Tonight was an amazing victory for Spain and especially for the players of Barcelona's soccer team. Pujol, Iniesta, Busquets, Pedro,Villa, Xavi and Piqué were just some of the keyplayers in Spain winning the World Cup.
Me at my first Barça game in January - Barça vs. Villareal.
I've never heard such a loud crowd in my life.
View of the "camp" and the Catalan flag.
The next three are from a game on a perfect day in April.
Outside Camp Nou on May 15 when Barça won the Spanish League.
Shortly after we joined the celebration party in the center.
Two happy fans.
In June, we returned to the stadium so Roger could place his vote for Sandro Rosell to become the new Futbol Club President and after we got to tour the stadium inside and out.
The Players' locker room.
Mes Que Un Club - "More than a Club" Sitting on the Barça shield
Gerard Piqué, one of my favorite players and one of the frontrunners on the national team during the cup.
You can see him here in this video, he's the first one with the "It's time for Africa" t-shirt on.
Not many outsiders know that there was a peacefully rally yesterday in Barcelona where more than 1,100,000 Catalans, officials, and supporters protested the Spanish government's recent decision to remove certain rights regarding taxation and the Catalan language that have been in place for years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/11/spain-world-cup-final-catalonia-basques
"I told you so!"
Well, at least me and the octopus told you.
Last night Spain did what everyone thought was impossible and they beat Germany.
Seriously though, since the World Cup started I've been telling the half-dozen proud & boisterous Brazilians in my french class that Spain would be going all the way. Nobody saw them coming. I started following the FCB (Football Club de Barcelona) this past year, which the Spanish team is basically the same roster of players, and it's obvious can tell that there is just an amazing dynamic and chemistry there. Simply put, they're an exciting group to watch. The team should have gone further in the Champions league race this year but were robbed by Italy's Inter. At first glance it's easy to think that Argentinian star Lionel Messi makes FCB successful, but after taking him out of the equation during the World Cup games it's evident that's not the case.
Anyways, I was fortunate enough to be in Barcelona this past week and able to watch them beat Paraguay in a nail-biting match last saturday and play confidently against the Germans last night. On Saturday we happened to run into the newly-elected FCB president Sandro Rossel on a mountain 50 km NW of Barcelona while visiting the very obscure beautiful and spiritual Montserrat! No big deal.
Thanks Roger for the vote!
my latest discovery, and only 10 calories per each chocolate-dipped stick. so good.
I tried out this recipe on Wednesday and it was surprisingly easy and delicious! I left out the parsley and sub'd onions for Ciboulette.
Mushroom Baked Albacore
1 ½ pounds troll-caught albacore tuna steaks
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup Half & Half
1 tablespoon flour
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Chopped parsley
Saute onion, parsley and mushrooms in butter for about 10 minutes. Place albacore steaks in a greased baking dish, season with salt and pepper. Spread sauteed mixture over the steaks, then dot with butter. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes; remove from oven. Take juices from the pan and blend with Half & Half and flour in a small pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Pour sauce over fish, return to oven for 5 more minutes. Top with parsley and paprika
Today on my way to school a young girl stopped me as I walked by her car and asked for a "crayon" or something to write with. That was Easy. Then I get to class and realize that I did the homework completely wrong, it seems I haven't quite grasped Passe Compose, Imparfait, and Plus-que-parfait. These are all different verb tenses used to describe things that happend in the past. Luckily today we had a student teacher sitting in and he was able to explain the concepts in English. Sometimes I swear it's impossible learning grammar about a foreign language when it's taught in that very language you're trying to understand. At least I think I might be on the right track....
Speaking of tracks, at the metro station a little later a woman approached me with a map and immediately I thought Geez I can't wait to tell her that I don't understand what she's asking. However, she was speaking English and wearing a New Zealand sweatshirt, but how she knew I spoke english I have no idea. Some say it's easy to spot an American in other countries, I had hoped I was blending in better these days. Anyhow I was able to help her and explain that she needed to catch the next tram to get to where she was going. I have come a long ways since I first arrived here.
