tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74876712744620373982024-03-04T21:18:57.536-08:00The Blog of NatalieUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-7823017275201094492012-04-29T12:18:00.000-07:002012-04-29T12:18:40.060-07:00Friday 4/27: Goodbye Tyrosse...<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Friday was my last day. How bizarre to wake up and think, "This is the last time I'll wake up in this bed...in this room...in this house..." I had lots of things to do in the morning (Jessie and I went to the grocery store so we could buy things we wanted to take home/to Tanzania) and at 11:30am we went to Margot's tennis match. She was playing in a tournament in Tyrosse, so we just walked over to watch. It was lucky that it wasn't raining (and there was even a little sun!) for her game. Unfortunately she lost, but she played really well! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Margot playing tennis</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In the afternoon, I had to finish packing and also go to the bank to get all the money out of my account. Jessie made chocolate chip cookies (which turned out really thin and more like chips!) while I was busy with my packing. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">When Margot got home from surfing, we all decided to go in the pool. Actually, Jessie and I were thinking that--since it was finally kinda sunny--it was our last chance to go swimming! After Jessie and I had jumped in, Margot was convinced that she had to accompany us. We spent about a half an hour playing games and jumping in the pool. It was really cold, but still lots of fun!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>First ones in!!!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Margot joins us!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Chantal, Philippe, Jeanne, Pierre, and Claire came over around 5:30pm to have tea and say goodbye. We chatted for about an hour and then gave hugs goodbye. Claire had made me a really adorable book of drawings with a goodbye message she had typed up. Clearly she had been working on it for a while (and Chantal told me that she was really sad that I was leaving). I'm gonna miss her, too! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tKocNM9HHgd1K73sZEwPwxBhwCc4GnIKvf_lt5-ebudiqZiz8r9lv5rgnI6Xs24FJecIsA-kZbZHdAhoogeaYuhE6S2kjg6jud2ZQnwPVIKv8gtCfE9VdGLf2G9IfI2T88xBcPM9wipd/s1600/IMG_2710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8tKocNM9HHgd1K73sZEwPwxBhwCc4GnIKvf_lt5-ebudiqZiz8r9lv5rgnI6Xs24FJecIsA-kZbZHdAhoogeaYuhE6S2kjg6jud2ZQnwPVIKv8gtCfE9VdGLf2G9IfI2T88xBcPM9wipd/s640/IMG_2710.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>My favorite girls! :)</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">For my last dinner, Catherine had made chili (well, we had all made it together the night before)--which was delicious. As dinner drew to a close, the feeling that I was leaving began to hit me. I asked Margot to pass the water pitcher and thought "well, that's the last time I'll ask that." When we'd all finished eating, we gathered for a family photo (taken by a friend of Lucas, who was spending the night). Jessie also managed to get a good pic of Dunja and I. I hurried up to finish packing a few last things--then lugged all the bags downstairs. Earlier I had mentioned to Ralf that I wanted to buy a "TYROSSE" sweatshirt, but he told me that Hugo had one that was now too small for him. So, tonight, Hugo gave me his sweatshirt! It's comfortable and I love it!!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Family time!!! </i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>My amazing host family</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>And my host dog!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie and I carried our bags out to the car and Ralf came out to say goodbye (Margot and Catherine were taking us to the station). I gave him a big hug and got all choked up--I couldn't believe it was already time to say goodbye. I told him thank you for everything and that I hoped we'd see each other soon in Oregon. Then I ran inside to say a quick goodbye to the boys. Ralf waved us off and we popped in the "Memories" CD mix that I'd made for Catherine and Margot. It's a mix of a bunch of songs that we'd listened to throughout the time that I lived there. Not surprisingly, I immediately had tears running down my cheeks as "Homeward Bound" (Simon & Garfunkel) began to play. It just got worse as all the songs that held memories of fun times hanging out with them played one after another. I could hear Margot crying, so (without looking at her--we were both studiously staring out our windows) I took her hand and we held hands all the way to the train station. When we were most of the way there, "Vivo Per Lei" (Andrea Bocelli & Hélène Segara) came on and Catherine began to sniffle as well. When "Amazing Grace" (her favorite rendition--sung by "Il Divo" at the Coliseum in Rome) came on, she lost it entirely. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">When we arrived at the train station, Catherine parked and they helped us get our bags to the train. After we'd stuck everything on the train, Jessie and I went back out on the platform to say goodbye. We were all crying (Jessie is a sympathy crier--she lost it as soon as everyone else was crying) and hugging and saying that we'd skype and write and visit... We couldn't help but laugh at ourselves, being all weepy! Catherine told me that it was like seeing her own daughter leave--I have certainly gained another mother. Margot and I squeezed each other tightly and sniffled...I'm going to miss that girl. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Eventually the train blew its whistle and we had to get on. We waved goodbye and blew kisses as the train pulled out of the station (with Margot running alongside).</span></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-71545749243968997762012-04-29T12:04:00.001-07:002012-04-29T12:13:44.548-07:00Monday 4/23-Thursday 4/26: My very last week...<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">As luck would have it, we had rain all week. Ugh. Lots of stormy, gray weather and loads of rain. We spent quite a lot of time just hanging out inside... I had to work on sorting my stuff and packing. Jessie did a lot of reading and we both played games with Margot and in the evenings we watched movies with Catherine. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I had had a problem with my fake tooth while I was in Sheffield, so on Monday I went to the dentist to have it looked out. He took an X-ray and informed me that the root the fake tooth is attached to is dead. Apparently that's really bad and I'll need to have the root taken out and a new tooth put in--in the next month or two. Daaaang. That's NOT going to be cheap. But, he prescribed me some antibiotics (apparently there was an infection and that's why it hurt quite a bit) and enough pain killers for me to take with me to Tanzania. Margot was also having tooth problems--she had a loose tooth that was taking FOREVER to fall out! She kept wiggling it around, but it was being stubborn. Finally, one night right before bed, it popped out! Since in France they don't have a tooth fairy--they have a little mouse instead, I copied a picture of a mouse from online and then Jessie and I gave her a euro. We slipped it under her door while she was sleeping and she was so surprised to find it in the morning! First she accused me of doing it, but I just looked confused and said "isn't that normal that the mouse would give you something since you just lost a tooth?" She then waited for Jessie to get up and accused her...Jessie denied any association. So, Margot returned to me and kept badgering me until I gave her a big smile and she said "I KNEW IT WAS YOU!!!" </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>La petite souris!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Wednesday (4/25) it was a little bit drier, so Jessie and I attempted a beach day... I gave Margot and Jeanne a ride to their surf class (they were surfing every afternoon this week) and then Jessie and I went out onto the beach in our suits--all ready to go for a swim. However, it was super windy and chilly on the beach and the water was pretty darn cold. We got up to our knees and then decided not to actually go swimming. We instead went into the town of Hossegor and walked around (stopping for a pastry, of course!) before returning to sit by the beach for a while and wait for Margot and Jeanne to finish their class. At least we got a little bit of time at the beach without it pouring rain!! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Pre-attempted swimming...</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Chilly...</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiquODG__6pzlIciJ6bNCkaIf3ccNFSGWChQTIvCvPtN0yPnYYUBxErkuxNGq-xmlNTfkzulj15z92p0CQXhgiadq7N70rTxszRO84lBB5-bpj2gschxNwTTQ_sPFqRbnOlzdSNuUOV_7s/s1600/IMG_2659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiquODG__6pzlIciJ6bNCkaIf3ccNFSGWChQTIvCvPtN0yPnYYUBxErkuxNGq-xmlNTfkzulj15z92p0CQXhgiadq7N70rTxszRO84lBB5-bpj2gschxNwTTQ_sPFqRbnOlzdSNuUOV_7s/s640/IMG_2659.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Instead we opt for a pastry</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> On Thursday (4/26), Jessie and I took the train to Bayonne for the afternoon. It rained while we were walking to the train station, but the whole time we were in Bayonne was decent. We strolled around the lovely cobblestone streets, visited the cathedral and cloister, ate a picnic lunch on a bench near the old castle wall, and sat near the river while eating gâteau Basque. It was my last gâteau Basque...I definitely need to figure out how to bake it myself. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Part of the picnic!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>In front of the cathedral in Bayonne</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Wandering in the cloister</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessie by the cathedral</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Thursday evening, Margot, Jessie, and I goofed off with photobooth.... :)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Awwww...</i></span></td></tr>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-45712082607686967342012-04-29T11:51:00.004-07:002012-04-29T12:10:04.725-07:00Thursday 4/19-Sunday 4/22: A visit to Sheffield<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Thursday (4/19), Jessie and I slept in (we were rather exhausted from the past two days of exploring) and then headed to the train station--stopping for a breakfast bagel on the way. Mm, bagels! That's definitely something I'll be looking forward to having when I get back to the US (they don't DO bagels in France...)!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">We took the train from London to Sheffield (about 2 hours by train to the North), where Grace and Elara picked us up at the station! It was so good to see them again! Unfortunately, though, it was just as gray and rainy there as it was in London. We headed back to their house and had a relaxing evening (which included some delicious carrot soup and watching Black Adder).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Then, on Friday, Jessie and I got to sleep in because Grace was busy in the morning and everyone else was gone (Kim was at work, the girls were at school). In the afternoon we tried to go to a museum with Grace, but when we got there it turned out to be closed! Phooey. So, we did some grocery shopping (Jessie needed to stock up on "Percy Pigs"--a British gummy candy) and then went back to Grace's house and had a magnificent tea party! We had walked over to pick up Elara from school and then came home and prepared the tea and scones with clotted cream and jam. It was so elegant and delicious! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGy9gbR2xqCX8Iedw5ZOyUxl-MFRLLdShgw70u0dbL04gztkGUpCtiNr7gjZAZtQd9ULqmMwkzargLh2t3yE3pqJu7Le62jliSTqURzB1dQOCARALQPVQU7sdKwxNI7yLQI-ZXuhjxv4r/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEGy9gbR2xqCX8Iedw5ZOyUxl-MFRLLdShgw70u0dbL04gztkGUpCtiNr7gjZAZtQd9ULqmMwkzargLh2t3yE3pqJu7Le62jliSTqURzB1dQOCARALQPVQU7sdKwxNI7yLQI-ZXuhjxv4r/s640/IMG_2615.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Grace even brought out the good china!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>YUM!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>The GOOD kind of cider!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Saturday, Kim, Grace, Miranda, and Elara took us to the MAGNA museum in an old factory in Sheffield. It's a science museum and has four parts: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. There were plenty of fun activities and exhibits. We had a lot of fun, although it was really chilly!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>The shut-down factory, turned science museum</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessie's cool!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jessie drives the backhoe</span></i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">That afternoon we were all feeling really lazy, so Kim turned on the movie "Madagascar" (because I'd never seen it). When the first movie finished, we continued with "Madagascar 2." That evening, we had an absolutely delicious Indian dinner followed by a traditional Greek pastry. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie and I had to leave on Sunday morning so we could catch a bus and train to get us to the airport in Manchester. We took a Ryanair flight back to Biarritz, where Ralf picked us up at the airport. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-52106954625179038972012-04-28T11:48:00.000-07:002012-04-28T11:48:04.853-07:00April 18th: My birthday and a trip to the Harry Potter Studios!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Wednesday (4/18), Jessie and I woke up early so we could walk down to the London Bridge tube stop, take the tube across town, and take a train out to where a bus picked us up to go to the Harry Potter Leavesden Studios. Going to the studios was Jessie's gift to me to celebrate my 23rd birthday! It was pouring rain, but that just added to the coolness of flying around roundabouts on the top of a double decker bus! When we arrived, the lobby was enormous and had huge photographs of many of the actors all around the room. In addition, they had hung several of the huge set pieces from the ceiling!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie and the Harry Potter bus!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">At Leavesden Studios</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The Lobby</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">We waited in line and shuffled past Harry's Cupboard and some framed pictures of the Dursleys, hanging on the wall. We joined our 11am tour group and were led into a room with a bunch of screens where we watched a video explaining how the Harry Potter movies came to be (how the director discovered the books and how Harry Potter became a huge hit). Next we were brought into a cinema where they showed a video they'd made about the Studios. It was the three main actors who told us about all the work that had been put into making the 8 movies over the 10 years that they had all worked at Leavesden Studios. It would have been so cool to have been a part of the team that made the movies--props, costumes, sets, whatever!! Just to have been a part of the team! At the end of the video, the three actors were standing in front of the doors to the Great Hall and they opened up the doors and said something like, "Come on and see for yourselves!" With that, the screen in our cinema lifted and behind it were the REAL Great Hall doors! It was beyond cool! Jessie and I just looked at each other and grinned! :)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In front of Harry's cupboard</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The Great Hall doors!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie in the Great Hall</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Our tour group went into the Great Hall and our guide told us about how the set designers had decided to use a real stone floor because they knew it had to last for 10 years and withstand hundreds of children walking around on it all the time. She told us loads of interesting things and then let us loose to look around and take pictures. It was so thrilling to be walking through the Great Hall! After a little bit of time, we were told that another tour group would be entering the Great Hall and we had to move into the next room.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCe7gAj3GoX0cY1Ck09FgRX4mJ6snCdZhVd1gBpDd5kmB1efFFacQVWgg3NS3Uc03SoUdXoMlYd-o9bg1db3JCygE_BkYRub0eVaAXkktYTFwOeiq0DNONjmv5LaDp-qMEUQHh1c6fHBUl/s1600/IMG_2324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCe7gAj3GoX0cY1Ck09FgRX4mJ6snCdZhVd1gBpDd5kmB1efFFacQVWgg3NS3Uc03SoUdXoMlYd-o9bg1db3JCygE_BkYRub0eVaAXkktYTFwOeiq0DNONjmv5LaDp-qMEUQHh1c6fHBUl/s640/IMG_2324.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Magnificent!</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The next room was massive. It had bits of lots of different sets (tables from the Yule Ball, the Hogwarts entry gates, the Gryffindor common room, the boys dormitory, Dumbledore's office, Hagrid's hut, the potions classroom, the hallway in the Shrieking Shack, the Burrow, Umbridge's office, the Ministry of Magic entry hall, and more!) and also loads of props and costumes. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpouTdBGaWaSKhUuww-S2ENDO-VI6eT5E8hIfknWGAkK8Mieoe1zuvqt-JvCRcXyuIwA5JdL7n8iF-5psfoQEYyv1YAmFnVR0vnm_Fwcn5NaLo-CGmVvQQWuotu6uutiW5CEk-VtMaNBn/s1600/IMG_2331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLpouTdBGaWaSKhUuww-S2ENDO-VI6eT5E8hIfknWGAkK8Mieoe1zuvqt-JvCRcXyuIwA5JdL7n8iF-5psfoQEYyv1YAmFnVR0vnm_Fwcn5NaLo-CGmVvQQWuotu6uutiW5CEk-VtMaNBn/s640/IMG_2331.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The delicious chocolate delicacies! (all fake, unfortunately...)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VlZ9Bjvgr6ZBWiz5I0sPSFkp60RcfdFcuFZJ5_Q2Ia324hAzwmeM24UXE5Dtb-q51YIP8ce2e3n_l9dU3h2MvJmSU89eOiUgGvJQivzcvOwhL7Jw9dwXNUXhyphenhyphenFl8RdfPmn0dbhKMPH0_/s1600/IMG_2361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VlZ9Bjvgr6ZBWiz5I0sPSFkp60RcfdFcuFZJ5_Q2Ia324hAzwmeM24UXE5Dtb-q51YIP8ce2e3n_l9dU3h2MvJmSU89eOiUgGvJQivzcvOwhL7Jw9dwXNUXhyphenhyphenFl8RdfPmn0dbhKMPH0_/s640/IMG_2361.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The Boys Dormitory</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1uLhNvcpoYTDttlu7Tja1dqsWkat4HivnkQ_egvMv405oVnjkitUkXOVTgtoWHjo7PJNL5H4g9FvLFMOO48TQy_KHrxQ2OxyWkTnMevoeJsbWyGvUgSWXrgU_8q50AuSya_q9XYT05We/s1600/IMG_2366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1uLhNvcpoYTDttlu7Tja1dqsWkat4HivnkQ_egvMv405oVnjkitUkXOVTgtoWHjo7PJNL5H4g9FvLFMOO48TQy_KHrxQ2OxyWkTnMevoeJsbWyGvUgSWXrgU_8q50AuSya_q9XYT05We/s640/IMG_2366.