Here I am, in France, with a group of friends established enough to celebrate a traditional American Thanksgiving!

Needless to say, last night was a trip. And now after looking at pictures, I've fully decided that the SECOND my leftovers are gone, I'm going crazy into a diet and not cheating any of the days. I also should get back into running when I'm no longer sick. Seriously, I've gained so much weight here :( This always happens to me.

But back to Thanksgiving. It was amazing! Everyone brought something typical to what we're used to in the States. The only thing missing was the pumpkin pie because it's a bit difficult to find here :( So instead we got our fill with pumpkin soup and had to make do with an apple and a pecan pie. Fine, I guess.... hehe.

I got to play hostess, which I guess is totally in my genes after watching my mom every year on Christmas and for all the other dinner parties she hosts. So, my first Thanksgiving and I didn't mess anything up!! Actually, the nice part about cooking and playing playing hostess serving drinks is that I didn't have to sit at the table and eat mindlessly in the middle of conversations awaiting the actual meal. So, I guess that's a good thing. Um, and I think I accidentally invited everyone to California next year, haha. Kidding :)

During the dinner, we went around the table and said what we're thankful for -- in French and English! Mine was probably the shortest and most to the point, because I was the last one to go.

"I'm thankful for my family for supporting me to come here, the close friends I've made here, and all the wonderful food and drink we have tonight!"

Now that I think of it, I'm also REALLY thankful I'm not in the U.S. near any single mall today.

My roommate showed up and actually made an effort, which made me happy, but towards the end of the night she started doing the whole passive-aggressive thing again. As she went off to her room to sleep, she mentioned in passing, "Oh you guys don't have to be quiet, but Monique, I'm having three friends stay over for the weekend. They're leaving on Sunday. Good night."

Oh Christ, what does that mean? Since we were up since 1 a.m. I have a feeling I'm going to be getting it back in the next two days...

Whatever, it was worth it! Thanksgiving is such an important holiday. If I can't spend it with my family, I'm going to at least do something else worthwhile.

It was just kind of hard to get up this morning ;) Thank God I don't have class until 1:30 p.m. today, because I'm hurting bad right now.

Oh and P.S. now there's NOTHING standing in my way of getting ready for Christmas!!!!

...38 More Days Until France BANS Indoor Smoking! :)

Wawaweewa! (Borat, nevermind...)

Man, these last two days have been a doozy! Yes, I just typed that, get over it.

It all started at Carrefour. I told Sarah when we were checking out that I kind of felt like I had been drinking. You know that feeling when you're so congested, from blowing your nose/sniffling so often, that everything kind of becomes fuzzy around the perimeters? I just felt like I was going through the motions in someone else's body, all dizzy-like.

Promise though, I wasn't on Nyquil or any other alcoholic substance. She said she always gets super overwhelmed at Carrefour -- which my dad's boss said is the second-largest grocery store in France and I believe it! -- that she kind of feels like that normally.

But the feeling lingered. After scarfing down my dinner, then proceeding to feel really nauseous and dizzy, I put myself to bed at 8 p.m. No joke.

Upon receiving a text message at 11:23 p.m., I seriously thought it was 4 or 5 in the morning. I was almost getting ready to wake up for the day, when I realized I'd only been asleep for a few hours. Oops. Then I kept tossing, turning and sweating, until I changed into lighter p.j.s and browsed the iTunes radio library for an "ambient" station. Under that heading I found a "soothing piano" station and kept it on all night. When the rain started to drizzle lightly, it washed away the traffic noises below, I finally gave in to taking some Nyquil and fell asleep.

Then my day began at 6:15 a.m. when I popped out of bed on my own accord. After starting off the *ahem THANKSGIVING* morning well by talking to my family, I picked out the best outfit I could find for the occasion and proceeded on my merry little way to school. Yep, I still have to work. Except, when I got out the door, I was pelted with heavy rain. And wind. And then that wind so graciously flipped my umbrella inside out multiple times. Once it even hit me on the head, grreeeaaat. So I arrived at school sick, manish-sounding and soaked.

But when I got home for lunch it was all worth it, because I got to set up for my Thanksgiving dinner tonight!! And then I made a really blistery day-friendly lunch: hot oatmeal and coffee! The oatmeal idea came to me after buying an "American mix" of nuts yesterday, Oceanspray cranberries, pecans and almonds, mmmm. So I boiled that in some water, added oats and cinnamon and warmed myself right up. Plus, knowing what's coming tonight, I didn't want to eat too much.

Then -- this is the best part of my day, no joke -- I got to break in my brand-new EIGHT-CUP cafetière à piston!! That's a French-coffee press for all you at home. So I used my new Brazilian grinds and whipped up some coffee, then used the press to froth some milk, added in the rest of my cinnamon and boy am I satisfied.

Now off to class I go for three more hours and then it's back here to prep for the big international American fête!! Surprisingly enough, the Thanksgiving lesson has been one of my best thus far, because the kids are all interested in the colonists and Indians story, while we in the U.S. are a bit, uh, ashamed of what happened after.

That, and they get to make hand-traced turkeys. Can't go wrong there!

OH YEAH (edit): I got my récépissé TODAY!!!! Meaning, all I need is one more apointment and then I have my carte de séjour -- long stay card. So I have the receipt, I'm just waiting for the actual thing. Good start, because very soon I'll get my social security, medical insurance and housing assistance money!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Merde's hitting the fan

I didn't feel like swearing in English. So I'm not.