Once on the bus a family of travelers came aboard, I could tell they were American immediately. They came all the way from Alaska and are on a 6 week tour of Europe. Unfortunately they had no idea of what had just happened at their next destination over the past few days. It's really a catastrophe. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2248330.stm
Today my friend Natalie and I inadvertantly did a bit of a triathalon. We started out looking for an indoor pool and ended up walking for more than an hour trying to find it a neighborhood we knew nothing about up on Fouviere Hill. Did I mention I was lugging about 10 lbs of my school books, in the rain? Anyways as it turns out, this is no ordinary pool but an olympic-sized pool so after completing about 10 or so laps I was done. Now onto Yoga for the final event, well maybe....
As always, I start out with a main purpose for getting online and then I get completely lost on You Tube, Facebook, BLOGGER.com, etc. Tonight I was looking for some cooking ideas and stumbled across this jewel. Bon Apetite!
I'm calling this second term in Lyon Part Dieu, for two reasons:
1) I'm about a block from the Centro Commercial which is called Part Dieu. The shopping mall, the train station, buses, and metros all come together here in the more modern part of the city.
2) After taking an official break from this whirlwind of an European experience and going back to the states for about two weeks, I returned to Lyon. It's not that I didn't think that I would come back, but I was definitely wondering before if I would have second thoughts once I was at home in Houston. Before leaving the states in February, conversations with my family were along the lines of "well, I will try it out and see how it goes" and "this won't be a permanent relocation". The first three months were a mix of shock and awe, adventure and boredom, just about any two extreme opposites of emotion I went through them all.
My assignment for my French class tonight is to write about all the things that have changed since arriving in Lyon. To that I say, "Merde, there isn't enough paper in my notebook or time in the world for my teacher grade this assignment."
Hmmm, a few key points in my paper will probably talk about.....
- Crying on the first day I was on my own in the city and got lost for about four hours in the twisted streets but now I can successfully navigate any of the transits systems without a hitch!
-Not being able to read a menu or order anything on my own not even at McDonalds. Now I've got favorite eating spots and use a french cookbook for meals at home.
- Not knowing how to workout without a gym to walking/running( only when headed downhill =P ) through rose gardens and next to giraffes, elephants, and bears at our beautiful park down the street.
Everything is looking so much better already this time around.
I can clearly say though that I came back with the soap washed from my eyes and now I couldn't be more excited, in love and ready conquer anything this country and/or continent has to throw at me.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
I'm so glad summer is here, and can't wait to explore the mediterranean in the next few months!
Menorca is going to be so amazing!
So much going on in the world right now, it's unbelievable!
First of all, I've been mentioning the Air France flight 447 for a while now. Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the accident. The families of the victims still do not have any answers as to why the plane went down and the airline is reluctant to continue their investigation because it's so costly. Today I will be flying Air France from Houston direct to Paris and then taking the speed train back to Lyon. It doesn't matter how many times I fly, I always get the pre-flight jitters.
In other headlines:
Behind the Gores' Shocking Split The Daily Beast – 48 mins ago
Five confirmed killed in British shooting rampage Reuters – 16 mins ago
Anti-incumbency takes down another congressman AP – 1 hr 29 mins ago
Could Gulf oil spill bankrupt BP? The Christian Science Monitor – Tue Jun 1, 6:53 pm ET
US soccer team in fortified South Africa hotel AP – Wed Jun 2, 4:55 am ET
Are moviegoers tiring of sequels? Reuters – 43 mins ago
Military to Adopt NFL's Instant Replay Technology LiveScience.com – Tue Jun 1, 10:45 pm ET
I woke up this morning, checked my e-mail and received a surprise. Roger is back in Barcelona and sent me some songs to get me up and going. I couldn't be any luckier.
this one reminds me of when we were in the city after Barce's big win two weeks ago and a live band was playing this and everyone was dancing, chanting "Barce" and singing in the streets.