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie in the Mirror of ERISED</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Since Jessie and I had arranged to get one "digital guide" to share, we often stopped to hold the earphones up between us and watch little extra videos they had on the iPod guide that told about different parts of the making of the movies. I was blown away with how much work had gone into making the movies. Seriously. Everything was so detailed and so carefully and lovingly created. In the potions classroom, the props people had found over 1,000 glass jars, which they filled with different sorts of items (the tails or legs of plastic reptiles, boiled bones from meat shops, or other creepy-looking items) and then hand-labeled! So much work that you don't even really notice in the movie! I was so glad we got to check out all the details.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEgjgI6XtBnezyaDrfjfB6JmMkc1QkQe9DEhseAmSY4Y3nQIbEjQb-j83p2oyIrd0alJzImMm3NFF3kKly0p4nz7RpS9nEERPiu1DzLgerK3gcCJIrorb9RNvrRMR_yVA6hMVCcNvBLA8/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWEgjgI6XtBnezyaDrfjfB6JmMkc1QkQe9DEhseAmSY4Y3nQIbEjQb-j83p2oyIrd0alJzImMm3NFF3kKly0p4nz7RpS9nEERPiu1DzLgerK3gcCJIrorb9RNvrRMR_yVA6hMVCcNvBLA8/s640/IMG_2378.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The Gryffindor common room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie and the clock thingy</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The entrance to Dumbledore's office</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRlYNG4chEUnHdmjgRKDOlV2iu7Pnjiw8CG18YuDeZMqL6LScG4Y4VEgBJ1NmMAXJIX-RisXV90ciOhzYgxiXuRhZYi6_trh6D9ry-12F_yOPxqAwSw7T3US9e5W-BBKujKvl-JdW0J1H/s1600/IMG_2430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRlYNG4chEUnHdmjgRKDOlV2iu7Pnjiw8CG18YuDeZMqL6LScG4Y4VEgBJ1NmMAXJIX-RisXV90ciOhzYgxiXuRhZYi6_trh6D9ry-12F_yOPxqAwSw7T3US9e5W-BBKujKvl-JdW0J1H/s640/IMG_2430.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie in the potions classroom</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdSjH61B_2bT3pXFs1PvPQqAwohFxGE9uwHHqU9_bB0ZjxINXicRz3cX1mlZIo2y_eKCUiubDadlZh6g6N1JTyLyWxYBayrwIiStMiPbo0ju7-Qs6qjiGMy-2_OIbN1__RX4-8NxW3SDb/s1600/IMG_2462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdSjH61B_2bT3pXFs1PvPQqAwohFxGE9uwHHqU9_bB0ZjxINXicRz3cX1mlZIo2y_eKCUiubDadlZh6g6N1JTyLyWxYBayrwIiStMiPbo0ju7-Qs6qjiGMy-2_OIbN1__RX4-8NxW3SDb/s640/IMG_2462.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The entrance to the Chamber of Secrets</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfv_EnaLggQXZYa16mDENYWPIJKWQqcH1hqmSGV7O3tBgieJj_aAxeYxb0_B-tWPeyFld7VAyy6unXsKsOw-Ty6_GLx4rOkjkx6LAVmtVhhvaQsa9TMR-ZGQvV574Wr2EakH51FBSAT4G/s1600/IMG_2478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfv_EnaLggQXZYa16mDENYWPIJKWQqcH1hqmSGV7O3tBgieJj_aAxeYxb0_B-tWPeyFld7VAyy6unXsKsOw-Ty6_GLx4rOkjkx6LAVmtVhhvaQsa9TMR-ZGQvV574Wr2EakH51FBSAT4G/s640/IMG_2478.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The Burrow!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrEX59GfOIXa4omB7DF7ewekaDX5Toz02PzTWoyFNoN6vjivak59h2w9qrgBLKeRpvGhkzfDQ127Vh_9OkcuHa63h9VKP5cMOSyrg9bAztbjeXvU03cIK7uUIFCiq0qQ_698SJm83yq8_/s1600/IMG_2504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrEX59GfOIXa4omB7DF7ewekaDX5Toz02PzTWoyFNoN6vjivak59h2w9qrgBLKeRpvGhkzfDQ127Vh_9OkcuHa63h9VKP5cMOSyrg9bAztbjeXvU03cIK7uUIFCiq0qQ_698SJm83yq8_/s640/IMG_2504.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Umbridge's office...</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">After we'd spent hours and hours in the big room, we headed outside to where the large set pieces were: Number 4 Privet Drive (and Number 3, as well!), the Knight Bus, the Riddle gravestone, the chess pieces from the giant game of Wizard's Chess in HP #1, the Potters' house in Godric's Hollow, the Hogwarts bridge, Sirius' motorbike, and Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia! It was raining when we first got outside, so Jessie bought each of us a butterbeer! It was incredible. SO delicious!! And just like I had always imaginede it--creamy and fizzy and AMAZING! Unfortunately, it's only sold at two places in the world: the Studios and the Harry Potter theme park in Florida. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuP1pr2McLvlTRCGyQ9dWjbrvLCOnexVzf8BQsS_hZ-39Q7m1VSHwvKkNO99tvjSHw078h32u2QmaC5eEGctGpMZgsiH95-qNDG4CtLFyc_ADq1KLHd4Mgef2xFwBju4RyiFHJF-sSDtY/s1600/IMG_2538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHuP1pr2McLvlTRCGyQ9dWjbrvLCOnexVzf8BQsS_hZ-39Q7m1VSHwvKkNO99tvjSHw078h32u2QmaC5eEGctGpMZgsiH95-qNDG4CtLFyc_ADq1KLHd4Mgef2xFwBju4RyiFHJF-sSDtY/s640/IMG_2538.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">BUTTERBEER!!!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav5y9OP-3b-jAYa_TmUFj5bV164j_xF3Mk7VxDCa-Lk6Zp6nueMwJ-_Q_gXjdVDfhDwepE-XzzRAlB7ybMhGaYaVsDi79u-ZNrq0X-whi2mJS5_39HwyvyYwWfaP5HitgqczT6Df15Iqa/s1600/IMG_2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjav5y9OP-3b-jAYa_TmUFj5bV164j_xF3Mk7VxDCa-Lk6Zp6nueMwJ-_Q_gXjdVDfhDwepE-XzzRAlB7ybMhGaYaVsDi79u-ZNrq0X-whi2mJS5_39HwyvyYwWfaP5HitgqczT6Df15Iqa/s640/IMG_2544.JPG" width="432" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Yep, Sirius' motorbike!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcK7k1p9-wU7x9vcHr8_ifX65a1hHAILx3EQoLc-BDGUlbYs405glOd2TmKDCPDJ9zq9u_7dsxQ6d0n-UxUUqCQz-fzKKi9WwXmgBqrf5UgQTxiIym6_aBzVMLAP9d9Q5JRtTrJGVfsmo7/s1600/IMG_2545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcK7k1p9-wU7x9vcHr8_ifX65a1hHAILx3EQoLc-BDGUlbYs405glOd2TmKDCPDJ9zq9u_7dsxQ6d0n-UxUUqCQz-fzKKi9WwXmgBqrf5UgQTxiIym6_aBzVMLAP9d9Q5JRtTrJGVfsmo7/s640/IMG_2545.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In the Ford Anglia</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8Tq8wTr3O6gK1UJD6bvGx-el1rxgey2K-geGX6SPeaDs2uNJ8CqVumIlKzPNSt_43p5KJR363pg_ymM0uK0Qt4VYG-YM1Fu3yXjwT1McFI-A0rUqWSsGVnapXaDe5VM4a0kmYUsWqqD1/s1600/IMG_2548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ8Tq8wTr3O6gK1UJD6bvGx-el1rxgey2K-geGX6SPeaDs2uNJ8CqVumIlKzPNSt_43p5KJR363pg_ymM0uK0Qt4VYG-YM1Fu3yXjwT1McFI-A0rUqWSsGVnapXaDe5VM4a0kmYUsWqqD1/s640/IMG_2548.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie gets a "ride" on the Knight Bus</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv31UP-z9_2VCqAfceC6HPOpBLJeIh2PNGW9fu95g6VK9sri7Z9yXWqh__zmOl7mYqw2d_h76HMRpZlFta2GUYG01sxgBn15WuaT6E7P6DBD3Vr69ZseFyPUpF_IcFELVMBWJnE7ufWN0/s1600/IMG_2557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv31UP-z9_2VCqAfceC6HPOpBLJeIh2PNGW9fu95g6VK9sri7Z9yXWqh__zmOl7mYqw2d_h76HMRpZlFta2GUYG01sxgBn15WuaT6E7P6DBD3Vr69ZseFyPUpF_IcFELVMBWJnE7ufWN0/s640/IMG_2557.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Number 4 Privet Drive</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV28PZK-ZodqzMh5VXzMTxrj40BNcabdv7uIqByQnJfoJm8uJIKyu1jkQKbcNuiNpEBaxL7-XiX1mFiLJBVmDsfn7VFyUsMRec5xp6G8kjWga8xRdR5T-knHpoBaS1-nqWRiuJbwIdHo6/s1600/IMG_2560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV28PZK-ZodqzMh5VXzMTxrj40BNcabdv7uIqByQnJfoJm8uJIKyu1jkQKbcNuiNpEBaxL7-XiX1mFiLJBVmDsfn7VFyUsMRec5xp6G8kjWga8xRdR5T-knHpoBaS1-nqWRiuJbwIdHo6/s640/IMG_2560.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">At the Dursley's house</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblK7jJ6E-jgkPvNvQlrcJaqjjwoPgXYYR9phm0btxK4iAt4q6IKwHCNmKzESGBrqudRWnPEaVCdDdukM42C34Bsss_9hZzuqkmLQ2CHuWW0lvuCta3buY650l6AJsBqwglQgsYmfiwxmE/s1600/IMG_2566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblK7jJ6E-jgkPvNvQlrcJaqjjwoPgXYYR9phm0btxK4iAt4q6IKwHCNmKzESGBrqudRWnPEaVCdDdukM42C34Bsss_9hZzuqkmLQ2CHuWW0lvuCta3buY650l6AJsBqwglQgsYmfiwxmE/s640/IMG_2566.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The Potters' house in Godric's Hollow</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> While we were taking pictures outside, the camera started flashing the low-battery button....nooooo! We hadn't been very careful about keeping it shut off while we'd been in the earlier part--so after this point, we didn't get very many more pictures. In addition, we were starting to run out of time (we had tickets to see a show with Caryn and Jan and needed to be back by 7pm), so we had to move more quickly through the rest of the tour. Next came the section that showed how they did the special effects and how they created all the different creatures in the magical world. I was particularly impressed with Buckbeak--they had created it so that it could be controlled by the special effects guys and it looked just like it was real! They had used real feathers to make it look perfect! We stood there for a while, just watching it move!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPJUpXaJNNF4uPp5j_ZC0C5RdDdlxhT7d72E59Rf6XL-XJzg9qjZzOb3RpkY_SYgzDBl8puhadUKpU38U-NsG0kGBA3z3cWPd0oqbaHetOrC9-k7bqtcdNjUDVcEg9dGf0SxgmiA3mNuP/s1600/IMG_2580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinPJUpXaJNNF4uPp5j_ZC0C5RdDdlxhT7d72E59Rf6XL-XJzg9qjZzOb3RpkY_SYgzDBl8puhadUKpU38U-NsG0kGBA3z3cWPd0oqbaHetOrC9-k7bqtcdNjUDVcEg9dGf0SxgmiA3mNuP/s640/IMG_2580.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie is a DRAGON!!! (or a Thestral)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXunA9bs7SvCOawsEjrf_EthEzk7z-eMutAlgVBL92gGCIlEBySHRdS0fey4i3uuyiIk2Z_SrbwIPSHpL7IIjPL5thpmaRnuYrDIV720V7pG8gSN0reyKAxev_uLUI_eeWvUUfIoVEw84C/s1600/IMG_2587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXunA9bs7SvCOawsEjrf_EthEzk7z-eMutAlgVBL92gGCIlEBySHRdS0fey4i3uuyiIk2Z_SrbwIPSHpL7IIjPL5thpmaRnuYrDIV720V7pG8gSN0reyKAxev_uLUI_eeWvUUfIoVEw84C/s640/IMG_2587.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">With Buckbeak, the amazing creation!</span></td></tr>
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<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Next we walked right into Diagon Alley! That was surely the coolest part of the tour! We were very sad that the camera was basically out of batteries at this point because it was incredible! It was just like the movie--all the shops (which we couldn't go into, but the window displays were excellent!) and the cobblestone street. Very cool.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSFNr54-NSC-1sxZdz3f8iUmGo2pAU1iORAaIRfGoh7qJ3FDES_RGbhTA1BroZjaUt20C-Fh2DdF9-dQNpw2aNLgMNGwSp0DhNB8XGPqVvgN6G62aGVdxRUYEoO5GXwTvWe4eFngJXqX3/s1600/IMG_2588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSFNr54-NSC-1sxZdz3f8iUmGo2pAU1iORAaIRfGoh7qJ3FDES_RGbhTA1BroZjaUt20C-Fh2DdF9-dQNpw2aNLgMNGwSp0DhNB8XGPqVvgN6G62aGVdxRUYEoO5GXwTvWe4eFngJXqX3/s640/IMG_2588.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie in Diagon Alley</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> And, finally, we walked into a big room that had the model of Hogwarts Castle--the one they used for all the overhead, sweeping shots. It was so detailed--Jessie and I were wishing we could be little fairies so that we could go wander around the castle! The room was fairly dark, but the castle was lit up and the movie soundtrack was playing. It was pretty moving, actually. We watched our last video on the digital guide (about their last day of filming) and then headed through the "wand shop" (a small room that has thousands of wand boxes, each labeled with a name of someone who worked on the films during the 10 years--and there is a box for every single person!) and into the gift shop. We looked around the shop, but very quickly discovered that it was way too expensive for us.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguADwzk8kYot7ZzAEqMVUaNYcIxsFhwJSSTrf7ZoAvJE6-A_XWpqspaeXzE2ZWmHqBL1fsUvFo7Q7C1RuJZL5j4s_NLnRZsEXiwuAR2wFEtDi2tgqWmJcY9c8t4Jpj6uHRc1c-cGQ6vAmT/s1600/IMG_2604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguADwzk8kYot7ZzAEqMVUaNYcIxsFhwJSSTrf7ZoAvJE6-A_XWpqspaeXzE2ZWmHqBL1fsUvFo7Q7C1RuJZL5j4s_NLnRZsEXiwuAR2wFEtDi2tgqWmJcY9c8t4Jpj6uHRc1c-cGQ6vAmT/s640/IMG_2604.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In front of Hogwarts Castle</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpNFAhEH9k5h-HCUyKt1JrDy_x19nBKcbHeswMLkcsHAAXQlwFtVCBrVBcvoYo0UzkGuaH0l21XMQ5y1H8RAd7wFOoVaUxX06pGzKVg3_aTSKtC4-8ewKqKC3WBVMpdcIXWSBFgdkEhWi/s1600/IMG_2606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSpNFAhEH9k5h-HCUyKt1JrDy_x19nBKcbHeswMLkcsHAAXQlwFtVCBrVBcvoYo0UzkGuaH0l21XMQ5y1H8RAd7wFOoVaUxX06pGzKVg3_aTSKtC4-8ewKqKC3WBVMpdcIXWSBFgdkEhWi/s640/IMG_2606.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In the "Wand Room"</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Since it was getting late (4:15pm), we caught the bus back to the station where we caught a train back into London. Since our train came in right next to King's Cross Station, we stopped by to get a picture at Platform 9 3/4!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xjAb64TZ-zahKBFfSs91HFL7PDTNv7tPyQ3jCJQR2484Mlmig1pbe-5zfNlhkDc_l-ahz8Uu1Qbsm5eyNhEG88HPk6HTzAAZgqtXuCsJYfO4oTEX8QS1WQSvzByx_Ph9B_AnhTWqRe6C/s1600/IMG_2609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xjAb64TZ-zahKBFfSs91HFL7PDTNv7tPyQ3jCJQR2484Mlmig1pbe-5zfNlhkDc_l-ahz8Uu1Qbsm5eyNhEG88HPk6HTzAAZgqtXuCsJYfO4oTEX8QS1WQSvzByx_Ph9B_AnhTWqRe6C/s640/IMG_2609.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Jessie at King's Cross Station!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXN4vTe6hQ7u5pV6C3p6YH3Zn1P7ByJpOzFgyvB_WTS1-dRlIJ5eFkkvTiEPNMcH_pr9SR2Tx3i1hq52NmJN97DXBBLzeYrTdHLRER6SSrZkbpYLAs-wDmHS9NISn2wYqaUPlZIeWbRfU/s1600/IMG_2610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXN4vTe6hQ7u5pV6C3p6YH3Zn1P7ByJpOzFgyvB_WTS1-dRlIJ5eFkkvTiEPNMcH_pr9SR2Tx3i1hq52NmJN97DXBBLzeYrTdHLRER6SSrZkbpYLAs-wDmHS9NISn2wYqaUPlZIeWbRfU/s640/IMG_2610.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Heading through Platform 9 3/4</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Since it was my birthday, Jessie and I decided to go out for an early dinner (well, technically all we'd had all day was a tiny breakfast around 8am and then a butterbeer at the Studios). We found a pub that served veggie burgers, so we had a quick dinner (we inhaled that food!) and then walked over to the theatre to meed Carnyn and Jan. They treated us to Noël Coward's comedy, "Hay Fever"--starring Jeremy Northam and Kevin R. McNally. The show was hilarious! Afterwards, Caryn and Jan agreed to stop by the stage door so we could get some pictures with the actors! Then we walked over to a French restaurant and Caryn and Jan treated us to a late dinner (just something small). To top off a fun night, we got to take a cab back to their flat!! Such a great birthday!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVbZWBevXnpgboCV0ZQcia1ru1jDe-FL3Q3SvYm-xW0hvtFek-lYsNkoQqW-aLYbig9o27Mhp5ftZ86w5XZ_tZbQRpLDBJnAFMhSg6OKRyOgGXRI4rdQGPzetWa1ye9D-ody59U-7rq_k/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVbZWBevXnpgboCV0ZQcia1ru1jDe-FL3Q3SvYm-xW0hvtFek-lYsNkoQqW-aLYbig9o27Mhp5ftZ86w5XZ_tZbQRpLDBJnAFMhSg6OKRyOgGXRI4rdQGPzetWa1ye9D-ody59U-7rq_k/s640/IMG_2611.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">With Kevin McNally (Mr. Gibbs from Pirates!!)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9HF5Xi6DxmgtsXi1jPHjmCAzQ8bM9mb0ZF7PuJJm8eHzJnr_dCMgT0M9nDZyziyYwrhCmVMbPvsq7jGM6zzmXM0MK8d0Wun9KrOh3eRQCWKhwYJFJh-BPAK3kKBkL16a6s2-uiFdRGYe/s1600/IMG_2612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO9HF5Xi6DxmgtsXi1jPHjmCAzQ8bM9mb0ZF7PuJJm8eHzJnr_dCMgT0M9nDZyziyYwrhCmVMbPvsq7jGM6zzmXM0MK8d0Wun9KrOh3eRQCWKhwYJFJh-BPAK3kKBkL16a6s2-uiFdRGYe/s640/IMG_2612.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">With our lovely host, Caryn!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOtGwO11DX6KmECdpINZgl2wBVbQLSZo-T3vQQVYwI71jJWN-h5AmJJALPVXM-ec05wbLnFjLpLD2q38uurQatdCiwyJcK0HecOI6TLGLvYJqOTOEyOvE-OrY5IHzKLWg3L32ITbXkdN0/s1600/IMG_2614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOtGwO11DX6KmECdpINZgl2wBVbQLSZo-T3vQQVYwI71jJWN-h5AmJJALPVXM-ec05wbLnFjLpLD2q38uurQatdCiwyJcK0HecOI6TLGLvYJqOTOEyOvE-OrY5IHzKLWg3L32ITbXkdN0/s640/IMG_2614.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And, of course, our other amazing host: Jan!!</span></td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-32899910306444919582012-04-26T08:26:00.000-07:002012-04-26T08:26:22.334-07:00Monday 4/16-Tuesday 4/17: Exploring London<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyzxGtT9KWiFKbMv817pib5V6aSFHy-sSy6KtzgWANXiktdHXzK7TIpW-u945okOe7NEbJgxGDtOArmoThkjZpz1Wget2ckuiYvtrAFQksxbdpxOtd3JzZSok67yrLu_2a1P5cWtyWLsY/s1600/IMG_2184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidyzxGtT9KWiFKbMv817pib5V6aSFHy-sSy6KtzgWANXiktdHXzK7TIpW-u945okOe7NEbJgxGDtOArmoThkjZpz1Wget2ckuiYvtrAFQksxbdpxOtd3JzZSok67yrLu_2a1P5cWtyWLsY/s640/IMG_2184.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>"Feed the birds!" ... Jessie in front of St. Paul's Cathedral</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Monday (4/16) was a travel day. We spent the morning getting ready and then were picked up by Bruno and Françoise who drove us to the airport. We sat around some more, then got on the plane. Unfortunately, they counted 184 people on board when their lists said there should only be 183 people. So, they counted us a bazillion times...then looked at all our boarding passes...then came on with their lists and checked off each of us on their lists...then counted us again... After 1 1/4 hours of this, they finally decided we could leave (but they never told us what had happened)! Of course we were late to London, but luckily no one was picking us up! We caught a bus into downtown London, then took another bus to Tower Bridge. From there it was a quick walk (under 5 minutes) to Caryn and Jan's beautiful flat. After dropping our bags, we took a nice walk with Caryn down to a pub next to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Jessie and I enjoyed some delicious macaroni and cheese--and we were generously treated to dinner by Caryn! It was so good to see Caryn again and fun to catch up! On the way home we crossed the Millennium Bridge (pedestrian only) and walked back on the other side of the river. We got to see St. Paul's Cathedral and the Tower of London--all lit up at night! Shortly after we returned to the flat, Jan got home and we all had tea and chatted until late.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Tuesday (4/17), Jessie and I woke up early so we could take the tube across town and attempt to buy discounted tickets to the new musical, Matilda. The official website said that there were 8 tickets for people 18-26 that would be sold for only 5 pounds at 10am at the theatre. So, we wanted to get there early so we would be in the first 8 to arrive. When we woke up, the rain was beating down and we could hear the wind whipping around outside. Ugh. But, we headed out into it and made it across town. However, we got really confused and lost on our way to the theatre and ended up walking in all the wrong directions. At 9:50am we finally arrived outside the theatre with wet shoes and socks and damp hair--and discovered (not surprisingly) a line of 9 people. No luck. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6J4zrtj-cbXA_hraPskfXrF6-FQpdrtQtYpk6OeHIU4EuARTSQuORgiqDRsuXoCXGqbOxLltQQ2gyNCOKFhnEE48r9q1dw6Ar1IlARvzJ7Q1a_gKDmJ0d7P7FioiT-P24duM4v-VG87K/s1600/IMG_2190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx6J4zrtj-cbXA_hraPskfXrF6-FQpdrtQtYpk6OeHIU4EuARTSQuORgiqDRsuXoCXGqbOxLltQQ2gyNCOKFhnEE48r9q1dw6Ar1IlARvzJ7Q1a_gKDmJ0d7P7FioiT-P24duM4v-VG87K/s640/IMG_2190.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Where we didn't get tickets...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Matilda (which had just won a bunch of awards) was sold out, so we couldn't get tickets to see it. We ended up going to a discount ticket booth at Leicester Square and buying tickets to see "Sweeney Todd" that evening. From there, Jessie and I walked to Covent Garden where we sat down inside a WARM and DRY café and had scones with clotted cream and jam. Mmm! After taking a little rest, Jessie and I went back out and discovered that it had stopped raining! There was a little bit of sun peeking out and now that our feet were dry(er) the world was looking a lot better! We hopped on some free bikes (using Caryn and Jan's bike cards) and rode to the British Museum. I almost managed to get hit by a double decker bus, but luckily that was avoided at the last second. Driving on the left side is just weird.