L'hypermnésie de ma vie. (;

What can I say, school's done for the day...

....and 15 more days after today!!!! That's right, it's Toussaint break :D And let me tell you, all that silly talk about the French getting too much vacation is-wrong, wrong, wrong. Imagine getting home from school every day at 6:30! So lets just say, I'm pretty glad to be out for a bit :) As usual, lots has happened since my last post, but well, what's new there?  I'll just have more to tell ;) That's where my title comes in actually too(just a tidbit)-we're learning about hypermnésie in history class, which means remembering more than is really probably necessary so...I thought I'd use it here for literary effect!

Now, the hard part of trying to remember what in the world I've done.

The big, fat, FRENCH, wedding: Well, since the french are neither big nor fat, maybe this wasn't the best heading but hey, it's my way of trying to describe to you the ceremony of matrimony in this country of wonders. First off, it was in Bordeaux, a region very well known for its vineyards and yes of course, wine. Now then, what better place to hold the wedding reception than right  by a vineyard and beer making facility? Well perhaps, I shouldn't quite say reception either. The wedding lasted about 15 minutes and then it was on to the party and-don't worry I'd never forget-the FOOD! It was a beautiful location, complete with silly hats and picture frames that you could hold up around you for picture taking, bubbles and cameras on every dinner table, and gifts for every guest. Now what impressed me a crazy amount was-you probably guessed it by now-the appetizer hour! Or, as the french call them, les amuse-bouches. :) I love the word because it merges the word amuse and mouth so that..wait for it...you're amusing your mouth! Pretty clever right ^^ 
Here are some of the most amazing appetizersI tasted:
-fresh, sooo scrumtious oysters with white white
-foie gras on fresh bread
-salmon with fresh cream
-serrano ham
-shrimp with some sort of pink sauce :)
-gumbos!
....my memory fails me. But think about it, these weren't even half the appetizers...=a very happy Eva :)
Also, the appetizer hour was super long! I'd say it lasted a little over 3 hours and then we had dinner! It's a good thing I can't ever turn down food. While dinner was going on, there was also an M.C. leading the game, a sort of merge between musical chairs and...running to random people in the room, asking them for some object or another, and then tripping over each other to get to their chair before there were no chairs left. Quite an amusing game to watch. Then there were some sweet speeches, and finally, the newly wed toast with their bottle of champagne. The lights were off during this part, and when the bottle was brought out it was sparking like it was connected to some sort of firework. In short-very creative. Line dances, crazyyy dances, and well just all kinds of dances and laughing and talking( really loudly) ensued-complete with party hats and those things you blow into and catapult little balls at people out of! Plus, all the little kids were up until 3 in the morning with us having a jolly good time joining in the dancing and playing that game we've all played where you can't let the balloon touch the ground. So, even though it wasn't like most of the weddings I've been to-it was a blast! 
My first french wedding: unforgettable.

 (Where the happy couple was wed)

 (My wedding attire)

RRRRRRugby! 

I didn't really understand anything whatsoever at my first ever game of Rugby but at least I can say it happened :) If only our team had won...















Eva-aka motorcyclist extroardinaire ;)

 (One of the many perks of having a motorcyclist policeman for a host dad. I LOVE motorcycles.)

 
Ticket to the top..of Montségur! 

This would have been the perfect day if I hadn't been pretty much as sick as I've been in a long while. Lets just say, walking to the top of that mountain while dizzy and sick was definitely interesting and, as I wrote in the little comment book on the way back down -I made it! Je suis arrivée!

Repas Internacional! 

It was definitely nice to see all the other rotary kids again and bond over our desserts from all over the world! I made a peach cobbler which may have looked unappetizing but yet, the pan was scraped clean by the end. :)

 (Daria, Luisa, Jeff, and I in the Toulouse "capitole" building the day after the international meal)

btw, look how much better my rotary blazer is getting after trading with all the exchangees!

And lastly, for your own amusement, my Terminale Littérature class picture :)

That's all for now :) I'll let you know how vacation goes!

à bientôt les amis <3
Eva

A little bit of everything!

I've had so many new and exciting experiences since I arrived here that I hardly know how to begin! I know my writing has been practically nonexistent lately but...just imagine me doing frenchified things all the times I wasn't writing ;)  Some highlights of my trip so far are definitely....

