Wrong Stop...

I’m gonna try to think of cooler and more creative things to post ...but for now I'll just give ya a recap

Lets see...

Wednesday: Awesome. Why is it awesome you ask?? Because I saw a movie in Draguignan with my exchange friend,Oneza. After school (dismissed at 12 on Wednesdays) Yzabel took me to the Gare (train/bus station) and helped me out by telling the conductor I was American and showing me how to give him money... I felt kind of stupid for being worried about it after I saw how simple it was. The bus ride was 10ish minutes to the station in Draguignan. Oneza and I ate some lunch at a small outdoor cafe type place. Then a kid from my school showed us where the theater was. The theater we went to was a small 5ish story building where (I think) there was a theater per floor. We decided to see ‘Fame’; we figured it would be easy to understand due to the likely cheesiness of it. We bought the tickets, the lady at the window seemed excited to have English (by English I mean she probably assumed by our bad French that we spoke English) speakers, which was awesome. We climbed a really small winding flight of stairs to get to our theater. It was a smallish room with a small screen. It was kind of awkward at first because we were too scared to talk above a whisper. Luckily for us a group of loud girls came in so we were able to talk in our regular voices. When the movie started it was clear that we were right about the cheesiness. It was possibly cheesier because of the dubbing and not being able to understand every plot detail. There were lots of (English) songs which helped. The best part was when one of the ladies sang a solo. She looked like the annoying chick from Will and Grace, but we couldn't tell for sure. When she sang, it was obvious. It was hilarious because the dubber’s voice wasn't at all like what’s-her-name's voice...probably doesn't sound too funny to you...but we couldn't stop laughing.

Thursday: Due to the economy teacher's absence I got done with school at 3 PM, which is kinda crazy to me.No subs.... My host brother gave me a ride to Les Arcs. I forgot my keys to the house so I had to call him after he dropped me off. He came back and unlocked the house, I felt kind of bad about it, but he was really nice and said it was no problem.

Friday/Saturday: not too much out of the ordinary

Sunday: After lunch, Claude, Yzabel, Cannelle and I went to a beautiful lake. We played petanque, a pretty awesome game that involves throwing heavy 'boules" at a smaller ping pong sized ball. Whoever gets the closest wins. I was awful at first, me and Yzabel were a team and I felt bad for making Yzabel lose! Then 'Mamie' (Claude's mother) and Charlie (her boyfriend) arrived and joined the game. By the end I was actually helping our team (Charlie, Yzabel, and I) win. Pretty fun end to the weekend.

Monday: I took a geography test on the countries of Europe, pretty sure I aced it! I was taking the dumbed-down version, the rest for the class had to say which countries were in the EU/Applying/ ect... but still.

Tuesday: Biggest thing was, during ‘Sport’ the economy teacher came and told us he would be gone Wednesday, which meant we were only going to have class from 8-9 (Wednesdays are half days normally)..                                                                                                                                                                      *side note: In sport we’ve been practicing with javelins…something about throwing a long metal spear while a bunch of other teenagers are also throwing long metal spears (seriously,like 8 ft long)scares me…but now we're done*                    

Tuesday night we ate escargot! They were really good! They were similar to mussels, just more slimy... I liked them a lot!

Wednesday: Went to English class from 8 to 9, then Yzabel picked me up and we went to the house. The whole day it was raining, so I stayed inside, and chillaxed.

Thursday: nothing too crazy here

Friday: School was fun, because everybody was uber excited about the upcoming break. In Literature, I got an assignment to read the play Dom Jaun (in English)  and write an essay in French(of course). Unfortunately the book store wont have the book until Friday (tomorrow) .So when I get it, I'll have to read like crazy. Then school ended (schooools out forever...okay, a week and a half,but still ,woot!). Every two months of school there's is a twoish week  break, I'm pretty psyched about that!  Friday night we had raclette for dinner. Raclette is basically amazing. Each person melts there own cheese and pours it on to potatoes [pomme de terre(apples of the ground)] and various meat , very good.