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS9UfUczqF0HrusAkapkLLBw2VmIMhyphenhyphen0JAoos8ekRUGzKDQZ0ycW5nm0l7elyBvSPsARYTpZjA9lm4w57Lx4VivUWf-n5B-D3yZ9SyDHyrDMS-fc2kqLqcKq2ujGCpiIxlKuNF0VL7h2n/s1600/IMG_2201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirS9UfUczqF0HrusAkapkLLBw2VmIMhyphenhyphen0JAoos8ekRUGzKDQZ0ycW5nm0l7elyBvSPsARYTpZjA9lm4w57Lx4VivUWf-n5B-D3yZ9SyDHyrDMS-fc2kqLqcKq2ujGCpiIxlKuNF0VL7h2n/s640/IMG_2201.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Scones with clotted cream and jam!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Our visit to the British Museum (both of our first times) was great! Neither of us are really "museum-y," so it worked out great! We wandered around and looked at whatever we thought was interesting--not taking too much time to read about anything that didn't interest us. Something I thought was really interesting was the chair made from weapons. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessie at the British Museum</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Pound it.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>The Throne of Weapons</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It had poured while we were in the museum, but had stopped by the time we headed back out. We decided to take the tube down to Westminster Abbey and the Parliament buildings--and were very pleased to walk out into bright sunshine! After wandering around and getting some pictures with Big Ben and the Abbey, Jessie and I found some more free bikes and headed up the path along the river. I don't think you're technically allowed to bike on that path, but the streets were rather frightening and we were really enjoying the view of the river! We went really slowly and were careful to mind the pedestrians...and even rode past a bunch of police officers, who didn't bat an eyelash when they saw us. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBxN2R5zDuJ8kwv-MevG_kp17cVqN6Tzbh8S4TBioTg1zM-dynGgYtzUTXyRhDpjIAFzz7UmKGJmNYP404-RfZlgypHB-PVGmTlb_fLNQu0z6FYVoqJnt8DseJ04K_Jk6Og3qQSSgO75-/s1600/IMG_2232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBxN2R5zDuJ8kwv-MevG_kp17cVqN6Tzbh8S4TBioTg1zM-dynGgYtzUTXyRhDpjIAFzz7UmKGJmNYP404-RfZlgypHB-PVGmTlb_fLNQu0z6FYVoqJnt8DseJ04K_Jk6Og3qQSSgO75-/s640/IMG_2232.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>In front of Big Ben</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessie in front of Westminster Abbey</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Free Bikes!!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoupsCsbhzNs5IKMCtm-WIzgt_2krkdIJqnJgp8tHKC-Ll_O113Hr5UlwV-P-uxUCGokbOjzYSBSdIm3HCchgeGcasCvCYri25YOsDhqKKEfqUdfAv02Ks-hrnfkBpB5ZyD6Mu7M9XkfLh/s1600/IMG_2244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoupsCsbhzNs5IKMCtm-WIzgt_2krkdIJqnJgp8tHKC-Ll_O113Hr5UlwV-P-uxUCGokbOjzYSBSdIm3HCchgeGcasCvCYri25YOsDhqKKEfqUdfAv02Ks-hrnfkBpB5ZyD6Mu7M9XkfLh/s640/IMG_2244.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessie biking by the Eye</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZvLZTvuBYArDYNihN0GJN7ltvpTxdi2NhbtspA6cVF5asQiUkBCjRQetSXkqhTWpPor4cKj6Kg84nwsasXMyP3Mz0D9qw2vTb3R1O2P3MyMgYO1m9UfjfKUiiZQ5krO_WeWEoC9uIgod/s1600/IMG_2250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwZvLZTvuBYArDYNihN0GJN7ltvpTxdi2NhbtspA6cVF5asQiUkBCjRQetSXkqhTWpPor4cKj6Kg84nwsasXMyP3Mz0D9qw2vTb3R1O2P3MyMgYO1m9UfjfKUiiZQ5krO_WeWEoC9uIgod/s640/IMG_2250.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>By the Tower of London</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On our way back to Caryn and Jan's flat, Jessie and I stopped for a late lunch. It was 3:45pm and we were starving!! So, we found a pub that had a veggie burger and chips with a drink for only 3£95 and enjoyed a delicious lunch. Then we returned to the flat to rest for a bit (and skype with Maria!!) before going to see Sweeney Todd!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdatdKq2MJD4wUzW-PWEcbJrc1K8g4YAw3z6lzio4yT6wDE_h2-9E6xD91xi5BuPvxMbVHKQs7hpuUX82D5lyfmOflnQFUteHiDreTWzE0WtvKG3VzOrXQESmFMja5rGt9QZigIQdSqPD/s1600/IMG_2193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSdatdKq2MJD4wUzW-PWEcbJrc1K8g4YAw3z6lzio4yT6wDE_h2-9E6xD91xi5BuPvxMbVHKQs7hpuUX82D5lyfmOflnQFUteHiDreTWzE0WtvKG3VzOrXQESmFMja5rGt9QZigIQdSqPD/s640/IMG_2193.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>SWEENEY TODD!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">It was a great show! Sweeney Todd was being played by Michael Ball (the actor that originated the part of Marius in Les Miserables... the guy that has a trademark smirk and was the object of much mockery amongst my friends when I was young) and Mrs. Lovitt was played by Imelda Staunton (the great--albeit short--actress who played Professor Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies...and a load of other great roles). The show was set in the 1950s instead of the 1840s, but it was still really dark and creepy and very well done! After the show, Jessie and I went to the stage door to see if we could get pictures with some of the actors. Michael Ball (who now has facial hair and is a much better actor!) took one with us, as did the kid who played Antony, but Imelda Staunton said she doesn't do pictures. And, yes, she is tiny.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYwhHo77ZOkFq14dyTVm3rOQ7BkxMERKwHY7vYORZA5cOgnhTxFswGuigEuAF8eLPBaDW8eTH2Nij50IJV9flO5oK_afHP3_Nda6SJJnS4LO3hKy8w-zCEs72XTWrC2HTYLFF_vFxNUb_/s1600/IMG_2259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJYwhHo77ZOkFq14dyTVm3rOQ7BkxMERKwHY7vYORZA5cOgnhTxFswGuigEuAF8eLPBaDW8eTH2Nij50IJV9flO5oK_afHP3_Nda6SJJnS4LO3hKy8w-zCEs72XTWrC2HTYLFF_vFxNUb_/s640/IMG_2259.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>With Sweeney Todd... Michael Ball</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Fegi_ZiLpakzK8GcOholkDTXUI3RCBEk7d9zWWPvBjNcih6wsoc5RBCw5OhKGdKyC5GaV0IOzFreRMCICfKJrYodsKVMVLHLICX5ts_cCMSDAo6Au6CH0InhHrRhh_nnZsYoUA9t11O2/s1600/IMG_2265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Fegi_ZiLpakzK8GcOholkDTXUI3RCBEk7d9zWWPvBjNcih6wsoc5RBCw5OhKGdKyC5GaV0IOzFreRMCICfKJrYodsKVMVLHLICX5ts_cCMSDAo6Au6CH0InhHrRhh_nnZsYoUA9t11O2/s640/IMG_2265.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Walking home over Tower Bridge</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-64786586628338621912012-04-23T05:07:00.000-07:002012-04-23T05:12:22.327-07:00Friday 4/13-Sunday 4/15: A Weekend in Spain<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Friday (4/13) night, Alison came over after she'd finished with classes. I left her with Jessie and I headed over to say goodbye to my folk dance group. They weren't having a dance practice, they were preparing for a fund raiser that they were putting on during the weekend. It was basically a giant BINGO night--but with over 400 people! And they were preparing the snacks that they were planning to sell (crêpes and merveilles)-- I have never seen so much crêpe batter at once! </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZ0LFzFuaBBxj823oFy1G9Qrvl7KK0wG8xkkQluRXvwnHgVD1mL762gC10TJM7_6ykdWW0tpfVlJokqK-QzDfVK1kUAKKobMr4VvpQw0FcWCHElLv6UbdDKioRGAJrmsJS_UqlzP4LRfl/s1600/IMG_2045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZ0LFzFuaBBxj823oFy1G9Qrvl7KK0wG8xkkQluRXvwnHgVD1mL762gC10TJM7_6ykdWW0tpfVlJokqK-QzDfVK1kUAKKobMr4VvpQw0FcWCHElLv6UbdDKioRGAJrmsJS_UqlzP4LRfl/s400/IMG_2045.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Yes, that's all crêpe batter!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I hung out for about 1 1/2 hours (I was only planning to stay for 30 mins, but I got talking and figured that it was my last time with them...) and when I said that I really needed to go because I was already so late for dinner, they whipped out some presents that they had for me! They gave me a dvd of the little program about them that had been on TV (last fall) and a card that was signed by everyone! I was so surprised! As I was standing there, they also handed me a little change purse with their logo on it....and then a bandana with their logo....and then a tiny handmade pair of stilts!! They're about 5 inches tall, but they're just like the real ones! I hadn't really realized that they noticed me so much! It was really nice to feel like they had been excited to have me there--and they said I should find them a performance gig in Oregon so they could come visit me!! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Most of the folk dance group!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I returned home (and had missed dinner, but they saved some for me!) and spent the evening with Alison and Jessie. In the morning (Sat 4/14), we took the train down to San Sebastian, Spain. Unfortunately, it was gray and rainy. Noooo! We have no luck at all with weather! :(</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Ah, Spain.....</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Video: Dancing on the wall at the edge of the channel</i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>In a moment of sun!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Luckily we had some halfway decent weather in the afternoon (a tiny bit of sun, but mostly gray and windy), so we wandered around town and hiked up to see Jesus on the hill. When we'd made it back down, we stopped at a tapas bar to have a beer and chat for a while. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Walls are for climbing...</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessie found Jesus</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Walking around the port</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Having a beer</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">By that point, we were getting hungry for dinner... so, we found a pizzeria where we enjoyed some pizza and sangria.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessie and Sangria</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Afterwards, we stopped in a bar before meeting up with some other assistants (who happened to be staying at our hostel) in a different bar. Then we all walked together to a pub near to our hostel where we sat around playing a drinking game that I had played before--but without the drinking part! Alison and I headed back to the hostel around 2am, but Jessie went out with the group to another bar where they had dancing. She got in at 4:30am!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>One of the bars</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessie with her strawberry mojito</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Sunday (4/15) we slept in really late and then got some "tortilla" (omelet) and pastry and fresh-squeezed orange juice for breakfast. We sat in the café for a while because it was absolutely POURING and we had some time before we needed to be at the train station. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">When we returned to Tyrosse, I wanted to stop at the folk dance group's BINGO fundraiser--just to see what it was. It was really ironic, though, because it was a Sunday night...I arrived at the train station...then walked over to the covered market...and the folk dance group was there for their BINGO night... it was JUST like the very first night when I arrived in Tyrosse! Except (as they pointed out) I wasn't crying and lost this time! Haha!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Sunday evening we were invited to dinner at Bruno and Françoise's house! It was a lovely dinner party---Ralf, Catherine, Isabelle, Hélène, and Pablo were there as well. We were there for about 5 hours and the conversation was lively and interesting the whole time!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(L-R) Pablo, Catherine, Françoise, Isabelle, Hélène, Natalie, Ralf, Bruno</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I will really miss these people. They are all so kind and funny and I feel really comfortable around them now. Perhaps I'll have to come back for a visit... :)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">At the end of the night, Bruno and Françoise were nice enough to offer to drop Jessie and I at the Biarritz airport on Monday so we could catch our flight to London.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150655701978587.387130.561318586&type=3&l=db30a59a32" target="_blank">TO SEE MORE PHOTOS...click here!</a></span></div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-81363925298372947972012-04-23T04:14:00.002-07:002012-04-23T04:15:11.559-07:00Tuesday 4/10-Friday 4/13: Last Week of Teaching<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I still can't really believe that I'm all finished teaching. It feels like I'm just on vacation and will surely be back in the classroom in a week or two... However, Friday was my last day. My last week went by really quickly and most of it involved lots of fun things (singing, dancing, and playing games). The students were really sweet and saying goodbye was rather sad.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">On Tuesday (4/10) I had class with the 3rd graders and Jessie came in to meet them! We did some review and then danced and sang the hokey pokey! Jessie joined in the first time, then took a video of us on our second go. In the afternoon, I taught the two classes of 2nd graders...just some games (we were working on animal vocab) and singing.</span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"> Video: The Hokey Pokey!</span></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>My conversation class students! :)</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then, on Tuesday evening, Jessie and I went to dinner with my conversation class! One of the students hosted us and we all brought along something to share (I made broccoli-cheese savory and pesto bread).<i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was such a fun evening and I know that Jessie appreciated that they did speak English some of the time! We had the most delicious flan and pastis (a regional specialty cake)--I'm hoping to get the flan recipe! We stayed for about 4 hours, just eating, drinking, and talking!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On Wednesday (4/11) it was raining (AGAIN) and we had a nice lie-in (note the British term...that'd be Alison's fault) and then helped Catherine with the grocery shopping. Jessie got a full tour of the supermarket! In the late afternoon, Catherine, Jessie, and I made dinner and dessert while hanging out in the kitchen, listening to music!</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Playing with Photobooth on my laptop! </i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Thursday (4/12) was my last day with the 3rd graders and when I arrived, over half of them had brought me presents! Most were drawings, but some kids had brought me other things (chocolate, a painting on canvas, and a cool necklace)! They really wanted me to open them in front of the class, so I did--and made sure to show off all their drawings and thank them each. I wrote my address up on the board so that they could copy it down, in case any of them want to write to me (I assured them they would get a reply if they write-- my guess is that none of them actually will). We spent the rest of class singing "Rock Around the Clock" and learning the hand jive. Bruno (who happens to be their teacher) even joined in on the hand jive!! When it was finished, I said goodbye and they started begging me not to go--and telling me I had to come back next year. I attempted to explain how far Oregon is from France, but I don't think they quite understood... </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>The 3rd graders!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In the afternoon, I went to my last classes at the other school. They were pretty anti-climactic. I played a game with the little kids and then gave them each a sticker to put on their name tags (which I let them keep). With the older kids I had them glue copies of the penpal letters they'd written (earlier in the term) into their English notebooks and then I let them copy down my address in the off-chance one of them feels like communicating later on. Since it was the last day, I had brought in my laptop and the Twilight dvd and I let them watch the last scene (and pointed out where I was). They were so stoked to finally see me on screen and also to be watching a movie in class! :P Afterwards I had to give them a few more autographs and then we got their teacher to take an English class photo.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>The 2nd graders (at the other school)</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">The 5th graders (at the other school)</span></i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Friday (4/13) was my last day of teaching. I started off the day with my little group of 2nd graders (who I normally have in the afternoon, but their teacher requested I take them in the morning instead) and we got to have a 1 1/4 hour class instead of just 45 minutes. Since we've been learning the names of some animals, I had them draw each of the animals in their books and then write the name of the animal next to each drawing. Some of them were rather good artists!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>The 2nd graders</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Then I had class with the 4th graders and we spent the first part of class playing a game with telling time. I also taught them "Rock Around the Clock" and the hand jive. They loved it and later (during recess) they came up and had got all the moves! We took a picture together and, as a surprise, they printed it and put it into a frame they'd made with each of their names on it! They gave it to me later in the afternoon and I was so surprised!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>The 4th graders</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">I ate lunch at school and stopped in at the cafeteria to see how it worked. I realized that despite having been here for 7 months, I had never gone in to see the cafeteria! So, I spent a few minutes talking with the kids who were eating and checking out how it worked. Basically they have no choice on what food they get--it's just served to each table and they are supposed to eat some of each course. Yes, they have courses--even for school lunch! And here they are much healthier than the US!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">In the afternoon I stayed at school to work on copying and sorting all the worksheets I'd made over the course of the year. I wanted to leave a notebook for the next assistant that has all my worksheets and song cd (in order). I also left all the children's books that I had brought with me. