Pardon My French

Paris: Part 1

2008-03-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

Les Invalides

La Defense: the modern part of Paris no one sees

Lyon!

2008-03-15T02:41:00.000-07:00

After Arles, we spent two days in Lyon, culinary capital of France. We stayed in a Best Western. How ironic.

I thought this window with the star was really neat. I've never seen anything like it before.

The French really like their Ferris wheels. They get them all out for Christmas along with the ice skating rinks. Where they keep it all the rest of the year, I have no idea.

The furnicular we took to get up to the chruch on the hill (I already forget it's name).

Like I said, they like their skating rinks.

Hotel de Ville.

We had to turn in our rental car in Lyon and take the train to Paris.

It was a new car that made a really obnoxious beeping sound when you drove without your seatbelt. Dad always forgot. It became quite annoying after the first day or so. Also, Dad thought he remembered how to drive a stick. Oh, but we found out the truth. The hard way.

He didn't quite manage to navigate the narrow streets of Arles. Notice the nice long scratch along the bottom of the car.

If you don't know, movies were invented in France courtesy of the Lumiere Brothers. This was their house that has now been turned into a museum.

Matt and I on the TGV to Paris.

Almost got a smile in this one.

Yeah, he really doesn't like to have his picture taken. I just ignored her.

Pont du Gard Christmas Day

2008-03-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

On Christmas day after opening a few small gifts at the hotel we went to go see the Pont du Gard, one of the few things that was open that day. It ended up being a fantastic day. There were lots of hiking trails around the aqueduct, we had a nice picnic lunch, and the museum was free in honor of the holiday!This aqueduct is one of the most impressive reminders today of what an important hub this region was during the height of the roman empire.

I love this picture of the shadow of the Pont du Gard!

This is the very top of the aqueduct where the water actually ran.

Looking down the river from the top of the bridge.

This picture is super amazing. Look at the reflection of the Aqueduct in the river!!

The world is mine for the taking.

Hey that's a pretty sweet and very French poncho sweater thingy you've got there, mom. You must have a pretty sweet daughter that gave it to you for Christmas. hah.

We claim this land in the name of MURPHY!

Me and my boys above the bridge.

Christmas Eve in Avignon!

2008-03-14T15:28:00.001-07:00

Christmas Eve we drove from Arles to spend the day in Avignon! The town was very festive and I found some great souvenir glasses for Creech and JZ at the Christmas Market. We spent most of the day at the Palais du Pape and the Pont d'Avignon.

The Pope's Palace. Because of instability in Rome the Papacy was moved for a period to southern France. When a certain faction decided it was time to move back to Rome there was a conflict, and for a period there were two popes: one in France and one in Italy.
This is a building across from the Pope's Palace. I'm not sure what it is, but what amazed Matmo and i was the sheer number of pigeons perched on it. There are so many!

Listening to the audio guides in the main court yard of the Pope's Palace.

Looking out toward Villeneuve from the top of the Pope's palace.

The Pope's chapel.

Contemplating catholicism and how this building represents everything I despise about my religion.

Back steps to the Pope's Palace.

Matt was amazed by the restrooms they built in this ancient building. The new walls create such a harsh contradiction. Guess you've got to love the tourism industry.

Can't you imagine shooting an arrow from this opening to defend the palace?

Where the old city wall connects to the Pont d'Avignon.

Sur le pont d'Avignon! On danse, on danse, on danse! Sur le pont d'Avignon!

Yay! Christmas card picture. Check out dad's hair. I love it! hehehe

Looking up at the city and the Pope's Palace from the bridge.

Looking down the river from the bridge.

What remains of the city walls.

What a contrast. The traffic zooms by ignorant of the history looming above them.

Cathare castel and Coulliere

2008-02-10T08:23:00.002-08:00

I forgot to add these photos before the entry about Arles. On our way from Limoux to Arles we decided to take a detour stop in Coulliere, at small town on the Mediterranean close to the Spanish border. On our way there we stopped to check out a cathare castle. The area between Limoux and the Spanish border is littered with them. After the Albigensian Crusades they were used by both the Spanish and French militaries as outposts and vantage points as the border fluctuated north and south.

Looking down into the valley below the chateau. Don't the shadows made by the clouds look neat? I thought so. The next picture is the same scene, but zoomed out.

Finally, the castle itself!

Next stop: Coulliere! Here is a view of the fort that dominates the port town.

The fort again from another angle.

A pier. Obviously.

This town was so beautiful, the photos don't do it justice.

At the end of this walkway is the lighthouse. Unfortunately, it is closed to the public.

Looking down from the wall at the waves breaking against the base.

The Spanish like their alters to be ornate.

Looking down at Coulliere.

Again, from farther away.

Looking up the coast toward Perpigan.

We hiked on this trail along the edge of a valley. It was pretty cool. Then Matt and I decided to climb a mountain.
On our way up. Unfortunately, there is no photographic proof because the batteries in my camera died. How typical!

This is Matt halfway to the top. The batteries died after this picture. And you can't even really tell how high up we are! NOT FAIR!

Another fort high above Coulliere.

First Stop: Arles

2008-02-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

The first place that we went after leaving Limoux was Arles. We stayed here for four nights and made it our base from which to visit some of Provence. We spent Christmas Eve here as well. Arles is well known for it's rich Roman ruins. Immediately below are a couple photos of what is left of the Roman theatre.

There is also a really cool Roman coliseum in Arles. They are in the process of restoring it. You can really see the difference between the old and new parts in some of the photos. Also, to this day the coliseum is still used for live bull fights. I really wanted to go see one, but we didn't get the chance.

Dad and I went back to the coliseum at night. There was a full moon that night. I thought this was absolutely that coolest picture with the moon framed by the coliseum. So artistic.

This river, the Rhone, ran right behind our hotel. We parked along it every night.

This is Matt and his sweeeet sheep that I brought him from Ireland. We named him McCallahan.

All the family together on Christmas Eve.

My parents room at the hotel.

My brother and I's room is at the end of th hall.

Blurry at breakfast.

Our hotel.

Our Gite

2008-02-10T05:58:00.000-08:00

My mom wanted to rent a hotel in Limoux, but one of the professors suggested to me that we rent a gite instead. A gite is a vacation home that the owners rent out during the year. It was the perfect solution. Everyone had their own rooms. We had a kitchen, table, and TV area. AND it was cheaper then renting a hotel. The one Mme Ferini helped me choose was about 8 kilometers outside of Limoux in a small town called Villalongue. It also helped my family experience life in France at every level: a village like Villalongue, a small town like Limoux, a bigger small town like Carcassonne, a small city like Arles, and finally large cities, Lyons et Paris. The first night we blew a fuse, but for our troubles the proprietor gave us two bottles of Blanquette. I'd say it was worth it. hah. Here are a few pictures of the gite:

My parents room. They didn't make their bed! Shame, shame.