Saturday afternoon we drove to Hyers(the city where Claude's mother lives). She fixed an amazing dinner(no surprise there) and we stayed the night. Sunday morning I woke up and got ready to go to the island, Porquerolles (where the exchange students,their 'families', and Rotarians , were meeting).The plan was to leave at 8:30 to make the 9 o'clock boat. At 8:20 me and Marriet (my 'grandma') were the only people up, and I finally asked her about it. She woke the rest of the family up because we,(mostly I), was worried we wouldn't make the boat. Yzabel reminded us that the time changed at 1 am...opps. I felt kinda bad, but I(like to) think that they were getting up soon anyway. Kinda embarrassing... At the real 8:30 we left for the dock. On the way we saw flamingos! No big deal to everyone else, just some flamingos hanging out in that marshy area near the road! (P.S.:It's not even summer, its October...and there were flamingos!) I didn't get to see them too close up, but it's all good. We got to the port and I met up with the other exchange students. It's cool because, even though we've only met once before, i feel like were good friends.The boat ride to the island was about 5 minutes. The island was incredibly beautiful. Click here for some general info. I'll also post some pictures. There was lots of cool stuff, like a windmill and an old fort. At then end of the day we went back to "mamie's"  place and ate dinner, then drove back to Les Arcs.

Monday/Tuesday: Hung out around the house mostly, Went shopping both days with Yzabel, Cannel, and my "cousin" who's staying here a couple of days. Monday Yzabel bought me some awesome Homer-shaped slippers!

Wednesday: Around 11 me and a rotary friend , Katelyn made plans to meet in Toulon. I took the 12:14 train and met up around 1:20. It was a slower train, but nice. It was a really fun day. Katelyn and I took the bus to the mall...slightly difficult at first. We got on the bus and waited for the mall stop...but it never came. Turns out we took the  bus that went in the completely opposite direction of the mall..oh well, we got there eventually. We hung out with Katelyn's friend, ate lunch at McDonalds in the mall, and walked around   the awesome city. It was a really fun day. I took the train home...

Funny/embarrassing/crazy story: The train left like 10 minutes late. At a stop 10 minutes after the planned arrival time i got off the train, i couldn't tell what stop  it was, because it was really dark, and my car was pretty far from the town sign. I asked a lady if we were in Les Arcs and she said no. I quickly went to the train and pressed the button to open the door. As I was pressing the button...the train began to move. It was rather movie like, me trying to open the door while the train  was starting to depart, it moving faster and faster, and me trying (more desperately) to open the door, walking along side the train...then running.... crap... I explained to the lady(who was now looking at me with a concerned face) that I got off too early and was an American exchange student. She told me that there was another  train in an hour (the last). I called my host mom and told her what had happened. She looked up the schedule and told me that the next train would be there in an hour.  If I understand correctly the platform is far from Pignans (the town), so it was kinda creepy. The building was shut up, had one light and I was the only person there.  On top of that it was starting to get foggy.  I kept thinking of scary movie scenarios . It all worked out though!  I got on the next train, and finally made it home.

The reason the timer on my camera rocks

My parents didn't seam to upset, I think they understood, which was good. We ate dinner and had crepes for dessert, which cheered me up.  Nothing like nuttella on a thin pancake burrito!

That's about it. I promise (just like I did last time) to write sooner than 2 weeks. I'm sorry, I'm quite the procrastinator.

Some more questions

How do you get to school ?

-Every morning I leave the house around 7:20 and walk (a block or so) to the bus stop where other kids who go to Le Muy from Les Arcs for school are also waiting. The bus usually arrives around 7:25 and (because there are other kids to pick up) get to the school around 7:50. Usually, I also take the bus home.

How much TV does your family watch?

-Lots of times we watch TV during and after dinner. I guess a couple hours a day, not a lot.

What do they serve in the cafeteria?

-Lots of different things. Generally a side (cold vegetables, tuna salad, slices of salami, act...) that you chose, a fruit (generally apples, pears, or plums), a dessert (sometimes yogurt, sometimes apple tarts, usually delicious), and the main course (some kind of meat or fish with hot vegetables, and pasta or french fries. The other day I had an apple, two types of cheese, a salad with baby shrimp and pineapple, breaded chicken,  ratatouille , and oatish stuff.

Do kids drink more/less than they do here?

-  No idea.I know they do., but I don’t know how much.

Check out my pictures by clicking here

Thanks for reading! Thanks for all the support, and a big thanks to my family and friends. Thanks to district 6080 and The Fayette Rotary Club, I feel so blessed to have such an amazing opportunity, I know that this will .... already has changed my life for the better.

