My Semester in France

2008-01-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

Home at last, but ready to go back already!!

2008-01-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

Je suis devenue une vrais francaise!!

2008-01-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

Famous scenes in Avignon...I will miss them

2008-01-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

Avignon, le cite des papes

2007-12-10T04:45:00.001-08:00

Opera "Mireille" in Avignon

2007-12-10T04:30:00.001-08:00

Ice Skating In Avignon!

2007-11-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

midnight bowling :)

2007-11-25T06:43:00.000-08:00

brrr! Its cold here!

2007-11-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

The masked ball...I won a prize for mine!!

2007-11-25T06:36:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving celebrated the poor french student way!!

2007-11-13T06:04:00.000-08:00

Haloween in Itally. We spent it in Triora...the town of witches

2007-11-13T05:23:00.000-08:00

Walking around, like professional photographers, having our own little photo shoots in San Remo

2007-11-13T05:18:00.000-08:00

we walked and walked and walked some more...I was sure to get my monthly, even yearly excersize requirements in

2007-11-13T05:14:00.000-08:00

Market day in Itally

2007-11-13T05:09:00.000-08:00

Some pictures taken by yours truely of scenes around San Remo, Itally

2007-11-05T04:31:00.001-08:00

Picking Olives in San Remo Itally. The best part was to taste the olive oil right after it was pressed.

2007-11-05T04:23:00.001-08:00

My 21st birthday party!! VIP at "Le Bocaos"...thank you Kelsey!!!

2007-11-05T04:17:00.001-08:00

2007-11-05T04:13:00.001-08:00

2007-11-05T04:10:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to Party hard for my 21st Birthday!!!!

2007-10-22T04:28:00.001-07:00

Simon and I in the cheese museum in Beaufort...very interesting haha

2007-10-22T04:24:00.001-07:00

2007-10-22T04:21:00.001-07:00

The girls and the boys having fun in the mountains

2007-10-22T04:14:00.000-07:00

Scenic views from the lake next to our cabin...it was so cold!

2007-10-22T04:09:00.001-07:00

Magnificent view of the Alpes

2007-10-22T04:02:00.001-07:00

The girls...Katy, Kelsey, and me!!

2007-10-22T03:55:00.001-07:00

The boys in the kitchen making dinner...another thing we rarely see. Last picture, from left to right: Simon, Adil, and Mounir

2007-10-22T03:46:00.001-07:00

Views from our cabin (behind me in the first picture) as well as views from around town. the pictures don't do any justice to the scenery.

2007-10-22T03:42:00.001-07:00

My room and the kitchen in the tiny little shack that we rented for the weekend in the Alpes...pathetic! ;)

2007-10-22T03:40:00.001-07:00

The gang...and then the boys drinking tea...something we're not used to ;)

2007-10-22T03:37:00.001-07:00

We went and saw Les Misérables. It was so beautiful!

2007-10-22T03:36:00.001-07:00

We ended up finding China Town :)

2007-10-22T03:33:00.001-07:00

Spending the afternoon at Hyde Park...absolutely lovely luv!

2007-10-22T03:31:00.001-07:00

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down...

2007-10-22T03:24:00.001-07:00

The guys we met in London. They were great!

2007-10-22T03:19:00.001-07:00

Our visit to the British Museum...very big, very interesting. We even got seduced by Italian men!

2007-10-22T03:17:00.001-07:00

Eating fish and chips...dan! I ate fish...and liked it!

2007-10-22T03:15:00.001-07:00

IM IN LONDON!!!

2007-10-22T03:11:00.001-07:00

This was our residence during our stay in London...barely tolerable ;)

2007-10-17T05:12:00.000-07:00

BIG BEN

2007-10-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

This was our room and bathroom in the hostel. Everything was co-ed, even the pretty pink and purple WCs. :)

2007-10-17T05:01:00.000-07:00

OUR TRIP TO LONDON!

We stayed at St. Christopher's hostel in Greewich. It was located right above St. Christopher's pub...quite an experience!

2007-10-11T07:53:00.001-07:00

Haha...the water was actually that green because of the grass...thought Simon fit in well :)

2007-10-11T07:50:00.001-07:00

There's me and the gorge...it was so dry, we were able to climb right down into it. it was very impressive and big although this photo doesn't do it justice

2007-10-11T07:37:00.001-07:00

Here I am at "la Fontaine de Vaucluse." too bad it was so dry

2007-10-11T07:28:00.001-07:00

This is the cute little puppy that got hit by the bus that i carried 20 minutes that we finally brought to the vet...quite a chore, but i mean, look at that face! how can you resist it?!

Daddy daddy! I want this car!!! can i have it please?

