JANE GOES TO SOUTH AMERICA =D

It seems really strange to think that about a month ago I was coming home to Canada and settling back down into a normal routine only to interupt it again as I head to Ecuador next Sunday for a month!!!!!!

I regret to inform you that there will be no blog for Ecuador (there was going to be but I had second thoughts for a number of reasons) but I will send out albums whenever I can and I promise they will come with very detailed captions (mini ESSAYS!!!).

Love you all tons!!
Jane <3

Hometime WOOT WOOT!!!

So this is it. I feel like a kid who has just been given a bucket of ice cream and told that they must eat it all...EVERY ... LAST .... BITE. Today I spent the whole day packing and after several failed attempts I finally managed to get it all stuffed in my bags AND all under the weight limit. Can I get a hip hip hooray? I had super yummy artichokes and my last fresh eggs (softboiled) for dinner and bought a USB port thing for my pictures and then went to soccer. Turns out they were just spending soccer eating chocolate and drinking coke so I joined them for a half hour and at the end they gave me a Phénix Cavaillon soccer warm up shirt and sport bag and pen (AWESOME!!!!) I spent the whole day kind of depressed and mopey about going home (I guess that means kudos to these three months) and now I cannot sleep and it is approaching midnight and I am waking up at 4:15. YIKES!!!

I guess the real reflection part is now. When I got to Aurore's house I walked around, touched everything, explored everything, said hello to everyone and felt such a sense of joy, excitement and adventure and inspiration. And here I am no longer sad about going home and reflecting on the past three months I feel the same sensation. That's it really, I just feel good. Which is nice.

This morning Aurore also gave me a book she made filled with pictures and all sorts of funky little Aurore sayings and drawings and decorations from the three months and was really nice and all "I'm really going to miss you, let's visit" which was also, incredibly nice. In 4some hours I head off the airport for my big day home and Aurore, Philip and Sylvie are seeing me off (according to Alix, it is much to early, so I said goodbye to her around 8pm) and I am pretty damn psyched.

So.....I love you all for being there and being yourselves and being encouraging and supportive and above all else faithful blog readers and commenters and I hope that some of these blogs haven't bored you to death =) and I will send out the link of my Ecuador blog through my mom in 3 or 4 weeks.

Te quiero mucho (aimed at everyone!!)
Jane, xoxo

May 15th, last day at Benoit and second last France day!!!

My class, Kayla's creepy arm thing, the nuts English teacher and the three people are Emilie, Jenn and Char, my friends from my class! <3 SOON!!!

Il faut que tu saches: J'irai chercher ton cœur si tu l'emportes ailleurs

So I went to the soccer game!!! Woot woot!! And it was awesome!!! I only played for like a second but I learned so much, had so much fun and I am really really superly happy that I went!!!!!!! (FYI, click on the picture to blow it up so you can see everybody!!!)

THIS WEEKEND has been amazing. A great last weekend. A superb last weekend. A last weekend to knock all other last weekends OFF the chart. First I spent all Saturday morning just getting ready for our guests and at lunch time we ate a great lunch (although lordilordy I cannot for the life of me remember what it was, hmm...) with our guests (aunt, uncle and half deaf cousin) and spent the afternoon shopping, (gorgeous red top btw) swimming, (god I love that pool) and relaxing and listening to music before another awesome meal and cake. In the evening I had a water fight with Aurore and Philippe (I kicked ass you will be happy to know!!) and then I watched a bit of the French Soccer Cup (between Paris and Marseille, L'OM lost by the way much to the disappointment of Aurore who was wrapped in L'OM clothing and a hat!) and 2 episodes of my guilty guilty endulgence/pleasure "One Tree Hill." I finally crashed around 11:30 pm and was up eating yummy cereal for breakfast and hanging out and all that. Around noon Hervé and Chantal from Morocco came to eat with us and I left around 12:30 for soccer. The game started around 2 and ended near 4 and I left, after several teams pictures around 5. So, I just got home. For the record, we WONNNNN!!!!!!! 3-1 contre all my fave Canadian enemies (just joking) in LE THOR, of all the places!!!!!! Anyhow, now it is 5:08 and I am going to do a little Spanish prep work and listen to music and veg for a bit and then we will eat, I shall indulge myself with some OTH (one tree hill) and then I shall snooze. Lovely plan huh? Trust me, I LOVE IT LIKE THIS!!!!!

That brings me to Monday which is school, homework and then shopping for goodies to bring home (FYI I am not overloading on candy to bring home because I just don't feel like it, plus the pressies I bought take up too much room!!!!) and then it's Tuesday which is school and then Wednesday which is homework, packing, nice dinner with the family and then I am going to soccer to take pictures of the practices, the team and my friends and then I am maybe going to sleep (I say maybe because I don't see the point considering I have to get up around 2 or 3 in the morning, it might even be better for jetlag if I just save the sleeping and all that for the plane!!! We shall see) and then it's Thursday and I'm gone. This weekend has passed so quickly, I have no doubt that Monday and Tuesday will as well because school days tend to fly by and then Wednesday will be busy packing and repacking and weighing my luggage. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah, time flies when you are having fun, time flies when you've had fun and time will fly when you're having fun. I am happy. Happy, happy, happy.

I DON'T WANT YOU HERE MESSING WITH MY MIND

I am a liar. My apologies for being a liar. Here I spit off crap about writing on Friday and then I blow you all off for what??? (A two hour soccer practice in which we did nothing but run and run and run in the heat AND a couple of relaxing episodes of One Tree Hill, my very guilty pleasure) Anyway, I am here today and here now. So here, ladies and gents, is your blog.

Soccer games dropped like flies and I've been given a chance to play one game tomorrow with the seniors (19+) which are mostly adults in their thirties and I would have to play the hardest I have ever played but I think I am going to pass on that because I'm not up to it. Wednesday I'm dropping by the practice to get a team pic!! Fun fun. Today we have 4 guest coming for the entire weekend and tomorrow at lucnh Hervé and Chantal (the couple that went to Morocco with us) are coming for lunch and they will give me their cd of pics from Morocco, that include more of meeeeee!!! Charming.

Today and Sunday I plan on working, swimming, soaking up the sun and just chilling (but mostly working and then swimming and then chilling and probably not soaking up the sun) and organizing some of my junk =). Monday and Tuesday is school and Wednesday is packing and Thursday is home. There is nothing amazing or even moderately great about the next couple of days so it's just going to be work and relaxing and counting the days. I know, not the best way to do it, but now that I'm down to five full France days left, I feel pretty okay with playing the countdown game, especially since the lack of airconditioning in this house and the recent heatwave are making me nutty. Ah well. By the way, how is the wheather in Canada??

This past week has been nuts. It has flown by (another reason why the next couple of days should too) and I have pretty much worked on Canadian homework, gone to school, played soccer and hung around the house. I have not blogged because I reall have not had much to say. Life - right now - kind of blows.

Wake up - computer - shower,chores - iPod - lunch - homework - swim - music, book, vegging - snack - homework, music, book, vegging - dinner - get ready for sleep - watch episodes - sleep

THAT is my current daily routine. It looks mundane it looks awful and it looks like something you would get bored of easily, but the truth is, I'm liking the days that are like this (only in small 5some days doses though) because they relax me and let me really relax. I think though that I will be tired of that when I come home which is perfect because once I come home I don't have a free weekend until August (which judging by what I'm doing is great but also a litte annoying as well)

So, not a wonderful, great blog but not a sad, Jane is in crappy mood blog. I am happy, really I am, I am just whipped and enjoying this kind of relaxing-ness and looking forward to seeing everybody again.

The high point? I kind of saw it (going back home to Canada) for awhile there near the end fo this exchange (like a week or two ago)as a my life is starting over again kind of thing and I was excited to do that. Now I am just excited to go home but I don't see it as a start over and nor do I see any reason to rush because I am perfectly happy just where I am. BREAKTHOUGH, what I wanted to feel all my last exchange and all this exchange, perfectly happy where I am and not living in anticipation of the going home part, I am feeling now and that for me, is a dream come true!!!

Ciao,
Jane
ps - I've been writing less frequently because these days don't give me tons to write about, but I will write atleast once more before I leave. One of those reflect back on what you learned, did, felt, regretted, etc. blogs!!!
LOVE YOU ALL, FIVE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm only human and that's my saving grace

Okay, so the picture above is of Kayla's arm. My self portrait on Kayla's arm. THAT is what Kayla and I do in music class (called chant choral here) and I just thought I would share because I love it!!!!!!! <333333

Anyhow, tomorrow as I have no school (only monday and tuesday left of school aaaaah!!!) and loads of free time (although I will be busy doing homework for canada, yuck) I will blog and give you a complete update. So look for that tomorrow.

