Short and sweet...

Well, since I have just finished sending off massive amounts of emails to as many people as possible, I will keep this short so as not to be redundant.

As for the whole moving thing...I have moved! I now live in the city right by the main dowtown area beside a huge cathedral. I can't wait to go and sit there when the nice weather arrives and I won't freeze my royal Canadian nanees off when sitting on the cement. So, my new host family is the same as another girl from Brock; however, because the family doesn't speak any English, we still speak French and feel that our experience will not be hindered by living together. Also, we made a pact that we would speak in French to each other and we are going to stick with it...except when either of us has to ask what an English word is in French.

School has finally started for me and ironically I am all the more pleased for it. Aimlessly roaming about for days on end gives me too much time to focus on homesickness and being in a foreign country whereas school gives an added purpose. I mean exploring the city of Perpignan is definitely interesting but when it is raining cats and dogs you can go anywhere so school is a good substitute. The profs seem nice, well the ones I have met so far during my placement test and the one I had this morning for French Press and Media was definitely awesome. Brock should definitely invest in such teachers in their department...

Last, pics will be posted just as soon as I get free internet access at school and can ditch the internet cafe and French keyboard...(A)

Good times, and difficult times

So, the adventure has continued with many high points but with each high some lows as well.

Lets start off with the bad so I can still end the post on a happy note :)
So, at the beginning of the week I decided that I would try and switch host families because I find that living in Canohes is rather isolating especially on weekends from the stuff I like to do - explore and discover Perpignan. However, it has turned into a big hoopla and I still have no decision to report or permission granted so hopefully I can give you my permanent address come Monday next week so anyone who wishes can send me letters. And please feel free because hearing from home is better than gelato!!!! - even chocolate!!! :O

Also, I have found out that the school here is not exactly user friendly to us students and I am having many frustrations trying to get access to their wireless network so I can use the internet with more ease and not have to deal with the dumb French keyboard. But, before I can enjoy such a luxury it seems I have to jump through hoops and run a mile sprint...

Now, the good:

Natalia, Katelyn and I all spent Wednesday and Thursday in Canet and another spot exploring because Katelyn's host mom let us stay at her beach house along the Mediterranian. It was so beautiful. We visited a church and there was this big military base so we saw all of these army dudes having to do exercises in the freezing cold water. I know it was cold because I put my feet in to see and because there was a cool picture opportunity. Except we were standing on some slippery rock and the waves were crashing and all I could hear was this French guy yell to the other people of his boat: Those girls are crazy!!! I don't know why because it was perfectly safe once you passed the slippery part along the edge. But it was also weird because the entire place of Canet is empty except for some retirees because it closes down entirely in the 'winter' months because it is a spring and summer months. So we looked weird when we passed things and making remarks in English because it isn't tourist season. The other weird thing was that across from the beach house we were staying at, was this pink house...ALL PINK!! It was like the Barbie Dreamhouse come to life!! It was funny. Oh and the other weird thing, was the beach house's toilet had no seat on it! :O Apparently this is common and we are weird for not knowing this. (P.S. Megs, I took a pic of it and will post it as soon as I work out all the problems with the wireless access as promised)

That is all for now...

A New Beginning....

Well, I must say that my first few days here in Perpignan have been rather tumultuous, many highs and lows. Living in a foreign country definitely begins as an emotional roller coaster ride.

I have now settled into my home with my host family and it is not like my true home; however as a substitute it definitely works. I miss much about Canadian culture, particularly the things we do not often think about and take for granted...like shower curtains and fabric softner. But, there are some cool things about Europe that I definitely say we lack in North America. For instance, meals are always at the kitchen table with the family - breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is a great time for the family to just talk about everything going on, mind you at the moment I am finding it difficult to always follow along because they talk fast and switch in and out of French to Spanish and Catalan. My family is quite the multilingual bunch.

Some oddities I have noticed:
1) All cars here are tiny and standard, something I know my brother would be a fan of.
2) The streets are filled with lots of people all the time.
3) There is a rooster somewhere in the vicinity of my house and it cock-a-doodle doos
4) There is a weird animal, that might be a donkey i am not sure, up the street from my house. It is brown and kinda freaks me out because I don't know what it is exactly or what it is doing there.

Also, a Mel anecdote to share, yes one already:
On Friday I was driven to the university by Sandra's boyfriend because he was driving her to school. Coming home started off well but turned bad and then ugly. Not particularly the best moment of my life, nor my proudest and definitely something I never plan on repeating. I got lost. At my transfer stop, I didn't realize I was not on the right side to catch my bus, even though all the people I asked said I was. Finally I just ask the bus driver because it was getting late and I only had time to catch the last bus home to Canohes or I'd be stranded in Perpignan. I got to the right side and caught my bus. On the way home though I couldn't figure out where I was supposed to get off, nothing looked famliar. I ended up at the end of the line and nowhere near my house and no more bus to try again. I also had no cell or phone number to call my family (stupid move on my part). I asked a girl on the bus if she knew how to get to my street bc she was waiting for her mom to pick her up. She said no but offered me a ride. I declined and decided to call my parents in Canada to get the number and go from there. The phone was not working, but the girl and her mom had waited to see if something had worked out for me. I told thm it hadn't and they told me they would help me home by having me point to familiar places. Thanks to them I got home, but the idea of being in a strangers car was definitely not exactly the best of ideas so don't ever follow my example. However, my consolation in the moment was if they were going to kidnap me they would have done it by the time they had offered me a ride.

