jelly legs' adventure

Wunderbar Vienna

2006-05-09T10:56:00.000+02:00

God, I love this city... our second stop on our trip brought us to the fabulous city that once knew the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, Johann Strauss, and Schubert. Went to see Mozart's Nozze di Figaro at the State Opera (also randomly met the opera's secretary, who was from Chicago. He overheard us talking in English, searching for the Beethoven memorial and was finally like "what are you looking for? like, seriously") He led us to the standing room only ticket line in which we waited for an hour to buy our two euro tickets... standing up wasn't so bad, but I couldn't handle it for the 5+ hour Tristan und Isolde they had the next night!

My favorite museum was the Albertina, located in the former Habsburg apartments which gave a really thorough overview of Mozart's life, as well as life in the Enlightenment era in general. If only our music history class from last summer could have taken a field trip there!

Our hostel was small and cozy, with not two, but THREE layers of bunk beds (they knew how to make use of their space!! too bad I had to be on the top bunk though! ;) and the weather was warm and sunny. We had some great picnics in the park outside the parlement and on the taxi bench outside the opera, eating our 2 euro salads and people watching (people dress up SO MUCH to go to the opera here!! we were nearly embarrassingly underdressed!)

And then there were the buskers. A guy who made bird noises alll day long and made faces at you if you didn't give him money, another dressed up as Mozart (of course) and some dancers too. And the Viennese coffee shops!!

(for more pictures, go to http://mta.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004010&l=81288&id=16420056)

Busy Berlin

2006-05-07T18:04:00.000+02:00

Our last stop was for a week in Berlin, where we stayed with Catherine just outside (40 min by train) in a cute little German town named Ludwigsfelde where she's working for the year. We took in as much as we could, but this huge city just can't be done in 1 week! We did make it to the zoo (pandas and lions!!), the Checkpoint Charlie museum, the Reichstag, had ourselves some Bratwurst (yes, me too!), bought bright red Birkenstocks, went to see an opera at the Staatsoper (von Weber's Der Freischütz) and soaked up the sun when we couldn't walk anymore. Also got to take an awesome (free!) walking tour of the city with an American student named Dan (see picture).

Off and away...

2006-04-15T14:05:00.000+02:00

Today- Berlin
Tomorrow- Prague
Thursday the 19th- Vienna
Saturday the 21st- Munich
Sunday the 22nd- back to Berlin
Friday the 28th- back to Stras

I'll try to update from the road! I'll be sending good vibes home for the NGMF!

La Famille Farrell sera reunie en Europe!

2006-04-13T08:33:00.000+02:00

Alors, j'ai décidé d'écrire un petit texte en français pour mes amis à Fontenay-le-Comte. En fait, c'est pour Françoise et Louis-Marie Bouleau, qui a aimé tellement mon faux article de journal (et en plus, ils l'avaient cru, qui veut dire que j'ai bien atteint mon but! ;) que je vais le traduire en français pour eux... pardonnez-moi pour les erreurs, j'apprends toujours!!

La famille Farrell du Canada avait été vu récemment, or sépérément, dans la campagne énorme de la Nouvelle-Écosse, s'amusant au haut Canada, aussi que dans la péninsule ibérienne et les diverses parties de l'Europe de l'ouest. À la surprise de tout le monde, M. Gerry Farrell, ou "Dad", tel qu'il est connu dans la famille, a décidé de louer un apartement pour 2 semaines en mai à Strasbourg, France, où ils resteront ensemble pour leur premier voyage de famille depuis "l'Aventure dans les Rocheuses" de septembre 2002.

"On pense de faire aussi les petites visites à la capitale bien connue, Paris, et à rendre visite à la famille Bouleau en France de l'ouest. Surtout, on a hâte d'être ensemble, en Europe- un voyage dont on a toujours rêvé," Gerry dit en soupire. La famille Bouleau a rencontré les Farrells lorsque leur fille, Claudine Bouleau, est resté un an à Pictou, pendant une Échange de Jeunes de Rotary pendant l'année 1996-1997.

Susan, la plus jeune, a été vue si récemment que ce matin, en cherchant les apartements louables vers la Petite France de Strasbourg. Selon quelques sources, elle est particulièrement intéressée par un apartement sur la rue de l'Arc en Ciel, mais ces bruits restent toujours non-confirmés.

Andrew, 24 ans, cherche du travail dans un restaurant brittanique depuis il a fini sa formation de cuisine à Algonquin College à Ottawa, Ontario. "C'est tout-à-fait le bon moment vu que Susan est sur Strasbourg pour l'année- le voyage nous donnera l'opportunité à voir comment elle vit et ainsi elle va nous montrer chez elle. Puis, je vais en Angleterre afin de trouver un boulot, peut-être à Brighton."

Vivian, la beaucoup respectée et la "fondation" de la famille, a hâte simplement de voir ses enfants et de bien profiter de son séjour, avec de la bonne nourriture et, surtout, la bonne compagnie.

Frog Legs

2006-04-05T22:50:00.000+02:00

Tonight, for the first time, I ate frog legs. No stay in France would be complete without such a meal, they say.
Here's the proof!! They were really tasty actually.. wouldn't say they tasted like chicken, I'd say they taste more like fish.. or better yet like amphibian ;) What made it all the weirder was the way they were folded like little crossed-legged creatures. A bit of a reality check! And then you realize the juicy meat you're eating came from a lily-pad jumping frog thigh...

St. Paddy's and Sarah Slean

2006-04-04T23:23:00.000+02:00

so... some very un-French events: St. Paddy's day and an awesome concert by a fellow Canadian, Sarah Slean- who we met after. She was really nice! and the other Canadians there were great too- we met a former Mt A Strasbourg programme participant (97) who now lives in Stras with her French hubbie.. and a guy who used to bag groceries with Sarah Slean herself.

Oh, the CPE...

2006-04-04T17:24:00.000+02:00

Hey everyone.. hope the first days of Spring are treating you well!! Our weather's been holding up pretty well, can't complain. It's inSANE how fast time is going. To think that I have only 2 full months left in this great city... for now anyway! This Friday I'm heading to Fontenay-le-comte (west) to visit Claudine again, before Jenna H and I leave the 15th for Berlin/Prague/Vienna with Catherine! Then, it's only to come back to a week of classes, followed by exams the 9-16 of May. And then my family comes. So, none of this counting-down business, I'm going to make the most out of this awesome opportunity...

In other news, our classes at Marc Bloch U. have been a little sketchy lately, seeing that the majority of French students have been in the streets for the past couple weeks, protesting the now valid CPE (contrat première embauche).. which again, basically applies to those under 26 who get hired for the first time- this contract allows that their bosses can fire them without justification during a period of 2 years... Not exactly the hottest idea that Chirac's government has ever had. But at the same time, I don't know how they're doing all that much good, seeing that most French students have missed enough school that they might have just ruined their chances of completing the semester... and their slogans are all about the need to avoid poverty! We've been lucky overall, taking most of our classes in the International Institute, our profs have been pretty good about teaching despite the strike, until today anyway! We were in the middle of a class this afternoon when the president of the university himself came with the security guards and kicked us out of the building until Thursday morning! What a joke this is becoming...

Nonetheless, there's plenty of this situation that's amusing for an outsider.. for example some of the slogans. Alice Jacquin loves this one "CPE: cherche pigeons à embaucher" (looking for pigeons to hire) and there was a sign up yesterday in the Palais Universitaire that said "Profs non-payés, bâtiments non-entretenus... où va notre 200 Euros??" (unpaid profs, unkempt buildings, where does our 200 Euros go??). We North-Americans thought the last one was extra-funny, seeing how little they pay for tuition here, and then they complain that ALL the money they pay isn't being well-spent... I guess everything's relative!! I'll have to get a picture of that one... And today after we were rudely dismissed from our classes, Christie, Jenna and Sam and I decided to go take in a bit of the "parade"... haha which was dying down a lot by 4pm. Completely non-violent, the protesters seemed to have lost their steam!! They were really dragging their feet. I was joking with Dad the other day about how the strikes can be a way for a French family to bond together- you'll see whole families out there waving their flags and wearing their stickers. I guess it's an idea, maybe we Canadians could use a little excitement. Can you imagine- instead of family board game night, we could go take our politics out in the street. What do you say?

Right on, I'll leave you now to do some work that's due... whenever I have class again! ;)
Have a good day, everyone, and keep in touch!

*Susan

Carnavale de Bale

2006-03-30T18:58:00.000+02:00

The first Sunday in March, eight Canadian girls went to Basel, Switzerland to discover the Carnavale festivities! First stop: Liechstal (sp?) where they saw the torch parade- picture parades of people running with burning sticks... there were even little kids carrying torches! Then, they invaded an all-night restaurant where they amused themselves with cards, funny faces, ovaltine and yummy appelkuchen until the main event at 4am: everyone in the city put out their lights. The only light in the city came from the moon and the lanterns in the parade! The marching piccolists (?) and drummers wore lanterns on their heads and the most elaborate costumes. If I've ever seen anything that would merit the adjective "trippy", this would be it. The point of the parade was that you choose a band that you really like and then you follow them until you get cold. Our feet were ice. (I swear my shoes were soaked through about a half an hour in) But it was worth it! Back on the train, we arrived back to Strasbourg around 8am with the sunrise, and we wondered what kind of weird dream we had just woken up from!