I've been totally lazy lately and haven't written a thing about all the travelling I've been doing. I guess I'll start with the most recent trip back here in Texas. My good friend from college Carolyn tied the knot on Saturday in Austin. Roger flew into Houston Friday afternoon and we hit the road headed for the wonderful hill country. We stopped for dinner at Austin's famous Trudy's for some delicious margaritas and rich rich mexican food.
Saturday afternoon we witnessed the "I Do's" at a beautiful catholic church across from the UT campus.
After we headed to the Barton Creek Resort where the reception would be held 4 hours later. Once we got to the hotel I got to meet 4 very handsome little guys. These are just 4 out of about 10 babies that my friends have brought into the world this past year. Baby Fever!!
From Left to Right: Tristan Niebes (Katie & Jonathan); Nolan Kolwalski and his twin Carter on the far right (Rachael & Brad); Ryder Hemlock in the striped shirt (April & Matt)
They're so amazing.
Me with my gorgeous Delta Gammas sisters Carolyn & Sara.
The Sea Bass and Filet were unreal, not to mention they had potato lyonnais!
Sunday morning we refueled at the County Line for some of the best BBQ I've ever had.
Iced Tea, fresh wheat bread, along with some ribs, turkey, chicken and sausage. Yee haw!
We arrived in San Antonio later that day to Hotel Valencia where we got off to an interesting start. The hotel was very modern and was somewhat like a dungeon with its dark lighting and indoor waterfalls. It really set the mood for some mysterious surprises waiting for us in our room. Pretty much as soon as I was finding the spots of blood on our bathroom towels and on the floor, Roger discovered a lacy black pair of Fredericks of Hollywood underwear laying on the floor of the bedroom. Considering we probably stumbled across evidence of the murder of a hooker we should have gotten a little more than free breakfasts and a bottle of wine.
The horror continues when we find that BP North America was meeting here as well.
Enough with the drama, out on the riverwalk.....
At the Alamo on Monday morning.
The Tower of Americas standing 750 feet up, built in the 60's for the World Fair held here in San Antonio. Despite my fear of heights, I braved this tower like Dallas' 650' Reunion in Tower last year.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Today I went with my two little cousins to see Shrek Ever After in 3-D.
It was better than I expected because the third Shrek movie was awful and I hadn't see any commercials for this movie, or for any current movies for that matter. On account of the hotness of the day, I decided to take full advantage of the A/C and rented The Road to watch as well. I finished the book a couple of months ago and can say that the movie was pretty good. Usually I am disappointed in movies after reading the books first i.e. Hannibal, and the Davinci code.
Maybe I'm feeling a little nostalgic today but there was commonality between the two movies. They both centered around the importance of fully appreciating everyone in your life and everything you've been given.
Friday, May 21, 2010
My Current Book, "All the Tea in China", I found in an Italian airport where I searching for a historical adventure to read.
Brief synopsis: An English horticulturalist sent by the crown secretly into China to find and steal Tea that was unavailable to the rest of the world.
After reading the summary I decided to purchase the book. Then I realized the author was none other than Sarah Rose. Amazing.
The past couple of weeks have been craziness. Jen's visit couldn't have gone better, and we exhausted ourselves in Paris and Rome running around seeing all the sites. Afterwards we wound down a couple of days in Lyon. We all left for the airport friday morning where Roger and I headed of to Barcelona and Jen left on her journey back to San Diego. In Barcelona Sunday night, we were at the stadium to celebrate Barce's victory as Spanish league Champs. We followed the victory route into the city where I witnessed thousands of the happiest people in the world with red and blue flags waving, horns honking, and people climbing over statues, bus stops, and the walls of buildings.
I've arrived in Houston Monday night after 24 hours of travelling. That day started out with cancelled flights in & out of heathrow thanks to the volcano again. Then after going to the airport and rerouting everything, I missed my connecting flight in NY to Chicago. Finally, I was able to get on a direct flight from NY to Houston, but my luggage wasn't so lucky. I finally recovered my luggage today and Im still trying to adjust to the 7 hour time difference. Plus after spending three months on another continent I'm feeling strange and a little out of the loop here.