Opps… i just lost another two weeks of France

It's been a while...I apologize. Let's see
Monday was a good day at school, not a lot of crazy things happened.
Tuesday Biggest thing is when I got to the sports area at school (at 1 o’clock) I found out the prof had a meeting with other teachers...so class was canceled.  It was the last class of the day, so I called Yzabel and she came and picked me up. When I got home, I walked to the pharmacy and bought mouthwash! I was pretty excited because it was the first purchase of something by myself. We ate dinner at McDonald's (the inside, not the McDrive) it was pretty similar.  Differences: they have espresso, with Fig sauce, a couple different sandwiches,and pastries available, plus everything was more expensive.
Thursday night I went to the Rotary meeting. At the meeting, I gave the president the banner from Fayette’s Rotary club, and district 6080’s banner, they were very happy to get them, and passed them around so everybody could get a close look.  A good night.
Friday after school, I was walking home from the bus drop off and Claude pulled over, I thought at first he was giving me a ride, but he and Cannelle were going to the doctor’s house. Cannelle had hurt her leg, (she has to wear a cast for the next 3 weeks). When Yzabel got home , she and I went to Hyper U to buy food for Saturday's picnic in St.Tropez. Originally, Claude, Yzabel, Cannelle, and I were going to go, but because of Cannelle’s leg just Yzabel and I went.
Saturday (the 3rd) Yzabel and I drove to Frejus, and went to the, (right now I can’t think of the word), boat ticket place and waited in line. Mme et M.Chabound arrived with the exchange student from India and her ‘mom’. We all took the boat to St.Tropez. The ride was great, Oneza, (from India), and I sat together and talked (in English) the whole ride, which was awesome.
When we got to St.Tropez, we waited for the other students to arrive. The first to come was Tracy from South Dakota. At that point I was feeling pretty lucky, another American, and two other people with English as their main language! Then a group of three students (all American) arrived! I was really excited, 4 other Americans! In the end, of the 10 exchange students 8 were from the US, one from India, and one from Japan. The girl from Japan’s English was much better than her French, so all of us talked English all day, which was great. Lots of wondering how similar our situations are , like:
“Do you miss hugs?”
“Do people also assume you know celebrities from America?”
“Do you eat cheese after every meal?”
“Do lots of kids make out at your school too?”

At the end, when saying goodbye, we hugged! That probably doesn’t sound too exciting for you, but I (and the other students) had been missing hugs!  I also learned that Oneza lives in a town 20 minutes from me, and Katelyn lives 45 minutes away.

Sunday Worked/procrastinated on an essay on Hamlet.

Monday School was good. After school I rushed home to see Obama’s speech on Health Care, given to a group of doctors. In that group, my mom! Pretty Awesome!!! That was very exciting for me!
Tuesday I forgot my gym clothes so had to run and everything else in jeans, not a whole lot of fun.  After school, I made plans with some of the exchange students I met the past weekend to meet in Toulon by train after school Wednesday

Wednesday after school at 1:15 Claude took me to the station and helped me buy my tickets. There was a long line and I got the tickets just in time. The train departed at 1:40 and arrived at 2:14. It was a beautiful ride and really nice train, the seats weren’t uncomfortable!

Plans changed and I didn't end up meeting up with the other exchange students.  So I caught the next train back to Les Arcs.
Even though I didn’t get to see much of Toulon, it was still really exciting to take the train by myself, and the ride was definitely worth it. It was cool that it was no big deal to change plans...just took the next train home! Wednesday, some of us are planning  to see a movie in Draguignan.

Thursday I gave a presentation to my English class on school in the U.S. Some things were really difficult (for even the teacher to understand),and not because of their limited English. Like credits and how the schedule works. Here ,you’re in a class were everybody has the same schedule and goes to the same classes together, so it’s very different. But overall it was pretty good, plus the other English teachers want me to give the same presentation to their classes.
Friday In school I met another English teacher who was from Virginia!  Pretty awesome to have another American (...I guess after 20 years she's technically French) in the school. After school Yzabel and Claude had a small Dinner party with two families, It was really nice.
Sunday Claude, Yzabel, Cannelle and I went to an outdoor type place with a maze where you had to answer questions to get through certain sections for a birthday party of friends' son (he was turning 12). There were 3 different desserts, chocolate cake (with candy  spelling 'XII' and a '1' and '2' candle), strawberry shortcake-ish delight, and apple cake, plus tons of candy.
So that's the last 2 weeks (a really short version). I still miss home a lot, sometimes more than others, (like during CMU Band Day) but it’s getting easier, and every day I feel like I'm fitting in more and more.