Social Experiment

2006-03-20T17:05:00.000+01:00

It all happened the other day when I went to Auchan to get a bicycle pump. Auchan is a great big walmart-esque department store, and to there you have to take the tram about 8 stops from Homme de Fer. So, I took some postcards with me that I'd been meaning to finish since I've gotten back from Spain. Pump bought, I was running to get on the tram and apparently dropped the sealed, stamped envelope on the tram platform... a middle-aged French man picked it up and knocked on the tram window to try to give it to me, but it was too late- the doors were locked and the tram was starting to move. He tried jamming it through the doors in vain while I made some frantic hand gestures, trying to ask him if he would just put it in a mailbox for me! Eventually I think he understood somewhat the messages I was hoping to get across- we'll see within the next couple weeks if Laura gets an envelope at Mt A with three postcards inside!!!

Spring is Sprung?

2006-03-16T09:48:00.000+01:00

The weather here in Strasbourg is slowly warming up, getting more sunny, and being more pleasant in general! I'm hoping it will last! The birds are singing so it's a good sign!

Today is an interesting day- the university I go to, Marc Bloch, is apparently on strike, as in the students are going to have a 'manifestation' and the profs aren't supposed to teach. I'm not sure yet whether this is the case in the Int'l Institute or not, so I'll have to go see whether I have class or not! They're on strike to protest the CPE ( contrat premiere embauche) which is this policy that allows employers of young people, up to 2 years after they finished their degree, to fire them at any moment they feel, with necessarily a justification. So they're protesting that, AND the fine arts faculties have decided to join in on the fun as well, to protest the lack of funding for their profs (many are apparently working unpaid). Here comes the revolution... ;)

Otherwise, things have been calm. The Jacquins' are doing well, although they had a bit of a tragedy last week when their two canaries died!! RIP Jeanette and Marcel!
It was really strange, they were in such good health the week before- we could hardly get Marcel to stop singing!! They were young, too, only 6 months each, so it was kind of bizarre when they came home to find them both dead! Fortunately, they just bought a new pair- this time they're called Popeye and Mimosette (French version of Sweetpea, Popeye's daughter) so I told Leo he would have to feed them lots of spinach... they were fighting yesterday because it was the first day they were together.. Leo and I tried hypnotizing them so they wouldn't fight anymore but it was only a temporary fix, haha.

Tomorrow's St. Paddy's Day, so the girls and I are heading over to the Irish Pub for green beer.. then on Sunday, Sam and I are going to see a Quebecois group who is playing in Strasbourg in hopes of meeting some fellow Canadians.. (to try to realise our dream of starting up a Canadian bar in Stras) and of course to support our fellow Canadian musicians! Sunday evening is Strasbourg's own version of Carnavale (mardi gras)..

Next post, I will put up pictures of the Carnavale from Basel, switzerland that we went to on March 5... get ready for masked piccolo players!

Have a great day everyone!

PS- I just found out I have guaranteed employment for the summer! I'll be researching Debussy's connection to French literature.. should be a good time!

Headline: Farrell Reunion leaked to press

2006-03-08T08:33:00.000+01:00

The Farrell family of Canada have been recently seen seperately around the
vast countryside of Nova Scotia, galavanting around Upper Canada, as well as
around the Iberian peninsula and other parts of western Europe. In a
surprising turn of events, Mr Gerry Farrell, or "Dad" as he is known within
the family, has decided to rent an apartment for 2 weeks this May in
Strasbourg, France where they will be staying together for the first trip
together as a family, since the famous "Rockies Adventure" of September 2002.

"We are thinking of also making some short visits to the country's well-known
capital, Paris, and to visit the Bouleau family in Western France. But more
than anything, we are hoping to be together, in Europe- a trip we have always
dreamed of taking," Gerry says with a sigh. The Bouleau family has been
friends with the Farrells since their daugher, Claudine, spent a year on a
Rotary Youth Exchange during the year 1996-1997.

Susan, the youngest, has been seen as recently as this morning, scouting out
rentable apartments near the "Petite France" area. She has been reported by
several sources to have expressed particular interest in an apartment on
Rue d'Arc en Ciel, but this rumour has yet to be confirmed by inside sources.

Andrew, 24, has been looking for work in a British restaurant since finishing
his Culinary Management training at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario.
"It's only fitting now that Susan is studying in Strasbourg- it will give us
the chance to see how she lives and she can show us around her temporary home.
Then I can go to England to hopefully settle down into a new job in a
Brighton."

Vivian, the much respected and self-proclaimed "Rock" of the family, is simply
looking forward to seeing her children and to enjoy her stay, with plenty of
good food and, best of all, good company.

Stay tuned for more developments on this story!!

Spanish Snapshots: Barcelona

2006-02-27T22:42:00.000+01:00

1. Gaudi's GORGEOUS Sagrada Familia
2. The city's water tower... known locally as "la fallus"... hmm...
3. These bright red seahorses definitely made my trip!
4. My dream boat...
5. Jenna and me on the BEACH!

Spanish Snapshots: Madrid

2006-02-27T22:21:00.000+01:00

1. The beautiful Reine Sofia art centre... full of yummy Picasso and Dali, not to mention whole rooms full of Spanish painting of guitars!
2. Hombres en falda (men in skirts!!)
3. The Mt. A gang: Jenna, Antonia, Philippe and I, exploring the wild unknown of Spanish caves... cue the Indiana Jones music
4. Did I tell you I like taking pictures of trees? 'Cause I do.
5. Me and the plaintive gardener in the Jardino Botanico

Porto Pics

2006-02-27T22:02:00.000+01:00

Here are my 5 favorite of Portugal's beautiful sea-side town...

Limericks and Lundi

2006-02-27T21:59:00.000+01:00

So, it's Monday and I've decided to try to sum up my Spain trip in silly poems, so here we go...

Susan went from Strasbourg to Spain
With only on old jacket to her name,
After a hot potato-
And some sticky ol’ goo
She should send it back from where it came!

In Madrid they met a guy named Maximo,
Who came from Argentina, you know.
He came in at dawn
While the girls gave a yawn
Each night, he partied as they snored!
(for this one, you need an English accent!! ie. sno’ed! ok so it's a bit of stretch...)

This is Mom's:

A simple but plantive refrain
Was heard from the girls when in Spain
One day it sure seemed
And in their judgement they deemed
Rain fell mainly in Madrid, not the plain!

PORTUGAL!

2006-02-21T09:49:00.000+01:00

Hey, we're in Porto, Portugal now, after a 9 hour busride across the peninsula. We didn't click into the hour time change until this morning, so we went to breakfast at our hotel an hour early, but it's ok! We have an extra hour to explore Porto in the daylight! Porto's a huge change from Madrid, wayyyy less people, and wayyy less expensive! And it's a seaside town, something I liked about Barcelona, but it's on the Atlantic this time, not the Mediterranean! Today we're going to wander around a bit, find the music hall, takes some pictures, have some Bacalau hopefully (a family friend, Bob, used to make the best!) and watch some Olympics in our hotel room (so great after sharing rooms with 4-8 people!).

Our hotel is great, we had an awesome breakfast buffet this am, so much better than the papery cornflakes they served at the last hostel! ;)

We stayed in Madrid a day longer, if I didn't mention it before, we got another day to hang out with Philippe, Antonia, John and Tina. It was so nice to see some familiar faces- they took us out for Tapas (Spanish bar food), then on Sunday we went to the market and went to see some crazy drummers in the Park del Retiro..

We'll be back in Strasbourg tomorrow, have to say I'm looking forward to my own bed! It's been a great trip though, I'm lucky to have such a great travel partner!

Will write from Stras! Have a good one everyone,
Susan

Madrid to the Max

2006-02-17T16:17:00.000+01:00

So, one thing I forgot to mention about Barcelona was their awesome Spanish accent, and their dialect called Catalan... to make a long story short, they all have a lisp. Someone told us that it originated a long time ago with a leader who had a lisp, and a people who didn´t want to embarrass their leader, thus taking on the lisp in imitation! I'd love to get to the bottom of this and see of it's a myth or not, pretty crazy if it is true! cool to think how these things begin... I love how they say grathias and Barthelona, it makes me smile.

We took a day-long bus ride to Madrid yesterday, which was actually really nice because we got to see the Spanish countryside a bit.. it was beautiful, a lot like I imagine Arizona being like, dusty and sunny, with rocky hills. One thing that kind of took us by surprise was an area where there were hundreds of modern windmills (like the one in Amherst), it was like something out of Star Wars! (Not to mention the terrain) Then we finally got to the Spanish Capital around 5pm, only to spend an hour on the metro to get to our hostel... it was efficient though, comparing with how long it would have taken to walk!! Madrid´s a biiig city. Well, compared with Strasbourg anyway, makes our little Alsacien city seem pretty calm sometimes. ;)

Then we found our hostel, a really funky place made out of an 18th Century palace. I will have to post pics. Good location too, we are just a 10 minute walk from Puerto del Sol, which I heard someone describe as Madrid´s Time's Square, maybe not, but pretty cool anyway- we strolled down there last night looking for a grocery store and promptly got a little lost. We knew we had to go up from the potato guy (he was selling sweet potatoes and corn on the cob- random!) but we kept taking the wrong street. After a while we realized we were going in circles because we had kept seeing the same buskers... all we needed was an accordian player to add to the potato guy who had no teeth to make it a scene from the Twilight zone. Good thing is, we found our way back up after 1/2 hr or so and sought refuge in our hostel! haha!

We're in a smaller room now, 4 beds, which is a ncie change. I wrote my brother and told him our roommate name was this cool guy from Argentina named Maximo, and this was his response: "Maximo would be a good name for a small dog." Loved it!!

Anyway, people are waiting for the computer, I will have to update more later!!
-Susan

BARCELONA!