Hopefully soon I will get to upload some pics and have enough concentration to give more details about the trips. In the meantime, here's a little song for your listening pleasure.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
As a closet parrothead, I can't believe I almost forgot this one.
...I'm ready to go. I'm standin' here outside you door I hate to wake you up to say goodbye. But the dawn is breakin' it's early morn. The taxi is waitin' he's blowin' his horn....."
Well, almost....
I will be getting up earlty tomorrow because my train leaves at 7:56 in the morning, luckily the station is just a block away. Two hours later I will arrive at Charles De Gaulle airport to meet Jen who is flying in from San Diego. So far I've spent a great deal of time learning the public transportations systems there and not much time planning our sites. However, we have a loose agenda that we've put together with tips from friends. Since we're both pretty fascinated by the paranormal, we'll start with the catacombs and cemetaries.
Then Saturday afternoon we'll leave for Rome. I love the history of the Roman Empire and going to Italy has always been a dream of mine. I'm looking forward to seeing the Colliseum the most.
No class today, or for the rest of the month for that matter. So the only things on my plate are planning my trip(s) and baking a cake. A Moelleux Fourre Au Chocolate to be exact.
Great song by Kate Nash who I like more and more everytime I hear her. Here are two songs about ways not to fall victim while we're out on our own.
You can do anything that you want, world is an oyster, dont dissapoint us
You can stand on your own two feet, you can lead me through the streets
Pave the way, so we can dream dreams, noone else can see what you made me see.....
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Me with my spanish-speaking classmates celebrating after our last day of school. Joel, the Cuban Chef, Romina, the Venezuelan dentist, Ana Gabriela, the Brasilian student and Martin, the Argentinian Hockey star. It's not a surprise why my spanish is improving more than my french. Salud!
This week marked the end of a couple of important things.
The first was the phenomenal run of the "little team that could" - the Olympique Lyonnais who lost their match Tuesday against Bayern Munich 0-3. It was fun being here for the race though.
On Wednesday, Barcelona had a devastating loss to Internaizionale in their race to Madrid for the Champions League. What a tough loss considering the Italians merely had to guard the goal only for the duration of the game to ensure that Barce didn't score more that two goals. To make matters worse, there was a horrible call for use of hands that retracted their second goal that would have won them the game. The Italian coach Morihno is completely classless and his team didn't even attempt to play a little offense whatsoever. They had that game handed to them on a silver platter, not even having to score a single goal to win.
Thirdly, my final day of french was this morning and I am so pleased with my test results! I did far better than I expected and just one point shy of the best score in the class. After class a bunch of us went for lunch and drinks to celebrate and we ended up in an Irish bar that is owned by a fellow Houstonian. He's the first Texan I've met yet [in France] and the first American I've met outside of school.
Part of my class below, from Left: Arthur ( Algeria), Kesorn (Thailand), Noriko (Japan), Romina (Venezuela), Martin (Argentina), Me, Ayako (Japan), Natalie (Israel/America), Sophie (Australia)
Now a new chapter will begin here, and I will see how well I can do learning French on my own. First test will be getting around in Paris next week. After that I'll be travelling to Rome, then Barcelona for another weekend before my trip back to the USA til the beginning of June. Carloyn is gettng married and I can't wait to soak up the summer heat in Austin with my friends!
top 10 music spots
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/new-orleans/travel-tips-and-articles/42/50599
Speaking of Air France, Manuel Noriega was extradited to Paris today.
If you're not sure where Panama is, this old classic shoud set you straight.
In other news, the following article is really exciting for two reasons: we're making huge leaps in Going Green and secondly, I was born on this Patuxant, MD Naval base.
Permalink Security Brief: The Navy's new secret weapon? Going green It’s the new secret weapon fueling the US military. A hardy plant capable of growing in poor soil, camelina sativa produces a bio-fuel that’s now the focus of the US Navy’s drive for alternative fuels in its planes.
Last week an F/A-18 Super Hornet flew from the Naval Air Station at Patuxent River, Md., powered by a 50/50 mix of aviation fuel and camelina, also known as wild flax. It was the first supersonic fighter to fly on a bio-fuel mix. The event was celebrated by US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on the Navy’s new official blog, also launched last week .
