trip to Italy

Hello everyone!

view from above of Herculanum

Today's the day I'm gonna tell you about my school trip to Italy at last. It's been already almost a week that I'm back so now I thought was a good time to share with you my photos and impressions on the cities I visited, Rome, Naple, and Pompei.
Firstly, the reason why I was part of this trip to Italy is quite simple : I'm taking italian at school so I wanted to be part of it. Exept that I, with a friend, had skipped a year and therefore weren't allowed to go at all because there were no extra seat in the bus, 52 no more no less! So we got very lucky in last minute when two seats got freed because two persons weren't able to go anymore ! Even better, these new seats belonged to the group going to Italy with the greek and the latinist, not with the italianists and this was at our advantage for two reasons. Here is the first reason : more space in the bus because less people are taking greek or latin as way more chose italian. The second reason why I would better enjoy the trip with the latinist is because I already went to Italy with my school when I was 15 (poor me really) and what I did was the same itinary that the italianist were taking this time so I would have done the same trip twice! No thanks. So thanks to good luck  it was my first time travelling down in the south of Italy. Moreover, this was a school trip without any homework to do and if we can say that like real vacations (a week of "vacation" before the two weeks of vacation that we usually get for halloween!). All the circompstances were there to have a great time and it didn't miss!

Colisseum, in Roma

Departure from Laval at 5.30 am on a sunday morning. We all got in the bus with our pillows and blankets hoping to get some sleep before the sun would raise at last. Most of us we obviously didn't. I don't know if you ever being in a bus for more than 3-4 hours in a row which in our case was rather like 50 hours going and coming back, but I find it very hard to get the right position and fall asleep. Funny fact, instead of doing something else like playing cards or chatting with each others we, for most of us, desperatly try every possible possitions, shutting our eyes tight and everything until we feel so tired of trying that we start looking out the windows see if things are better from this side. When is it that we must arrive again? Only 20 hours from now, says the driver of the bus. (...) Find something else to be busy with, stupid games (cho lapin), cards, or just read books, anything that would keep yourself active until the next stop at the car station where everybody get off the bus and go to pee. We're getting closer, only 14 hours now, almost half of the trip to Rome done! We're now in the Rhone-Alpes region crossing many tunnels getting through the great chain of mountains. At last we're in the Frejus's tunnel !! The border between France and Italy is set inside this tunel of 13 km at about its half. Let's now turn on the radio and see the signs! In only few seconds we changed sides and it doesn't seem that different from what we just saw while still in France except as I just told you for the signs that were now green on highways instead of blue in France and of course the writing that were  now in italian. Ours new hobbie is to understand what it is said, traffic allerts, which is not very difficult because thetwo languages are pretty close. Instead of Rome Roma, Turin has became Torino and Genève Genova, not a great deal haha. But what a thrill, WE ARE IN ITALY !! Let's get PASTA, and have a look on PRADA, GUCCI, DOLCA&GABBANA, and what about trying to find the most famous italian car brands on the way, it would make the trip easier as well. Let's spot the Ferrari, the newest Fiat and  the Lamborghinis...From now on it's going a bit faster because it's the night so we're sleeping or waiting to arrive impatiently to Rome. 7am, we stop to get some beakfast and go back on the road. At 9am we're at Rome, safe and sound.

on the site of Herculanum

Colisseum from inside but not from my camera

In Rome we start by doing the Colosseum, Coliseum in english, where great gladiators use to fight in the Roman Antiquity. Honestly, it needs some restoration or you'd think that it's not going to stand like this for ever. We circulated inside where the exhibition is and got through any of the doors which use to be numbered so that people could get to their seat. Then you go inside and you basically see an amphitheatre that could hold until 60 thousand people at once, a big ice hockey stadium without the ice let's be clear. Also, when you go around and climb the stairs pretty high you can get a great panorama of Rome which we did. Running down the stairs and out the monument, our teachers are now leading to a new place : the forum of Rome which is where all the religious, political and historical event took place
The coliseum and the forum (sitted on the mount palatin) are very close to each other so we went there on foot and began the visit once we arrived. We immediately saw what there was to see which is to say the curie (where the senate assembled), the ancient senate, what remained from the temples (only columns) and basilicas. We closed our great march by gettint to the arch of Titus, one of the most famous arches with the arch of Constantin (on the west side of the Coliseum). In the end we saw the temple of Vespa that was put  on the top of the hill and where young girls called vespal, they were at the number of 6, used to watch on turns the sacred fire that must not ever fade out (they were also called the virgin vesta because they had to remain virgin until declared out of duty, they were been buried for treachery if ever they were caught having sex...Then we had a nice picnic out and sit comfortably on the grass.
About 4 pm we'd be done for the day and began to walk toward the bus's appointement and get back on the road. Our hotel was in fuigi which wasn't far from rome and we stayed for the night with our stomach full of pasta made with tomatoes sauce. Next morning wake up was at 7am...
We drove three more hours south towards the city of pompei and it really was worth it ! After we arrived, we were all given a map and reminded of the time we had to make it across the city and back : 1 hour. It was really impressive to stroll about in paved streets that already existed two thousand years ago. Something funny too was that they had already cross-walks but you saw it (big boulders put by 4 in the middle of the road) you got the odd impresion that it was actually more dangerous to cross that way than to just be on the road. Sidewalks, now that I come to think of it were considerably high as well. We entered in lots of houses, most of them had no roof but some were actually pretty well preserved.

