Friday, December 16, 2011

Haha... long time no post!

So I've realized that the last time I posted was around September 24th??? Sorry to everyone who has been waiting for a post! My father reminded me on FB about my blog, not going to lie but I've completely forgotten about it.

Well today was the last day before Christmas holidays! I wrapped up at four o'clock in the afternoon and got picked up early to come home.

Yesterday my host dad brought in our Christmas tree and tonight we will be decorating it. It is also the birthday of one of my host sister's on Monday but we'll be celebrating it Sunday. My host mom explained to me this morning that it is always tradition for them to have their Christmas tree all done up before her birthday. She said usually this is when the Christmas vacation has begun so it always works out great.

So I'm just going to list all the things I've done since I've got here in France and if anything is old news sorry but I'll also include what will be happening in the future.

So first I went to Mont Saint Michel which is a castle in the middle of basically a mud field. It was built there to keep the English from being able to attack France. The English were never able to attack because the only way to travel across the 3km surrounded mud field around the castle was by foot because canons and any other weapons such as that would not be able to travel through the mud. The problem was is that even by foot the mud would usually turn into a quicksand. This is how it was impossible to attack the castle. What I did during that weekend: Got to meet other districts from Rotary, walk the 3km; there and back, go inside the castle and go shopping and see the old ancient churches, and basically be a tourist and just see everything possible.

There was the day I went to Parc Asterix; an amusement park close to Paris. That was also with Rotary but just my district. I had a great time there and on the way back I convinced the bus driver to stop for a couple minutes in Paris so we could see the Eiffel Tower at night.

There is the week I spent at La Rochelle with my host family. La Rochelle is right on the West Coast of France, more south from where I live. I went to the zoo, the beach, to lots of museums, to shop in their downtown, watched the big World Cup for Rugby with the family, ate a lot of seafood, and just relaxed and had fun.

There is the District Conference held by Rotary. I went and we had to do a dance for the Rotarians (each of us doing a dance from our country) to show our different cultures and then at the end to add a twist we came all together and danced to a French song.

There was the day I took the train by myself to Rouen to hang out with two girls from my Rotary district. This was fun because it was the first time I got to be totally independent here.

Well then school... school is school :P

My birthday, my 16th birthday here is France. My host family made me an apple cake, gave me gifts, my friends gave me gifts and my family from Canada send me gifts and 16 pink roses <3

I spent Halloween at one of my French friend's house with a lot of my other French friends; we played a board game where somebody is Dracula and while scary music plays and the house is completely dark, you have to do what your card says and hopefully not be bitten by Dracula! Then we watched a scary movie and talked a lot :)

Then there is all the times my host family has either been with their family or had their family over.
The Rotary meetings I have gone to, the last one being "un repas des desserts" which is a huge meal of desserts. This meal was based on though the South of France for they celebrate this meal during this time; a lot of it is nuts like almonds, pecans etc, dried fruit, tiramisu, nougats and lots more. Not too much of chocolate and cakes.

There was the weekend in Rouen with Rotary where we got to go to an art museum, go shopping, eat downtown, do the Christmas market and be hosted into families for the night. I was with an exchange student from Brazil and we got to be in the most beautiful house ever! It was a house from 1870 and the wife kept the decor the same age as the house; so lots of flowers, antiques and cream coloured walls. The bedroom we got to sleep in was like the kind a princess would have. I also got to go ice skating, which was really nice because it's something I enjoy doing during the winter months back in Canada.

Now for the Christmas break my plans are: "un repas de raclette" which is with my friends and it is a meal where you get to have a lot of melted cheese with your food... yes I will get fat :P Christmas will be with my host family's family; both sides, and then the 26th I leave for the French Alps for a week to go skiing! Then New Year's I will be with my host family and then school will start the 4th. And then on the 6th of January I change host family's!

So yes a lot has happened and a lot more will but I just can't wait to sleep in for two weeks!

Yeah so that was a lot crammed into one post but I'll try to be more consistent.

Salut!