tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72359773139864733312012-02-16T01:36:50.501-05:00College is over and life is beginning. It's time to leap blindly into this big world and start chasing dreams.Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.comBlogger781100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-9188971812434340122010-10-20T12:46:00.005-04:002010-10-20T13:48:42.800-04:00

Yesterday was a day I've been waiting for my whole life. I know, this seems over-dramatic, but hey, I was a theatre major. I'm entitled.I got to meet a movie star!Jane Seymour is in town filming a movie at Smith Mountain Lake. She's recently written a book called Among Angels filled with her artwork and little stories and notes about angels. Her people called my people (i.e. my manager at Barnes

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-45928533979981555322010-10-12T13:21:00.004-04:002010-10-12T13:52:38.259-04:00

I've been having issues with my stomach since January. Issues like intense, long-lasting, ridiculous pain every few weeks or even every few days. I went to the doctor in France to try to make it better. He asked if I was stressed (to which I replied "Of course, I'm living in a foreign country.") and then diagnosed this pain as the result of stress. The French are really big on psychosomatic

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-75976148908790433652010-09-20T12:28:00.004-04:002010-09-20T13:19:36.311-04:00

Saturday marked only the second time I've been to my mom's mom's mom's side family reunion. This was the Clements reunion, the side where we're all related distantly to Samuel Clemens (i.e. Mark Twain). I can't help bragging about this, no matter how distant the relationship may be. There I got to see 3 of my 4 cousins on my mom's side of the family. The oldest, Jacob, I hadn't seen in years.

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-57765265236936902732010-09-06T10:12:00.006-04:002010-09-06T10:52:49.563-04:00

Meet Ziva.And Lola.These are my babies. I've been wanting to get a kitten to live inside with me for so long now. I can't believe it's finally happened. And I didn't just get one. I have two beautiful, energetic, and lovable kittens. They are so perfect!I adopted them a few days ago from the Franklin County Humane Society. It was so hard to pick out of the twenty adorable kittens running around

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-27639327127902749132010-09-02T10:54:00.003-04:002010-09-02T11:04:43.363-04:00

I have a job!!! Finally!You are now looking at (or reading, or whatever) the newest employee of the Roanoke Tanglewood Barnes and Noble.My first day of work was Tuesday. Basically I had time to drive home from Tennessee, take a shower, get ready, and drive the 50 minutes to work. It was a great first day, although I was just stuck in the back filling out paperwork and reading the manual with the

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-79394260686351239392010-09-01T13:43:00.006-04:002010-09-01T15:03:06.573-04:00

Two days later and my vocal chords are still recovering. During the Tegan and Sara concert at The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC, we screamed and sang at the top of our lungs for over two hours. It was the best concert I have ever been to in my life!It was a mad scramble to try to get there in time after Valerie and I picked Cristin up after class in JC. We managed to arrive in Asheville only

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-83237464006893575962010-08-16T15:10:00.007-04:002010-08-16T15:58:08.254-04:00

You may have noticed that my posts have been few and far between over the course of this last month. This is not, as it was in France, a result of being exceptionally busy seeing and doing fantastically wonderful things. On the contrary, my lack of postage is directly correlated to the fact that I have nothing much to write about.I am bored. At first it was a great feeling. I had nothing to do,

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-8715020188892189922010-08-08T21:37:00.003-04:002010-08-08T21:59:21.111-04:00

"Someone told me it's all happening at the zoo. I do believe it, I do believe it's true." I love Simon and Garfunkel. And I love the zoo. I love sweating under the bamboo canopies, looking at elephants and pretending I'm really in Africa.I love saying, Hey Mom, look at this! and seeing her cringe when she sees that I'm deviously pointing at a snake.I love that I can get on my brother's nerves and

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-79126384040935979532010-07-28T16:27:00.006-04:002010-07-29T11:37:38.050-04:00