one the house's court in Herculanum (again?!)

How were the houves structured at that time? First was the Atrium, that would the court by where the visitors were usually coming in, around you would find the Peristyle that was a sort of frame made with columns around the court. Inside the court you would find the Impluvium where the people used to collect water- already ecological that early it's quite amazing!-all the villas were very wealthy and well decorated with many paintings that have stayed in place.
On these sites of pompei and herculanum, which was the next site I did, it didn't feel like we were in Italy but instead we had a taste of international with germans, british, french and yet italians and sometimes we couldn't tell where people were from...
At last we drove back up toward Napoli and went to the national archeological museum, grand, especially concerning the statues, and afterward hit back to Rome for a last "ciao tutti" and say good bye the city and its marvellous piazza. Piazza navone, if you ever pass, by is where all the shops and restaurants are, and artists can make out your portrait while driking a cup of cofee ! The Trevi Fountain is also very famous! Crowded is what it is and even more in summer when young people and tourists get together on the steps just in front of the fontain. Here, the story tells you that if you throw a coin from backward in the water and with your right hand above your left shoulders you will return to Rome, if you throw a second coin you'll have a boyfriend, third coin you'll get married ! I didn't wanna get married yet so I didn't throw a third coin...

Piazza di Trevi !

And that standed for the end of our trip to Italy, let's go back in the bus again for 25 hours more...

Smoking at school !

Hello people from all over the world!

Smoking is a french disease !
Why is our conscience for if it can't stop us from doing that kind of things, like destroying our health. And other people's. Ok, if you're a smoker and you think smoking is only your problem then it means that you don't think too far...As you smoke it concerns yourself and every single person around you, that are for some of them your friends, or for some others random person you're not concern about. If this is not enough, you're also making it easier for breathing diseases, like asthma, to attack you and ruin your athlete career that you haven't start yet and were'nt planning on doing anyway but that you might wanted to be in your dreams. Among other things, one packet of cigerettes is the price you pay for 2 lunches downtown (about 6 euros) soooo smart to spend your money or the money of your parents on this, so responsible to start smoking just to be at the gate with your friends and just feel like one of the coolest kid...Let me just tell you french people : smoking is dump and if you still think it's freedom look around and see how many smokers feel like they have to go under the rain (might get wet but it doesn't matter since they'll get their cigaret) while it's warm and like a cocoon inside...Lets all be originals and don't smoke! Some of us need some explanations, no problem, I'll be very pragmatic and very short. No smoking=no frustration from not having your smoke, no stress, no rush at break time to go back to class, no disgusting smelling on your clothes, no anoying comments your smell, no yellow teeth, no obligation, no greasy hair, no lack of appetite...if you sum up, more happiness. Breathing smoke might seem appealing to you right now and it's until you get older and realise that your lungs are now burnt and ugly. I know when you're approaching my high school it looks like it going to rain, it's actually all the studients packed at the gate to have their small time off breathing freedom before getting back inside. Is smoking trendy? hum, not for me especially when it steals you your moment of freetime and you're not even noticing it. Need it, need it, need it-relief ! Need it, need it, need it-relief again! At the end, poor dude, smoking's became a need and nothing else, you're not even liking it like you uses to and you'd have to stop but don't know. You wish you hadn't start. Well, don't ever start. Or just to try.

?

