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! :)

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24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE!!