2006-02-15T20:39:00.000+01:00

Hola chicas y chicos!
This is probably my most exciting post yet, as I-m writing from the road!! Jenna and I are on our third and last day in Barcelona, Spain where we-re starting our winter break.
We took a great flight over the alps and the Mediterranean Sea to get here, then we arrived in this city that is like nothing I have ever seen before. The city-s situated in a valley, and it-s full of people and energy! Yesterday, we visited some beautiful parks and took way too many pictures of palm trees.. and then we got to see the Gaudi cathedral- the most breathtaking piece of modern art I-ve ever seen. We climbed halfway up, a good 60 m, and got some great pics of the city-s panoramic. Then we went shopping on La Rambla, where they sell all kinds of tourist-y souvenirs, but also pets- we saw lizards, roosters, bunnies and fish! And they had busker-statues that were pretty incredible, I particularly liked the guy who sat in a box(head sticking out only) and sang Beatles(?) songs.
Today, we found the waterfront and gawked at the beautiful yachts... then we went to a really fun aquarium where we saw cool ray fish (even saw them eating, now THAT was cool), penguins, seahorses (awwwesome) and Nemo fish! We had some really great Paella for lunch- we sat outside since it was about 15 degrees and sunny! Then we headed down to the beach to dip our feet in the Med. Sea and get the pictures taken before our feet got numb! (We tried to look nice and warm in the photo, anyway, haha)
Got some more shopping in before coming back to get ready for our day-long busride to Madrid tomorrow!
Will have to update next from Madrid, I-m dead tired and there are people waiting for the computer!
Have a good one!
-S

Mushaboom

2006-02-10T22:26:00.001+01:00

Wow, what a few weeks it's been!!
After exams the beginning of January, my life went all crazy and I'm only taking a breath now!
What I've been up to:

1. Visit to the European Parlement for a debate on Tzechnia (sp?)- amazing translators. I was in awe. The ones that could translate Russian were especially busy- since the Russian representative kept interjecting with comments like, "you don't know what you're talking about, these are Mountain People!!" Haha.. one of the translators was Irish and would add in her own expressions like "and that's a completely different kettle of fish".

2. Visit to Lycée Jean Sturm for the day with the friend of a friend of Dr Lee (ha) who is the principal, followed by a great dinner where we ate flowers. Yes, we ate them. They were pansies and they weren't actually that bad, we took the opportunity to take lots of pictures of course.

3. A few great Saturday nights out in Strasbourg... dancing until 4am and coming back to fresh bread put out for Sunday breakfast...

4. A wonderful visit from my dear friend Catherine, who's a teacher's assistant in Berlin for the year. Went to cafés, took a bateau-mouche tour, climbed the cathedral, had a great meal at the Jacquin's! (ha) and created a Sackville bubble. (this one deserves its own entry!!)

5. Went for a hike in the Black Forest with Meredith, Jessie, and Michel. We found a swing at the top of the hill (too much fun!), ate potato soup and, of course, Black Forest Cake. I can never go back to the Sobey's version!

5. Completed and sent in my summer research grant proposal entitled: The Influence of Territory on Claude Debussy's Piano Music. Fingers crossed!

6. Bought a great new winter coat in one of the crazy 50% off sales in Strasbourg, it's so cozy.

7. Planned a trip to Barcelona, Madrid, and Porto- we leave this Monday!

8. Got a cold and got over it (or almost, anyway).

So that's it! I'm still around, trying to catch up on emails and getting all ready for mine and Jenna's big adventure that begins on Monday... I'd love to hear from you guys, feel free to leave a msg...

Have a good one...
Susan :D

2006-02-05T23:02:00.000+01:00

Catherine and Sue in Stras

2006-02-02T16:39:00.000+01:00

Just spent a great week with Catherine, who came to visit from Berlin!
Lots of stories to come in the next few days so keep checking!

Excitement in Strasbourg: Galette des Rois and Riots

2006-01-17T08:49:00.000+01:00

It's been a while! It's been a little hectic here the last couple weeks, you'll have to excuse me! Jenna and I arrived back in Strasbourg on Tuesday the 3rd, and we promptly wrote our exams the 9th and 10th. Other than that, we've also been organizing our new semester that starts this Wednesday, getting over jet lag and exam stress, finding apartments for next year (at Mt A), planning trips for our big breaks coming up in February and April, and even getting to attend the huge "soldes" (January sales!) that are taking over the boutiques!

First of all I have to tell you about the goings-on in Strasbourg yesterday afternoon!! What excitement... around 3pm I was heading over to campus to get a new class schedule when I looked down the other end of the street (opposite direction to the campus, mind you) to see a mass of people in orange and yellow suits with banners saying "DOCKERS", "BTB" and even the odd Greek or Dutch flag. There was also a lot of smoke and noise of people yelling, laughing, and the odd fire cracker, which I learned later were actually giving off vapour, put off by the riot police who were keeping the whole manifestation under control! We were lucky to be able to watch from far enough away, I swear there were 1000's of people there, but they were all within a certain zone that was blocked by the police. Oh, the French and their riots! Dr Fancy used to say that if the French are bored on a given afternoon, they go take part in a riot... haha. They really take this whole democracy thing seriously. Anyway, it was all gone in a half an hour or so, as apparently they were making their way to the European Parlement to continue their antics. Christie, our adventure-seeking friend, promptly ran to get her camera and got some awesome shots- I will post them later if she'll let me.

Have you guys heard about any of this in the paper or on TV? There was a big spread about it in the local paper, and I guess there were a couple burnt cars and some broken windows up by the Parlement buildings (what French manifestation wouldn't be complete with a couple of burnt cars??). Sorry if I seem to be taking this a little lightly, I'm sure it seems scary sounding to anyone back home, but I was safe in my little foyer- to tell the truth, I wouldn't have even known it was going on unless I had stepped outside that time!

After the noise had subsided outside, I headed to my very first music course at March Bloch!! Would you believe there is a "tout petit" musicologie department at my university and I had had no idea?? I'm in the process of seeing if these credits might transfer, it would be so great to have even a couple of music courses this year! So I went to "pedagogie" yesterday, which is actually a class I'm missing at Mt A this year that's only offered every other year, so it makes me happy! I felt pretty comfortable, we formed a circle and had a relaxed discussion about why kids should learn music. I think I'm gonna like it! Thursday I will check out the Piano Improvisation class, which I'm sorta scared for, but the least I can do is try it once right? It could be a very good thing if I can suck it up. And Friday, there's a "patrimony" class, which I'm hoping is a course on French Music, I'll keep you posted.

A great thing that's been special to these past 2 weeks is also the tradition of the Galette des Rois, which started on Epiphany (Jan 6) and will end soon I think. The very first time any of us Canadians got to experience this tradition for real was when we were invited over to Mireille's house for supper Jan. 7. Mireille was an intern (stagière) at Mt. A during my first year, so she's friends with Dr Lee and just a really nice person! She invited all 12 of us over for dinner, where we enjoyed pasta, cheese, wine, and finally Galette des Rois for dessert! The dessert is a large round pastry filled with either almond filling (franzipan?) or apple custard (the two kinds I've tried. And most importantly, there is a small surprise in each galette, and if you receive it, you get to be crowned king! (or queen) From there, you get to pick your queen (or king). At Mireille's, a family friend received the bean (which was actually a little figure of a cartoon character, I think he was Iznogoud). I've gotten to eat them three more times since (Sam tells me I'm going to turn into a Galette des Rois and I wouldn't be surprised!)- with Toko and Jenna, and then twice with the Jacquins. It was extra special with the Jacquins, too, because they add another element to the tradition, where the youngest at the table (Léo) gets to climb under the table while someone cuts the slices of the pie and asks him to pick who each one is for. This is how I came to get my first bean! Very exciting. I didn't have my camera, but they took lots of pics, so I will have to get them to post. Léo, of course, was my king! haha.

Pictures:
1. Jessie and the Galettes at Mireille's
2. Jenna and the fève
3. The girls go out on the town!

That's it for now. Have to go get my laundry and get on with the day! Have a great one, everybody, and feel free to leave a message if you feel like it!

~Susan

Happy New Year!

2006-01-05T19:24:00.000+01:00

I'm back in Strasbourg now, getting over my jet lag and missing my family! My break was awesome, it was so nice to catch up with a few friends and hang out with my parents, Andrew, and our new puppy Abby!! She's too precious. I will post pictures! Andrew gave me the best present ever, a book of my blog! He did a really professional job, I'm impressed! And I returned with way more stuff than was necessary but it's all good. I'm trying to get settled in as quickly as possible so I can start studying for my exams on Monday and Tuesday. Blech! It will be nice to get them over with! And hopefully plan a trip to Paris for when they are finished. I'm itching to travel, realizing how fast these next 6 months are gonna fly.

Here's an acrostic poem I wrote in December for a literature course:

Tête-a-tête

Tigre dans la forêt
Enveloppée par la chaleur
Trouva un petit oiseau
Et se rendit compte de sa faim

Approchant la petite bête

Tigre se prépara pour la capture
Et petit-déjeuner, mais
Trop concentré, le chat énorme
Egara sa proie dans l'herbe

I'm off to choir practise! Haven't been in a month so I better get going!
Hope everyone's settling back into work/school... leave me a message :)
Who made resolutions for the new year?

Love
Susan

the boomarang wallet

2005-12-17T08:40:00.000+01:00

So here is my last update before returning to Canada for Christmas holidays! I have to say I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks of home comforts and family and friends!

It's been a busy week, with assignments due, Christmas shopping to be done, soirées to attend, and wallets to be lost and thankfully found again!

I will tell you my wallet story as it is by far the most eventful thing that has happened to me in a while...

