THE BUS TRIP!!!!!

Well, my blog has been a little lonely the past month. i have been neglecting it.... sorry (la flemme!!!! ) anyway, I knew i just had to do a post on my bus trip. It was the best 12 days of my life :)

We started off in Reims, France where there is this beautiful cathedral----- Then the next day was spent in Strasbourg! it was absolutely gorgeous. one of my favorite cities we visited. There was an area called "la petite France" and all the house were sooo cute! i loved it. After Strasbourg we headed across the border to Germany!!!!! We spent the day in Munich which was really neat. We had a guided tour where we saw the old office building of Hilter, a nude parc (and i mean COMPLETELY NUDE.... quite a few old men just basking in the sun...). We also tasted authentic german pretzels :) yummmy.

After Munich, we visited Chateau Linderkof just next to the German/Austrian border. It was verrry pretty.

Just after the chateau we went to Innsbruck, Austria! Another one of my favorites. it was truely amazing. We went on a guided tour, ate delicious traditional food, bought some souvenirs and then hung out next to the big river...... great day! Also, that night we stayed in a really neat hotel on a hill over looking a little village. I felt like i was in the Sound of Music :)

After Austria---- ITALIA!!!!! We started off in Verona, the town of Romeo and Juliet... We saw Juliet's balcony (not sure how since she was fiction.... but still it was cool) also, there we saw the wall where everyone writes messages to Juliet (like in the movie!) it was fun. I also ate my first italian pasta! sooooo delicious. Verona was a great town! really romantic.

Our first night it Italy we stayed in a hotel on the beach. it was sooo great. Also, our first dinner in Italy was CRAZY!!! so we all sat down to eat and the serveurs brought us out big plates of pasta (it was sooo yummy) and so after eating that they cleared off the plates and brought out another plat of chicken and vegetables!!!!!! We were soooooo surprised. we were already full from the pasta because for us pasta is the main dish. but in italy its just a starter. it was soo funny. and then after that dish there was dessert (luckily it was just a bowl of fruit! i couldnt handle anymore!) The night after the "starter" was LASAGNA!!!!! as a starter!!!!! that was so weird for me. a little bit toooo much food. Anyway, the 2nd in Italy was spent in Venice! possibly the most beautiful place in the world. Here, I ate at a fun restaurant next to one of the canals, went on a gondola ride, and just enjoyed the beauty. it was a dream.

After Venice we made our way to Florence! Here we saw Michelangelo's David and visited an amazing italien market. We didnt have great weather, but it was still amazing. Also, ate some amazing gelato!

Our final day in Italy was Pisa!!!!! Here we took a million touristy photos with the Leaning Tower, did some shopping at the market, and of course ate some pizza! Pizza in Pisa :)

After saying "Arrivederci" to Italy, we said Bonjour to Monaco. Another one of my FAVORITES. It was absolutely amazing. Its in own little country--- 2 km squared! thats all! it was like the Beverley Hills of Europe. Unbelievable boats and cars... Not one piece of litter to be seen. It was incredible. i would love to live here. We took a guided tour which was really interesting- she took us to a place where we were able to see 3 different countries at once (la France, L'Italie, et Le Monaco!) also, there is a street were one side is France and the other is Monaco, but its just a normal street with houses! soo funny. also, we saw the prince!!!! the real prince of monaco. Prince Albert (the son of Grace Kelly!) We were next to his castle watching the guards change and all of a sudden the guards started talking on their walkie talkies and clearing people out of the way. and 10 seconds later there was the prince driving up in his car. It was really fast, but we saw him anway! it was cool :) I love Monaco!!!!!

After Monaco we made a few stops in France (Lyon, Annecy, Avignon). We didnt have much time there, but just after Annecy we went to Geneva, Switzerland. Here we toured the United Nations and of course bought swiss chocolate!!!! it was great.

After Switzerland it was back home to Paris! It went by WAYYYY to fast, but i enjoyed every minute of it. C'etait TROP bien..... I'm sad that its over, but im glad i was able to do it!

♥ ♥ ♥!

its been awhile!

i haven't been a very faithful blogger lately. sorry!

