Last Milk-Shake à la Pistache

Sad, but true. All good things have to come to an end. I am leaving this beautiful French Paradise and all my new friends to finally go home after a month of adventures. At least I will stop and get one last Pistachio Milkshake at the local Glacerie before I leave early tomorrow morning. See you all soon!!!

4th of July the French Way

Happy Fourth of July, America!!! I am honestly sad to be missing out, but I have had my own way of celebrating. The first Wednesday in July, the 4th this year, all the stores in Nice come out with huge sales. Last night, the stores all closed early to get ready for today. I had never seen anything like it. Actually, I guess it is a bit similar to our day-after-Thanksgiving sales. This morning it looked as if the whole city was out to go shopping. Everything was marked down from 30, 50 to 75%. The big fad right now is to get flip flops with a flag of Brazil on the strap. I am going to get some tomorrow because the crowds were just too much today. I also found the most amazing game store--I seriously thought I had found my French Paradise. They have Taboo, Guess Who, Monopoly, Life, Cranium, Clue and other games all in French. If I had 5 suitcases, I would take them all home. I have till Friday to decide on one or two to take home with me. I am thinking Taboo Junior and an easy French trivia game. Any suggestions from you, my readers?

Today we listened to some great pop and rap songs in my music class. When we had a lunch break, I realized that many of the French don't have lunch. This is the normal French meal schedule, according to many reliable French sources:

breakfast: coffee and cigarette
lunch: 2 coffees and a cigarette
after work: cigarette and a good discussion at a local café
dinner around 8PM: appetizer, main course, cheese, dessert, fruit, coffee, cigarette and a good discussion

How would you like to have that life? Anyway, I got a burned copy of these songs we listend to after lunch. Tomorrow we are all going to present a song that we heard. I am presenting one from the French Musical, Roi Soleil, about Louis XIV. I am at my host mom's house right now, reading the story so that I will have something to say.

So, this cute Romanian teacher with nice blue eyes joined my class yesterday. He promised to send me all the information I am missing from the other classes next week by email and regular mail. There was a teacher excursion planned for today. It was either going to be to Eze, St. Tropez, Antibes or Monaco. Just my luck, guess where we went.....MONACO!!! I know that place like the back of my hand now. Oh well. It was a fun ride over anyway and at least there was Alex (the teacher) to spice things up.

The True Identity of the Man in the Iron Mask

So....sorry to Mom and Ray, but I did not make it to Lyon this past weekend. The train station was packed and I didn't feel like traveling by myself for 5 hours there and 5 more hours back in two days for the high price. All this means is that I will have to come back to France. Instead of Lyon.....I went with the school to Cannes!! It was only 30 Euros for all Saturday in Cannes and it was amazing!!! We took the train and it was about a 45 minute ride. I went with my two cute friends: Tamara from Australia and Solveij from Norway. We had a great time comparing our different countries. Solveij tried to convince me how the metric system was superior and I kept telling her I agreed but that it just didn't make sense in my had as I wasn't used to it. Solveij has perfect English, but she laughs each time that Tamara and I can't understand each other. For example, Tamara asked me if I brought my swimmers in my backpack. I looked at her weird and it took me a while to realize she meant bathing suit. Her pronunciation of certain words confused me too like basil and garage. We all three had such a fun time on the trip over.

When we got there, we went to see some nice churches and museums. We walked up a hill to see the view and of course I took a picture. All the amazing views are starting to look the same, though, so one picture of yachts, sea and little cottages is becoming like the next. My favorite part was when we took a ferry over to the Marguerite Island. That is where the Man in the Iron Mask was emprisonned for over 11 years. Our guide told us the story of this mysterious figure as we rode over. We know that he existed, but his identity remains still a mystery. We know he had royal roots because he was allowed a violin in his cell and some other royal treatments, but he did have to wear this heavy iron mask. Many authors over the years have speculated that it was Louis XIV's twin brother or even his older brother and their mother hid him so that Louis XIV would rule without question. It was very sobering to enter into his little cell where he lived those long 11 years. Can you believe that there was a group of 15 high school students from Pennsylvania who were with us and all but one student wanted to sit on the beach instead of hike up to see the Prison? I can't believe how lazy some of these students are!! Their parents pay for the trip and all they want to do is relax all day on the beach!!! After the trip to the Island, we were on our own to explore the city of Cannes. I took some pictures of me on the body of Charlie's Angels and on the Red Carpet. We went into the little shops, but a pair of sandals was 300 Euros minimum--out of my price range.