Thursday I was walking my way home from Place des Halles, the shopping centre, when I thought I should stop by Monoprix and pick up a bottle of shampoo to replace the bottle I had left at the pool the day before. So, I bought the shampoo and started my way in the direction of home; by this time it was getting dark already, just after 5pm, and it was a damp day. On leaving the store, I occupied myself with my headphones, picking the song I wanted to listen to, and with trying to make my way through the crowds of people who were Christmas shopping as well.

It wasn't until I turned the corner, just in front of the beggar who quacks like a duck, that the realization hit me: my wallet was no longer in my pocket. I turned cold as I was searching every pocket and every bag in my possession, thinking the whole time, ok Susan, don't jump to any conclusions just yet, it can't be far. But still no wallet. So I turned around to make my way back to Monoprix, thinking, of course, I left it on the counter when I was searching for change. Made it back to monoprix: no wallet. Next step was to retrace my steps with my eyes to the ground, looking for a black wallet on the wet black pavement... obviously, I didn't have much luck.

My first thoughts were that I had been pickpocketed- what an easy target I would have made with my headphones and my naïveté in tow. So I went to find a policeman- they're everywhere when you're not expecting it, but nowhere to be found when you need them the most! So I stopped and asked the Chestnut guy- he pointed me towards a police van where a few cops were having their supper. I waved in the window and one came to talk to me- I explained my situation and asked what to do. He told me to go to the bank first and then the police station to file a complaint. The bank was easy, but the police station was no help- they directed me to another police office which was only open between 9-5, and by this point, we were nearly 6 o'clock.

Deflated and upset, I decided to head back to my residence to call my parents- they'd need to cancel my credit card and I still needed to call the number the French bank gave me. An hour later, all my cards were cancelled and I was making plans for Friday to start the process of replacing my ID cards and such. I washed my hair with my new shampoo, and had supper with Sam. The shower and the meal calmed me down considerably, as I was starting to realize how lucky I was: I lost very little cash, a few cards which are simple to replace, and I still had my passport locked away safe so I would have no problem getting home for Christmas.

Then one of the girls gave me a phone message she had taken for me from my bank: I was to go first thing Friday morning to "récupérer mes papiers"! Some nameless good samaritan found my wallet and returned it to the bank, every card and every cent intact. Now if that isn't a good Christmas story, I don't know what is!!

It definitely made the low point and the high point of my week! In other news, I saw a great movie last night: La tigre et la neige with Alberto Benini!! If you haven;t seen it yet, you should, he has quite a way of seeing the light side of any situation... "I am Italien!!"

Well I guess I'll see most of you in a mere few days- hope everything's going well back home!
See you soon!

Susan

Trop beau!

2005-12-11T18:22:00.000+01:00

Pictures from Orbey, France, where I went with my friend Camille and her youth group this weekend... see the chalet we stayed in behind me, right beside the convent! We went to mass and heard the nuns play their "choras" (looks like the guitar-like instrument in the music library at Mt A!). Amazing view. If anyone comes to visit me from home, we will definitely try to go here!
(and more pictures of the Vosges)

International Soiree and Christmas pics

2005-12-07T14:39:00.000+01:00

Ok the first picture are some friends from my class: L-R Jenna, Gabrella and Maria (both from Sweden), when we dined together before going to see Harry Potter.

The second and third are from the International Soiree we had at the Maison last week, the pancakes that we Canadians made to go with our "Maple Joe" maple syrup! (Straight from Quebec but bought in Strasbourg for only 3 Euros!) Then we have Joelle and Nouchi in traditional Alsacien dresses!

Fourth and fifth are of Christmas decorations: first in the train station (that's a lot of trees!) and then the lights in the streets in Mulhouse- designed by an Italian and a big contrast from the lights in Strasbourg which I will post soon!

Priceless...

2005-12-05T08:00:00.000+01:00

The first few weeks in Strasbourg: how everything was so new, but still familiar in some way. My first French sandwich. Dragging my 60 kilo suitcase up 4 flights of stairs with Meredith. Seeing other Mount A girls in Strasbourg for the first time. Our awesome cabbie Phillipe who took Jenna, Meredith and me PLUS our luggage (4 suitcases, a snowboard and 3 backpacks) from the airport to our residences. The idea of living in Europe for 9 months and not being able to wrap my brain around it. Going to the Jacquins' for the first time. My first purchase with Euros: a bottle of water at the Paris airport that cost 3,50 E (about $5 Canadian!! but I was sooo thirsty). The first time going to Homme de Fer and all the people (seems like a whole different city from the calm area I live in). Seeing the cathedral with Dr Lee and the girls for the first time. My unsuccessful search for a piano teacher (think Russian ballet school). My moment of realization when I looked in the mirror and finally grasped the idea of language, how we speak English because of the settlers who came to North America centuries ago etc and how much we've changed it over the years. Learning the hard way to buy my own cutting board. The idea that the French are the Native people of their own country. Thinking I recognize people from home on the street. Having to choose between 3 concerts and choir practise at the cathedral on one night. The thin crust pizza from Pizza Roma that 4 of us shared. Probably the best pizza I've ever eaten. Missing Mount A. Finally being able to put to use those verb tenses I've been studying for years (never have they been so useful!!). I swear, they even use subjonctif and passé récent in daily language- don't believe your French teacher when they say they're not that important! ;) Bateau-mouche and climbing to the top of the cathedral with Donna. The view. The time I shook my bottle of vinagrette when the top wasn't on tight enough and I sprayed it everywhere. Cleaning up afterwards. Thinking of French expressions and having to translate them when I'm speaking English. Mom's limericks! The 14 Euro towel I bought at IKEA and promptly left at the cash. Hope someone found a good use for it. How I didn't own a hairbrush until a week after my arrival in Strasbourg. Playing the piano while the cleaning lady sings in a whole other key. Deciding a half-hour before to go to a concert. Learning "gros mots" (bad words) in my French class. The list of stuff I wanted to buy my first two weeks and how I really don't want any of it anymore. Roquefort cheese. Gregorian chant at the cathedral. Riding my bike to Germany. The idea of going home for Christmas. How I want to pack Strasbourg in a box and take it home to share with everyone. Seeing Claudine for the first time in 9 years. Playing songs from Amélie in France. Debussy's En Blanc et Noir played by the Lebèque sisters. Pretending to be French when I'm walking down the street. (It's an attitude) Meeting Newfoundlanders in France. Everytime I pass a tour group that's speaking English and I want to go ask where they're from. Canadian pot lucks and how we always end up with a complete meal without planning it. Facing fears (putting on my big girl panties and dealing with it). Saying English words with a French accent and hoping that people will understand. Encores. Seeing the Mediterranean Sea for the first time even though it was raining and yucky. Seeing the King's Singers live. Talking to them after! Watching Auberge Espagnol and totally relating. Swimming in the "bains municipaux" where you have to swim around the huge fountain and I'm sure it wouldn't look much different if you went back 300 years. Chocolate and banana crèpes. Being in a class of foreign students where the common language is no longer English, but French. Singing Silent Night in 10 different languages. Hanging out in the Gallia last night comparing national anthems. Every time I get a letter from home: Dad's reminisces, Mom's poems, Natalie's moose, Andrew's brown cow, Sophie's scrapbook and Donna's cards. Being here right now.

Happy December...

2005-12-03T11:08:00.000+01:00

Hey everyone. Long time no talk! Here's a juicy update for my devoted fans.. ;)

Christmas is here in Strasbourg! The official start of the decorations in Stras began the 26th- I went to the ceremony with a few friends last Friday night. It was so cool to see their version of Santa and his elves- all the elves were animals: squirrals, bears, you name it. And, Santa didn't give out candycanes like in NS. No, he gave out bread!! How French. He had a big red bag full of "mananas" or little brioche men. Yummm. And the animals gave out chocolates- good ones too. Another interesting thing was that Santa was young and fit looking (well he still had the beard but his voice was young and he didn't have a big gut! and by consequence no "ho ho ho"s but certainly some "oh la la"s). All the kids in the audience joined together to sing "Petit Papa Noel, quand tu descendras du ciel..." So cute. Then came the lights- we counted down from 10 and they had fireworks and lights in all the trees, in the streets, etc. The heat from the fireworks really warmed us up as we were frozen- it's been hovering around 0 degrees for a week or so now.

Best part of the night, though would be when Meredith asked one of the squirrals for a picture and he asked her for her number!! We told her she should only say yes if he would wear the squirral suit on the date!

Then, this past Sunday, I spent a great day with the Jacquin family in the Vosges mountains a half an hour away from Strasbourg, in Germany in fact. We went first for a walk in the woods and did a little sledding- it,s amazing how we had about 10 cm of snow just 30 min from Stras.- where we have only seen rain and some pretend-snow that doesn't stay on the ground but looks pretty when it's falling, of course. Leo and I had a great time sledding and making fools of ourselves in the snow!

We were pretty beat out by the time we got back to the car, so we headed for lunch at a German chalet place where all the servers spoke only German. The Jacquins did really well ordering, though, and we all ended up with plenty of food and drink so we were happy. The portions were gigantic, I had enough noodles and cheese on my plate for the whole family. (spatzel) But the BEST part of the meal by far was the dessert... while we were eating our meal, we spotted a couple of cakes being served at the next table and decided right away we would have to try one before we left! They were quite impressive, probably a foot tall- a cylindrical pastry with cream and cherries inside... mmm we shared two of these and a mocha cake as well!! (see Leo and me below in my last post with our cake) We left nothing on the plates!

After, we stopped by a friend's mountain vacation chalet (how chic) and sat around the fire place while Leo explored the sledding opportunities in the backyard. It was a magical day all in all! Felt like a little bit of Christmas with the snow and the food and the great company of course!

