It's a long story...no seriously. It's a LONG story...

Barcelona, Spain

October 2011

 I woke up around 8, Mary had already woken up and was halfway through getting ready. My foot was still hurting and it wasn't like we got a lot of sleep that night since we got to the hostel really early in the morning. I think we only slept for 6 hours. Either way, I decided I was going to limp around for the day. We found a pamphlet about a free walking tour around the "Old City" of Barcelona. Jeff, Mary and I booked it to Plaza Reial where the tour people would meet. Because of construction it took us a while before we got to the metro. Writing this very much in retrospect, I can say I do appreciate the greater amounts of metro stops there are in Paris, though I still think that Barcelona has one of the best metros that I've been on. The cleanliness and modernness really stack up some points. Anyways, back to the tour. Jeff, Mary and I and another handful of people were led by this very lively, middle-aged Spanish man to explore the Gothic Quarter, the old Jewish Quarter and some government buildings, churches, etc. The history in Barcelona is so rich and fascinating and it was great learning it from an energetic and charming tour guide, who at the end offered tips and recommendations for places to eat at, since by the end it was lunch time, and the three of use were quite ready to have our first Spanish meal.

Plaza Reial

We walked to a resto called "El Foro"; it was a beautiful and sunny day by the way. After we were seated and given our menus, we were crestfallen to see that everything was in Catalan! The local language of Catalunia in Spain. It took us nearly 10 mins to semi-decipher the menu, but when we began to order, rather hesitantly, the waiter quite politely took my menu and flipped it over to the Spanish side. We were all really, really embarraased by this and laughed at ourselves. We re-evaluated and corrected our orders. I had a green broccoli soup which was creamy and tastey! Afterwards I ate black pasta that had shrip and mussels which was delicious! Lastly for dinner (yes, we hadn't even had the main course yet!) I had the Spanish version of duck a l'orange; and since lunch is the biggest meal like in France, we also had dessert. Sadly I made a poor selection and basically got chocolate pudding. I don't remember what Mary got, but I remember it was fabulous!
After flagging down the waiter to finally bring the check (which took abnormally long), we went to find the beach! We wandered for a while but soon started heading the right way. At one point we could see the Marina and Mary and I got really, really excited! I cried out "I CAN SEE THE BEACH!" and this Indian man with his son next to me said calmly "I see it too..." We spoke as we all made out way and he was a tourist too (go figure) and used to live in WINNIPEG! Score one for me and the Peg! HA!
After getting half wet in the Mediterranean Ocean (well...Mary and I did, Jeff barely got his toes wet, lol) that was when we went looking for a convenient store to purchase some necessities, like shavers for Jeff, and shampoo for those of us whose original bottles were thrown out by security at the airport in Beauvais. While at this convenience store, a Polish woman who spoke English (who was also clearly a tourist), came to me and asked about some laundry detergent. Guess what? She used to live in Winnipeg too!!! 2 Points!
 We didn't really know how we got to the convenience store, and didn't really know how to get back to where we were on the beach, where we knew there was a place to eat called "Las Migas" which we hoped to reach for supper. Before trying to find Las Migas, we visited Plaza Catulunya which was gorgeous with many fountains and surrounded by a more modern Barcelona.

As we passed the Museum of Catelunia, my foot was hurting really, really, really bad and it felt easier and better to run, so I did. I ran for a good 150m then stopped so Jeff and Mary could catch up. Once they were within 30 ft or so from me, I began to limp slowly forward along the Marina. It was night time and there weren't many lights in this area. 5 mins passed by when I finally got fed up with Jeff and Mary for not catching up yet. I turn around and with horror couldn't see them anywhere, not even at the corner of the Museum where the Marina began. I hobbled back and forth not understanding how in the world we got separated. Of course I forgot that I had turned my phone off because the battery was almost dead, so I couldn't receive Jeff's calls. I was near tears and played all kinds of scenarios in my head when finally, on my 2nd hobble back to the Museum I saw them. They had been just as scared as I was and as soon as we were close to each other we threw our arms around each other and didn't let go for a while, overcome with relief and promising each other to never, ever let something like that again.

Near where I got lost.

By the time we got to Las Migas, it was closed, as most things were by that time. We passed many restaurants on our way to a metro stop, but we never went in any of them. One plate of lobster at one of them cost a mere 97 euros...We hopped on the metro back to our hostel. Near it we found a diner that was open and serving tapas. I ordered meatballs and it was cheap in every respect.After our assez-filling dinner we got back to the hostel to discover that 3 of our roommates in our 8-bed room were French. Moreover, one girl named Cloé Pierzo was studying in Beauvais! Of all places!!! We chatted for a while then they went out, while we were physically and mentally drained. It must have been around midnight that we all got tucked in and fell asleep.

- Fin-

Day Trip to Paris

Paris is always an adventure, and no two days are ever the same.

My day trip to Paris on Jan 27th was no different, and in a word, amazing! The day started off perfect with the promise of sunshine for the day. Mary and I took the 11:37 train, it was a Friday and I had the day off while Mary had one morning class. I, inspired to be more French-like, bought a baguette and croissant amandes (croissant with almond paste inside, to DIE for!) for the journey. While heading towards Paris we came up with a list of things to see and do.

A building that reminded us of Barcelona.

