Popsicles and Ice Cream

Hello again!

See what I said about blogging every day? I’m making this happen.

So, today was BUSY. Not that every day isn’t, but today was borderline hectic.

We had a long run this morning. My run was strangely satisfying. I wore my NEW SHOES which are the same as Molly’s shoes, which was of course, completely unintentional. It was sunny again, thus really humid, after all the rain we’ve had lately. My shoes are ALREADY dirty, but hopefully they won’t smell as bad as my spikes do anytime soon.

(For you non-cross-country-runners, spikes are the racing shoes we wear… and they have a very pungent odor. I refuse to take mine out of the box, and they stay in a corner of the basement where the stench can’t hurt the quality of life…)

Our coach brought Popsicles for us for after the run (YAY! TREATS!), and since there were so many of them, Molly and I got three each. We were laughing, being like “oh, Fattie Club is BACK IN SESSION!” and “I wonder if we can make this a thing?”, so Coach Cromwell took us off to the side for a Lecture. It wasn’t so much of a Lecture as it was an Expression of Worry About Our Mental Health, which made it rather humorous. But, in a way, it was complimentary and I think both Molly and I realized how awkward and difficult it must be for him to confront “girly” problems (even if they are perceived as problems, but aren’t).

Though it is funny to note his reaction to us senior girls with our water-guns at yesterday’s practice and then what he said to Molly and I today. We’re just enigmas. :)

Other than that, I spent today shopping for books with my mother, which ended in me getting a couple books from the Free Shelf (ONE IS A PLAY IN FRENCH!) and lots of Shakespeare. She finally showed me the houses she likes, one of which we will hopefully buy… as soon as our house sells.

After all that, I went to Via’s house (with Molly) to help her pack for college. That was fun, but the reasoning is sad. It SUCKS to say goodbye, and she’s not ready to leave. For that matter, I’m not ready for any of my “ex-senior” friends to be gone. I know I’ll keep in touch somehow and this won’t be goodbye forever (at least, I SINCERELY hope not!), but still, the whole people-leaving thing is just not fun as leaving yourself.

During all that, we stopped by Cold Stone. Hence, ice cream. Delicious, FattieClub worthy, ice cream. YAYYY SUMMER! (I’m holding on to Summertime for dear life, though I could do with some nice fall-like temperatures…)

A demain! ;)

-Aly

NaBloPoMo

Hello, everybody!

So, I’ve been back from France for a month-and-several-days, and time is still passing far too quickly. I’ve got less than a week until school starts again, and to be honest, I’m not at ALL ready. I still haven’t come to terms with the fact that this is my last year of high school, though I’ve been worrying excessively about colleges since about April.

In other news, I’ve been REALLY busy lately, which is why I haven’t yet finished the last two blog posts from France. Sorry about that. Part of the reason is that finishing those posts feels like saying goodbye to that time in my life. I’m still holding on to the memories and the people I met there, my friends and “dreamland”.

Since I’m not that great at blogging or keeping up with this blog, I’ve decided that I’m dedicating this month to be my National Blog Posting Month, which is rather like NaNoWriMo, except it’s basically any time you like. I’ll be blogging daily until September 19th, even if it’s a small post. During this time, expect the last couple blog posts about France, and a few other big posts with excessive pictures. However, it’ll all depend on my schedule—cross-country season is nearly here for good (not just pre-season), and I’ll be busy with college applications, classes, and volunteering soon enough. With a bit MORE luck, I’ll be able to keep up with my French by tutoring others in French, since they cut the AP French program. Basically, if you know anybody that wants to learn French or is struggling with French, let me know, and I’ll see if I can help! ;)

(In reference to the “volunteering” thing—I’m applying to volunteer at the public library! I turned in the application yesterday, before settling in for an hour and some of working on school stuff. I love libraries :D)

Last night was Orientation (at least I didn’t have to go to REAL orientation in the silly clothes I wore to the “What Not To Wear skit” for Freshman orientation in the morning. The Freshman are probably embarrassed about the seniors xD), so I got to “meet” my teachers, though I more-or-less know them all. I’m really excited for my English class, because I have it with Molly, Matt, and Duncan… though I feel sorry for my teacher.