When it was time to walk back to the Train Station to come back to Nice, we saw all these people running out, coughing. I got scared for a second....A guy had sprayed pepper spray for no reason. I drank some water and didn't feel much, but then it was time to get our train and the same guy ran by, spraying pepper spray again and laughing, covering his nose!! Can you believe it? The poor high school students were panicked. Luckily, the effects went away, but it was annoying and I thought he should have been arrested.

On Saturday night, the three of us girls decided to go out into the town. I didn't have much to wear, so Christine, the lady I am staying with, offered to lend me her nice necklace, bracelet and shoes. It was sweet--I felt like Cinderella. The shoes, however, were high heels and ended up killing my feet by the end of the night, walking all over. It was pretty fun, to see the people all out and about. They were asking for IDs to get into the Pubs and I didn't have mine. Solveij wasn't 18, so she didn't have one either. Can you believe they wouldn't let me in? As if I were younger than 18?!!! Tamara was the only one who could have gotten in, so she decided to go and buy some wine coolers (just for her) and we would walk down to the beach. Wow....down at the beach, I have never seen so much attention. Guys came by to pick up on us every 2 minutes. They knew we were foreigners. It was flattering, but in all honesty, I missed the boys from the USA. Most of these guys were old, ugly, weird or just too forward. One even asked me to marry him with a rose, but then wanted me to buy the rose!!! I decided not to stay out too late because my feet were hurting and the guys that came by wouldn't leave us alone. I went home by 1AM.

On Sunday, Tamara and I went early to Monaco. She wanted to see the place and I didn't mind going back. We went up to the Palace and went inside this time. We also saw a movie on the history of the country. It was very interesting. There are no taxes in Monaco. Wouldn't that be a great way to live? Also, at the casino at Monte-Carlo, I have really never seen so many luxury cars.

Last night night, Christine said that Sylvio wanted to make us dinner. He is from Italy and talked repeatedly before about what an amazing pizza he made. My mouth was watering and I was hoping that is what he would make us. When we got there, his sink was filled with these little fish and baskets of raw shrimp!!! I wanted to run outside for some fresh air. He said that he caught them all from his boat just for me. I smiled and tried to act happy. I was thinking, though, why he didn't make the pizza he had talked about. Also, I had told him at the Chinese restaurant that I hated seafood, but I guess he didn't listen. He put the fish and the shrimp right on his barbecue grill. He didn't even put any spices on top or anything--just a sprinkle of salt. I did get a picture, but I was not excited to eat at all. I saw that there was salad and bread on the table, but in France, those things are for the end of the meal. So....I picked at the fish, forcing myself to eat it, spitting out the bones and trying not to think about it. Then, I said I was full to eat the shrimp. I felt bad, but I knew I couldn't force it down. He ended up giving the rest my fish to the dog. I really felt bad, but what can you do? At least the salad, bread and cheese was good, but I feally wanted a pizza!!!

Today, I met the teachers for my class on French music. They were all so cute and nice!! The class was great and I actually learning something. I wish I could have taken these classes last week. It is our lunch break and I have written a ton. I am off to get a Greek Sandwich. Au revoir!!!

Last weekend in France

Well....it appears that this is my last weekend in France, so I had better enjoy it. I found out that the disco-thecs (or clubs) are filled with smoke and cost 20 Euros just to get in. I don't think that is worth it. The bars/pubs in downtown Nice are free but I hear from those who have been they smell bad and there are cockroaches all over the place. Plus you have to buy their expensive drinks. I was hoping to find another club like the one we went to in Southern Italy, but I guess we just lucked out that night. So....I might be hanging out with Christine and her friend Sylvio at the movies or something.

Tomorrow, I am taking a trip with the school to Cannes, where they hold a famous film festival every June, comparable to the Sundance Film Festival. We are going to take a boat ride to see the scenery and then go inside a church and a castle. I was originally planning to see Martine, a friend from Tahitian Noni who lives in Lyon. She promised to take me boating and see her city. However, the round trip train ticket would cost 148 Euros and I didn't think that would be worth it for just two days. Cannes is a good second choice.