Hello everyone!
What's going on in your life? tell me !
What about me ? Right now, nothing new and everything...I thought english was going to be easy for me. it's not as easy as I hoped. On the top of that I'm loosing it, a few words at the time, and then my whole sentences are going to sound more frenchy, I mean more than usual. How awful!
Great, I have 7h a week to hopefully catch up with it when it will be gone...unless I'm striving hard enough that it may not happen. Whriting is a way out but obviously not the only one. Watching videos, listening to the news about the coming american elections, anoying all my families with loving phone calls, reading news paper, speaking to myself in english when nobody's around and of course keep my mood up with some good english music (ABBA !!) are some others ways to do it. Now try to picture me on my bike (I didn't change that much trust me), going to school and while I'm all happy-oh yeah! let's go to school- here comes that HUGE hill and it's not only  HUGE, I also need to get up there fast or I'll be late ! Can you imagine ? Therefore I definitely need some music to stimulate my body and also to wake me up, it's now dark outside in the morning and I feel like I could have stayed in bed a bit longer. So as I'm biking uphill I'm shaking up and down and left to right my head to go with the drums, I need to blew my nose but I can't so I'm doing it the man's way : by blewing it in the air, why not?
To talk about something else more interesting, have you heard of Felix Baumgartner the austrian skydiver that want to jump from 23 miles above the ground ? This guy's goal is to fall faster than the speed of sound and break the world record set in 1960 by Joe Kittinger that jumped of 31Km above the ground (only). How much risk does he take? His suit has apparently being made to resist to both very high and cold temperatures but if by mistake a leak get in the suit he will pass out...maybe die who knows. That's crazy to be this daring.
Another detail about his suit, it contains some oxygen in it just in case plus it is more flexible than what astronaute would have. Cross your fingers for him !
Next time I'll show you pictures of my cats for a change ! (they're dushes !)
Bye to next time !

Hey you people !

How are you doing?
Here, in France, things are not at their best at the moment as it's dealing with a huge drop of the euro, a national dept that went over the top of what would normally be seen as normal and, to add on bad news, we got 3millions of unsatisfied, because unemployed , french people at least. With that I think we can be called "grounch" for the next following years even though we're already known for grumbling louder than any other europeen countries...Anyway, not a good time to be in France.
But, myselft, I'm really good right now. Being busy suits me. Being exhausted doesn't but a bit of organisation should solve that problem. Between homework and the job I got outside of school, I haven't really got time to do anything else but I'm still finding some breaches in my schedule to READ !

The last book I read was a play of Sartre called Huis Clos. Do you know Sartre? He's a french philosopher, novelist, and play writer of the XXth century, that also took a lead into the resistance and fought through his writings during and after the WWII. About that play...it's the story of three people, two women and a man, that found themselves lock into the same room after being dead but without knowing why. THey're in hell... Why would this room, in which there is a light, that can't be turned off, three coaches, one for each of them, and a statue in bronze, be hell after all? Because "hell is other people" is what will say Garcin, the man character. Everyone already got that feeling once when you stayed with someone for too long and then need to recharge your batteries before seing that person again. Being trapped with the same people for eternity must be pretty tough to survive to, except when you're already dead !  All in all, it's a pretty ironical play on how is it possible to live with each other whithout wanting to kill them.

B.U.S.Y !

Boring Use of Stuggling Youth ! Why does school day in France last for so long? Do they want us, studients, to die trapped into these walls ?! That's too much!! How are we suppose to survive to 8 straight hours being at school every single day ? How could we even get involve into something else than school ?! In France, I'm sure there's no shame in asking "are you sure there's something after?". People don't like school but stick to it, that's funny. Or not. There isn't that many knowing what they would like to do beside studing. Studing...to do what?? "Euhhh (that's very french) I don't know yet). We wonder why french student don't get involve in helping others or don't that sense of purpose that american would have for example, but HOW could they? We're born at school and definitely bored of life by the time we get out. We also like to complain about it and how unfair it is that other countries have earlier ending than us...Sometimes I feel like asking people are you here or not, if you're here that's for a reason, so go on and don't give up !! Because so many studients are here in appearence but their mind is absent. They could have missed without having being noticed! Social skill?? Enthousiasm for novelty ?? Debate?? None of this but fashion.
France love fashion. I don't think that's cliché when you walk through my high school : we're all dressed up as fashion victims to the point it became absurd. Let's make a game out of it, the first one that spots a foreign looking studient wins !! we're so identically dressed that it's not difficult to see who's from where... "Hide and Seek" could perfectly be the new motto of this school. Hide under your appearence an seek who people truly are afterwards! No problem with that of course except when you feel that this whole thing doesn't suit you well. And when it doesn't suit you, well, that's pity first, but then either you change or can wait a long time to find people who're like you. How could it be better to be fake than to simply make the step to others I don't understand. That's what's so hard for people : make a step. "Just do it" that's the shirt we miss in France and people don't know what to believe and what their convictions are or what to do to make what they wish come true. Move it and struggle for what you believe is right not what everybody else's saying !
My point is, communication is a big thing in the world-we're surrunded by informations,image, screens,papers, but still we kind of forget that we can talk to each other.
I leave you on this! oh mon amour :)

Le chainon manquant !