This is the day bed out in the hallway. Sometimes we would find Matt here in the morning if his back had been bothering him the night before.

My bed!

Matt and I's room. We kept switching beds because Matt's back didn't like any of the beds.

Christmas in France

2008-02-10T04:57:00.000-08:00

This post is about a month late, but better late than never, right? One of the hardest parts of being abroad is missing out on holiday traditions. Thanksgiving wasn't that bad because they don't celebrate it here in France. That made it easy to forget that I was missing it. That, and my wonderful English team tried to make me a French Thanksgiving. Christmas would have been miserable. Fortunately my dedicated family brought Christmas to me! Unorthodox as it was, we ended up having a fantastic Christmas and New Years.

Of course France wouldn't be France without a strike every once and awhile. We couldn't have my parents coming all the way to France without experience one! So, of course, when they arrived at CDG there was a flight attendant strike in full swing! Because they were late out of JFK they ended up missing their connection to Toulouse. Finally they were put on a flight via Geneva to Toulouse, and guaranteed that their luggage would follow them there. Right. The next three days in Limoux were spent trying to get a hold of the airport and find their luggage. What a wonderful way to start a vacation, and my brother and father first international trip. Luckily the trip got nothing but better...

The first night we spent in Limoux. My parents came to the school to pick me up and then we had an apero with Virginie and Francoise. My parents got to meet most of the English professors. Here are a few pictures (granted not very good pictures, my hand isn't steady enough to take night pictures sans flash.) of the Christmas lights in Limoux:

The next day we returned to Limoux in the morning so that my parents could check out where I live and work. They also got to see the Friday market and some of the Jour du Talents at the lycee. For the afternoon/evening we headed to Carcassonne to check out the medieval city. In town, Matt, my mom, and I took a ferris wheel ride to check out the view of la cité at night, unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out very well.

The next morning we drove to Toulouse to finally get their suitcases. Everyone was excited to finally have clean clothes. It wasn't a completely wasted day, though, because on the way home we stopped in Albi. The church below is the Basilica of my patron saint, Cecilia.

An evening with the Spanish teachers

2008-01-19T05:07:00.000-08:00

Anne-Marie Pinol invited Luis and I to her house for dinner with two of the other Spanish professors, Corine and Laure. Little did I know what debauchery I had signed on for....

Me and Jacques Pinol--Anne-Marie's husband. This man is obsessed with Bob Dylan. And I mean really obsessed...you will see in the photos to come.

Me and the Spanish assistant from my school, Luis. He is from El Salvador.

Me and Jacques, take two. This man is hilarious. Two seconds after meeting him he made a crack about how my pants were too long. It kind of made me miss having my Dad around to say things like that.

Luis, Jacques, and the apperatifs. Anne-Marie and Spanish tortilla. It, like always, made me think of my Bevard. I think the two things are forever linked in my brain. But it was delicious all the same.

Jacques after a few drinks when the Bob in him takes over. He was actually very good at both the guitar and harmonica. He told me that I don't deserve to call myself an American because I didn't know the lyrics to every single Dylan song he played.

Laure, Corrine, and I.

Luis and Anne-Marie.

Our hosts.

All of the Spaniards. They would periodically throughout the night break out in Spanish. I would just sit there lost and confused until for some reason they started to speak French again. I really need to learn some Spanish.

Je vous present les jolis assistants de Carca!

2008-01-14T12:47:00.000-08:00

I spent the night in Carca before leaving for Ireland because my flight left from Carca. All of assistants got together for a few drinks at the Foyer chez Esther: (from left to right) Esther, Spanish assistant from Spain; Me; Jacqueline, English assistant from England; Mirjam, German assistant; Laura, Spanish assistant from Spain; Pablo, Spanish assistant from Chile.

Blasio and Lindsay, two other English assistants from England and Scotland respectively. Esther was trying to get everybody to sing careokee. How is it that a non-native English speaker beat me at this game? Not fair! I want a rematch.

Esther and Laura eating Mirjam's fabulous crepes! Esther also made tortilla for us, which was FANTASTIC and made me miss my Bevard oh so much.

Mirjam cooking crepes!

Pablo and Esther were trying to teach everyone to Salsa. Yay for dancing!

This was the night we all went out for Mirjam's birthday. One might ask why Lindsay is sporting the Chilean pride. One would have to ask Pablo that question...

Me and Remy, a french boy that lives in the Foyer, at the a discotheque for Mirjam's bday!

Blasio being Blasio.

Blas and Kathy, an English assistant from Vegas.

Bloods.

Kathy and Caroline, another German assistant.

Kathy and Marsala, another Spanish assistant.

Pablo, Kathy, and Caroline chez Mirjam. Mirjam blew a fuse right before everyone arrived so she ran out to buy hundreds of candles. This was quite a classy soiree.

Linds and Mirjam.

Me and the lovely German assistants.

Hott stuff, Linds.

Thanksgiving chez Sophie!

2007-12-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

Virginie, Sophie, Françoise, Vèro and families threw me my very own Thanksgiving. They tried to make me a turkey, but you can't buy them in November in France. Turkey is the traditional food for Christmas here, and the stores were not yet carrying them. Virginie made pumpkin muffins and cookies for desert. All in all it was wonderful, if not traditional. Good company and good intentions, the essential Thanksgiving necessities.

From my left around the table: Jean Paul, Caroline, Véro, Sophie, David, Françoise, Virginie, Olivier, et moi! Gilles would be sitting next to me on my right, but he's taking the picture.

The girls had a slumber party while we fêted Thanksgiving.

David's cave made the wine, and Jean-Paul's imprimerie made the labels on the bottles! Everything in this neck of the woods revolves around wine.

Susan comes to France!

2007-12-15T01:58:00.001-08:00

Just what the doctor ordered: Paris with a wonderful-English-speaking friend--and of course, the fact that it was Susan was just an added bonus. But wow, what a go, go, go weekend. I took the train all night from Carcassonne to arrive in Paris at the lovely hour of 7:30 a.m.

I had a lunch meeting with Michael at noon. Talk about intimidation. We had a four course meal in a private dining room that belonged to his company. Eeek. Fanciest meal of my life, I'm just a simple country gal. But it was productive. Michael was very helpful and I look forward to setting up a weekend of exploratory interviews with some of his contacts for after the holidays.

To live and work in France, that's certainly something to think about--something that I had never even considered before Michael planted the idea in my head. And it just might be possible, after all--should I decide that is what I want to do. Oh, how I despise decisions...