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">My very last class was with Duyen's 2nd graders...they are the sweetest class. We reviewed the animals and then I showed them some newspapers and American money that I'd brought. I also had a penny to give to each child, which they were thrilled about! (I showed the newspapers and money and gave pennies to all my other classes as well) </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>LouAnn shows off a dollar</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Zelie and Hugo with the dollar</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Then we took a picture and they informed me that they had a surprise for me... It turns out that Duyen had had them each draw a picture (most were of me teaching them!) and write a little note (in French). Then they had bound it into a little book! It was so so adorable! The Spanish students had made one for Pablo and we had a little party all together (Duyen had brought cake)! At the end the kids got to take turns saying what they liked best about their language classes. I didn't cry, but it was close! </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>Duyen's 2nd grade class</i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Before leaving, I stopped into the staff room to hang out a bit and say goodbye to the teachers. I got their emails, so hopefully we'll be able to keep in touch! It hasn't sunk in that I won't be going back there...</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-81071079392584274882012-04-12T14:10:00.018-07:002012-04-12T23:07:12.209-07:00Saturday 4/7-Monday 4/9: Celebrating Easter<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIUaff-tE-KN4HroTuZeBo5whF-Sjj-7RHGD1mGPxvZG1zGq_VwKV2A8hR_Cyzv1q5NkWUKjxpv_MkRiksrWzsqaPPVkofLc1u-78INoyq3G0MG3GsxFa3oZnakPjxSoy6Nvs-k2UmNfy/s1600/IMG_1962.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">On Saturday, I woke up still sick. How is it possible for me to be sick AGAIN!?!?!! Sigh. Due to the horrible weather, Jessie and I slept in and lounged around in the morning. Then, in the afternoon, we went to watch Margot's handball match. They played better than last week, but ended up losing again. <div>There was a folk dance performance planned for Saturday night and I really, really wanted to go--but I was feeling so sick. I had no energy and was just lying on my bed reading. So, I can't say I was too sad when I got the call saying that the performance was canceled due to rain. It's a bummer that I didn't get to perform with them, but probably just as well because even standing up was taxing for me.</div><div>Instead, Jessie and I just hung out with the family all evening, watching "The Voice." The show is nothing special, but what was fun was hanging out and chatting and joking around. Ralf was in a hilarious mood and we were all having so much fun--in French and English!</div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGTAPRcpI2aPGWbMbcWkqdw8P9BfOifSg5IyMdBxKY5zRh8OGaZLLSQ5xGiIoNWzS37REbphKt1cdrDsqF3d999257TGg4aQKLLmwbS91VYXlR94dFD13vtiXAPdseZT5bpG5cPJbQ-wz/s400/IMG_1894.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730628350015074194" />On Easter we slept in late and were having breakfast as the Bergfelds left for a baptism and party which would last all day. Jessie and I relaxed for a bit and then drove over to Capbreton to pick up Alison and go to Emmanuelle's house. She had invited us for lunch dessert, so we arrived at 2pm and hung out with her and her daughter, Luna. </div><div><i>Photo: Emmanuelle serves dessert</i></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oRlTIW6SxBA3EMSp2S0bNsfMFzfeQUs8zh0tkit3LIFOccVnjRMAH3ng97Qvlw_Ooady3J0JulmxdplijswIKg4_zQ_NIi__JKqpvbH_iCZGqIny8FkSd8qHixjzSL31V_YMsoimO-R3/s320/IMG_1897.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730628541164785954" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It was fun to just relax and talk (although Jessie was probably a bit bored because we were talking in French most of the time) and Luna (who is 5) was hilarious! She had a ribbon and was using it as a bracelet, necklace, or hairband to decorate each of us in turn!</div><div><br /></div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><i>Photo: Luna dressing up Jessie...</i></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div> We ended up going to the beach, but Emmanuelle and Luna didn't stay long (Luna was tired).</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr2oOrwISkhdHGBtY-xiz259ScpVQdIpAtKKNtoV4SV2KRRe_M7_wGskskcUlt0EUn6Q0BtJflXg6xy_5LFx2vnnMrk2pkpbiGHILTuQvHql8NmQbEyULWcvqX8Zs5EZ7RbkRNLw8IItv/s400/IMG_1907.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730628963481737906" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Beaching on Easter</i></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZcgVdc8gdYoCF2wagCxcTW7ymCSMNSkNRAtVADsWHvTPJgND2Jd9jyg1j1fKLaBxsycej_CSzYaFcTEFZE4d-QntySsratuhwCbx8UUvBWIyWOXO6N_gH3uxzbGyo6omvONz2uwPjdCgj/s400/IMG_1916.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730629308685325634" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">Alison, Jessie, and I hung out for a while at the beach and then headed back to Alison's apartment until it was time for dinner. We decided to go out to dinner at the pizza place (where we went previously) and it was delicious! Jessie and Alison got goat cheese & honey pizzas and I got a margherita (but I traded Jessie for one slice). Mmm!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: PIZZA DINNER!</i><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmgnHYNCW5BmR4WoW9EShrOD0ng7Fyy5Y2z2pHymvf6IKaqOL0W3_ytEL8n4GdT34IyCPLzh1gx0VpQqxrzxctB7ul7LpVufPf5c1BksQB8kF-UT7Bjx57Sf46-9NxiEoKtdnRbvFYQbQZ/s320/IMG_1918.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730629876769348578" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Dessert...chocolat croquant!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2G5rETddKjCcLQ-BGzqUnXAkiNdUQqQqkgk4SivkGiuIo8WUPokF4JwYQmSu_vhiCzn5mTEaQlh3xajj_0c_a9RlyqyZ_LiyddJFnEGbvRkDb6l_ro1XgPKp1jad6OcaUdV1weO1Znkq/s320/IMG_1919.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730630688892529138" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: EASTER SWEETS!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday night Alison spent the night at my house and we stayed up until 2am talking and watching funny youtube videos. </div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMjM4bZiz8nUR5F3b53F8jdNLoVFU7c35WtOvydcu9IzPwpoMggT5ekPar23jV-iBR16idOLWCKJv-Eq4LyzdyfiJI78VmSTP70bKnU2CFiT5mHkOXuvPjHrnjTC2WQAWpR34ttPTvZEiM/s320/IMG_1925.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730631084394668258" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><i>Photo: Jessie and Francesca celebrate another Easter together in Europe! :)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>We slept in the next morning and ended up being invited for Easter Monday lunch at Chantal's house. We sat around for a few hours chatting with the whole family (well, the kids played outside--miraculously it was sunny for once!) and had a tasty meal of asparagus, bean stew, (lamb for the meat-eaters) and strawberries with whipped cream for dessert! </div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrwDcaYOatZ_HRzZr6brKF4SWwP-YN4GPx0Kn2767fOru3U31ige2wcBB3ta0jlJGX4u0n6PxIxT6Pg8DfYlc2sRr5jgZj81IzzcJAr2w6PAlePnxm7wO041qyJc96tg2YgHlQsma9EiYh/s400/IMG_1928.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730632022962462770" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div>Jessie and I shared the jelly beans and Cadbury eggs that she had brought from the US...along with PEEPS! And, oddly enough, they liked the Peeps! WHAT??</div><div><i>Photo: Claire and a friend are excited for Peeps</i></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjtMYxCH1gbVHhlQEG-RlP420y9c4MgvIR3aX9yJQ8q3C5HpwfPkgdxwDBPVKrQxWdRaHCUqAHEeq5-wRKggxBfivNUYRxaajr7ER6e7r6KxqLQlzo1VIDowDxCXqnNRLFwRw93NBWVm-0/s320/IMG_1930.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730632290466996754" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div> <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Alison tentatively tastes a Peep...</i></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFbwZkXtfD_C2g7ry84oLpgg97kdcJRed4FCnUOmZdGgPuTmtscdywr_yqJFKc9WZ6GeDeCadNcUV5AwkUT0_yg0KXyC_U32icZbLUYcNfdjyeDd4qIi4Vowz871TWlBlmqHlL_bLIk59b/s400/IMG_1936.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730632675630471250" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Easter Lunch</i></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4ixCfp-rA4l_RJfYYGN6MuKbt0UeLOyZ6xMFZ3hV6dX9Xg4skRa4Zo6XkHYhboVy4HaDIGkGTvNE3EYeUEyf4t6tdSeULwsVQURsn3GLvr-UdsTBcMNRacTxzn2WezLT2u-jzYImay4H/s400/IMG_1938.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730633798311884130" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Warming up the eggs...</i></div><div><br /></div><div>I was still feeling sick, so I ended up napping a bit while Alison and Jessie hung out. Then we had tea and decided to color the eggs that I had hard-boiled that morning.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwXh5NJoydGHzLX_ZI3e7FdYp6uAXtj1QlgQzSnPCwpaYnF7XXu8LrO2dfI86Pmjv7j-eSvACR3QgDPyUF5ThuUAU80TRF63PL0B1DiabBvxkbqeSKGGU7iQEz639OvoSIO0QX31Nvw2f/s400/IMG_1949.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730634686711313330" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately we hadn't managed to find white eggs, so the colors didn't show up so well on the brown eggs. </div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpe0CTmzLlNA6K4-x4y7qdc6__Ze8tbxQ6LS70Mc_6gQ-nJwMX1lx7ZyuGADrqQaWaMv2dwMUGLFPQXW07CFr1EGF2vwAsVjusachcZ4P7FvI7Lt1B04R3yZwYSgNoefRWp3Zf0iDWYqZR/s400/IMG_1961.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730635160333701954" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><div><i>Photo: Jessie shows off her eggs</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>But we still had fun coloring them with Margot (who had never done it before because they don't do that here)! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIUaff-tE-KN4HroTuZeBo5whF-Sjj-7RHGD1mGPxvZG1zGq_VwKV2A8hR_Cyzv1q5NkWUKjxpv_MkRiksrWzsqaPPVkofLc1u-78INoyq3G0MG3GsxFa3oZnakPjxSoy6Nvs-k2UmNfy/s400/IMG_1962.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730637608050745506" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Our egg family</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: All colored out!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the early evening, Alison, Jessie, and I hid chocolate eggs all over the yard for the kids to find. Margot did by far the best (24/40 mini eggs), but they were all fairly lousy at finding them. I think Catherine doesn't normally hide them in very tricky places like we did! In the end they managed to find them all (with only a teeny bit of help) and we headed inside for dinner.</div> <div>It was a fun, chocolate-filled Easter! </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">For more pictures: </span></div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px; "><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150655701978587.387130.561318586&type=3&l=db30a59a32" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#009900;">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150655701978587.387130.561318586&type=3&l=db30a59a32</span></a></span></div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-44995427564278900142012-04-10T09:43:00.015-07:002012-04-10T15:08:05.409-07:00Monday 4/2-Friday 4/6: Goodbye CM2s!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WtnnOxQ73Dopy8p4Akm6ck0hzdb9H1A4jZWeQIP0VxySoiCBrYnpSX4KScYCTFdNiI7i_9jjvg9k5ql64up1i7h6jccS0zaHSMQ-j3IEuR_axcPn6hyphenhyphenZHspdYa062Cs7T0FtTFVdUfVX/s1600/IMG_1870.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhROJS4LwrR1U_EUVZoFAwVc44oMG74kG0Wxxw8Saou7WseRLWWQadEIxBHOUoN0ySEdZNcSFsDAPHJ5wBLYzOcn6JKIZ_M6aUH3CDoT6XIfaBArOpDw6yyFkW_Hro9w09qreX3vvP9kwg4/s400/IMG_1810.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729816483177934050" />This was my last week with the 5th grade (CM2)<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "> classes</span>. They will be gone all next week on a field trip, so I won't get to see them. On Monday I had Hélène's class and we just played a game and then I turned on some music so we could dance.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: Hélène's class (CM2)</i><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxSlUi1TvZXbmRJZWzj6aQwcHBWxF0um6dZCiXze2Dpys5NdjcPdyltN9yCfwdkfSm5wBhbIGO1nvtPgakkVQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> First we did the YMCA (which they really got into) and then I taught them the hand jive so we could dance to "Rock Around the Clock." That was a lot of fun! When the teacher came back into the room at the end, I had her take a picture of us. I'm going to miss those kids!!!<div>Between classes, I drove to the hospital in Dax to get my Yellow Fever vaccination. The doctor was really nice and gave me all the info I need and, although I had to pay 30 euros for the shot, he didn't make me pay for the visit (normally 25 euros!). That was great!</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZI3lRQ3JdHOLAkjGgXaHW8d1Zl6YyjvWSbzmhB1WUUvKneHhlsU-_imwCO4JuqyyOskIO3rMW4qaw3sK_yWuatM88EG03fN0uw70SyyY_zkReEatBzak2MP_rU780ZuxFkRE81pDqYle4/s400/IMG_1816.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729889127949018642" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMycDlQfIGZBmFjEaRZ40BEAylQ475F9hGFvPTWCpDr4TvqDOIoKY3X-xYeydftaBiO9TiWqCC2OpgE5ToWouHkLpL8cuK4KhleGVMW1wyWWaUPr5klcJOMCWNiMbRgto_wWfO5CCSzgwW/s400/IMG_1823.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729889740271896674" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><div><div>On Tuesday I had my last class with Claude's students and we did pretty much the same thing: played a game and then sang and danced. I wrote my address in Corvallis up on the board and told them that if they sent me a letter (in French or English), I would for sure write them back. :) </div> <div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Claude's class (CM2)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div> <div>Wednesday afternoon I went to the cinema with Margot and Claire to see "Marsupilami"! It's a film based off a classic French comic book and it was super cute! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: MARSUPILAMI!!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In the evening, I drove to the Biarritz airport to pick up JESSIE!! She arrived at 7:50pm, but I made sure to go early because I didn't want to be late due to getting lost or traffic or something (like when I went to pick up Crystal). Her flight was right on time and I was so so excited to see her come walking out!! I was all prepared for her arrival, bringing some French chocolate to welcome her! </div><div>When I tried to drive out of the parking lot, I stuck my ticket into the machine and waited for the gate to open......but it didn't. Then I realized that you only get 30 minutes of free parking, but since I had arrived early (unlike last time), I had been there for longer than 30 mins! I got my money out to pay, but the machine only took FRENCH credit cards. Which I don't have. hmm. </div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBedmW2jH3feNDXazXKrgZfHOQnLTheApZ_de2VZXyQVG4oIF6EvoZdHgjOGurBGvcnQZ1taRpnJH-gS6h-Nw52yAtrhkvombe-Wck9dTdEo6vV-i-vt6qXHHQPW_UVgnGAfsilrpGcQ5/s400/IMG_1827.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729890138072948786" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div>So, I backed up into the parking lot and we went back into the airport where (after I'd asked at the info desk) I was pointed to the machines inside for paying with cash... hehe. We did eventually make it back home! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: This WELCOME sign was waiting for Jessie (courtesy of Margot), along with a packet of candy! "Have nice days here!"</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiOpvBwGKCaOpfJgO3fNgu7G-psMRk01zN24ugeFQUkH3aEm70AaVOsqFQNm09IB9RBfcTueM-H505KdBhnQe1mys8qoPGsNjvYXYUQQzy0WWhR_GOiR6XjrycrKd6V4u2fe53HAlCQYu/s400/IMG_1892.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729891476270527314" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><div><div>On Thursday, Jessie rested at home while I taught my classes. When I'd finished, we took a walk through town and in the woods (while it wasn't raining).</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Jessie reading Hunger Games...she finished the series!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvlEPBBEP9F4i9FWBKcIMXV-RkgA5WsCLN7X5SYtOwHZnMcXgSz0kRmti6DPqofiIVwb1hkrvyOJQzXOWzpoavtgqzCVc9mG7Tfwuz76h7VyMlbc_ruCFRHYse2kmvE2uyQBpKhGsW8KUM/s400/IMG_1838.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729891737927654002" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: On our walk, we (of course) stopped by the monkey bars!</i></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtznE6UXc264lxo0fWLcgBrRTTxhGPfm2AhOrDT1BYmrAX1wjIJr_nYCrzDPOa1Mn7zDFv8cWkfumLghyphenhyphen0HTzCGSYSJ-QEmD8moQbv0CWXxKDJTnMPkLLfM2JV6bc7ge2xj1uzpPfiDSAc/s400/IMG_1893.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729892448674268434" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Jessie in front of les Arènes!</i></div></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></div>During the night on Thursday, I started feeling really crappy. By the time it was morning, I knew that my yellow fever shot was taking effect. The doctor had told me that 4-5 days after the shot, it was likely I'd have some fever symptoms. Ugh.</span></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sINvsWQbW6Ka3jalt0GASMIZM2ryMKvlOZZ9hOEpb27vOIovk3mf1uahxWUnbJGp9SI_1rZo_7eLTe82N9HWdf6MqVVpjFh8f4ipex8UOnEBrAqEpYKb062KAz78JRz22ziMEcMV3-ZG/s400/IMG_1853.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729893425383514498" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 283px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><div> <div>Friday was my last class with Emmanuelle's students--and we did pretty much the same thing I did with the other two classes. They were really sweet, though, and had made me a big card with cool drawings and a cute message written (mostly) in English. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Emmanuelle's class (CM2)</i></div><div><br /></div></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyQAwwomc4wuag82PdqCkeVl2wLWlh3JgHzHaP7oXzHFsdFYgqWjzHSrGS-L_Xo7nltMGMMr8bop0BMMlFoLQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8-y3qeYd_G3TmcTQSqd4pBAXYBWEsjbJ0oUlGRZDKIV9rwsahQfOFKiVottpAeVT-E4scBtktUu6dLy9b6sXX-cMEbX6XCkaV0YhBNtv4Iea18leRM2e3Gdd7nu4hjBLLpOtaJvunhlC0/s400/IMG_1873.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729894480358135058" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><div><div>We did lots of singing and dancing and then showed Emmanuelle and the Spanish students when they came back at the end of our class. I'm going to miss all those kids so much!!</div> <div>Jessie and I had lunch at the school because the teachers had planned a potluck to say goodbye to us language assistants. They told Pablo and I not to bring anything, just come and eat! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Enjoying some Gâteau Basque</i></div><div><br /></div><div>It was great--and just sitting around talking with them made me think of the first time I had lunch in the staff room. I feel so comfortable now! They are all so nice and I have so much fun joking around with them. I cannot even imagine that I won't be seeing them anymore... It's not sinking in. </div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAJXJ1vfViLZyD87zOUQUijg6DS_o0HPksBeOQBfiTsZBvVGEa6mw5YT2g8EXtY2AGgQWXVjQlql4Dl0DULGYMCCtMzNtshs53XY9OWjhn_-cj-ZfDQa8h2Rk48fyzFlINxYmjGZk0TfP/s400/IMG_1871.