Hello!

That's in two weeks. Only two weeks and I'll get to be at the "chainon manquant" and watch all kind of new talents going from singing to awesome circus, to danse, puppet shows and humorist to fill in! The"chainon manquant" is actually a music festival that's trying to promote new artists coming up on stage and taking their chance with a brand new public (us!). It's a francophone festival that's hosted by Laval for the first time this year. They've selected people coming from lots of different places such as France, but also Belgium and we'll even see some quebecquois here! (doing pupets if I remember right). I can't really tell how much people are looking forward to it but I wish many are going to come and make it more fun for the performers! Anyway, I'll make you listen to a few of them right now so you'll get an idea :

        
                                  

This is "kiss&drive" eh... and there's also Liz cherhal !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbfbTLkiMqE&feature=relmfu
 That's the quebecquois couple, inspired by the thumbs as it seems:

And these are"The skeleton Band", let's introduce them by this video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beJTSdGafQ4&feature=related 

And many others that are not even on youtube but that I may see !

Hope you're good and busy !

When school begins...

Hello to my favorites Canadian and French people !
(those that are not reading are not my favorites anymore, just kidding)
           So yeah school started the 4th so now, the 5th, I can talk to you a little more about it. Actually I'm pretty excited about everything because it all seems great for now (wait, that it really begins and I won't say the same thing) with awesome classes like philosophy (tons of philo), english, a little bit of italian and a little bit of chinese, plus, maybe, a tiny bit of spanish. I'm taking as many languages as I possibly can and I'm trying to get involved as much as I can in every other subjects. We'll see how well I'm doing after couple of months but at this point of the year I think I'm successful :) (yes I have grapes, stop asking me all the time). After a while I'll get use to start at 8 am and end my school day at 5 pm even if I'll certainly miss these two free hours that I had in my Canadians schedule, which you should be proud of because not everybody gets that chance... So this is it about class, schedules and boring stuff, nothing really new.
              What's new this year for me is I didn't know anybody except one person, I don't think she choosed, from my past school years. Maybe I knew some faces, if you back up a very long time ago (2 years). Well not much anyway. But I met someone as lost as me in this lot of students! American bingo! I'm saving him from getting lost again as he's saving me from loneliness so we made a deal to be friend :) There are others exchange studient too that I haven't met yet. A girl from danemark apparently and some other guys coming from somwhere else. Fun, fun and fun again ! I didn't know, but now I noticed, the programs at school have changed a lot with the new reform that came in 2009 so now I have a class that's about foreign litterature in english ! Meaning?  I'm absolutely not throwing out my english litterature paper from last year.
In the "what's happening at Laval" kind of speech there is also a new music festival called 'le chainon manquant' coming up in september. More news next time...already got homework and that's awesome. Don't believe a word I just say.
If you come across my blog, I say HI to everybody !!!

 

Le Mont Saint Michel !

Le Mont Saint Michel

Hi there!
 Still on vacations but not for long since I'll have to get back to school on the 4th. Until then I'm free to have as much leisure time as I can fit in a day...Honestly, I feel like this year is going to be chalenging, my schedule seems pretty full from now on and I don't know yet how well it's going to work out between my classes that are going from 8 am until 5pm, my hobies outside of school, and my job (if I manage to find one before school starts). That's pretty much what is going on for me right now when one week one back in time I was visiting the Mont Saint Michel in Normandy with my family and our american friend, Matthew, coming from North Carolina ! The Mont Saint Michel is one the most visited site after the Effel Tower wich is the first one, so we couldn't just skip it especially since we had a guest with us we needed to go there. That's why, I suppose, we did it twice in a row and thrice for my dad who seemed to enjoy it so much...yeah it's huge.  If you want to get a good picture of if you need to approach it under different set of view (usually you have enough of it after one time).
        So the first time we did it we were with a guide that took us across the Bay of The Mont Saint Michel to the monument itself. He explained all about this rock on wich an abbaye was seatted for many centuries. That used to be, we're back in the 10th century (when people  thought that walking for miles and miles would erase their sins), the most prised pelgrinage site that you could find at this time. If you got there alive, from the shifting sands to the moving tides it was a difficult task,  you were blessed. Of course only those that had the purest soul could get there out of troubles. I got there fine. The guide must have been some kind of god to be achieving this crossing everyday ! Incredibly, about 20 000 pelgrins were doing the crossing everyday back then (less than half were ever going back though)!