Officials say that during the 45-minute flight the plane’s engines worked as well on the camelina fuel as on normal aviation fuel – at both subsonic and supersonic speeds. “The fuel works so well, all I needed to do was just fly the plane.” the plane’s pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Tom Weaver said. Mabus describes the program a “significant milestone” toward operational use of bio-fuels by the Navy. The Navy says it will take a few months before camelina can be certified as an alternative fuel source, but it has already received 40,000 gallons of camelina bio-fuel from a grower in Montana, at a cost of nearly $3 million. The humble weed is now being cultivated because of its high oil content – with farmers across the Pacific Northwest looking at its potential. Environmentalists give a lukewarm welcome to the programs, but say the military should be focusing on other ways to reduce its ‘footprint.’ “Does it really need all those post-WWII military bases in places like Germany and Japan? Does it need to keep all that cold-war hardware in operation? “ asks Michael Graham Richard at Treehugger.com To read the full article click here: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/26/security-brief-the-navys-new-secret-weapon-going-green/?hpt=C2
Flax is also being used to reduce the emission of methane by cows. Since Texas is high on the list of cow-raising and I've been following the research. .
Read on...
Researchers look to omega-3 fatty acids to reduce methane emissions and make healthier milk.
Dairy cow nutrition was once a matter of feeding for higher milk yield and cow health. But recently, feed management has taken on wider significance, as we learn more about how it affects the environment and human health. A cow’s diet ends up both in the environment and in the milk bottle, one way or another. Stonyfield Farm of Londonderry, N.H., long concerned about its environmental impact, has for the last decade sought to reduce the carbon footprint of milk production – its largest contributor of greenhouse gases. The toughest part has been dealing with enteric emissions, or the methane from a cow’s digestion. So when Stonyfield learned how Group Danone, the French company which holds a large share in Stonyfield, uses dairy nutrition to reduce its greenhouse emissions, the U.S. company began a similar pilot program, calling it “The Greener Cow.”
Pasture is the best way to feed that greener cow. A diet rich in natural omega-3 fatty acid sources such as grass, alfalfa and flax rebalances a cow’s rumen, so she gives off less methane, explained Nancy Hirshberg, Stonyfield’s vice president for natural resources. In addition, omega-3 provides many benefits for human health, as anyone who walks down a supermarket aisle knows today.
Preliminary results of Stonyfield’s study found an average 12% reduction in methane emissions on the dairies feeding flax. But it also found that omega-3s in the milk increased by 29%, while the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 was lowered, a ratio considered a key to human health. However, TradiLin is currently only processed in Europe, by the French company Valorex SAS, so is a costly alternative. “The big unknown is how to make it work economically for every farm that wants to adopt it,” Hirshberg said. To get the full article: http://dairywebmall.com/dbcpress/?p=5512
This morning we caught a 6 a.m. Air France flight from Barcelona back to Lyon.
Usually I don't get the jitters about flying but this morning there are headlines aplenty regarding the recently continued investigations into the Air France 447 crash one year ago from Rio en route to Paris. This accident hit really close to home, literally, because the only two Americans on that flight Michael and Anne Harris, lived on my block back in The Woodlands. Not to mention, the early bird transit today was filled with professionals all reading the newspapers covered in the pictures of wreckage from that flight. I shut my window this morning as we passed over the Mediterranean. Thank goodness, it's only an hour flight. More good luck that flights have once again resumed to business as usual. Only 9 days til Jen's arrival!
I am always thinking about the people around me that I don't know and trying to imagine what they might do for a living or where they came from. There is a webiste for Air France 447 and a detailed list of the passengers on that flight. It's really bone-chilling and heart-breaking to see why people were on that flight. Especially after the recent crash that killed the Polish president, it just goes to show that no one is untouchable and life is too short.
Something new.
Something old. "Me gusta viajar... je ne sais pas"
I'm working on my video for this weekend. In the meantime, here's a preview.