Another "highlight", or at least interesting experience, of my week was my trip to the Prefacture with Christie and Jenna Tuesday morning. To prepare for leaving the country for Christmas break, and then to be let back in after, we each need a "visa de retour" since our Cartes de Sejour (extended visas) have not arrived yet, and won't be ready til after Christmas. So, to avoid the long lines of the middle of the day at the Prefacture (local gouvernment office), we arrived at the prefacture building a half an hour before it opens at 8am. It was sill dark out and we weren't the only ones waiting- there were already at least 20 others waiting on the steps when we got there at 7:30. (Who know how long they'd been waiting!)

Still half-asleep, and frrrreezing, we weren't super impressed with waiting in the cold but we knew it was the best way, to get it over with so we could go home and come back without any worries. When the hour finally came, we all squished on to the steps to try to get in as close to the front as possible- the number you receive one you enter determines whether you will be waiting for 1 hour or 3, so we had a plan in place- once the doors open, sprint for the left. We had heard that most ppl go to the right so you have a better chance at the other number machine. To add to the intensity of the situation, there was a baby crying the whole time we were waiting- poor kid! We were nice, though, and helped the mom with the carriage up the stairs. I'm sure this didn't help our place in line, but the baby was looking at us with her big brown eyes and we couldn't leave her!
We ended up with numbers 42, 44, and 52, with tickets that said "approx. 2 min wait"- ha!

Three hours later we were done and so happy to be out of there! We were troopers! The waiting wasn't actually all that bad- we filled out our forms, read the newspaper, and Christie even went and got us pastries for breakfast. It was definitely a good epxerience to have had, and I will do it again Monday morning to get my approval (hopefully the last or 2nd last time we will have to go there- this time maybe we can get better numbers)...

On a funner note, I went to see Harry Potter last night!!! Loved it! We watched it in English with French subtitles- we could've watched the dubbed version, but decided there were some things that just can't be translated... (even Hogwarts has a different name! Poulard or something) It was definitely the best of the 4 in my opinion... Ron was super funny, I loved the dance scene with Prof MacGonagal and his little fights with Harry... and I cried at the end of the Triwizard tournament... it was super well done. And it was neat to see the characters growing up, too!! I couldn't stop thinking that Harry looked a little like Matthew Clarke though... (hair and all). What did you guys think of it??

Today, Christie and I have been invited to go to Mulhouse (hr by train) to see the Christmas markets and stay at a friend's house. We'll get back tomorrow afternoon and then I'm going to bake a chocolate zucchini cake to take to the dessert party Antonia is organizing at the Gallia in the evning. Busy weekend for sure!

Hope you guys are doing well, exams must be close!
Send me a little note if you get a chance!!

Love
Susan

5 min post!

2005-12-01T17:40:00.000+01:00

5 min= 5 pictures!
Only have a second but here are some pics of the light ceremony in Strasbourg and my Sunday with the Jacquin's, sledding in the Vosges and eating really delicious tall cakes in Germany!

(the baby boar was in the mountains! it was so cute but did it ever stink)

KING'S SINGERS!

2005-11-21T14:28:00.000+01:00

Hey Everyone!
Thought it was about time that I wrote more about my last 2 weeks! I'll start with this past weekend's excitement: King's Singers in concert in Niederbronn-les-bains!! I booked my ticket a few weeks ago, knowing that I could get to this little town by train but I wasn't really sure what to do after- the last train goes back to Strasbourg around 9 and the concert started at 8:30! So I eventually decided to splurge for a hotel, and even got Gwyneth (from Mt A) to come with me! We had a fabulous time- worth every effort!! Niederbronn is about an hour away by train, so we arrived in this tiny town in the dark- everything was shut down except for the (huge!) casino and the Maison de Culture, where we went for the concert! The auditorium definitely reminded me of NRHS' auditorium- small and intimate- couldn't have asked for better.
The program was so varied, they sang a little of everything, and definitely didn't leave us unsatisfied! Here's the program:

Madrigals:
Hard by a crystal fountain- Thomas Morley
Fair Phyllis- John Farmer (sooo great! I thought of you, Brenda!)
Fire, fire my heart- Thomas Morely
Too much I once lamented- Thomas Tomkins
As Vesta was from Latmos Hill descending- Thomas Weelkes
Au Joli Jeu- Clément Janequin
Petite camusette- Josquin des Prez
Nymphes des boys- Josquin des Prez
La guerre- Clément Janequin (one of my fav, they totally acted it out)

Modern:
Time Piece- Paul Patterson
(written esp. for them- super cool, it's about Adam and Eve, what if the sin wasn't the apple but the watch the Adam was wearing)

(entracte)
Brahms:
All meine Herzgedanken, op 62.5
Dein Herzlein mild, op. 62.4
Vineta, op. 42.2
Abendstandchen, op. 42.1

Arrangements in close harmony:
Penny Lane- Beatles
Blackbird- Beatles (aww I love this one too... esp. the "dn-dn-dn"s and "frrr"

Encore:
Old MacDonald had a Farm in Italian!! so hilarious- they were laughing so hard by the end because of the animal sounds they had to make that they could hardly sing any more!)

I can't tell you how much of a treat it was to see them in person! I've been listening to their "Madrigal history tour" CD so much lately that I knew most of the pieces, but of course it's so much better in person always. They were so entertaining, very modern in their approach to performing as a choir, without a conductor and all making eye contact with the audience. Also, each member had an individual personality that came out, esp one of the tenors (Paul Phoenix)- he was a bit of a ham but I enjoyed it!! And the contretenors- wow wow wow. I kept looking around to see where the high pitches were coming from- it was pretty surreal to discover it was coming from these two men- one short and stubby, the other super tall! I was thoroughly impressed. And the bass.. ahh.. what gorgeous endings he made! The super super low notes were right on- I could almost feel it in my feet it was so low. Overall their tuning was what made their sound so impressive, I think- the only word I can use to describe it is crystal-clear. (or two words I guess!) You could tell they click so well together, surely the product of working together for so long and touring together 7 months out of the year. I have to admit, I had visions of the Bonnays a few years down the road, taking France by storm... ;)

As if the concert itself wasn't awesome enough, Gwyneth and I stuck around a bit after the concert after to chat them up! What great guys. It was really neat because we two of the few people there who spoke English well, so they were really happy to talk to us. They were very interested to know we were both from Canada- they had been in Ottawa and Québec a week or two before and loved it- they got the chance to sing in the Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa, must have been amazing. I told Philip Lawson, one of the baritones, that they will have to come and sing in Nova Scotia in one of our great churches soon. I was like "I'll be your NS contact!" And he actually seemed interested- told me to email him with my contact info! So I thought maybe I could get Gerry Punke on that one- mission: get the King's Singers to Pictou County!! Frankly, the place they sang in Friday night wasn't any bigger than Pictou and I'm certain we have venues with better acoustics to offer!
When I went to talk to the other baritone, he asked where I was from, and when I said Canada, he was like, "there's another lady here from Canada! Ottawa, I think" and I was like "no way! I'll have to go meet her!" and then when he said she was wearing a hat, I realized that of course there was someone else here from Canada- I had come with her to the concert!! He had a good laugh about my mistake and even told the story to the other members... haha, they were fun. We got a picture taken with Philip Lawson and Chris Gabbitas, which I will post! My camera almost didn't work but I'm happy it did and I have my signed poster up on my wall too! Also got a CD that includes King's Singers' arrangements of Blackbird, Down to the River to Pray, and Billy Joel's Lullaby. And the score for their arrangement of "She moved through the fair"- can't wait to try it!
We left the concert hall on a musical high- and it always means so much to get to chat with the performers! Choral freaks just understand one another... :)

To top it off, Gwyneth and I were wandering around Niederbronn the next am, looking for a boulangerie, when we got beeped at... figuring that we didn't know a soul in this little town, I promptly ignored it, but then looked over to see the King's Singers who had stopped curbside to talk to us! They were settled in for their road trip to Dusseldorf, I wanted to jump on the back! Be a KS roadie!
They said "hope to see you again!" and I really hope I will! And I have a feeling they won't forget us too quickly either...

That's all the time I have for now... last week was midterms or "controle continu" so school work isn't as much this week. Got my written part back today- 17/20 so I was super happy! 13 or 14 is a good mark so 17 is just great. Also did a presentation on the Mormons who live in Bountiful, BC. We had a good chat about polygamy afterwards!

Anyway, please send me your news, I have more time to write back this week!

Love
Susan

haircut

2005-11-17T16:34:00.000+01:00

Hey guys. I realize I owe a huge big update, but I will start with mine and Sam's haircuts! A couple of weeks we both decided that we had had enough of our out-grown Canadian haircuts and thought we'd love to try a fresh new French haircut! But we were a little nervous because there are some crazy looking haircuts here- mostly really cool but we didn't feel like having semi-mullets or anything. We were really lucky to find a really nice salon, though and we're both really happy with our haircuts! We tried taking before- and after shots, so this is what you see here!! (Note my one side flips in-the other flips out- not cool! but it's better when I do it myself, heheh)
I really love Sam's hair- she got a really cute cut! Also note our disgruntled looks in the before pictures.. that was on purpose...

Last night at the Jacquin's we had Pumpkin soup and a poireaux tarte... mmm.. the weather's been pretty chilly lately so I love eating soup- warms you up from the inside out! In other news, I had my mid-term testing this week- 2 exams and a presentation- and I'm super happy with how they went! My presentation was today, my subject was the Mormon community in Bountiful, BC and I think it went over well! We had a long talk about polygamy afterwards... always an interesting topic! :P And next week our subject for discussion is "Do you think that polygamy can account for the violence in the suburbs of France?" (according to Jacques Chirac, the answer would be yes!)

