Coucou!

I hope everyone's January week went well. I had a very interesting, tiring and ok week in this very un-january like weather. Pretty sunny the whole week and like 50's. I can't even think in temperature anymore because when I see it in Celsius that doesn't tell me anything, then I never see it in Farenheit either. I think watches should have the temperature on it, that would be helpful. I mean my alarm clock does. Nothing super memorable happened Monday, except for the fact that we heard that 2 Australians arrived. Tuesday I did my acro-gym routine (see picture). They were so stressed out it was crazy. I mean I guess it is kind of the final grade for this part of the year, but it wasn't that hard so I don't see how we could've messed up. Then in the afternoon I came home before thinking that I was going to soccer...then I couldn't get the door of the 400 year old house open, so I spent the afternoon reading outside. Luckily, it's not really cold. But I did take a picture of the house. Then my host mom came home and I felt like a complete idiot and realized that you just have to pull the door really hard before starting to unlock the 3 locks. What's new? Then I actually didn't go to practice and instead went to see "La jeune fille et les loups" for the national 100 years of Rotary day. All the movie theatres in toulouse were filled with clubs, I guess Rotary was started 100 years ago in Evanston, IL. The movie was about a girl in the alps (if you couldn't tell by the title), it was ok. I did sit by the 2 Australians, Abbey and Nick, so that was fun. It's fun not being the new exchange student anymore :)



Wednesday morning was a 4 hour "bac blanc" for french class. That means practice for the bac at the end of the year, I think it's June 20th, so it was another inclass essay. Me, Liza and another girl were the only ones still left in there at noon when the bell rang. So I actually spent the whole 4 hours! The dissertation involved explaining why characters would be disguised in costume during plays, and we were to use given texts and also Dom Juan by Molière, which we read in class. I think my time management skills have gone downhill, since I spent the first 2 hours reading and planning, which was a long time. But oh well. We'll see what the teacher thinks. My fountain pen kind of exploded so I looked like a serious writer with blue ink all over my hands after 5 pages. I'm glad I remembered my dictionary though. The afternoon involved walk around Toulouse with the in the afternoon, in the beautiful weather. They appreciated all my random knowledge and hearing everything I've learned about this place. They are super cool kids and Abbey (17) comes from Brisbane and Nick (18) comes from Sydney. We learned a some Aussie vocabulary and Abbey actually lives right by me in Tournefeuille and will go to Ozenne.



Thursday was good, strike!! Just like in November, but we came in for English class. And I don't think there's gonna be a student one now too. But it was fun sleeping in a bit. Soccer was good, we scrimmaged the U16 team. Friday was long, I think I spent almost 3 hours in public transportation. Went to school for 2 hours, had lunch, went to Sarah's house and hung out, then it took full hour to get to Balma for my English class, had that, then came all the way home, then was picked up like 15 min later by Abbey's host parents to go the Rotary thing. It was a meal with my club and another club, the one that is hosting Abbey. It was probably the best Rotary thing so far because Abbey and I sat by eachother and she is probably one of the funniest people I've ever met. Also it was fun talking to people from my club and saying how cool it was that I've been here 5 months and I'm not really new anymore. The presentation was about a space station simulation in the arctic that a guy went to, it was pretty interesting. Also the dessert was Omlette Norvegienne, yummy. I met the girl that my club is sponsoring to go to Japan next year, she goes to my school and is super nice. Then I got a call during it that said I play in a soccer game on Saturday, thought I wouldn't since I wsn't at practice that night.