Ciao until then,
Jane

ps - ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Lucy in the sky with Diamonds

So, it's the end, or the very near the end end and I find myself thinking. "Wow Jane, thinking, don't overreach yourself!" Or should I say "Janie" as my friends at good ol' JCI have taken to calling me, thus the wonderful name change on facebook for those of you who have facebook and were a little "is Jane going insane?" Donc, here is a photo of Jess and me that I love and wanted to share with you!! I felt immensely cheery when I first looked at this photo so I want to try and "share" that feeling with you before I launch into my blog. So, hopefully it worked. Here goes:

I feel like being near the end it's the time to "tell all" and be completely honest about stuff that I've kind of held inside. So, for starters I always felt insecure until now about the fact that I blogged so much and Emma so little. I always felt like Emma's absence from Canada (meaning her lack of communication with Canada) meant that she was having a better time than me and I didn't want to think that way. But now I feel like so much happens to me (thank you everyone for making it happen, je suis blessed) and if I didn't blog the way I do I would forget most of it and so I feel like my blogging is justified and I can sleep peacefully at night. On that sleeping note, since Morocco I have slept through entire nights and I no longer wake up seven bajillion times and toss and turn for hours!! Wonderful breakthrough, I just wished it had happened early because I am feeling way less tired and very energetic and positive, except for Friday morning because I went to bed way too late for my own good! Ah well. Things happen.

Now, just a quick chick note: They still are not born!! I think they are doing this just to spite me, oh we know how much Jane wants to see us and love us and ooh and aah over us so we are going to refrain from being born just to make her sad =( it's really a good thing that I have other things to occupy my time. Now, on to the other things.

Today is my first soccer game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am really excited because at 1 o'clock today we have a rendezvous at the Hippodrome (where I practice and some of the matchs are held) and then at 3 o'clock we play in Morremoiron (sorry I am not sure of the spelling) about an hour away from Cavaillon. Superbe!! Anyhow, that is not all -I have a soccer tournament on Tuesday too, all day and there is no school and apparently there is a party at Jenny's Monday night and then Wednesday I am heading to Avignon afterschool with Kayla and maybe meeting up with Madysin (Do you remember her? I blogged about her, she was the one Alex and I shared a room with in Paris, I didn't know where she was going near Avignon but it turns out that she is in Avignon so I invited her to our Wednesday shop and see the bridge day so maybe I shall get another chance to see her. Who knows. All together it has been a good week ending and yesterday's three hour history class was quite interesting.....

Yesterday we had an Auswichtz (sp?) survivor who is 85 years old come in and talk about his whole being in the concentration camp experience. He also told us about the time he had to kill a friend because he was dying and it would take about 24 hours of suffering so he had to put him out of his misery. Some parts I didn't understand but for the most part I did and it was really interesting. He showed us the ink number on his arm from his days there and then explained about the daily routine and all sorts of horror stories and how he was upset because not one of the movies made today accurately represents the camps, it is all really glorified and inaccurate and that makes him upset. He also went on about how disgusting English porridge was (the first meal he had when the Allies rescued him) but how nice the sugar in it was, and then he kept pointing at us and saying Canadians rescued me, Canadians like your Canadian comrades and making everyone turn around and stare at us and Kayla and I started laughing and giggling (you know the way you do when you are really nervous? Well it was like that) -not good. The lunch was also pretty good too for a change, porc and potatoes (although the recent lack of veggies at lunch has been disturbing) and then we had music class, my second last in France and in highschool since I quit music. It was crazy. First, Kayla and I were in a crazy mood so we drew all over each others arms (playing tic tac toe on our hands as well) and then we taught Simon the whole This is his face game, you know the one where you write this on your fingers, a face on the palm of your hand and then scribbles on the palm of your other hand? Well, Simon understood after awhile but thought we were insane because we were laughing so hard we were crying and then I accidently drew the face on Kayla's hand upside down so I changed it to be nostrils (the two lines that were eyes) and the mouthline became the egg shaped head (the head ressembled mr. potato head in the end) and I added a body and it was really ugly and crazy. Then when we had to stand up and sing this guy started waving his lighter around to the slow songs which made Kayla and I delirious (before he stopped and got in trouble) and then Max, who has a sweater that is covered with zippers that you can unzip -thus taking apart his sweater, spent the rest of the class fighting to keep his sweater on as Bastien and Simon spent the time trying to get it off, and pissing the hell out of the guy sitting in front of me who had the lighter because he was not in a good mood =( oh well, I was in an excellent one. THEN, because of the stupid train strikes (I'll love the TTC for the rest of my life) I was stuck at school for three and a half hours after my classes ended so I hung out with Jamie and we compared all the stuff that had changed with our families and friends in Canada while we were gone and we were quiet for a minute with awe because honestly? You may not realize it because your living it but so much has changed in such a short time. Already:

1 - Emma's rat Ice Cream died
2 - My one friend now has a boyfriend (finally, that took nine million years)
3 - My sister's boyfriends family met my family and now I am going to meet them, which means that they are serious (which I kind of already knew).
4 - My little sister got bumped up to a AA hockey team (I think, still not sure) AND changed schools.
5 - My ANCIENT sister auditioned for universities which means shes growing up, which is weird because this is her last year "at home."
6 - My dog has gone from normal sized to anorexic as my family -traitors- got her clipped.

So, just a little dose of what has changed at home while I am gone, there is more but my craptastic memory can't remember any more for the moment. Nowing me it will probably come back to haunt me at later moments in my life and I shall be like, oh yeah that was what changed, better yet, soon I shall be living the change. Oh yeah, my other friend is also now running for President of the student council. Weird.

Anyway, thats all I have to share with you this morning. I'm now going to go shower and indulge myself with some trashy magazines courtesy of ma mère and then think about soccer soccer soccer which is soon soon soon. Speaking of soon, Canada is soon and the more I think about it the more I feel confused and weird and uncertain about it.

ciaobella,
Jane

Vids

FYI I have changed the error that is the third scouts de france video, by accident it was the same as the English presentation but I have changed it and it now actually is the third scouts de france video

Videos that I have had for awhile but never ever bothered to put up. Seriously, the process takes nine freaking hours!!!


SCOUTS DE FRANCE VIDEO 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-GHoP5MmEs

SCOUTS DE FRANCE VIDEO 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4TLzfosnYA

RANDOM SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3flkF2SWIU

MARION'S (A FRIEND) AWESOME ENGLISH PRESENTATION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sypIVZ3Nw2Q

SCOUTS DE FRANCE VIDEO 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzHtL7RdL44



Still no chickies, ah well, bientot j'espere. Ok, adios until tomorrow amigos when I shall write a new about this week. Until then, happy two weeks (although je crois que technically it's YOU who should be saying it to ME!!!) ciaobella

see me as I really am I've got flaws and sometimes I even sin

Français, that is what I am becoming. Alors, today was my first day back at school and it was not the best. First, it was raining insanely on and off was annoying. Second, I got to school for 8 am to find out that my two hour gym class was cancelled and I had until 10 to do absolutely nothing so I went to the library only to be told that the computers were all broken (does anything ever work? It seems like a day is either good or all bad) and to top it off because Ceilidh (one of the Canadians in my class) left it's just Kayla and I and Kayla didn't show up. Then at lunch I had to eat by myself (standard Wednesday lunch) but it was just not a good day for it because I was already in a crappy mood. The days only redeeming quality was that it marks two weeks to my last day (I try and I try and I try to not be so happy -honestly I am sad too sometimes=( ) and that I had started back at school which means my days are not slow, tiring nothing days that make me feel homesick. Mais, I managed to finish my French book report (translating it from the English rough copy and all) so I felt very proud of myself it pretty much means that I am done all my Science, French, History and Spanish (Friday Spanish should be done) homework and all I have left is Math and English which are taking a litte longer, so I feel pretty good. It was interesting being back and I'm excited for soccer tonight. AND my game this weekend, life is definitly great right now -especially with the baby chicks to be born any day now- and even though this morning was a little low I am feeling positive and happy and CHEERY!!!!!!!!!!! So, cheerio. ciao. toodles. a bientot. Je vous embrasse très fort et a la prochaine!!! <3>

April Showers (there have not been many) bring May flowers ANDDDDDDDDDDDDD CANADA!!!!