Friday night was one of the best nights of my life! Valerie, Amy, Cristin, and I got to take a road trip to Raleigh, NC to see Tegan & Sara and Paramore in concert!! I'd been looking forward to this night for months and it absolutely did not disappoint.It was fantastic to get to see my friends again after all this time of being away. We talked, laughed, ate gyros, sweated in the 105 degree heat,

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-83545166247786226942010-07-23T17:02:00.000-04:002010-07-23T00:10:41.658-04:00

I'm sitting on our porch swing, typing fast, racing the computer battery before it dies. I see the green hills and the red earth, the birds are splashing in the new bird bath and I'm pretty sure there is a cat or two (or five) napping somewhere nearby. It feels so good to be home.But of course, the wind whistling over Windswept Farm makes me think of the wicked Mistral, which in turn makes me

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-10562557863783179252010-07-22T23:55:00.001-04:002010-07-23T00:04:28.623-04:00

If the only contact you have with my life is through this blog, you might be worried that I may have been "taken" during my 11 day solo tour of France. This is not the case. I have just been too lazy to write a new post. At least I'm honest. I could have said I've been too busy, but that would just be lying.div>So, I toured Paris and Bretagne, completely alone! The alone part was a lot less fun

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-60470116566054597312010-06-25T20:00:00.000-04:002010-06-25T13:07:30.243-04:00

Believe it or not, this particular Tuesday was the one I had been dreading since almost the beginning of the year. I know it's nerdy, but I was dreading the day I would be done at Alliance Francaise.School has been my favorite thing about being here. Of course I loved working with the kids and travelling and all of that. That was all like the icing on the cake. But school is what I loved

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-26326452005466512512010-06-25T18:45:00.000-04:002010-06-25T12:25:05.399-04:00

For this week in limbo between work and vacation, I've been living with Camilla in Cassis. It's been a great way to finish out the year, resting and spending time with my friends before we all leave to go our separate ways.We've been going on adventures to the nearby beaches, concerts for the annual French 'Fete de la musique', and even so far as visits to Nice and Cannes.Here's a little photo

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-30082393819462824272010-06-25T11:37:00.004-04:002010-06-25T11:54:03.229-04:00

Goodbyes are hard. You'd think I'd be getting used to them by now but I guess no one ever really does.The first of this year's goodbyes was sad. How do you really say goodbye to a family you've lived with and kids you've taken care of for 10 months?It's not like the goodbyes of leaving home to go study abroad for a year. In that case, you know you'll be home soon and most everything will be

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-78916048705774831402010-06-23T07:30:00.005-04:002010-06-23T07:49:41.295-04:00

Finally, the day I'd been waiting for since February! Camilla and I got to see the French musical Mozart l'Opera Rock on June 13th at the Marseille Dome.It's the story of Mozart's life with excellent period costumes, exerpts of Mozart's music, and fantastic rock songs (5 of which I have translated into English. The lyrics are just as amazing as the music.)It was absolutely one of the highlights

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-58661751828917185972010-06-11T09:43:00.003-04:002010-06-11T10:03:32.143-04:00

This day started at 8:00am, two full hours before my alarm was set to go off. It was a text from Camilla. We were planning to go to her house with some friends to celebrate my birthday with a Mexican lunch at 11:30. She was letting me know that one of her kids was sick and she wouldn't be able to do the party, which means we no longer had a location for said party.So I hauled myself out of bed

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-74356911591815170442010-06-10T16:38:00.000-04:002010-06-10T15:23:49.369-04:00

I generally get annoyed if people wait really long between each post and then apologize each time they enter a new one, but that's what I'm going to do tonight. I haven't been a diligent blogger and I apologize.I do sort of have an excuse, or two. It is partly due to the fact that I am busy thinking about trying to get everything I've accumulated this year home in a suitcase and a few shipping

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-83460036786313810152010-05-23T06:29:00.003-04:002010-05-23T06:51:02.441-04:00