Yesterday, I went all around Nice. I got some Socca, which is a famous item here. It looks like a big crepe on a pizza pan. The guy cuts it up into pieces in front of your eyes and then wraps it in paper for you. It is hard to explain the taste, but it was extremely delicious. I also went into some stores to look for a cute outfit. I found one that I think is pretty cute at a famous French store called Pimke. I decided to go all out so I went to McDonalds for a McFlurry. I know....in the USA, McDonalds is not anything we would want to seek out. Here in Europe it is different. There are six different kinds of McFlurrys. They are delicious!! I got a Praline and Caramel one. Mmmmmmmm!!!!!

Last night, Sylvio, Christine and I went to Antibes, a city right next to Nice. There we visited the Port of the Billionnaire. There were the most amazing yachts and boats that I had ever seen!! You have to be a billionnaire (or nearly) to have one there. The going price is a million Euros per square meter. Wow!!! I saw Bill Gate's boat, The Octopus. It had a helicopter and two other boats on top. Crazy how much money some people have!!

On Monday all these teachers are arriving for teacher classes. They sound so much more interesting--I am signed up for one about French music and another about French cartoons. We also have teacher excursions included. I am imagining (or crossing my fingers) that the instruction will improve and not be as slow.

Bon week-end tout le monde!!

Chocolate Tasting hurts the wallet

So....so far, the classes here haven't been super fun yet--mostly a review of French I already know--but the excursions we can sign up for are amazing!!! A group of mostly high school students (and me) took the TGV high speed train yesterday to Monaco. The ride was breathtaking! I cannot emphasize enough how the color of the ocean is unlike any color you have ever seen. It is the prettiest deep blue-green and watching the waves makes time stand still. We had to hike up to the top of a hill to see the Castle of Monaco, where Prince Albert reigns. Again, two of the high school teachers who came along had to sit at the bottom of the hill as they would not have been able to make it up. Sad! I was wishing I could have taken one of you readers of my blog in their place to enjoy the view. Monaco is such a nice, clean city. All you see is luxury cars and yachts. 50 percent of its citizens are French and the rest come from all sorts of other nationalities. We walked all around the top of the hill and then went to see a huge aquarium.

Dinner with Christine, my host mother, is every night at 8pm. I rushed home at 6:30 to get my dirty clothes from the past two weeks and take them to the lavarie or laundry mat. I had two big bags of clothes and it was hard to fit them into the little washing machine. It was 3.50 Euros to run the washing machine or roughly 5 dollars. I decided to stuff them all together on cold water. Some guys came in and started smoking up the entire place while I was sitting quietly, writing a few postcards. I finally had to leave. I really didn't appreciate the Clean Air Act of Utah until now. The dryer was 50 cents every 8 minutes. Finally after 16 minutes, I took them out, still damp. I ran to the upstairs apartment and made it by 8pm.

Christine had her friend sitting there, Sylvio, a guy who drives boats on the Mediterranean Sea in Italy. He offered to take us both to a Chinese restaurant. It was a fun little walking trip. We took her dog and walked roughly a half an hour to get there. Lots of the food was based around squid and shrimp, but there were also some good dishes without seafood involved. I picked some egg rolls that they fry in front of your eyes. The dog sat on the table by us and had all the Chinese food he wanted for free! What a life. Sylvio offered to take me on his boat over the weekend. I told him that this weekend is my last, so we will see if it happens. Could be fun.

This morning, I met at the school to go to this Chocolaterie and Candy Factory. It was fun to watch the ladies making all sorts of sweets. They had all these free samples at the end of the tour from chocolate covered almonds, toffees, suckers, candied tangerines, rose jam that tasted just like a rose, candied rose petals, etc. Some of it was pretty tasty, but the prices were outragious. The jams were over 10 dollars for the smallest size and 12 suckers were 24 Euros!! I decided to buy a small pack of chocolate covered rice flakes, which were really good, but it was not worth the price. They know how to get tourists at these factories.

Class today will go from 1-6. Hopefully it will be more active than yesterday.