Our first stop was Montparnasse to do a little shopping, and to see the roof-top garden over the Montparnasse train station. We went into a handful of stores, H&M being the main one we were trying to get to. Sadly I didn't have a great shopping day, but considering how much I had already spent (Soldes were still going on --a nation wide winter sale), I was perfectly happy with one purchase I made that day: a black beret that cost me under 7 Euros from UNITED COLORS OF BENETTON. Mary was finally able to get some new pants and also 2 tops. We spent a little more time shopping than planned (we girls are infamous for that after all...) but when we were done we went in search of the roof-top garden of Gare Montparnasse.
The way to get to the Jardin Atlantique is by an elevator that goes up a floor. The elevator had, however, a very misleading button which pointed down instead of up and it confused Mary and I for a while. Winter is not the best time to go see gardens, though there were some plants and flowers, most had died and been pulled out or trimmed away. But it was still really cool and we spent an hour there exploring it and imagining how much more awesome it would be in the spring or summer time.

This is a shot from when we arrived at the Eiffle Tower while it sparkled

We left hoping to catch the sunset while at the top of the Eiffel Tower, and while heading towards a metro stop we decided to get some Vin Chaud. It was by far the largest cup of vin chaud we had ever seen! It was quite yummy and we were quite rosey-cheeked and cheerful afterwards. As we got close to La Tour we knew we would miss seeing the sunset from the top, but were pleased to see it sparkling upon our arrival. It was the closet I had been to the Eiffel Tower while it sparkled. Once the sparkling was over we got in line with the rest of the tourists. Sadly, after at least half an hour in line we noticed a sign about the very top of the tower being under construction, therefore closed. We were quite déçu :(

A bakery that looked straight out of a fairy tale book.

So we decided that we should find a place to eat dinner at a peaceful pace in order to catch the last train back to Beauvais. My bladder was about to burst so after crossing part of les Champs de Mars, I hopped into a resto to use the washroom. When I came back out Mary had her map laid out, trying to see if we were close to (what we fondly call) Neily's Moroccain resto. Then something extraordinary happened...
I walked over to Mary and at the same moment an older french gentleman was walking by and glanced over at us. He noticed Mary, myself and the map. Being close to the Eiffel Tower made it all the more obvious we were not locals. He immediately asked if we were lost, we assured him we weren't and were simply looking for a place to eat. He began telling us how we shouldn't eat in that area because all the restaurants were unnecessarily expensive and that he could suggest some places to eat that were not too far. This man spoke to us entirely in French when he realized we could understand. He had a grocery bag with a baguette sticking out (a demi-baguette actually) and a hat, so french! He explained how to get to le Café du Marché then asked where we were from. He had traveled through Canada (''C'est un pays pour les jeunes'' he said) and when Mary said she was from NY he began speaking in English howhe had worked in New York for many years when he was younger. After recapping the directions towards the restaurant, we parted ways. It was a shame we never caught his name, because it was thanks to him that we discovered a wonderfully affordable and delicious little resto where we enjoyed a very lovely dinner indeed.
Sadly we did not have time for dessert as we had to get back to Gare du Nord to catch the train. The trip back home involved some reminicing of the day and both Mary and I agreed that we had experienced, yet another, magical day in Paris.

~ Cheers!

Fail yet Success

I failed miserably at keeping a blog while I was in Europe! In fairness though, I did put in a few updates in my diary and in January 2012 I bought a "Life Book", as my friend Mary would call it, aka a Travel Journal, in which I wrote a decent amount of stories of my adventures.

But before I even begin to recount (which will probably only be in brief) the most wonderful 8 months of my life in Europe, I want to first address the To-Do List I created before coming to France. A list I actually completely forgot about at some point and only remembered it when I rediscovered my blog and read my posts.

I'm going to go over all 25 goals I had made, and tell you if I succeeded or not, and any other comments such as my reaction to how my past-self thought. Okay, here we go.

1) Walk with a baguette sticking out of my purse to eat while exploring Beauvais

 SUCCESS! I most certainly did this, and more than once! Honestly, bread in France is like air, and it is something I definitely miss now that I'm back. Baguettes, croissants, sandwhich (French-style!), and pastries...I will talk more about that in another post.

2) Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower

 SUCCESS! You'd think this was a given, but I almost didn't make it! 8 months in France and I didn't go up the Eiffel Tower until the DAY BEFORE I LEFT! Crazy, I know. But it was just always there, and I kept thinking, ''I have time''. I did try before, twice. First time the Summit was under construction, and the second time my friend and I got caught in a terrible downpour (after being in line for over an hour). But, I made it, even though I was in GREAT lack of energy from non-stop traveling and caught a cold. I almost didn't go at all, but I'm glad I forced myself. It was a beautiful moment and a great way to say good-bye.

3) While in rural areas, take a picture ANYTIME I see sheep!

 SUCCESS! This rarely happened in France, but it happened frequently while in the UK and Ireland. And I can call upon the testimony of my friends Lowri, Jeff, Mary and Shiana, that I most certainly took any and every opportunity to take a photo of a sheep.

4) Spend enough time in the Louvre to see the entire museum (even if it means coming more than once!)