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729894910255203970" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: (L->R) Laurence, Emmanuelle, Me, Duyen</i></div><div><br /></div><div>At the end of the lunch, they took out a bag each for Pablo and I--a going-away present! They gave me a long-sleeved shirt and an apron (because I bake all the time!) with things on them written in Gascon (the language that used to be spoken in this area). So kind of them!!</div><div><br /></div></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WtnnOxQ73Dopy8p4Akm6ck0hzdb9H1A4jZWeQIP0VxySoiCBrYnpSX4KScYCTFdNiI7i_9jjvg9k5ql64up1i7h6jccS0zaHSMQ-j3IEuR_axcPn6hyphenhyphenZHspdYa062Cs7T0FtTFVdUfVX/s400/IMG_1870.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729895458562041282" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); " /><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Laureline, Me, & Hélène</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div>In the afternoon, Pablo and I were invited to stop by Hélène's class so they could say goodbye. And they had made us little books that had a drawing and message from each student! And the messages are absolutely adorable! And Claude's class had made a little card for me that was signed by all the kids. I feel loved!! :)</div><div>On Friday night, Jessie and I went to folk dancing after dinner. It was an "everyone" night, so the really good stilt dancers were there! They are always pretty incredible--especially when they are jumping over people! I was still feeling sick, but I danced for a while. Then I sat with Jessie and was entertained by the four little girls who were crowded around her, trying to practice their very basic English! It was hilarious!</div></div></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-5770027551976331972012-04-01T12:03:00.005-07:002012-04-01T12:11:22.295-07:00Sunday 4/1: Poisson d'Avril!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYzoDwuOoaJFbdDdTEIKFk3mGJGr0a7Xs2A42BBTAYA3MYAhCShuUu9U3bWopPNKna3d1WszXdQTVWxzAZOE0NMlsL7scY5OU7D84LDs-b0VVLfjBBYZHbOw8RSHDh0YXsVAecxpBbBW8/s1600/IMG_1802.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLczXm_Rqy_tsLnSUMx9UT1GH26jgymaxbe4BwoHVbOXGtEXP5nL4HhbCpIeUXPelktm5eOAak-vyDB0lV_twx5ZodhFq9T20S_l7i4MTF4iTAQOkC2WYMK6-mA09oIh5WAj6zs0YLE6mI/s1600/IMG_1800.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLczXm_Rqy_tsLnSUMx9UT1GH26jgymaxbe4BwoHVbOXGtEXP5nL4HhbCpIeUXPelktm5eOAak-vyDB0lV_twx5ZodhFq9T20S_l7i4MTF4iTAQOkC2WYMK6-mA09oIh5WAj6zs0YLE6mI/s400/IMG_1800.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726510859366693282" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">This morning I participated in a walk to raise money for a cardiology organization. The folk dance group had announced it last week and said that one could either participate walking normally...or on stilts! So, I decided to give it a try. And it was so much fun! The advanced group did a 6km walk and the beginners (me included) walked 2km through the woods. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYzoDwuOoaJFbdDdTEIKFk3mGJGr0a7Xs2A42BBTAYA3MYAhCShuUu9U3bWopPNKna3d1WszXdQTVWxzAZOE0NMlsL7scY5OU7D84LDs-b0VVLfjBBYZHbOw8RSHDh0YXsVAecxpBbBW8/s400/IMG_1802.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5726511030894810322" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">This morning was overcast, but it was still really beautiful walking through the woods. And, despite there being many roots, sandy patches, and other misc obstacles--I didn't fall! Thank goodness! I am so excited to make myself a pair of stilts (with bigger platforms for my feet because my toes hang over the front of these ones) when I get home! And then I'll really start training!!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This afternoon I went to an artisan's market in Tyrosse with Catherine and Margot. There were some really cool things--and quite the variety! We saw blown glass jewelry, handmade baskets (we got to chat with the man who was making them...a real character!), cosmetics made from donkey milk (we met the donkey), made-to-order corsets, incredible chocolate displays, custom teddy bears, and much more! I didn't buy anything, but I did a lot of free looking.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tonight for dessert we had strawberries and whipped cream.....summer is coming!!</div><div><br /></div><div>*Although today is "Poisson d'Avril" (or, "April Fool's Day"), I didn't really do anything. Yep, it's the first year in a while that I haven't cut out paper fishes and stuck them to people or their belongings (as is the French tradition). Maybe it's because I'm actually in France now and no one else was really doing anything... oh well!</div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-72583432942436898022012-04-01T03:16:00.002-07:002012-04-01T03:26:05.115-07:00Friday 3/30: More Teaching!!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">I wanted to put up two more videos from my classes...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">The first one is from one of my 2nd grade classes. They are learning the question, "How are you?" and many possible responses. They adore this song--especially because they get to act out all the different emotions!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxJu66rprh1xss0WyeXCE62M6UD2ngz69o1eCfrjyy0gZYnS-snxuGDn4saHSoawdlh1pa-bv7dhlsENSX1' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">The second video is from my 4th grade class. They really got a kick out of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes!" (the video was taken by the teacher on her phone)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxcITBzkChkfon-YyUZfgWhQZucF5aT3btMkNOlFyYTojirKPDm2gOAemNKUGIj8joisKlBKwksj6btPhUUow' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-27701449391395787242012-03-29T02:59:00.002-07:002012-03-29T03:01:21.807-07:00Wednesday 3/28: More Beaching<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">Today I slept in really late (probably because I couldn't get to sleep last night for some reason...) and was back in bed reading when Catherine called to say that her afternoon class had been canceled and we could go to the beach earlier! We had planned to go at 3pm, but instead she wanted to go with Chantal at 1:30pm. So, I went to pick up Alison in Capbreton so she could come to the beach with us (as we were headed to a different beach than the one in her town). Unfortunately there was construction on the road to Capbreton and the detour sent me off in some other direction... I had a fun time trying to figure out how to get around to Capbreton. Luckily I was able to get there (although it took twice as long) and then we took the "Route National" on the way home.<div>Once again it was a beautiful day! We met up with Chantal and Claire (and some of their friends) at the beach in Seignosse and relaxed on our towels, reading. After a while, I got pretty warm and Margot wanted to go boogie-boarding, so I joined her! Yes, the water was a bit chilly, but not too bad. And we rode the waves for about 45 minutes before it was time to go home. </div><div>After tea-time, Catherine brought Alison and I into town so we could look for sunglasses. She told us that if we wanted to get good ones that would actually protect our eyes from the sun, we should go to the shops on main street. I was really planning to get a pair (I've never had one...but that never seemed to matter much in Oregon...), but the cheapest we could find was 30€! Apparently that's a good deal here (most of the other ones were between 80€-130€), but I really couldn't imagine spending that much. I told them that I needed to think about it, but I'm just going to live a little longer without sunglasses. I've been okay thus far...</div><div>Alison and I went to the grocery store so I could do the shopping for Catherine. Then, after dinner, I drove Alison back home. It's so weird to have it be light until 9:30pm! I was driving back from Capbreton and it was still light! I actually really enjoy bring Alison home because the Basque radio station plays classical music after 9pm and I get to listen to it while driving through the beautiful countryside! It always makes me think of my Grandpa because I remember he always had the classical radio station playing at home...</div><div>It hit me tonight that Jessie is going to be here in Tyrosse in ONE WEEK. What?! I cannot believe how quickly the time is flying by. I always thought "Jessie won't be here until the very end of my time here"---well, here it is. Despite having been homesick at first, I am really happy here now. It's very comfortable and I have really gotten to know people here. It's going to be hard to leave. </div><div>When I was leaving Oregon last September, who would have thought I'd end up saying that?</div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-84012037102496757442012-03-27T14:52:00.019-07:002012-03-27T16:32:08.745-07:00Saturday 3/24-Tuesday 3/27: A Visit from Crystal!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzXvfJKhS4BHB8bMb1Pkn_d9p3efRLctrKP9Q_Mm5vWY78mkVl4Z99eigLaSCdbvxr4h9iupiRus708ELdso2EUXINVryO5Yx-iyMfXSRN8jq2BkKZNEigrukxow0mp4WQvyu4z3Kyfwp/s1600/555569_10150786048357265_546757264_11474681_19558748_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2X53z525ljVQZhbY-YSqy6WH74J7QpZyXoKyAp78k6_igfLB4UOkenLmnIEn-wb6AFCt6ZbqW3S6LnsO4OGOOAdb6GHMdSQnQzlIdCr-1ulvf2z2b-vLRC9Dj6WYaBvhM6KcKXvBj1-T/s400/Picture+2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724698598694199778" />On Saturday, I woke up to bright blue skies, sun, and 70℉ weather! I went running and then spent a few hours reading out on the lawn chair by the pool. It was really warm! Crystal (*who is from Oregon, but is currently studying at the University of Glasgow) wasarriving at the airport in Biarritz at 4:50pm, so Catherine and I had planned to pick her up. However, Catherine was busy and said that it would be better if she just drew me a map and I would drive there by myself. Eep. I agreed, but was pretty nervous (as I'd never driven on the highway here). Apparently I had good reason to be nervous.....I got lost twice on the way there and ended up arriving at 5:30pm. Oops. Luckily I found Crystal (who was--thank goodness--still waiting for me) and we had no trouble finding our way back to Tyrosse.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFvaZ1_p8M0oVqCvh-6LPIH-sE4UFjjB8K4IEH-XyGR1qrbAtgv-OntttMenKEONZfCsuBAG5RVbawRdVgmpR2Y8l7UUwhwtFctj21GA2nSA5SH7C4nNYrAzMiphsskHyAv19mWyLoZ8S/s400/559174_10150786038127265_546757264_11474600_21377643_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724717867380445858" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div>We slept in on Sunday and then walked over to the school garage sale. There were so many people there! I was surprised how many vendors were there and I saw quite a few students. The only thing I purchased was a copy of "The Thief Lord" for 1€. At 1pm, Catherine, Crystal, and I headed to Capbreton to pick up Alison and go to the beach! </div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLBmMOkj_YhBVoWQzMJ3zRszVaQBcmfYxEZc6XA1DtFnS7pTsiaU8IMta2rHrfqWJrU-32Vi2iuFF9EZh1M7JZ2gBe1Vrm6SDwGKtm1rSFayDaA5z4qfHo9eTpuZq3lm3uQRKXiSQnWS4/s400/564732_10150786038382265_546757264_11474603_202622420_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724718616219623250" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: A morning walk through Tyrosse</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Picnic at the beach!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>It was so HOT! We had a picnic lunch and then relaxed on our towels, reading. Crystal was reading "The Hunger Games," since I have the copies and she'd never read them. It got so warm that eventually we couldn't help but head for the water! </div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWm0fsLxGL_hsxu_WCwo59v23BaExyHHHOhCy4f2X9iGinUR5ze6LFtuX4BIQry3k5TSd3aQIrcs1XIYsPrxb-y8oAcyFqXS4heOAkZpMdNConp_rwPM6A4JKm1o7gobNBBJCibXej6wa/s400/528441_10150786038822265_546757264_11474610_1352840249_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724719138436945330" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 154px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: SWIMMING!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>Crystal and I swam for a while (apparently the water was about 55℉...warm for us, but too cold for the locals) and then went back to dry off. Catherine had to leave at 3:30pm, but Crystal and I didn't want to go back that soon. We had decided to just walk home later...it's approx 8.5 miles, but we figured that we could do it in a little over 2 hours. </div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeBzBLXnX_8Z-larycoIQZQ5TnoORkVvNhVH-7eGP269D50DuhRMZ0iQU6FwZZuJd1Bi_IA-n3Jn7wjfdY_qo3elOsgfXcOKusV00N_9X0GWo87OsyIyIRB9Stgue5SXRaT-vwPv_mm6jB/s400/534139_10150786045442265_546757264_11474641_517614071_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724719450595165074" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>We stopped to change at Alison's house (which is 1.5 miles from the beach) before striking out on foot. It was the perfect temperature and we had fun walking and chatting.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: On our walk</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>However, after we had walked about 1.5 miles, a car honked at us and then pulled over. The driver (an elderly man) rolled down his window and asked if we wanted a ride. I asked where he was going and it turned out that he was headed to Tyrosse! </div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimB2puVoU4n0y-PFKmWHWtqtAEtsEyH_9KCHRjHuto-Lq0aUMFuoxloM0uuEqdcXJ5fR0oDjN5qnLCw7KmL5QI2ARu0_RbT7H2d4BNatF-0YhH9QArqPX0k1TRMobr4t2tlwdv3sbF7rZu/s400/556250_10150786045517265_546757264_11474643_1541225023_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724719789435078690" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>So, we got in the car and hoped that all would be well. He was very nice and talked the whole way (and had a really strong accent, which was exciting because I couldn't always understand what he was saying). It was very nice of him to offer to take us and he kept saying how he hated to see people walking and that he figured we didn't dare hitchhike. Well, now I've done it!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Before getting a ride...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><i><br /></i></div><div>On Monday, I had to teach early...so Crystal stayed in bed and read "The Hunger Games." By the time I had returned from class (where we worked on telling time), she had finished the first Hunger Games book. So, I grabbed the next book off the stack and handed it to her. I had some work to do before we could go out and wander around, so Crystal kept reading... </div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc0eNz7kyngecryN1XXsR1w5pX5hmMPFcISb0ZCs249jpMsZAA-eyLBgA4VJQ-NpgVmglmSxOnL8XYzx5mycwVDsqerYjkDtCUY95gBn2-Xx1lUZ4kaHVFyyWlfgnqtjPPlzNGvJt5giZJ/s400/555203_10150786045757265_546757264_11474646_196226447_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724720190403580690" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " />Then we headed out in search of some pastries! We ended up buying mini Gâteaux Basques and eating them in the sun, in front of the church. It was relaxing and delicious! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Enjoying her Gâteau Basque</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYuK9TM3EZs-2KyKmzNayEcf4p2nrQ3OA-t9RRXieT5j_KbY_4EeSW41WCzM4h_qlPrsPjaHUF1MyTRLF2g_P26D1EGOpElHU6IL_c8wN6zytFxqHQgfrYG7DCLYKmfhlabESu7hHwK-f/s400/531331_10150786045982265_546757264_11474648_2111839428_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724720390674370402" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: A post-Gâteau Basque smile... :)</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Then we stopped at the train station where we had to wait for 10 minutes while a Portuguese lady (who didn't really understand French) tried to buy a train ticket from Tyrosse to Lisbon--which, apparently, isn't actually possible. While we waited, we started talking about The Hunger Games...and after a few minutes, I realized that Crystal wasn't reading the 2nd book. She was, in fact, reading the 3rd book. Oops! Apparently when I had grabbed the next book off the stack, I didn't check to make sure which one I had handed her! And the stack wasn't in order... So, she had just read 200 pages of the 3rd book, without having read the 2nd one! I felt so bad! No wonder she was so confused! </div><div>When we got home, I gave Crystal the 2nd book and (after lunch) we biked over to the other school. Crystal found a nice patch of grass outside to lie in and read while I went to teach. The classes went okay today. The younger kids' class was only 18 minutes long because (as always) it takes so long for them to come in from lunch recess. Oh well! I'm done worrying about that. And with the older kids we are trying to finish up our replies to the Oregonian pen pals. They should be finished on Thursday, I hope! As the kids were leaving, one of the boys strolled out repeating "Je suis un rabbit. Je suis un rabbit. Je suis un rabbit. Je suis..." ("I am a rabbit") over and over. I am unsure why he was saying this, but I had a lot of trouble not bursting out laughing!</div><div>I had to teach one more class at the school next to me, so I left Crystal once again to her book. My class went really well--I had them review their numbers by playing a game that they all got really into. At the end, the winning team got pizza stickers (that actually smell like pizza) and they were super stoked (thanks, Jessie, for the stickers!!).</div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSHTa_w-nq-JyUtQ8NskGV3NslmTUK0RAXTRMyQFLhTRV9qP3-ANSnr3EZtpvzD7ww26qajkE4-ek53iVHFxRs7xkPgPuyCakXL114hUMJvtZUDAAhGoTV-is_IRI-F6iYYesSFfSJ5K1/s400/532755_10150786048232265_546757264_11474679_313510012_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724721021541514466" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>Crystal managed to finish the 2nd book and had moved on to finishing the 3rd book by this point. And, I might point out that each of these books are around 400 pages. She managed to finish the last one during the afternoon. Pretty impressive! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: The Hunger Game trilogy...read in 2 days by Crystal.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUmD1PnL4B2PAz8ceLzGKVX7o7d8JmoonGv9SMrkwOkc8zXAMiNrmZMYUvmNjjZ8cihi8JNVjQ3vlEu59riVEDACi0JgQ3IRLSOKtBSwIQDljdqVD86f2Lq0roBy8CS8N9Fhzzjg6v9FU/s400/528880_10150786047562265_546757264_11474670_1822603862_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724721388631258690" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We took Dunja for a long walk through the woods, stopping (of course) to play on the monkey bars! I went barefoot for most of the walk, which was lovely. I just don't go barefoot as much here, but it's so nice to feel the earth beneath my feet!