Yesterday- Philippe from Mt A is here visiting from Spain!
Tonight- Canadian girls pot luck #3
Tomorrow- King's Singers concert (!!)
Soon- more updates!!

Glad to hear Mt A ppl had a great time in NYC!! email me some stories!

And have a great thursday everyone!

-Susan

Beaumont Hammel

2005-11-14T12:36:00.000+01:00

Hey! This is just a quick picture post from my visit to the Newfoundland Monument near Albert, France, where I spent Remembrance Day with three Newfies! Sam's from my res of course. but then we met up with her friend Gina (who, in fact, lives in the same town my Dad is from and knows all my cousins!) and happened upon Gina's classmate Leslie who's studying in Nantes this year. The picture of all us is in front of the "Danger tree", marking the line in the battlefield where no Newfoundlander managed to pass during the battle of Beaumont Hammel (WWI)... and then we have the caribou! and I found an "MP Farrell" amongst the names of the soldiers who died, maybe my great-great uncle or something!
I will update more soon, hope everyone had a good long weekend!
-S

ps- you can click on the photos to make them bigger if you want!

pics

2005-11-08T10:43:00.000+01:00

Top two: Claudine on the (usually balmy) beach in Frontignan- that's the Mediterranean Sea! The vegetation was really different- palm trees and everything! And we saw real live pink flamingos! Then, that's Claudine and me at St. Guilhelm-le-Desert, close to Frontignan.

Bottom three: photos from Fontenay-le-comte, western France. Claudine's street, a pigeon ("rat de l'air") and a view of the town and church.

and I'm back!

2005-11-08T08:11:00.000+01:00

Cou cou! I'm back. Been kind of out of touch for a week but now I can update you all on what I've been up to!

My week spent with Claudine went really well, we got to catch up a bit and I got to know her family really well! We spent the first weekend in Frontignan, near Montpellier, France at her parents' vacation home. The whole family was there, so there were 8 of us squished into the small house but it was cozy anyway! We spent lots of time playing Uno and going for walks on the beach. Didn't go swimming, though, as it was rainy and windy for most of the time! Fortunately, the last day we had sunshine and I spent the first of November sun-bathing! haha! We made two excursions to near-by towns to see the churches and castles: St. guilhelm-le-desert and Aigues-mort. Both were beautiful and so old! One of the crusades even started in the church we saw in St guilhelm! It was so crazy to be inside the building and to try to fathom what it was like!

On Tuesday, we headed up the coast by car to Fontenay-le-comte, a small city between La Rochelle and Nantes, where the Bouleaus have their permanent home. It was a really nice drive- I got to see the countryside, which actually isn't that different from Nova Scotia, a few rolling hills, some cows, but also lots of vineyards and the occasional castle! Spent the rest of the week hanging around the little city. Claudine had some work to do, she is a self-employed translator, so when she was working I spent some time writing postcards, playing the piano (I have the music from Amélie now!), walking the dog, and I even went to Aqua-gym with her mom once! hilarious! It was so nice to have all my meals prepared for me! I felt a little spoiled but I guess that's nice once in a while! My favorite new food was a "nougat" cake that we bought in Aigues-mort- it's made out of egg whites but it's more soft and chewy. And it's got chocolate and nuts in it, my favorite! We also spent some time hanging out in Claudine's boyfriend's, Fred's, bar, in the evenings. The "blue's bar" where they play punk rock music! ha! And we saw a Woody Allen movie, Match Point. It was pretty good! Typical pessimist Woody Allen, but enjoyable all the same.
Then, on Saturday, we drove an hour to La Rochelle, right on the Atlantic ocean, where we spent the afternoon perusing the boutiques! It's an awesome little town, the boutiques never seemed to end, and we found one called Oz which we really loved- really original jewellery and scarves and such- I bought a pair of gloves which should be great for my bike!

Got back to Strasbourg Sunday to a wave of news about the Paris riots. I had been reading a bit about it when I was at Claudine's, but I've started paying more attention to it now that I'm back. We talked about the issue in class yesterday at length- about the "game" the youth are playing with the officials. (and how the incidents ended promptly at 8h30 Sunday evening for the big football match!!) The bulletin last night from the Prime Minister was hopefully a step in the right direction- to restoring peace in the cities of France. There have been incidents in the outlying, poorer areas of Strasbourg, mostly in Hautepierre, where I never go anyway, but I am not planning on venturing close any time soon! There's no sense of panic here, we are far away from the action, and nobody really seems concerned about it. So I'm going to keep myself as informed as possible and hope for the best!

I did, however, venture to Germany yesterday by bike! It only took about half an hour to get to Kehl, where I would say groceries are almost half price than the groceries in Strasbourg!! I filled my whole hiking backpack for only 23 euros!
Which was SO heavy to lug back over the Rhein but I was a trooper and I did it! But never that much again! I don't know how my bike stood up under all the weight! And I had quite the time paying for my groceries... I didn't have any cash with me but I had my bank and credit cards so I figured I'd be fine! But I didn't notice the sign that said "German cards only!" when I entered the store! So I had all my groceries packed in my backpack when the lady told me, in German, that they don't take French cards! She told me I could go across to the "bleu" gas station to "chercher des soues"- she spoke a bit of French thank goodness! so I left my backpack there and ran across the street to get some cash. After three or four tries, I found a card that worked and finally returned to get my groceries! whew!

In other happy news, my parents GOT A PUPPY!!! Her name is Abby and she's an 8 week old sheltie and is the most precious thing I've ever seen! I talked to her on the phone yesterday. Can't wait to meet her!

Anyway that's it for me for now. I will post some pictures tout de suite. Tonight I'm taking Alice Jacquin to supper with some Canadian friends to speak English with them! Should be fun.

Hope everyone's well!
-S

Off to big places...

2005-10-29T00:09:00.000+02:00

Here I go, my first big trip! this week is our Toussaint holiday so I'm heading to Montpellier to see Claudine. I'm so excited. But, sad to say, I probably won't be updating until the 6th of November or so. (then I will update big time!) Have a great week everyone, talk to you all soon..

-S

ps- I bought a ticket to a King's Singers concert the 18th of november in Niederbronn-les-bains!! (an hour outside of Stras.) who wants to come with??

Parc de l'Orangerie

2005-10-28T08:20:00.000+02:00

(the middle picture is of my bike!)

Live from Strasbourg

2005-10-27T23:35:00.000+02:00

Well It's only two days from now that I go to Montpellier to see Claudine! First time in 8 years! I'm excited! And tonight was the Canadian girls' Halloween potluck. So nice to have everyone together before we all go our seperate ways for vacation: Prague, Scotland, Budapest, Germany, Belgium... can you imagine?? I leave Saturday and I'll be with claudine for a good week... lots of catch-up time! (for those who dont' know, Claudine stayed at my house for half a year when I was 11)

This week at the Jacquin's we had crèpes, mmm.. with eggs and cheese and then with nutella for dessert. Put nutella on almost anything and I'll eat it! ;) Before supper, I was sitting talking with Leo, and he offered me a cup of tea, and I of course love tea, so I said yes! So he got the kettle up off the floor (we weren't sure why it was there, but we kinda shrugged it off) and poured the water out to put some new water in. When it was boiled, we both poured a nice big cup. I let mine steep a long time while we were talking, and when I went to take a drink, I commented that it was a bit stronger than the last time I'd had it, but it must just be because I left the bag in for so long. He tried to explain he thought it was becuase the box said "lipton" but I was fairly sure it was the same last week... anyway, to counteract the bitter taste I just kept adding sugar, both of us did, and then we didn't notice it quite as much. Then, when Mme Jacquin finally made it home, she asked who had been using the kettle? Leo explained our tea time, and she informed us that she had put the kettle on the floor with WHITE VINEGAR to soak for a bit to clean out the inside! So what we were tasting was actually the remnants of said vinegar!! No wonder it was bitter! Funnier still, Leo was thinking the whole time that "lipton" was actually the English word for "lemon", which could have explained the bitter taste...

Another expedition I had was on Tuesday am, when I woke up early to bike somewhere I'd never been- the Orangerie Parc. This is where all the storks are kept! And they're so awesome. I'm so envious of their ability to twist their necks in such crazy ways... makes back scratching a whole lot easier. Spent a couple of hours there, sitting writing some postcards and doing some homework, before heading back just in time to grab a sandwich before my 1pm class.

Last night we watched "L'auberge Espagnol" here at the res- I definitely recommend it to everyone!! greatest movie ever. It's the third French movie I've seen (others were Amélie Poulain, and a Very Long Engagement) and consequently the third movie I've seen with Audrey Tautou in it. She's a great actress though! I can see why she's so popular. This movie was expecially fitting for us though, because it was about a guy who did an Erasmus exchange (to another country in Europe for a univeristy year)..

Also had an unfortunate bout of stomach-sickness probably cause by a contaminated cutting board! yuck! So now I bought my own and wrote a big "no meat" sign on the back! Take that, salmonella!!

Other than that, we're all doing well in general, getting excited/nervous for our first big trips out of Strasbourg! I'm particularly jealous of the girls going to Scotland, but I'm also pumped to finally see and smell the Mediterranean Sea!
And it's beginning to set it now. I live here. Even if for 8 more months. This is my temporary home and I'm going to make it feel as comfortable as possible... so I can stop feeling like I'm constantly on vacation, waiting to go home.

Please drop me a line if we haven't talked lately- I really like to know what's going on with you! So when I come back it won't be so much time "lost"... and I like feeling connected!