Sunshine on the beach

So....the lady I live with, Christine, has been very nice. Last night she made us an omelette and salad for dinner. It was pretty good. We talked about her dating life. She told me about a time when she met a guy on-line from Nice. They talked for a month and he looked okay in his picture. Then she decided to meet him and was surprised to see a fat guy with yellow teeth and a pig nose. She said he became her stalker. It was funny and sad at the same time. From all the stress, she gained 18 kilos. She is still trying to get it off so we will be eating healthy food. That is okay because after all the weird meet and fries I had the last two weeks, healthy food is probably a good thing. After dinner, she said I could have a yogurt for dessert. I forgot that it is plain kind and after one bite I didn't want to finish it. I forced it down, though, so as not to be rude.

This morning, I got up to wash my hair. Her shower is a tub with no curtain and no shower head attached to the wall. There is a spout and a little spray handle that you can pull out to wash your hair like you would on a kitchen sink. I couldn't get it to give much water pressure, so I ended up just putting my head under the tub's faucet as I was in a hurry. Oh well. I went out on my little balcony and realized that things are really okay.

I am in the advanced class. However, our teacher was not really prepared today. We read an article for over an hour and discussed how wearing a skirt or dress takes away a woman's power in the world. We then discussed some random things with the people next to us. It wasn't too effective, but I met some cool students. Two girls that I hang out with yesterday are from Australia and Norway. They are cute and fun and came by themselves like me. We went up to La Colline du Chateau yesterday where you can see the whole beach after hiking up a tall hill. It was beautiful!! The water was sparkling and the sky was blue without a cloud.

This morning, I saw an EF tour group leaving a hotel. I realized how different that experience is from the one I am doing now. I stood out when I was with the tour. Now I am on my own, not as conspicuous and have to figure out the city without just trusting the group.

We are going to Monaco today. Should be fun!!!

Room with a balcony and a view in Nice

The second chapter of my European Extravaganza has now begun!!!! I am here in lovely Nice to study and enjoy the scenery. It was sad to say goodbye to M. Cabanillas, Andrea, Cassie, Melissa and her mother Bonita yesterday at 4AM. They are now at home back to normal life. We did have the most amazing end to the trip, however. The highlight was definitely Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Southern Italy. We visited the ruins at Pompeii. There were so many. It was sad to see a few casts of the people who were covered by the ash from the volcano in the first century. One seventeen year old boy was holding a handkerchief over his nose. One pregnant girl was lying down. Our guide, Giovanni was hilarious!! He kept referring to us as his grandchildren.

On Friday night, the Ohio teacher decided to take those who would like into the city of Sorento to try out the Discotheca or local club. When the 28 of us arrived, two boys who spoke English told us to wait until 11:30 and then they would take us to a great club. We all met downtown and walked over. They let us all in for free and we made quite the scene. Nobody was on the dance floor when we arrived. They were all drinking quietly at the tables. Well, we changed that up very quickly. We all got out on the floor and started dancing. Before long, the floor was filled with people. There were lots more guys than girls at this club, so we all felt so popular. The Italian dancing style is more intense than our American style, however. I met the cutest Italian guy, Joseph, 28 years old, but he spoke no English. He couldnt pronounce my name, so I changed it to Carlotta. He was very sweet and not as all-over-the-place as some of the others. We had a fun time trying to communicate with actions. He is in the Italian military and kept doing a salute. Then he would shout, Viva Bush!!! Viva USA!!! for us. The time flew by.

The next morning we were all tired as we had to get up early. We took a ferry to the island of Capri. I thought I was in Paradise!!! This island is only for pedestrians, no cars, and it is filled with flowers. We took a small boat ride around to see all over the island--the caves, the blue-green water, the cliffs....I would definitely recommend anyone who goes to Italy visit this place. Words cannot describe its beauty.

Yesterday was a long tiring day all by myself with my huge pink suitcase. I had to walk from the hotel to the metro, asking for directions in broken Italian all the way there. Then I had to figure out how to drag that suitcase into my train. I had a 2 hour wait in Genova. This little old lady came up to talk to me. I tried using French and Portuguese to understand her Italian. She was very sweet and complimentary. She wanted her husband to watch my suitcase while I followed her downstairs to check on the status of my train. As soon as I got down there, I panicked. I thought that it was probably a trick to take off with my suitcase and I was so ignorant to let a stranger watch my bag. I ran away from here, but then got lost underneath the metro. I couldnt find where I had left my bag. My heart was beating so fast. Then I spotted the old lady again and she brought me back up to meet her husband...the suitcase was there and everything was fine. I breathed a sigh of relief. She was actually a nice, helpful old lady after all. Still----
Wont let that happen again!!!