My dual enrollment classes begin Monday. With luck, I’ll be able to change my study hall to be a study hall with French… so that I can speak in French for an hour of my day!

In a strange way, I’m excited for this year. I just know it’ll be hard and crazy, though I think I can handle it. Don’t hold me to that one, though, because I’m probably going to spaz out in a few weeks!

-Aly

Why My Dad is Awesome

Hello!
I’m interrupting our normally-scheduled update (I’m working on it!), to wish my Dad “Happy Father’s Day!”. I’ve got a few other things for him, but I would like to share this part with you all:
My Dad is freaking Awesome.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before on here, but my Dad is one of the biggest reasons why I was able to come to France. Not to discount the others that have helped me come here, but, honestly, my Dad has gone above and beyond to make sure I could accomplish this dream.
Instead of rambling about how awesome my dad is, I’ll just make a list.

1. My Dad is a barefoot runner. He’s run at least 5 marathons, including the Boston Marathon, which he ran barefoot… with a foot injury. Even though to most people, this just means he’s incredibly insane, I’ve always found his dedication to running (or at least his crazy urge to run crazy-long distances multiple times, and often run without shoes) to be inspiring.
2. My Dad wants to save the world. He’s a huge hippie. I’m not talking drugs, but, my dad is an architect, certified in LEED, and he’s always interested in what HE can do to help the environment, especially through his skills. He frequently sends letters to his local Senators/Representatives to voice his opinion, and he’s REALLY active in his community.
3. My Dad seems to have know more Frenchies than I do. 
4. He’s got this massive obsession with learning. At the moment, I think he’s trying to learn both French and German, and he’s incredibly dedicated to it. He told me before he left that he’d try to learn as much French as me while I was in France—unfortunately, I think I’m winning, but he’s dedicated to it, always on LiveMocha.
5. He’s got awesome taste in music. He introduced me to the Beatles, Coldplay, U2, and Metric. He goes to concerts frequently (such as Vampire Weekend), and he took me and my brother to a Metric concert with him when he was in town near Thanksgiving.
6. He took me to Paris for Christmas, and took hundreds of pictures.
7. When he goes on trips for work or for fun, he tends to bring back interesting gifts for me and my brother. Obama t-shirt, free samples, a signed picture of Meb Keflezighi, and strange-ugly-awesome vintage goodies from NOLA. (Okay, I get it, that’s weird, but I think it’s great.)
8. He was one of the first people I told when I was trying to figure out my religion. He introduced me to the FSM.
9. My Dad went to every single one of my cross-country races during my freshman and sophomore years. (My brother ran XC at the time, so he was there for both of us.) I don’t think I remember him missing one, and he ALWAYS took pictures. I find that to be awesome.
10. He goes running with me when we’re in Florida.
11. When I got sick when he moved to NOLA, he went out at like 6 in the morning or something like that to find me Pepto-Bismol. xD
12. He’s a pescatarian, except for when he can try new ribs. It’s always been his weakness.
13. He’s pretty darn good at cooking—his vegetarian chili, lentil soup, and his pies are all fantastic.
14. He understands me better than nearly anyone.
15. He’s always supported my dreams, be it writing a novel in a month, becoming fluent in French, and this trip to France. Beyond that, he does everything in his power to help me, be it sending no less than twenty emails, recommending resources, or encouraging me.

Basically, my dad is one of the coolest dads I know and I can’t wait to see him this summer :) We’ll go to Universal Studios (where he used to work, which is another awesome thing!) and hang out (with my brother, of course) and it’ll just be awesome like Paris was awesome, except less French-y.
ANYWAY, I wish any fathers “HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!” and especially  my father.
Have a great day!
<3, Aly

Dreamland

Hello again!

I’ve put this off for a few days now, but it’s about time that I sit down and actually write this blog, so here it goes.

I’ve been here for five months now, and in that time, quite a bit has changed. The most obvious is, of course, language-wise, but I’ve also gained many amazing friends and experiences.

Some things haven’t quite been what I expected them to be, but some, such as the relationships I’ve built, have been so much more important to me than I expected. I’ve spent these last two months (ever since the last vacation) in my own personal version of heaven, so busy with my French friends that I didn’t have time to miss home. And now, I’ve moved in with my friend Charlotte—I finally get to experience a “host family” with somebody my age, which is quite fun.

