Haircut

So folks. I went and got a haircut. This isn't the best photo, but I got back to the house and took one real quick so that you could all gasp and say, "oh my gosh! amanda got a haircut!"

It's probably true that I look like a little girl now...not that I didn't before, but maybe just a little more in that direction now. And it probably doesn't suit my face or whatever. But I really couldn't care less. Except! That my students better still give me the r-e-s-p-e-c-t! Hahaha!

It's going to be fun now! I'm already enjoying the aspects of having shorter hair. And who knows, next time I might get it cut even shorter! I just want to be able to make it go out in funky directions, but my hair has this natural tendencey to want to curl in and be bouncy. :D Take care all and write you more later!

Finally! some photos from the alps!?

These ones aren't my photos so I have to say thanks to Ludo and Yves for taking them and sending them to me. I only took three photos while at the alps and then my camera was at maximum capacity without any room to put more on it, and I couldn't get to a computer to load them. So tant pis pour me! There are pictures from when I went to Beaune too that are printed pictures though, and I won't be able to put those up until I find a scanner, which may be...mmm, never.

Ewww. I look so gross, and like I am in grade nine.

Gotta get back to the house later, take down my laundry (from hanging outside to dry) maybe eat a little something for tea, and then get ready to go over and teach some eager 11 year old some English. *sigh* the things that i do! :P ok, i can't really complain! ah! except that my back is itchy! (probably didn't need to share that with you!)

Hope that I can get involved and do more things soon!

Le Rocher

Cannot post pictures all of a sudden...oh wait

Woops! I am so impatient! These pictures did post! Anyhoo, i don't think this is very extremely representative of where i live. these are pictures of the Vieux Village of Vitrolles.

In the cybermaison and feeling like I'm about to die...!

OK, so maybe not so literally! (in case i gave anyone like my MOM at heart cramp there! Sorry!) It's just so stifflingly hot in here!!!!! Urghhh!! It turned out to be rainy today in Vitrolles. And oh no! A little bit below 20° and everyone "mises le chauffrage"!!!! Urghh! I can't breathe! And I am overly warm! Not sweating or anything at least. That would be gross.

~~I think I should get onto my UBC account soon...urghh, I don't know if there is/was something more I am/was supposed to do with my student loans or paying for this term! Arghh! I am still so annoyed! But I shouldn't be so uptight. I think it's just because whenever I get to a computer and get internet access, I can't get up and go an leave. I mean technically I can do whater I want right. But it's just that I get so sucked in here because it's like the only time that I can get online. And it's not bad either, it's not like i spend days and days away from internet access. I get to come online Mondays and Fridays for several hours out of the week, so that should actually be sufficient if you think about it...but, erhm no. Maybe for a French person, yes! (I think Francine thinks I'm really weird! But then again she always talks about Henri that way too, when she's like "oh he spends all day at the bibliotheque and all day at bridge).

But anyhoo, it is raining today in Vitrolles, and as I just said in an email I sent to my sis, it reminds me of Vancouver. No, Vitrolles is nothing like Vancouver. It's just the rain. It's all the rain that reminds me of Vancouver. Except, right now my sister or all other Vancouverites would probably smack me on the head because apparently the weather over on your side has been very terribly extremely bad lately "except that everyone is OK, really, believe me" quote unquote my sister.

But finally, it was like something I was used to. Getting my pants soaking wet, and having an umbrella out. It was good though. It made me go to the library and take out more books and cd's. Which I might add now that for some reason the French selection of books and cd's is far superior to that of Vancouver's public library's access to material, and here in Vitrolles the collection has got to be at least like 2000x's smaller. I dunno though, I think it might be just because people in Vancouver always take everything out, so you either have to wait or put things on hold. *sigh* That might be it. But I miss it though. Doing that sort of thing in Vancouver, with the weather as it is. It all just seems to correspond. Rain. Go library. Take out book. Read.

A promenade to the Vieux Village in Vitrolles

So I don't live in the Vieux Village. I live in "le centre urbain" of Vitrolles near "la centre ville", but it's pretty much like a 15 minute walk to the Vieux Village, and maybe 30 minutes to get up to le Rocher. This is the oldest part of Vitrolles. The area where I live in now is filled with "immeubles" and "HLM's" & etc.

I unfortunately only added a few comments to the pictures that I posted below. I keep losing internet connection while I'm on here. And I'm desperately trying to put up more pictures. I thought I 'd take some of my own pictures of Vitrolles and put them up here. I thought I was being discreet when I took them. I didn't want to seem like some over enthusiastic tourist. Which is also what I did when I was in Vancouver before I left. I took some pictures in my neighbourhood in Marpole because I thought I was going to make a slide for the little kiddies to see. But I actually haven't shown anyone them yet because the technology in the elementary schools isn't that great. Anyhoo, I like taking these pictures because these are the shots that no one would ever take. You do a search on the web to find pictures that you hope would give you an idea of the city you're going to visit, but you never get the full idea because they are always touristy photos of the real nice places to see or the places where only tourists go, so you can't ever get an idea or a real feel for the city.