I didn't take too many pictures while we were in Paris because we had terrible weather. It's ok though, because I'm going to be doing all of the exact same things again with my parents in a week. Exciting.

Susan at the Eiffel Tower, evidement.

My pretty, red, very French, scarf that Susan brought me as a present from India. How considerate she is. Oh, and my new pea coat that I bought myself as an early Christmas present on the Camps Elysees.

I thought this was a really cool picture looking down at everyone waiting in line to buy tickets to climb thousands and thousands of steps. YIPEE.

Sacre Coeur as seen from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Lever du soleil et le tour d'eiffel.

Sweet! The shadow of the Eiffel Tower--aren't I artistic?

Susan in our hostel room getting ready to go out Saturday night.

Yeah, we're slobs.

Washing dishes after dinner.

Looking out from behind a clock inside the musee d'orsay

They set up a sledding hill and ice skating rink in front of the Palais de Justice for Christmas.

This picture is for Susan. There is a pigeon inside a heart-shaped hole. It made her day.

My Spanish Experience

2007-12-13T09:47:00.001-08:00

Andorra!

2007-12-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

On my way to a weekend in Spain at the summer house of one of my school's secretaries, we drove the length of Andorra. This small country is nestled completely between the peaks of the Pyrenees.

The national language of Andorra is Catalan; although, Spanish and French are also spoken.

This isn't a very good picture, but I swear, every building in the whole country look like a ski lodge. The country is half the size of New York City.

We went an hour and a half out of our way to drive through Andorra because there are no taxes--no taxes on gasoline, no taxes on tobacco, no taxes on alcohol...

beautiful.

The pictures look so blue because the whole valley was in the shadow of the mountains at the time I took these pictures. I don't think they get a lot of direct sunlight.

pretty, little church.

Shengai!

we bonded on the trip.

Toulouse: La ville rose

2007-12-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

Toulouse is called La Ville Rose because all of the buildings are made of red brick giving the town a very warm, pink feel/look. It's gorgeous. One of the most beautiful towns I have been to so far--especially in autumn.

Hotel de Ville

Close up of the hotel de ville

Looking down into the Crypts.

I really liked the design on the top of this fence. It was in the church dividing the main sanctuary from a chapel in the rear section. I'm sure there are technical terms here the I am lacking. I know, I'm a horrible catholic. Sorry, I went to public school, gasp...

They had intricately carved chairs like this bordering the alter in all the churches in Ireland as well. Someone knowledgeable should explain to me who they are for.

Yeah, my camera doesn't take good pictures in the dark, and I can't hold it still enough to use the night slow exposure setting. This is supposed to be the alter, if you can discern it.

Another pictures of those mysterious chairs. Knights? Deacons? Important guests? Royalty? Your guess is a good as mine.

Stairway leading up to the alter.

Big organ. The norm in France.

Artistic shot of Heather walking out of the canal to the river!

good healthy tourism.

So pretty. You can tell why it is called the ville rose.

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. I want to live here. There is a big university in Toulouse, maybe I will have to look into it's programs...

This picture doesn't really do them justice, but the stations of the cross in this church were marvelous.

My favorite picture that I have taken in France so far. Click on it to view a larger version. Very typical. I love triangle buildings...we just don't have that in our carefully plotted and planned grid-like cities.

A spice merchant at one of the markets we went to.

Every town has it's arch, it's war memorial. This is Toulouse's.

Chin chin!

I have fallen in love with wrought iron balconies. I WILL have one. It is now up there on the list with a bay window seat and a floor to ceiling bookshelf. This is me on the balcony of our hotel room.

A local beauty school was having a fashion show to display hairstyles. It was very...interesting...

There were a lot of people doing random things like juggling in the square where the fashion show was taking place.

Dublin

2007-12-11T02:23:00.000-08:00

Croak Park a.k.a. The third largest stadium in Europe a.k.a. Irish Holy Ground.

The grass is cut three times a day by hand.

Up until three years ago, only Gaelic games were permitted to be played on these grounds. Those damn Brits had to take their evil rugby and soccer to another venu.

The floodlights have to be something around a 100x brighter than those in soccer and rugby stadiums because in order to be able to see a hurling ball moving 80 miles per hour you need daylight, more or less.This section of the stadium is usually standing room only; but to accomodate FIFA regulations they installed removable seats. The stadium houses 200 more people without the seats.

The creation of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) and the subsequent institutionalization of Gaelic sport went hand in had with the Irish nationalist movement. Many of the head board figures were also key players in the movement. The English banded all Gaelic games in Ireland for a period. They also bombed a section of the stadium during a football championship match killing spectators and I one player. There is a section of the stadium named after him.

A section of the stadium was built extending over train tracks. The railway owns the air 100 meters above the track. The GAA has leased this air for the next 50 years. Or something like that.

I think this is the National Library...or maybe it was the National Museum. I forget, I went to both of them.

Christ Church Cathedral.

CCC again

and again.
Dublin Castel

The lady justice at Dublin Castel is facing inward with her back to the public. Ironic when you think that this was the seat of the English government in Ireland for so many years. When it rained the scales would noticably tip to one side. Also ironic. They ended up drilling wholes in the bottom so this wouldn't happen anymore.

St. Pat's

The garden next two St. Patrick's recognized many famous Irish writers. I think this one is George Bernard Shaw.

Does anyone besides me think that it is interesting that the two most famous churches in Dublin are Church or Ireland churches? And there are English flags flying inside (although, not in this picture).

One of my favorite things in Dublin was the shamrock design on the street lamps!

Grafton Street

St. Stephen's Shopping Center

The Dublin Spear. It's really tall. And blows a lot in the wind. That is all.

St. Stephen's Green, take 1

take 2

take 3

take 4

take 5

Trinity College

The pitch at Trinity

Glendalough

2007-11-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

Beautiful colors!

Make a wish!

Wicklow

2007-11-19T13:07:00.001-08:00

Wicklow is a gorgeous area north of Dublin. There are tons of bike trails that wind through the hills and valleys. This is one of the places that I would really like to revisit for an extended period of time. Or maybe I'll just make lots of weekend trips after I move to Dublin....

This lake almost looked like it was plastic, surreal....

Waterfall!

Kinsale

2007-11-15T00:34:00.001-08:00

While I was staying in Cork, I took a daytrip to Kinsale, a small port town. According to the locals, the town has been getting a lot of attention lately and has become a home for many of wealthier class. I had wonderful weather and truely enjoyed exploring thisbeautiful town.

I thought these houses were very interesting. Look how close they are to each other!

We made the list....

2007-11-14T03:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know I need to be posting the rest of my pictures, but I had a small revelation today. Well, I was shocked today. I'm hoping the revelation part where everything snaps into place and I can make astute observations about the ways of the world comes later...