So my dear friends and avid readers and picture-lookers,
TODAY is MAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! And I come home in 16 days if you don't count the day I fly (I refuse to since I leave at 10 pm YOUR time yuck!) and tomorrow I start school again!! So, the last couple days have been interesting. Saturday we rolled in around 7 am after spending the entire night in the car and then the whole day I was tired and organized my room and just lounged about thinking about how close and yet so far away I was. It was not the greatest day
=( Sunday I worked and read and just chilled out and enjoyed French food again and yesterday (Monday) I did a lot of my homework and got a little homesick because it was the first time in awhile that I had talked to a lot of people in Canada and it just kind of made me a little sad. Anyway..... The baby chicks should be born any day now and here is an interesting (but kind of gross so don't read it if you puke easily) story. Sylvie went to collect the eggs Sunday (three of the chickens are covering (Don't know what the term is) their eggs to make them chicks but the rest just lay eggs and leave so we still collect those) and saw a bunch of eggs BESIDE (close beside) the chickens who were covering and assumed those eggs weren't being covered so they were just normal and cooked those for dinner. At dinner (we happened to have a large number of people over as guests) we had soft boiled eggs and two people found an ittty bitty baby chick body skeleton thing in their eggs because apparently the chicken covers the egg and then sticks it beside her and then covers it again, which is weird but the whole thing was rather gross and fascinating. So, thats my fun little story. Anyway, ciao toodles and talk soon!
<3 Jane

Morocco Pïctures

So here are the pictures that I took with captions as promised and as soon as Alix loads her's (and the videos) on to the computer I'll set up those in albums and as soon as Hervé and Chantal send me there photos I shall do the same. Love you all tons, NINETEEN DAYS!!!!!
Gros Bisous,
Jane

Morocco Part 1 (MY pics)

http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2386&l=cd059&id=504021617

Morocco Part 2 (MY pics again)

http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2387&l=a9ff7&id=504021617

Morocco (April 14th - April 28th)

Everyone looks wrecked after two weeks of cold, drip-drip-drip showers, sleeping in tents and driving endless hours on deserted, rocky, bumpy roads. All of that and all I can say is I would give anything ANYTHING to have that kind of experience just once more in my life. This picture was taken last night when we stopped for dinner near Grenada, Spain and listened to Sk8r Boi by Avril Lavigne. FYI our "restaurant" was an old Spanish gas station. Talk about atmosphere!!!

So, this blog is going to be a day to day summary as I wrote a day to day log throughout the trip and I will try to make it as interesting as possible.......

Friday April 13th - We left the house at 6:30 pm and after making one return trip (Philippe forgot his shorts on the kitchen table) we were off, we arrived in Spain around 9:30 and were at Barcelona around 11. After a bumpy, fast, sleepless night we arrived in Grenada, Spain around 6 am where we met with Hervé and Chantal, our companions in their own four wheel drive. We took the ferry around noon and arrived after crossing the Gibraltar (sp??) in Algeciras (or maybe that was where we started in Spain?) and arrived at our first destination of Chefchaouen on Saturday April 14ths. We walked around the markets and bought a towel (I forgot mine so my first shower was with a tshirt, just to tell you, not the best method) and ate and slept, everyone being pretty tired from our overnighter. To top off that wonderful first day (I hate that day so much because I was tired and didnt really enjoy it, the only good moment was driving through the African mountains with my head out the window and feeling truly at peace) I lost a flip flop which I never regained. MY FAVOURITE!!!!!!

Sunday April 15th - We packed up and had a breakfast of croissants and pain au chocolat and then headed through the mountains. I had a yummy Sardine tajin for lunch in Zoumi but that whole meal was annoying because we were the only girls out in the village so we were stared at, whistled at and mocked in Arabic (I know this because one man was kind enough to translate). The lunch was good though, it was tomatoes and spicy oil sauce and lemons and sardines and potatoes and I loved it!!!!!!!!!!! We arrived in Fes that night though and had brochettes for dinner (after a long hassle about where we would sit to eat the brochettes!!) and fell into our beds at our second camping residence.

Monday April 16th - I ate an early breakfast of nutella on bread and then spent the morning with the adults in the "medina" in Fes (Justine, Aurore and Alix elected to stay behind) and ate really good strawberries and oranges (which I am addicted to now, no more clementines for this Canadian! Stock up mumma pls) and then watched the whole animal skin drying and cleaning process, which was interesting, if not smelly. We had a yummy tajin (AGAIN) for lunch and then drove through the forest. We got lost several times and debated giving up and sleeping with the adorable monkeys, however in the end the rain convinced us to drive to Midelt and find a hotel. We had yummy chicken wing like things made of pig and then played rummy (every freaking day now) until we fell asleep in our hotel which was crawling with ants and had no hot water or heater!!!!!

Tuesday April 17th - Big day!!! I had a freezing shower which I repeated about a zillion times on the trip and ate sugar and bread and a hardboiled egg (rhyming is cool Jane you loser) for breakfast. We then drove through the death hills (swear to god I thought I was going to die, that whole ride I was like I can't die until I see my family CANT CANT CANT WILL NOT REFUSE TO and miraculously enough I didnt) We ate in a mountain village and almost got blown away by the wind after that and screamed loudly to French Celine Dion, which is much more tolerable than English Celine Dion. Finally tired of watching endless processions of kids ask me for pens and candy I bought candy and began tossing it out the windows (WOW Aurore has bad aim) We stayed that night in a tiny hotel in Agoudal (it hailed and this year they lost 150 children to the cold, I cried a little) and ate a weird chunky soup which caused me to spend the whole night up with Alix who puked her guts out (the first of many times on this trip) We played spoons and I did some science homework and drank mint tea and tried not to count the days (In the end I was successful and stopped couting).

Wednesday April 18th - Emma turns 14 and Rebecca turns 12!!! Happy Birthday my pretties!!!! Today I climbed up to the salt mines and looked around aand then spent pretty much the whole day in the car before arriving at the desert!!!!!!!!!! It was more rocky than sand, I'm told Tunisia is where you go for the sand deserts. Anyhow, we stayed at Le Petit Prince and were serenaded with nice music, got our first hot showers, had the best tajin of the whole trip and then ated oranges and banana with cinnamon for dessert and watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in French. What a day!!!!

Thursday April 19th - A pretty interesting day as well. We played in the sand dunes in the morning and then showered again and hung around some jewellery stores. We then drove out into the desert and wound up deserting our plan of going farther in when we came across a Swiss man and his German wife stuck in the desert and spent two hours gettting them out with the help of a creepy Moroccan guy, three wide eyed Belgium motorcyclists and a guy with a tractor. It was an interesting culmination (sp?) of countries. We didn't get that much sleep that night though because some Moroccan people hung around our tents and creeped us out a lot. But we had pasta, which was a nice change for tajins and brochettes and that was nice!!

Friday April 20th - The desert is not the funnest place to sleep if you like to sleep in. We were woken up by the sun and Philppe at 6 am and were plagued with more car troubles!! We had to help a car start and then spent an hour stuck in a hot place with no shade when Hervé and Chantal's tire went flat. STUPID STONES!!! We arrived at our camping that night where I was waylayed by a Moroccan who decided that he liked me and gave me his email address, offered me free internet use and then hung off me for pretty much the whole time at the camping, it was very creepy I tell you!!!! Anyway, I got an email (however brief) to my mum which was nice. And I bought to nice silver necklaces with stories (history to them) and slept in Zagora where we had our second hot showers, which was very nice after spending that night in the desert with all the sand and dust and SCORPIONS!!! eugh.....

Saturday April 21st - Gave me my first good, decent, wonderful sleep in ages. And although creepy guy still hung around I had fun and spent the afternoon watching Spiderman 1 and 2 in the car, got me all revved up for Spidey3. Anyway, the day was nice and we slept in D'Ait Ben Haddou where they filmed parts of "Gladiator" and our server looked like John Travolta in Grease and made me laugh and laugh and laugh and I couldn't stop. It was nice!!!

Sunday April 22nd - I climbed to the top of the tourist attraction in D'Ait Ben Haddou which tuckered me out!!!!! After we drove into the mountains and we ate lunch at a nice mountain village and then arrived in Marrakech that night and walked around being all touristy in the evening until 10. People kept trying to get us to eat dinner at their place and it was funny because we told one guy we had already eaten and he patted us on the stomach and said but your so skinny and you should eat twice, which made us laugh.

Monday April 23rd - ANOTHER WARM SHOWER!!!! Anyway, we hennaed our hands (Chantal took pictures of that so when I get those I'll put them up) and it will last (should last) until I get home in Canada and it's pretty cool. We shopped and walked around the Soukh which is like a crowed bunch of streets where they sell things cheaply (or expensively depending on what you want!!) We had ice cream for lunch and then I watched Hercules all afternoon in our slightly air conditioned room because it was boiling out. That evening we had the worst seafood I have ever eaten for dinner and I wanted to gag it was so greasy, but it was still a nice break from tajins and brochettes.