What happened when your soul wasn't pure...(loads of people get stuck)

 What happened to it next I paid less attention : it got through the 100 years war intact, resisted all of the english assault and got forgotten afterwards until it sucited a new interest among the french writers of the 19th, like Flaubert, Maupassant and Hugo, among many others, pulling it back to life again. And nowadys it's a big touristic attraction that you'll do if ever you come visit me:)
Which, after you read this, will want to do for sure!
See you soon on skype!

oh, my brother!

Your extra-terrestre.

Back from the north (not exactly pole)

Bonjour !!

That was in a town council in le touquet

How is everyone doing in his own life?
Barely got back in town that I'm busy on the computer again, chatting with people, and basically streching out my limits until my brain says stop. I can't disconnect that easily to the world I've been living in for about a year. I don't want to anyway :)
People say that I'm actually an alien because we don't really speak the same language and that I always seem to be miles away from the reality, what's happening right here, right now. I must possess some kind of power to be in two different places at a time, that's cool with me.
 Anyway, what I wanted to share with you wasn't about any secret identity but about the trips I've been up to these last couples of weeks : "che le Nord". I've met lots of nice people there and they were all asking why we, young people, would wanna go over here on vacations. Well, to tell the truth I was seing a friend but I really thought that it would be a great place to live when I'll be old enough. My reasons for that are that, first, it's really easy to get to travel there.Since you're very close to the english channel you can take the tunnel and in 30 minutes you're in England ! What else you can do very easily is get to Belgium  and meet with François l'embrouille for a five minutes speed dating!
Then, I love the fact that there are much more strangers in Boulogne than there are in Laval, where I live. It's way easier to meet english people over there (it's well know that english gets drunk in France...) and even spanish coming from either south america or spain. You don't meet lots of asian though, they must prefer Paris (or maybe we prefer them to prefer Paris). So I went to a polyglot bar one evening and sat at one table and spoke spanish, although I never took spanish in school, with french and mexican. I had fun trying to speak and I think people had fun teaching me haha There were also two other tables upstairs that spoke german and english, no one at the german table and everybody at the english one wich was rather pity I thought. That way I became friend with some mexicans and we spent some time together afterwards.

View on the beach with a balcony to dispose if we wish, great flat!

The other great thing at Boulogne is the beach and we really made the most of it while we were there. Midnight bath is always something that I plan on doing but that I still haven't tried yet under pretex that it was too cold outside...which is only part of the reason. Lying on our wet towels to dry our wet bodies, playing at beach volley, and going for a run one time, was some of the things we did instead. oh yeah and taking pictures was another one of our hobbie. We travelled around a bit to a few neighbouring city that were nice étape, le touquet, Rouen...

Tadaaa, the entrance of the town council (mairie in french)

This was a great ride! It reminded me of playland in Vancouver.

Ambroise Paré, my high school.

Hello la fripouille!
Hope everybody is doing good in Canada ! Here, in Laval, I'm enjoying myself as a real tourist! I never leave without my camera and it turns out to be pretty funny wandering downtown with everbody staring at me in a suspicious way. They're not really use to be famous in Laval that's why...but I'll take care of that in this blog. It might be the only town in france that you'll know but at least you will remember this one :) That's a start!
Being a tourist is a difficult job (not kidding) especially with french people. I got in some trouble with one woman that was walking towards me as I was taking a picture of the castle with some back ground houses of Laval, I thought it was nice picture as she walked faster and stopped in front of me to ask me, with a very bad look in her face, if I'd dared putting her in that picture or if she'd dreamt...I almost said to her that I took that photo because of her to put it in facebook but instead I just replied that if she wanted me to erase it I will and then she kept on walking looking slightly upset. I should have told her that I came back from Canada, maybe she would have understand better :)
People watching is alsways something that I get into without even noticing and people don't like it when somebody is just staring at them (hum a stranger...) it makes you look very impolite.

This is a street heading to a market place and the houses are dated from the 13th centuries.

La perrine

Don't cross the way of the dogs' owner either because they're extremely sensitive about their animal! Take this warning seriously if you don't wanna get kick by the leash of a furious woman (women often more than men I noticed) because you said something wrong about her lovely pet! Apart from these little things happening here an there, Laval is rather quiet and small but there is still room to fit you all! Of course when you see pictures taken from a city in books or magazines they're rarely showing the ugly sides of it, only showing the prettiest of it...what's interesting can be also beautiful but then it varies on the public's interest. Thats a way to say that downtown is very small and going out from downtown may seem to you as if it could be anywhere.



