9 posts tagged “voyage”
France Part III
Yes, Thanksgiving was yesterday. Same old story, I tried to post and it vanished.
Today, we finish up Paris. This is the Louvre. Famous art gallery, home to La Jaconde, or as we know it, Mona Lisa. Originally, it was a castle, or a fortress. Back in the Middle Ages it protected Paris, which was only a tiny island. Over the years, it was spruced up to become the humungous building it is today. Seriously, gigantic. This shot does not even show a smidgen of it's grandeur.
And I still haven't blogged about it!
You see, the internet, while I love it dearly, sometimes sucks. I start writing and uploading photos and then one little click and it all disappears.
Maybe one day I will get it all out, but not today. You see, the sun is shining in Saskatchewan! I don't believe in tanning. Skin cancer and wrinkles and the whole thing. But even more, I don't believe in tan lines! Certainly not when I'm going to be wearing a very expensive dress in 3 weeks time! No, you didn't miss any announcement dear friends, always a bridesmaid, never a bride. That's not really true, but I am going to be a bridesmaid! Given this fact, and the fact that I have slight tanlines, despit avid sunscreen protection, I'm going to finish Breaking Dawn in the hot hot sun and I will tell you all about France some other time. Maybe.
Life is so good that I don't need to blog about it apparently!
So, since my body was diseased, a few things have happened:
- I got better.
- We did some fun things at school. (big bike trip, swimming, dance lesson, dance club performance, staff parties, etc.) Each of those things could get it's own post, but it won't.
- Jason moved in for the summer!
- My cousin had a wedding celebration.
- I hung out at the lake.
This is what I have to do today:
- Go for a run
- Do laundry
- Return books
- Buy jewelry
- Wash my car
- Wash the floor
- Clean my room
- Pack
- Go to FRANCE!!!!
No time! I have lots of great things to write about, but no time to write! Such is my blogging trend. I can type about nothing when I have time and nothing is going on, but when there are good things going on, no time to write.
Point form:
- Boyfriend of SIX MONTHS! is amazing.
- Going to Canadians with skating.
- Going on a big trip this summer.
- Roommate is leaving. I'm not really investigating the possibility of a new roommate, but if you have a recommendation, I might be willing.
- I miss my parents. They are quite well, but I haven't seen them and barely talk to them.
- School is good. Yay!
Bless you readers who continue to check :)
The title is adapted from a song.
Airports would sure be more fun if Wi-Fi was free. Wouldn’t it be nice if I could just google my way around cyber space while waiting for my flight to leave? Since it’s a 4-hour layover, I’m still waiting for my gate to be announced, let alone see any sign that a flight will leave with me on it. In fact, there is a flight leaving for Saskatoon now, which would almost get me home sooner than the Regina flight.
I went to Montréal for another crazy weekend of fun and excitement! I was in Montréal for 72 hours. I visited with 17 people. I met 9 people. I saw 0 good looking males. That’s because I’m a smitten kitten, and when I’m a smitten kitten, good-looking male specimen cease to exist.
Upon arrival, it took about 30 minutes for my French to snap back into shape. The School Board should be coughing up professional development funds for me because little trips like this do so much for my French. It felt like a metamorphosis took place in my head. I started to think in French, words were creeping out of dusty unused corners of my brain. The rhythm changed as I listened to two bus drivers lament (loudly) about piddly discontments in life. Oh, how I love you, Montréal, and your exaggerations. It reminded me of whom I used to be. Not that I don’t complain now, it’s just a different kind of complaining. A whiny sort of complaining, to be precise. Back in 2006 when I was fully integrated into Montréal culture, my discontent was exaggerated and expressed just as loudly as everyone else. It’s not just about speaking; it’s about sighing and shrugging, moving eyebrows and moving your lips. English people just don’t get their lips out of joint the way that French people can do it. Eh ben.
Saturday, I brought friends together. They are from different cultures, have different backgrounds and different ways of knowing me. I was the connector, bringing these people together, strictly for my own fun and enjoyment. And salvation. An early and long flight, preceded by a fairly sleepless night, followed by little to no nourishment, meant that I was in no shape to be entertaining. Thank the Lord that I am not a regular coffee drinker, so it has a strong and helpful effect on me. We met at a bring your own wine restaurant, where nobody seriously indulged. I didn’t even touch the wine until the food arrived. You see, I will soon be 30 so I have to practice being smart. Still, a little wine was necessary since we were going to being doing some karaoke! I was nervous. I do not fancy myself to be a talented singer. I knew that we were renting a private room, but I still imagined that I would have to stand in front of my friends and perform. But guess what! Céline Dion is not one of my friends. None of my friends try out for Canadian Idol. Nobody has a miraculously beautiful voice. We all chose songs and took turns holding the mike, but everyone sang along for most of the songs. It was so much fun!
Sunday I traveled. Across to the South Shore for brunch, up to Laval for supper. I didn’t treat the metro like a bullet train. That’s how I often think of it. As though, because it’s its own little entity of transportation, laws of physics don’t apply and it can transport me in a matter of seconds. Not true. I did calculate this factor into my plans, so at least when I was late, I knew it from the get go. Not that it was helpful to know. I don’t own a cell phone and I left my address book in my living room. Some numbers I was able to get, by some numbers I could not. So instead of calling the people I had plans with for brunch on Sunday, I just showed up late. I got to see the cutest baby in the world. I would post a photo, but his maman doesn’t allow for such nonsense. You will have to trust me that he is really, truly just the cutest! It’s really quite something that he is only 10 months old, but I have seen him 3 times in his short little life. His parents commented on how they see me more often than some of their friends that live in their area code! I think that I see them more often than some of my friends in my own area code as well.