I could get all sappy here, but the video I posted on the 21st shows it pretty well—all that video was taken in a span of four days, and it’s kind of a present for the Frenchies, with whom I’ve passed so many good days lately.

OH! In other news, I only have 2 days of school left. And then I’m off to Bordeaux again, and the final few weeks in June, I’ll spend with Charlotte (B.) and my other friends. I’m so not ready for this to end, it’s just TOO GOOD.

♥,
-Aly

Trips to McDonalds/Quick: 12
(*hides in shame*)

CINQ MOIS!

American Foods

Hello, everybody!

I was just thinking about this today, though I admit I am often reminded of all the foods that I desperately want to eat. So, this is my list of American foods that I will be consuming in great quantities upon my return to the US.

1. Macaroni and Cheese. -- Really, there need be no explanation. Mac & cheese is one of my favorite foods ever, and I haven't eaten it since ... uhm... FAR TOO LONG.
2. American-style breakfast. -- I eat tartines every day. Give me some PANCAKES and scrambled eggs, some bacon, bagels, or any breakfast excursion to Chik-fil-A. Shame on me for many of these, but yeah. OH, and SUGARY CEREAL! Where are my Lucky Charms?! :D
3. PB&J-- Yeahhh. Peanut butter doesn't exist here.
4. COOKIES! Brownies, cake-with-legit-frosting. -- I could make these but it's not the same. Give me some cookie cake or anything with frosting...
5. Phish Food flavor of Ben & Jerry's. ... This one is pretty self-explanatory. Abundance of ice cream, not much Ben & Jerry's, besides the fact that it's 5 euros, which is like $7. OH, AND Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip!
   
6. Mexican food. (wait, that's not American, but uhm, who's being technical? Mexico is in North America. Thus American...?)
7. PASTA with non-meat-sauce or pasta with not-ketchup-and-Gruyere.
8. Barbeque. -- Again, I'm a bit ashamed of this one, but let's be honest... that stuff is good.
9. Pop-tarts!-- should have included this with breakfast, but it's rare that I eat pop-tarts as breakfast.
10. Hershey's Chocolate. -- Okay, so this one is unfair. There's loads of chocolate here, really good chocolate like Lindt and such. But, some cheap chocolate that you can eat in one sitting? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Okay, I just proved my co-presidency of the Fattie Club. Happy May!
-Aly

P.S. It was blog about food, blog about my recent spaz-dom about colleges, or blog about the fact that I now realize I'm Bilingual. I'd like to pretend this is the best of the three. But that may just be because I'm eating fail pasta...

MAY FIRST

Hello!

Happy May, you guys!

I've heard from many of you that you've already received the post cards I sent-- to those of you that haven't gotten them, they SHOULD be there soon! If you have given me your address, I've either already sent or am about to send you mail.

April was a good month, the midway point and the next step closer to finishing up my time here. Like all the other months, it was good (with some bad).

In April I loved:

1. Travelling-- I finally EXPLORED France. I saw Bordeaux and Toulouse, and Carcassonne, as well as many other small villages with history.
   
2. Meeting new people & getting to know my French friends better-- this last month has been AMAZING in that aspect! Good-bye and good riddance, awkward stage of friendship! You guys at home, I've said it before, and I'll say it again with complete convinction... the Frenchies are fantastic, and I love them to bits.
   
3. Renewing my "France crush"-- Once again, the love for France is back... thanks to the experiences I've had this month, and a renewing of the vision of France I get when I see all the beauty and history here. Except now, I recognize it's faults. And that's perfectly fine.
4. Fluency-- After four months of living here, I've finally heard it from just about everyone: "You speak French really well!", and at last, I believe them. I had a conversation with Charlotte about this the other day, and basically, I can no longer say that I'm NOT fluent. This makes me ridiculously happy. I'M BILINGUAL?!
5. Just to round out this list, April was amazing because... I'm nearly finished. I'm sad and excited about this, with how things have been going, but I think about it... four months. It's been nearly a year since I started this blog, since I truly began planning this trip. Four far-too-fast and all-too-slow months. I'll be home soon-- I'm excited for the new possibilities and about tackling the next adventure. And I'm really, really impatient to see all my friends and family at home, because I miss them so much.