 FAIL. I'm gonna go with fail, but if my stupid self back then knew what my smarter self knows now, it would take about 3 months for me to see every single work in the Louvre if I only looked at everything for 30 seconds. BUT I did go inside the Louvre. Once. And saw the Mona Lisa, so PARTIAL SUCCESS? Yes? I think so. I walked around the Louvre a good 3 times. Love that place. First time I fell in love with Paris was while crossing Le Pont Des Beaux-Art (aka the Love locks bridge) towards the Louvre.

5) Go to the Palace of Versailles (try to dress up in a dress that day)

SUCCESS! Also did this on the day before a left France! Did it the morning before I went up the Eiffel  Tower. I felt miserable when I went though. It was gorgeously sunny, but ridiculously hot! And I had the cold, and exhaustion from constant traveling (which entails little sleep and loads of walking). But it was great, and I was so excited to see Marie-Antoinette's ''village'' and farm. I had wanted to see it since I read the book The Bad Queen (I mentioned this in my first post I believe) and it was really amazing to see a place that you read about.

6) Try new cheeses!

SUCCESS! This was a given. I actually kept track of most of the cheeses that I tried in France, I present to you that list: Tomme de Savoir, Saint Nectair, Saint-Floretin, Cantal, Fromage Pur Brebis, Comté, Émmental, Camembert and Gruyère.

7) Attempt to drink French wine for lunch or dinner one day

 SUCCESS! Oh, I definitely drank French wine more than once! This was pre-liking wine Liz talking. I tried red wine, white wine, wine rosé, champagne, cidre, and other things I don't remember the names of.

8) If possible, use the Bike-Taxi system at least once!

FAIL. It's not as simple as hopping on and taking off, and just no. I will definitely do it one day, and if I ever live in Paris than I will definitely try to do it, but I was not ready for that.

9) Ask a British royal guard if the Queen is in (Buckingham Palace) today?

FAIL. Unfortunately, they no longer post guards outside the gates of Buckingham Palace. So, really, this should be a SUCCESS because the point is that I was in LONDON!

10) See L'Arc de Triomphe

SUCCESS! Pff...that was one of the first things I saw in Paris. The first monument I took a photo with.

11) Find and explore ancient Roman ruins in France.

MOSTLY SUCCESS! I only did this in Lyon, basically every other city didn't really have any ancient Roman ruins. I will have to go to Nice and other cities to see more...whenever I feel like seeing more ancient Roman riuns again...I was not overly excited about the ones in Lyon since I had been in Rome a few weeks before and got my fill of roman riuns to last me quite a while.

12) Go to 7 Castles or more, doesn't matter what countries they're from

I actually remembered about this goal for most of the time I was in France, though near the end I forgot about it. Now I won't count castles that I went IN, but at least got really close to (and was too poor to go in it). So here we go:

- 2 castles in Wales (*names to come later when I edit the post)
- 2 castles in Scotland (although I did see at least 1 other but from a far distance from within a tourbus) The Stirling Castle and the Edinburgh Castle.
- 1 or 2 in Ireland (*again names to come later)
- Palace of Versailles (it counts!)
- 1 in Rome, the Castello somethingorother...

I have to double check my photos and bustour pamphlets, but even if I'm short 1 castle I'm going to call this one a SUCCESS!

13) Investigate different phone box booths, asking for the Doctor

 This is is just silly, but I will say SUCCESS because I did find my original Police Boxes while in London and Scotland, and even saw, briefly, one in Glasgow that looked almost EXACTLY like the Doctor Who T.A.R.D.I.S.

14) Dance on London Bridge

 If I had remembered about this particular goal, at least the dancing bit, I would have danced on London Bridge, but I just walked on it instead. I'm still calling this a SUCCESS!

15) Sing Ave Maria in Notre Dame (if allowed) - make sure I practice before hand

...What the hell was I thinking? Clearly I watched Sister Act WAY too many times! But I will call this a SUCCESS because A) I did go inside Notre Dame and B) I did sing inside with the service!

17) Go to the Bell Tower of Notre Dame if possible!

FAIL. I shouldn't have gone on a Sunday, and even before I visited Notre Dame, many of my American friends had down-talked it so much that it almost didn't seem worth visiting, so my ambition to go up one of the towers was quickly forgotten. It's a nice cathedral! Though, definitely not in my top 5 favorite.

18) Chartres Cathedral. Enough said!

SUCCESS! I was SO happy that I got to go up Chartres with my two best friends Mary and Jeff. It was a day trip and it was a memorable one. 

19) Find a big hill in Scotland, climb it, and yell "FREEDOM!!!" from the top

Again, I forgot about this goal, but I will say SUCCESS because I climbed up Arthur's Seat, a big hill in Edinburgh. And the point is: I went to Scotland!

20) Sit at the top level of a double decker bus!

Unfortunately I never got to ride the bus system in Englad! FAIL! I know! But I did ride the Underground a few times. Definitely need to accomplish this one day though.

21) Perfect a type of English accent and speak in it all day for one entire day while in British Isles 

 Again...something really dumb. I will say this though, my Welsh friend Lowri always said that my English accent was really good. Therefore: SUCCESS. I'm so glad I didn't actually follow through with this...that would have made me such a prick,

22) If I can't find a Nun in traditional clothing, find a large picture/poster of it and take a picture with it

SUCCESS! Although I'm kinda cheating since I was not in Europe yet, but when I was in Minneapolis airport on my way to Philly, there was a group of nuns and I took a picture with them :) I was pretty excited to have something off my to-do list so quickly!