I was bored before lunch so I began reading this youth magazine that the government puts out, it was lying around the teachers' lounge. You know a eat-your-vegetables-exercise-daily-be polite- and-don't-discriminate kind of publication. Well, there was this one article called "Tous Diffèrents Mais Tous Egaux (All different, but all equal)." It discussed racist, or discriminatory assumptions and biases, and why they weren't always correct. As a conclusion the article stated:

"Ben Laden est un terroriste. Est-ce que tous les arabes le sont? Bush a voulu occuper l'Irak, est-ce que tous les américains étaient d'accords? Hitler était un nazi. Est-ce que tous les allemands l'ont été?"

It's not what it literally says that bothers me. That part is dead on, it's what I've been preaching to people since I arrived here. But here's the thing...we made a list in an educational publication that placed Bush's name next to Hitler and Bin Laden. What type of message does that send to young people? I haven't decided how this makes me feel yet. Outrage was first. Now I just feel an overwhelming desire to educate myself and then scream at some French people. The disconcerting problem is that I'm not sure I have an argument...

Cork

2007-11-12T00:07:00.001-08:00

This is the old Cork Co. Gaol that has now been turned in to a type of museum. People spent years in this place for stealing bread. Also, people would steal just so that they would be sent to jail and be fed and have a place to sleep.

When the prisoners went to bed at night, they made them take off their clothes and leave them outside the door. The guards felt that the prisoners would be less inclined to try to escape naked.

For exercise the prisoners had to walk around this circle for three hours everyday.

Welcome to Cork home of J.J. Murphy and his famous stout.

This is the warden's house. You can't tell very well from this picture, but there are two crevices on either side of the fireplace. These were where he kept torches to be lit in the fire to light his way around the prison. I thought that was interesting.

This was found between two cells. I small fire would be lit here to give light to both cells. Above is the same opening with it's cover.

Looking up at a church from College County Cork.

Looking down at center city Cork.

Murphy's Stout advertisement.

This is my favorite ad. It was all over the place.

Little does he know it, but apparently my dad owns a suit store on St. Patrick's Street.

Galway

2007-11-10T06:13:00.000-08:00

Galway Bay

The hostel where I stayed in Galway.

The Spanish Arch where some of my roommates worked.

My bar.

My first taste of fish and chips!

The grandpa was feeding the swams. The little boy was pettrified. The swans were practically taller than him!

Kilmore Abbey

2007-11-10T05:52:00.000-08:00

I tried to be artsy with this photo.

The chapel, just a ten minute walk from the abbey. Isn't it pretty?

Close-ups of flowers from the garden that I liked.

Me in my new scarf and hat that I bought on the Aran Islands. You can't tell, but there is a clover at the bottom of each side of the scarf. It's very pretty. Yay, for having a new pompom hat! Remind me not to lend this one to you, Creech. Or you, Steph. JK. <3

The abbey. Currently the nuns run a girls school in the building.

The gardens were pretty, but it is hard to be impressed after the likes of Versailles and Villandry. What I did find very interesting though involves the wall of hedges in the middles of this picture. It was considered improper for the lady of the house to see the kitchen (vegetable) gardens and to see the gardeners at work so these tall hedes were grown to seperate the flower gardens from the kitchen gardens. That way the lady could stroll in the gardens without seeing all of her staff hard at work to prepare her meals.

Conemara

2007-11-09T05:51:00.000-08:00

Sheep! They are EVERYWHERE!

The only Fjord in Ireland. I forget what its name was already.

Sheep Corssing! There are actually sheep crossing signs in Ireland, they made me chuckle!

I'm so glad I decided not to rent a car. How would I ever find my way anywhere with road signs like these? Not to mention driving on the left side of the road!

Mussel farms!

Thatched roof. You don't see too many of these anymore because when they deteriorate they are replaced by another type of roof. There are two different types of material used to make these roofs. They can either by made of reeds or straw....i think. It's amazing how quickly I forget things. I really should have written more down.

The Bens (I believe there were five of them, again I need to check my facts)...that's what the mountain range was called.

The Cliffs of Moher

2007-11-09T05:31:00.001-08:00

The cliffs of Moher. These pictures did not come out particularly well because it was raining. You cans till tell how breath taking the cliffs were though.

This is Haika, the German woman I met. She was in Galway for two weeks studying English. She was very nice and great company for the day.

When I was up here I met a man who asked to photograph the back of my jacket. He said that his buddy used to play rugby for OSU and would never believe that he met someone with a OU rugby jacket on in Ireland. I should have told him that our two teams don't exactly get along well.

Me, all soaking wet.

Me again, this time you can tell how windy it was. The wind would literally push me a couple feet at a time. Our guide was telling us that a tourist got blown off the cliffs and died a couple weeks ago, apparently it is a fairly common occurance. Maybe I'm losing my backbone in my old age, but I was too nervous to go to the edge where there wasn't a wall. Especially since the ground was all muddy and slippery.

This is the visitors' center. I'm going to show my geeky side here, but most of you already know me and are aware that I am an avid science fiction reader. Does this make anyone else think of the Shire? Seriously, almost exactly what I pictured a hobbit's abode to look like.

A farm in the Burren

2007-11-09T02:55:00.000-08:00

The church in the distance is called the seven sisters...or something like that, I forget, actually. I just remember that it had a number in the name that was more than the number of actual churches because that was a religous number.
The farm that I was on was designed to raise calves and then sell them. This is the famous bull that got all the work done. The cows are up somewhere in the hills grazing.

The Burren

2007-11-09T02:46:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it was really misty and windy. Hence the hair in my face. But hey, this is the worst weather I had the whole time I was in Ireland. I can live with that!

Look I learned something! The rocks in the Burren are limestone. So, although there is very little land in the Burren, it is very good land because of all the minerals found in it from the limestone. Cows that graze on this land are healthier, produce stronger offspring, and give milk that has high levels of calcium.

The Aran Islands: Inishmòr

2007-11-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

The pier where the ferry arrived.

Our ferry! It stormed right as we were getting on the ferry to come here and everyone got soaked walking from the bus to the boat! The water was very rough on the way over and several people got sea sick; however, as soon as we landed the skies cleared up and it didn't rain another drop. I took the chance and rented a bike anyway! I got really lucky with the weather.

Sunshine! In Ireland!

I forget the exact number, but there is a very small percentage of topsoil on the island. To be able to farm for sustinence, the locals had to first remove enough rocks from a piece of lqnd to be able to farm it. That is why there are rock walls EVERYWHERE. Also, to make more topsoil, the native moved tons and tons of seaweed and manure onto the land that they had cleared.