I arrived in Nice at 8PM. My host mom and her dog, Taquila, was waiting for me there. It was so nice to see somebody. She took me to her apartment on the 7th floor of downtown Nice. She showed me my room. It is beautiful!!! I have my own walk-out balcony. I love it!!! I am going to be very happy here. This morning, I just took my placement test at the school. I am waiting for the oral part. There's my name.

113 Degrees F in Rome!!!!

Okay....so I know I havent written for a little while. It has been nearly impossible to find an internet cafe around here or free time to look for one. Luckily we have an hour right now. I had to ask 5 different Italians for directions to this place!!!

Anyway, I will just cut to the stories. How long has it been since I wrote? Well....we didnt stay long enough in France...luckily I will be going back all by myself on Sunday. The France part of this group tour flew by in two days. We had time for just Carcasonne and Avignon. I loved the Medival Architecture and beautiful scenary! On Monday morning we went to a French perfume factory in Eze. It was so fun to see the complete process of turning flowers, herbs, spices and fruits into perfumes. To become "the nose," you have to study at a prestigious school and then only work 2 hours per day in either Grasse or Eze so as not to mix the wrong flavors. We had a competition to match flowers and fruits with their smells. We all got little white pots to unscrew and smell. I was terrible!! I got the lemon right and the chocolate bean, but I mixed up the lily of the valley with another plant. I could never be "the nose." They then talked us into getting their really expensive perfume, at a discounted price, but still expensive. I got some of the latest scents in Paris, so I will be styling when I get home.

We passed through Monaco and went to Pisa. Pisa was a fun place, but filled with crowds. People were all over the place trying to get a picture that looked like they were pushing the Leaning Tower of Pisa over. It was crazy. We werent supposed to walk on the grass, but tourists will break all rules for a picture, I swear. Then we saw a whole bunch of cute Pinnochios. Pinnochio is Italys claim to fame. I had to get myself a little marionnette. Cute!! As Cassy and I were walking around the little shops, all of the sudden, a group of big African guys started running with bags over their shoulders, pushing people over as they ran. It was so scary. They knocked over some cute dolls and broke a whole bunch of a little old mans magnets. We didnt know what was going on. We then realized that they were running away from the police as they were selling illegal items. Eeeeek!!

Tuesday was spent driving a lot. The bus is getting all cramped. I swear, I will not take things for granted when I get home...like exercise and healthy food. All our meals are tons of white bread, french fries, pastries...I miss fruits and vegetables!!!

Wednesday we went to Florence. It was fun! We had a really good tour guide there. We saw a replica of the David statue in the main square. Next to it were two other good statues made my Michelangelos students. However, he was so picky and hard.to.please that he called the Neptune statue, "A sack of potatoes" and the other one "the worst use of marble he had ever seen." We had a leather demonstration because Italy is famous for leather. It was pretty cool. Melissa bought a 200 Dollar leather purse. I bought some 10 dollar bookmarks, etched in real gold. Afterwards, we stood in line to see the real David statue, but after one hour, we hadnt moved at all. All the groups with reservations got to go first. What a bummer! We got out of line and went to have lunch. I ordered spinach, thinking it was a spinach salad. It ended up being cooked, soggy spinach. Just my luck!

Today has been spent in Rome. It is 113 Degrees Farenheit. There are so many people... it was hard to get around the Vatican, but I really loved seeing the Sistine Chapel. I wanted to send a postcard home, since the Vatican is its own country and has its own postmark, but there wasnt enough time. Too bad.

I am worried because my ankles look all swollen today. I hate that look. I like my ankles the way they normally are. I guess it is just the heat.

I only have 8 minutes left here. Sorry to those of you who I havent been able to email back yet. Our tour will finish on Saturday with Pompeii and then I will take off to Nice to study for a couple of weeks. I should have more time there to write postcards and emails as there is internet access at the school.

It has been really hot and tiring, but a cool experience and I am so happy I got to come here. The pizza is actually just like normal pizza at home, but with a thinner, drier crust and lots of greese on top of the cheese. Mmmmmm!!!!

French Fry Overload!!