23) Go to a Doctor Who museum. I haven't googled to see if there is one, but I bet there is!

FAIL! Even though I was in Cardiff, Wales, the museum was under construction while I was there. Also, while in London my friend Helena and I tried to find the WhoShop and failed miserably :P

24) If possible go to France's neighboring countries: Spain, Belgium, Brussels, Italy, etc.

You can tell how dumb my previous self was when I name ''Brussels'' in my list of countries...
 MOSTLY SUCCESS! I did go to Spain (one of the greatest adventures EVER), Italy and Switzerland but that was it for directly neighboring countries. I did ALL of the UK though, and they're right across the channel. I really need to go to Belgium though, and now that my good friend Jeff will be living practically on the border with Belgium, I will have a very good reason to go when I'm back in Europe!

25) Take pictures with statues of famous historical people, even if I don't have a clue who they are.

SUCCESS! I definitely took picture with plenty statues and busts of famous people, however they were all people I recognized and knew. I believe I did Shakespeare, the man who wrote Don Quixote,  George-Sand, and many writers and the like.

I was really happy to re-discover this To Do List and realize that I had, for the most part, succeeded in completing it!

I also received a week or so ago, a letter from my ELA teacher from grade 9, Ms Dudek. It was a letter I wrote to myself (when I was 14) and a list of Life Goals I had set for myself. I was able to check some things off, but I felt that a 20 year old me could write a better Life Goals list, so I updated it.

Making goals I think is a great thing to do. It's great to look back at them, and while you might not ever accomplish them all, it's a wonderful feeling knowing you accomplished some, and you get to reflect on life a bit and see how much you've been able to see and do, and it encourages you to keep making goals, and goals help feed your dreams, which you should always have and never stop reaching for.

~ Cheers

Mini Late Update

This was written early October, but I never got to update the blog on time, but I figured I'd share it anyways before I go on about what has happened more recently during the last weeks of October and early November.

Early October--> School's been great so far. I like most of the classes, some of the kids I just love. Life in Beauvais is quiet and quaint, and I'm really enjoying the French small-town life style, though the other assistants and I frequently keep a tally of "points" which go to either France or America. For instance, "Delicious bread, France: 10 points" or, "Small elevators (in France), America 5 points". You get the point ;P
The only thing I can complain about Beauvais is how quickly it went from really hot and warm weather to really cold and brisk. Because of the sudden change I'm now sick with a cough which is a terrible thing for an assistant who's job is to speak English :P
 There's also these awful, horrendous stairs I have to climb to get to the top of the hill where I live. Well I don't have "have" to but when you come in from Centre Ville (downtown) and cross the bridge the stairs are RIGHT there. It's either get home faster by climbing up 108 steps or taking the long way around and climb up the hill and get home slower. So, needless to say, I prefer to get home quickly. It's a good exercise at least and hopefully it prepares me for my trip to England/Ireland where there may be many hills and stairs to climb. 

Maybe you don't quite understand why these stairs are so daunting to me, but here's a reminder of the fact that I come from the prairies, the tallest hills we have are man-made garbage hills and we don't climb them except in the winter to go tobogganing!


Well that's the end of that incomplete update. A more complete, interesting and detailed blog will be coming soon! Hopefully tomorrow.

~ Cheers!

Quand en France...do as the French do!

Allô!

I've been in France for 4 days now, spent my first day in Paris with a family who are friend's from my dad's highschool. Crazy awesome coincidence that they hooked up through Facebook several months ago and arranged for me to stay with them any time I'm in Paris!

I came to Beauvais on the 29th, and it's all been very pleasant and great! The English teacher who was my main contact from the school, Anne, was very kind and helpful, giving me a whole box full of kitchen supplies, a bit of food, a cellphone! (a really really really old one but hey, it's free!) that just needs to be activated. I also got pillows, blankets, sheets, baking supplies, plates, cups, etc. It was great! I really like my foyer, although I could complain about a couple of things, but overall it's comfy enough. It's only a 7 minute walk to Centre Ville, so everything important is in walking distance, which is usually the case in a small town, which is what Beauvais is, but because it has a giant catheral it's considered a ''city'' lol.

I've been learning new things about how things are in France pretty much every day, and people have enjoyed them when I posted them on facebook so I will share them with you. Any assistant reading this who has either already been to France or has arrived at least a couple of days ago, will have learned these things as well:

French Lesson 1: Toilets are separate from sinks and showers. REALLY awkward, because as North Americans we are very much used to washing our hands as soon as we go to the bathroom (at least I hope we are...) but here you come out of the toilet...and there's no sink. I either then go to the "wash" room and wash my hands at the sink there in my room, or go to the showers next door from the foyer bathroom.

Lesson 2: If you don't say "bonjour" to the people who live in your building/neighborhood they will look at you funny and think you are rude. So for goodness sake say "bonjour" to every stranger you walk by! Granted, this rule probably doesn't apply for Central Paris, but everywhere else, if you say hi no one will think you're weird. Also, after 12 you say "Bon soir", but you don't say "Bon nuit" in the evening or night unless you're saying good-bye.

