Sunday: definitely not a day of rest.

Today (sunday) was a tough day. But I will start with Saturday:)
Yesterday, Laura and I went with Claire to finally get our school books, though I am not sure why that makes me happy because I cant understand them, and they will make my bag heavier! The store didnt have all of the books I need, so weirdly enough, the worker asked for my cell phone number and will apparently text me when my books are in...? That seems a little bizzare. Since the bus strike has been happening on and off, Claire decided we should drive. Everyone else seemed to have that idea too, because it took us about 1 hour to get to Place Bellecour and another to get home. That journey, by bus and metro, usually takes 10 minutes! Saturday night, Claire and Michel threw another party, but for a different group of their friends. These friends all had sons that are friends with Victor. The party was tiring. It is very hard to concentrate when someone is speaking rapidly in a language you dont fully comprehend, asking questions about where you are from, etc, when you are already tired. I dont know why, but even when I dont do much during the day, I am still pooped by 7:00 pm, and here the parties dont even start until 8:30! Oh also, Claire and Michels friends were very astonished to learn that AK is a real place and that people actually live there:)
So today, Michel decided to take Laura and I bike riding with some of his friends from last night, and a couple others. In total, we were a group of 8. We drove for one hour, to a town called Beaujolais...I think. Then we started biking. At first, it was just steep, but slow on a paved road. Then, we took a dirt trail that had rocks the size of my fist scattered every two inches. We stayed on that trail for 18 KM! In the first half hour I fell down and scraped my knee:( For about half the time we were either going up or down in a 45 degree angle, and boy did they move faaast. This was the most difficult physical activity I have ever done. Not even one of Mrs. Whittingtons running practices can compare. It was probably one of the most dangerous too, because we didnt wear helmets...guess its just the french way:) One more thing, that made it all worth it: the scenery! It was SOOOO beautiful, and I didnt bring my camera:( We were going up and down large hills in the countryside of France. There were farms and chateau's everywhere, vineyards and rows of crops, cows and not many people! On the way back, we took the road because there were people hunting on the path we were planning on taking, and it was down hill for 6 KM straight, I did not touch my petals, which told me how far we had biked uphill! Then the last 3 KM we had to petal a little bit, but not much. We started biking at 10:30 and finished at 3:30 with a 30 minute break for lunch. So, that was my exhausting day!
And tomorrow, I have a math test, which does not bode (sp?) well for me because I still have no idea what math class I am in:)!

Bus Strike!

As of yesterday (the 24th of September) the public bus drivers decided to go on strike. I guess it happens a lot here, but this is the first I have ever experienced it. Some buses have completely stopped running, and others just run less. My bus stopped working yesterday, so I caught a ride to school with Ingrids mom, and then we took another bus part way home, and walked the rest of the way. Today, my bus is running, though less frequently...after morning classes, I took the bus home. At first, when I got to the bus stop, the moniter said it would only be 4 mintues, then I looked again and it said 10 minutes, and then a bus came...its very confusing.
On a happier note, I did a good deed for a mouse yesterday:). Mamadou (my host familys cat) caught a mouse and then dropped in it the pool! Mamadou wouldnt get it out, so the mouse started half swimming half drowning:(, but then I scooped the mouse out of the water and saved its life:) haha, it didnt move for about five minutes, I think it was in shock.
I have to go catch the bus for my afternoon classes in 25 minutes, but it is Friday!!! (so that is always nice) This weekend Claire is having another party for her friends on Saturday night, and then on Sunday, we are going to try to bike to someplace that serves frog...if I understood correctly.
Anyways, not much has happened in the last four or five days. Just a bunch of school...oh which I can now tell you my schedule because I understand it now!

On Monday:
8-10: Math
10-11: French
11-12: Math
then I am done for the day!!!

On Tuesday:
8-10: European English (?? dont really know)
10-11: Reg. English
11-12: Math
12-2: Lunch
2-3: History and Geography
3-4: French
4-5: Break
5-6: French

On Wednesday:
8-10: Math
10-12: Sport
Finished!!!!