So yesterday....absolutely soooooo cool. After having a minor heart attack after realizing that it was indeed Saturday and had planned on faulty bus times, I managed to get to the stadium ontime and in one piece with the help of very friendly Canadiens. Then 13 players and 2 coaches got on a bus and we went to Castelnaudary, a town an hour away and home of the cassoulet, beans and sausage dish for our match the gala. The whole thing was so cool I wish that someone had been there to take pictures for me. It was with the 2nd team, I usually practice with the 3rd team, so since it was a friendly match and didn't really count for anything, that's probably why I went. When we got off the bus people were shouting TFC TFC and had scarves, the pro TFC had a game last night too, and we went into the town's stadium. I even signed posters altho I'm not in the picture. We watched a little boys game then went back and got ready, and we met the head of their club and the mayor of the town! The whole thing was different and sooooo cool, I just wanted to smile and jump up and down going "I'm in France! I'm in France!". Since noone actually has their own uniform, just bags and warmups, the coach layed out on the table the shorts, socks and the jerseys number 1 to 14 (2 girls met us there) with the number facing up. Everyone put on shorts and socks and went and warmed up. We came back and he gave a pep talk and read out the starters and positions and the number, me! #13! left defense! Then we put on the jersey with the number he just said and we went and lined up in the covered walkway leading on to the field. We were in numerical order (I was last) next to the other team, with 2 little boys in between us (just like in the pro games on tv!), we walked out onto the field with lots of cheering, holding the kids hand, and lined up my team, refs, the other team. Then they announced the players, totally new version of butchering my last name.., and then we made 2 rows and took a picture of the starters! it was so cool! It's not like it was really that different and its totally custom here, but I guess in the US we never have stadiums really or lockerooms, at least at Central, so it was cool. But the weather was beautiful and the sun was setting when it started around 6 and you could see a mideval church near by and the mountains and I was like ahh!! this is so cool!! Then the game was good, I messed up some at the beginning because I was nervous, but the other girls were encouraging. It was kind of muddy too. They scored first, then we scored twice. The 2nd half wasn't that interesting, but we won 2-1. Then everyone took showers and we had a meal afterwards, yummy malgré de canard (duck) sandwhiches and other things. I thought we would have cassoulet, but no. The coach is from that town, so he seemed pleasantly happy with the win. It was getting kind of chilly, plus wet hair, so we left. Got back to toulouse at like 9:15, during the pro game so the traffic was crazy, then someone gave me a ride home. This picture is of me before the game.




So yes. wooooooooooooot! that was exciting. The funniest thing (ok it really wasn't funny) was that I didn't know anyone names, so when I was playing on the side that the coaches were on, and I was doing a throw-in he was telling me who to throw it to, but I didn't know anyone's names! I only know a couple! They are hard, and all like variations on Marie and other things like that. Oh well, hopefully he doesn't think I'm too stupid.

Ok, now another week, but only 3 weeks till break! halfway! And I'm going to visit Svea in Germany! Yay!

Lots of love,

Bisous,

Lise

It's been 2 weeks!!!

2 weeks and I feel totally at home in this house....I love my siblings....it's so fun!!! I love the weekends b/c I can just relax and hang out, it seems like I'm never home during the week. I went to 7 TFC practices in these 2 weeks, that means I leave for school with all my stuff, then I come back at like 9:30pm, eat dinner, then go to sleep soon after. But they have gone by generally fast and everything's good. This week was interesting, my host sister was an exchange student in Australia in 05/06, and 2 of her best friends from there visited her this week. It was the first time she had seen them since she was in Australia. We were all the same age, but in Australia the school year is the calender year, so it ends in December, so they had finished HS in December 06, then taken a year off and worked. One was an aupère in Switzerland, then the other one visted her and now they were on their little backpacking around Europe trip. They came Monday night, then on Tuesday my host mom said I could skip school so I could hang out with them...so I did! Wep profited from the sales in the city and showed them around Toulouse...Chloé was asking me for directions!! I definitely felt like I got to know my host sister better during their visit because the Australiens didn't speak any French, so we all spoke English, so I could be more of myself, so we got to know eachother better. Wednesday we went shopping again, and I only went to school from 10 to 12 for our acrogym routine in PE class...such a funny sport. I can't wait for volleyball next week! Wednesday we had a pizza party and went out! It was fun. It was pouring rain the whole day on Thursday....and we still had soccer. They made us run outside for 15 min at first...just so we were soaked..then we did agility and jumping over things under the bridge on the basketball courts, then we actually played basketball. One thing that I as better than some of the girls at! It was a pretty athletic game, but pretty funny b/c everyone was playing basketball like soccer, so everytime they had the opportunity to shoot the ball they did..and as hard as they can. After like 30 min the score was like 8 to 4, just b/c no baskets went in...it was so funny. Friday was tired at usual...english class then soccer. Yesterday I helped out at the blood drive in Toulouse, it was being run by Rotary. My job was walking groups of ppl from where they filled out the paper, into the town hall where the blood drive was. I had some pretty interesting conversations, including being told that I was the smartest American this lady had ever met b/c she was from Mauritius and I knew where that was located. Oh yeah, on Thursday Sarah and I got our hair cut...first time in France. The lady complained that b/c my thick, wet, hair was really heavy and making her back and arm hurt...sorry lady! Also I got scolded that I waited so long to get my hair cut...whoops. But its shorter and I like it.