Lesson 3: Those bowls are not for cereal, and when there is no cereal it's not for your bread either...it's for your COFFEE! They're usually white and sometimes even have the words "coffee" or "café'' on it. Although in restaurants they serve in ''normal'' cups. Espressos come in tiny shots.

This last lesson is a given, Lesson 4: French bread is THE BEST, hands down! But if you don't eat that baguette in two days...use it as croutons for your salad :P

Anyways, back to what has been happening; I`ve met many of the assistants in Beauvais, really glad there are many. Thus far I'm the only Canadian, a little sad pour moi :( . But this Thursday we'll be going to Amiens and spending the day there for Orientation. Hopefully meet some cool people there as well to maybe visit on a weekend or something.

I went to a small, small church in Beauvais today, Evangelical. It was a really great experience. I was so glad that my pastor back home did studies on Abraham's life throughout the entire summer, because today the pastor in Beauvais was talking about one event in Abraham's life that involved his nephew Lot, and I was able to understand ALOT at the beginning, then after the sort of ''re-telling'' of the story was done, I was able to understand about half of what he was saying, which is great because this means as I keep going I'm going to learn so much more!

This afternoon a large group of assistants, from our foyer, from the all-girls foyer and 3 girls who live in their lycée, went to watch «La Guerre de Buttons» which turned out to be a kids movie. It was a pretty good movie, really nice...but oh my gosh...could hardly understand even HALF of the words they were saying...that said, I'm now gonna look up a bunch of words that I heard alot during the service and the movie to see what they mean!

I start school tomorrow, lol, I mean I start working tomorrow :P At 9:30 am I have to be at the school and hopefully I get my schedule!!! And hopefully I finish early so I can open my bank account! Really need to do that.

Wish me luck as I work with JR High kids...oooh boi.

~ Keep in touch!

East Coast

I've been spending the last 3 days with my cousin who lives in Philly, today I leave OFFICIALLY for France, but first to re-cap my visit to Philadelphia and New York city :D

It was HOT and HUMID! Really muggy day in Philadelphia, why oh why did I get a coffee? I didn't finish it before I got to the Liberty Bell and they made me throw it out.

This is a cute and cozy coffee shop a few blocks away from where the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall is. If you're ever in town, check this place out. Really cozy inside and good selection of coffee, tea and baked goodies!

Like I mentioned, I first went to the Liberty Bell, which is in a little museum down the way from the Independence Hall where it used to hang. What surprised me the most was the symbolism of the bell and how it didn't just represent the early colonials who fought for Freedom from tyranny and oppression, but that its symbol then transformed to represent the African American slaves who fought for Freedom from oppression as well, and later on was used during World War 2 when Pearl Harbor was attacked and America went to war. In the 50's yet again the symbol of the Liberty Bell was used to represent the Women of America who fought for their Freedom and Right to vote. The Liberty Bell has become a a symbol of Liberty and in some ways even Peace, as people like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. have visited the Bell. The Liberty Bell is considered a sacred national treasure.

The Independence Hall was next, wow...Just wow. I couldn't believe I was walking the same halls, the same floors and the same rooms that the Founding Fathers paced countless times hundreds of years ago. To think that I was in the very room where they created and wrote the Declaration of Independence was really humbling and honoring. The tour was a little brief, but there were other buildings around to visit though my cousin and I only went through one which held the original 1 of 6 printings of the Declaration, which was the one actually made on July 4th, while the hand-written one that was signed by all the Founding Fathers, was made four days later on July 8th and is the more famous copy that is in Washington D.C.

Afterwards we had lunch and then boarded a bus tour that allowed you to hop off at certain stops and catch the next bus that came every 45 minutes. However we took the 4:00 one and unfortunately almost everything tourist-wise closes at 5 pm in Philly, which meant we could only get off at one stop. We chose the Art Museum, but...they were just 10 minutes from closing...but we got to explore the statue garden around and see the back and front of the Museum before catching the last tour bus to finish the tour.

The tour bus was great, each bus had a tour guide who was lively, funny and very informative and gave us some really condensed mini history lessons about everywhere we went. It was really enjoyable and mind-blowing, the history of Philadelphia is phenomenal!!! I wish I could have spent at least one more day (and arrive earlier since we didn't get to Philly that day until 1 pm) and explore the National Constitution Center, the Penitentiary prison where Al Capon was once held, see the grave of Benjamin Franklin, where he used to live, and go through the Art Museum. 

 I took so many pictures, this blog really doesn't do any justice to how great of a time it was. It didn't help that shortly after the Museum of Art my battery died and I couldn't take any more pictures! :( But it was great and I would definitely love to come again. If any of you who are reading this ever want to visit here are some tips: 1) take at least 2 days to visit all the major things. 2) On the first day, as one of the first things in the morning, take the hop on hop off bus tour (we took The Big Bus and it was great). 3) Buy tickets to the Independence hall at the building that is across the street on the other side of the Liberty Bell museum (don't remember the name...but it's a touristy building that also has fliers and pamphlets and people who can help you with any touristy needs). 4) Eat a philly cheese-steak. it's to die for!!!