I love going through there but it's also very narrow, better go in daylight



Western Safari Tour!

Disney...

Californian trip (suite)

That's the hand prints in LA

I'm not done!
So the Grand Canyon was for me the best part of the trip, mostly intense anyway.
Vegas came up next! We spent one night in Vegas walking out in the warm night or in limos for some of us. Yeah...you need to be 21 and rich, at least a little, if you wanna have fun in Vegas! We stayed at the Excalibur hotel, the one that looks like it came straight from the castle in a Disney movie. Vegas was mostly bright and made for entertainment so you spend your money doing something that you enjoyed. We 're done with Vegas! Let's go to the next destination, Yosomite. Yosomite we the last place we visited before turning back to San Francisco. We stayed there for three night, the longhest time. It's just gorgious there, we stayed in the valley but we'd go for hikes durind the day to see the water falls or make it up to these huuuge cliffs. One I remember was called "half dome" because it looked as if it was indeed cut in half and people die every year trying to climb that rock. You don't need to get a permit to climb, if you are tempted...

Yosomite...

The trip ended in San Francisco, after we've been going to the Golden Gate Bridge and and hanged out in Port 39, we had a talent show to present and it was really fun. There was some talents you would never expect to find else where, the bums touching was pretty good...haha^^

That's when we were going to Disneyland! (I love that picture :)

Californian trip !

Hey Canada !
As you already know I thought I'd start this blog all over again and in english this time ! Hopefully I'll have some exciting things happening this year so I'll get to write a bit ^^ But first I wanted to show bits and pieces of my trip to California so that you don't think I went somewhere else for two weeks and took vacations...I can tell you already this wasn't vacations! We cooked, we cleaned, we hiked for more than 10 hours, and we sometimes slept outside our tents to be ready to leave as soon as 4.30 in the morning ! Yeah...It was really hard! I suffered a lot indeed, even the candies weren't helping to get through. Even the hot tubs and pools weren't enough to relieve our soar legs. We've got blisters for everyone without exceptions and nobody to take care of our feet but ourselves! Can you imagine that?! This was, to the utter point, unbearable. Thus, if you really don't wanna do me a treat I reckon you should send me there again. I deserve it. I've been bad enough, didn't I :)
Ok, I get it you want me to give you more details than that... Let's start by the beginning when Henriette (the danish girl) and me arrived at the San Francisco airport. Once there we were both thinking "And...what's next?" and no one was apparently waiting for us in the airport as we simply thought...So we were lost to begin with... (that never usually happened to me). After some time spent to look around, see if someone looked as stupid as we felt on the moment, we got the idea to ask one of the worker there who was very kind and let us check our e-mails on his computer. So from there we now had a Hotel to go to by bus...so we caught the right bus to go to the Tree Hotel where our trip was suppose to start. We're Still in San Francisco! But now we're moving to LA, there is only stars there that's why we don't stay too long (only two nights), 'cause stars are boring, aren't they? The spent our first day in LA at the Universal Studios and in the Holywood St where we saw hands prints of famous people just by the Graham Theatre (I looked for you there...)

In U.S we did a train tour to see the different set that they had, where they play desperate housewives or the crash airplane of "The War of the Worlds". They'd also demonstrate to us were the effects we produce on screen such as car accidents or flooding in a street. The only problem with that one was the weather was perfect so we didn't really work out...

"Action !"

 Ah, I also forgot that a very cute banch of spunks sprayed in one tent (fortunately not mine) and that these friends had to throw out their sleeping bags and some of their belongings as well...I've never seen as many skunk as in Los Angeles, they must like sticking to celebrities... (don't be famous!) After our stay in LA, we headed south towards San Diego for two days. There
 we lied down on the sand and settle for the first time the volley ball's net! That's also when we got our first sun burns! Then, still in San Diego, we visited Sea world and had lots of fun, especially with the whales show when they'd splash you in the front rows. The sun got really hot as we left San Diego for Grand Canyon and crossed the mohabi desert. It's funny to get out of the air conditionned bus and feel the 50°'s air outside, so dry and so hot! Our bus broke down in the middle of that desert but luckily we weren't far from a mall where we stayed for hours. These pictures show you how it was once inside the Canyon :

We left at 5 am to see the sun rise in the canyon.

we must approach to 10 am when this picture's been taken.