So---if you imagined a tour to Spain, France and Italy, wouldn't you imagine some delicious cuisine at local restaurants? So far, the food has been quite disappointing. All of our dinners have been included. I guess they think that we Americans only eat meat and fries. The first night was fried chicken breast with tons of french fries. We ate it and smiled. The next night was some soup and fries. The third night was weird spam/hamburger patties with french fries......and last night we were all guessing what the food would be.......we were mostly right, about the French fries, at least---huge undercooked sausage links and french fries!!!! Nobody touched them!!! Oh my!!!

Today, we drove into France. We visited the castle at Carcasonne. It was really nice. We had quiche for 5 Euros. At least it was pretty tasty. It was funny though, because the waiter was smoking a cigarette while he was waiting for our order to be put together. Can we say, Smoked Quiche? Mmmmmm.......

So the French are so different from us Americans. Cassy, from my group, accidently left her digital camera in the taxi yesterday. She was so sad but decided to buy another one today. We went to the Carrefour grocery store. We got there at 8:55 and it closed at 9:00pm. We found her the perfect camera. However, when she finally decided to buy it, they told us the place was closed. It will also be closed tomorrow for Sunday. I asked him politely in French if he could please just help her get a camera and he said, "No! We are closed." So they started turning the lights off on everybody and we brought our drinks to the front to buy. I felt so bad for Cassy. I explained, though, that the French mentality is different than ours. In France, they live for getting off work and going home. In the USA, we would never give up another sale like that.

Tomorrow we are going to be in NIce before heading to Italy. Hopefully we will get some para-sailing in. I talked that up to the kids on the tour so much and now I think we are feeling rushed.

Barcelona Beach Party!!

So......thanks for all your emails and support, friends!! I have to meet our timid, quiet tour guide in 15 minutes, so I am short on time to write you back, but I assure you I will email you back next time and get on writing those postcards shortly. You are all the best friends anyone could want!!!!!!

Anyway, yesterday we took an 8 hour bus ride from Madrid to Barcelona. The bus driver was the worst, rudest man you could ever meet!! Seriously!! He arrived one hour late for starters. Then Jose Luis (his name) got in and started yelling at us all in Spanish, saying NO FOOD AND DRINK EXCEPT WATER IN MY BUS!!! We didn´t even have any food out. After that, he made us all put our own luggage in the bus ourselves. We took a few rest stop breaks and he was always taking our sweet, timid main tour guide, Jose, aside and complaining about us. Well, when we finally made it to Barcelona last night, he was furious to see that none of us gave him a tip. He said he should have locked all our suitcases inside the bus. As we ate dinner last night, poor little Jose came in to tell us about the situation. He let us know that Jose Luis would be staying at the hotel and if we felt like dropping him off a tip, we could leave it at the front desk. Yeah right!!!! I think one teacher from Ohio left him a dollar tip for getting us safely to our destination.

Today, we took a really cool tour of Barcelona by a fun guy with bleached, spiky hair. He showed us this huge cathedral that began in 188..something and won´t be done for another 200 years called La Sagrada Familia. I got some pictures and postcards of it because it was so interesting to look at. He took us all over the city and told us how the Spanish in this area are not as talkative as we are, so not to get offended. He also had some interesting stories to tell. During a few lulls in the tour, I talked with this German teacher from Columbus, OH on the bus. I asked who he wanted to vote for in the Presidential Election and he said, Why? You are going to talk me into Mitt Romney, aren´t you?!!! knowing I was a Mormon and from Utah. I tried to act like I wasn´t going to convince him of anything. It was interesting to compare our beliefs, though.

The rest of the afternoon was free, so I went to the outdoor and got some fruit from a fruit stand. The slow lady and her daughter were too tired from a bus ride to walk, so they went to a nice cafe just one minute away from where they dropped us off. I walked all over the place with the Spanish teacher. We went to a little cafe and I ordered a tomato and cheese tostada. It ended up being a cracker with a piece of tomato and melted cheese on top for 4 Euros!!! This place is a ripoff sometimes!! At least I am not addicted to Coke or that would be 4 Euros a day gone.

Tonight we are going out on the town a bit again. I went last night and Melissa´s mom was so worried about her. She made me promise to stay by her every minute of the night and really chaperone by setting curfews, etc. I didn´t realize that she was going to be this worried about her 18 year old daughter. I guess I should understand, but sometimes this chaperoning is tiring stuff.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Carcassonne, France!! That should be more of my territory. I guess I had better get a little bull and a fan before I leave Spain, though.

