Village dans le ciel ( Village in the sky)

So I'm gonna start at last weekend. Yzabel, Cannelle and I went festival in Frejus (a larger town on the sea). There was a dancing competition, people flying model airplanes (I think gas powered), people roller skating, riding bikes, music, booths, and lots of other things. It was really nice because the entire week it had been raining, and we were finally able to enjoy sunny weather!

School went good last week; the craziest thing to happen was... While in history class, some students near the window noticed something and all the class ran to the window (teacher included) and saw that smoke was coming from the building across the courtyard. We heard the fire truck come, and there were lots of students out in the courtyard. We asked the teacher if we should evacuate, but she said no. Over the intercom someone said something, which I think had to do with not evacuating, because the teacher gave us an "I told you so" look. I turns out that it was either grass or a tree just outside the complex, I'm guessing it was started by a cigarette.

Wednesday was mine and France's one month (four week) anniversary, and what a month it's been! I really can't believe it's only been a month. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but that's not the case here! Friday night I got some really, really awesome news, which I'll tell you about next week...it's really awesome!! Saturday morning I went on a short run around the town, it's hard to know where to run, but I think I figured out a good route that I'll try out soon. Then Claude's mother came. She was so kind and made me feel like her grandson. She told me to call her Mamie (grandma), which was very nice.

Then Claude, Yzabel, Mamie and I went to a town called Tourtour, (Village dans le ciel). It was truly incredible. The village is at the top of one of the higher hill/mountains around (630 m). There's a spring at a high point in the town whose water runs under the streets and powers all the fountains, and many old stone buildings.

Now, it’s Monday night. School was good today, I spent a lot of time in CDI (the study hall/library) working on different things. For example: registering with the US embassy and looking up information on Hamlet, (I have an essay due next Monday). Thursday night I’m going to the Rotary meeting again (they have it once a month). Saturday me and the eight other Rotary exchange students of the Var and Alpes Maritime are going on a boat ride from St.Raphael to St.Tropez , and then having a picnic with our families. I’m pretty psyched! So that's all for now! I think you’re groovy in a far out kinda way (Quick! Name that movie!). I hope you’re all well!

-Eli

P.S. I know I leave out lots of details, so if you have any questions send them via email/comment and next week I can answer all your questions on the blog post.

New Pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/elitinkfort/September272009Tourtour#

http://picasaweb.google.com/elitinkfort/September192009ToSeptember262009#

Paris vs. Monaco

Since last Wednesday...
The rest of the school week went well
Things worth mentioning (in school):

Used CDI(The study hall/library with computers,very nice)

The sport in "Sport" this week was rock climbing.They have ,(What I think is), a really nice rock-wall...I had a lot of fun with it, I think it's nothing special to the other kids because they didn't seem too excited, I however hadn't been rock climbing since I was about 9.

The schedule was getting changed a lot, until they finalized it on Friday.

At the beginning of one class a lady from the administration came and talked about the grippe(The flu/H1N1( ash un en un)) I think. From her and motions she was saying to cough into a tissue or your arm, and wash your hands a lot.A friend told me she also talked about school dismissal , if three kids in our group have H1N1 than nobody in the group is allowed to come to lycee for a week.



So the weekend was good.

Saturday we mostly relaxed around the house. In the evening we,(Claude, Yzabel, Cannelle, and I) went shopping for outdoor lights for the pool. We first went to a store that just sold lights, I thought it was really cool because they had lots of cool modern style lights, it sort of reminded me of "The Sims". Then we looked at 2 larger stores, much like Ace Hardware or Home Depot.

Sunday, the family, Mark( a family friend)his son, and I went to Monaco to see a football match.Monaco ,from what I saw, is a really nice country(or city-state).The game was really great. Paris and Monaco were playing. The stands at the stadium weren't full ,only(ha ha ,'only') 10 thousand people,(it was a Sunday), but there was definitely lots of energy. At the ends of the field in the stands were Paris supporters and ,opposite, Monaco supporters. It was cool to hear the cheers and the back and forth. The most interesting thing to me was that the fans on those ends were allowed to set off flares and fireworks. There was a fire man at each end specially to gather the flares before they burnt down and extinguish them. There were also about 20 security guards at each end of the field. Yzabel explained that this was to keep to fans from coming onto the field and fighting.( You can see a video in the album I put up. The game it self was a lot fun to watch.It was a tie until the last 5-ish minutes when Monaco unfortunately made two points in a row,... we were routing for Paris ,but it was still tons of fun. It was a really good night.