At last, after 3 hours or more of hiking down, we finally got to the Colorado river. 1km is the height of the canyon if you're  going straight up.

Bal de prom, diplômes et fin d'année!

Fin d'année?! Quand je pense que c'est déjà la fin de cette année ou qu'au moins on y arrive j'incline la tête sur le coté en faisant une tête bizarre, grimaçant bouche tordue et yeux écarquillés comme pour dire que c'est la rentrée qui me fait freaker. Plus possible d'ignorer la date du retour avec toutes ces questions tourbillonnantes avec la même demande  "Au fait, quand est-ce que tu retourne en France". Pas de panique, pas de panique, un jour -paf paf- j'étais là et le lendemain j'aurais pris l'avion me demandant si c'est le bon " merci, au revoir, bye tout le monde...". Les adieux interminables se préparent déjà à être dis comme si un mois passait comme un jour et j'entends les mêmes discours de remerciements se répéter de plus en plus fréquemment à mesure que la fin approche. Ce qui personnellement me frustre le plus c'est que tous ces mots sont dis, mais pas forcément pensés, ils sont dis, mais pas vraiment de la bonne manière et sans le vouloir le questionnement qui n'est perçu que comme une formalité de passage devient oppressant "Quand est-ce-que tu pars déjà?"
-"Ah...mais jamais! Je ne pars pas, je reste hahahaha."(t'es content maintenant?)
 La fatigue peut allumer en moi l'envie de répondre les choses les plus farfelues que les gens vont s'obstiner à croire ce qui me fait ravaler ma blague aussi rapidement que je l'aurais déballer. N'y a t-il pas une lois physique qui s'exprime  par  quand tu me pousses je me retiens mais quand tu lâches prise, enfin, je lâche prise à mon tour. Cela s'applique parfaitement dans mon cas présent où c'est le gros bordel dans ma chambre mes livres sont étalés par terre sans ordre vraiment  et mes habits sont sans dessus dessous dans mon armoire pour tout vous raconter. Naturellement je ne me sens pas encore préparée à partir bien que tout le monde semble déjà bien plus préparé que moi.

 Cette semaine le bal de promo qui a fait des mois de papotages en boucles a finalement eu lieu de vendredi à samedi matin. Je pense qu'avant de me lancer dans la fête quelqu'un de bien veillant à dû me saupoudrer de chance car dans  en seulement une semaine de délais j'obtins : la robe, les chaussures, les bijoux, sans parler de l'argent pour acheter les tickets...ouf!

Janaya, Mr Neufeld (prof de sport) et moi, mon prof de sport, un autre, a toujours des choses importantes à nous communiquer ou des valeurs essentielles à nous transmettre, c'est pourquoi ses T-shirts font toujours de la pub pour de bonnes causes, GET FIT, ANTI BULLYING DAY, WE ONLY HAVE ONE (earth)... C'est aussi pour cette raison qu'il est mon prof préféré.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Vangh avec son T-shirt GET FIT!

 Une dernière chose qui date de la semaine dernière, la soirée des diplômes, qui s'appelle le commencement ici. ça donne quoi ? ça donne ça.

Trouver moi :) c'est pas évident du premier coup ma je dirais que je sort du lot!

District conference (5050)