I tried to find the pot of gold, really I did...but I just couldn't get my bike to go fast enough!

This is where I stopped to have lunch.

There were wild blackberries and rasberries growing along all of the stone walls on the Island. I ate a few for desert!

The tide was out. All of the brown stuff is seaweed. There is alot of seaweed everywhere on the west coast it seemed when the tide was out.

So calm and peaceful! Look how the wind ripples the water and blows the reeds!

Most of the Island was dedicated to farming cows and horses. (I never thought of raising cattle as farming, but that's what they call it.)

En Haute!

2007-10-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I had a lot of free time because I was stuck in Limoux due to the strike. I was supposed to be at the beach in Mèze, but no, I was in Limoux. Anyway, I decided to climb up this hill to see if I could find I good vantage point of the city. Here are a few of the pictures I took...

I was amazed to find when I got to the top of the hill endless fields and vineyards. As far as the eye could see! It was absolutely gorgeous. It was sunny. There was a wonderful breeze. I could have explored up there forever!

PS. I really like this picture looking down the row of grape vines with the mountains in the back. Isn't it lovely?

Marché and Fête du Vins à Carca

2007-10-21T03:31:00.000-07:00

I've never seen so many types of olive in my life! YUCK!

The fête du vins is a type of festival where all of the caves reveal their wines for the new year. There was a degustation (wine tasting) at each one of these tents. There must have been at least 30 different caves present!

There was also a band walking around town to celebrate the fête!

Each vendor that sells eggs always has their LIVE chickens at the market. I don't know if this is to show what stock the eggs come from or if they actually are selling the live chickens. Maybe I will ask some day.

YUCK! Oysters. Lots and lots and lots of Oysters. Those plates are there so that you can taste them raw before you buy them. I'm not sure I could ever try this...ummm, delicacy.

A weird mellon that I have never seen before. It is in the shape of a pumpkin, but brownish green instead orange. I will have to ask what it is called. I've had it in the cafeteria before, though, and it is very good! Much sweeter and juicier than most cantalope I have had.

Canal du Midi (à Carcassonne)

2007-10-21T03:23:00.000-07:00

Directly in front of the Carcassonne train station is a lock for the canal du Midi. I saw a boat in it the other day, it was pretty neat. This picture is looking down from the bridge at the lock.

Looking over the lock at the harbor--I know harbor isn't the right word, but I've lost half of my vocabulary it seems.

Around the town: Part 4

2007-10-21T03:18:00.000-07:00

There are recycling stations like this all around town...and I've actually seen a lot of people using them. Yay for making an effort to recycle!

Looking down a street in Limoux.

Another pretty view of the bridge.

Another dam...I think

2007-10-21T03:01:00.000-07:00

In my exploring I ran accross a path along the Aude...I'm not sure if I was allowed to be down there, but I decided to explore anyway. It was a gorgeous day and I had plenty of time to kill. I found this dam, well at least I think it is a dam. I asked Françoise about it when we went to Montpellier for the stage and she told me that the area has a lot of flooding problems--especially in the Spring when all the snow melts in the mountains. (At least, that's what I think she said...but my French comprehension is still sketchy in places, especially when new vocabulary is involved)

But then my common sense cut in...it can't be a dam if water is flowing over it, can it? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

In short, I have no idea what this is or what purpose it serves...but if you recognize it and know the answer, please tell me!

A lovely photo.

Ma chambre!

2007-10-15T02:12:00.000-07:00

My shower. It's small, but it's all my own! All the other students share communal bathrooms.

For the shower to work, you have to push this button. Then you have water for about a minute, and then you have to push it again. It's annoying and keeps me from taking long showers. I think that is the point. Yay for water conservation!

My sink and my cleaning stuff. Boooo for having to clean your own room. Yay for having somewhere to stay for free!!

Yes, you flush the toilet with that funny little button on top. A lot of the toilets I've seen here are like that.

My desk, window, and TV. For the first couple weeks my TV was broken. It's fixed now, but I still only get two channels...and only those if I put the antena out the window! hah.

My bed...kind of made. You can't really tell in this pitcure, but the reason part of the covers is (part is singular right, geez I can't do English grammar anymore) up is because the power cord for my laptop run from my wall accross my bed to my dek. Oh well...

My bookshelf! Yay for books!

Obviously, my desk.

FRANCE BEAT NEW ZEALAND!!!! then lost to England. But it was fun while it lasted!

My meal tickets for lunch and dinner, which I eat in the cafeteria during the week.

Brocante!

2007-10-15T02:03:00.000-07:00

My school has an exchange program with a high school in Maine. Last year several students came to Limoux for two weeks, this February several students and two professors from Limoux are going there! Maine! In February, brrrrrrrrrrrr!! To raise money for the trip the students held a brocante, whicj is much like a yard sale or flee market. Here are some pictures!

A student taking money from a customer!

Their sign! Very artistic!

That's Virginie and a student trying to find out how much the tea pot costs!

Shopping Center (these are for Matt)

2007-10-15T01:52:00.001-07:00

The other end of Leclerc. I tried, Matt.

I tried to take some pictures of the shopping center, Leclerc, for Matt...but they really didn't turn out that well. It's a big building and doesn't really fit in the lense. Also, I felt rather silly taking pictures of it. All the shoppers where staring at the silly American...

The McDo at the shopping center in Limoux. They are everywhere! Even in France. Although, one really does have to admire their marketing strategy and the way they adapt their image and menu to suit the culture and country they are in. McDo menus even vary by the different regions in France. So adaptable!

In France they don't give you bags at the grocery store--not unless you want to pay .50-2€ for them. I think this is a FANTISTIC idea. Instead everyone buys one or two bags like the one above, and takes them with them each time they go shopping. Alot of people also have a type of small cart on wheels. The cart is better for long distances--most people walk to the market and gorcery--and also for older people because you can pull it instead of carrying all of the weight. Maybe being the inspired PR professional that I am, I'll write a long letter to Wal-Mart explaining the pros of initiating a campaign like this!!

Around the Town: Part 3

2007-10-15T01:40:00.001-07:00

It's fall in Limoux! How gorgeous!

You might not be able to find a trash can in France, but more than likely you will be able to find one of these stands that distribute bags to pick up after your puppy. This in the country where free public toilets don't exist. When I lived in Tours they even had little police guys who went around on scooters with these little things that sucked up dog poop. Dogs are everywhere in France. Everyone has one, and they take them everywhere--including in stores!

These posters are allllllll over town. There are trying to get people to boycott CocaCola products. They read: Let's not finance death!

This clown bush is in the center of one of the main roundabouts leading into town. The people here are very proud of their famed Carnival. Also, manicured shubbery in general seems to be pretty popular here though not normally in the shape of a clown. hah.