Alrighty, moving on to New York. This was much more stressful and a bit disappointing simply because it took FOREVER to get to New York, I think we arrived in the middle of Manhattan around 12:30, which meant the entire morning was wasted even though we had gotten up at 6 and left the house at 7 sharp. We missed the last connection train which would have gotten us there by 10:30, oh well. Second disappointment was when we realized that you need to reserve tickets that let you go INSIDE the Statue of Liberty at least ONE WEEK in advance. We could only get tickets that get to you Liberty Island. It wasn't terrible, my cousin was more pouty about it that I, I was actually just excited to see Lady Liberty. What a dame. She is so beautiful. As I got closer to her on the ferry I took countless pictures. When we landed ashore and got to walk around the pedestal I was constantly filled with an overwhelming sense of awe, beauty, honor, and appreciation that I came close to crying many times. I had seen her figure, her face, her silhouette, countless times, yet here I was standing before the most beautiful immortal woman in the world. She isn't static like most statues, Lady Liberty moves, forward, carrying a symbol of Light and Enlightenment, and then of Freedom to all those who were "weary and burdened", coming over the shores from the Old World.

Afterwards was the 9-11 Memorial. Another slight disappointment. You also have to reserve tickets online unless you come really early and get some of the limited tickets, but for us it was already like 2 in the afternoon. But we did get to see some other things like the memorial to the firefighters. However, I don't know if I'd want to try to see the memorial again until all the construction is done because it take up almost the whole place.

We walked over to Wall Street, however because of protests going on that were against Wall Street, they had barricaded the entire building so that you had to walk on the sidewalk across the street all the way around. So many cops all over the place! Never a dull moment in New York city!

Our next and final stop was the Empire State building. We were going to buy the regular tickets which gets you up to the 86th floor, but then upgraded to the 102nd floor ticket pass. If you ever go to the Empire state building and looking to save a bit on money, don't do the upgrade. It's only 6 floors higher and the view is from behind a window, not quite the same. Unless it's raining, not worth upgrading. You'll save yourself a bit of moola.

 This is the view from the 86th floor. It's FREEEEAKY high! You see ALL of New York, some new Jersey and a smudge that is Pennsylvania. It's an AMAZING view! Truly amazing, absolutely worth all the pain we felt by now in our legs and feet. My cousin and I were exhausted and by now it was after 5 pm. There were tourists from all over the world, I heard many French, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish people around me, felt unreal. Though it was like that at the Statue of Liberty too, lots and lots of tourists.

This view is from the 102nd floor, there is Central Park if you look closely off in the distance.
There was so much more we wanted to see, like Times Square, Central Park, and the Brooklyn bridge, but it was getting late, we were so tired. We hadn't even been able to sit down and eat, everything we ate was something we could walk and eat with. We ate ice cream twice :P
By the time we finished with the Empire state building and got to the place where we could take a bus that went all the way to Philly, it was almost 7 pm. We had to wait for the bus which didn't come until 7:15 and didn't leave until 7:30. In the meantime I took some pictures of NY at night.

This is the Empire State at night, really pretty. Ignore the Brad Pitt advertisement...ugh. Anyways, we were SO tired by the time we got back to my cousin's place and now today I will be flying to France. I won't arrive until tomorrow in the afternoon so this weekend I will likely update this blog again to talk about my first few days in France, and my first day which will be in Paris all day!

~ Keep in Touch

PS: If you're an assistant, are you in France yet? if so, how long have you been there for and in general how has your experience been so far?

Pretty much just 5 more days...

I've already said good-bye to the people I see at church. This is it. Just a few more people to say good-bye to before I'm up and away.

It's frightening really...I'm not so scared of what lies out there, at least I'm not scared of getting hurt or of something terrible happening. Call it being naive or faith in God, but when it comes to traveling He's always made his presence and guidance felt. So other than the general fear of the unknown, what scares me the most (if you can call it a fear) is leaving my comfort zone.

My cozy bed, my mom's bright smile, my father's arms, my brother's laughter, Cleo's soft fur, Sonny's face, my sister's fighting, Justin's dancing, grandma's cooking. Our movie nights, our addiction to CLUE, the Sunday brunch while listening to music that is usually too loud. Our gluttonous Thanksgivings, Christmas and New Year's feasts. When Amber learns something new, when Tia does something kind, when Justin speaks in sentences, when Abby is truly happy, when Artiom talks about science. These are the things that I will miss while in France and will have no way of having until I come back.

But I WILL be coming back home. The question is, what will be in France/Europe that I will then miss when I return home? Things that I should try to indulge in and experience while I can, because there's no guarantee that I will come back any time soon. So I've made a list, a To-Do list if you may, of what I should do, see and eat while in France and Europe.