Last week I was pretty sick which wasnt fun. I missed two days of school and just starting feeling better this weekend. So a quick overview of the past two weeks----

We have been having amazing weather here in France. I pulled out the gladiator sandals for the first time of 2011 and it was soooo nice :) One weekend I went to Paris with some of my exchange friends and we visited l'hotel des invalides and then bought some ice cream and ate it in the parc in front of the tour eiffel. I love paris in the springtime! its sooo beautiful.

That night I had a Rotary Gala- we ate really yummy food, danced, and my rotary club surprised me by putting my name on ALL the champagne bottle logos because it was the 26th of march which meant my 7th month in france! They also gave one to me for a souvenir. it was so special. That night i started to feel a little crummy which was too bad, but i still was able to enjoy myself. Anyway--- the next 4 days I was sick so they weren't too productive. This last weekend I had a Rotary international dinner (all the students had to cook a main dish and dessert from their country). I made BBQ ribs and brownies. They were a hit! I was very proud of myself. That night I stayed with Claire's family (Claire is a french girls whos leaving next year on an exchange) because it got over really late. It was fun. Her family owns a cheese store so I got to try some new kinds for lunch the next day. Talking to Claire about exchanges was so weird because I remember when I was the one getting ready to leave and asking tons of questions and waiting for information about my country/family. Now i'm the expert! I can't believe it. 7 months have already gone by. All the other students and I have made a rule that forbids talking about leaving because its too sad.....

Anyway, new subject- yesterday I made some delicious cinnamon rolls (I COOK NOW! first thanksgiving dinner, then ribs, brownies, cookies, and now cinnamon rolls? who would have guessed...?) I want to eat them all, but i know i have to share. . . .

Also, ready for the best news ever?!?!?! FRIDAY I LEAVE FOR THE BUS TRIP!!!!!!!!

I'm going with tons of students from my district and we start in Strasbourg then go to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco and then finish back in France! i'm sooooo excited. I just want to fast-forward through the next 3 days (no, actually i shouldn't say that because time is going by too fast already. ) I get back the 19th of April and then the next day I am going to l'Ile de Re avec my host family! Its an island off the west coast of France and I heard it is amazing. Nicholas (my host dad's family lives there so we are going for easter). So yea pretty much this month is going to be amazing.

well, there you go! my little update :)

bisous,

emily

fountainebleau!

This afternoon I went rock climbing at Fontainebleau! It was sooo beautiful and fun. The weather was fantastic, 70 degrees! It was nice to get some fresh forest air. It reminded me a lot of McCall. I'm not super talented when it comes to rock-climbing, but i like it a lot and i am improving little by little!
Today I conquered an orange climb which was named "assez difficile" (rather difficult!) haha i was proud of myself. Anyway, I am off to bed. ! bizzzous

Un Tramway Nommé Désir.

yesterday was a great day :) The Lasserres took me to La Comedie Francaise to see "A Streetcar Named Desir" well it was in French so "Un Tramway Nommé Désir" by Tennessee Williams. It was the first American play to be put on at the Comedie Francaise! isn't that cool?! It was really good. The actors were amazing. and I understand almost everything!!! It made me miss drama so much. The Comedie Francaise is really cool inside (i tried to take a picture of it but i got in trouble haha). Its still hard for me to believe that I am able to go to the theater in Paris. It makes me realize how lucky i am.
oh, before the theater we ate in Paris at a authentic American diner! haha it was funny :) and yummmy. I had a real cheeseburger, fries , and an Oreo milkshake! It was delicious but i ate wayy to much!
I got home at 12:30am so it was a good thing I started school at noon today! Anyway, in short it was a great evening spent in paris! MERCI LES LASSERRES!
bisous,
em

le soleil!

j'aime le soleil!!!! It was sooooo nice today! actually hot with a lot of sunshine. it was fantastic. spring is really here. Also, this morning I started school at 1pm. oh how I love France and its no substitutes teachers. I had 3 hours of class today. nice and easy.
After school, Pascaline Solene and I made rasberry smoothies/milkshakes which we drank on the patio so we could take full advantage of the sunshine. After that we messed around with the webcam on my laptop hahah we were bored.... (as you can see from the photos...) we finished the evening off my watching top chef and eating dinner.
It was a really relaxing, nice day :)
well, off to bed because unfortunetly i dont start at 1pm tomorrow.....
bisous
em

bienvenue chez moi!