On Thursday:
8-10: Life and Earth Sciences
10-11: French
11-12:30: Life and Earth Sciences in the lab
12:30-2: Lunch
2-4: Physics in the lab
4-5: Break
5-6: History and Geography

On Friday:
8-10: Reg. English
10-12:30: Physics and Chemistry (teacher was absent today, which is wy I am here typing this!!)
12:30-1: lunch
1-3: T.P.E. (some class to prepare for the Bac.)
3-4: Break
4-6: History and Geography

Also, my school has a total of 8 (!!) floors, and I have class with the exact same kids everyday, in all my classes. I think we are called 1S4 (premier science 4 class). And now I really have to go catch the bus to get to school to take the TPE class!

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Saturday night, 6 of Claire and Michels friends came over for dinner. I think we had a typical French dinner, because we started eating at 9:45 and ended at 11:00! It was really good though, Claire is a good cook. On French meals: I think the reason they have courses is for convenience. First, we will eat a salad, its cold and doesnt take much time to prepare, then while were eating that, the beef, or other kind of meat will cook, and then by the time we are done with the salad, it will have finished cooking. Then, after eating the main course (plat principal), we clear the table if there isnt enough room, and then have fromage:) or dessert.

On Sunday, it rained a TON! We were going to take a tour of the city on bikes and go to a restaurant to eat frogs, but since it was raining, we didnt go. Instead, we went the the cinéma and watched a movie called L'armée Du Crime. It was about Germans occupying France, and the people of France (the movie followed one group of men in particular) revolting against it. It was quite graphic, bloody, and violent. Not one of my favorites, but I think it was real French history.
Today, in math class, I actually understood a problem! It was very exciting! But then the teacher moved onto something else, and I was lost again. For lunch, we had two hours, so most my friends went home. Chloé, Laurie, and Anne Sophie stayed to eat à la cantine (cafeteria). Somehow we got to talking about Thanksgiving and decided I will make a traditional dinner for everyone... :) Hopefully I can recreate one, because usually I just do some pies! Oh well, I still have two months to think about that!
Right now, I should probably go translate the directions for my SVT homework, so maybe I can understand how to start it:)

Italy!!

Wow! I just found out about our school vacations here in Lyon...want to know? :) The first vacation is from the 24th of October to the 5th of November. The second is from the December 19th to January 4th. The third is from February 13 to March 1st. The fourth is from April 10th to the 26th, and then we get out of school on the 2nd of July! We get two weeks off about every six weeks, but I counted and we are still in school for about 180 days. It just sounds better, like we are in school for less time, this way. For the first vacation, on October 24th, my host family has decided to travel (by car) to Italy. We are going to stop in Pisa for one night, another small town for another night, and then spend five nights in Rome! I am really excited!!
Yesterday, I went with Ingrid, Olivia, Anne Sophie, Chloé, and Justine to Lauries house for lunch. We had noodles with a red sauce. Then, because I had told Laurie I like to bake, we made a cake:) It was yummy. Then we went back to the lycée and I had my first test (one that I understood!) in History and Geography class. Laurie had told me the day before that we were going to have a test on all the European countries and their capitals! AH! So, I went home and studdied for a long, long time. And I think I did pretty well on the test! I have had other tests, two in Physics and Chemistry class; which I did not understand at all, all I could do was write the question on my paper, and I also had one test in English class! Which I got a 14 on (out of 20). Now, I know that sounds bad, especially because my first language IS English, but its not really. Most kids are happy with 11 and 12s out of 20 here, it is NOT considered a 50 percent. If you get a 20, you are thought of as an Albert Einstein Genius-type person. Also, the test was a little difficult for me because the first part was in french and we had to translate it into English. I thought it was funny because that part was difficult for me and the others, but for a different reason. I have an essay due in French class on October 2nd, but I dont even know what it is about, so we will see how that goes...
Today, I went with Laura, Julie (my host cousin), and one of her friends, Sarah, to Place Bellecour to shop. I bought a cardigan, a tank top and a teeshirt. The first store wouldnt take my debit card, I am not sure why, so I had to get money out of an ATM. We bought sandwiches from a small stand on the Rue De La République, and they were really good! Except, a homeless man told me I should give my sandwich to him, because if I ate it I would get fat! haha! I didnt understand at first, but Julie explained it to me.
As of tomorrow, I will have been with my host family for two weeks! Thats strange, because it doesnt feel like I have been gone that long!