1) Walk with a baguette sticking out of my purse to eat while exploring Beauvais
2) Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower
3) While in rural areas, take a picture ANYTIME I see sheep!
4) Spend enough time in the Louvre to see the entire museum (even if it means coming more than once!)
5) Go to the Palace of Versailles (try to dress up in a dress that day)
6) Try new cheeses!
7) Attempt to drink French wine for lunch or dinner one day
8) If possible, use the Bike-Taxi system at least once!
9) Ask a British royal guard if the Queen is in (Buckingham Palace) today?
10) See L'Arc de Triomphe
11) Find and explore ancient Roman ruins in France
12) Go to 7 Castles or more, doesn't matter what countries they're from
13) Investigate different phone box booths, asking for the Doctor
14) Dance on London Bridge
15) Sing Ave Maria in Notre Dame (if allowed) - make sure I practice before hand
17) Go to the Bell Tower of Notre Dame if possible!
18) Chartres Cathedral. Enough said!
19) Find a big hill in Scotland, climb it, and yell "FREEDOM!!!" from the top
20) Sit at the top level of a double decker bus!
21) Perfect a type of English accent and speak in it all day for one entire day while in British Isles
22) If I can't find a Nun in traditional clothing, find a large picture/poster of it and take a picture with it
23) Go to a Doctor Who museum. I haven't googled to see if there is one, but I bet there is!
24) If possible go to France's neighboring countries: Spain, Belgium, Brussels, Italy, etc.
25) Take pictures with statues of famous historical people, even if I don't have a clue who they are.

Well that's all that I can think of for now, I will probably add to this when I arrive in France as I find out more things to do.

~ Cheers and keep in touch!

Recalling the Summer

With just under 10 days left before I say good-bye to everything and everyone that is around me, I have been feeling rather somber and perhaps  teeny bit depressed. I don't like feeling this way so I intend to do something about it. First I will recollect everything good that has happened this past summer, all the things that I will cherish and miss while I'm in France, and then I will start a To-Do List for France/Europe to get me excited and more positive. Though I will do that I think in my next blog post.

So I bring you, without further ado, my summer of 2011 through pictures (I will briefly talk about them as well).


It basically started when I finished my Spring course in Rhetoric Writing, though I will recap a little from before. In that class I met a lovely girl named Ksondra and we talked a lot and knew some of the same people. Near the end of the course she lent me a movie which has now become a favorite of mine: FAR and AWAY. I was bound to like it, and she knew I would.
I watched MANY movies this summer with my family
-- X-Men First Class -- Rio -- Thor -- Clue -- Soul Surfer -- Captain America; just to name a few. Also finished Smallville!

This summer I worked at Rainbow Stage which is an outdoor theater that features musicals every summer. This summer they produced CATS and Hairspray. I always liked musicals though never had the spare money to go to see one live (and tickets are not cheap!) so this was my first opportunity to watch a live musical. I had previously seen the Nutcracker Ballet and Pirates of Penzance, but I was still blown away by the performances. Musicals are really a genre of their own. I can't say which one I liked best, since they are both fairly different and can't really be compared. I will say, however, that I much prefer the theater version of Hairspray vs. the hollywood movie version. Having a male play the role of Edna Turnblad is for the purpose of great comedy which unfortunately cannot be used to a great advantage on screen like it is on stage. The interactions between the parents of Tracy Turnblad is probably what the audience remembers best, because it is just so awkward and hilarious.

I re-learned how to ride a bike!!! :D Now I no longer get that awful pain on the tail bone or easily lose control. I didn't bike enough times to get really good at it ("look ma! No hands!" *crash*), but at least I can bike to Sobeys and back without getting myself killed :P I still can't let go with one hand for more than a split second to re-adjust my sunglasses. I tried waving once to my mom who was driving home while I was biking one day...lost control for a second :P. Not gonna try that again any time soon.

I read 6 books for pleasure. Can't say I took pleasure in all the books I read, but I enjoyed most of them, particularly The Bad Queen, Wishful Thinking and Emma. The reason I enjoyed The Bad Queen so much was because it gave me an entirely new perspective on the French Revolution. A more accurate perspective I think, because before I had a very negative view on the French monarch rulers at the time of the Revolution and actually believed in the lie that the Queen Marie-Antoinette had said "let them eat cake". I still hold the view that the monarch system was extremely corrupt, but I do not hold Louis the 16th personally accountable for the state of France because it is quite obvious to me that he had some kind of mental condition that made him perfectly unfit to be king.

Because the weather was so great I headed out to the beach for my 20th birthday. It was a really good birthday :D My face hurt so much from laughing and smiling almost the whole time! The weather was really good all summer-long, one of the driest summers we've had, so we spent a lot of time in the pool and doing outdoor outings like church picnics and soccer games.

(Tara B and I being very adult-like -->)

Anyways...This summer went by quickly to say the least, and though there was no family trip anywhere and we didn't make it to Folklorama this year, I enjoyed it very much. Though I think the reason I'm so sad is because I love my crazy family and I know I will miss them sooooo much.
:(

I don't like how this blogger lays out the photos...it makes it difficult to have many because they all have to be on their own line. Laaame. So I will end on a bittersweet note. Even though I will be away from my family and friends for many months, not only do I have a big adventure ahead of me filled with all kinds of mysterious surprises, I know that by next summer I'll be home, swimming in the pool with the family again.



~ Cheers

VISA appointment via Toronto

First off, as Arnold Schwarzenegger said in Total Recall "TWOOO WEEEKS"!!!! Before I leave home D: I will miss my family SOOOOO much! We're pretty tight <3 I know I will bawl like crazy at the air port, at customs, and on the plane. But those feelings will be pushed aside for a while as I visit my cousin in Philly for 3 days before I leave New York to Paris.