Around the Town: Part 2

2007-09-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Again, looking down the tracks toward the station, but zoomed in on the station.

Again, sideways. But this is a view looking down the train tracks toward the station.

I know, I know...it's sideways, but this is a close up of the front of the train station.

The front of the train station...

A view looking at the back of the main train station in Limoux. It's closed in this picture because it is Sunday.

Most people(at least that I've seen; although, I know I'm making a rash overgeneralization) in France don't have or use a dryer. Instead they have drying racks or hang their clothes from their windows like you can see here.

Another view of the Aude as it winds its way through town.

Aroud Town: Part 1

2007-09-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

Limoux. Capital of Blanquette and the Carnival! We wish you welcome to Cathare country.

Just outside the shopping center I found the second train stop in Limoux. I told you this was a small town. The train station in town is a little bigger--it at least has a building where you can buy tickets and whatnot. hah.

I'm so glad that I don't have to drive here. The round-a-bouts and intersections are SO confusing--not to mention that gas is 1 euro 60 PER LITER!

Good 'ol Murphy's stout. I knew I could count on you to make me feel at home. Hah. I found this sign on one of the cafés and it made me chuckle.

Looking accross on of the main streets at some houses that I thought were pretty. Aside from the roofs (wow that's a weird word, I had to look it up to make sure I was spelling it correctly), this doesn't look that different from East State Street.

I can't get used to how dead everything looks. It seems to me like everything is speckled with brown. It's just a different type of vegitation than I am used to, and there isn't very much grass. My guess is that it isn't that different from California or other warm regions in the US, but I don't know. All the the orange and redish stucco roofs don't help matters...it's the same color palate. I guess you never realize how rich you environment is until you leave it. I didn't, that's for sure.

Looking off toward the hills. The mountains? The Pyrenees? I'll have to ask someone.

I walked to the large shopping center on the outskirts of town on Saturday. It took me about 20-25 minutes. I stopped a couple times to take some pictures of the country side. In this one you can see the ruins of a church or a castle or something. I thought it was neat.

I'm not sure if this is a damn or what. I don't see why they would need a dam here, and it looked a little run-down. Who knows. It looked interesting so I took a picture.

Here is a picture of the river Aude that runs through my town.

This is the bank where I opened my first (and probably last) French bank account! I know, I know it doesn't seem like much compared to an American bank...but their security is much stricter. To get into the bank you have to first go through what reminds me of an airlock. There is a series of three doors beginning with the outside door. You have to enter the bank one by one by pressing a button to be buzzed in by the receptionist. Now you are in the building and have to go through two more doors using the same process to actually get into the bank where you can talk to someone and do business. It was a little confusing for me because I had never seen anything like that before. I was glad that Michel accompanied us.

La Laverie...

2007-09-29T13:21:00.000-07:00

The front of the laundrymat as seen from the street.

There are different size washing machines--1,2,3,4 and 5 kilos. You pay different amounts depending on how much you are washing...now I just have to figure out how much clothing constitutes a kilo. Bleh. Why oh why doesn't the US use the metric system like the rest of the world, then it would make some sense to me.

Some of the washing machines...

The machine where you pay for your load and choose your washer.

Inside the school!

2007-09-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

That's my room! The first full window from the left on the top. So far Limoux is just like Tours in that every house has these shutter type things. Most look ,ore like traditional shutters than these. Everyone closes them in the evening when they turn their lights on, and then open them again in the morning. I always find this interesting because in the US shutters are only for decoration, and most people do not draw their curtains at night.

I guess I'm going to call this the courtyard. It's an open space where the students can hang out.

Looking toward the cafeteria in the ground floor and the salle des profs on the second floor.

The view from another part of the hallway on the second floor looking at the Internat(I think)--where the students stay.

Looking down from the second floor on to the door to my building...up three flights from there is my room! It's called the second floor though in France. What we call the first floor, they call the ground floor--so what we call the second floor, they call the first, and so on.

One of the hallways on the second floor. Everything at this school is outside except for the actual rooms.

This is looking down the steps outside the mailbox en of the Salle des Profs. There's a kind or courtyard below where students hang out. If you look accross the top row of windows you can see mine near the end--it' the one that is only open a foot or so.

Salle des Professeurs!

2007-09-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

The other end of the salle des profs. You can see some of the mailboxes--they line the other wall, too.

The Salle des Profs--teachers' lounge. This is where I've spent most of my time so far. I try to just sit here and see if I can understand people's conversations--usually I can't. In fact, right now I'm sitting at that computer typing this!

The kitchen in the Salles des Professeurs. Over the weekend, this is all I have (the rest of the time I can eat for a steal in the school cafeteria). I have a fridge, microwave, coffeepot, and thingy to boil water. I also have a hot plate in my room, but I'm kind of scared to use it because I was frantically warned that it could set off the fire alarm if I'm not careful. They said I would have to open a window to use it, which in my opinion defeats the purpose--it's freezing outside!

Look! I have my very own mailbox!

I wanted to make sure that you could all read my name! Super-chouette!!! By the way, if someone here asks for your name they NEVER mean your first name. Also, I usually have to spell out Megan and sometimes Murphy--not French at all, my name.

The Outside of my School

2007-09-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the front of my school. The students hang out out front when they are smoking or skipping class. It's a pretty school, but rather old and small--much smaller than PHS.

The left side of the school.

The right side of the school.

Here is the sign in front of my school. In this picture you can sort of see the main doors off to the right. The door is only open in between classes and at the beginning and end of the day. Any other time you have to press a bell to get buzzed in. There has been a lot more security everywhere I have went so far in France. Because I I am free to come and go whenever I want, unlike the students, I also have a key for the main door(noone is there on the weekends or qt night to buzz me in and out so I have to have one).

Hallelujah!

2007-09-26T01:27:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah, my faith in humanity has been restored!

(Note: sorry in advance for my terrible typing: all of the punctuation, the a,q,w, and m are all in the wrong places so I really have to hunt and peck.)

Time and time again on my long voyage I was confronted with fantastic people who supported and helped me....every step along the way. Just when I was beginning to become so synical about the intrinsic good nature of humanity and Americans in general, something like this happens to restore my faith...I'm not sure I would have made it here with my sanity without their help! Whoever you are, je vous remerci mille fois!

I was a little shaken up on the plane from Charleston to Detroit...yes, yes I shed a few tears and wondered what temporary insanity had taken me when I decided this would be a good idea...but with the kind words and encouragement of the two men sitting around me, I had regained my composure by wheels down in Detroit. And who would have thought that a fellow Parkersburgian...let alone someone I know--or at least whose children I know--would be on my flight to Detroit and also to Amsterdam. It is indeed a small world because Mr. Tunell was on both of my flights! He was flying to Marseilles for work. It was nice...during our lay over in Amsterdam we talked about Nick, Cory, soccer, and other people we both knew. It really helped to pass the time and keep me from worrying too much.