We got to celebrate two birthdays this week. Paul turned 7 on Monday and Marie turned 4 on Wednesday. Wow, 7 and 4! It's hard to believe how much they've grown in just the time I've been here.I wasn't there for Paul's treasure hunt birthday party since I was busy getting lost in Cassis with Valerie, but on Monday night we got to be there for his birthday dinner and presents. That night, we

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-86891261642270007382010-05-23T05:56:00.003-04:002010-05-23T06:27:05.273-04:00

Valerie came to see me! Yep, she flew all the way over here. Amidst volcanic ash, flight delays, and rescheduling, she managed to arrive only 5 hours late. Not too shabby.We had a blast. The first day in Marseille we checked out Chateau d'If for my third time, climbed the mountains of Iles de Frioul in the middle of the mistral (exceptionally strong wind), watched an old man get attacked by an

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-21332497993113653222010-05-06T08:39:00.006-04:002010-05-06T09:36:52.703-04:00

I'm not going to lie. As much fun as I had on vacation with my family, and as much as I love all the pictures (12,600!) and all the memories we've taken from it, I'm ready to move on. I'm doing other things now and have other stories to tell, but I feel like I can't because I'm a bit OCD about order and I can't post about now before I've posted about then. So, once again, I'm going to let

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-70616118950696103382010-04-29T09:11:00.011-04:002010-04-29T10:14:32.194-04:00

Paris, je t'aime!I love Paris in the springtime!Etc, etc... Ok, so now I'm just quoting movies, but it's true, I do love Paris and Paris in the springtime is fantastic (even if it is overrun with tourists and it rains the whole time).What made my second trip to Paris even more wonderful was the fact that my family was there waiting for me. They flew all the way over the ocean to visit me, and

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-72726120763983785022010-04-28T15:32:00.003-04:002010-04-28T15:47:52.907-04:00

We're having really gorgeous weather these days. Hot enough to wear shorts, sunny enough to get a tan, cool enough in the shade to not roast. I'm loving it. We took advantage today to have a picnic. Wow, I just spell checked that and my original spelling of "pick-nick" has now embarrassed me.

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-69928090868262896362010-04-24T07:44:00.005-04:002010-04-24T08:00:00.691-04:00

I've realized that with the excitement of my family's visit, I forgot to blog about another fun and memorable experience that happened right before they got here.Thanks to Betsy, the kids' au pair last year, we got to decorate Easter Eggs American style. In France, I learned that a bell flies over the land and drops chocolate eggs for the kids, instead of our Easter Bunny and baskets of candy.

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-8667942377445915722010-04-22T03:36:00.003-04:002010-04-22T03:42:36.801-04:00

Hello All,Just an update to let you know that I'm still here and everything is going very, very well. My parents and brother have been here visiting with me for the past three weeks. (It was supposed to be only two but thanks to a certain volcano, they ended up getting to stay a bit longer.) I haven't updated because 1: I've been hanging out with them, and 2: They have taken so many gigabytes of

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-2644360654867636472010-03-28T12:18:00.003-04:002010-03-28T12:26:58.023-04:00

Today, we held our lives in our hands. We dangled our legs over the cliffs of Cassis' Cap Canaille. It was exhilarating......and scary.So we rewarded ourselves with gelato. Yum!!

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-29283643506570536172010-03-19T08:09:00.006-04:002010-03-19T09:02:53.868-04:00

Sorry it's been a while. I think someone hit the fast-foward button on my life and the time slipped by before I had a chance to show you some snippets. So this post is an update post, complete with pictures and little captions.The kids and I went to see Guignol et le Clown Chocolat in the center of Aubagne last week. It was basically a French version of Punch and Judy, complete with robbery,

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-44758215830262235932010-03-11T05:55:00.006-05:002010-03-11T07:57:12.457-05:00

Sunday started out as a great day. I've been desperate to see the movie Nine since whenever I first heard about it forever ago and Sunday I was finally going to see it. I should have known. 9 has always been my unlucky number.Hannah and I parked at the Aubagne train station at 11:30. We caught the train to Marseille and had loads of time to waste before the movie started at 2. We spent 2 hours