Came back from Toronto late last night, landed just after 11 pm. We were supposed to arrive half an hour early but the plane that was taking us to Winnipeg was coming from Vancouver and had been delayed there (I assume the earthquake might have been a factor). I was exhausted to say the least, having been awake for nearly 24 hrs. Toronto was fun, didn't get to see the CN Tower (which means I will have to come back one day) but I spent time around the UoT area and China Town, and hung out with my friend Taris who I met 3 years ago in Quebec! :D Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera...

At the Consulate I didn't bring a photocopy of my passport, I honestly didn't know I had to bring one if I was going to give them my real one anyway...but thankfully I just had to go down to the lobby area and nearby in the same building (sort of underground) was a shoppers drugmart where I could do the photocopying. I was really surprised by the fact that the ONLY question they asked me was my purpose for going to France. I don't know how it is at other French Consulates, but I had to talk to the lady through an intercom, and my auditoiral skills are a little rusty, so with the intercom cutting out her voice constantly ( Her: Je prend*CRSH* photo *CRSH* toi. Me: ....whut?) made it almost impossible to understand her and she got frustrated enough with me and started speaking in English. Honestly, get a new intercom, that one is ancient and dieing.

It was a day of adventure, I wish I could have spent more time exploring Toronto, but now I got a good taste of the city. The buses, the subway (IT'S SO FAST! oh glorious subways). Torontoers shouldn't complain about their public transportation...honestly, live in Winnipeg for a while. See how you get around without a car.

K, I'm hungry and gonna go help with supper (I'M HAVIN' FISH TONIGHT!) *cough*


~ Cheers!

PS: The first thing I saw when I got off the bus at my destination was the ROM Museum and it looks SO FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!! Like a spaceship that crashed into an old historic building and was left there.

Less than 2 months

Still hasn't quite sunk in that I'll be in France in less than 2 months. I'll be arriving in Paris around 7 am of the 28th of September.

I don't dwell on that too much, still just trying to get all the documents and whatnot ready for my visa appointment and everything, and still just trying to enjoy what's left of summer. I'm going to be working so much starting Sunday, and with only 2 days off a week, it'll be crazy trying to fit in a day to go watch Hairspray, go to at least 1 Folklorama Pavillion, and have time for personal stuff. August is going to be insanely busy...I will look forward to the last week to wind down a bit before September rolls around.

To whoever is reading this,
keep in touch!
Elizabeth

Dogs aren't Just Pets

I love Dogs. My whole family does, and I've grown up with a couple of them over the years. We currently have 3 dogs, a chocolate lab named Sonny who we've had since he was 4 months old, got him almost 5 years ago. And this past Febuary we adopted two old timers, Ceasar and Cleo (patra), two 9 year old Basset Hounds. I love each one to pieces, but if I were 100% honest, I think I just might love Caesar a tinsy winsy tiny bit more. Why?

I'll tell ya, it isn't because he's the cutest, or the smartest, in fact, out of all three he's the 'ugliest' and by far the smelliest with a killer dog breath. Not to mention his front legs are bent crooked (a bone problem overweight basset hounds tend to suffer from) like two brakets sticking out --> )( . But he's my baby.

Now, lately their health is become fragile, both Cleo and Caesar. And since the foster girls are in charge of walking them and feeding them afterschool, unfortunately, they don't give them water when they do and the dogs have became dehydrated very fast, and sick. Up until the point where neither of them would eat (now if you had seen these guys a few months back, they fought with each other sometimes to get more food) until we realized that they haven't been drinking in a few days. That along with some digestive problems, Caesar went very bone thin (when we first got them they were both very overwieght and could have died already, but with us they becaue very fit and healthy) and for reasons we don't know, his nose was stuffy and he had trouble breathing. Last night Caesar and Cleo wouldn't touch their food so my dad gave them water again, Cleo felt better, but Ceasar didn't. We let them sleep in the mudroom rather than in their 'bunkbed shelter' in the garage. This morning we thought we were going to loose him.

He was having horrible shakings, he couldn't control his body and peed, pooped and puked all around himself and on Cleo. It was like he was having seizures, he was crying and in pain. I went to church not expecting him to be alive or better when I got back. My dad stayed with him all morning, while I just cried and sobbed at church, thinking about how much I was going to miss his rough, scratchy nose, his stinky breath, and his sad brown, blood-shot droopy eyes. I had a dog who got sick from rat poison and suffered from seizures, his mental health declined, and he was miserable so we put him down. I wasn't expecting much else for this time. But, my dad came to pick us up with good news, Caesar was alive and is doing better. I nearly started craying from joy. When I came home he was no longer shaking and he could focus his eyes and be attentive. He still had trouble walking and perferred to lay down. My Maverik will live to see another day, and hopefully a Christmas with us, and the New Year. He's now stable and in a slow recovery, he needs to gain strength to eat and gain some meat on his bones before he can be my old baby Caesar again.

Today, when he was alone in the mudroom (because he still couldn't control his bladder and we already had to bathe poor Cleo) I petted and stroke his head, and scratched behind his ear (his sweet spot, he's the only dog I've had who makes a sound of absolute pleasure when you scratch just in the right spot, almost like a cat purring) and I told him that we loved him. That no matter what we might have said or done in the past, we loved him very much. I know he's just a dog, just a pet, and wouldn't understand what I'm saying. But Ceasar is not just a dog, not just a pet, he's family.