• FINALLY sorting out my school schedule. This is my third schedule so far after numerous meetings with principals and school personnel and I am pleased to say that I finally have the means to acquire my french Baccalaureate (aka the very feared BAC)! It turns out I actually have to take all the tests from junior(premier) year plus all the tests from senior year(terminale) in order to be able to have my complete BAC, so my schedule is a bit of a mess. I have to follow all the classes required on the BAC for both years even though I'm not keeping up with all the hours that the classes are normally given each week, which means a TON of work on my part. But hey, it's my dream! :) And I'm feeling up to the challenge. 
• My host family :D has made me feel like an integral part of their family in as little as three weeks and frankly, I felt like I belonged from the very first day. I can't thank them enough for all their guidance with the language and culture, the way they make fun of my clumsiness and call me Mrs. Bean( an allusion to British comedian Mr. Bean ;)), show me the height of french cuisine day after day(duck, farce, and goat cheese really have me spoiled!), and are willing to help me with all my endeavors, from obtaining my back to joining the local choir and swim club!
• An adventurous trip to Cahors with the other exchange kids was pretty much amazing in every way possible. I made friends with all kinds of interesting people, changed between my three languages right and left, saw the sights and learned some history, had an interview with the press, swam in the most frigid water EVER, discovered that I have absolutely no talent WHATSOEVER at canoeing, and got to meet a lot of french kids from the region who went on exchanges last year. :) We all swapped stories, took crazy photo shoots, and basically can't wait to be reunited :) 
• School, besides the scheduling mess, is going well! I've made friends, discovered actually decent cafeteria food, realized that I can actually understand most of what's being said, and found another American who's also taking the BAC. It's nice to know I'm not alone!
• Another funny tidbit: in English class, we're learning about "Britishness" which is really an interesting topic for an American in France. That just shows there's always something to learn no matter where you are! As long as you keep an open mind the world is yours :)

A group of us exchangees in Cahors :)

Well, for now those are the main points of my so far amazing adventure in la France! Check back soon for more updates :)

bisous et a la prochaine!

La France est SI belle!

First off, even my most wild imaginings could not have come close to the beauty and adventure and yes, amazingly delicious food of France! I have neglected to write recently I know, but it is quite hard to sit down at a computer when your whole world is different, exciting, and new!

First off, I had a lovely good bye party the 26th before my departure, and I'll miss all my Americans a TON. They make my days and I know we shall keep in touch! The next days held a sufficient amount of traveling( just about 20 hours to be exact!) but it was all well worth it. I've even recovered my lost suitcase now ;)

The village we live in, St, Sulpice, which is quite close to Muret and Toulouse, is absolutely gorgeous. Our house is 800  years old and reminds me so much of some old forgotten time. The whole town is like that too; approachable, scenic, and in short, perfectly lovely. The night of my arrival I was greeted with all the kindness one could imagine. A spacious and sweetly furnished room with 2 clocks(one with French time and one with American time), open arms and les bisous!, and of course, a meal fit for even the most important person(and much too grand for me!) We started with a scrumptious aperitif of fresh garden tomatoes, then we had duck and potatoes, all types of cheeses, mousse and macaroons for desert, and a delectable french coffee served in a dainty porcelain cup.

I could not imagine a better family! Their kindness, sense of humor, and readiness to help me learn the language is amazing. I haven't been speaking much of any English lately, which I'm quite glad about!

Further, today I went to my school for my books and I was told that I may be in track L! This means that I would study mainly literature in school, which would be a dream come true (: Mais pour maintenant, on attend!

I'll write more soon...but for now...

a la prochaine!
bisous :)

Procrastination Station: Closed

And I say, gone are my whimsical ways.

Okay fine, that is definitely not likely. However, I have succeeded in a great feat. For, unless my perception of time is significantly askew, today is not the night before I begin trekking the globe. It is in fact, ONE WEEK (give or take a day ;) before my voyage. And....and....I am packed!!! (crazy I know!) Packed in your dreams? you may ask. Partially packed? Almost packed but actually totally not? NO! I am so thoroughly packed that I have proceeded to weigh my bag some odd 5 times on my wii fit balance board. That takes some intense dedication if you didn't know. I will not, be the person I have been so many times before, who is in a miserable heap on the airport floor rifling through their suitcase and at the mercy of the "nice" check in lady who utters the unspeakable: overweight baggage.