Late Sunday afternoon, I took the metro under two rivers to meet friends in Laval for supper. So fun! I wish I could see them more often. As they have family here, they really should come and visit.
Meanwhile, I forgot that plans had been tentatively made for me to meet a friend in Montréal. Oops. So she called a mutual friend, who knew that I had gone to the South Shore. Mutual friend called the Parents, who knew that I had left. So for my friends, I had disappeared without a cell phone! I feel awful for causing the stress.
Monday I saw my school friends and we chatted like we had seen one another the day before, except of course, we had a lot to say. We ate supper in Little Italy, which for me is a reason to go to Montréal all in itself.
Tuesday I met one last friend for breakfast and power shopped to buy a new coat, squeaky cheese, stuff from Yves Rocher, a post card (that will be sent to my special someone’s school!! Heh heh heh) and apples. I’m officially a snob. I think that apples from the market in Montréal are better than our apples. Because they are. Then I prayed to God that I would find a taxi because I was already 10 minutes late. I was lucky. I was even at the airport early.
Now I’m back to real life. Lots of work. It’s a little scary. However, the fact that I erased 72 hours from the report card deadline relaxes me. It will come and I will be done because I will have to be. So the sooner it comes, the sooner the awfulness of report cards is done.
A 50% WestJet sale lead to a decision that I have had on my mind for a couple of weeks. Just guess where I'm going in November? I am sure that anyone that has read anything on my blog is not at all shocked to learn that I'm going to Montréal.
"But FiveSeven, don't you work in November ?"
Why yes, I do. But I have a 4-day weekend. And my friends think it's a good idea.
"But FiveSeven, don't you have report cards in November?"
Why yes I do. They are likely due to hand in to the principal about the day I get back. I am certifiably crazy. I should probably start writing comments now. I probably could, actually. Hmm..... That's an interesting idea. Forget learning the curriculum, just work on evaluation.
I just get overwhelmed by my life and need to run away. It gives me the energy I need to do it all again! Knowing that I am going to Mtl in 2 months will give me something to look forward to when I'm overwhelmed by my job and my house. My job, because I want to be an amazing teacher with incredible lesson plans, and my house, because I would like it to be perfectly clean and organized. Perfectionist much? So I will go crazy in Montreal as a solution!
It seems that when I have nothing to say, I blog. When I'm busy having fun adventures that could possibly be entertaining, I don't post. I even shut down a friend last week asking me about such adventures ! Not because I was being rude, I had to prepare a presentation.
So I went to Montreal for Easter Vacation. It was amazing ! Basically, if my life wasn't better here, I would move back. I really love Montreal. I saw most of my friends so it was incredibly busy. What else would you expect from me ? I could probably post for everyday I was there, but not today.
Today I'm telling you a cute school story. A sweet little girl in grade 2 asked me if I were married "Why ?" was my immediate response. Well, her mom has a friend who's really nice and very handsome. I was overcome with surprise. I did not expect that from this girl. Of course I'm not actually persuing this possible avenue of opportunity. Because I am not a persuer. I am a princess that quietly sits on her chair with her nose in the air awaiting a suitable subject. Let's see how far such an attitude gets me :)
I was curious however, so I thought to ask how old her mom thinks I am. 26. Sweet ! But that also likely means that Mr. Nice and Handsome is too young for me. And I'm not persuing.
But back to my age. A girl that I take classes with thought I was 25 this week ! Let's make that 27 because you always go a couple of years younger (but I don't apply the theory to the grade 2 and her mother).
Or a brief summary of my week.
Fear of Cats, Gone for Good ?
Debauchery. Complete and Total.
An Arabic Easter
The Baby
Love from the Little School with a Big Heart
Speed Shopping
A bus with two babies.
Little Italy, I love you !
The Urban Condo. It is my dream.
How can it be snowing again ?
Ciao !
My first big plan is to get over being sick already ! Seriously, it's been two weeks ! I have missed 4.5 days of work. But I am blessed, because I am paid for those days of work. Many people are much more sick than I am and they have to either not be paid or go to work sick. So I am lucky. Additionally, it's just annoying. I am not dying.
My second big plan - I'm going to Peru ! This has been my dream for 5 years and it's coming true ! It is not without complications. I am missing two weddings this summer and this is not good. I selfishly put my dream first.
The other complication is that I don't speak Spanish. Luckily, two kids at school and a janitor do. So I'm working on a sentence a day. Yo tengo que ir a mi hotel. That means that I need to get to my hotel. That is what I need to know when I arrive in Lima. So I'll figure it out.
I will hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan civilization, I will see beautiful Lake Titicaca and many other things. I will mainly be travelling alone, but I hope to do part of the trip with Turbo's cousin who will be in the country at the same time. I'm really excited !
My third big plan is to finish my report cards. I haven't even finished all my evaluations. I also want to move into my house next week. I will work really hard this weekend.