OK, so the photos aren't working right now. They're not posting. But I hope to get them up sometime soon. It might take me until the next post, but oh well. And I finally saved the photos onto my usb key from Corli's computer, so Erin, I might be able to post them up soon too. Thanks for offering to help though! Actually even a link to them might be better still than me trying to upload them three at a time on this thing. I dunno. What do you guys think? Is it a bit much coming to this website and being bombarded by photos loading and trying to sift through stuff to read?

Oh yeah, and I know it's a real busy time for everyone with midterms and papers and labs and busy times in everyone's personal lives and even work too! So I wish everyone well, and you are always a part of thought process for sure. I think you are all amazing for what you do! And for just being you! Each and everyone one of you. I miss everyone a lot! Take care! And hope to talk to you again soon!

Blessings!

Edit (Nov 13th; hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures up now. I've also discovered that I cannot use LJ at the cybermaison, so it only worked for a limited time at Corli's. So sorry to you guys who's messages I can't keep up with now on LJ!):

p.s. Whoa, how can the technology in France be so "good" and so crappy at the same time.

Edit (Nov 20: c'mon load pictures! load!) argh! didn't work! dunno why! just going to have to do a separate post for pics then!

Special note to my parents (and Dara)

Note to the parents:

[I hope you read this!

I am currently still at my friend Corli's house in Marignane and I don't know if I'll get a ride back to Vitrolles until later tonight, so don't call the house! I'll try calling you here when and if I get the chance.] (I can't get into e-mail, only blog because french internet is really really weird! and the WiFi says it's still loading this page! I'm screwed!)

Now for a regular post:

Yesterday was November 11th, Rememberance Day in Canada and Peggy's birthday. Happy birthday to you Peggy if you're reading this.

I wore my poppy, but I don't think anyone picked up on it because according to my landlady, Francine, the people in the South of France don't know anything. :P She's actually from way up north from Strasbourg in Alsace, but at the same time she is proud of living in Vitrolles, so I think maybe she is allowed to make fun of them a little bit.

Anyhoo, I missed watching all the ceremonies going on in a gray and cold Ottawa. But November 11th is also "ferriers" in France for the "armistice". Except that I missed any ceremonies on that part too. (I was tutoring some kid math from 10am to 12pm). But Corli plays in an orchestra and they met in the town square of Marignane and the mayor was there and they had some ceremonies so I think that must have been pretty interesting. Corli says that I would've been bored though, and that the most notable part was when some little boy was having trouble pronouncing out the French names 'Joseph blablahblah" and another girl would follow by saying "Mort pour la France!"

Anyhoo, so after tutoring, I hurried out to the busstop to go and meet Corli for lunch in Marignane, but of course being "ferriers" there were no busses, so I was screwed. (Oh and busses do not run on Sunday either, so I can't get around anywhere really). But Corli managed to get a ride with someone eventually and thus I came to be in Marginane, which is only 6 or maybe 7 kilometres away from Vitrolles, but I don't think I could walk it because I'd get killed on the motorway or something (and normally still takes like 30 mins by bus because it makes so many stops).

Anyway, hopefully, I'll spend this morning making more notes about all the pictures I put up and there will be something to read soon. But hopefully I can get onto e-mail soon and e-mail my parents that note because I don't know how often they check my blog for new stuff that I put up. See even if I did put a line through Francine's house to get internet access, I would have these problems! And Corli's laptop is better than mine AND she has wireless, but there are still problems!

Ah well, hope everyone is doing well! Drop me a message sometime and let me know how you all are doing! I miss all messages from home! Even news about weird peoples' study habits in Koerner library!

Love Amanda

Still waiting for more online time to comment on pics & etc

view from my window down into the backyard!

Photos from inside the house..

Francine has added my name to the boite aux lettres!!! She got a new one and stuck it by the front door now because some Vitrolles hoodlums knocked down the other one that is on the side of the wall there with the others.

This is the typical view walking around the quartier where I live. That yellow post box is where I stick all my letters and postcards that I send to you!

my quartier

My own alps photos. Not very good though. Taken in a small town that i kind of liked.

dunno what they are till i open em

Pic from Corli's birthday and more pictures of my room.

and more

My room!

Chez Desdier!

5, rue Roy Réné, 13127 Vitrolles

in backwards order

so you'll have to look at all these in the reverse to get an idea of what i've done so far

and more

I've figured out that if i do this three at a time the computer won't explode!

These two pics are the pics that i took of the inside of the mobilhome, for the one night that i stayed there because i thought it was all pretty funny!

Pictures

Hope this works! I'll come back and edit them someday with explanations!

Edit: Ewww! I look so dumb!

These pictures where taken in Marseille. There I am at the Vieux Port.

The first three pictures I put up where taken in front of the Gare St Charles, which is a big TGV/SNCF station in Marseille. The girls in the pics with me are Corli Rothmann, Emma Jane Johnson, and Vandana Sharma.