Montpellier - La Grande Motte

Left: Me, Alix, Justine, Margot et Aurore

So it seems that irony (the way we use it these days and not the way the word is actually) is a somewhat cruel thing. Just yesterday morning I was happy and asleep since 10 pm the night before and I was finally sleeping peacefully and well and not waking up every 20 or so minutes and in storms Sylvie at 8 am to tell me I have to get up because we're leaving. So, I say yes and get up and we leave but the whole while I am secretly thinking how great it is that I can sleep through the night now and that I will go home and sleep decently and here I am unable to sleep last night thinking who have I offended so greatly that they can't let me sleep when I can and can let me sleep when I am to be awoken early to leave on a trip?? Honestly....sometimes!

Aside from the whole sleeping fiasco that has now become my regular and nasty routine, yesterday I went to Montpellier and La Grande Motte for the day with Aurore, Alix, Sylvie, Justine, Claudie (Sylvie's friend) and Margot (Claudie's granddaughter and Alix's friend) and our first stop was La Grande Motte!!!

LA GRANDE MOTTE was home to some of the weirdest and strangest architecture I have ever seen. Sylvie tells me it was hugely famous and daring a long long time ago and of that I am sure. Every building is intersecting with another and designed to look like a boat and suprise suprise it is indeed a nice little city on a port and some lake or some river or something but the buildings are strange, strange and captivating and we walked around and explored and I mailed some letters from Paris that I wrote two weeks ago and thought about the ones I plan to write and how everything is going to arrive in Canada just before me because I suck at actually sending the letters that I do write.

MONTPELLIER is a huge and very old gorgeous city that ressembles Paris in every way except it has streetcar-train things that are crazy coloured with flowers and make you feel like what I imagine Alice felt like in some of the crazy gardens and places in Wonderland. Straaaaaaaaaaaange. I think so. We had yummy Chinese food with Sylvie's mother to celebrate her birthday and it was all very nice and fun and especially yummy. After we went shopping and I bought my mum some lovely bowls and I took lots and lots of pictures and then we drove home and got lost and I listened to my iPod because I felt kind of low and tried and half succeeded to escape the world, or atleast the immediate world that was the car.

In the evening we had another strange conversation about English words and all sorts of stuff that resulted in lots of laughing and then Aurore got yelled at by her mother for dropping some bread and crumbs, etc. on the floor and Philippe came to her defence and said it hardly mattered because the cleaning lady was coming and Sylvie wasn't responsable for the floors anyway. She got over it quickly but then Aurore's dad said something and Aurore threw the bread at him and then started throwing stuff at him and then threw her water at him and Sylvie went off about the floors again and Philippe, laughing the whole time, took his left over food and said, who cares about the floors before scraping it all over the floor at which Justine and I shared an OMG (oh my god for the old folks jks jks) moment and Aurore fell over laughing and Philippe grinned and then Sylvie muttered something and went to clean it up and all in all it was a very entertaining night.

On the food front, I ate an artichoke last night and it was yummy yummy yummy and I am going to, someday, ask Sylvie for the recipes for everything I have liked so far.

Tomorrow Philippe is killing 4 of the 6 roosters because they make too much goddamn noise and we are inevitably going to be eating chicken again, also, the baby chicks are being put in an incubator because their mums aren't doing whatever it is they're supposed to do and all I really want is to hold a cute baby chick in my hands and take some pictures and then tell everyone that I did that.

So, before I leave you, days are passing quickly and tears are coming less and less frequently though I am struck with a few moments of weakening and some tears and some quietness and all day I read my book, did homework, watched a movie and listened to my iPod and mostly in my room because I didn't really feel like being social. School is starting soon, ironically the day you all go on March break and I am stoked. Stoked, stoked stoked. I need to start and meet people and fill up my days with talking because I'm starting to miss school and friends and it's mostly because I just haven't had a lot of conversation or interaction with people my age in more than passing. I also am feeling the toll of talking nonstop French and am really excited to have my first English conversation (my one phone call home does not count!!!) and to talk to other people about their experiences, etc. etc.

So, adieu until the prochaine which knowing me could be anywhere from 4 seconds from now until three days from now, on vera!!!!!

Love,

Jane

Jane's Moment of Power/Strength

So today we went to Montpellier and La Grande Motte and I was pretty depressed because Aurore spent the entire day with Justine and hardly talked to me and it was one of those third wheel moments (to top it off Aurore was in a bad mood) and for those of you who know me really well there's nothing I hate more than being a third wheel. So, I came home rather not-cheery and after having a nice dinner and spending most of the evening doing homework and talking with Sylvie and Philippe I went into my room and was feeling a little low and not so looking forward to anything else and I was tempted to cry but I'm saving that for special occasions.
Standing with my back to the door I looked at the mess that had become my bed since coming home and here's what was on it (I cleaned up!!)