Not much is happening at school these days....Liza and I are trying to get out of the English class, and go to a 12th grade philosophy class or something, but we'll see. In French we are just finishing reading Dom Juan by Molière and some of his other works. In History class we are learning about the 3rd and 4th republics, and now colonisation. There was so much stuff going on in the world at that time, its interesting to learn about, and I have never really before at school.

4 weeks until the vacation, I'm going to Germany, and the new exchange students are coming soon. We said bye to Jenna and Danielle recently, we all cried at the airport and it was sad. There is a strike this week, like the one in November, and I think I can play in a soccer game this weekend. I kind of want to go to band one friday, but now I feel obliged to go to soccer, there's no other way that I'll ever play in a game. You have to go to Friday's practice to go to many of the games. It's so competitive.

* Us after the haircut

* A really old and cool piece of furniture in my house...my host mom loves old things.

* Emily and Julie, the Austrlians, and Chloé and I in Toulouse

From the new house!

Sorry it's been so long since my last update! But I am now on Day 2 of my new host family, I act changed, and I can't believe that it's January, incroyable! The Christmas break was fun, kind of lazy in the end, I realized this was the first xmas break that I haven't gone on a trip since 4th grade! The first week was fun, I went skiing to Ax on xmas eve, it was beautiful weather and not that crowded. I went with the family of one of the boys who I give English class too. They are so nice and it was with his 18 year old brother and the dad. Xmas day was good, there is a shifting of priorities in France, presents are opened the fasted possible, then the rest of the day is spent at the table eating. There was actually a 1-2-3 count and everyone rushes and tears open the presents. I think people are given less presents too. So the downside is you don't get to see what everyone gives and gets. The meal was delicious, a lot, of food, 8 steps, and we ate doe. The rest of the week was ok, Friday I went skiing with them again, this time we went to Baqueira, Spain, absolutely gorgeous. The Pyrénées aren't as high as the rockies, so we were basically at the summit of the mountains at 5000 ft, and skiing above treeline the whole time. It changes it a little. But I snowboarded this time and it was soooo fun. I want to go back. The 18 year old broke his wrist, so I got to have quality clinic time again, and we go back to Toulouse pretty late. The weekend was filled with more eating and cloudy weather, I saw my cousin in Enchanted (in French), and we went to the grandmas for afternoon meal. My host parents went out for New Years, so they said I could have friends over, so I had a little exchange student party of 4. I actually prepared a french meal for my friends, appetizers, salmon, duck, cheese, ice cream. Yummy. Then we danced crazy and had fun and watched movies and stayed call up till 9 am to call ppl on the west coast at new years. The next day we slept and watched more movies. This week wasn't filled with much, but it was fun. Friday I spent packing, then I was delivered to Tournefeuille at 7. If you want my new adress, e-mail me. This house is 400 years old and amazing. My room is the 22 year od brother that goes to school in Australia, its bigt and I have my own bathroom. I have a sister, Chloé, 19 and a brother, Raphael, 16. Chloé went to Australia finished HS this year too, but she went to Australia between 11th and 12th grades. This year she is just working, and is going to be an International Student in Australia at a university starting this summer. Their parents are separated, so its just the mom here. They are all super nice, and its kind of a fun challenge moving somewhere else, yet different b/c you already have a life in Toulouse. Sometimes it's annoying going thru the getting-to-know-you stage, just skip to the part where we are friends. I'm also the 3rd student they've hosted, so that's a little different, they know what expect a little. Today is the holiday where you eat a galette de roi, and the person that has the little figurine in their slice gets to be the king of queen for the day. I live farther away now, so I have to leave for school a whole lot earlier, oh well. I'll put pictures up later, but I don't want to put pictures on this computer already.

Here's our first video blog:
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=HMkA5O7I8Fs

Here's my pictures from December 24 to 26:
http://picasaweb.google.fr/eceperley/ChristmasWeek?authkey=wl6VGwp20tA

Much Love,
Lizette (that's what the little cousin calls me)