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-32027881786025293812010-02-27T12:25:00.009-05:002010-02-28T06:24:32.785-05:00

This week I went on a vacation into the past. First stop was Carcassonne, home of the biggest medieval fortress in Europe. Some of you may recognize the name from the game based on the city. I've never played it but I've heard it's cool. Also, some movies were partially filmed here like Timeline and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Next was Albi, which houses the largest brick building in the world

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-47929173607086946232010-02-27T06:48:00.005-05:002010-02-27T07:18:25.101-05:00

This is just a list of the bizarre things that happened to me yesterday:One- I was on the train from Carcassonne to Marseille when a quite smelly man with a dog stopped by my seat asking for money. As I am basically broke, I said no. He moved on. Then he spotted my cookies in a ziplock bag I had brought along for a snack. He got excited. He asked if I was planning to throw it away even as he

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-17504837235818760602010-02-17T12:28:00.007-05:002010-02-17T13:03:09.269-05:00

If you recall, last Monday I was forced to strip down and be x-rayed at the immigration office only to later be accused of negligence and told to come back another day with the appropriate paperwork. Well today I went back. It was even more disasterous than the first visit.Before this little rendezvous, I had to collect a letter from the host family saying I live with them, a copy of their

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-22925493512305855552010-02-08T12:26:00.012-05:002010-02-17T04:47:49.861-05:00

If you are reading this blog, then you have also just had a good look at my innards. Yes, these are my lungs, and whatever that blobby thing there in the bottom right hand corner is. Also these are my ribs and my collar bones, which I think is awesome. I've always wanted x-ray vision. If it came down to it, I'd rather fly but yeah, if my superpower was x-ray vision, I'd take it.I happened upon

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-65932193772171053462010-02-07T07:59:00.005-05:002010-02-07T08:16:15.724-05:00

I am proud of myself. I have become quite an experienced cook. I've now moved on from simple scrambled eggs. Ha, scrambled eggs are for babies. In my newly evolved state, I can now make fried eggs with only partially damaged yolks, and yes, today I even managed my first, brutally mangled ham and cheese omlette.I am brilliant. Honestly though, if I had a spatula bigger than an inch wide to work

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-86232761501609477912010-02-01T14:47:00.005-05:002010-02-01T16:26:17.464-05:00

You know those occasional days you have where (almost) no matter what happens, you're still in a good mood? Today was that day for me.I think it may have something to do with the fact that I used my time between school and work productively, like by practicing violin and putting away laundry instead of napping like usual.I am unfailingly grouchy after sleep. It's just so hard to leave that happy

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-20540131190781798282010-01-25T15:41:00.007-05:002010-01-25T16:16:44.312-05:00

Who knew a car wash could be so exciting? We pulled up to the automatic car wash and saw a man holding what looked like a magic wand. He was standing a few yards away from a car, watching it get scrubbed clean. For all intensive purposes, it looked like he was pulling some useful Harry Potter type magic to get the washing done. We watched in awe. Then we realized there was no one in the car. Ooo,

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-54818186305461636072010-01-24T12:38:00.010-05:002010-01-24T14:51:08.568-05:00

This Saturday began at 5:30am for Hannah and me. It involved scarfing down breakfast, getting dressed, and trying to put on makeup with our eyes half closed with sleep. Then I had to drive us to Marseille. This was a last minute change of plans because originally, all transportation of the day was going to be done by train. Five minutes before leaving, I remembered that the trains stop at 11 and

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-16970876158624736382010-01-17T13:05:00.005-05:002010-01-17T13:26:18.807-05:00

Good day. Finally did some more cultural/sightseeing stuff in Marseille. I was worried I'd spend a whole year here and forget to do touristy stuff in the city that I spend most of my time in. Hannah and I found a quiet park in the middle of the city and it was such a relief from the noise of downtown. It is the park surrounding Palais Longchamp. Apparently at some point it was a zoo but it is at