• Shoelaces (nice, stylish ones 'says Justine' to replace my craptastic ones that Justine says she wants)
• Two nice, small Provencal bowls for ma mère
• My purse
• Postcards
• Homework

And all of this struck me as belonging to someone is busy but has time and has people who she loves and who love her and who has someone who's always there for her. (I bet you are know thinking why did I even bother reading this blog today) And what I realized was that I had lots of stuff to occupy me until the week was over and school started (huge rugby game on saturday with thousands of family members coming, lots of homework, the chickens, the swing with my iPod, letters home, my journal, relacing my converse and playing thousands upon thousands of games of rummy with Margot (who talks and talks and talks all for the sake of talking) and that once school does start there will be other people, there will be Canadians and it will be busy and full and I won't feel as left out when Aurore is with her friends because I'll have my friends and I won't being hanging around as the third wheel. So, looking in the mirror (gosh I'm incredibly self centered) I planned out tomorrow morning and then kind of smiled and I feel incredible now!! Yaay mirrors!!! And more importantly I feel like I can do this and not just have-assed (sorry dad) but all the way, completely and utterly, and that I can enjoy it and not say yes it's hard and Aurore barely talks to me (exageration by the way) etc. etc. but rather say yes it's hard but I am capable and enjoying it and the only thinging that makes me sad is missing home but I'm not letting that bring me down because I know that when I come back you'll all have missed me so much that it will be good (reeeeaaaally self centered now jane!!) and the idea that I can do this is ultimately my moment of strength and power and........to top it all off, after sleeping like crap for two weeks now I sleft 10 hours (8 straight) and could've gone more if we hadn't have had to leave (knock on wood) and it feels better, everything feels better.

So, you really didn't have to read this if you did because it was more about me expressing how I feel and this moment so that I don't ever forget it than it was about everyone reading and going what the heck is Jane writing about? We thought this was about France!!!

Life gets/is getting better!!! (knock on wood again please!!)

ps - by the way I will write about Montpellier and all that tomorrow, even though there's not much to tell, and my blog will go back to normal.

♥(I love you all insane amounts!!!!) Jane

The one where Jane abuses parenthesis (how on god's green earth do you pluralize that word??)

A CHICKEN EGG (I realize that eggs do come

from chickens but its still funny

to see them both in one sentence!)

So....a little update for y'all before I come home tomorrow (from Montpellier) and don't remember a single thing!!! Aurore has told me that instead of per usual (eating the eggs) we are letting them hatch, which means that in three weeks I'll post pictures of me holding fuzzy little chick babies in my hands before they grow up to be big and vile like the freaky rooster who jumped at me and scared me half to death!!!!!

Also, today I went to a fun Provencal market and met a cute guy named Pierre, unfortunately I probably won't see him again so I won't get a picture. Honestly, wouldn't it have sounded slightly stalkerish if I'd said 'hey nice to meet you can I take you're picture?' (sorry Lauren :( i try) and unfortunately found no nice provencal bowls for my mother, however I can get some nicer ones in Marocco when we go so as the French say, 't'inquiete pas!'

Alors....the neighbours have four children, Gabriel is apparently very goodlooking and is Aurore and I's age (la chance!!!) and Claire is in grade nine and Jann (pronounced that way but I think it's MY name Frenchified) and her little sister (god help me I'm bad with names) and little. (and ages evidently)

Just to sum it all up, these neighbours have two Canadians coming for two and a half weeks in like a week or so...so yaay, Jane is being bombarded with Canadians and is busybusybusy. Aurore sends her love to everybody she knows and I say, yaay six baby chicks in three weeks. Just another thing to look forward to in what has become a long list of things Jane will be doing and enjoying in the ever so near future!

♥Jane

School Next Week aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!

So, next week I start school and today Aurore gave me my time table so here, all you lucky people, it is.......................

LYCEE ALPHONSE-BENOIT (Aurore and now my high school)

• Monday I start at 8 in the morning with French, Spanish, French, English and finish at 6 pm.
• Tuesday I start at 8 in the morning with French, English, French, Art and finish with history and geography at 3 pm.
• Wednesday I start at 8 with Gym, French and English and Im done at noon.
• Thursday I start at 9 am or 10 am with Civics, Philosophy, English, Spanish, English, History and Geography and English and finish at 6 pm.
• Friday I start at 8 am with History and Geography, English, Singing and Philosophy and I end at 6 pm but have no classes between 10 and 11 qm qnd 2 pm and 5 pm.