Hope mid-terms went well.. and that you all made it through Hurricane Wilma (or Wimpy Wilma) as my mom likes to call it!!

Love
Susan

Hike to Castle Frankenstein

2005-10-23T19:02:00.000+02:00

At first glance, it looks like fall in Nova Scotia! Then, you see castle ruins...

Photos from Donna's visit

2005-10-23T18:50:00.000+02:00

These were taken from two view points: the bateau-mouche, and then the top of the cathedral! Amazing views both ways...

Big update!

2005-10-23T02:04:00.000+02:00

Hello everyone!
I'm been really busy lately, as I'm sure all of you have been, too... but now it's Sunday and I have some time to write all about my recent adventures. It's been a great week- with a visit from Donna (thursday) and a hike in the Vosge mountains (yesterday)! The weather's been good overall, although I have to say there were quite a few days last week when I left the res with mittens and a scarf! Then by lunch time I was down to a long-sleeved shirt..

So, you all saw my pictures from last Sunday- our trip to the chateau Haut- Koeninsburg- that was a beautiful day, we had a guided tour of the completely restored castle and then a picnic on the lawn. On the way home, we stopped in a little town called Séléstat, took a look in the Humanism hall, where there was a display of modern art, and a whole lot of old churches in good repair.

Then I had classes, of course, this week but lots of other stuff- finally bought a bike! I answered a publicity in the Language institute, and I bought a 12-yr-old bike in pretty good shape for 37 Euros! Can't get much better than that. It has also given me a new sense of freedom here in Strasbourg- to explore the city and all the bike trails around! Someday soon I will make a trip to Germany on my "velo".

My first excursion was across the city to the Jacquin's for English lessons and supper on Wednesday. We had an awesome dinner, i ate artichoke for the first time, as well as rabbit! The rabbit was cooked with fresh prunes, they were so yummy.
Then, Donna came from Bad-Hamburg on Thursday to see me! We spent the day together, and what a day it was! Best weather we could have asked for- bright and sunny, perfect for the bateau-mouche (a boat tour of the city), It was so neat to hear the history of the town and to see everything from down below instead of ground level! Then, for contrast, we climbed to the top of the Strasbourg Cathedral, all 66 meters! What a journey. So worth it, of course, as you'll see from the pictures! We could see for miles... Then we wandered a bit, peeking in some of the shops around la place de la cathédrale. One store we went into was the Swatch store, only meaning to have a good look around. We had lots of fun trying on watches, and by the end of it, both of us had chosen one we couldn't resist... so there was our splurge! (Mine's called "enlacement" and you can go see it on the swatch website- under the "romantic" collection)
In the evening we attended a concert of an instrumental ensemble made up of students from the Strasbourg Conservatory, conducted by Étienne Bardon. His conducting was really inspirational- you could hear that they really trusted his directions, and he was so precise, while enjoying himself so immensely. The music danced the same way he did!

Yesterday was another beautiful day, spent in the Vosges mountains a bit north of Strasbourg (2 hrs on bus) in the Palitinat county of Germany. Seven of us Canadians went with a group of 32, a weekly hiking group organized by the university, but it includes other people than just students. We visited the ruins of three different castles (!), the first being "le chateau Frankenstein, dating back to 1137! (and from what I got from it, it has nothing to do with the story!) But "franken" means French and "stein" means stone... this part of the hike wasn't long, but then we took the bus again to another community, Neidenfels, where we hiked for 12 kms to see the Chateau de Neidenfels and of Diemerstein. The top of the first mountain, where we stopped for lunch, was really windy but it had a wonderful view, of the mountain range, with all the changing colours! This is proof to my Dad that the trees really do change colour here!! We were all beat out by lunch because of our up-hill trek, but after our break we were on even ground for quite a while, so we could stroll a bit. We were lectured by our guide about the different rock formations and vegetation... some people even brought home wild mushrooms to cook for supper! We made it back, beat, around 7:30pm after leaving Strasbourg at 7:30am... what a day! I think I've definitely merited a day of rest... including a trip to the opera to see Tchaikovsky's "Eugeni Onegin" at 3pm, can't wait!

Hope everyone's doing well, I promise I'll get back to your email tout de suite!
And note to friends at Mt A: did you read my Argosy article? did they put the picture of us in or not?

Bisous,
Susan

Haut-Koeningsbourg

2005-10-17T15:17:00.001+02:00

Here are pictures from the Castle I visited yesterday with my residence! It was a beautiful day, very Canadian, with the fog rolling over the mountains. And the sun was nice and bright!

I hope everyone's doing well, feel free to email or send me mail!! :D
Love
Susan

2005-10-17T12:04:00.000+02:00

The cleaning lady cleaned my room today!!
It's so nice now, she made my bed and opened the window and it made a world of difference- sometimes you don't realize how dirty it is until someone cleans it! :P

Thanksgiving, France style!

2005-10-15T23:42:00.000+02:00

(will write more later!)

This made my day

2005-10-11T20:48:00.000+02:00

My Mom is the best poet I know.

Here's what she sent me this morning:

Some young ladies who ordered a cake
Forgot the hour when the cake they could take.
So they decided instead
To celebrate with some bread.
Their inventiveness sure TAKES the CAKE!

Her inventiveness takes my cake anyday!!

Oh, and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!
(that means more cake stories! yes!)

Has anyone gotten my postcards yet?? Let me know when they arrive!

Obernai

2005-10-10T18:29:00.000+02:00

This is Jenna M, Jenna H, Me, and Sam on the train to Obernai, France the first week we were here. We went to the market with Dr Lee and the rest of the girls- highlights include my 5 Euro "waterproof" jacket (what can you expect for 5 Euro??) and two funny encounters-

Jenna: "Ce manteau coute combien??"
Sketchy street vendor: "Par cher..." (in the sleaziest voice you can imagine- We were quoting it all day.)

Then, when Jenna went to buy apricots from this other vendor, he was like,
"You are Canadian no?"
Me: "Comment avez-vous su?" (How did you know?)
Him: "Mon petit droit me l'a dit!" (My little finger told me- French equivalent of little birdy I guess!)

These pictures are of a phenomenon that I wanted to share... these little posts are found on narrow streets where you're not supposed to drive- mostly cobble-stone streets for walking... Occasionally, though, a car can enter if they have a card to swipe which makes the middle post go down! So fun!

Before:

After:

In other news, it's Thanksgiving back in Canada and we don't want to feel left out so all 12 of us Canadians
(hopefully) are getting together for a pot luck of sorts!! I bought this big gourd at the Saturday market, not knowing exactly what it was, but I'm going to cook it as if it's a squash.
Here's what I found on it: (I will post a pic later)

Potimarron is a winter squash that was famous in France. Its name comes from the mix of 2 words : potiron (pumpkin) and marron (chestnut). It owes its name to its chestnut taste.

I'll let you know how it goes! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
And I'm very glad to hear the Benefit concert went so well!! yay Pictou County!!

Yours truly,
Susan

ps- The cake is now gone. And it was probably the most rich and extravagant cake I've ever bought. But worth every bite and every cent!!

Cake Finale

2005-10-07T08:59:00.000+02:00

So, this is the cake. After all of that! We went back on Monday and just asked if it was still there, apologized for our lateness etc, and the lady was kind of like "you still want it??" And when we saw it we wanted it for sure! I took this picture after Jenna and I sat down and ate it out of the box (heheh).. we couldn't wait! It's so yummy, praline crust and chocolate mousse on top. Not quite cheesecake but almost. When we were eating it, the cleaning ladies came by and were laughing at us- they said "vous allez grossir!!" (you'll get fat!)

What else have I been doing except buying and eating cakes?? Well! I'll update you a bit. Classes started this week and I think so did our "realization" stage in the whole moving to a new country process (comes after "honeymoon" haha). We've all been a little stressed out and/or homesick this week, but we're all dealing and things are looking up. I got placed in a good level in my French classes, so I'm pleased about that... I have language classes every weekday, and option (elective) courses on Monday and Tuesday afternoons only. Tuesday is a big day- 5 classes in a row in the afternoon! (from 2pm- 7pm) I was so tired and hungry last Tuesday by the end of it (my stomach still not completely adjusted to eating so latei n the evenings) that when my Poli Sci prof was talking about "hierarchie" I thought he was talking about peanuts. My option courses are 2 poli sci, 2 literature, creative writing and maybe philosophy, we'll see. (seems like a lot, but it works out to the same in the end) Then, Jenna and I decided to sit in on a literature course at the regular French university last night- called "Utopie et Mondialisation". It was a bit of an eye-opener- to know really how slow our profs in the institut are talking to us. I could definitely pick up the very basic points of the lecture- but I doubt I got any kind of detail out of it. My notes are pretty scarce, because everytime I'd go to write I'd lose the sense of what he was saying! We were both a little lost! But we went and talked to him after, he was very very nice, said we could come and listen, no problem, but he wasn't sure if we'd be able to pass the course- the marking scheme seems pretty tough- including a 4hr in-class dissertation... maybe we should challenge ourselves?? All we need is a pass, which is really weird, but it might be more stress than it's worth...

I've had a fairly musical week too!! Sunday night, Sam, Jenna and I decided to dress up and go to the opera (very cheap with our student cards!!) here in Strasbourg. The show was "Pan" by (still alive) Marc Monnet. We were a little late getting there, so they gave us seats apart from each other, and really close to the front way over on either side of the house. It was probably fortunate we were not sitting together, though, because I don't know if we'd be able to keep from laughing!! What a show!!
I had a bit of an idea what was to come when the first two "actors" on stage were two live birds! I don't know what kind, something like a white peacock with no tail.. They were actually my favorite part of the show- they were on stage the whole hour (stage hands would come out periodically to clean up their mess!) and they reacted to the music- flapping their wings a bit when it was loud, walking around agitatedly and pecking at each other when it was high pitched. It was the people imitating the birds that wasn't particularly enjoyable! The whole opera was based on a poem which was projected above the stage- including lines like "je ne me ce re te je ne me ce re te" which were sung really fast by the 3 main performers. The main soprano sung probably the highest notes I've heard sung... beat that Mariah Carey. Altogether it was slightly odd, slightly enjoyable, but it was definitely an experience.