Tuesday April 24th - We drove all the way to Azilal today and did some more scary hills that were so bad I had to get out and walk half the way because I thought the car was going to tip over. After that we ditched camping plans and stayed in a nice hotel and ate pasta for dinner and did absolutely nothing (except leave the portable dvd player and mini tv there!!! Although they said they're mailing it!!!) Walking home from the restaurant though I was "stalked" by two creepy Moroccan dudes. So while most are very nice and hospitable, some are just downright creepy.

Wednesday April 25th - We left Azilal (Chantal and Hervé parted ways for the coast) and we went through some gorgeous hillsides (atleast twenty of my pictures are from that ride!!!) and had yummy ham sandwiches for lunch by a nice waterfall and some gorgeous scenic routes. We arrived in a nice mountain village that evening and stayed in a tiny "home hotel" where we all slept in one room on mats on the floor and ate yummy couscous and soup. The owner's daughter Ptisam (sp?) is 2 and a half and she followed me around and touched all my things and then had a pillow fight with us but it took awhile to earn her trust because I don't speak any Arabic except for Salaam (hello) and Belak (watch out or something like that).

Thursday April 26th - we hung out around the market in the little mountain village (with all the goats) before leaving and arriving late in Chefchaouen (again! we did a little loop de loop) and waking up early to head home Friday. We arrived this morning at seven am where I had a bowl of cereal with milk, which I havent had in two weeks and then a yummy salad at lunch and I showered and cut my nails and washed every inch of me and changed into fresh clothes for the first time in five days and I AM CLEAN!!!

THAT, ladies and gents is my story. It is my two weeks in Morocco but it has significant gaps which are hard to write but easier to tell, so next time you lay eyes on me (soon I hope!!!) ask me if you want and I will tell, but my hands are sore from typing out emails and messages and now this blog and I am finally feeling the effects of not sleeping last night. So................a bientot as I excuse myself to go repose a little. The pictures for Morocco will be up soon I hope, but probably not until tonight or tomorrow because I am going to write captions and stories for each of them and that cannot be rushed!!!

Gros Bisous from your avid "no longer mia" blogger,

Jane

Chicken Vids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07f75RbvRJY

....WAIT FOR THE PENTAD!!!

do I attract you? do I repulse you with my queasy smile? am I too dirty? am I too flirty? do I like what you like?

Jane's thousands of medicines for her worst ever earache, one of these things actually goes IN the ear. Aaaaaaah!!! Pity me.

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Okay, so last Thursday I started getting a cold and all weekend I was sick and then Monday I couldn't hear out of my left ear and then it kept getting worse and it was really bad and with Morocco tomorrow the Jurie-Joly's insisted on me going to see a doctor. Who prescribed me with a nasty ear infection and sent me to get antibiotics. I arrive at the pharmasicts who looks it all over and then hands me a bunch of boxs and gestures to one saying, wow it must be really bad, I rarely have to prescribe this, so I am a little depressed. Although, on the bright side I am now not the only one not taking thousands of pills at each meal (I live in a family where the mum is huge on homeopathy!!) and so now I am part of a team!!! YAH!!!!!

Anyway, I now feel quite fine and excited that I am done school early tomorrow and then I am going to Morocco!!! YES!!!! My mood is pretty good too, it's been in swing since Friday night and I go from happy to sad to angry to excited to nervous to scared all in a 20 second space, so it's a bit weird. But, I am pretty happy to head off to Morocco so that should be nice. Also, once I come home it's mums package (mmmm reeses pb cups and pieces and trashy magazines in english!!!) and two weeks of school and a soccer game and then home!!!! WOW, time sure flies. FIVE WEEKS TODAY!!!

A little note on school....I've really been stressing about Canadian math and today I found out that Kayla, the Canadian in my class, has already finished grade ten and grade eleven math, found them both easy and tutors in Canada and has offered to help me with a lot of my math when I get back from Morocco. So between Kayla and my dad who will help me the weekend I get back, I am feeling back on track!!! YAAAAAY, now if I could only avoid reading the bible....do not ask!!!!

So not really very much to say, just a little update before I head off to Morocco and am out of the loop for two and a half weeks. Much love to everyone!!!!! <3>

GORDES PICS ARE UP FOLKS!!! Last Monday I went to see Gordes, a cute little celebrity hotspot and gorgeous typical Provencal village (STUNNING!!!) and here are my scenery pics!!!

http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1871&l=284d1&id=504021617

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LYRICS GAME AGAIN ANYONE?

You might have to google it if the band is

not nearly as popular in Canada as it is in France.

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Painting the Pool Pics

So here is your second last (little towns tomorrow guys) pics update before May when I return with all my Morocco pics!!! Love you tons.
Te quiero Mucho, mille grazie Ingrid MY LOVE <3

http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1792&l=0a523&id=504021617

Quiz & Pictures

Okay, so I copied Emma because I am running out of ideas and here is my quiz:

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=070407024352-234588&

HERE ARE ALL THE PHOTOS:

Visiting the village pictures
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1564&l=4e2e5&id=504021617

Train Station Pictures
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1651&l=a5538&id=504021617

Scouts de France Pictures
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1652&l=91e52&id=504021617

Random School Pictures
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1654&l=e5ff8&id=504021617

Random Pictures
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1655&l=5d5c3&id=504021617

School Music Performance Pictures
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1656&l=bce21&id=504021617

Visit With Friends In Le Thor Pictures
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1667&l=2fce6&id=504021617

Lunchtime At School Pictures
http://hs.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1712&l=fea82&id=504021617

Remember if the link doesn't work then copy and paste into your browser!

So, today is say something nice about someone with whom you might not actually like as much as you thought you did. Do you follow? This, is my made up day because today I figured out where Aurore is worth her weight in gold and how exactly to............"play" her? Lol, here we go.
Today I spent a wonderful day exploring Avignon (by shopping down all the side routes) with Danica, Kayla, Ceilidh and Liora, our newest recruit in grade nine at the nearby collège who is having an absolute shit exchange and had never before eaten a crèpe (until I made her!!). I bought a nice bag, a present for Ingrid, a pair of jeans (skinny jeans, god I can't believe I caved to that trend, but they were so niceeeeeee and they go perfectly with the flats I bought a month ago!!) and something else which escapes me at just this moment.... I was feeling all high (I had fun on the train coming home alone, very nice long French countryside ride) and mighty - NOTHING CAN TOUCH ME NOW - and I get home and everyone bombards me and wants to know exactly what I bought -Jane is a sucker for attention- and so of course I told them. Now, for those of you who don't know, I really saw France as a time to change (appearance, attitude) to be the person I want to be (confused yet?) and a three month away where people don't see you daily is much easier than going in Monday morning a new girl. So, where most people would criticize me for the skinny jeans and say it wasn't "me" and that it wasn't a good purchase, what was becoming of the Jane they knew, etc. etc. Aurore proved how she is amazing. Without saying, Jane you don't usually wear that, she said, very nicely. Jane it looks good. And then she approved all of my purchaces and was a cheery, wonderful Aurore all evening.
It seems that to get the best out of Aurore you must chose the ideal moments to approach and never never force, it seems that I am learning and life is picking up. Now, I had a lot of fun at soccer, I am getting better better better and I am happppppppppppy!!!!
<333 JANE

I don't wanna be anything other than what I've been trying to be baby

Knock yourselves out for the lyrics. You might have to google them, but for those who know Gavin DeGraw, I guess your search will be a little easier!!!
So, today was amazing, a wonderful cheery day, honestly going to school in France and being with my French friends is like candy!!!!! I hung out with Flo (Florian), Charlotte, Jeremie, Jeremie, Dannica, Kayla, Ceildih, Jamie and a bunch of guys that we played basketball with (today again!!). And sadly all the cute and/or hot guys have girlfriends. Tragedy!!! Well, anyway, I had fun eating and hanging out with them and just going crazy and enjoying a relatively easy cheery day. I am clinging to it even after Aurore's annoying "getting mad a jane rant" today. So, I am happy, I am making more friends of my own, hanging out with peopel in my class and being involved and it's really getting me out of any potential dark places which is nice. Now you must excuse me because I have an incredibly boring (but I really should be interested) book called No Logo by Naomi Klein that I have to finish for media class which is insanely long and crappy and filled with big words that ma tete francaise is having trouble dealing with!! So, I will go now and read my stupid book and do my troublesome math homework before I eat dinner and then I'll read after dinner until they all go to sleep and then put up my photo albums (some) and then watch an episode or two of "One Tree Hill" to get me into a nice relaxed place to give me a good sleep, I START A NINE TOMORROW!!! Hip hip hoorray for reasonable hours!! Also, Dannica said she would hang out with me tomorrow so tomorrow (a light course day) should be wonderfulllllllllll.

love you all♥♥

wow, three blogs in less than 24h, havent done that in awhile!!!