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: A walk in the woods</i></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3bIi2IgXCS4gB96PhlGOWOLwvElNBuComUNpuMQKvoOCJnVHzlbBcZDbc8x7isZKs2IfcO62zyskQr5K6dIr5-9Qgx8KweXUEShfidwCN7-0LGzT2GTKukDpoN2EsEmzD0411FC5nfmES/s400/523537_10150786046617265_546757264_11474656_1578304675_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724721521219655570" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98cVvx6vzxO6R8cvwgsJwSvSYSu2JtO5hPEXBSgAqpg3kCep_w8uGWNNQHBBCzEwBB_ZsFqOhRPE1mJhMlcvIx9uCRcPtSw5DB5RXvHMU9pYVpRe8dfCNk_mrH2m4vN6YaE8xZPWSCmUL/s400/548939_10150786047027265_546757264_11474662_457937680_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724721819135322610" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEjdvhkJzo3V-S96NpGYLu0kkyQT81LBNwWO3Q8Xi4m7AM37jB1N0yCVkQeGwDYYixyezyqPJBuV-OoX8_-lP8_rhjj3t5PF5g0Ok0LFlMCGTSgW8wcIh6eQ_s79nWJzfqhDLrhELx8Kx/s400/551418_10150786046442265_546757264_11474654_3434207_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724722092471310050" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>After dinner, Catherine, Crystal, Margot, and I watched "Little Miss Sunshine"! I love that movie! Crystal and Margot had never seen it before. Unfortunately it didn't have French subtitles, so we just had to translate for Margot. Everyone liked it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzXvfJKhS4BHB8bMb1Pkn_d9p3efRLctrKP9Q_Mm5vWY78mkVl4Z99eigLaSCdbvxr4h9iupiRus708ELdso2EUXINVryO5Yx-iyMfXSRN8jq2BkKZNEigrukxow0mp4WQvyu4z3Kyfwp/s400/555569_10150786048357265_546757264_11474681_19558748_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5724722361649194146" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "> <div>Today (Tuesday), Crystal had to leave to go back to Glasgow. I'm so glad that she was able to come for a visit--even if it wasn't very long. And so lucky that we had such nice weather!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Saying goodbye at the train station</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "> <div>I taught my normal classes today (we just started The Body with the class of 8-9 yr olds and they are learning to sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes") and during my break in the afternoon, I read on the patio. It's amazing how much it feels like summer! I had my conversation class tonight and we discussed the elections. They described how the elections in France work and then I attempted to describe how the elections work in the US. I had some trouble explaining electoral votes, etc. I need to look it up and re-explain it next class. It's just a bit confusing! However, one interesting thing that I learned about French elections: the government gives 150,000€ to each candidate for their campaign! They fundraise the rest.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>The pictures in this post are courtesy of Crystal! :)</i></div></span></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-7012733990743913162012-03-27T14:39:00.002-07:002012-03-27T14:50:26.679-07:00Teaching Videos<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#33cc00;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxwIsRAJav8uKrxHRsxfmX_6GWboaYFW9WTSw_Rsw13mf7Okfgfv_j6XfJypqlGCb7jwhX9Pj2762zcIOs2' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#33cc00;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Singing "BINGO" (with the CE2 students </span>at l'École des Arènes<span class="Apple-style-span">!)<div><br /></div></span><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwBxvY8bbbxbtrilrAss6X9Uz971WYsTg9xiTb6kCBENSGJL1scZ6ILo0cl6gzxxxML90X2cWZHfGnGDZJFBQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#33cc00;">Conversations between Tiger and Monkey (with the CE1 students at l'École des Arènes)</span><div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-64974043717573392452012-03-21T04:21:00.007-07:002012-03-21T04:42:42.441-07:00Friday 3/16: Carnaval à l'École des Arènes!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwatd7FI7Qg5HsHT4Y-BSa-vMV1aBEtwxLpFszP7dK1vxYiIyP9axPBUggm09y-kquWztV9zXiE1s4O3ASUa6308AAgZK_dg9UvAe-952WpUcRTowZuNbZTTZumu5oKiR2NlnaKbR3XMu/s1600/IMG_1776.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">On <img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnCcHbZO5fWu-gLc3hlC_0I8OOJKX51Kwf50vjo058b819XtL8IpAP0tGtsBjMEn07X0NGIee0EaAHiZ9qv2PHcOlinCqIVC_lnc9JDZF2ZNQ_o5CKvn0JuU11eyJyT4IlWwc9hyQTCFr/s400/IMG_1736.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722310251466457330" />Friday we celebrated Carnaval at the school next to me. It was excellent! Since I spend a lot more time at this school (and teach 7 classes here, as opposed to two at the other school), I know the kids a lot better.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: Getting dressed up... Catherine did Margot's make up: a black eye, a scar, and a bloody bandage!</i></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlB138nduX8o0jRCOW62VO32ikpYoz1MZNaFwcEJ-MX2slGiEfYbW45rKEWQ6l9TlHqUsHBNBM-c91iujdhBtRu7mflzQXNBKXv10HqPMgtzF22TH31ni67sANjU6Wet19TWShBn1QGh2/s400/IMG_1743.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722310440291328674" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: With some of my 7-8 year old students!</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">It was great to see them all dressed up and to have a few hours to just hang out with them and the other teachers. It started in the playground where we gathered to wait until everyone was ready. </span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1uCi8JaEVRHFq1M12mzbWntmR1N0o04nP2_nnsxp2SD54RrfubKU_IXQiJovOQPGuTowAX9bYpozRhTldJL79WrPckdZlT32h5m5tsDuVQj5CflrycY3EpRNzwSo0xRNbb1OrWs1ABHXy/s400/IMG_1749.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722311001408786178" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">While we waited, the kids played and some of them had brought bags of confetti, which they threw on people (quite often the teachers...) until the ground was multi-colored. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: CONFETTI!!</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZg0FPnpNI43I9snWc882GRawD1iCi7C89AyZ62NbQwyva06XW6IV6kxn9Sck5aVUzKpvvXSueFnvX4smYCyobp_F9L3WqW-LqXtb7VhJXy4-uR_VgtXHpcFLXwJ2JKB4sQ9BMytO_SnV/s400/IMG_1755.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722311379221868962" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: Emmanuelle's 5th grade class</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">Once everyone was ready, we paraded down the streets of town--getting many strange looks from the drivers going past who must have wondered why kids were dressed up in mid-March (Carnaval is in February...). Some of the kids had maracas and tambourines and many of them were singing. <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyzByothRrWeLGmQLpJ3cGt7UChL2qvpDYJ7HFEU-gXtVdTnr2gl_grDVDaD5KPUb1_8GBaRNSDaYxU_5U7sg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> <i>Video: Parading down the street...</i></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwatd7FI7Qg5HsHT4Y-BSa-vMV1aBEtwxLpFszP7dK1vxYiIyP9axPBUggm09y-kquWztV9zXiE1s4O3ASUa6308AAgZK_dg9UvAe-952WpUcRTowZuNbZTTZumu5oKiR2NlnaKbR3XMu/s400/IMG_1776.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722313032876609186" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >We made a stop out in front of the pre-school, so that the little kids could see the costumes and listen to a few songs, sung by the older kids. Then we returned to the school where there was a feast (crêpes and other cakes which had been made by parents and brought into the school) and music and plenty of time to run around like crazy kids. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: One of the two tables of food! And it was completely cleaned out in under an hour!</i><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzP5rgQnwaueYsoPyJJmizJIalJkUdTInoAArnchb8uQdWoYhv-QZdwKUCJu0qz_GdNuAnS6-qY5XJkzaGhkw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> <i>Video: Mmmm...Crêpe time! :-)</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">I dressed up as a hippie and was asked many times what that was (even though some of the kids were dressed up as hippies...) and I also got a lot of comments on my 5-fingers running shoes. No one could believe that I use them to go running ("What?! Not tennis shoes?!") It was a wonderful afternoon!</span></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-20935660930276670482012-03-16T09:36:00.012-07:002012-03-16T10:05:09.972-07:00Monday 3/12-Thursday 3/15<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppwzSXj_ovXraa-GrrvmaorMZzaDU2tTXvk2E8NG3pkdVtWvGPylfxkMMogqqUdseFQtZA6TAXh8EX8Ybsi1Rg5emVahY79dI3LjV0fKe9znZAE2s0ENafMDSsGJp7cD8g_VszWy3dwSl/s1600/418001_393530633991575_100000039243929_1658549_1144990115_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">This week my teaching went pretty smoothly overall. With the youngest kids I've been working on the weather and school vocab. They are adorable when trying to say "What's the weather like?" and they keep getting rainy and windy mixed up (probably because they pronounce "rainy" as "wainy").<div>With the 8-9 year olds we're also working on school vocab and we've been reviewing the alphabet. They love to take turns standing up and reciting the alphabet for me (although many of them still get mixed up on the pronunciation of letters G-K...). I've been teaching the 9-10 year olds body vocab and we had a blast singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" again on Monday. I didn't have a second class with them this week because they were on a field trip. With the oldest kids, I have been working on telling time and saying what time they did things during the day (I go to school at 8:30am, I eat dinner at 7:30pm, etc.) and I sent out their penpal letters on Wednesday. I really doubt that I'll still be here by the time the letters come back, but Claude is going to continue them without me.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Tuesday night, Alison stayed over and we stayed up late watching the Harry Potter musical. :)</div><div>On Wednesday we made chocolate chip cookies and then went to the beach with Margot. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDhAsDodydUEEHr5JYMu7dArSUA3gOXdDQWmpBZd94F_53-FdE8KX98HKEE4mXbLktkMkIRXtnBWcFAy_u1EK4yhPsi8qGlWo9SQCjLoc0eKaADcwHIsljPSM52mt9zGJNda7MTgokqyBv/s400/429603_393528917325080_100000039243929_1658523_631605546_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720537430502599954" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " />However, when we arrived in Capbreton, it was gray, cloudy, and a bit chilly. Eep! We put our towels out on the sand and lied down anyways... and after about 15 minutes the sun began to peek through... and another 15 minutes later the sky was blue and the sun was out!</div><div><i>Photo: Hoping for sun... </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOHsDqUp__JF6_JAKBujAo1nop3wJUQT_DuZ3nJ1H0K0TOYZ0rJvle5Ax7IcecDTzj1DvzwvrDGBZzaM0MKBaShYMFdLm01YfBPmXRQOFtTHU8yyMmXP0Ek1V1PZQ_AQ68BdTOQDESFL9N/s400/IMG_1673.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720538585238667778" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Margot and I played frisbee for a while (avoiding the huge dump truck that kept bring loads of sand across the beach and dumping it into a huge pile...we weren't sure why) and then decided to go put our feet in the water. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Playing Frisbee!</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rbg4R2nzkzTKJ79WktJMbeuQR6Unt6lM7gKd8yOI7q5f58kA2FErRpe8o13S6dNyUDJGQyjo6aOrlMbkbw8Nx3eZYUA7auUMFhIMabMEGHy6H39dmYpPBHiip5uPsEmBXaOBj7sbKRpw/s400/IMG_1696.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720535684753428210" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Free entertainment (the dump truck got stuck in the sand at one point and everyone on the beach was watching it attempt to free itself!)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It was still pretty cold, but not as bad as typical Oregon Pacific water temperature!</div><div></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzmn_OqElUz5HXQMBKie59p_2aLc6bxqr7Q4yAdMuvJWwbWK9mQHLzELSC35hSKhBNtYGpLdEGXYWA8g2flNW72No33ri4LUrltEIzFKiCzzdLErtdn74sQel-dBqv9Ib5BdpRFll49vw/s400/IMG_1718.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720536342360884274" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Margot and I stripped down to our bathing suits and waded in a little further...Alison offered to take pictures and stayed out of the water. ;)</div><div>Well, after a relatively short time, we were both all the way in! It was quite cold, but once you got numb, it felt great!!!! </div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><i>Photo: SWIMMING! IN MARCH!</i></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhskGXK6i4nUITa2pc6dtjvszXlY6jELRD9K46szn-HtY6IT8v_uCffLDeaifggMMFw9IzEefwPopcFq66S0L1o1weUqKYQxduHAZQh5iKDCc9JifRXY-MyoiybLx_TwfzrCIpet0KMISXi/s400/431122_393530173991621_100000039243929_1658542_536082149_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720539463228877442" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></i></div></span><div>When we finally decided to get out, we dried off on the beach and then went to buy some treats: chocolate ice cream for me, churros (deep-fried strips of dough) dipped in warm nutella for Alison and Margot! YUM! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Enjoying their snack...</i></div><div><i><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppwzSXj_ovXraa-GrrvmaorMZzaDU2tTXvk2E8NG3pkdVtWvGPylfxkMMogqqUdseFQtZA6TAXh8EX8Ybsi1Rg5emVahY79dI3LjV0fKe9znZAE2s0ENafMDSsGJp7cD8g_VszWy3dwSl/s400/418001_393530633991575_100000039243929_1658549_1144990115_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720539779554767138" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px; " /><br /></i><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Wall-Jumping!</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div>We stayed until 5pm and then headed home (stopping to drop Alison off at her apartment).</div><div><br /></div></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><br /></span></span><div>For more beach pictures, check out this link: </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2787432092226.2113921.1451010052&type=1&l=d2129771b5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#ffff33;">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2787432092226.2113921.1451010052&type=1&l=d2129771b5</span></a></span><div><br /></div><div>On Thursday night for dessert, we had fresh strawberries and whipped cream. There's nothing better than the first strawberries of the year! Mmm!</div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-84898106708822421492012-03-12T02:53:00.009-07:002012-03-12T03:19:52.330-07:00The weekend: Saturday 3/10-Sunday 3/11<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33EDZMAF2LpUviIaC8sjGfGwrbl_dGJKwM-sWcnH2cjcGvQE-8u_vNfonkVx2D9ig3SfyzYojbxhBVMBvGWhdt0HmjQzux79hzLHBMlyVsdqCmZbYldpR3aD_jzkaJean1irxcDgBWnJP/s1600/IMG_1671.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">This weekend, the twins have their German friends here. They are part of an exchange program at school which sends the French students to Germany for 10 days and then the German students come here for 10 days! <img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbm-E-28aw153L9jgA78xOVdMytIFSr3m2AQiC2z_h0FOrCcTQVLJCoSPCuzqobYPaRlgwT3xkUW6BzUoNJ-2llcVjQa_BU6rW2mef6oQ2OPeBotJWENSc8jEHn9kp6XU3ufPgnjqjM4t/s320/IMG_1653.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718949641274811778" />Since they stay at their school during the week, they'll only be here for the weekend...which is kinda nice since I'm sharing a bathroom with them all. :p</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>Yesterday (Saturday) we all went to lunch in Hossegor, at the coast. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: My lunch--A salad with grilled goat cheese and a Roquefort flan...which I gave to Ralf, as I'm not a huge fan.</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEuN7pjHsCM0nQ6Q5ebPeauoLABlI10M0zqbgrI79Le3xyGj8tNH3WtFjVzYbng3ykI3fRHqzKUpj5qLJ99fA3ofm_gvFYS1yaoEpELf6qMBlQeDXbcwWltePD5FqR5ejA46Z-Mf6HuOJ/s400/IMG_1664_2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718949853116323362" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 400px; " /></div><div>After lunch we took a nice walk on the beach (well, the boys headed off to do their own thing) and I ended up doing handstands and cartwheels with Margot and her friend, Lou-Anne. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: My Host Family!</i></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>It was such a lovely day (about 60 degrees) and I am so looking forward to when it gets a little bit warmer so we can go swimming! You see, I wouldn't mind swimming right now (because already it's better than in Oregon), but here they aren't really used to having to be numb to go swimming...so we'll just wait a little longer! :)</div></span></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKy6L31UdTptEV5DE9sk8wYV-LLjPaLlXtwilgdbJfO3wUeHPZKHtNTm6JdQJyBG9xL3mnXnVHzX6TJO3Zy89QE0RRcrMSKa_KuogEvfVhQ8fNjIKn719C8xymNxFtfkac5CX1Ur5q7Dtx/s400/IMG_1667.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718950225529142978" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: My cartwheel buddies</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NEsB1ImnGko9do9UwblD3ZA3fCmJQT0XktehldSWbEKQg2_iE_BxS35fGaEc851qg0ofCRh88EW9Hb3iwex9aAAdWcNL2bfv92cE_kYEsaKRr_2XjLPXx2OKrarPF5dMlMg1Quore50r/s400/Picture+6.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718950501231085170" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px; " /></div></span>On Saturday night I got to skype with a bunch of my family as my Grandma, Aunt Barbara, Aunt Sally, and Uncle Ed were all over at my house for breakfast! It was so wonderful to get to catch up with everyone and to SEE them! I even managed to get a few pictures! :)<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">Photo: Beautiful people who I miss!</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>On Sunday I picked Alison up in Capbreton in the early afternoon and brought her back so she could be here for the rugby match between France and England.</div></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYFcUPSzdyMtHXyVGwZKLj2yAiS9PbiYTHELwD4HSac17pJRkRzRPcL2Rxy_bGUTN6bgd5IMtI2gz6e-fBMuTsF6Mot_nQ-9Iw4XHesp-u5B3cHQ1O_fdTW9xi7c1doxHz_-5czpVoZpKD/s400/IMG_1668.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718950720899955346" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " />Everyone was really excited about it (Margot and Catherine painted their faces with blue, white, and red) and we all watched the match together. England ended up winning (Alison was thrilled, everyone else was super bummed...I didn't care much either way) by two points, 24-22.</span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">Photo: Watching the game--you can see the expressions on the French fans... Alison's thumbs-up is just popping in at the bottom of this picture</span></i></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg33EDZMAF2LpUviIaC8sjGfGwrbl_dGJKwM-sWcnH2cjcGvQE-8u_vNfonkVx2D9ig3SfyzYojbxhBVMBvGWhdt0HmjQzux79hzLHBMlyVsdqCmZbYldpR3aD_jzkaJean1irxcDgBWnJP/s400/IMG_1671.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718950932999930850" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><div>After the game, I spent the next few hours making pizzas (with the help of Catherine and moral support of Alison)--it ended up taking quite a while in a oven that only works on the top... But, in the end we had three large pizzas, three smaller pizzas, and one small loaf of pesto bread! Everyone loved the homemade "American" pizza and it all was eaten (except the bread, which we're saving for dinner on Tuesday)!