2007-10-01T02:32:00.000-07:00

This was my trip to Cassis...on the southern coast of France. The weather was ideal, and the water was beautiful. Alot of "wish you were here" pictures.

2007-09-29T06:26:00.001-07:00

my class...well, most of them. bottom photo from top to bottom, left to right, Russian, Russian, Danish, Hungarian, American :), Brazilian, and american. we also have Chinese and Philipino :)

2007-09-29T06:18:00.001-07:00

getting ready for our "fun and exciting treasure hunt!!!" woohoo!

2007-09-29T06:15:00.001-07:00

me in front of the palace at night...beautiful

2007-09-29T06:04:00.000-07:00

The gang from paintball... we had an awsome team!!!!

2007-09-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

Check out the Alps in the background! :)

2007-09-13T06:40:00.000-07:00

here I am on the beach at Montpelier...the southern coast of France...best beaches I've seen in a long time!

2007-09-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love shopping!???

2007-09-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Some artistic Photos of Avignon. Can't wait to take more! so many opportunities! (I just don't want to look like a tourist with the camera around my neck! ;)

2007-09-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Candy!! All of this candy is made from real fruits, and the most popular are sugar-coated olives...pretty tastey!

2007-09-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here we are at "Les Beaux de Provence"- literal translation, the hansomes of Provence. It is a city built directly from the mountain...basically built into the French alps. Its beautiful...and very windy. haha! :)

2007-09-04T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is "L'Universite d'Avignon"...where I will be studying for the next 4 months starting Sept. 12. It used to be an old hospital...Its beautiful!

2007-09-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

So this is "le pont de la Gare" also known as aquaducts left to us by the Romans. I was very impressed at its gradeur. It was absolutley beautiful! It reminded me of Dan because when he helped my study for my art history test, he was most impressed by this monument. wish you were here!

2007-09-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here is where I will be living for the next 4 months! It is sooo cute, and I feel veryat home here! I have the best living arrangements out of all the students. They all are living in a house, with a family and they only have a room to themselves. I have an entire appartment! of course, I eat dinner with my host family, but other than that, Im on my own! its great! I ave a house completely separate from their house. I have my own mailbox and doorbell as well. how cool is that!?

2007-09-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

Here we are being real tourists getting our charicatures drawn...pathetic, I know, but we were just waiting around and thought it would be a fun way to pass the time...it was!

2007-09-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

Traveling around the world is HARD work! :)

2007-09-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the top of the pope's palace. What a goreous view! and in that tower behing me, we had coffee and icecream.

2007-09-02T13:07:00.000-07:00

Walking around today, we found a very open air theatre...so, I decided to show off my god-given talent and perform for everyone!

2007-09-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Bird's eye view of Avignon

2007-09-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

Street artists...Its been 3 days, and they are still working on it. its beautiful. Plus, the main guy has really shaky hands.

2007-09-02T12:53:00.000-07:00

Me inside the palace of the popes. The grass looked so good and my feet hurt sooo bad! and we weren't allowed on it! Dan! can we live here? they have nice grass! ;)

2007-09-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

I am at the highest point in Avignon noe...you can't see them, but a little to my right are the French alps. They were lost in the fog, but on a good day, I'm sure I can capture them. It was so windy up here!

2007-09-02T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here I am in fromt of "le Palais des Papes" or the Palace of the Popes. It is here where many of them lived and are burried. Its a huge castle with so many little passageways. I wish I could've gotten lost in it!

2007-09-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

What a hard life I have! Relaxing in Dijon with my bottle of wine. All thats missing is Dan next to me :(

2007-09-02T12:24:00.000-07:00

We eat and eat and eat and eat! thank goodness we're walking do much! the food is delicious and my favorite drink in a "pressed lemon" where they literally give you a glass of lemon juice, a cup of water and some sugar. I should just tell them not to bring the water and sugar! ;)

2007-09-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

The wooden screw for Cathy. There were and are so many photo opportunities around here!

2007-09-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

here I am buying condoms on the side of the street...well, not really. I don't have any use for them over here, but hey! at least France is practicing safe sex! :)

2007-09-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

So I have finally arrived in Avignon! It’s a wonderful town with plenty to do. Actually, there are a lot of tourists and a lot of tourist attractions, which, admittedly, I don’t mind. J My feet hurt to much though from all the walking we’ve been doing…I better be loosing weight! Haha. We have been walking quite a bit, but we have also been eating a lot as well. Although, here in France, we eat well. Nothing is greasy, and the portions are reasonable. We have been visiting museums and palaces alike for two days straight…not to mention the amazing boutiques they have here! I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time and money on the main shopping boulevards. Today we visited the pope’s palace, here in Avignon. It was absolutely breathtaking, although the tour was somewhat lame. All the interesting passageways were blocked off, and there were so my tourists (I don’t consider myself one of them haha) that you couldn’t think straight. The weather was beautiful though. The day we arrived in Avignon, a “mistral” (strong tornado-like winds known only in southern France) came with us. For the first two days we were here, it felt as though we were in a tornado, but the sun was shining bright. Well, it’s gone now and the days are sunny and hot! Its gorgeous here!