So, I really am an emotional roller coaster considering I am feeling extremely happy and cheery only hours after crying and feeling sick. The advil, oh thank god for that, kicked in recently and I finished my math and history which was very uplifting and then I listened to music, watched Prison Break with Aurore and thought about the week ahead of me, starting tomorrow, which made me incredibly cheerful!!! Now, I am in a brilliant mood (I honestly don't know how they come and go as they do) and looking forward to dinner, some more homework and then once everyone goes to sleep, watching some English Prison Break on my own for an hour before crawling into my own bed. Being in my newly cheery mood today allowed me to jump up and down and almost scream, holy crap it's APRILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL, which...it really is!!!
Back to crappy mood...Aurore caught me crying on msn with mum earlier today and told her mother (which put into perspective for her my generally disinterested, quiet, agreeable moodt his morning) and caused her to give me a big hug and say it's hard and then have a long talk with me which started with me missing my family, went on to Morocco and then transgressed to how quickly this whole exchange is going to go once I start school this week (this weekend was my last "nothing" weekend) and then made it's way (honestly don't know how) to how Canadian schools tend to be more hardworking than French schools and how the French system is said to be better but really is worse and then how maybe the new President will change that but Sylvie really doubts it. All in all the last couple of hours have been immensely cheering and next week is busy. For example:
I have school Monday to Friday but Thursday I am going to the market to buy a lovely table cloth for my mother and peut-etre Anne, si elle est envie, and then Saturday we're painting the base coat for the pool (yes we're painting the pool), I have a soccer game, we're visiting Gordes and another small town and in the evening Sarah (big sis from Paris) arrives for Easter. Sunday we get to paint designs and pictures all over the pool and we are doing the whole "hide eggs" thing and celebrating Easter and I think maybe going to Nice, but I'm not sure. Also, we shall be going to the market Sunday morning. (I think) Then on Monday we have it off but I am not sure what we're doing but if it's nothing (although I doubt that) I shall probably dive into another chunk of school work to keep getting that done with. Then Tuesday to Friday we have school and Friday night we drive overnight to Morocco and spend the next two weeks there (it's such an elaborate trip, it takes us all over, through the desert and to every freaking corner of Morocco, very cool) and return on May 1st, which of course will make me scream with delight because...duh, it's May and it is the return month. So quite honestly, I feel like the "home stretch" starts tomorrow because of all the reasons above and although I know that it will still be hard with boring bits and fights with Aurore and Morocco can be really hard, it'll be easier because 1. Morocco is a new country and that will be lots of fun and 2. It's the home stretch, just knowing that is enough to keep me going.

So, much love to you all from a cheerier, happier Jane.
I promise that pictures and videos will be put up over the course of this week, I mean, I really do have to do it before I go to Morocco and become bombarded with more pictures and videos right??? Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeee <3

my old friend the blues =(

Today is shit, excuse me, today is crap.
I am crying, Aurore is being grumpy and obnoxious to boot, I feel sick and cold and I need to do some Canadian homework but I can't seem to make myself do the work. I need to be on Monday. I need to be at school, working, speaking, interacting. I need to be at Thursday so I can say I am at the halfway point and it's all uphill from there. I can't breath, I can't eat, I can't work. I think it's just fatigue, but I am feeling the strain of Canadina homework, other peoples relationships and the extra kilos that come with France. I can't walk because I live beside a highway type road and just sitting still and listening to my iPod doesn't do it anymore. I cannot even see the silver lining today, it's April Fools Day, it's the last full month, it's almost halfway and it's only 20 school days more and all I see is me crying and being tired and sick and wanting to dissolve into a comfortable bed, with a comfortable pillow, with a loud, blowing fan and some new, comforting music. I will do this and I will make it through this and tomorrow will be good and I will be happy and I will feel better, but right now, just now, I am revisiting how I felt when I first arrived, a feeling I thought I wouldn't have to revisit until my next voyage away from home and I guess it just goes to show that no matter what, it can always come back and you shouldn't write it off. So, I shall blog and post pictures and be cheery and happy and not depressing tomorrow when I can muster the strength. Now I am going to go lie in my bed and think about cheerful things and Canada and what there is to look forward to.
My love and happy April Fool's Day,
Sick*Jane

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAYYYYYYYYY

That is precisely why it's a beautiful day!!!

Well, aside from making you jealous it is not the only reason why it's (or was I guess) a beautiful day!!!

This morning I only had one, two hour geo class which was not excruciatingly painful and relatively easy to take, although I did develop a severe headache and fall asleep (whoooops) in class. Then I went out for crèpes (hence the photo) à la nutell and chantilly with Kayla and Ceilidh and then we went shopping and I either found gifts or found gift IDEAS, very important. I bought a lunch bag (how old am I?) but you have to understand that it is really cool over the shoulder lunch bag and it is very very funny and cute!!! Then I bought a bday pressie for mi amiga katie wilkes and some stuff for me and etc. etc. After I went out for a scrumdidilyumptious Panini at a quaint little bistro place with Kayla (Ceilidh ditched) and then headed back for a one hour singing class which made me laugh because the rendition of "Summer Lovin'" had me rolling in the aisles. I am also cheery because I came home and Mumma's second gorgeous package was there and I got the house to myself for two hours and I was all cheery from school and my walk home in the sun AND I had soccer and it was awesome AND I ate tomates farcée and it was oh so good AND tomorrow the Canadians are coming over for a glorified playdate and then on Sunday I might be going to the market with Ceilidh and then Wednesday I am taking the train in with the Canadians to go shopping (for clothes, gifts, everything) in Avignon and I have come to the realization that however impossible it seems I only have 20 school days left in France!!! Before AND after the break!!!!

Good golly miss molly it is just a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!!! And then next weekend of course is even better!!! I get to visit Gordes and another cute village, play my first soccer game and celebrate easter, meaning I get a three day (basically four) weekend!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!

Now I must go to sleep with a People magazine and let myself melt into trashy bliss and zone out before a good sleep, knock on wood. Then tomorrow....ah god, it is passing so quickly, and in two weeks exactly I shall be leaving for Morocco and then when I come home it is May, who would have thought it would be this way?

I have so much to tell you, so many realizations, so many hard truths and good truths that I have realized that I cannot possibly explain in writing and so I promise you that the minute I see you I will tell you every horrible, good, crazy, psycho, wonderful thoughts I have had and I will explain to you precisely why I hate this exchange and exactly why I absolutely adore it, for its freedoms, its constrictions, its limits that I loathe and yet love, etc. etc.

So much to say and not enough memory. I have plans and goals and dreams and life aspirations that have come from this trip and although it is only half over I must say that it is everything I hoped it would be, everything I hoped it wouldn't be and MORE!!!

Je t'aime et la prochaine!!!!!

JANE <333

I already forgot what I thought I would say but all I wanna do.....

Quick Aside To My Father: Guess The Song?

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So the Aurore situation is in a state of permanant nothingness, it's not great but we are happy when we do have good times and we hang out and have fun together. I am like a permanent moodswing because last time I blogged I was so extremely fachée and now I am all happy and cheery. Perhaps that is because I listened to my iPod while lying down at an upward slant in the empty pool counting all the planes that did not go in the direction of Canada? Or because I have 6 guests coming over to have fun and be fun with me on Saturday? Or because I'm going shopping in my three hour lunch tomorrow with Ceilidh and Kayla? Or because my teachers love me and time is flying and I only have 21 days left of school before I go home to Canada? Or because I'm going to Morocco? Or because I got the highest mark in the class on a French presentation (17/20) ? Anyhow, you get the picture, I am cheery and I have stuff to look forward too!!!!

Hoooboy.......

I have started my "diet" the seefood diet which really is making me quite rotund (joking mumma of course, well a little!!). But that's not really what I want to talk about. I am cheery because of a number of strange things and since I really want to tell someone and everyone thinks I'm strange if I do, I shall say them in this blog because then if you think I'm strange and you say that........nothing much that can be done for another two months!!!! Aaaaah, half done next Thursday!!!

