Arrêté Arrived!!!
I can't believe it! My arrêté arrived today :) My parents stopped by where I was working, and let me open the envelope. I'm so excited because I can now go the the French consulate on Monday with all of my paperwork, and get my visa!
I also got a copy of my long birth certificate in the mail today (see the July 26th entry as to why my current birth certificate isn't good enough).
:)
August 15, 2003
Ultimate...
I don't know if you've all heard of ultimate or not (I know that I hadn't heard of it until two months ago), but I played it last night with some friends. I haven't been able to go for the past month or so (they get together once a week) because I've had to work every morning, afternoon, and evening.
A bit more about ultimate though. It's like a cross between frisbee and football (soccer if you're in North America). You pass the frisbee to your team mates, who then have 10 seconds to pass it to someone else. Once you're holding the frisbee, you can't continue to run. The goal is to pass the frisbee all the way past the goal line at the other end of the field. It may sound kind of weird (it did to me at first), but once you get playing, it's actually a lot of fun. There are some other minor rules, but that's the gist of the game.
And I got a call yesterday telling me that they had started up the machine at work again, and could I come in as soon as possible to run up and down the rows pulling wires. Great fun
I don't know if you've all heard of ultimate or not (I know that I hadn't heard of it until two months ago), but I played it last night with some friends. I haven't been able to go for the past month or so (they get together once a week) because I've had to work every morning, afternoon, and evening.
A bit more about ultimate though. It's like a cross between frisbee and football (soccer if you're in North America). You pass the frisbee to your team mates, who then have 10 seconds to pass it to someone else. Once you're holding the frisbee, you can't continue to run. The goal is to pass the frisbee all the way past the goal line at the other end of the field. It may sound kind of weird (it did to me at first), but once you get playing, it's actually a lot of fun. There are some other minor rules, but that's the gist of the game.
And I got a call yesterday telling me that they had started up the machine at work again, and could I come in as soon as possible to run up and down the rows pulling wires. Great fun
August 14, 2003
Vacation travel...
I believe that I get just over six weeks of vacation during my seven months of work in France. The first week comes at the end of October.
I went out and bought the Lonely Planet guides to France, and Europe on a Shoestring this week. Reading through them and seeing all of the places I can go is so exciting! One place that I for sure want to visit is Morocco. My mom isn't too keen on the idea (you'll get sold into slavery, drugged, lost, kidnapped, arrested, etc.), so I've been easing her into it for the past two months or so.
Apart from Morocco, I'd also like to go to Belgium (a return bus ticket from Lille to Brussels is less that $20 CAD), the Netherlands, Switzerland, maybe part of Germany, Spain, Glasgow (to visit relatives?), and London. How could I forget, I'd also like to visit Italy and Eastern Europe. Not to mention France, since I'll be living there. Yah, I know that I'm not going to get to see everything this time, but that's my wish list for now, and years to come.
I believe that I get just over six weeks of vacation during my seven months of work in France. The first week comes at the end of October.
I went out and bought the Lonely Planet guides to France, and Europe on a Shoestring this week. Reading through them and seeing all of the places I can go is so exciting! One place that I for sure want to visit is Morocco. My mom isn't too keen on the idea (you'll get sold into slavery, drugged, lost, kidnapped, arrested, etc.), so I've been easing her into it for the past two months or so.
Apart from Morocco, I'd also like to go to Belgium (a return bus ticket from Lille to Brussels is less that $20 CAD), the Netherlands, Switzerland, maybe part of Germany, Spain, Glasgow (to visit relatives?), and London. How could I forget, I'd also like to visit Italy and Eastern Europe. Not to mention France, since I'll be living there. Yah, I know that I'm not going to get to see everything this time, but that's my wish list for now, and years to come.
August 13, 2003
Tracker trouble...
Well, I thought it would be a cool idea to put a tracker on the page, just to see who was stopping by, and how often, blah, blah, blah. So, I picked a site that does tracking, but I've been having problems with it. Their server is down more often that it's up (like 4 days down, half a day up).
I've been checking out other blogs, to see what trackers they use. So, I've decided to switch trackers. I think that I'll run the two simultaniously for a bit, but I'll eventually get rid of one.
Before I put in the new tracker today, I had 70+ unique hits in just over a month. I also had about 70 English hits, 6 Korean hits, 2 Japanese hits, 1 Spanish hit, and 1 'other' hit. If you're the person out there who speaks 'other', let me know! I'd love to learn some of your language.
Well, I thought it would be a cool idea to put a tracker on the page, just to see who was stopping by, and how often, blah, blah, blah. So, I picked a site that does tracking, but I've been having problems with it. Their server is down more often that it's up (like 4 days down, half a day up).
I've been checking out other blogs, to see what trackers they use. So, I've decided to switch trackers. I think that I'll run the two simultaniously for a bit, but I'll eventually get rid of one.
Before I put in the new tracker today, I had 70+ unique hits in just over a month. I also had about 70 English hits, 6 Korean hits, 2 Japanese hits, 1 Spanish hit, and 1 'other' hit. If you're the person out there who speaks 'other', let me know! I'd love to learn some of your language.
August 12, 2003
No work...