The craziest thing that happened:Before the beginning of the the game there was a moment of silence , because a fan had died...and then later there was another moment of silence...because another fan died...

So now it's Friday night...Saturday morning... Another school week has gone by. It went good this week, I'm making more and more friends daily, which is very good!

It's been rainy here but I can't complain, even with the rain, I think it's really beautiful.I have been tired a lot. I was told by RYE(Rotary Youth Exchange)that I would feel really tired sometimes, so it's not a big surprise. I've missed home and family a lot this week,but no surprise there either!I feel blessed that I have so many people here that are so kind and helpful. Everything they do helps me feel more at home.

And Now...dut da da dahh...Random Different Things!
The light switches:There a square, if there's two lights, it's the same size, just two thinner switches


I eat cheese at the end of (nearly) every dinner.Not kraft either,it's delicious (sometimes very) stinky cheese!

Some of the roads seem to small for one car,but they're two way roads...sometimes even charter buses drive on them! Yikes!

No school sports teams

At the supermarket you either bring your own bags, or buy recycled ones that are'100 % recyclable' for .03 euros. It seems really smart to me, I haven't seen one cheap(...or expensive) plastic bag on the ground, in a tree, or being blown around on the highway.

The milk can last a really long time(un-opened ) without being refrigerated.I think it's some kind of extreme pasteurization...if anybody knows more about this, don't be afraid to tell me, I've been kind of curious.

People take their dogs a lot of places,it seams like, in general small dogs are more popular.

People have producing olive and fig trees in their back yards.

The school cafe sells coffee and espresso, and doughnuts with nuttella filling, and bread with chocolate filling, and fresh fruit.

There's a butchery where you can get a variety of fresh meat

Tons of other stuff!


Hope everything is going good with your family ,friends,school,college, health, work, unemployment, retirement , vacation, ...whatever!
-Eli

P.S. I was really excited to see I was in the (Fayette)paper this week!It really makes me glad to know that i have so much support back home! I just wanted to make a correction,my town has a population of about 5000, not 8000,(It's my fault the paper said that, at the Rotary meeting I went to, I answered a question incorrectly )

New Album:
http://picasaweb.google.com/elitinkfort/September102009ToSeptember162009FootballInMonacoEct#

Garlic Flavored Mayo

  Sunday morning my family, family friends,and I went to a town festival (fete) in the nearby village of Fayence(please notice the name, it’s like Fayette plus Provence).The town was incredibly beautiful,especially looking at it from a distance. This , of course, doesn't give the town justice

 

 

This one has a better view of the town…but unfortunately there's a gate in the way…

So once we got to the town, we found a parking spot, and walked down to a small courtyard area, with a band stand, and long tables where people were sitting down.We found our table and sat down. Yzabel took out plates, silverware ,water and cups, and friends took out their baguettes.Then the band played, lots of older songs from the USA, and we waited for the meal.

First ,the …organizers of the festival(?) brought out cantaloupe halves. everyone ate them, then stacked them, the organizers got the remains and then brought out the aioli(the mayo stuff,sometimes called the Provencal butter) in  bowls, I think at least one bowl per person.You an see a few pics of the aioli bellow

 

Then they brought out the main course, fish, beets, potato, green beans, carrots,and a hard boiled egg(all of which was eaten with the aioli). Then dessert, an apple tart.

After eating people danced to the band, songs like “It’s Raining Men”, “Cotton Eye Joe”, “Lets Twist Again”, and of course lots of songs in French which I would love to tell about you sometime when my French has improved.There were lots of songs in French that were group dance songs(kinda like the electric slide)

It was a very fun day, good music, good food, and good friends.

Monday I started school again, since last time,not a whole lot new (but there are a couple things).

I started riding the bus, which is a new experience for me.Not only have I never rode the bus to school, but their School bus program is different. If I understand correctly, they hire out charter bus companies to go between the towns and the school at the most needed times.The buses are very nice and far more comfortable than the yellow school buses of home, but I think to ride them you have to buy a bus card.