Well, the first cheery Jane moment was last night at soccer when I got my license to play in the game next Saturday (OMG sooooooooooooo excited!!!) and we played in the rain and I played excellente and felt oh so high and mighty, not even coming home to cranky Aurore dampened my spirits. Secondly, I finally orgnaized my bedroom in France and looked through my steadily growing collection of souvenirs. In it, I realized that I have a lot of stuff to decorate (or rather add to the decoration on) my walls and that I keep collecting stuff, like this relatively cheap old posters and movie signs from the 20s and beyond which is going to make my room in canada so impossibly me and the anticipation is making me happy. Thirdly, I am just happy, I have settled into a good night time routine again, I am working on exercising, I am working on being friendly, eating well and doing all my Canadian homework and I am working on all the things I told my good friend in Canada Kay Dyson Tam I would. For instance, I saw and see France as a chance to transform myself into what I truly want to be and I am slowly but surely doing that (away from prying eyes was the goal) and that makes me immensely proud. Fourthly, I just reread my plane letters and my eyes swelled up a little but then I was happy and cheery and laughing again. Fifthly, I have found my groove.........sleeping, soccer, friends, school, Canadian homework, food, exercise. It is falling into place and I cannot even imagine a better moment of realisation. I am happy, the Canadian return things set into place, the anticipation, the Morocco in two weeks, holy moley, and the crazy things that are my everyday life!!! I am wonderful and can honestly say that for the first time, I mean I've been having fun and all but today was an honest to goodness break through and I have faith that I can make the rest just as good and when I fail, which I am bound to, I shall listen to my favourite songs and lean back in my chair and say screw it, I have le soleil and I have music and I have chickens and good food and nobody can take that away from me, atleast not for another six weeks and six days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love you all so very much!!!!!

Jane

ps thinking about youuuuuuuuuuuuuu

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DAD: I didn't really give you much,

it's Get Off by the Dandy Warhols,

listen to it, I do believe that it'll turn

your crank.......cannot believe I just said that!!!

My brain is hanging upside down

So I wrote the other post in the library while I waited a sad and long two hours for the train to come. I waited for one hour in the library and then another at the train station, sitting on the ground in between the passing trains and drawing faces with my sharpie (all of them half sad and half happy if you're interested) and making my face impassive and uninterested as a creepy old men winked and laughed and smoked and shouted unintelligable things at me, god, remind me to never sit for an hour outside of the train station!!!!
I am feeling better, although with A, not so much. She is being a pain, a lound shreaky computer hogging pain and we are rarely speaking. We acknowledge but it is a painful, you're a chore that I must continually do kind of acknowladgement, where does the good go? I am okay with that though, suprisingly, I have made plans with my amigas canadian and have plans almost for every single weekend until I leave and I have lots of energy to throw into homework, email, nice people at school, blogs and keeping myself in a polite, not distant, happy, cheery, thankful mood (when there are people around, on my own......).
Today I watched S21 a documentary about the Red Khmer, which I had never heard of but was interesting and brutal -quite like the holocaust. I didn't understand most of it but the Geo teacher was only too happy to help, she loves me, in the most annoying of ways. I came home today and dug up a story about a Lesbian who is rethinking her Lesbianninity (??) and is setting gay rights back in Georgia by a lot, for my news presentation in English class -in French- demain. Fun fun fun.....Afterwards I was about to go outside when Alix pulled me back in and said you have to stay inside and I said why and she said because I told Inès you couldn't play because you had a lot of work. The story behind that is once Inès (the six year old neighbour) came over to meet me and wound up being taught how to play rummy and now she annoyingly comes over every day and stays for hours requiring constant chatter and hanging off my shoulder until I want to hang....not in a good way. And so instead of playing with Inès all evening I got to be quiet and think about life and France and everything and the diet that I must start (not a rreall diet though) and also to reflect on how I left Canada five weeks ago and the inevitable thought that came to me being a previous two month exchanger (if I had only done the two month it would be half over now!!!!) God, I hate my brain.
I shall leave you now and go read my uber good book that my mommy sent me - thank god its long or it would already be over - and reflect about how much Canadian math I shall do tomorrow!!! God aint life a pain sometimes!!!
I love you all very much, I swear I don't just say it out of habit, three months in France and all I can think of is the people I love who are all snuggly and comfortable back in their native land(s).
<333 JANE

ps those are sideways hearts msn style (or facebook style) if you dont get it - havent been getting it aka mumma when i first did them!!!

A Strong Desire To Commit A Crime Worthy Of Death in The United States of America

So the last time I was in France on exchange I gorged myself on food in happy, oblivious bliss. This time I am less oblivious and lately I have been left (after chocolate, ice cream or a big meal) feeling bloated, gross and with a strong desire to feel healthy again (damn timing, I had just fallen into such a good routine before I left!!). So, I swear - by all of you reading this pathetic excuse for a blog paragraph - that I will be healthy by the time I come home!!!!
Now, onto more non-food oriented things. I am currently feeling a little low. I am writing this at school and I am feeling a strong desire to do something other than boring French classes. I want to move and shop (lame I know) and explore and take pictures and play hackey sack and catch with friends like I did at lunch today. I want to not look forward to solitude, endless hours of music and moments alone with my math textbook (again laaaame). It is starting to go a little bit south and although I am doing just fine (as our my relationships although Aurore and I have settled into hellos and goodbyes and mutual disdain) I am feeling the strain and hating some moments. I am, however, excited for Friday and the weekend and here are my reasons why:

1. The second package will be coming soon.
2. The weekend - duh.
3. I am going shopping around Isle Sur La Sorgue with Ceilidh.
4. Alex, Leo, Alex and Jenny are coming over to eat lunch and hang out.
5. It's April on Sunday. Which is such a morale booster, you wouldn't believe.

So, there is good. I also have started chugging away on my Canadian homework and as slow, monontonous and boring as it is I am having a decent time throwing myself into some work that makes me think without wanting to throw up - for example, in English class repeating the phrase 'I wish the government would help the tramsp' or 'It is a shame the government does not help the tramps' is driving me bananas, that and listening to the song 'In Paradise' by Phil Collins - Last night, was a catastrophy sleeping wise. My uncomfortable but doable sleeping arrangement was disrupted when I couldn't fall asleep until eleven and woke up every fifteen minutes between two am and six thirty am. Sleeping.......not my strong suit.

I now have a desire to go run with my iPod which I shall, at some point, do because a break from endless demands and corrections (this house is never quiet) would be nice for me and it would be a chance to clear my near-explosion head and give me a no language break. A blessing as I can't appear to speak either French nor English at just this moment. Writing.....whole different ball game.

So, mucho love to you all! See you in two months!!

Jane

ps - Marnie and Paul.......congrats on the new house!!!

Scouts de FRANCE ( in Fontvieille, Provence)

From Left: Super Suitcase, Super Toilet,

Super Love & Super Super

So, yesterday we went to Fontvieille to spent 24hours at Scouts of France, with atleast fifteen people having a crazy, stay up late, eat candy, party hard weekend. It started with lots of introductions, "bonjour je m'appelle Stanislaus, me (points to himself) Stan!!" and so on and so forth. "I speak badly English!" Then we went right away into our teams:

LES SUPER NULLE - Jeremie, Benoit, Alice & Marie

LE SUPER EQUIPE - Jane, Sylvia, Quentin, Stan & Genevieve

LE SUPER MOCHE (sorry can't spell) - Aurore, Simon, Morgane & Thomas

We rotated around the stations:

1. THE WORLD (all the continents are on different boards in a circle and they give you water balloons and a towel and between two people you put the water balloon on the towel and try and get the continents wet and you get points for getting it but if you're like my team you lose points because you continually get SUPER SUITCASE wet with your badly aimed waterballoons)
2. THE BLIND FOLD STATION (You and your group have to bind your ankles together and then go around trees and soccer balls and cars and then crawl and then do it all again blindfolded as well without touching the trees, cars, etc. and if your like my group and continually 'accidentally' untie your ankle binding things you get points off, oh yes, and you get points off if you continually touch trees and cars for guidance, which we also did!!)
3. THE GET ON THE MAT STATION (you have two mats placed together and SUPER LOVE tells you all the body parts that need to fit on the mat, ie one leg, one bad, two buts, one hand, three feet and between the five of you you need to accomplish this without any more or less and everyone needs to be on, this is the one station that my team was good at, unfortunately, so was every other team!!)