Bonjour,
Par où on commence? C'était immense, c'était grandiose et c'était il y a déjà 3 jours de cela que l’événement se déroulait. Cette conférence annuelle sert de réunion pour tous les clubs constituant ensemble le district 5050 qui célèbre chaleureusement l'unité du rotary au travers de cette fête. Un comité, parmi lesquels se trouvait la gouvernante du district 5050 Jane Helten, organisait la réception et coordonnait les activités, speech et break pour qu'au final tout paraisse aller de soi. Beaucoup d'énergie et de temps passe à préparer cette conférence à peu près un an  à l'avance. Mais de quoi s'agissait-il exactement? Trente année auparavant le Rotary International pris la ferme décision d'éradiquer la polio à travers le monde. Aujourd'hui le nombre de cas déclarés concernant la polio est descendu, grâce aux actions du Rotary et à l'aide de partenariats avec d'autres OGN (attention tenez vous bien) 60 !!! Le district 5050 est aussi classée au rang mondial de 7ème place pour district ayant collecter le plus d'argent de leur clubs. Multitude de projets sont aussi en cours en Afrique, au Senégal, au Togo, en Afrique du Sud, sans me rappeler exactement de quoi tout ces projets en route sont à propos je peux vous donner une idée. Certains travaillent à rétablir une eau potable là où eau est  infectée et contamine les gens, pour d'autre il s'agit plutôt de pédagogie en construisant des nouvelles écoles, ou permettant à des élèves qui n'avaient jamais reçu l'opportunité d'apprendre à lire, de tenir un livre entre leur doigts, ouvrir hôpitals, cliniques...et bien sure aidée et supporter les gens qui en ont besoin (les jeunes mères qui se retrouvent avec une portée d'enfant à élever, ou les sans-travail car c'est aussi un pourcentage énorme. "Je suis venu,J'ai vu, j'ai vaincu" ou je vaincrais à l'exception faîte que les valeurs du rotary sont bien au dessus de simplement gagner ou perdre.
          J'ai de même rencontré les outbounds, 10 personnes qui sont prêtes à se lancer dans le palpitant qu'apporte voyager. Notre mission: leur donné des tips. Au fond, dans l'état d'excitation auquel j'étais quand je suis partis je ne me rappelais pas franchement des conseils dont on m'avait  pourtant bien enrobée. Tout le monde n'aime y aller juste "au feeling" et on la bonne initiative de se préparer à l'avance à ce qui va les attendre. C'est enfin pendant ce week end que j'ai eu un des plus bon moments de cette année en dansant devant un band qui jouait Abba ! gime gime gime...

La roue du Rotary International

opening cérémonies avec drapeaux d'un peu partout

c'est nous que v'là

Semiahmoo ressort aux usa

Grande traversée accomplie en très courte durée!

voilà un réel aperçut de ce que peut être la dangerosité de l'ours brun

De la route, de la route, et encore de la route dont je retire quelque chose en chemin, ici c'est un ancien tunnel autoroutier qui depuis 2000 s'est transformé en ruine bien conservés et appelant à l'altruisme! bienvenue sous le pont aux mufti-nationalités (Greenwood)

entrée du tunnel de Greenwood

Sean, illustre futur gouverneur du district 50/50 rotary et définitivement quelqu'un à qui l'on peut faire confiance pour avoir des notions en matière d'histoire en particulier quand il s'agit de Colombie Britannique. Première famille qui m'a accueilli au Canada!

Bête féroce: ne pas approcher

Bonne compagnie au cours de ce week end, je ne me suis rendue compte qu'après coup que nos vraies hôtes qui sont les grands parents Hogan n'ont pas été pris en photo...

Neil, Moi, Bree, Dave (c'est fou ce que j'ai changé en un an...)

Vue du mt Sulphur, nous nous sommes élevé grâce aux  gondolas et c'est presque comme si j'avais claquer des doigts pour me retrouver me rendre sur les lieux.

 Avant de me lancer sur le sujet qui m'amène à écrire cette article sur la traversée de la Colombie Britannique, littéralement traversée si l'on considère d'un peu plus près où se trouve Vancouver par rapport aux Rocheuses et à la frontière Albertaine, j'aimerais tout d'abord vous avertir que les heures s'écoulent sans fin avant de parvenir au bout du chemin. Si on met ne serait ce qu'une "pichenette" de nez dans une carte on s’aperçoit alors du trajet à parcourir pour nous rendre à Creston (860km) et on soupire, mais poussons encore un  peu plus loin notre optimisme en se disant que l'on va atteindre les Rocheuses et ce n'est plus 8 heures de routes et des broutilles auxquelles on s'attaque mais plus (bien plus croyez moi) de 10 heures à tuer dans cette boite à quatre roues si commode que l'on appelle une voiture. En quatre jours cela se boucle et on revient au point de départ, Surrey, aussi mis à plat par notre voyage que si l'on avait courut un bon 20km marathon mais aussi, de la même manière qu'une course vous essouffle et vous requinque, notre visite des parents de Sean qui s'est suivie par une excursion dans le parc national de Banff (peut-être connaissez vous à la place Jasper qui se situe un peu plus au nord) a été une réelle bouffée d'air au milieu d'un petit bout de ville appelé Creston. J'ai assurément assouvi ma soif de voyeurisme animal , jusque qu'alors toujours aucune rencontre avec un animal civilisé je vous tiendrai au courant si cela arrive, j'ai croisé quelques ours brun se prélassant sur les bords de route, des cerfs en veux-tu en voilà, des chiens, accompagnés par de très spéciaux spécimens humains, des chipmunks (tamia en français qui ne sont en réalité que des écureuils tailles réduites) et d'un élan très impressionnant par la taille de ses rameaux.

Vous comprenez maintenant pourquoi le temps nous a parut si long...