Armistice Day

Today is Armistice Day in France. We dont have school, and most people dont work, though some large stores are open. Armistice Day (aka Remembrance Day) became a national holiday to remeber the armistice treaty signed between France and Germany at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month (11:00am on November 11) in 1918. This day is celebrated in the US also, though known as Veterans Day.
Last Saturday, I woke up too early to take the train to a small town called St. Etienne for the AFS day. This time, the Rhone Alpes Region of AFS kids was split in two because there are about 35 people total. The other half of the kids went to Grenoble. First, we walked through an old coal mine, had lunch in a different building that one of the parents had prearranged for us, and then went bowling. It was fun to talk lots of English and see how everyone else is doing. Most people were fairly happy, with just minor problems with their host families. One girl from Switzerland is getting ready to leave (in two weeks), because her program is just for three months! Then Laura and I took the train back to Lyon and the bus back to our house. Saturday night we at a TV dinner, though no, not one of the frozen ones, we just had dinner in front of the TV because there was a movie on that Michel wanted to watch, though I forget the name and what it was about:). Sunday I slept in until about 10:30 which is pretty late for me here, though in Alaska it would be really early:) Then I went to a movie with Michel and Claire which was very strange, even for a French movie. Michel told me afterwards that he had no idea what had happened:) Then I called my parents in Alaska, and then went to sleep.
Monday, I had a math test, though halfway through it my stomach started hurting really bad. I finished the test and went to an hour of French and then decided I better go home (the only classes I had left that day were one more hour of math and one hour with the English assistant, which I figured I could miss). So I went home and slept, and when I woke up, I felt completely normal. Which was good!
On Tuesday, yesterday, I had a long day of school. Its strange because when I get out of school at 6:00 its dark outside. Last night we watched a movie about Alaska my parent sent to my host family. My host parents really loved watching the whales swim and parts of the glacier fall into the ocean, though my host dad did ask if we milked caribou in Alaska, like cows!:)
Today, I slept in a little and then had the intention of having a really productive day...so far (is 5:00 pm) that hasnt really happened:) I wanted to make french toast (haha irony!) for breakfast today, but we were out of bread (its a French persons worst nightmare) and my host mom quickly went to the store to get more, but I just decided to eat cereal. Then I read one of the little books in a little kids comic series called Max et Lilli, and then my host mom took Laura and I shopping at a store called Kiabi. I bought a pair of new pants (because two of my old pairs dont fit anymore!) and a sweater.Then we came back and had a big lunch of chicken, a cheesy potato dish, bread (of course), chocolate mouse (made by my host mom), and a apricot and pistachio tart which my host dad bought somewhere earlier today. Then I tried to study for a chemistry and physics test I am going to have on Friday, but I didnt understand any of my notes, and now I am on the computer:) I have also started researching recipes for Thanksgiving dinner which I will make for my family on the 28th (saturday) because I have 10 hours of school on the actual day of Thanksgiving, which doesnt leave much room for cooking dinner! I have not looked in the biggest food stores yet, but I have not found key Thanksgiving ingredients in the smallar ones in Monchat, such as pumpkin purée for pumpkin pie, jello powder for a jello fruit salad, marshmallows and brown sugar for the yams, etc. Maybe this Saturday I will have time to go to a large grocery store to look for all the yummy processed food I need to buy to create my Thanksgiving dinner!:)