Il Pleut!

Its raining now, and has been for two days. Its funny, because everyone pops out their umbrellas as soon as they get outside, even if its not really raining. So, yesterday, I was late to school again because bus 25 was completely jam-packed with people, and Chloé, Laura, and I could not fit on. So we ran to the next bus stop, and got on a different bus, but we were still late. Since we were more than 5 minutes late, our punishment was to sit in detention for the rest of the first class...which for me wasnt really bad because I just started writing a letter to Amanda:). Then, I ate with Ameerah (sp?) and her friend for lunch. It turned out that they thought they could only speak English to me, even though I told them I would understand if they spoke slow french. Since Ameerahs friend doesnt speak English well, they pretty much just talked to eachother in rapid french most of lunch. The rest of yesterday went pretty slow, and I finnished school at 6:00, though not before my cell phone went off in class! I had givin my number to a guy, Mathius, who my friends and I talk to alot. He had finnished at 5:00, and assumed I had to, but I hadnt. So he texted me right in the middle of the class while the French teacher was reading, she glared at me and told me to shut my phones mouth...? Oops:) When I got home, I fixed my phone so that it would not be able to change from vibrate to loud without being opened. So I hope it doesnt happen again!
Today, Wednesday, was a half day, just like every other Wednesday. I had two hours of Math in the morning, which I do not understand AT ALL, I cant even tell you what level of math it is! Only that there are weird symbols that I have never seen before, like sidways eights, and funny looking Rs, etc. Then I had two hours of accrosport. It is hard, you have to make shapes with other people and your bodies and hold people up and stuff. Its kind of like extreme cheerleading:) haha. Then I took the bus home and ate lunch with my host family...they (my host parents) come home every day for lunch, isnt that strange??
Okay, just one more thing. Even though its only the second week I have been here, Laura is already better at understanding and talking than I am. So, my host parents think I need a little extra help, and they decided that I need to start taking french classes after school, get a french-english translator person to follow me around school, and, if that doesnt work, I will have to move down to Second (the year before Premier, which is what I am in now). I really hope that doesnt happen, because Ihave already made friends with the girls in my grade!! But I guess we'll see...:)

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On Saturday, Laura and I decided we wanted to go into the center of Lyon, called Place Bellecour. Claire dropped us off at the metro station and we somehow figured out the system and got down there. There are a bunch of shops and we just walked around. I bought a pain au chocolat at a touristy stand. We went into a Pharmacie so that I could buy a bottle of contact solution (the dont sell that at Carrefour, which is like a Walmart), but the lady said it would cost 16 Euro! So I said, non merci!!! Everything here is so expensive, I dont know if I am just going to the wrong places to buy things or if everywhere is like this. We also went into a couple of papershop places so Laura could buy lined paper. Then we caught the metro back to the Grange Blanche station and took a bus home. After we got back, I made chocolate chip cookies for the party on Sunday, which was surprisingly difficult. I hadnt thought about the cups to grams ratio enough to realize that cups are volume and grams are weight. They came out a little flat, but overall they tasted the same:). Saturday night, we watched the French version of the American TV show 'Lost' (which is called Disparu in French). It was interesting because I had never seen it in English, but you could tell it On Sunday, we woke up and immediately started preparing for the party. 20 people came in total, and I only remember two names...is that bad??:) haha. I forgot to say that the party was not, in fact, just for Victor, (whose not at home), but for all the family's september birthdays, which I guess there are a lot of. Anyway, Claire's sisters came with their husbands and their children. Claire's mother came, and Michel's father and mother came. Then there was Pierre-Antoine, who is not part of the family, but a friend of Victor (and one of the two names I remember) The other person whose name I remember is Julie. She is Claire's sister's child, or my host cousin? She is my age or one year older. She is really nice, she talked to Laura and I alot, and even offered to take us shopping this weekend. I am not sure if that is her hobby, or she thought we needed new clothes:). After the party, Laura and I took a walk around the neighboorhood, and didnt get lost!
Then Monday (today) we had school again. I had math at eight, then an hour break, where I went to the bibliotheque (library) with Ingrid, Laurie, and Olivia. After that, I had an hour of histoire-geographie, and then another hour of math. Then two hours for lunch, and then an hour of Anglais (English!!). We had a test today, for the first part, we had to translate sentences from French to English, that was kind of difficult. Then we had to write 200 words about a job of our choice and the high and low points of having that job as a career. I chose baking as my career. After school, a girl whose in my class but I had never talked to before asked me if I would eat lunch with her and another girl tomorrow, I said yes. I thought that was very nice of her to ask. I dont think people are that observative at West High, last year I never would have thought to ask someone I didnt know to eat with me at lunch. I will have to keep that in mind when I return:). After that, I took the bus with Ingrid, Laurie, and another girl and then walked to the house. I think I have homework, but I am not sure what it is or what to do, so I guess I will just get bad grades this semester, and try to improve them next semester when I am (hopefully!!!!!) fluent in French. I feel like I take a bunch of notes in school, (or I copy the notes of the other students) but I have not idea what they say or how to use them....I guess I will learn sometime! A la prochaine!

