Les Vacances!

I have been cleaning my room! And for those of you who know me, this is an amazing feat! I am currently taking a break, and I did just get started, but still, I am on the road to a clean room (a very long, windy and treacherous road). I decided to take this break to share with everyone who reads this blog, whoever you may be, what my breaks will be like while I'm in France. So my contract officially starts October 1, 2010 and ends April 30, 2011, so just keep that in mind.

1. Vacances de la Toussaint aka All Saints' Day: Saturday October 23 - Thursday November 4
2. Vacances de Noël aka Christmas Holiday: Saturday December 18 - Monday January 3
3. Vacances d'hiver aka Winter Break: Saturday February 19 - Monday March 7
4. Vacances de printemps aka Spring Break: Saturday April 16 - Monday May 2

So I'm there for 7 months and get 4 paid breaks while I'm there. Pretty darn radical. If you noticed, my last break takes me past the last day of my contract. Everyone start planning your trips to visit now! If anyone wants to come over the first or second break, that would be awesome! If not, well, we'll make it work. I am just sooo excited for all of this! Wahoo! Back to my room now...until next time, adieu!

Busy as a Bee

Soooo much has been happening since I got back from the west coast! Last week was very hectic. I got back Sunday night, and I had to go to work Monday morning and then make it to LPB for 1:30 for an interview. Myself and some of the other scholarship recipients from La Fondation Louisiane were being interviewed about why we have chosen to study French and what we are expecting about our upcoming trip. It was really fun, but the kicker is that after the interview, Dr. Arceneaux offered us a great opportunity. We have all been invited the weekend of September 24-26 to attend a congrès (or conference) for France-Louisiane Franco-Américainie. We were given train fare to get there and we will be provided rooms within French homes to stay during the congrès. I think this is such an amazing opportunity to get to know the other scholarship recipients better and also to get a really great introduction to French life! Hayley (one of the scholarship recipients) and I have really started to discuss travel plans, but we are both really nervous about our visa appointments. I was really scared I made the wrong appointment, but the TAPIF contact, Carolyn Collins, is fairly confident the appointment I have will work. So here's to hoping that everything goes super smoothly! Hayley might even come and stay at my grandmother's with me for our visa appointments, which would be great to plan travel arrangements and whatnot. So much to do with so little time to do it all in! I have been nonstop for what seems like the entire month of July. I went to Vegas and L.A. and have come back to work all week, go to New Orleans this weekend, and I might be back in the NOLA next weekend too. My visa appointment is on August 5, and then I plan to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Wimberley, Texas. I am really looking forward to having a few weeks at home before any more traveling. But I guess soon enough I'll be leaving and doing lots of traveling! But for now, I'm going to just try to make it through the next few weeks in one piece.

My 25th Birthday

I turned 25 today! I've already come to terms with the fact that I am now officially a quarter of a century old. This trip has been insane. Vegas almost ate us alive, but I did leave with $400 and a bunch of memories I didn't have before I went. So I guess that's a plus. California has been super. Just hanging out and relaxing and not worrying about France has been super. I guess it's just what I needed because I got my arrêté in the mail Tuesday. I will be teaching at two schools. One is in Beuvrages and the other is in Trith St Leger. They are both in the suburbs of Valenciennes so I believe I'll be living there and commuting to the schools. I am really excited, and I cannot wait till I get home to look at all the paperwork in person. Other than that, I've helped Maggie buy some awesome items for her Etsy store. We went swimming a couple of times, saw a play, ate some good food. Last night we had some serious margaritas at the Velvet Margarita Cantina and the waiter gave me a birthday shot. It was fun getting to hang out with Bekah again and hang out with Franchesca (Maggie's up until last Friday, co-worker from American Apparel). Night out with the ladies was just what I needed. Today has been really shill and relaxed. Lots of David Bowie and some good eats and great company. Plus Maggie made me a blueberry pie for my birthday. The one thing I always want for my birthday, and she made it from scratch. She is a doll and I love her for it! Don't want to leave, but I guess it's inevitable anyway. Until next time L.A...