hey everyone!

Sorry it's been so long since I've written, but everything has been crazy (in addition to the inability to keep food down for several days, o joy). I did finally talk to a really nice pharmacist who gave me some magic medicine. The conversation went very well and she was really nice. The French are stereotypically hypochondriacs, and they don't really have over the counter medicine the same way as in the US. You have to actually talk to a pharmacist and tell them what the problem is.

I am about to start my single digit countdown here in Nice. I only have 10 days here before I head to Milan. It makes me rather sad.

As usual, the weather here is gorgeous. No one has air conditioning, because frankly they don't need it.

Last Thursday (June 21) was La Fête de la Musique all over France. It was created in 1981 by someone important in the government (the minister of something that I don't remember) as a celebration of music. Music is played all night long. Basically, I went clubbing in the streets of Nice. The French sure do like their techno music. Since the songs were in English, everyone wanted to know why I didn't recognize them and I had a hard time explaining how techno just isn't as popular in the US! I went to a concert in the port of Nice with a popular DJ named David Vendetta. According to reports, there were 20,000 people there. There were also two explosions and I got to see the French version of a SWAT team. Don't worry Mom, I am safe and sound!!! People were dancing from the street lamps. I saw one-year olds dancing and seventy-year olds with glow sticks. I also saw quite a few drunken teenagers who had passed out, which made me feel rather old. :) In addition, I didn't hear a French song all night - they were all in English. Afterwards, I went to a bar where they had some guys singing everything from the Beatles to Oasis to Bob Marley to songs from Grease. As long as it was popular over 5 years ago, I probably heard it.

All in all, it was very not-American. I am having trouble picturing anyone in the Bush administration declaring a government-sponsored national holiday, resulting in blaring music all night long and a valid reason for mass public drunkeness and general mayhem. I do have to admit that it would have resulted in much more craziness in the States. I thought it was tons of fun, and a great example of the difference in cultures.

Another week is over. I'm still in Nice having a good time. The weather is great. Really. it's quite difficult to spend so much time at the beach.

Last week, my class was quite stressful, and I thought about dropping levels. I had forgotten so much French. Luckily, this week was much better, and I feel significantly less stupid. Because I am in a pretty high level, my class is pretty small: 7 for the first two hours, 4 for the second two. They have also finished all the construction in front of the school, so it is no longer covered by scaffolding.

The main thing that I don't like about traveling as a girl alone is that European boys seem a bit more forward than American guys. Here is a snippet of a two conversations I had two days in a row (one at the park, and one at the beach):
No, I don't want a massage.
No, I don't smoke hashish.
No, I don't do ecstasy.
No, I won't take off my shirt.
Yes, I'm single, and yes, I prefer it that way.
No, I don't want to go with you.
No, I don't think we would be good together.
No, I don't want to give you my number.
Yes, I understood you when you asked me in French. Repeating it in broken English is not going to result in a different answer.
*sigh*

I have made friends with the several of the students from Alliance Francaise. They aren't in my class. They are in Level 4. My class (Level 9) consists of mostly older students and Japanese students. I am still very nervous about speaking in French, but I understand a lot. I got put in Level 9 because my grammar is really good, so I struggle a lot with the speaking.

Today, we all went to Monaco: a 45 minute bus ride ( although it is only supposed to take half an hour). I saw the castle and we walked around. I saw quite a few pictures of Princess Grace. Monaco is very rich and it is pretty much just a harbor filled with yachts and cruise ships. The group I was with is very international: Spain, Norway, Germany, England (originally from Egypt), France, and the US (me!). However, they all speak English.

I have also found that many people here speak English. When they hear my American accent, they automatically talk to me in English, which makes me rather lazy! Apparently, I don't automatically look American (according to my Alliance Francaise friends). I could pass for Spanish, and sometimes I'm mistaken for French.

Three more weeks here... Then I start traveling!

Hello all! I'm back from Paris. Since it's the weekend, I'm at at internet cafe. Bad news: I have to pay. Good news: I'm using an English keyboard so I can type fast.

I've been in Paris the last few days with my father, who was there for business. The weather was rather cloudy and unexciting. We went to a fancy dinner with his clients and walked around on Friday. He's been to the museums too many times (he comes here every year for business), and I'm going to seem them with Jessie in July, so we just looked around and explored. We walked from the Arc du Triomphe all the way to Notre Dame.

Now, I'm back in Nice. I went to Old Town for the first time today. Very cute.

On another note...
The lady that I live with doesn't believe that I'm 20. She keeps trying to make me eat so that I grow big and strong. Trust me, I'm really not going to get any taller... gain weight: yes, but no height. I'm pretty much stuck at 5'2''

Yay for Nice weather

I am typing very slow because the keyboard is strange. All the letters are in the wrong place.

The weather here is nice and I spend most of the day walkng around. I got a bit of a sunburn the other day, so I wear lots of sunscreen now. I will probably be quite brown by the time I returned. And I mean brown in the lightest sense of the word - I dont think it is possible for me to be anything other than very white. The beach is beautiful - this is certainly not a hard place to spend the month.

I just finished my second day of classes. I am in Level 9, which is higher than I expected. It is difficult. Hopefully I will become more comfortable speaking French because right now I am still trying to avoid it!

My First Few Days!

Hey everyone! I'm here!

First of all, I don't want to fly overseas again.
Plane 1 (5 hours into 9.5 hour flight, flight attendent over loudspeaker): "If anyone here is a medical doctor, could you please report to the flight attendants?"
Plane 2 (Paris to Nice): A 70-year old man stumbling down the aisle nearly passes out across my seat. Don't worry, he was ok. We pushed him up and the flight attendant led him to the back of the plane and gave him some sugar water. He was American and had been travelling for as long as I had (nearly 24 hours). I felt like passing out, so someone half a century older certainly has a right to.

I am currently trying to stay awake during the day. Jetlag is certainly a problem. Currently I pass out about 9 in the evening. I'm sure that will soon change.

The lady I'm living with is nice. She keeps trying to feed me. She also said that I look Catholic and that she could tell I was from my demeanor. Who knew?

The waether here is a bit chilly (65 degrees). My host mother says it is colder than normal. My mother (my real one!) says I must be a true child of hers since I am wearing a sweatshirt when there are topless sunbathers. But its cold!

I start classes Monday. This is exciting because I currently don't know anyone here. I have just been wandering about Nice the past few days to get to know the city. It is beautiful and really easy to get around in. Lots of walking!