The Toulouse airport was a little scary as was traveling with my huge suitcases after I retreived them from the airpot. But a kind man helped me get them on the shuttle to the train station, and I managed to get them off myself. I also got them on and off the trains myself as well, and finally arrived in Limoux--18 hours later--without any significant tragedy.

My first couple hours in Limoux were really hard, I'm not going to lie. They were giving me keys, showing me around, explaining the procedure for eating and leaving the building after hours and on weekends. I was on information overload, not to mention the fact that I was probably only understanding about a third of everything being told to me.

BUT--the team of English teachers here that I am going to be working with are all very nice and very funny. Two of them don't seem that much older than me, which is nice. They were very helpful and considerate. Françoise et Virginie took me and the Spanish assistant, who is from El Salvadore, to dinner after which I slept for almost 16 hours. I still don't think I'm completely adjusted to the time change because I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep last night--or maybe that was just nerves.

Anyway, on Tuesday I bought my meal tickets and filled out most of the paperwork that I have to do. Today I think I'm going to explore town and maybe try to buy a phone. I want to get a phone before training next Wednesday in Montpellier so that I can exchange numbers with all of the English assistants I meet.

Virginie is going to take me to open my bank account on Friday. I'm glad I don't have to do that alone--I'm still not very confident with my French. I hope that gets better. I ate dinner last with the Spanish assistant, Luis, and some of the surveillants from the school. It's sort of like a boarding school in that the students live here during the week. The surveillants are kind of like their chaperones when they aren't in class. They are closer to my age than the students. Anyway, the one guy was super nice...but I had to ask him to repeat two or three times almost everything he said. I felt really bad about it. Everyone just talks so fast, and the southern accent is rather pronounced....

Anyway, stop your worrying, I made it in one piece...

Also, for some reason I can't get on IM here, so if you want to talk to me I suggest you look into Skype. It's an Internet phone service that is free for international calls from computer to computer. I've already talked to my parents several times using it and it works very well. I'm already getting kind of homesick so it would be great to talk to some people. My handle is Murph1613, also you can look me up by e-mail, which is Murph_1613@yahoo.com

I guess that's all for now...
bissous,
Murph

5, 4, 3...

2007-09-17T16:33:00.000-07:00

Let the countdown begin!
Spend a wonderful weekend with your best friends from the good ol' PKB....check
Spend a wonderful weekend in Philly with your brother and fantastic family...check
Procrastinate sending in your visa application and anxiously bite your nails until you finally receive your visa in the mail...check
Spend a wonderful weekend just being lazy with the parents...check

Almost time to leave. The plane departs from Charleston Sunday. And then...a whole new world awaits me!

Next post will be from across the pond, folks!

Cheers,
Murph

English For All class A

2007-08-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

My lovely students! On the left, Olena Kubant. She is from the Ukraine. Her two daughters also take EFA classes. Her husband does post doctoral work in biochemistry for the University. On the right, Yuhong Dai. She is from Shanghai, China. She was in Athens for the summer visiting her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. Her son-in-law is studying for his PhD at OU. Both of these wonderful women worked so hard! I learned so much from them, and hopefully, them from I.

My Savior

2007-08-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Since my last post I have been in correspondence with Emily, Limoux's previous English language assistant, and she has been an absolute life saver! Here's what I've learned from her so far...

Limoux is indeed a small town, but that there are many opportunities to get involved with sport clubs such as tennis and kayacking. She also said the area is great for hiking and cycling. It sounds almost like Athens and Hocking Hills...maybe this won't be too much of a change after all :)
My room in the Interat will include a single bed, desk and chair,TV, internet connection, ensuite bathroom with shower, and toilet and sink
I won't have access to a kitchen save a microwave and fridge, but I can eat the majority of my meals (for a small fee) in the school's cafeteria. A French cafeteria--I'm interested to see what this is like and what food they prepare...
Carcassonne is an easy commute from Limoux, and there are more English assistants located there (and a better young adult social scene) , should I chose to rent a room somewhere else on the weekends as she did
The weather last year was fairly mild until a short cold spell with some snow in December. In January it began to warm up and they were going to the beach by March/April.
I have to do my own laundry outside of the school, but if I choses to use the bedding the schools provides, they will wash it for me.

She gave me many other tips and recomendations on things like where to shop, which bank to use, etc, but I don't want to put you to sleep. Suffice it to say that she has been incredibly helpful and I sleep a lot easier at night knowing that if I have any crises I can ask her what she did or for her advice. She's been super about getting back to me in a timely matter as well. She also offered to let me stay with her if I decided to fly to London, which was very nice. Preparations are advancing very nicely...

I don't wanna grow up, I'm a ToysRUs kid...

2007-08-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, quite a lot has happened since my last post. Monday the 6th was my birthday. Twenty-three. Wow. I don't feel that old, but, you know, it really starts to sink in as all of your friends start going their own ways in the real world--getting jobs, settling down, getting married. It's really rather overwhelming. But, I'm not in a huge hurry to do any of those things. Maybe that's why I'm running away to Europe for a couple months--to avoid making real decisions about my life? Who knows.

Anyway, my birthday was quaint, which was nice. I love my family and don't know what I would do without them. It wasn't the shore, and it wasn't all of my crazy family--but it was still nice. I didn't get to go to the Irish Festival in Doublin like I had wanted because of the rain, but it's ok. I wanted to thank everyone who sent cards, presents, phone calls, and birthday wishes--you made my day <333

What else has happened since then? I got to spend a wonderful weekend with the lovely Juliann Zaylor and Paul Wariner. Paul's hockey coach was getting married and they came to Athens for the wedding. It was great to see them. Along those lines, my grandparents came down for a weekend, and my Aunt Sue, Uncle Brad, and cousin Kandice drove down for the day on Sunday. I'm so glad that so many of my friends and family are making an effort to come see me before I leave, it makes me feel special and loved. It will be great to remember and look back on when I start to feel lonely in France.

This week is the last week of classes. My last day with the students is tommorrow, and then there is a party for all of the English for All students and teachers on Thursday. It will be a nice end to the summer. I will finally have time to breathe, but I am going to miss my students. They are wonderful. Today Vance and Squeak are coming for most of our furniture so all that will be left in the APT is the couch and my bedroom stuff. Today I'm going to pack up the majority of my dishes and kitchen utensils/appliances. It's getting empty, almost time to be out...