I couldn't have imagined a better weekend and the best parts were completely unplanned. Roger has taught me that life is so much more wonderful when you don't ruin the future moments by worrying or trying too hard to make them great. You just have to trust in yourself and make sure that you keep worthy company and everything else will fall into place.
St. Jordi is the Catalan day of Love. He was the original brave knight sent to rescue a princess from a fire-breathing dragon. It is celebrated every year with gifts of roses for the ladies, and books for the men. The streets are lined with people selling every color rose you can imagine and authors are in every other stand signing piles books. The books sold on this day accounts for one-third of the total books purchased throughout the year. Not to mention all the political representatives make their appearances in the public this day. Roger happened to notice I was standing next to Mayor of Barcelona at one book stand and he was nice enough to take a photo with me, No big deal! (pic to follow) Strolling through the bustling streets and Las Ramblas of Barcelona was the perfect way to spend day after the rude awakening I had at 5:00 this morning.
Long story short, I ending up nearly breaking my foot after my fold-out bed at Roger´s parents house collapsed. I was trying to move the bed so I could get to door and down the hall to the restroom. I did not realize that when I moved it that I had unlocked the legs and when I went to climb on it, the bed fell on my right foot, along with all my weight to help matters.
After 45 minutes of ice and being sick to my stomach from pain, we finally managed to get back to sleep. Fortunately, I don´t think anything was broken but I´ve got lots of black and blue to deal with for the next coming weeks. So much for summer sandals in the near future. All of it was nearly forgotten when I woke later on and received my first rose of the day! <3
The airports are finally up and running again and just in time for our trip to Barcelona tomorrow! Plus, in just two weeks time Jen will arrive! I think by now I am prepared for a good test of my french, and what better way to try it out than on an excursion to Paris.
I'm a bit frustrated though because it's impossible to get "current" American tv here and my pledge sister Jackie was a cheerio last night on the season premier of Glee. She's the reason us Delta Gammas were so successful in the SMU talent shows.
In my free time I continue to take photos for my art class, and some have already been selected for the school's exhibition at the end of May.
The city is really coming alive with the spring flowers blooming and the constant sunshine.
Rihanna was here last night performing, and although I wasn't able to catch the show there is a great lineup this summer. The Roman Amphitheater will be hosting Vampire Weekend as well as Xavier Rudd along with some other great headliners that I'll be sure not to miss.
Lugdunum, as this area was known, was officially recognized by the Roman senate in 43 BC.
Lately it's seems like its the year of the natural disaster. Earthquakes, Tsunamis, and Volcano eruptions that are clouding the skies and melting glaciers! Not to mention fireballs from outerspace!
Scary stuff.
and I feel fine. Mostly because I had another amazing session of Yoga today. This one was led by my Israeli-american classmate Natalie's friend who is visiting from Tel Aviv. They instruct the classes so much better than anything I've experienced, they are so tuned into how your body moves on an individual basis. Instead of pushing you beyond your limits, they enable you to listen to your inner self and focus on strengthening your weaknesses. This method is so much more relaxing and yet we still feel a like we got a workout afterwards.
I'm starting to lose track of the days here, but regardless this one was pretty "brilliant". After school and a lunch with with Roger, I headed to the mall to meet my friend from "down under" Sophie. She is a classmate of mine, and I knew right off that we'd be friends.
The first day in class I asked her - Do people in Australia really say "throw another shrimp on the Bar-B!"?
No! She laughed. We never say that!
For a moment, I was a little disappointed and confused by this common phrase I'd always heard and it's association with the Aussies but she explained - "We don't have shrimps, they're tiiiny! We have Prawns! And we don't throw, we chuck!"
She helped me pick out a food processor which she calls a MagicMixer, love it. It's a purchase I have been thinking about for a while now. Every morning I walk through master chef Paul Bocuse's food market on my way to school, and I've decided to step up my cooking skills since there are so many delicious resources around. Cheese, meats, seafood, wine, desserts, as well as herb and spices are the culture here and why not embrace them fully? I'm not quite yet ready in my french skills to join a culinary class but I've gathered up some wonderful french cookbooks and gorgous pots and pans to begin practice. Not to mention several kilos of authentic Catalonian olive oil at our disposal!