Well, the raspberry harvester (the picture shown is of a much newer and nicer harvester than the one that I work on) that I work on has broken down. The engine has gone kaput; it just won't start at all. So I get a few days off while they put in a new engine (they've tried a lot of other stuff already). So, that's given me time to get some stuff done around the house, like filling out my visa application (although I'm still waiting for my arrêté), reading some travel guidebooks, and writing too many posts on the new assistants in France website! :)
Well, the raspberry harvester (the picture shown is of a much newer and nicer harvester than the one that I work on) that I work on has broken down. The engine has gone kaput; it just won't start at all. So I get a few days off while they put in a new engine (they've tried a lot of other stuff already). So, that's given me time to get some stuff done around the house, like filling out my visa application (although I'm still waiting for my arrêté), reading some travel guidebooks, and writing too many posts on the new assistants in France website! :)
August 10, 2003
Fireworks in Vancouver...
Last night I went into Vancouver to see the fireworks (the HSBC Celebration of Light) with some friends (a shout out to all of you who are reading...). It was the grand finale, where each of the three countries (the Czech Republic, Canada, and China) each presented a short programme, then there was a big finale with lots of fireworks.
I ran into a few people that I knew. At the station in Surrey, I saw a girl from school who was in my Ecology class this past spring semester. Then, after we got off the SkyTrain and started walking towards the beach, I ran into my cousin and his girlfriend. In the huge horde of people (over 400,000) that went to the fireworks, I think it's crazy that I run into people I know, even though I live an hour out of Vancouver.
Last night I went into Vancouver to see the fireworks (the HSBC Celebration of Light) with some friends (a shout out to all of you who are reading...). It was the grand finale, where each of the three countries (the Czech Republic, Canada, and China) each presented a short programme, then there was a big finale with lots of fireworks.
I ran into a few people that I knew. At the station in Surrey, I saw a girl from school who was in my Ecology class this past spring semester. Then, after we got off the SkyTrain and started walking towards the beach, I ran into my cousin and his girlfriend. In the huge horde of people (over 400,000) that went to the fireworks, I think it's crazy that I run into people I know, even though I live an hour out of Vancouver.
August 07, 2003
"We breathe in our first language, and swim in our second."
-Adam Gopnik, Paris to the Moon
That is so true. It seems like the more you learn, the more there is to learn. But I guess that's part of the fun in learning a new language.
Thanks Srah for the quote (I saw it on the new French assistants site).
-Adam Gopnik, Paris to the Moon
That is so true. It seems like the more you learn, the more there is to learn. But I guess that's part of the fun in learning a new language.
Thanks Srah for the quote (I saw it on the new French assistants site).
August 05, 2003
Arrêté on the Way (hopefully)!...
Well, several other assistants who will be working in the Lille académie have received their arrêtés (they let you get your visa from the consulate) this week! That means that there's hope for me getting mine before the middle of September. Although since I got my first letter from Lille a lot later than most of them did, maybe that means that I'll have to wait longer. We'll see.
I've been in touch with some of the other assistants that will be working all over France next year. Some people in the Seattle area are hoping to get together in August, and I'm thinking about going down, even though it's a long drive. A lot of people (like 50+) are planning on meeting in Paris around the end of September before we go off to our own cities. We're also thinking about staying in the same hostel (or at least in the same end of town). I can't wait to head over to France!
A la prochaine...
Well, several other assistants who will be working in the Lille académie have received their arrêtés (they let you get your visa from the consulate) this week! That means that there's hope for me getting mine before the middle of September. Although since I got my first letter from Lille a lot later than most of them did, maybe that means that I'll have to wait longer. We'll see.
I've been in touch with some of the other assistants that will be working all over France next year. Some people in the Seattle area are hoping to get together in August, and I'm thinking about going down, even though it's a long drive. A lot of people (like 50+) are planning on meeting in Paris around the end of September before we go off to our own cities. We're also thinking about staying in the same hostel (or at least in the same end of town). I can't wait to head over to France!
A la prochaine...
August 03, 2003
The Swedish Royal Family is French...
I'm not joking. Back in the early 1800's, the Swedish nobility was plagued with in-fighting, so the Riksdag (parliament) decided to put a foreigner on the Swedish throne. They admired the French army so much that they decided to elect Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (born in 1763 in Pau, France) as crown prince of Sweden in 1810.
Bernadotte was a general and diplomat for Napoleon. However, once in Sweden, he did not follow pro-French policy. Instead, he joined a coalition against Napoleon, and in 1813, his allied army gave Napoleon his first major defeat. Bernadotte became king Karl XIV Johan of Sweden in 1818. His descendant, Carl XVI Gustaf, became king of Sweden in 1973.
You can check out the Swedish royal line, and the Swedish royal family online.
I'm not joking. Back in the early 1800's, the Swedish nobility was plagued with in-fighting, so the Riksdag (parliament) decided to put a foreigner on the Swedish throne. They admired the French army so much that they decided to elect Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (born in 1763 in Pau, France) as crown prince of Sweden in 1810.
Bernadotte was a general and diplomat for Napoleon. However, once in Sweden, he did not follow pro-French policy. Instead, he joined a coalition against Napoleon, and in 1813, his allied army gave Napoleon his first major defeat. Bernadotte became king Karl XIV Johan of Sweden in 1818. His descendant, Carl XVI Gustaf, became king of Sweden in 1973.
You can check out the Swedish royal line, and the Swedish royal family online.
August 02, 2003
Uni update...
I got an email from the lady at EduFrance not too long ago. She emailed the school in Lille, but because they are on holidays now, they won't mail out an application form or any info until August 25th.
However, she did send an email to director of the program's personal address, so we'll see what happens.
I got an email from the lady at EduFrance not too long ago. She emailed the school in Lille, but because they are on holidays now, they won't mail out an application form or any info until August 25th.
However, she did send an email to director of the program's personal address, so we'll see what happens.
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