And if you don't believe me...

 

 For some reason the silly picture wouldn't rotate even after I edited it! But there you have it, one suitcase and one carry on ready for action :)

Further, on my oh so riveting life, I met Lexington's most famous man today. No joke. The Henry Earl. Arrested 1333 times, more than anyone ever. I know, it's pretty fly. Plus, it was even better because I just so happened to be with two of my lovelies, Caroline and Aaron, sipping coffee, attempting to share cake, and dancing animatedly in the rain (aaron excluded in this endeavor). I will miss them both an extremelyclosetoseriouslyunfathomable amount. But hey, that means we have more adventures to share in the long run.

That would be Caro and me soaking up the drizzle. :) cheers to Aaron-the photographer. ;)

One more thing, I even have my very Rotary inspired traveling outfit ready for take-off. I'm hoping it actually helps me find some fellow rotarians :) 

Can't wait until it's covered in worldly "je ne sais quoi"! I'll just let it have a mind of its own.

A bientot...j'espere (:

Sunshine and Goodbyes

So, yesterday I forgot to post...and thus, I'll attempt to make up for it now. :) 

Yesterday I had quite the day with my sister snatched at birth ;) The lovely, Anna Katori Smith-Sargent!

 

Yes...I am quite aware that we look absolutely ridiculous. That's the way we like it! Anna helped me shop for some host family gifts, (delicious kentuckian bourbon truffles!) and then we proceeded to walk some odd 5 miles up to the woodland art fair and back. Might I add it was not at all a relief to "be back"  as we were not home for ten minutes before we had a lovely night of babysitting. Ah the joys of teendom... Nevertheless, it was another epic time to add to our list, and I'll miss her fiercely! Although every time she mentioned that "Eva...this is one of our last days together..." I sincerely wanted to whap her on the head endearingly.

Today was another bittersweet interlude. I got up early( and yes 9 is early ^^), and we went to the Arboretum(really gorgeous flower garden) to take pictures of the family before I go off on my own adventure. It was one of those perfect days that makes you really appreciate what you have, with the sun beating down on your face as you smile up into it and see flowers as far stretching as the sea...  It was weird thinking that my 4 and 6 year old sisters won't be jumping on my back, pulling my hair, and acting out stories wherein I'm a magical dancing leaf a week from now. It really is surreal. 

Again on the bittersweet note, I said a final goodbye to my grandparents today. Thankfully, they've discovered whatsapp(an amazing free international texting app that you should all get btw!) and I'll be keeping in touch. :) 

p.s. Eva the procrastinator actually made a to do/to pack list today! I know I shouldn't be too proud of myself but....well...a little self approval isn't awful right?

Salut pour maintenant ;)

Sweet Suspense/Aching anxiety!

School started.

It's one of those moments when you can see your life changing. Of course, you don't notice it to its full extent because you're the one standing in the whirlwind but yet, you're vaguely aware that everything you knew for certain is no longer certain at all. I realize this. I realize that my life will never go back to this point again. In ten days, I turn over one of those age old "new chapters" and my life begins anew. It's exhilarating. The Thrill. Pure adrenaline rushing already as I think of the insignificance of ten days.  Even now that everyone I know here has gone back to the normal way of things, routine-get up, go to school, come home, I realize how much more I want! I thought maybe I'd miss going to school, that I'd feel lonely or out of place, but I feel pleasantly free. More than that, I feel a hope that I haven't felt in a long time. Of course, with every passing day I worry, I stress, I wonder if France will be everything I always wanted it to be. Yet, then I realize it shouldn't be. It should be something entirely  different that I shouldn't be able to imagine. So yes, suspense is sweet, bittersweet that is...and my heart is pulsing with yearning for what is, and yearning for what will be. Being human is crazy sometimes. I'm not too great at keeping up with things, but this is something I'll really try to commit to. At least weeklyish. :) So here we go. Let the countdown begin! 

p.s. If anyone's interested, here's my school in Muret, France!