Yes, the schedule is so weird with the same class like five different times in one day, but it'll be lots of fun and I have lots of spares and theres a Canadian in my class so I'm very excited!!!

Chicken Games

CHICKEN GAMES ~ so yesterday Justine (left), Aurore's friend, came over and we played a game in which the purpose was to round up all the chickens in the yard and herd them back to their pen. The guinea-fowls screeched histerically and the roosters flapped their 'wings' at us but it was, for the most part, successful. After we took a bunch of jump pics of which Justine made lots of faces, Aurore managed and Alix stayed firmly on the ground. It was fun though! Today we chased some chickens some more and had a nice lunch with Alix's godfather and his wife and it was quite possibly the best meal I've had so far. We also talked a lot about Morocco, how difficult language exchanges are and how in a week or so another Canadian is coming for two and a half weeks and living in the neighbours house, which means more and more Canadian companions for me. Anyhow, apparently tonight we are going to go for a walk/hike up the cliffs/mountains surrounding Cavaillon and that should provide me with some nice pictures for my next album which will probably happen tomorrow night or something like that. Anyway, now I should return to the real world and enjoy my French life. Oh yes, mutti? Don't forget those aerobars (badbadbad jane can't spell) because I almost...yes almost, made the impeccably (sp?) French Aurore drool.

A Brief Look Ahead

AURORE, CHARLINE ET MOI

So, I have one more week of vacation and the plan is to hang around Avignon and Cavaillon, to visit Montpellier, to hang out with Tatum and Iris (if they ever repond to my emails) and to be lazy. After that I start school and then near mid-April it's vacation again and two weeks in Morocco. I come back in May and have 2 weeks left of school and then I leave. I'll be playing soccer three times a week as well and be kept plenty busy. I'll be home soon though it seems because it's all going so quickly. So....excuse me but it's time to go make us of the 22° weather. SUCKERS!!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy your snow!!!

A Week In Paris (not Hilton)

self portrait with the Eiffle Tower

So here I am back from a week in Paris and blogging once more and as I am tired and have spent the last 24hours either sitting or lying down I am going to give you a rather bland day-by-day so that I can go and walk around a bit. So, first off, Paris was rather dreary weather but it was fun none the less.

Saturday February 24 - we arrived at two a.m. in the morning at Sarah's appartment and when we woke up several hours later we visited the Place Des Vosges with the Jurie-Joly's Belgium friends, Dominic, Katherine and their daughters Aimée and Charline. It was quite nice and a little sunny at that point so we walked around a bit and looked at all the art galleries....yawn!! We then went to Victor Hugo (guy who wrote Les Miserables) house and explored a bit and learned about his mistress and wife and kids and exile, etc. etc. After we walked around near the Musée de Beaubourgs (which is the first picture at the top). I have no idea whats inside but it looks modern. Afterwards we went to the cemetary Père Lachàse and saw Jim Morrison's grave before getting kicked out by the guard because it was closing time.

Sunday 25 February - Today we went to Disneyland and went on insane amounts of rides and did lots of fun stuff and saw a presentation of the Lion King which was lame but entertaining none the less.

Monday 26 February - We walked by the Eiffle Tower and ate in the Trocadero gardens and visited Napolean's grave in Les Invalides and saw the war museum for world war 1 and 2. We then walked about Champs de Mars.

Tuesday 27 February - We went to the Musée du quai Branly which is a new Native Arts museum from around the world and was one of my favourite parts of the week. We then met Aurore's Paris friends Ludivine and L (I cannot for the life of me remember her name) and walked around the Champs Elysées and then went home and had dinner at their friends house. Raphael and Annielle.

Wednesday 28 February - We walked around the Louvre, the Opera and the Quartier Latin and around La Seine and Notre Dame and did some 'riverside' shopping.

Thursday 1 March - We visited Versailles and that is all I can say on that subject. In the evening we stayed with friends and they were really nice. They had three kids, Fanny (who was four and highly entertaining) and Matthieu (who broke glass and cried and is 2) and Julie (who is 7 months and slept the whole time)

Friday 2 March - We drove home all day and had lunch in Moulins on the way with friends. Very nice week. Glad it's over though because everything in Paris reminded me of my parents and our trip to Paris and that made me cry.

CRY WATCH - I haven't cried since Tuesday but I've felt like crying but couldn't it's all very very strange.