Tomorrow will be 7 weeks…geeze, 7 weeks, and them next Wednesday…2 months. I feel like my time here is disappearing. I’m 1/4th of the way done.. which makes me sad

I'll try to write again sooner than two weeks from now!

Hope you are well ! Salut!!!

P.S. : Don’t be afraid to send email’s(elitinkfort@gmail.com) I’d love to here what’s going on with your life. 

Plus: check out the new photos! http://picasaweb.google.com/home

You’ve Got Questions!

You've Got Questions!

Thanks to everybody who sent questions! Don't be afraid to ask more! I'll try to respond.

1.I would love to hear about your perceptions about the differences and similarities between your French and American peers. How do French teens behave in school, what are they interested in, how are they planning for the future, what do they do for fun, get along with adults, etc.?

Sorry for all the unknowns, but...

There seam to be a lot more similarities , but here are a couple of differences

-There a large variety of cliques, and the cliques intertwine more, everything isn't so divided.

-Every kid behaves perfectly in class...just kidding, the same on that respect

-It doesn't seam like how you dress is so important, but lots of the girls dress up more( like high heels ,ect;), I guess the guys too, but if you don't , it's no big deal

-A ton of kids smoke(a ton), maybe like 40 percent

-Sports aren't a huge deal here(not in the high school) the athletes aren't automatically at the top of the cool chain

I can't communicate very well, so I don't know what kids are interested in... They seem to get along with adults pretty good, it think it's the same...not sure about future plans.. I haven't 'hung out' with anyone yet, but I think a popular thing to do is go to the Disco-tech(the clubs I think?)

2. Are most American tourists that you've seen as obnoxious as we hear they are?

I just saw Americans for the first time on the boat ride home from St.Tropez. They didn't seem too obnoxious...I guess people tend to check out Paris more??

3. How is your French coming along?

Aye...I guess it's improving, I feel like it’s still pretty awful, but people tell me I've improved a lot. I think it will be awhile before I'm dreaming in French, when that happens I'll tell you about it

4. Have you found a girlfriend?

No, but people here tend to ask a lot. Plus, if I did I probably wouldn't write about it on my blog, RYE discourages romantic relationships...just saying

5. OK, that sounds good. I'll think of some. OK, I have one. How did you get so lucky?

That’s a very good question; I think about that a lot sometimes...I guess I really considered doing this when my awesome friend messaged me on facebook, so thank you so very much facebook! Just kidding...thanks Anna.

6. Has your opinion of the US--the government in particular--changed in the time you've been in France?

No

7.What is the shape of religion and Christianity in France?

I don't know a whole lot on ,this subject, my 'family' doesn't attend church. I do know that there are very few protestants , mostly Catholics, and the there is a large Muslim population(there are more Muslims than protestants) .Apparently there are some protestant churches, some of the other exchange students go,(one goes to an International Baptist service for English speaking tourist) but I haven't been to church in the past month and a half.

8. Any drama in your vicinity?

I think in a town nearby, Draguignan, there's a school of fine arts, where plays are put on.

9. Does the school do any dramatics?

I think there might be a group that meets on Wednesdays; I'll try to ask my French teacher about it soon.

10. Are you playing music there?

Nope...Unless singing in the shower counts!

11. OK here's another one: is your family there interested in politics like we are here?

Um...they were really interested when I was talking U.S. politics but I don't know...I think in general the French are not pleased with Sarkozy’s leadership.

12. Are French girls prettier or more mysterious than American girls?

I can't respond to this without making someone angry...I'd say French girls and American girls are incredibly beautiful. Mysterious? Like wearing a black and white shirt and a beret and smoking a cigarette in a dark alley?...No.

13. OK, how about this one: Do they like their health services? What's it like if they go to a doctor? Do they get a big bill?

I have no idea (personally)... I'm assuming their system is really good, they’re ranked #1 on the WHO's list. I'll try to find out more info.

