Ouais!

I'm still alive and kicking, missing friends and family but having fun speaking french. Since I don't have a really in depth knowledge of the language, I have a few go-to phrases that I use over and over... They have a variety of meaning depending on my intonation and it gives me time to think of how to say whatever it is I'm going to have to say next. Here is an overview;
ouias- yes. yeah. yeah! yeah?
c'est super- That's great. It's great. Everything is great. Great.
ah bien?- really? oh yeah? no kidding? huh?
je vois- i see. i see i understand. i got it. ok, i really got it....

And, I finally have internet on my computer, so I can put up photos!

Martine and I had a " Day of Beauty" and got facials. The lady kept telling us that we looked "eclatant!" radiant!....she might have been exagerating just a little.....

We went hiking in the mountains outside Clermont-Ferrand, where there is a little ski mountain. The view was gorgeous. Strangely enough, we were looking through our binoculars and saw a strange figure all in black walked along on of the mountain ridges. I jokingly said, "oh look it's a monk" but it turned out it was! A group of monks were making their way across the ridge of hte mountain, each one walking solitary along the path. A very strange sight-we still don't know where they came from or why they were there.



As we were walking home, a shepherd was herding his sheep in for the night, and they followed us down the hill. It was sort of relaxing listening to the wind and the bells-i had to take a video...it might be boring....

Martine and I road-tripped down to the south of France together and ended up in Agde, which is right on the Canal du Midi and the Mediterranean. We ate dinner right here.

tapas! the seafood has been....oh la la..amazing!

This is where I am living--Chez les Olmos. We had champagne and oysters on Sunday;) you might be able to guess why i like them so much...

More later!

Bonjour!

I am in France! ...for those who didn't know yet...and am sitting in my a little purple room with a big window, writing this blog. Since arriving in France things have been falling into place sort of incredibly...I'd planned on bringing my bike but at the last minute didn't (thank god since it took me 1 plane, 1 metro, 2 taxis and 2 trains to get here) When I arrived Martine had an extra bike she couldn't use anymore, a peugot too! So I've got wheels, bright yellow ones.
Martine also put out a call to all the AFS families this year (my old exchange program) to see if there was anyone in Beziers who I might be able to stay with for a few days while I look for an apartment, and found Beatrice, the head of AFS in this region, and who has a neighbor willing to house me for a bit. Virginie is the nicest women, with 2 adorable daughters, and it's her house that I'm in as we speak.
So it's really been thanks to Martine, who has been so amazing! She took me in all last week, and we visited about every single person in Clermont-Ferrand we knew, cooked, ate cheese, drank wine, and then went down south by the Mediteranean for 2 days before she dropped me off in Beziers.
This region, Languidoc-Roussilon, is very pretty. It reminds me a little of California in that it's very warm, and dry, with lots of flowers everywhere, and it hugs the sea right down to the edge of the Pyrenees. The land is flat with big round hills rising out randomly like bumps in a quilt. The town itself of Beziers, is perched on a hill with the river L'orb running around the bottom of it. It's a medium size city, with all the things most French cities have; a a bustling city center, plenty of cafes, a cathedral, and plenty of historical sites. It's not a city known for its beauty, but I think that's a testament to the beauty of the region in general, because Beziers is really very nice. One of the main problems has been that, just like in the US, people started moving out of the city and have decided they don't particularly like the people who moved in.
As far as weather goes, yesterday was gorgeous but today has been cloudy since this morning...still it's warm enough to go out without a jacket and be fine.
I've been getting around pretty well with my French. It's sort of funny the weird things I know, and the incredibly simple things I've forgotten. The other day I was describing what Brad does for a living and I told Virginie that he was a nudist instead of a naturalist.....
I meet with the school this Saturday and will hopefully find out what I'll be doing, and when.. where.. how...
And am looking forward to having some work to do. In the meantime, I'm in exploration mode. I already have an awesome pinic spot picked out and a couple bike routes mapped.
A Bientot!

Reviving the Blooog

I am about to start a Like Limonade Revival...so here's a quick update on my life;
work, work, teach, teach, sunburn, eat, drink, swimming hole, ride my bike 300 miles, eat A LOT, pack, pack, wait, wait

Did you notice that I slipped in the fact that last month, I, ME, Elaine Hall rode my bike from Carmel to Santa Barbara with my roomate. I don't mean to brag, but I can't help it! I never thought I could ever do it in my life! We averaged about 50-60 miles a day, camping at Hike and Bikes along the way for 5 days, and after doing it, I think more people should try! It was so cool to ride down the same way that I've driven for years, taking my time, seeing every mile(very clearly..sometimes painfully..) So yeah, if you're thinking..what a braggart...It's true!