So, Thursday and Friday went well. School wise anyways, getting there on Friday was a bit of a stuggle...will tell you more in a second. On Thursday, I had two hours of SVT, Sciences Vie & Terre, (Life and Earth Science). M. Laval was the teacher, hes nice and tried to talk to me in english. The I had Francais, which is a really difficult class because the teacher talks in rapid french for the entire period, and I dont understand any of it. But I did understand when she gave us a paper with 15 books listed on it and said we would have to read all of the during the year! Then, I had two MORE hours of SVT and then lunch. Lunch here consists of fruit, cheese, bread, dessert, a main course (such as noodles, eggs, or lasagne) and also water. Then I had two hours of Physique-Chimie (which was physics and chemistry) but we only have one each time, that period we talked about chemistry and did some experiments, they were actually really cool. What we did was rub a plastic tube with a nylon fabric and then picked up bits of paper with it because of static electricity I think? And then we did the same thing but with water. We let a small stream of water flow from the tap and placed the plastic tube close to it and the water bent towards the tube! (I was amazed). After that, I got to go home (at 4:00) because I dont take another language like most people. So since Ingrid, Chloé, and Laura were still in class, I had to find the way to the bus stop, get off at the right stop, and find my way from the bus stop to my house all by my self...and I did it! I didnt get lost!
On Friday, getting to school was more exciting. It started off fine, Laura and I met Ingrid at the bus stop and we got on the bus. Then, the bus stopped at the first stop, and a bunch of little kids that were on the bus needed to get off. The bus was packed, and we had been the last to get on, so we were in the doorway. The little kids all pushed past us, and started to forced me against the door. When they all got off and the bus driver tried to close the doors, one of them wouldnt close because it had been broken by all the force! The bus stopped traffic for several blocks and all the cars behind us were honking. The bus driver made everyone get off the bus and we were going to wait for another bus to come get us, but the bus was blocking the whole road and nothing could get by, so we walked most the way to school, and then caught another bus the rest of the way! No one noticed that I was the one standing in the doorway when the doors broke until we got to school and then I told Ingrid, and she started laughing:) Haha, so that was my Friday morning. We got to school in time to catch the last part of the two hour block of English class! And then we had two hours of Physique-Chimie, where we had a test. My paper was pretty blank at the end except for the question I had written down on the paper:). Then, we had lunch, but I had four hours for lunch because for some reason I didnt have a two hour class called Travx Perso. Encadres (I have no idea what it is). Then I had another two hours, one from regular lunch, and another from the 'other language' class I dont have. So, I went home and ate, and then had to catch the bus back to school for one hour of Histoire and Geographie, which I really like because the teacher smiles a lot and seems really nice, and because I sort of understood what we were doing. We were taking notes on the population of France. Then I caught the bus with Ingrid, Chloé, and another girl Chloé introduced me to, but I forgot her name. Last night (friday night), I went to a photo gallerie opening of one of Claires friends. The photos were of people and siverware relected in mirrors to distort the image. It was interesting. After that, we went to a big restaurant and I had Foie Gras, which was okay, but not very flavorful. Then, I came home and slept:)
Tomorrow, Claire and Michel are having a big party for a bunch of family birthdays that occur in September. Claire asked me if I wanted to make a dessert for the party and I said yes! I am going to make Chocolate Chip Cookies. I converted all the cups and teaspoons into grams, so I hope they turn out allright!
A bientot!