Anyways, we finished up our shopping and went out to the terrace to grab a couple of Japanese beers and relax in the afternoon sun, just gabbing and philosophizing about life. She traded a life of kite surfing every evening in a Melborne bay to cross-country skiing in the Alps in absolute serenity on the weekends.
After we parted at the "Centro Commercial", Sophie left to hop on a train and I started on my walk just two blocks back to the apartment. I remembered that I had something to pick up at the post office, and I absolutely dreaded going in. However, there was nothing to fear! There were 4 or 5 workers helping customers and even one manager directing people and making sure they did not wait for something as trivial as a stamp. The man in front of me told me to go first and I was in there 5 minutes max! This never happens in the states...
While I was in there, this short came on the tv. It made me laugh out loud, so cute.
Oh and in under 3 weeks I will be in Paris with my BFF from San Diego Jen! Everything is booked for our Paris, Rome, and Lyon escapade! All I have to do now is buy my train ticket for the 2 hour journey north.
This morning I am preparing for my frech lesson and this subject is really agonizing. I'm starting to realize now why Roger's dad has been telling me that this is the language of diplomats.
First of all, intonation is everything. Without the increases and decreases in tone, you might as well not even try saying the right words.
Secondly, there are 3 ways of phrasing every question: formally, the standard method, and informally. Not to mention the everlasting debate between using tu (you familiar) and vous (you formal). Instead of just calling someone Mr. Smith, for example, there is a whole different "vous" conjugation for a verb when speaking to someone on a more respectful level. Even though this formality exists in the Spanish language, you can get by without knowing it because it is not used in all the latin countries.
My friend lent me a book called Talk to the Snail written by an Englishman who dedicates ten chapters to the strange behaviors of the french. Although, Lyon is a little more laid back that I've been told Paris is, I've grown accustomed to the difference, or lack of, customer service here in France. Hopefully, by the end of the book, I will have learned some tricks of the trade on how to survive here.
Speaking of books, I've just finished The Road. Really great read. It's one of those that you can't put down because of its dark and mysterious tone. I recommend it to anyone and guarantee you will see the world as a different place after reading it.
I also have my first photo project due this evening. Premier assignment is to include two of the ten themes in a picture: Crescendo and Variant. It's a lot more difficult than it seems especially when I'm using a standard Nikon digital camera but I think that I might be able to use some of the photos from last weekend's trip to the park and museum.
Overlooking the plaza on this beautiful day.
A bust of Julliet Recamier, my street's namesake. A beautiful Lyonnais debutant turned Parisian social icon.
The French really do love their horizontal stripes.
Here in France, they still love Music Videos and while I do my homework I listen to the french music. Although most of the videos are American pop like Beyonce and Black-Eyed-Peas there are a few in french.
I used to make fun of one of my favorite Mixed Martial Artist, Georges St. Pierre because being a french-canadian he would enter the ring blaring french rap.
However, the French rap, along with some tv, is helping me improve little by little.
The much awaited finale of the french Top Chef finale was tonight and I couldn't have agreed more with the two champions. The young and ingenious Romain just 24 years old, and the Pierre an experienced chef of his own restaurant. One to one on the knife count, drum roll.....
Romain won! amazing, I am totally in shock but this guy is the most creative and now 100,000 Euros richer.
During the finale, they played this song which I absolutely love and have had on my ipod for a while now.
Just had a long weekend in Switzerland and back to school in the morning. This week I start yoga that my friend Natalie is teaching and photography class as well at the school.
so, I ventured out to the land of the blondes today. I'm still surprised every time I pass a mirror, but I think I like it.
Things have been busy busy lately. We moved in Yesterday, and I have boucoup photos to post.
Roger's parents and sister arrive in a few minutes and we'll all be venturing off to Switzerland on Saturday for the Easter weekend. I am having semi-sweet Suiss-chocolate-easter bunny dreams, I hope that the chocolate really does flow like wine there.