In other news...I'm leaving for France this Sunday, Sept. 12. Updates will come...
Nothing exciting has been happening here...just packing and hanging out with my roomates who all are semi-unemployed at the moment...very convenient for me:)

Beziers

On an intuitive hunch, I went to my mom's house this afternoon to pick up some mail, and there, sitting demurely on the kitchen table was my contract for France! I've been waiting for this for weeks...the deets of my 7 month stay are all laid out in this little brown envelope.
Here they are:
I'll be in Beziers, a small city on the river Ong (or ang or something...whatever who cares-its a river--awesome) Beziers is 10 mins to the sea, home of wine and bullfighting, and close enough to the love of my life-- Barcelona--to visit on weekends.
Starting Oct 1 and ending April 30, I'll be teaching English in a french high school.
...high...school...
I repeat: high school.
And... that's all I know. This should be interesting.
See you in a few France.

Things I've been doing- An Update

1. Working at State Parks with my housemate...Preparing to lead 750 kids "into the woods" over the next couple months
2. Making smoothies...the magic of the magic bullet has made smoothy-making a daily thing
3. Watching Northern Exposure Re-runs....My roomate turned me on to this show. so good, and aiden from sex in the city is in it
4. Reading Shit...not "shit," just a lot of stuff...Actually one day I really did read "shit." We had a tracking training for work, and we learned how to read animal scat to tell what animal made it and what it ate. So let's change this to "Reading 'shit'"
5.Family Stuff- Both my cousins are in town and put on a party for my aunt's 60th birthday. This was the first time in years our whole side of the family got together in one place.
6. Trying to surf. Actually I only tried to surf twice. Brad took me out and I was such an amazing surfer he took me out again! Actually we just got super busy with work but I know that one day I WILL stand up on on a surfboard. Until then, I'm getting good at looking like I'm really trying to catch a wave, and no, I'm totally not mad at you Brad for taking me into the scary surf where you left me to go catch some waves..
7. getting yogurt at sir-tops-a-lot. This place is delish. You put together your own yogurt with any topping you want and they charge by weight. I spent almost 9 bucks the first time I came...Now I'm getting good---euro tart, strawberry, fruit, mochi...heaven for $2
8. Exercising? I don't know...kind of? trying.
9. Using sun screen. This is a good one, because i really have been using sunscreen every day. no lie.
10. Trying to learn French. I've been watching movies in French, reading magazines, blogs, and whatevs I can get my hands on...but when they really get speaking I still can't understand crap!!!!! Then I switch to perezhilton or facebook and practice my english.
11. Seabright Brewery. I've been finding myself here on occasion, and I'm always eating chicken wings. Very bizarre.

That's the jist of my life. Don't be jealous.

Coming into Summer

I sat out in my backyard this morning, eating watermelon, and noticing how our garden has suddenly launched into a green paradise of leaves, vines and buds. You can practically see our squash growing. My roomates started this garden last month, and, if you like to see quick return on hard work, this garden is starting to pay off. It made me realize that I've gone through some immense changes too these past few months, and...years...and wonder if they will be paying off too sometime. But for now, sitting in my garden, I use the growing plants as a tracker of my own internal clock...I often get caught in the every day and forget what I have gone through and the time it took to get to that day. So, I pay tribute to our bountiful garden....and maybe to myself and the people around me who've worked hard to plant their own seeds of spirit, truth, beauty, art and creation.

Vive La France

After many months of not posting....and many months of getting my sheet together, finding a job, finding a house, etc. I am back with exciting/troubling/confusing/amazing news...
Yes, seriously, all those things.
i got into a French teaching assistantship program in Montpellier.!...!!....
I haven't told anyone, and I'm banking on the fact that no one reads my blog anymore...I only have one week to decide, and I don't want a bunch of opinions swirling around in my brain (I'm an easily swayed person).
So I'm writing on my blog...throwing this out into the world...
What do I do?!?! I just found a great job. I love where I'm living (though it's temporary anyway). My lover is here. I travelled almost half of last year....When does a girl (an almost 26 yr. old girl) stop moving around so much?
On the other hand...Montepellier is beautiful. My French will be awesome. I'll get some great teaching experience.
...Neither choice is a bad choice.
I make my decision April 18th.
EAK