That evening we played a board game after our messy, campstyle dinner and it was pretty much come up with songs, make up dances and/or mime things for your team and the words were random things that had to do with the SUPERS, like 'constipated' for SUPER TOILET and 'love' for SUPER LOVE. We finally went to sleep after partying and singing and crap (videos will follow) at around 2 am and we woke up and had a nutella/baguette filled breakfast around ten before going to Mass because, unfortunately, SCOUTS is Catholic. Anyway, living through that we went and played out in the woods, all sorts of crazy games and then we played this weird stick game where everyone holds hands in a circle and there is a couple balanced sticks in the middle and if you seperate your hands you are disqualified and if you knock over the pile you are disqualified, I tied for first with Jeremie the first game and was knocked out first with Quentin in the second, but it was lots of fun.

I had a bit of trouble with a certain exchange partner who was a bit rude, distant and unwilling to help, 'you don't understand, you don't participate' kind of deal, which was annoying, but Stan was always willing to try his English and be very helpful while being very preppy yet goodlooking!!! :)

D'accord, I am now very tired from my long long long long long 24 hours and I'm going to go clean my room, do some homework and get ready for school tomorrow. It's a brand new week!!! Pictures will be up at somepoint and so will many more videos!!! Love you,

Jane

ps I have no religion, none whatsoever I have decided because I do not believe in a single thing that was said in that ceremony, although being together and singing and being part of something even if you don't necessarily believe in it is quite fun!!!

Le Mistral is going, going, going, going....never gone!!

Le Mistral, the name of the big wind here in Provence, is supposedly leaving us after giving us one week of hellish, Canada like coldness even though it is atleast 10° Celcius!!!!!

I am feeling better today you should all be glad to know, I have my package, I am content,I am about to take a shower and get clean and I feel positive, which is a lovely outlook on life. It's funny how one minute something feels overwhelming and the next it feels entirely do-able. Well, right now it all feels do-able and this afternoon I'm going camping with Scouts of France which should be...........interesting!!! We'll see.

Anyhow, pictures of school, Isle Sur La Sorgue, and all that jazz that have been accumulating for the past two weeks should be up tomorrow (I hope) and shortly following that the pictures (if theyre good) of Scouts should follow. Missing you all but of course throwing myself into endless homework demands from Canada, stupid projects from French teachers and my newest favourite song 'Get Off' by the Dandy Warhols, so I'm not doing too too badly!!! Je t'aime!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,

Jane

ps I'm sorry I took the Aurore vid off but she's not really a video fan and also, a video of the chickens and a video from the music concert my music class held should be up soon!!!! A bientot!!

Hating moments. Feeling the one month strain.

So the last week has been absolutely great but it has been filled with little moments of anger, stress, sandness, etc. and it's been slowly mounting up and last night I was enjoying some downtime and just getting myself to feel better when Aurore, who was waching tv, said Jane can you set the table please? And I did but I was really mad because I've done it everyday this week without being asked and I need a minute to just veg and zone out to recuperate and she just doesn't seem to see what most people can see sometimes. Long story short I started to cry because I felt like shit (after I set the table) and Aurore got so worried then and was like Jane don't cry please don't cry and then she did something stupid (which I can't remember at all) and I started laughing and crying and it was a sight to see. I honestly feel the pressure mounting as I hit today, the one month mark and it takes longer and longer now to bring myself a happy place and my mood has been out of control, happy one minute and sad or angry the next. So, I am in retarded English level one on the computer and I am dying of computer boredom!!!! I am also feeling like I want the package that my mom sent me to come because here Emma is talking about a second package and the first one for me, that hasn't even arrived, is leaving me in tears (just last night) and making me all stressed out. Which is not good because the whole purpose of the package is to make me feel better and to give me a little piece of my home. And so I shall leave you know and go and enjoy my recess before I relearn all about Hitler (when she says it it sounds like éclair, yumm!!!) and World War Two in History class before going home and praying to god that the package has arrived. 29/30 days until Morocco (give or take!!) and 55 days until Canada!! I promise it's not me counting, its the Canadian who is sitting next to me.

A feeling blah Jane. <333

Dancing Queens

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsi8figfUtk

YESTERDAY WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!! Not only did I meet a hot French guy who remembered my name!! (That is impossible!!!) But, I had an awesome bunch of classes, had fun playing basketball and had fun eating with Kayla, Jamie and Alex at lunch and talking about French stuff and Aurore and I took the train home together and had tons of fun and talked about everything and made 'French' plans for before I leave and when we came home she put on "That Don't Impress Me Much" and "Man I Feel Like A Woman" and Aurore, Alix and Sylvie went crazy dancing and it was a wonderful night. I shall upload chicken videos later, but for now, the link above is a combinations of the two songs and Aurore, Alix and Sylvie, but mostly Aurore, dancing and going nuts!!!

♥JULIAN♥

JANE HAS FOUND HER FRENCH HOTTIE!!!

.......shame about his long distance girlfriend though......

Aloha amigas!!! (crap-wrong language!!) Well, today I played an hour of basketball at lunch with a bunch of French guys and Margot (a girlfriend of one of the guys-I'm making all the right friends!!!) and had tons of fun and during this I met Julian who is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous and has not adopted the mullet like many of his French comrades. I played like crap but I had fun and we talked and then later in the hallway I was hanging out with Alex, a friend of mine, and he was nearby talking to a friend and he pointed at me and was like 'elle' and it could have been all negative, but atleast I am now making an impression on people!!! And that is nice!!!! Aurore and I had fun dancing today to Shania Twain and then made plans to go shopping in Avignon, go bowling, and do all sorts of other stuff so I am feeling very happy and pro-France today, I truly had a wonderfulllllllllllllllllllll day!!!!!!! Anyhow, now I must go and do some Canadian work (sighhhh) and then sleep because I have a long, early day tomorrow!! Crossing my fingers that mumma's package arrives tomorrow and that I don't fall asleep in uber-boring French. I HAVE TWO STRAIGHT HOURS!!! Godd!!!! Although, benefit is that I don't start until 9 tomorrow and I finish at 3!!! Gosh, it's almost as if I'm in Canada!!! Oh yes, I don't have class between 1 and 2 though, so not quite!!! Je t'aime and I shall blog later, but I love Julian, screw his girlfriend and I am making friends and loving la France!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

♥LA VIE EST BELLE!!!!

CORNILLON♥♥♥

WINDSWEPT BEAUTIES JKS JKS - So, Sunday we went for a picnic in Cornillon at André's shack, yes, his shack. IT WAS CRAZY!!! I had a lot of fun, picking flowers, eating good food, enjoying the sunny outdoors, getting windswept on the hour drive there, and watching the horsies and listening to my iPod!!! All in all, Cornillon provides me not so much with stories at it does with pictures which you can expect.....next weekend, maybe?? We'll see. So I shall leave you now, if only to write a seperate blog with a different title, because there really isn't much to say about Cornillon except that it was tons of fun and I really enjoyed eating good food and vegging with my iPod, also I got bitten by plenty of bugs. I forgot, there is toujours a downside to nice, beautiful weather.

A little aside to my momma - Everyone is gaining kilos by the kilo (?) and most people have gained around 4 or 5 kilos and Jane here has gained 3 lbs and has started running every day after school when she doesn't have soccer!!!!!!!!!!!!

Etre fiere de moi!!!

The effort is being made, the payoff shall be visible

I swear

when I return to Kanata!!!

(I'm going by the native name!!!)

For The Record...........

................THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL IS OVER!!!!! And although it had it's bumps and some classes were way way way boring, I made lots of friends, have lots of funny stories and feel in control and happy and looking forward to going again on Monday morning!!! Yes, I love the French system because I only have half a day of school on Monday, 2 classes on Tuesday, half a day on Wednesday, 4 classes Thursday and 3 classes Friday!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

I am in a strange mood at just this moment here. I am feeling sad, happy, excited (anticipation), boredom, desire, longing and all sorts of other weird feelings. I am suffering from repressed emotions I do believe and now they are all coming out at such a fast speed that I am being lost!!!! However, I am very pleased because I played very well at soccer, didn't suck, got hello kisses, met people and had a genuinely superb time. All that is left is for me to get over this feeling of wanting it desperately to hurry up and be done with this exchange, which is random and not good because I'm having such a wonderful time and it's only the slow moments that I go, jeeeezus would you please hurry up????

I also have a desire to swim and the fact that the pool won't be ready for a couple weeks pisses me off!!!!! I have also lent my iPod to Aurore for the day since she has school and regret it because I really want to listen to my newest favouritist song on the planet, which I can't even remember it's goddamn name so I can't look it up on youtube and feel better. Gollygee!

BUT.......I have soccer tonight so I am uber happy and looking forward to it in two hours!!!!!!!! So I shall leave you know and see how the pathetic green frog in the swimming pool is fairing and grace you with my presence soon to give you a sort of calendar of the months ahead and of new plans. Yay!