I am; however, going to continue working at Scripps through the end of August and maybe the first week of September. I need the cash, that's all there is to it. So, if you live in Athens and wouldn't mind having me on your couch for a night or two, you should let me know! : )

I don't have time right now to post the rest of the developments, but I wanted to get something up--it has been so long since I've posted. I guess I'll just have to keep you in suspense until I have time to post again...

Ciao!

Moving out, moving on...

2007-08-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

My lease is up in two weeks so I have been packing all of my stuff to take home in increments. Packing up my clothes, my books, my scrapbooks, my pictures. Packing up my life to sit and gather dust in my basement while I gallivant around France for a year. Leaving Athens, really brings home the reality of my eminent departure. Probably better than anything else could. It's go time.

My last couple weeks have been the stuff memories are made of--and I'm sure the next two weeks will continue the trend. The only thing I hate is that I seem to be making all these new friends and really getting to know some of the old ones only to leave in a few short weeks. But alas, that's life.

My English class is going fantastically well. I absolutely LOVE my students and am going to miss them so much. They all work so hard and it is the best feeling in the world when they finally get whatever I have been addressing. They are all older women, and I know how hard it is to learn and retain a second language late in life--that makes each small step even sweeter! We've taught each other so much. I really like teaching, and I think I'm rather good at it. We'll see how next year goes, maybe a career change is in the cards for me. Who knows? I meant to take my GREs this summer so that I could go to grad school when I got home, if that's what I decided to do--at least keep that door open, but somehow that didn't happen. It's been such a busy summer I guess I just forgot! Oh well, I'll figure something out. Always do.

Ok, ok...I know you don't want to hear about my boring life, you want to hear about France! Well, here's the news so far:

I wrote to someone from my school last week and finally got a response back. The school that I am going to be teaching in is rather small--700 students. I'm going to be teaching juniors, seniors, and post-bacs (students that failed their bac). I'm going to have approx. 35 students, but I'm going to have them in two classes of 17 or so. I still am not sure what their proficiency level is, that's one of the things I asked François when I wrote him back.

I start on the first of October, and have training on the 10th of October...you know, because it makes sense to have training after you've already been working for a week and a half. The training is in Montpellier, which I think is also, rather conveniently, where I have to go to get my citizenship card. Maybe I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone. And François is going with me, he is one of the teachers running the training, so I won't screw up the train tickets or anything on my first trip. That will be nice. He'll make sure I understand everything and know where I'm going. From his letter he seems like a really nice guy. He's been teaching English at my school for 12 years.

Oh! I almost forgot the best part! Because France is so rural, most of the high schools are set up like semi-boarding schools. That is to say that the students live at the school during the week and go home on the weekends. Fortunately for me, they reserve rooms in the dormitory for the language assistants and it's free! F-R-E-E!!! I've never read a more beautiful sentence. Not having to pay rent will save me so much money and I will be able to travel so much more! He said the room is small and the school is empty and depressing on the weekends. The assistant last year opted to rent a room in Carcassonne on the weekends. Something like that is always an option, but at least I have somewhere to stay when I get there and can worry about those things later.

There isn't a women's rugby team in my city or at my school, but François seemed to be pretty excited that I play.Toulouse (an hour away from me) is like France's rugby capitol, and he said I will make many friends in our area through the game. He also said that the teachers would help me start a team at our school if that was something I wanted to do. Wow. Start my very own rugby team, in France no less! Don't think I'm quite ready for that. Five year olds in France probably know more about rugby than I do. But, I think I'm going to take my boots and shorts just in case!

I think that is all the news for now. I wrote both François and Emily (the assistant from last year) long e-mails with a million more questions and will post again when I hear back from them. Until then I'm going to go home and finish Steph's scrapbook (finally!) with my mom, and then it's birthday time! JZ is coming next weekend, I might be going to Norfolk sometime after that, and then it's Philly for Matt's big 2-1 and to say goodbye to the family. A busy end to a busy summer!

Cheers!
Murph

My placement!

2007-07-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I finally got my placement! I am going to be teaching in a high school in a small town called Limoux (southwest of Montpellier, almost on the Spanish border). It's not quite as central of a location as I had hoped for, but on the bright side I am only three hours from Barcelona. I'm also about an hour from the shore, and very ironically only 20 minutes from Carcasonne (One of the two places in southern France I have been before).

For those of you who are wanting to come visit/come travel with me on my vacations, I have five weeks off as follows (This is from the 2006-07 calendar, but I'm sure the dates will be fairly similar):
the 25th of October - the 6th of November (Halloween)
the 23rd of December - 8th of January (Christmas)
the 10th of February - 26th of February (Winter Break)
the 31st of March - 16th of April (Spring Break)
I also will be done with school the last week of April and wouldn't mind doing some traveling after I'm done...

So far I think Susan is coming on the 7th of December and staying for a couple days, and my parents are coming at Christmas and staying for like a week. All other vacations and weekends are open to planning! I'm hoping to do a lot of traveling on the weekends around my area. I know I want to visit some of the prehistoric caves, Montpellier, Avignon, Nice, Marseilles, and Lyon. I also wouldn't mind going to Barcelona, Pampalona, or Sans Sebastien. I guess we'll see...I better start saving my money now....

Now that I know my placement I can finally begin the visa process, start looking for a place to live, and buy my plane ticket...I'll keep you update as I make progress...

Happy 4th of July!

It starts...

2007-06-01T22:24:00.002-07:00

I have officially received my teaching assistantship in France for the 2007-2008 school year. Per the wonderful suggestion of Joan Price, I decided that the best way to keep in touch with everyone would be to keep a blog. This way everyone can keep updated on what I'm doing. You can just check this site as you have time and I will try to update it as frequently as possible.

News so far: I have been placed in the Academie de Montpellier (the Montpellier school district), but I have yet to receive my actual assignment to a particular school and town. What I do know is that I am going to be somewhere in the general area of central southern France! Yay, I've always wanted to live by the sea! They speak a regional language called Provençal in that area that I am not familiar with, but hopefully it won't be hard to pick up with my French background.

For the summer I am going to remain in Athens to be a lead teacher for the English For All program in OU's OPIE department. I am going to need all the practice teaching I can get before I have to do this for real next year. I am looking forward to the end of classes next week so that I can do some extra reading about teaching and grammar that I have wanted to do, but haven't had time for. I am also excited to be able to really focus on my teaching and developing my lesson plans. I am going to be working with some young girls at the Islamic Center and I am sure that will be a wonderful experience. I will also be working at Scripps and hopefully picking up a second job to earn some cash for Europe.

When I get my assignment I am going to have to find a place to live and apply for my visa. I will most likely be leaving in early September and staying until July or August the following year.

Keep checking back and I will post updates and news as it arrives!