Things that weren't so great in April:

1. Saying goodbye to new places & people.
2. Communication problems.
3. Train Strikes.
4. Freaking. School.
   

I mean, that's really nothing, and I really don't mind those that much because saying goodbye to people and places is rough, but I WILL find a way to go back and see them in the future, the communication problems have been resolved, the train strike was annoying but it did allow me to spend more time with people that I find to be amazing, and school meant more time with friends in Frejus! :D

In other news, I have far too many things to deal with at home. Home being the US, of course. Real life is calling me back, responsibilities and plans for things that are Actually Quite Important.

AP French won't exist next year, so far as I've heard. This means that my French education is basically over, and I'll have to start taking lower levels of French than I'm capable of. It aggravates me to no end, that I've worked (as have the other students that want to take the class, even if there are just 5 of us) for YEARS to be able to take AP French. The AP French teacher was my FIRST French teacher, ever, and I just think it would be really cool to end my years of French class (that is, if I don't take it in college) with the same teacher I began learning French with.

Anyway, MAY. I'll let you know how it goes.
Lots to do! BYE.
-Aly

Kick Ass Frenchies

JP, Lisa, Nolwenn, me, and Cindy before Kick Ass :D
(Picture credit: Jean Paul, except I think Charlotte took this one.)

Hello again!

I know, you probably feel like you're hearing from me a lot lately. This is due to the fact that I've decided I really need to use my time better, and I've just kind of needed to write on here lately. I think this will be my goal for the next 2 months, so you should be hearing a lot more from me! (I've actually got plans for some things for this blog; check for updates and interesting things! :D)
I have FIVE more postcards. I sent 4, then 10 last week, and today another 11. I lie, it's technically two, since I owe three of you a postcard! Though I may cave in and buy more, if I get more people that want them. So, uhh, seriously, ASK IF YOU WANT A POSTCARD! I would love to send one! Also, I love postcards. Even with pears on them-- thank you, Katherine! (She is awesome! Go check out her blog full of pretty things, happy thoughts, and Grand Schemes :D)

I've been hanging out with my friends lately! They have completely pulled through for me on things we've mentioned doing, such as going to Nice and having sleepovers and such.

I spent Saturday hanging out in Centre-ville with Nolwenn, Lisa, Charlotte H., and Jean-Paul. We went to lunch (I ate another American, you guys. I admit, I really just wanted to say I've eaten more Americans. Such a cannibal...!), took pictures, wandered around, and finally joined Cindy at the Cinemas to see Kick-Ass. I thought it was awesome, but I enjoy such nerds-conquering-the-world-I-mean-being-Nerdfighters type movies. I kept dying of laughter, even though I didn't even understand what exactly they were saying ALL the time. After all that, we had ice cream and hung out more. We managed to convince people walking by we were insane, as well as stalk a marching band in Period Dress (I still don't exactly understand why there were so many people in Old-Fashioned Clothes were wandering around... and all the BOOM!s that weren't fireworks?), and various other fun things. Oh, Frenchies, how much joy you bring me...
[I took pictures! They're on facebook.]

JP, Charlotte H., Lisa, Nolwenn, Cindy

I'm going to Nice with Charlotte B. on Wednesday! We're going to tour the Old part of the town, eating the Best Ice Cream in Nice, and I'm spending the night at her house! (Why, yes, I do have school Thursday. *feels B)

OH! And tomorrow, I've got TWO CLASSES (technically 3, but 2 hours of French except one hour is with the Premier ES1, and 2 hours of "hande." [Handball, they always leave off the -ball.])! After which, me and the Frenchies are going to McDonald's (I think that will be the 10th time), then the Theatre to see Mozart's Flute Enchantee. It will be AWESOME! There's ACROBATS!!!!! (I hope I'm allowed to bring my camera because I definitely am.)

I'll tell you about tomorrow and Wednesday as soon as possible-- hopefully with pictures! But at the moment, I have to run errands and do Important Things, so I'm going to peace out and not include any details about why today is fail, but in a way that I don't really care about because I'm in a great mood. :D

-Aly

Trips to McDonalds/Quick: 9 [this is including during the last vacation, so this is the as-of-today count]