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Enough pizza for an army (and apparently we had an army here...there aren't any leftovers!)</i></div> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-46383272047956880102012-03-12T02:09:00.012-07:002012-03-12T02:57:42.558-07:00Teaching... Monday 3/5-Friday 3/9<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitac1k_-HHuEAQz1VDh6ywd8zgPA8k86pFIXdwLOu-FQ2IzJGm-8w3fCwraX57Rzi1WEsTf0swfqxvt4SRVZMY7iQuK_1Q-i6kjBTfqtxSEI2I8ataWCy4NLVbEL7JUFheMQBTY1-XK3e7/s1600/IMG_1648.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFWj2HI-rwqoETJRsi4t6rTveDGDPramPYyW2G6B1v9RvqxF8NS8wqe_qfF_GECQWDzkOud8KZwla8dvVh284IU0oy0FAIrXHSvoUpDIexpa6I-UOQeoSx5h8-_WS4veMw5ttClF0f1yiY/s400/IMG_1605.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718943106191604018" />This week at school I've been working with the 5th graders on their penpal letters with the American kids. Those letters (from the US) are pretty much the most hilarious things I've ever read! I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long time...</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: "I almost forgot I am asian"</i></div><div><br /></div><div>In any case, the teaching went well this week and I'm feeling confident about it now. Perhaps that's because I was only teaching at the school next to me and it's the other school that gives me a lot of trouble... Oh well!</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqvy6wkaq_kkcElA6_-GFfj2oYbK5hyphenhyphenRfSImXZj3EcVnwtaEgnTHPkuI5Cp6W9QvxoYxyB1cmbYpzwm7Rj3RPjg9XvR6BoloAH1Cknu3IlW80B4efHxBym6AFBuzQupWKlkn0nhJ38upV/s400/IMG_1611.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718943390642855410" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><div>On Thursday I went to the other school because they were celebrating Carnaval (a little late, yes... they had to postpone it due to bad weather). So, instead of teaching, I just hung out (dressed up like a hippie) and helped the teachers when I could. </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxp8CnoPRYbce66n2Z_4aJgGGFbnJsUPlb5mSYGGHvnm6MiktEejppZwhj6qLZUemMAX0AfnZ8ubGfGyGY2dsiwspy6WO7G3Oewt3eui8EUeCqXi0-qaCQnLP7ZjuLsDhWmMhVrYKrmis/s400/IMG_1607.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718943811851626434" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Some of my CE1 students</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Some of my CM2 students</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>All the kids were dressed up in costumes--it was pretty much like Halloween in the US. They all lined up and we had a little parade down the streets--and through the huge supermarket!</div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUZsdVLfJOhjjAzwi834A7tfO4yBpE2Tk-65PZceYG0oQ5mGm6hczyZx7dF8wZMSaLZSXbfbYQz1bti04TGsgiMJF54n8kO-DOezCLJv4CAzSY6J-S7lf87sb6zKC5-IH6f5V1aChDb6z/s400/IMG_1619.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718944339682227666" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /> </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Parading (I love the forest around here</i>!)</div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8nJ5Jot0q_7x-2SC7I8xJSlpa-zOQ_FH8eDzukrmLhpXFZcPrVSsmD2HGbXWSUlXb5dtmlUWn_-PmISKCmzQSIVEU9qJ5bAQgqhBxv9SCdIQx4dvvZXHpQDfQqpMofpCkH-e57gCACCD/s400/IMG_1637.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718945130110775154" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Five Spidermans and a Buzz Lightyear...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoUuLPEBA6fa5mMClYqBucT29vJk8hQL3hAcpQA8sokV_smEzr4M540ee4ljYGkR9CX9Gmnc0tQqZ46OM39vmEAZDYpC3lzVcjWP1g34vJ1lf3BD3Bxrku9La9ihalW8Gru9_CRCobFnY/s320/IMG_1641.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718945635839073506" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 320px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: "Saint-Pansard"</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Then returned to the school where the 5th graders read out a list of the bad things they were blaming on "Saint-Pansard" and then they burned the version of him that they had made. It was pretty epic, really. </div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcOnJ59C4X9gW9C7SzsTeiFwOrWRR4Y8PQRLyH3btQryJiuzCw9anpNuiZzzG1dQZZB4UeJtDw1WGKt6LDEUDBuYLOH4CuR4J9JvK1hx_s2adHUe8VbdBR68in6JXxsePpurDEvZKrCdd/s320/IMG_1644.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718946022905185490" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: The burning "Saint-Pansard"... they even put some fireworks inside of him!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitac1k_-HHuEAQz1VDh6ywd8zgPA8k86pFIXdwLOu-FQ2IzJGm-8w3fCwraX57Rzi1WEsTf0swfqxvt4SRVZMY7iQuK_1Q-i6kjBTfqtxSEI2I8ataWCy4NLVbEL7JUFheMQBTY1-XK3e7/s320/IMG_1648.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718946461780876610" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><div>After that we all went to the playground and had crêpes that the parents had made. There were plates and plates of crêpes, along with some other traditional cakes. Mmm!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: One of the three tables of treats!</i></div> <div><br /></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-6956469523003264702012-03-12T01:57:00.013-07:002012-03-12T02:31:04.341-07:00Wednesday 2/29-Sunday 3/4<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinptVo0SXCOx07YHpC3Vx1d11rSLgNkxJETG14Fcx_UyT_5ik4GinTVtY8TfKs3zEkii0tpFmzTKCh42OYpbxulbW0MFgffEhaGIDfpBWmrJSUIGzHxL9wFZuXRkysCpmdW86JI1KrrQmg/s1600/DSCN0888.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">M<img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5eO2oebiTvF5pEN_nC2l8j0MFA0IXnS6N8vM8uKTN7R25C0wDRfaxUnvIYzZvQPpTUxirBBK4BHfaOyiI2SFPlybiluwEnLR5idFVhngHeRjP0onl_9kCJTC2sBEj9Rwi28Fgh5IzWEH/s400/DSCN0821.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718937073593777426" />ark and I relaxed for the next three days (Wed-Fri), playing some basketball, doing a lot of laundry, and playing cards with Margot. </span><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPUg1DuIbee3XO9xwF24Tu2siu3JIWzEkCZbiwjNVm9nIVhJQqhajY4iGDM93lK2dralnJiYxnRtHqFv6AaAkGiH9XUn87gO1jJ3LzrbFXAIMG-LJ6Wn1l_BUxuUj_JWgr80sEQDTsyo_/s400/DSCN0822.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718933657016295730" /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Mark and I bought Margot a new basketball!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Playing Palace</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjmMCQQ7QbuMCOPewzcqeSxpZsbv5czH2EQZXuaS5sMoiXAo_XwqqHdnREccK2-UXlC5vBgdev9uMJ0T_sAbJ2MPbxZKlqxHKhDUpEqVZpD32kWqEXNFGgO37E6d6Uiqc9bmp-s4gGInie/s400/DSCN0793.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718934046421725122" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>On Friday we went to the beach in Capbreton!<div>We were lucky to have lovely weather and we took advantage of it to spend a little bit of time on the beach. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: In Capbreton</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmiF9lVkGRZrRTd0cSqV5utk_0fDFq48OFmkggjHDYgt3rhFTEnuk3pnS1JCc3PWCpfGa5eXU6MG7n_ciWOCPfmQoGgmkbVu8szYGN3l-YBOYzYMNf8FFMZACQGTBZyvA9_kL5LiqPa_D/s400/DSCN0807.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718934744416693170" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Rocking the red shorts</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYPBJTl-D96t2yyVdRzmD3AWyttSegYCfQurRsbyUKBlt1LW5r2MNRC50Wpx2H7WFCfkRG8wrHHIaqlmtMXhF1WM2_wr4APVfSwjG_2D7UPG8xfC3D8fgg5utkzZIcxwBPLTCtJjUGAE0/s400/Picture+1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718935211414915858" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 297px; " /></div><div><br /></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: We got ice cream!!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div>We didn't get to stay too long, though, because we wanted to make it back in time to see Margot's tennis match .</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">She's really good! Way better than I am!</span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We took the overnight train up to Paris on Friday night and arrived at 7am on Saturday (3/3). Since we had a little bit of time until the Mac store opened, we walked all the way there from the train station! The guys at the Mac store were really nice and (after instructing me to go to the store across the street and purchase a new hard drive) agreed to install my new hard drive for free! So kind of them!!</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQqmpaQIcnr2_l_fK1b9WimBQp0KpiVhiWhPTTj1knER30b2X8vvlTJL91CuYJuJaMPpAzNCyHzutIO0jugAH76knjE1M4XOQZEQEzIADXeI1SVbqu1_3klVBgUkw9ehmSajp_zgBcTby-/s400/IMG_1595.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718938169690296818" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div>We spent the afternoon wandering the Père Lachaise cemetery with Laura, a friend I met when I was studying in Angers! She's also doing the Teaching Assistant program, so we decided to meet up for the afternoon! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Laura and I at Père Lachaise</i></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMcaqsDxFvqAfgOiUieJZ1Or9I2HbkrX3LTLtL5HA55At5XV3m2xSxq5KhLTg9DKgb1_ncGU-vWjemlbbzCv67_esMFtyJRMGl2MtBiSigg2FjIFWpHiLeTA1mLUkFMtYbbpwc_-vYg_o/s400/IMG_1593.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718937900194024018" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div>We had fun seeing all the quirky gravestones and chatting as we wandered through the super confusing "streets" between all the graves. </div><div><br /><i>Photo: Mark in front of Jim Morrison's grave</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Then, later, we met up with Candice (and her two cousins, who were visiting from the US) and we all had lunch at a little café.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinptVo0SXCOx07YHpC3Vx1d11rSLgNkxJETG14Fcx_UyT_5ik4GinTVtY8TfKs3zEkii0tpFmzTKCh42OYpbxulbW0MFgffEhaGIDfpBWmrJSUIGzHxL9wFZuXRkysCpmdW86JI1KrrQmg/s400/DSCN0888.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718939638400301922" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div>Our last day in Paris (Sunday, 3/4) we finally had bad weather. The whole rest of our trip was blessed with amazing weather, but finally the rain hit. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Our hotel refrigerator for our picnic food...</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>So, we just hung out a lot and ended up ordering pizzas and watching some movies (that we had planned to watch together during the trip, but up until then my computer had been broken, so we'd been unable to do so). It was nice to just relax as we done so much walking the day before.</div><div><br /></div><div>I said goodbye to Mark at the airport on Monday morning and he spent the next 24 hours getting all the way back to Sacramento. I spent the next 5 hours hanging out in Paris, waiting for my 5 hour train back to Tyrosse. I was so exhausted (and sad) by the time I got home, all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and pass out. Well, it turned out that Ralf's favorite soccer team was playing that night, so there were a whole bunch of people over to watch the match! Catherine had made chili and everyone was hanging out. I managed to hang out for a little bit (and eat some delicious chili) before saying goodnight and heading up to bed!</div></span></span><div><div></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-41671438607690968822012-03-11T13:36:00.020-07:002012-03-12T02:05:12.495-07:00Saturday 2/25-Tuesday 2/28<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn71iceHKZHzAv3QFrlhnG9FO_ueIePd6gtqEajo1Zp6IYc_IWquqt_04Q_YyvVZnBA7ccqOGzpg4mVMYIJ72JMKqINiLdOXhfahLTk5o5tKHnwZEmNSnhCk3Ao8rUYJM0t1lDRWUAa7KH/s1600/DSCN0749.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PySmCvNV3HTOQma4y_zc7OYbdDYDAWG4MAv7Ga0KVn_WMKmotqveEOyUQ9Xf00m6WmpkjA6Iw0cKiKBw5HxLqJBZ7OKA6DgL7rwegsF5a0J_4-t9_DOdqD8RIBCbOKqyO9taDKpCb-Is/s400/IMG_1575.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718742434344735938" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " />On Saturday (2/25), Mark and I took a train to Bayonne (where we had two hours to kill, so we toured around a little bit--making sure to get a Gâteau Basque for Mark to taste!), then another train to Lourdes (where we had one hour to kill...we just sat at the train station), and a bus up into the Pyrénées to a little town called Cauterets.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><i>Photo: The village of Cauterets</i><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiphzt-ZqCvUAnY8unqUEy_dg7TiMa6xovxt3j4oMAnsZ13zT2AY3DbalfWiq18OAdoLx-1mN85xgcNjxFGkupzsi1aYxWJD73adhrQ_EkMru2TOYOEJJxCoN1yIIlN2ZO-a5bCQN11Dqd2/s400/IMG_1582.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718750697878585346" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Catherine's family owns a flat in an old hotel there (it's absolutely gorgeous) and they invited us to go stay there with them.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><i>Photo: The Hotel</i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div><br /></div><div>When we arrived, everyone had recently gotten back from a long day of skiing and they were planning to go out to a favorite restaurant for dinner.</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwSbVC5jlnePqe2ZZSZcbfNS-DX1ROM2CSCRg5XfaWg3kBPJSNJJXFcFmsUHdScLIzbSmr1YGcy6klJHs3KFi0KMUDKnjFp3W_oBMOvjsv780-zmHSBz0I1vq7HJm5jIExZNiA4QqKSagP/s400/DSCN0664.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718742742951583026" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;">Of course we went along! We were a huge group: the Bergfelds (5), Chantal's family (6), Pierre's friend, Jules, and Isabelle with her baby, Alexandre...17 people! Luckily the restaurant was prepared (apparently they go there every year) and we all tucked in to a massive dinner of fondue or raclette! Mark and I chose fondue and ate until we were ready to explode! It was so delicious!!!!!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: Delicious Dinner!</i><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i><div>The next day we rented some shorter skis and went to the Pont d'Espagne (about halfway up the mountain) with Isabelle and Alexandre. They were planning to go sledding and we were headed to the green slope.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcMOwNbF-F-KGQmBeyzgGOkRREO12iJGNPOT3tJWKsS-B4I2WTqKvBb1XIFU9chXqkdP9ns0vdgEyLLPzzMYV9-7ouSXLQ4VDvoizFrxJ5tqBxBw7V0n27r39T3w356ilI9Q3_uPcH9x0w/s400/DSCN0706.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718743670177915426" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Pont d'Espagne</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHWBWnr04HEo2lHIyzMt3I7pzORjzwFw6tSHgPZsh2H1Dc7XKOtYMDme9lnmSxSh0pdTNSZ_RSotzUyBzxAYikOrhwcFNa2vxIlYz1k0KMIW2MEJ4b_b0G2ZAkgiLabUnanDkIasYQBtDi/s400/DSCN0687.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718745233863437842" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><i>Photo: Yes, I am wearing a green gumdrop suit...</i><div><br /></div><div><br /></div> <div>I had no problem getting back into skiing (I'd gone two days when I was younger). It was really fun to be out in the snow and it was actually really warm and sunny!</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjb8qxp85kxX5hJfx5a034fGEkDG8HbAHPJb4sd_9SKfaDjPFFHNHy1JhN6MjGO8KmCpp6JJ2AWXV0yzc4ojFb19gKFlxYuQYQrI2JeDsifBtaZMif7OVP4fjBbBjNh4KqePxQ94v30VS/s400/DSCN0707.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718745930794520738" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It was Mark's very first time on skis, so that was quite a challenge.</div><div>He had some painful tumbles before lunch, but after lunch he kept trying and ended up feeling a lot more confident by the end of the day!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: At Pont d'Espagne</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpELkZr2QQz__YyaB1CMToZkXiQi5gVmfiS81W9nqT_hzu3CAOGudmR-l8gXaKVYH6kq0BPcH4nMRjQEPSuASPNld_bh-zkX0Jk0lAVkHOCTINJ3eLfgZhrCPrDiCq9I01cQYG7eUjV7L3/s400/IMG_1540.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718747604578627666" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><div>On Monday (2/27) I left in the morning with Ralf, Margot, Hugo, and Lucas and we took the cable cars waaaay up to the top of the mountains! I had borrowed Chantal's skis, so they were quite a bit longer than the ones I'd skied with the day before... </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Ralf and Margot on a lift</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaFpOG-426k-QcuRqGsbbl3Pn8OUR_c2axhl6CCZJQZPH9oCYIibMrTjVvfIPAI9SNY6T8I0owr0DCYkIrVsI8zcQD59OnHJvnadjQn0jDgD6f3HllTE4lI3kFxoO3QmM5gfN70JqEXQ_n/s400/IMG_1569.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718748001175033842" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After we'd gone down a green, we took the ski lift all the way to the very top of the slopes. The view from up there was incredible! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: The view at the top</i></div><div><br /></div><div>But then we had to get down. I said I was up for trying the blue slopes, so we headed down. I, not surprisingly, fell three times on the first slope (one of my skis coming off two of the times), but after I became more adapted to the steeper, narrower slopes and longer skis, I did okay! I didn't fall much after that and it was so exciting! (And, at times, terrifying!) </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn345IA1Fi8ufNkoX9-Ejx8fDFd2HS3QeY-fPzlET6Xe_9Otxjs1MN_qHlvqgf8SjpkdG_DWF89tpgYhHiVIxLGSwI4eKW3YVvm7rOIbFHjEBmqD8af_uU5QPb0WpG1zSg1ndARmmLTQY-/s400/IMG_1554.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718748408638296978" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Mark and Catherine coming in from the slopes</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Mark arrived around lunchtime with Catherine and she gave him a few lessons on skiing (how to turn and how to stop). After lunch, Margot and I skied with Mark for a while and he was so much better! He didn't fall at all and he was a lot more confident with his turning. He stayed on the lower slopes to practice for a while and I went back up to the top to ski with the whole group (Isabelle had arrived as well).</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfrgdTMHwWVRpZY15_h8ZZ8IOXZwelJskMnnuAqZGSEFm2PwuDgAU_tA4uNrBOnwBtW5RbgvqyOFwFdzo7mfcGLzIEHF9_aKcGlU4R_t6koKIbhPvUJCByM1HyRhsxszBR_Qn0tI-bCl4D/s400/IMG_1564.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718748812942443186" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><i>Photo: Up at the top!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>It was fun getting to watch the kids go on the ski jumps (not that they did anything particularly fancy, but they loved having us as the audience) and I went down a few red slopes as well! (Here they have four levels: Green, Blue, Red, Black) </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMXEnDxxkOIegKPjQElUqvXc_HPpRLQsY-6AHKjPXhXeQx8QHj1zVADcW_Y0QKXCpgFJwKm3OrvmlxVPHI0bXuoAMTc2bezWaKX28b-6-6MBhcpw-nwF_gPLAdrb5AITCsvMl80ypqCoS/s400/IMG_1567.