Fourth Day In Lyon!

Bonjour!



This is my first post on my new blog. I am currently at my new home, it is Wednesday afternoon and I dont have school again until tomorrow! French kids dont have school after 12:00 on Wednesday. Nice, you might think....but then again, French kids go to school for 10 hours Monday, Tuesday, Thurday, and Friday, from 8:00 to 6:00, and we dont get 2 1/2 hours for lunch like I thought before arriving, only 1 hour:)



Now I am going to back up....briefly to last year. I started the process of applying for this opportunity last year around September, I think. I turned in my full application around October or November...and left my house, destined for France on the 25th of August. I had to fly to NYC to meet up with other AFS kids to have our national orientation. From August 25th to September 2nd, I explored NYC with my real mom, dad, and sister. Then, September 2nd, they dropped me off at the DoubleTree Hotel near the JFK airport for the national orientation. I met kids from all over the US there, most were facinated that I am an Alaskan! haha! 53 kids from the US were at the orientation ready to go to France, then there were also kids going to Austria, Spain, Russia, and one person going to South Africa. 1/2 hour before the French kids left to go to the airport, one girl decided she couldnt do it, and backed out. We flew all night and got in to Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport at about 10:30 Friday morning. Then we split up into two groups: the kids staying for a year, and the kids staying for 6 months. There were significantly more kids staying for one year. Then, the kids staying for one year took a bus to a hostel where we got to meet kids from EVERYWHERE!! Thailand, Japan, China, Finland (my exchange sister!), Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hungry, Portugal, Paraguay, etc. There were about 200 kids staying at the hostel total from AFS. We took the rest of Friday to recover, and then Saturday we had an orientation for one half day, and then took a tour of Paris!!! I have lots of pictures, but have not decided if I will put them up on this blog, or on Facebook, and I do not know how to use this computer very well, so I am also waiting so I do not misplace my photos on it or delete them or something like that. Then, Sunday, about 30 kids from the total 200 took a sort of Greyhound Bus to Lyon. We started at 7:30 and Laura (my exchange sister) and I got to Claire and Michel's house at about 5:00. It was a very long day! My host parents are very nice, they speak slowly so Laura and I can understand them, and repeat things a lot for us. On Monday, Laura and I didnt go to school, which was very nice. Instead, we took a biking tour with Michel, which was crazy because it is a big city and we biked in the road and everything! Michel took us to see the big cathedrals and the center of Lyon and to the post office and to get our bus cards because we take the bus to school. Its not a school bus, but a public bus, and since Laura and I dont know the area and the bus system well, Claire took it with us on our first day of school and showed us how to use it...though it is still confusing for me.
SO, the first day of school (yesterday) was long, but not bad. When I arrived, Claire talked to the principle-person and got us our schedules. Then, a teacher or just a nice guy took me to my first class and asked one of the girls to show me around. Her name is Anne Sophie. She was really nice and let me copy her notes when the teacher was talking. The first two classes I had were in English!!!!!!!YAY!!!!! The first one WAS English, which was awesome, and the second was Chemistry. But then, I had French, History, French, Math, and then French AGAIN! (all in French). Then The day was finished....sometime in there though, I had lunch, Anne Sophie introduced me to all her friends. They were (are) really nice! They asked me how cold it is in Alaska, etc. They talk in French mostly, but also in English if I dont understand.
Today, I had two hours of Math, and then two hours of Gym. The gym teacher explained that for the first quarter of the year we would be doing something called accrosport??? which I understand to be some kind of gymnastics. Then after school, I found Laura and took the bus with her and two other girls named Chloé and Ingrid home. We ate leftover lasange(haha thats not how you spell it???), water, bread (they eat bread with EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! they also mop up their plate with it), and jus de pomplemousse (grapefruit juice)! Then I started this blog, and here we are. I think Claire is going to take Laura and I school shopping soon, so I had better go. Sorry for such a long blog!
Erin