Fun in Madrid

So......I made it to Madrid!! This is the first time I have checked my email since I left. I must say, I am going to have fun, writing many of you postcards. I will get some from Spain to write in the bus on the way to Barcelona tomorrow.

The flight was very interesting. I sat by a 13 year old boy on the way to Atlanta. He was very loud and talkative. He shared his gum with all of the people around us and made tons of friends, while making other people mad at the same time because he was so loud. I told him that I worked at Dusty´s Den after high school and he said he knew everybody in Dusty´s Den as well as all of the flight attendants for Delta. He was heading all by himself to Orlando for a skateboarding competition. His knees were all scabbed and scarred from his tricks and he went up and down the aisles, showing people. When I got off the plane, people congratulated me for being so patient with him. I actually thought he made the time fly by.

The second flight to Madrid was a lot calmer. I got my own TV with games and movies. I played a Trivia game against the others in the plane. One of my previous French students, Andrea, won the game. She started cheering and the guy ahead of us shushed her. I don´t know why...it wasn´t even that late. Oh well. Some people on planes can be annoying!!! We finally put on our hot pink eye masks and tried to sleep. I didn´t sleep much, but oh well.

We arrived in Madrid and met our guide for the two weeks, Jose Fernandez. He has a Spanish name, but is actually a native of Paris. He is pretty nice, but quiet. We always ask him to tell jokes or stories, but he doesn´t have any. How can you be a guide without any stories?!!!! So we have to tell our own stories. We met up with the other groups from Columbus, OH and Houston, TX. There are some cool people in their groups but the six of us from Utah are by far the most outgoing. They put us on a bus for a city tour. The local tour guide was a Spanish lady with such a thick accent, it wasn´t worth paying attention to. I looked around and everybody was sleeping, so I decided to sleep to. She finally stopped speaking when she realized that noone was even awake!!!! I felt bad, but what can you do?

We then got off the bus and went to see the Palace of Madrid. It was huge...2000 rooms!! Inside the same thick accent lady gave us the tour. It was a little bit easier to understand her. She said that none of the royalty EVER bathed because they thought sickness came from the water. So, they put vinegar on as perfume. Can you imagine a life like that?!!! After the tour of the palace, some students were buying the expensive chocolate at the gift shop for souvenirs. I think I would rather wait until the end of the trip and buy it at the grocery store, but that is just me.

Last night the four of us girls went bowling. They said that they thought some of the guys in the other school groups were cute, but it was hard to get to know them. They wanted me to suggest to Jose, our fulltime guide, that we do some icebreaker games or a dance or something. I told him this morning and he just laughed at me!!

This morning, we went to the Prado Museum. Melissa, my previous AP French student, and her mom wanted me to hang out with them. Her mom turned 59 today and has trouble getting around, but she really is the nicest lady you could ever meet. They asked me to walk around with the two of them, which made me happy to be wanted for my Spanish expertise...ha ha. However, I am a fast museum walker, so it was difficult for me to learn to slow down. In the Prado, as I was looking at a famous painting, Las Meninas, guess who I ran into......the missionaries!!! One Elder said I looked familiar. We tried to figure it out and I found out I was his EFY counselor in 2005!!! Small world, huh? That is what is fun about traveling.

Anyway, we have free time until dinner now. Dinner last night was pea soup (pretty good to me, but the high maintenance Houston girls complained) as well as chicken and french fries. I didn´t much like the choice of main dish, seeing as I could have had that at home, so we will see how the rest of the food goes for us.

Adios amigos!!

Leaving Tomorrow!!!

Well--the date has finally arrived. You know, you plan for these big adventures and it hard to believe when it is actually time to go!!! I think I have everything ready: I got a whole bunch of little Tide laundry soap packets at Walmart, four little bottles of hand sanitizer, my new Chaco sandals and yes, a little plate that says "Utah" on with pictures of Indians for my host family. (I won't be arriving at the host family's house in Nice until the tour is over on June 24th.)

I hope to write in this blog at least once every day or two. I will try to include some funny stories of things that happen on my trip. There is always a crazy occurrence or two. When I went to Quebec last summer, I saw Mme Thompson at the metro of Montreal!!!!!! Of all the coincidences!!!! I can only imagine what adventures this summer will hold. We arrive in Madrid on Tuesday morning. I guess it's time to start packing!!!!

See you in Europe!!!