Ok I finally got around to taking pictures of my new house :)

so here is a little tour for you all!

outside--the entryway and stairs---the kitchen----the dining room----the living room---my bedroom----

voila!!! its not the entire house, but a good part of it :)

bisous!

L'anniversaire de Krystel!

Today was really fun :) I spent the day with my french friends for Krystel's birthday. First we all went to her house in Vaires to eat a delicious Guadelopean meal because her family is from there. It was soooo good. I dont remember what it was called but it was a plat with rice, zucchini, potatoes, and chicken with a really yummy sauce and for dessert we had a cake called "Mont Blanc." Yummm. After that we all hung out for a bit and then went to Paris to watch a movie. It was a really fun day. I love hanging out with my friends from school (even if i still don't understand everything), they are always fun.
Sorry for the short post but i'm tired :)
bonne nuit!
emily

beautiful weather!

having lovely weather always puts me in such a great mood :) today the sun is shining and its in the 60s. and just to add to the great day i didn't have school! This morning my french class and i went to the movie theater (not sure why because the film was in english with french subtitles....weird for a french class to see) and then my teacher had meetings or something so we didnt have school for the rest of the day! its nice. I went on a nice walk with Sophie to get out and enjoy the weather.

But yea, life is good! i loving france more and more. Time is going by way too fast. I can't believe it. One month until the bus trip! i remember talking about it in september and saying wow thats so far away, but here it is! oh la.

Anyway i am all settled in my new family and its going really great. I will post pictures of the new house soon. Sorry I've been neglecting blogging! I'll try to be better.

Today is mardi gras and so we are having a crepe night! miam miam!

bisous!

em

2eme semaine de vacances!

the 2nd week of vacation went by wayyy to fast. Mariana stayed with me the whole week which was really fun :) i miss you already haha. Well, i am just going to give a quick run-down of the week because i dont feel like typing very much. One day Sophine took Pascaline, Mariana and I to the Centre d'Agriculture in Paris which was really funny haha. It was a huuuuuuge building filled with livestock--cows, pigs, goats, chickens, donkeys--- it was like the fair! Another day I went to paris with Mariana, Jack, and Jose. We visited the Centre Pompidou which was a good choice because it was raining a lot. Another day I helped Mariana cook a mexican dinner for my family. It turned out really good. We had guacamole, enchiladas, beans and flan. It was so nice to eat mexican food again. i miss it a lot haha even though in Twin its not considered authentic. Yesterday, we went to Paris to watch Black Swan which was a realllllllly weird movie. I am surprised that it is nominated for awards... to each his own i guess. and last night mariana, sophie, nicholas, i and the Lasserres had a dinner with a couple from Rotary where we ate a saurkraut dish. We didnt get home until 2 in the morning..... oh la. Anyway, there is my week! I am sad that my vacation is over... school tomorrow.... joy!
hahah
well xoxo
em

La Marmotte dans les Alpes♥

Coucou! I just got home from a week-long ski vacation in the Alps (crazy right?!) It was so much fun. We stayed in the cabin of Isabelle's grandparents, called "La marmotte" or in English "The Groundhog" :) The weather was FANTASTIC, which meant there wasn't snow around the cabin, but it was perfect because there was enough snow on the mountains to ski and snowboard. It was so sunny and beautiful that we were never cold skiing! it was great.

I invited my french friend Valentine to come with us which was super fun :) I love her. She's hilarious. Plus it was like having a french teacher with me at all times.

We went skiing at "Le Grand Bornand." Another plus to having not a ton of snow was that there weren't that many people on the mountain! My host families said that normally there are sooo many people that the lines for the chair lift took forever, but for us there was practically no wait.

Aurelien, Valentine, and I went skiing 5 of the days. It was nice. After skiing we would take a little nap and then play some games with the rest of the fam. One evening we went sledding, another we went and watched hockey and another we went to Annecy(the town I am going to live it when I'm older.) :)

The last night we all went out to a delicious restaurant where I had a tartiflette. soooooo good. It was a great end to a great vacation.

I am so grateful for my two great host families :) and now I can cross "Go skiing in the Alps" off my list of things to do before I die!

I am now in my 2nd host family, the Gabelotauds, and my mexican sister Mariana is coming to stay with us for a week while her host family is gone. Im excited because shes going to make us a delicious mexican meal!!!!!

xoxoxox

em