2007-08-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

Le petit dejeuner...ie breakfast. It consists of french bread, butter, jam, and very strong coffee. The other people in the photo are the friendly innkeepers. We've known them for over 15 years when we stayed at this hotel a long long time ago.

2007-08-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

mom and I in our "suit" first class seat...the luxury was fantastic. and, we were the only women in first class, so we got special special attention. haha

2007-08-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Taking a wine bath...:)

2007-08-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've never drank so much wine in my life! its wonderful! :) ...except Im always tired now :)

2007-08-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

This castel was built especially for making wine back when they only had man power and wooden screws.

2007-08-30T14:40:00.000-07:00

we have arrived in wine country...vines as far as the eye can see!

2007-08-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

this is a car specially made for people who drink too much :) a liscense is not required, and it only goes 50 miles an hour. pretty practical!

2007-08-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Bonjour de Dijon! I have finally arrived in France. Other than the plane ride, getting here was hell. We were very blessed to get not only first class in the plane, but first class “suites!” This meant that we had our own little apartment where we could actually transform our seat into a completely horizontal bed. But after we landed, the trouble began. Being a 20 year old girl who will be living abroad for four months, I brought A LOT of suitcases! I wasn’t expecting to walk as much as we did or climb as many stairs as we did with 4 huge suitcases, plus a computer, plus our big purses. When we finally managed to get on our third and last train to our final destination (Dijon), it began to rain. From there, we had to take the bus for two hours and were dropped off at least 15 minutes (walking distance) from our hotel…with all our suitcases!...in the mud!! Luckily, we knew the innkeepers and called them to come pick us up. They weren’t even able to close the trunk of their car because it was so full. But, hey, we made it. We are currently staying in a small “hotel/tea room/ winery.” I don’t know what else to call it, but it is very quaint and very French. We slept like babies, and I didn’t want to wake up, but the sun was out, and grapes were being picked. We had arrived in wine country, where there are grape vines for literally thousands of miles. So, my mom and I decided to explore. We ended up visiting a couple castles where wine used to be made- very historic. I even ended up stealing a bunch of grapes from the vine because I got hungry along the way. They are actually quite good off the vine. I thought they’d be more like olives, where they don’t taste good straight off the tree, but once soaked and so on taste delicious. Well, these grapes were naturally wonderful. Already I have had more wine in one and a half days here than I have had in a month in Florida.
Tomorrow we leave to go to Avignon…our final final destination, and where I will be staying for four months. Apparently, there are wine festivals there every weekend until the end of September. I guess we got here just in time! Calling form France to the United States is a little bit complicated, but I seem to manage. I miss talking to Dan everyday…its not like just being 3 hours away. Once I get settled in my new home, and learn the ropes, it will be much easier. Also, as long as I stay busy, I don’t think as much about missing him, but these past few days, all I have been doing is sitting around waiting for trains and so on…Dan I miss you!!! Well, I have to get ready for dinner. We’re going out to a little local restaurant recommended to us by our friends, the innkeepers. We’ll see how that goes!

2 Weeks To Go!!

2007-08-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

So, with only two weeks to go until my grand departure, and can't help but think how much I will miss everyone- especially Dan. He threw a going away party this past weekend in my honor, which seemed to put a reality check on the fact that I was actually leaving! I have been an emotional wreck this past week, and hope I will be able to pull it together, but it doesn't look that way. I have started packing the winter clothes that I won't be needing here in Florida, and I have started shopping for all the little appliances and doo-dads I may need while abroad. All that's left for me to buy is a converter. Needless to say, I am ecstatic that I will be living in France for 4 months, and Dan couldn't be more supportive. I love him to death and will miss him dearly!

Beggining stages

2007-06-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well, so far, France is still distant in my mind. Right now, I'm just focused on getting a second job and spending as much time as I possibly can with the man in my life, my boyfriend Dan. However, nothing is stopping me from shopping for winter clothes which I will despirately need when I arrive. I live in Florida and right now, today, the temperature has already hit a sizzling 98 degrees and it is only noon. This explains why I have to shop for corduroy pants and thick coats. This also explains why I am not very successful in finding them. I might just have to wait till I get there!