14. Do they make waffles in France?? I have such fond memories of times eating waffles in Fayette.

I haven’t' eaten any French waffles. I sometimes wish I could make some, but I don't think my family has a waffle iron.

15. So what'd you eat this past week?!?!

To answer this question I'm gonna make a collage on picassa...check it out! Here’s the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/elitinkfort/FOOD#5392169252144030882

15. So what has been your favorite day so far?

Most have been pretty incredible; My first time in Frejus (my second or third day)…Going to the festival in Fayence...I think being able to meet the other exchange students and talk about what it’s been like for them might have been the best...but I'm (obviously) not sure.

16. How old do you have to be to go to a tavern / enjoy a beer?

I think 18, technically, but if I understand it's pretty easy to get into a club/bar/disco-tech if you're younger.

17. Do you have an address for people to mail you at? I'm sure you're getting lots of emails and Facebook messages and such, but I imagine it would be nice to get snail mail from time-to-time.

Eli Tinker Fortel

Lalaus

22 Avenue Jean Jaures

Les Arcs, 83460,

>p>France

17. What do the French think about the current health care debate in America?

I think it's hard for them to understand why there's even a debate...

18. I just got GoogleEarth, and I'd like to try to see your school from the sky. What is the address?

Okay, I don't know the exact address but if you search 'Chemin des Vignes, 83490 Le Muy ' in Google Earth - it's the complex right across the highway. It was being built at the time the satellite image was taken (two-ish years ago) so the area around it is all dirt.  here’s a aerial image of the school http://www.panoramio.com/photo/4727670

19. Do you eat croissants for breakfast every day?

Nope, generally I eat yogurt and fruit. The yogurt (sometimes) has this whipped cream cheese on top of it, which is yummy! Plus there is lots of cereal, and Nutella that I sometimes have.

20. What's dinner like? Do you cook? Are you learning any great recipes?

Dinner is so delicious every night! Dinner starts off with salad and dressing (a bowl with olive oil, vinaigrette, basil, and garlic, that is passed around and spooned onto the salad), baguette (generally someone tears off pieces and passes them around to each person) by it self or with meat or often duck liver pâté (sounds gross, but it's delicious).

Then, the main course. The main course is different every night. Sometimes casserole, pasta with meat, steak (frozen, cooked and tasty), and in general fish a couple times a week (this week we had stingray!). After the main course, cheese (of all different kinds, most stinky, all delicious) is served with more 'pain'. Then, there is either dessert or fruit to finish off the meal.

I try to help out with diner every night, set the table, or clean up afterwards, i also try to empty the dishwasher every once and a while.I haven’t ‘learned’ any recipes, but I try to help out…

21. Have you seen any movies? At the theatre?

No! I miss going with my family/friends in the U.S. Wednesday (like I said earlier) I'm going to a movie w/ my exchange pals. The French don't see as many movies as (U.S.) Americans.

22. It is now fall in Missouri. And it's cold. Is it still warm there?

It is still warm here, although today the Mistral Winds are starting (cold winds from the north, that are said to have driven Van Gough into insanity) and it smells like fall.

23.When were you last at the beach? Can you soak up some sun for me?

A couple weeks ago. I live about 30 minutes or so from the beach, so we haven’t gone a lot. Some days, it's still warm enough to swim, but they’re becoming more and more rare. and...yes ,if I get a chance, definitely.

24.Have you met any American expatriates? If so, how do the French feel about them - welcoming or shunning? How difficult would it be to emigrate from the US to France?

The first American I met was the English teacher. The French seam to really like Americans, the younger generation is fascinated by the culture( the music, film, and stars,) and the older generation is grateful for our involvement in WWII. I'm not sure what it would be like to immigrate, what you would have to do, (a citizenship test???),...sorry I don't know more.

26.OK, here's one I was JUST thinking of one minute before you wrote. Do you get homesick?

Nah, never...of course! I get homesick a lot. Before we left, Rotary showed us this line graph of what our mood would be like, it looked like an insane roller coaster...it was right, sometimes I can't stop smiling and then the next minute I miss home so much, it's hard not to frown.

Thanks for all the niftily awesome questions, if you have anymore, just email(elitinkfort@gmail.com )them to me or comment