Anyways, Day 2 (or 3, I'm not sure) of me being sick has progressed significantly. Not in a good direction. Last night my stomach and intestinal tract seemed to be all messed up and I again couldn't sleep another night. So instead I stayed up watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice -- again -- and it seems that I'm now all caught up. I've even seen this week's episodes that y'all don't have yet in the States! I also washed all of our dishes last night. But today my throat's bugging me, I sound like a boy and my nose is super runny. At least I woke up two hours earlier than yesterday...

Oh and my roommate apologized for being a bitch. Still doesn't change the fact that she was, but we kind of had a bit of a talk and from now on out she's going to be napping in her own bedroom when I'm home. Take that! And she's paying me for toilet paper this time, because I've bought it the last three times. So that's a bit of good progress.

Another merde-y situation: SNCF -- Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer, in short, rail systems -- is striking an eighth day. And while 400 of 700 TGV (high-speed) trains are running throughout the country, there are "les boycotts," I'm not even kidding, the news report actually used that word, and people are setting fire to some of the cables. Excellent. And it's raining today! Stoppppp.

Crappy situation No. 29,475,629: I have to work tomorrow!!!! On Thanksgiving :( However, I usually have Wednesdays off, so today Sarah and I are going to Carrefour to do all of our pre-Thanksgiving dinner shopping and preparations.

Here's how the menu's going to look (8 people total):

-Apéritifs: Cranberry kir to be eaten with olives, bread, cheese and spinach-artichoke dip

-Green salad and bread/butter

-Pumpkin and chestnut soup

-Mashed potatoes and gravy

-Orange-zest green beans with honey and walnuts

-TURKEY and stuffing, however no one has an oven large enough, so it's going to be pre-made. Let's see how that one goes...

-Cranberry sauce (2 euros a pop at the grocery store, it better be worth it)

-Apple, Pecan and/or Pumpkin PIES


-Mulled wine and cider slash coffee.

And of course, lots and lots of wine and champagne throughout the evening.

I totally can't wait for this! It's going to be so fun celebrating my second un-important holiday to this "foreign" country.

Seeeeck.

I think that's phonetically how a French person would say, "sick." Am I right?? haha.

Anyways, big day for me as I ditched my classes for the first time here. Since my jaw was bothering me so much, I practically was awake until 3-4 a.m. My problem, however, was that I took Tylenol PM and when I'm on that and not getting a full 7-8 hours of sleep, my body goes into anarchy mode.

Basically, from the moment my alarm went off all I wanted to do was either throw up or sleep. So I tried to ignore my stomach and I slept. And slept, and slept. Until noon. It was a dang good feeling.

Don't worry, I was responsible about it though. I called La Tourniere at 8 a.m. to let them know I wouldn't be coming in today. Luckily, today's my shortest day and by the time I woke up, I would have been off work anyhow.

So no more staying up late for me. If I ever take Tylenol PM again in the near future for this problem, it needs to be around 9 p.m. -- as soon as my dinner's over.

EDIT: Oh snap, I totally forgot what today was. A bunch of teachers told me they were going to be striking today and I probably shouldn't show up anyways. So I guess I accidentally aided the cause by unwillingly striking today as well! How funny....

I just hope all this striking B.S. comes to an end soon.

--------------

And I just wanted to say that I officially hate my roommate. Before I was scared of/embarrassed for her, but now I full on hate her. She is the most petty and rude person I've ever met. I don't know what I'm going to do other than try not to be here as often as possible. For example, she woke me up this morning when I was sick, but I didn't mind, I just went back to sleep.

She came home for lunch today and while I was cooking, I went into my room to get something. I guess usually she sleeps in the living room -- why I have no idea, her bedroom, which blocks out noise with a DOOR is literally two feet away -- and as I'm leaving pops up from laying down on the couch. She screams my name super loud -- I know she's upset when she calls me by my name, usually she forgets it and calls me whatever she pleases -- and yells at me saying that she has such a long f-ing day and needs only 15 minutes to sleep each afternoon. Then she continues treating me like a child, saying, "What's so hard for you to understand about not making a single noise for 15 minutes??"

And I'm too much of a chicken to stand up for myself, so I just apologized six times, wanted to cry, and finished making my lunch in total silence. P.S. She's been sleeping for 45 minutes now, so does that mean I can make noise because I only had to be quiet for 15? And where does she get off acting so rude to me? I didn't yell at her when she woke me up, from within MY OWN ROOM.

Welcome Back...

Oh man, I thought I had naturally grown out of this like some people eventually do in time.

But after two years of rather unsuccessful treatment, my TMJ -- or TTM in France -- seemed to MIRACULOUSLY disappear after coming out here to France. Perhaps it was the result of me no longer making weekly plane trips after finishing up with the AVP. Either way, for two months here I was never once bothered by my jaw problems.

...Until three days ago.

Now here I sit, watching Grey's Anatomy on my computer trying to take my mind off it. I can't sleep because I'm too busy rubbing, stretching, and trying to pop my jaw back in place. Instead of sleep, I'm here making the most disgusting noises with my jaw joints.

And it's really painful. And when I take money out for my rent next week, I'll be left with less than 200 euros in my account. This is a really, really bad time to need to see a doctor. And where would I even start to look? I can barely describe my problem in English, let alone French. And do I really want to see someone? I've had such bad luck with it in the U.S. that I totally distrust anything they could possibly do here.

Maybe I'll just go to the local pharmacie (pick one, they're every 5 feet here) and load up on some intense pain killers. Until then, it's time for some Tylenol PM. Here's to knocking me out for the night without any further pain... (I WISH!)

Then again, maybe it's a result of my terrible students! Today was the first time I actually had to stop a "fun" lesson and make them copy sentences. When I come back, I'm going to check and make sure their parents signed their letters saying how bad they were -- wish me luck (with everything).