Wednesday night I ventured by myself (on the tram) to Palais de Musique et Congrès, to see a Debussy concert put on by the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra. It was so great! They performed Ravel's Rapsodie Espagnole, and the Mother Goose Suite, a new piece for oboe solo called Extase by Qigang Chen, and finally Debussy's La Mer. Each work had a spotlight on the oboe, which I loved! The "hautboïste" was Sébastien Giot from the orchestra and he was only 28 I think! He got so many clap-backs!

Then, last night, (thursday) I headed over to the cathedral for choir practise! This choir reminds me so much of Mt A's choral society. Hilarious! Everyone spends so much time catching up at the beginning of practise, and then they just seem to be having so much fun. There's lots of different ages, but I was happy to see 5 or 6 students. And the old men are hilarious. One of them began by telling me how rigorous the audition would be to get in- jokingly- the director (chef) didn't even ask to hear me sing, he just welcomed me! (I think it was more of a voice placement than an audition, really) It was so cool to sing "wachet auf" with all these people who know how to speak German (for the most part)!

So that's my update for now. Hope mid-terms went well for everyone and have a happy Thanksgiving! They don't celebrate it here, but I might try to organize some kind of supper on Monday with all the Canadians...
And anyone who's going to in Pictou County this weekend should go to the benefit concert for Stacia and Matt! Westville on Saturday- see pdhc.ca for details... hope it's successful! Wish I could help!

À la prochaine,
Susan

Update on the cake:

2005-10-02T22:07:00.000+02:00

The second cake we bought. It wasn't cake. It was bread.
Pretty bread, sweet bread, but not cake!
So we ate birthday bread instead!

Funny story #2

2005-10-01T18:12:00.000+02:00

Today is Jenna MacDonald's birthday. For this occasion, Jenna Hirtle, Sam and I ordered a cake from the boulangerie just down the street from us. We checked out two but the second seemed best- a cake for four people with mousse du chocolat and pralines... mmm... We asked her to write "Joyeux Anniversaire, Jenna" on the top and everything! So, we paid our 5 Euro deposit (she said it could cost 10-15 but couldn't tell us for sure) and told her we would pick it up at noon the next day (today) so we could have it after supper. Then, we made plans to go see some museums (for free! gotta love those student cards!) at 11am with Jenna M, so we couldn't exactly leave at noon to get the cake... no problem, we thought, it will be there for the whole afternoon. We got back from the museum (la musée des oeuvres de notre dame- statues from the 12th and 13th centuries- so cool!) around 1:30 and were drenched- got caught in a downpour- and also very hungry so we decided to change and have lunch before heading over to get the cake. An hour and half later (!! where does the time go here? haha) we headed over to the boulangerie... only to find the shutters closed and the sign that says (and always did say) "samedi: 10-13h"... We missed it! they closed the store, with our cake inside. And, they don't open again til monday!! Imagine our disappointment... chocolate and pralines... mmm...

So, besides the utter hilarity of the situation... we are in a bit of a bind. After buying a much less expensive coffee cake at another boulangerie, we got to thinking about the other cake. Should we go and see if it's still there on Monday? Or do you think the bakers took it home to their family to eat for Sunday dinner? (only for the kids to ask, who's Jenna??) If we go, and it's still there, we can pay for it, and have a second (but late) birthday party, no problem. However, if we go, and find they've "disposed" of the cake because we didn't come for it, will they make us pay for it anyway, to compensate for their "trouble"? In that case, we could just not go back, probably never, which is inconvenient, not to mention, bad karma that we don't need...
If you have suggestions, don't hesitate to leave them!! We would appreciate any advice :)

Hope everyone's well..
Susan
:D

Just another day...

2005-09-28T00:37:00.000+02:00

Things are getting busier here, with lots of administrative stuff to get done. We've been searching around for the cheapest grocery stores, cell phones, and... clothes!! Tomorrow I begin tutoring la famille Jacquin and I will have to update you on those happenings... and I also get to make a bank account there! youpi!

Here are a couple of pics... first one is me with the weird McDonald sandwiches here, Mc Farmer, Mc Timber, and Mc Summer!! So strange...
And the second one's for you, Mom- ahh....

On the way to the Cathedral this am...

2005-09-25T21:09:00.000+02:00

funny story...

2005-09-25T21:01:00.000+02:00

Yeah, so when I first moved into residence, I was getting all settled in and was just going down to the lobby to get my 2nd suitcase when the girl next to me was going back into her room.. She was very friendly and introduced herself as my next-door neighbour Emélie.. she's from Strasbourg, in her 3rd year, etc. And said if I had any questions, not to hesitate to ask. I thanked her and went on my way. Later on, when I was trying to get a hold of my parents but wasn't having much luck with the phone, I went next door and knocked to see if she was in, to help me. No answer. I tried again later in the evening but still no luck. So next day, when I was heading out, I noticed her door was ajar, and the light was on, so I knocked again... the door swung open and there it was! the toilet!!
I had been knocking on the bathroom door the whole time!! (She lives beside me... on the OTHER side! lol)
Think I would've realized that her initials weren't "WC" (water closet!)

first photo post!

2005-09-23T19:50:00.000+02:00

1. Jenna and me at the Halifax airport
2. My "lavabo"
3. In the bike path on Boulevard de la Victoire
4. My "fenêtre"
5. My first genuine French baguette (my res, La Maison, is behind me)

This is the email that only some people got! Webmail's being silly so I'm just gonna post it for now...

2005-09-23T07:41:00.000+02:00

One little trip over the pond and here I am! What a day it's been! (Longest day of my life yet, I'm sure- still not really sure what time my body thinks it is!) It's awesome to finally be in Strasbourg, after all our connecting
flights and waiting in airports- all of which went smoothly... Jenna MacDonald and I travelled together which made us both that much more sure and we were never nervous at the same time- when one was getting anxious, the other would be calm and excited~ worked out really well. We met up with Meredith in the Paris airport, where we had 3 hours to wait for our connection...we decided to celebrity watch to no avail... but shoe-watching was just as interesting! MAn, I love French shoes! These people have style!

Then, we had the nicest cabbie ever, who gave us his card to call him anytime we had any questions at all about the city. He also gave us some tips, like for when you're asking for a taxi- many English people will say "pouvez-vous me prendre?"- which implies something altogether inappropriate and could cause plenty of confusion but it's still kinda funny!We also had an incident in the Paris airport where there were no toilet seats... at all... much to our chagrin, but noone else seemed to mind at all! After this, we were very happy to find toilet seats in every other bathroom we came to... thank goodness.

It was a beautiful day to arrive in Strasbourg- sunny and warm (18degrees) and everyone was out on their bicycles. The buildings are all so old and exactly what I'd pictured- with the windows facing the street all open and sometimes a head sticking out. The canal is gorgeous but we've yet to figure out how to walk down by it.. lots of time though. Meredith and I went and got supper at a little resto, a tuna baguette which is so big I'm saving half for breakfast! We sat down on a bench to eat... talking about how insane it is that we're living here. Awesome.

My residence is made up of two gorgeous old buildings (connected in the middle by stairs) which face the street (boulevard de la victoire). The atmosphere is very welcoming and I've met a few girls already! I actually like my room here better than at Mount A... a nice desk in front of my huge window, very high ceilings, a sink, and all my furniture is green! (my favorite! eh Laura?) And the window has this crazy blind thing that blocks out the light when I want- it's outside but I control it from inside!! So cool! And ps, there is a decent piano in the common room on the ground level, and the directrice encouraged me to play whenever I like.

Please let me know if you don't want to get these emails, or if you want me to send it to another address, also let me know if you think of someone else who should get this.

Thanks again SO much to everyone who was part of my big SURPRISE the other night at Mount A. Especially Scott!! It means so much to me... and I won't forget it! I just wish I could take you all with me, stuff you in a little room (again), and just have you there to throw balloons at me when I am lonely!! haha!

Hope you are all well!
Love
Susan

ps- leave me a comment !

Brig Bay

2005-09-16T00:39:00.000+02:00

Countdown to Strasbourg : SIX days!
Very hard to believe! Just proves that if you wait long enough, stuff will happen! (whether you're prepared or not! :P)
I'm at my Aunt's house in Northern NFLD tonight, as part of a very quick visit before I go... I had fish cakes twice today! Breakfast and supper! Best by far were my grandmother's, which were even accompanied by baked beans... mmmm...
The news up here is all about Rex Goudie, the runner-up for Canadian Idol- my aunt even had a t-shirt she wore all week in support! The girl who won was good, too, and I think they'll both get lots of opportunities as a result, so it doesn't really matter who wins... and plus, as Aunt Do says, now he can choose who he wants to make a record with, instead of being obligated to do it with one in particular...
Anyway, have to go get ready for the season premiere of Survivor!
Thanks to everyone who sent me their addresses already, and the little notes!

Susan

new blog, new you

2005-09-10T19:42:00.000+02:00

So, I'm off on an adventure... in 11 days I'm off to Strasbourg, France for my first time and to stay for 9 months! I'll try to post lots of pictures, stories, etc of my trip so everyone can keep up to date with me...
And feel free to leave messages for me, too!