More to come later...

Musings...

Last night my family went out for dinner at Mandarin for a bon voyage "party" along with my grandparents and my Uncle Bob. The food was good and the company better because it is going to be the last time I get to be with them altogether for another 4 1/2 months...
The funny part was though, was my fortune from the fortune cookie I picked. It read: "You'll be travelling and coming into a fortune". I can't get over how appropriate the first part of that fortune is; but, I hope that I will come into a fortune of experiences, many of them like how I've always dreamed and imagined.

Some things that I hope to do/see while in Europe:
1) Eat gelato again! (it makes me hungry just thinking about it)
2) Meet up with Vai at a Parisien cafe and eat our long talked about French bread
3) In Scotland: see a true Scottish person wear a kilt :)
4) Send one postcard from each place I visit to my family; and one postcard to everyone else throughout my sejour en France! (email is great, but there is just something about snail mail that makes the letter all the more specialer...it's like finding chocolate in a cupboard when you thought there wasn't any in the house)
5) Eat a lot of French pastries!
6) Do two big trips on my breaks: one to Eastern Europe (Prague, Bratislava, Budapest, Vienna) and one to Italy, maybe Greece at the same time, if there is enough time to fit it in and still take in the place we visit
7) Go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea (I've already put my feet in, but now it has to be the real thing!)
8) Take a ride in a gondola :)
9) Go salsa dancing; I figure there will be ample opportunity because I'm right close to the French/Spanish border...now just to find some dancing shoes :P
10) Find Jean-Luc for Sarah W. ;) LOL, and make sure to avoid any Pascal I may meet :P

Visa Butterflies (a)

I got my visa today, so I guess there is no turning back now! I'm super excited, it seems all the more real to me; therefore, along with the excitement, butterflies too take root in my spirit. Nevertheless, Europe is calling...

But let's backtrack a bit...So this morning, I woke up extremely nervous about this audience with the French Consulate because my fellow travellers suffered their share of difficulties would these bureaucrats. Mais, j'ai eu de la chance! I had a friendly guy process my visa and we spoke good ol' franglais. And with only one misunderstanding which I was able to explain (thank goodness) I watched him print off my visa slip. He wished me luck in my studies and my time in France. As soon as I was out of the door I did a hop, skip and a jump and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Paperwork is finished :) 5 sleeps only left......

Bits and Pieces...

Random bits and pieces about Perpignan and the neverending departure preparations:

1) I leave on January 18th for La France...less than a week!
2) I am living with a host family in the suburbs of Perpignan, called Canohes. It is la famille Gala and there are 2 daughters living there. Sandra (20 yrs) also attends the same university studying Spanish; she has a younger sister. I am looking forward to meeting them, and even more because the girl who went to Perpignan from Brock last year stayed with the same family coincidently and had a fabulous time. It is comforting to have that sort of connection - like my tigger blanket! ;)
3) Visa application is underway, I plan to finish it tomorrow because my appointment is Friday morning.
4) I went shopping today for stuff and was very productive. All that is left is to hit Wal-mart...hahaha, I promise (to Megs) it won't be three hours at that place :P
5) I am learning how to work my iPod so that I will have music with me for the trip and I am slowly making decisions about the many books I plan on bringing.
6) I have to make a list of everything I need to bring so that I don't forget everything.
7) I am trying to figure out eurorail passes and I will have to get an ISIC card. The Eurorail pass is a pain in the butt, it is taking forever for me to decide what is the best course of action to take.

And last but not least,
8) I have to spend time with the family before I leave them for 4 1/2 months...fun, fun, fun! :)

In the beginning...

Il etait une fois...
two girls (or smart kids ;) to some) would sit up on third floor by the windows, near the English department of their high school and discuss their future travels of Europe. Now these were not going to be typical travels...nope, they were going to do Europe through the backdoors. And they would sit and talk and talk as they endlessly made plans all the while dreaming of the wonders and mysteries they were going to uncover.

The dream is finally becoming a reality. Perhaps it is not exactly as they originally imagined (it was supposed to be after university), but the two girls - best friends actually - are satisfied with how everything is shaping up. The reality is sure to be better than the daydream. With one girl already in Europe (Strasbourg, France), her fellow traveller will also make France her home for four months in Perpignan. Look out Europe...

Now, the only problem left for these two young gals is to figure out how exactly they are going to be able to carry the big backpacks in the picture...

Stay tuned to find out how they manage as they search for a spare set of muscles...