Yesterday, I had my first “Sport” class. At the school, there is a track, an outdoor basketball area, an indoor rock climbing wall, and an indoor (double)gym.For the first class(like in everyother class)we filled out a sheet which asked our name,parents’ names , occupations,marital status,and phone numbers, where we live, and our phone numbers .The PE one also asked if we have health issues and about our sport skills and likes.After filling out the sheet, we went out side and did track stuff.*random fact: It’s not unusual to see smashed(and un-smashed) escargot on the track…yum!*

Today was wednesday , which , for me, means i go to school at 10:00 AM, and get done at 12:00PM(i just have 2 hours of economy.

This afternoon/evening me and Yzabel went to  “Chapelle Sainte-Roseline” ,A vineyard/Historic chapel where St.Rosline resides.It was very beautiful.  

              

Sorry for the bad quality, camera’s weren’t allowed in the chapel…but there were postcards for sale!

here’s the link to new pics : http://picasaweb.google.com/elitinkfort/September42009ToSeptember82009TownFeteInFayenceEct#

So that’s all for today folks

a bientot!

School Begins

So Monday I met the Principle .He was very nice...at least his tone seamed nice and he smiled a lot...and from what I understood, he said that my grades won't be important at first, and to focus on learning French. We(My host parents and I) also filled out some paperwork . On Tuesday, Yzabel,Cannelle, and I went to Hyper U another supermarket. It's interesting.The Supermarkets(The two I've been to) are kind of built into small malls. You walk in the main entrance labeled HYPER U and there are lots of small shops, and then there's a unclosed off, no wall, no doors, entrance ,to a large store. It's like WALMART only more appealing.For instance, there's a fresh fish area, with tons of exotic(for me)seafood.For example:flat fish, squid tentacle-looking things, and sea snails.
Wednesday I went to school for the first time at 2 PM. There's a girl who is the daughter of a man who works a lot in the USA.She knows a lot of English and is helping me out.

My classes:Europe/French History
English(I think I might get an A in this class!)
Math(Pretty easy so far, we learned about percentages)
French Literature( The Prof is very nice and speaks a little English)
Biology (from the pictures , more like sex ed)
Economy
Civics
Sport
Last night Yzabel and I went to the district 1730 Rotary meeting. It was in a local restaurant At Les Arcs. We arrived a couple minutes late and there were only a few people there. After 10 minutes or so, all 17 people were there. I sat next to two men who spoke English, they were very nice and explained different things about the meeting. On my other side was Yzabel and the YEO(Youth Exchange Officer) not for 1730, but for all of Southern France.I received a district banner from the President... ...and then we ate. First, we were offered water,(Tap or sparkling) then wine, then the main course was brought out,(Steak, mashed potatoes and eggplant),The Rotary members talked about something, then dessert,I don't know what it's called, but its delicious!After dessert, coffee. I learned that I am the First and only exchange student in this district, which I'm fine with, I was just looking forward to meeting other exchange students...


Now a segment I like to call "Things that I Immediately Noticed were Different"
(Theme Music)
(In no particular order)
1.The gate in front of the school is usually locked, and is opened at the start of school, and closed when all the kids are inside. It's locked throughout the day. And is opened during long breaks.
2.Kids,(my age) a lot of the time on breaks smoke,but their only allowed to smoke outside the gate.
3. PDA(Public Display of Affection) is not banned like it is at FHS.
4. They have a cafe where students hang out, (it has a TV, foosball, ect)
5.everybody speaks french
6.Several floors.
7. Many breaks through out the day
8.Lunch is an entire hour and it's a serve yourself type deal
9.Your group(26 kids) goes to (almost) all the same classes
10.You don't have the same classes everyday(or every other day)
11.If you don't have classes sometime(for instance until 12 on Friday), You don't have to go to school until 12.
12.Several classes last 2 hours.
13.You have 4 hours of break every other Thursday
14. It's a lot more difficult to pay attention when you can hardly understand anything the teacher is saying.
15. There are several different buildings, but generally, all the classes you have are in the same building
16.There's a large courtyard,where kid's hang out while not in class, so when in class ,you can often hear people talking outside
17.No AC
18. If it's sunny enough the teachers leave the lights off
19.Apparently you have to buy your own novels for literature
20. If I understand correctly, if the teacher is absent,for a day or couple of days, class is canceled, so if your last class is math,and the math prof is sick, you go home early
21Insted of a bell between classes, there's a trumpet type fanfare
22.Lots of other stuff....

I hope all is well, all is well, here!