Love you all so much!!!

Jane

ps for those who are wondering where the hell emma gerster has disappeared her internet is down but I talked to her yesterday and even though she is exceptionally bored by French English class and her teacher only just discovered that she is in fact Canadian and not English, she is doing well and is happy and looks forward to coming in to contact with everyone again real soon!!!!!

What Cheers Me Up

The very idea of night is frightening because in France I've come to loath night because it means a painful, fitfull sleep, darkness, quiet and then sudden creaks, etc. etc. And so I always come on the computer and spend endless amounts of time on it because I am putting off sleep as long as possible so that when I finally do go to bed I am tired and more likely to fall asleep quickly and put off the pain that is lying in my bed and not feeling like reading but unable to sleep. It's those moments that make me need music and cheering up the most because not reading and not sleeping means thinking and thinking when I am in such a sorry state tends to lead to tears and so here is the song that generally brings me back together. (as much as possible!!) Because I need it. Thanks Emma for bringing it to me.

When you feel all alone

And the world has turned its back on you

Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart

I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you

Its hard to find relief and people can be so cold

When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you cant take anymore

Let me be the one you call

If you jump Ill break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

Youre not alone

A little dramatic yes, but perfect to help me feel "mended" as sappy and cheesy as that sounds. Anyhow, putting off sleep has been fun and all but I do feel a little tired so I'll go do all the necessary pre-sleep rituals that have become part of my life and think about tomorrow and then sleep. I'm excited because tomorrow I have gym and French and English and I get to go home at noon and do, yaaay, Canadian math homework...funfunfun!! Atleast I get a break though and an afternoon to just do some homework clean up a bit and relax and listen to some good music will be welcome. I think the French no what they're doing when they organize a schedule and the year schedule too, yes it's a lot of work but you hardly realize it because you're so busy and it passes so quickly and days go by and you don't even realize they've passed. It's been almost exactly three weeks to the hour that since I left Canada and I feel like I've only just got here yet with school I feel like I've been going to the school all my life. It's strange really to think that what was thirteen weeks is now ten and they've planned almost back to back stuff to do in the next eight weeks so they'll pass and before I know it I'll be swimming in the pool in May and wishing so hard that I don't have to get on that plane.

Because, what time two tells me is that while I am truly Canadian (stop reading if sentimentality and mushiness disturbs you in any way shape or form) a huge part of me loves and belongs and respects France and the French and there is a desire to spend a good chunk of my life here, but definitly with my family. I would have loved to spend one full year living in France and living the French way with my family. I think that would have been amazing and I think now that I've had a huge dose of the South of France, my life has been greatly impacted and I shall truly be "different" when I go back to Canada.

Love you all and until tomorrow or the next day or the next!!!

<333jane

So I Go To School In L'Isle Sur La Sorgue and It's AWESOME!!!

Alex, hanging with the 'French' Junebugs

during one of our many spares!

So, I go to school in L'Isle Sur La Sorgue and IT IS AWESOME!!! My school is called Alphonse Benoit and there are atleast 20 Canadians and theres also some Japanese exchange students, I think about five. I take crazy courses and I have lots of spares during which I hang out with Sébastien, Bruno and some other French boy and some Canadians, Jamie and his partner Jean-Baptiste or JB, Jenny and her partner Alex, Alex and her partner Leo and me and Aurore and Kaileigh and Kayla who's partners are always absent. It is like a college campus and it's so cool and big and open and we have so much fun. I'm not really sure how to describe it, it's so much easer to describe it by speaking, but I do have one funny story.

Today Sébastien wanted to try my gum and we warned him that it was hot (cinnamon) and he didn't believe us so he had it anyway. He turned purple and started choking and swearing in French and it was really funny, although more of a you had to be there moment!!

Anyhow, longer and better stories should follow this weekend when there isn't a pressing line up at the computer and I don't feel strangly compelled to complete all my Canadian homework. Eugh!!! Also, this weekend Alex and Jenny, two Canadians might come over for lunch and hang out a bit which would be nice.

JE L'AIME LYCEE FRANCAISE!!!!! I LOVE FRENCH HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!

<33333>

Grumpy Jane

Busy, busy, tiring, entertain people day, to boot I feel like kicking somebody (a specific somebody) and I spent the entire day being ignored and only pulled in to be used as a conversational tool (what can you do?) or when a parent would say, Why isn't Jane being included? Honestly, what a day. To top it off school starts tomorrow and I've been all excited and nervous all week but just now I feel numb. I want to start so my day can be consuming and busy and so that I can meet my own friends and talk to some Canadians and become consumed because that's what school does to me (whether it's a good consumed or bad) and so I just need it to happen. So, not the cheery blogs you've been getting as of late but the best my tired, bruise and beaten and grumpy body can handle. I'll put up some pictures (not a lot though!!) of today's little fiesta and tell you more about it later though I think in hindsight it will feel more cheery and interesting yet won't be nearly as honest so don't expect too too much. I guess know I'll go do what has to be done to pass the time until dinner and then I'll eat and then I'll sleep and then I'll be at school and time will *pleasepleaseplease* fly. I know it won't, but it will slowly and surely start. So, love you all tons and I'll let you all know soon how tomorrow goes. Three cheers for courage!
Jane

animals of the house

Simba

Millie

Maya

Fiscelle



I, personally like Millie the best but I seem to be slightly allergic to cats so for the most part I steer clear of them although they are adorable when they fight and play together. Millie and Simba are siblings from the same litter born to Aurore's original cat who was mean to her kittens so she went to live with someone else and originally they were only going to keep Simba but the person who wanted Millie backed out so they have Millie too.

battered and bruised!!!

soccer was crazy, i think i confused it with gymnastics because for some reason I kept doing somersaults and I think I hurt my right knee a little because it's all bruised and swollen and my hands are all scraped and I have two scrapes and bruises on my hips and both my elbows and it took forever to get the dirt off, I still had some dirt this morning. Soccer was two hours and it was pitch black but lit up with white lights so it was really cool. They play half our fields and only 6 people and a goalie. They need a defense so they have room for me on the team and everyone was really nice. IT was really hardcore, we did atleast 10 laps of the pitch, knees up, heels up, shuffle to the side, etc. etc. sprinting and all that jazz and that was half an hour and then one hour of drills which took forever to explain and I got them all wrong and then a half hour scrimmage which resulted in more scrapes, pain and missing the ball and then at the very end I finally blocked some shots so I felt slightly proud but it was way more of a grimace than a smile!!! I am by far the worst on the team, I am always missing it and everyone laughs at me (but nice laughing I think) all in all it was amazing and when I get back to Canada I'll kick all your asses because the Frenchies will have taught me!!! I'll also be incredibly fit and ready for the Canadian soccer season!!!!!

The best part was that it was really alive and amazing and it felt nice to do something, to move and to be a part of something but I am definitly going to be tired on Wednesdays because in the morning at school I have a 2 hour gym period and here gym is more intense and then I have a 2 hour soccer training period (what there called) in the evening and I don't walk in the door or get a chance to eat anything until 9 15 and I leave at 7 30...yaay :D

Love you,
Jane

A Bientot!!!

A day without a blog from Jane??? NEVER!!! Atleast, not until I start school on Monday and get home late and leave early and have absolutely no energy. But for now, absolutely. This is just a quick hello and update. Today Aurore and I made peanut butter cookies, played soccer, played cards, ate lunch with friends and went to see Contre-Enquete a really good French thriller that if it ever comes to Canada everybody must see!!!! Absolutely amazing, the theatre was so quaint and adorable and I felt like I had been taken back several centuries....ahhh, the cookies turned out great despite the fact they lacked baking soda, salt and the vanilla wasn't liquid vanilla but little flakes and the brown sugar was weird and everybody liked them and was like, oooooh pb!! It made me laugh and after eating lots I made myself stop because there are already enough tempting French goodies. At the moment I am slightly nervous but very excited because I am leaving for my first soccer practice with my new team in two minutes, quite literally, and it is the first time in France that I'll have done something brand new without Aurore or any other Jurie-Joly's support and that's very weird but also very nice. So, I leave you now with the promise that once I find my camera I will show you pictures of all the animals and tell you all about the merangues Philippe is makign and the crazy friends and family that are coming tomorrow 30 PEOPLE!!! oh la la!!! -Philippe's favourite saying and all about SOCCER!!! or football, yahhhh I already saw the stadium and it's for horse races too and it's absolutely gorgeous and I guess that's the upside of being in a country obsessed with soccer. Anyhoooo, school starts Monday and guess who's excited?????