Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Wine over Water

Dropping the Grandparents off tomorrow in Paris then heading to drink the stars in Champagne country then bike ride through the vineyards of Dijon. This weekend I will be returning to Romans to grab my stuff and then head to mountains to a little hippy town called Die to visit my girl Lalaina from SF. After that I will be dropping into Barcelona for the beginning of my Spain adventure.

Taking my grandparents around France has been a lot of fun although the driving has been a bit stressful. The coolest thing we did was head to the tiny town called Grasse in Provence to see where Parfum was developed and became popular. I have never smelled anything so good in my life, although after about 15 minutes everything smelled alike.

More to come.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Tour Guide in two Languages

So I have been playing tour guide since Paris with my grandparents. It is funny cuz I have English in my ears and French coming out my mouth. They think I am fluent which just makes me laugh but I guess I am a lot better off than when I first got here.

Seeing the beaches of Normandy, the American Cemetary, and the WW2 memorial in Caen was very moving. I definitely appreciate the sacrifice made my the generations before mine. I would suggest anyone who wants to feel the effect of war to visit these memorials and keep their eyes open. Very moving and life changing.

In Avignon right now enjoying the golden sun of Provence. The lavender scented air and pollen laden breeze keeps my allergies active. Enjoying the warm nature of the local population, which is a nice change from the cold bastards in Paris.

Tomorrow going to Nice, will be visiting Monaco and Grasse, where perfume was invented. After I drop my grandparents off in Paris I think I am going to go wine tasting in Champagne and then who knows.

Friday, April 15, 2005

Last Class

Hey, just had to tell you about my last class. My favorite class that I have had all year sang "Imagine" to me in the music room and then we had sweets and drinks. It was seriously the most touching class cuz all of the kids were very sad to see me go. They were all giving me hugs and kisses and were taking pictures. Probably the most memorable class ever.

Adieu Triboulet, Je vous manques énormément. Gros Bisous Tout Pleine, Alexandra

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Au Revoir

So my friend who I was going to backpack with got a bleeding ulcer and now has to go back to the US! Therefore I am at square one again. That is just the icing on a dramatic week that has included an international love triangle, unknowingly going to the club with 2 guys I dated, a cameo by the psycho french boyfriend, being deathly ill, the end of my job, and moving. And that's all off the top of my head. Don't get me thinking. I am a freakin lightning rod for drama!

Saying goodbye to the kids and the highschool is a bit surreal. In the end, the students really warmed up to me and I enjoyed their youthful antics. I always let my class be a fun and exciting place for them to express themselves in any language they wanted. I haven't made a lesson plan since December and I think I pulled it off very well. I will definitely miss the young boys smitten looks and blushing cheeks as I tried to coax a little English out of their mouths. It is not every day that you get to be a goddess.

I have been packing my room and cursing myself for bringing so many things from home that would have been better left in storage. Who needs 12 pairs of shoes? And two freaking dictionaries? How about the 3 backpacks and 8 purses? I must have been smoking a heavy dose of crack when I brought that stuff out. Now I have to get it all back plus the crap I have aquired since.

Saturday the Grandparents come to Paris where I will meet them. Then we are off to see Versailles, the D-day Beaches, Avignon, Nice, and Monaco. I am not exactly sure what I will be doing after they leave. I kinda feel like going to Prague, but then again Amsterdam sounds good. I have no idea what I am going to do.

Me, my backpack, my tour book, my eurail pass, and my bank card are ready. Let the games begin.

Friday, April 08, 2005

Countdown to Lift-off

So April fool's day in France is celebrated by taping paper fish on the backs of unsupecting friends. Weird tradition but probably from the same Christianity vs Paganism roots.

Today begins the last week of my stay in Romans. I am pretty happy to be leaving but sad to be leaving the comfort of my life, namely my kitchen and my bed. I will be backpacking Europe for the next three months during which time I hope to see parts of France, Spain, Italy, and Greece. I will be carrying all of my earthly belongings on my back and sleeping in a different hostel every two nights. I except fatigue but also a great adventure. I will be backpacking by myself also, so there are risks that I am going to have to anticipate. Of course I am never alone for very long as I tend to attract fellow travellers of the same genre.

I will actually kind of miss my job as an assistant. I had a fan club of teenage boys that thought I was a goddess. That was cool cuz it was definitely not the case when I was in high school. I will also miss the fact that this seriously is the easiest job that I ever had and probably ever will have.

I should probably mention my trip to Nice over Easter. It was awesome!! We partied hard in the pubs, sat on the beach, and walked around the city. I got kicked out of a Casino because they didn't like my sandals, which was pretty funny. I will be going back in a few weeks with my grandparents, which should be fun.

Watched the pope's funeral today. It's like the world is changing all around us. All of these revolutions and deaths of famous people just makes you wonder what is going to happen next.

Expect my posts to be much more interesting in the months ahead. A tend to get into lots of interesting situations when travelling and won't skimp on the details.