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718749111720239730" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: OH YEAH!!!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>At 4:30pm, Ralf and I headed down to meet up with Mark and take the cable car back down to the town. We were all exhausted!</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2o5dOifRSUKJOk_fwSzbm1JpoupBRPBrmhSLRxHDuXita8kwb51vCv_LseMxoV2GYLKg1vFoF2HskN88gL-wu4_7TgYaEA6q-QDSbJRPjVF7VnTyz1eZdK9CPMg5bZ6OAhe3Njx3krr-E/s400/DSCN0721.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718751192486914466" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></span></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>That evening we just relaxed and played a bunch of cards with Margot, Catherine, and Isabelle.</div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn71iceHKZHzAv3QFrlhnG9FO_ueIePd6gtqEajo1Zp6IYc_IWquqt_04Q_YyvVZnBA7ccqOGzpg4mVMYIJ72JMKqINiLdOXhfahLTk5o5tKHnwZEmNSnhCk3Ao8rUYJM0t1lDRWUAa7KH/s400/DSCN0749.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718753110623112514" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Playing Cards!</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Dinnertime</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday (2/28) we headed back to Tyrosse, but this time we got a ride from Isabelle! It was nice to avoid the 5 hours by train, as it only takes 2 hours by car because there are no lay-overs.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; ">To see more pictures from our trip to Cauterets, check out this album:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><div id="contentArea" role="main" style="margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 1px; word-wrap: break-word; float: left; width: 714px; "><div id="album_pagelet" referrer="album_pagelet"><div><div id="album_metadata_pagelet" referrer="album_metadata_pagelet"><div class="fbPhotoPublicLink mtl" style="text-align: center; margin-top: 20px; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;color:#ffcc33;">https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2730570590724.2112550.1451010052&type=3&l=addf2147ed</span></div><div style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; "><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-74171451871914516512012-03-11T04:58:00.014-07:002012-03-11T05:49:33.542-07:00Tuesday 2/21-Friday 2/24<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-X0LMzPd9ojR7PvwupTVpTDvPV_lEM_mShmDBSoxCUI4Q_PAB8FWVotcul-W13TOt7bvVitiE4462lie1kloo_xr1adIYqZJFrcP_tS97leEXUf1NcVlHN1mBfeVRT-jsv-Pv38QSEBzl/s1600/DSCN0630.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieN7XtzETP0DeqkSi36-zthhvB1IsIqh5c7DLhABp5hTGU5DcCAaG5dF70ENCB-bd5SRNpl5QXRid-mYNvBeyCWLCSRWXX8cYAH4ViTUhipsTKtjpfqokTLrjtcHU2ke2lQ4JVyZ2vCFNF/s400/IMG_1512.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718608458134679074" />On Tuesday afternoon (2/21), we got on a train headed down to Tyrosse, but we didn't arrive until almost 11pm. </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ">So we spent Wednesday hanging out with my host family, taking Dunja for a walk, playing basketball and cards with Margot, etc. I spent a bit of time trying to get my hard drive fixed, but no success. :(</span></span><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Dunja and her new best friend</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTG9XjlnMEW9d7RRTUXndm1iXYjnzF1Y1Sd0_-sW4MEZuDFedLREz7Ju_eAgr4iIDgc6dtKeKIYKYF_CUocDSU_VMbu1BIFmG7xi3mwY_vRB18M-Mk4Vt7Ln0N2WB5BkCKS1iNsX6PRj8R/s400/DSCN0472_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718608990132252242" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Early Thursday morning (2/23), Mark and I took the train to San Sebastian in Spain. We were lucky to have beautiful weather (a little bit chilly, but very sunny and blue skies) and, after dumping our stuff at the hostel, we wandered around the city and then hiked up this big hill that has a statue of Jesus on top. </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><i>Photo: The beach in San Sebastian</i></div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOeL5U9pjnpx-75DFPtt8UCLB7I0vt3ol1QsB1f1k9B3ggTKgQWxTQXsMasFssEtapOJHVDI3XmPJFRN1jQK9V54V6Y79nsqwrnIAZiHZECsFCdd8j-2QxvH3ttExeY09JSWP3CygWiT-/s400/DSCN0521_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718609460496875250" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div>It was a beautiful walk and the views from the top were stunning!</div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: A view of the city</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMsGopx3QGuyXypwCqDgvgudF_yJ4xpzkNgcnm4dyBaCR9jsFsnfLq6ogtJKqT2jowen_b0fQyeshPfebZqRIzXFO1ppyT-55heKu5zklMSSOV9BuyP5mnsBVAn3nNC3cDTyGPIpjooto/s400/DSCN0509_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718610113438241954" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><i><br /></i><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Photoshoot during the hike</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39sRdRXkIXXituETACG5BIbIBXA396iGW9ImUMjlBYpWnhsWdupDzmawynZaoayWPuUMJSq-H0IaeE1BcKmnwzlZVkBO9kzY1dzKjzGBuGvuxcFtF1v6aul0N75V7wsxBoAcbC2GCAHaV/s400/DSCN0543_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718616828782275394" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: We made it all the way up to Jesus!</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg7D6v29KCTLOD8bvLiPOn5hwtTlYPFMV_3QtDyrf9DSq7_Z9AOAp16rOturjTe4qeFm7np3MajBCzvr6Ngi_LP1APkqHW_U7hbLNhcPXEtq-ReqWxADmlLPI-gaplSH7SkqQ-1skD0Ez8/s320/RSCN0754_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718617214573795922" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></i></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We were lucky to have a kitchen at the hostel, so we cooked all our meals (the restaurants are pretty expensive there and most of the food is meat!). </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-Cw8Tm-4IH6yjbnUw3tK0G0rv62scPHr6eXy4k1IkVXTUZbdJG0bQjSYgtrKStCKMU4Xdai6KTYihBleDIh2VtLlkc0Srf8s3cy0mQ8ExOkUbwZWNtX_JOfdp0XbR362Q8EUHEkXV_J0/s400/DSCN0609_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718618074048688770" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span><div>The next morning we picnicked for breakfast, sitting on a big wall at the edge of the beach. It was so warm! If we hadn't been leaving that day, I would have been very tempted to go swimming! </div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Photo: Picnic breakfast!</i></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-X0LMzPd9ojR7PvwupTVpTDvPV_lEM_mShmDBSoxCUI4Q_PAB8FWVotcul-W13TOt7bvVitiE4462lie1kloo_xr1adIYqZJFrcP_tS97leEXUf1NcVlHN1mBfeVRT-jsv-Pv38QSEBzl/s320/DSCN0630.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718619222404714946" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: Mark enjoying the sun in San Sebastian</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-82140794080267457082012-03-11T04:29:00.010-07:002012-03-11T04:58:16.773-07:00Friday 2/17-Monday 2/20: Catching Up...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJ9qP10D4Jv5l6ZjB1F8w39scGR2YhCtPk03drRiih92L4h1RTI9WNTRDk1aghdNnmcZyugcd2FuCerGpP8bAJ_egLN2raF4Ja3mbzy74RGBzlbxbEaZKrOEL3KKAjFI1hedmzyka98C5/s1600/DSCN0304_3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJ9qP10D4Jv5l6ZjB1F8w39scGR2YhCtPk03drRiih92L4h1RTI9WNTRDk1aghdNnmcZyugcd2FuCerGpP8bAJ_egLN2raF4Ja3mbzy74RGBzlbxbEaZKrOEL3KKAjFI1hedmzyka98C5/s400/DSCN0304_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718606871598994034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOHrPRoGkPndgDB8jRrOld4cf6GaW906gznYb2fF6VQ6-IycXIYfoYl0Nq2xpi44AKUvvXJmDuFMs3q_j-6BnUR9dNZIza1VX3g_N8u-J0APIM6DNqa3S7VYRNrS8vj3J76qfc1vsNJXD/s1600/DSCN0388_3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a>Well...it has been a while. I haven't been posting because, well, my hard drive went on strike and (after much confusion and a few visits to the Mac store in Paris) I ended up buying a new hard drive! Hopefully I'll be able to get all of my info off the old one when I get home. In any case, there's my excuse!<div><br /></div><div>I don't think there's any way that I'd be able to catch up for all the days that I missed, so I'm not even going to try! I'll just give a little summary of what happened during the vacation and during my first week back to school.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnA0AVzRGXSiVS6m-quxOjX63w-pcily-1N96dymC13sTXD_yz5i5JxEUBaO5ufFGZiYidoz48JIrFJUxdhGAqNRLfspjtdAJCbbimWGwxie_cuMK11I-qM427FsdpPW9aZkTx-qq5SDDb/s400/DSCN0227_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718602800112531154" />On Friday night (2/17), I took the overnight train up to Paris so I could meet Mark at the airport when he arrived the next morning. We spent three nights in Paris, staying in a cheap hotel near the Gare de l'Est. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Sacré Coeur</i></div><div><br /></div><div>During the days we spent a lot of time walking around, just wandering.</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLGBP_72hebMDVINC_HqC2VrG0aqVn6aq_qX7G0Fx4nM_6GxM1pJQejTXxVoXEYdvRrLQYr_TM5R4XX1AZ3jocV68Hye2fJPsoO5xT2WUGQIsKF7-s3Co35qOTTvFLVvY9nhe9QOrDSAff/s400/DSCN0294_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718603060199058866" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 284px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We headed up to Sacré Coeur (the beautiful, white cathedral on the hill), spent quite a bit of time around the Opéra Garnier, saw the outside of the Louvre, stopped by the Moulin Rouge, and made sure to have a little visit to the La Tour Eiffel.</div></span><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNI6oWM3vr6Fa1pbFv6m384-8tzZSFpeXL6X10AASQZaTokvvi8XQz_CVanac196KoDS67mTqNq_sSn9WuDUsC8_Kf8qCpyppltD2nBPGw8-7SwFgK4XuenY787TKwuO3MGqGW7h4NmLGC/s400/DSCN0319_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718603685894927106" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Near the Opéra Garnier</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: By the Louvre museum</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmHS3-478bkLBgtgsbEYiXX0OhkaPBBCAQFn5tCrPx5DI7f5vqTfyorwDTRR2B2s0X1IDYS2gCOVgmrPGzi0J1HBYDGV5yd0LqZSw3zcW0-Fip9C-oL1gk45DsBNm0-41bY4jquzIcEbR8/s400/DSCN0281_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718604083596486338" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Photo: Outside of the Moulin Rouge</i></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000ee;"><br /></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFY8_H3s5ksFSDCpW_yozz8N5RsAxRBe9KeeU6stQLCCkUtdTQOs-sMTy-FJEi8f5aWybDr6aICvhcjmbPg8REpICLp9E40Owg6h99ZXqIcm2lU6G6uku4cr0LUx9fp7SZ1RjRh-S6WYdx/s400/DSCN0424_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718604537641624802" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: La Tour Eiffel!!!</i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">We managed to find a movie theater that was showing the new Sherlock Holmes movie in English with French subtitles, so we ended up seeing it on Sunday night!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SbOdRuLTHt-Ca9P-DD5b9-CnzdWfFfPCJFIZwxoyn_DqPO5433k-cZiwA63tJo2ENpRiNmENjBNeWSjRHviF6-PT-76ArOeTCl5nU0rbFfeex_sLdVQeEm9ytZz6Q-V3Kv8_MYXRPQVg/s400/DSCN0358_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718605768337637010" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 276px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;color:#0000ee;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">On Monday (2/20), we met up with our friend, Marina, who was an exchange student from Germany at WOU last year. She's living in France for a few months, working as a nanny for a family that lives about an hour out of Paris! We all toured Notre Dame Cathedral and then went out to lunch at a little Italian restaurant.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: Outside of Notre Dame</i></span></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOHrPRoGkPndgDB8jRrOld4cf6GaW906gznYb2fF6VQ6-IycXIYfoYl0Nq2xpi44AKUvvXJmDuFMs3q_j-6BnUR9dNZIza1VX3g_N8u-J0APIM6DNqa3S7VYRNrS8vj3J76qfc1vsNJXD/s400/DSCN0388_3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5718606179014480034" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;">That evening, Mark and I got dressed up and went to see the newest French musical that was showing at the Palais des Sports in Paris. It was rather like a rock concert and the costumes were spectacular. It really reminded me of HAIR, actually! We both enjoyed it and ended up in the crowd up at the stage during the long finale!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;"><i>Photo: Outside the theatre</i></span></div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-360690959546927342012-02-16T10:45:00.000-08:002012-02-16T10:46:13.683-08:00Wednesday 2/15: Curry!<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I was woken up around 9:30am by someone ringing the doorbell and Dunja barking like crazy. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs to sign for a package that was being delivered. I think I was still somewhat asleep! Then I headed back to bed and slept for 2 more hours! I slipped downstairs to have breakfast and Alison didn’t wake up until a little past noon! We stayed up late last night and we were both (clearly) tired!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This afternoon we hung out and I finally received the pen pal letters from the second school that was supposed to send them back in Jan! Unfortunately now we won’t have enough time to write back before the Feb break. Oh well, that’s life! But Alison and I had fun reading all the letters. It’s hilarious how the kids write and what they choose to write about! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Later this afternoon I made curry and naan while Alison showed me songs on youtube. She was picked up by Emmanuelle because Alison is now tutoring Emmanuelle’s daughter! It’s nice because they both live in Capbreton.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This evening I went to the gym again with Catherine. We had a good chat with a woman there who told us she had hosted two American students a long time ago and had really enjoyed it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">When we got home, we had an Indian dinner!! It was really funny, though, because they were all really confused how we could possibly be eating curry (that contained potatoes), rice, AND naan! Too many carbs! In my opinion it’s no worse than having just a big bowl full of pasta with cheese sauce for dinner! It’s just that we were eating three different kinds of carbs instead of just a lot of pasta! I really enjoyed the dinner, but I think they weren’t so keen on having the rice AND naan with the curry. Oh well!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Tomorrow is my last day of teaching until March 6</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">!!</span></span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-91421734799380372082012-02-16T10:07:00.004-08:002012-02-16T10:44:52.930-08:00Tuesday 2/14: Happy Valentine’s Day!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5vGreq1jvJUwRgCV_xco6kakzroLSq5dgSMSvAreO7JrxojwxHi_xne0Yf5V275xTm7svh1jalE4kMpb4mxAVfxa7TZmz2iAecjB_ObedRmVdSxtkC8J5Rtl8pZ_lT7IZb5uZZ8mujFb/s1600/IMG_1503.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">In my classes today we sang “Skidamarink” (and with the younger kids we also re-sang “BINGO”) and just reviewed everything we’ve worked on lately.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">At school today the teachers decided to have a strike on Friday to protest the huge cuts in the “RASED” program, which helps students with difficulties. The government is cutting a lot of the counselors and a lot of funding, which is going to make it very difficult for the students who need the extra help. So, all the teachers are going on strike and the school is closed on Friday (because there won’t be any teachers there to teach!). Which means—I only have one more day of teaching! Sweeeet!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5vGreq1jvJUwRgCV_xco6kakzroLSq5dgSMSvAreO7JrxojwxHi_xne0Yf5V275xTm7svh1jalE4kMpb4mxAVfxa7TZmz2iAecjB_ObedRmVdSxtkC8J5Rtl8pZ_lT7IZb5uZZ8mujFb/s400/IMG_1503.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709806002801904594" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 298px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Tonight we made crêpes in the conversation class! Mmmm! Everyone brought a filling (and someone brought the batter and an electric griddle) and we talked and ate. Alison was dropped off at my house right before the class, so she came too! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><i>Photo: Two people are missing, but here's my conversation class!</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Catherine was at her city council meeting tonight, so we had dinner without her. We were planning to watch the Tuesday night TV show (the foster family one), but apparently the “season” is finished. Whatever that means. So, no more of that until after I’m long gone from here! Go figure… I don’t understand TV shows. Finally I actually follow one and they get rid of it! Lame.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">So, Alison and I watched a really long French historical drama called “La Princess de Montpensier.” It was ok. At least we learned something about the Catholic-Protestant wars that went on in France in the 16</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> century!</span></span><!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487671274462037398.post-32398219747830708182012-02-16T06:57:00.003-08:002012-02-16T07:01:16.374-08:00Monday 2/13: Abs of Steel…<img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86xFuUThfoHJCC_MkZqfIcz71vzY44q60pvQHFZK1mklAdYEZ5vS8MXorgQ4cDpKT-mdtyC9Ncu1CtuO-HEoIZlKWb-OOSgbiEDnUxzC17AD_k1UogqRl7Q0aQmev148QbDSOB40JRxx3/s400/IMG_1499.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709748584330289378" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">My early morning class went fine—uneventful. The afternoon </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large; ">classes at the other school consisted of making Valentine cards and eating cookies. We didn’t have much time, so we just rushed through it. Then I quickly biked home to teach the 9 year olds (I read them “The Three Billy-Goats”). It’s amazing how much easier it is to teach that class without the really disruptive boy! It was pretty challenging to read the book because it was one of those extra-large books meant for reading to a whole class...and they're kinda hard to hold and read at the same time. But, I managed. :p</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">This evening I went to the gym again with Catherine. Whew! We did over 400 sit-ups (different ways, but all working the abs), so I’m pretty tired now! It feels good, though, to have really worked out my abs!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Tonight I made Valentine cards for Catherine, Ralf, and Margot and then after they were all in bed, I snuck down and put them on the table with a chocolate for each. Catherine heard me sneaking back up the stairs, but she didn’t find out why I had come downstairs! Heehee! </span></span><!--EndFragment-->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0