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-86142335906853326142010-01-13T15:06:00.005-05:002010-01-13T15:44:23.603-05:00

Ok Mom, you were right. And Dick Major and John Wakefield, you were both right. And Lacey Keigley, you too were right. I need to speak louder. My diction is bad. I need to enunciate. My voice goes an octave too high and I sound like a child (actually "infantile" was the word most recently used). Basically, all in all, I need to learn how to speak all over again.How do I know all of this? Why have

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-41831367457581281672010-01-10T15:08:00.005-05:002010-01-10T15:41:55.084-05:00

I've been waiting for four months to use this title. 'Home'. It's got a good ring to it, don't you think?As a result of the snow, I wasn't able to do everything that I was planning to do while I was in the states. I had wanted to go to church to play in the orchestra and see friends. That didn't happen. I'd also wanted to spend the night in Tennessee visiting college friends. That too did not

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-25181647078955506322010-01-07T11:37:00.003-05:002010-01-07T13:03:28.149-05:00

No, I'm not pregnant...although Marie wishes that I was.The other day she found the Baby on Board/Expectant Mother sign that used to hang in my car window. It got her thinking about babies. She looks at me and says (in French), "Can you have a baby?"I reply, "Yes, but I don't want one right now.""Why?" she wonders aloud."Well," I think carefully about my reply, "First I'd like to find someone to

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-40988600920471800802009-12-23T12:00:00.010-05:002009-12-23T16:10:32.483-05:00

Never in my life have I experienced a day as completely unrealistic as this. Oh wait, make that two days...or actually, 61 hours. I've been considering for a few days how best to write this entry. The whole situation was so ridiculously humorous that I'm worried that I can't give it justice with my measly writing skills. I think, for the sake of time and space, I may just make a list. I really

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-66711750011646656582009-12-15T18:49:00.009-05:002009-12-15T19:11:00.936-05:00

I'm mad, so I have to write this down for you in order for me to find it funnier than I do right now.I'm so thankful for the theme and title of my blog right now because that's exactly what tonight was like: In Pursuit of Aubagne. It normally takes 20 minutes to get from Marseille to Aubagne after theatre class. Tonight it took an hour and 45 minutes. Ergh!I was driving through Marseille, happily

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-51265056160832269192009-12-14T14:32:00.006-05:002009-12-14T15:09:02.296-05:00

I love loving lovely days! Today was fantastic, fun, and full of friends and food.We had our school Christmas party this morning and it made me so happy. We laughed so much that I still have a headache and my cheeks hurt but it was so worth it. We all sang together in seven different languages. We gleefully watched a sultry tango demonstration by two members of my class. We giggled through three

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-81338610251668274532009-12-13T05:40:00.008-05:002009-12-13T06:17:41.056-05:00

I'm just going to start with an apology and get it out of the way. If there are any of you out there in cyber-space who check my blog as obsessively as I check other peoples', I am deeply sorry for the whole week and a half that I left you with no knowledge of the happenings in my life.If you have Facebook you should feel less desperate for news since I swamp everyone's news page with (almost)

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-80116678558188918242009-12-02T16:29:00.008-05:002009-12-02T18:07:25.209-05:00

Ok, so I didn't actually cut off any part of my finger, but I did make a pretty good sized slice across my knuckle. It's slightly ironic really. I had been thinking just this evening, as I balanced boiling hot water full of potatoes in one hand and tried to fish out the slimy potatoes with a knife with the other, that I would be lucky to get through the evening without injuring myself. I just

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-80105955936735214182009-11-30T07:56:00.009-05:002009-11-30T08:34:45.045-05:00

First off, I have a big, fluffy cat sitting on me while I'm writing this. It makes me happy. But that's not the subject of this post.The subject is just what one might guess from reading the title: my experience of Thanksgiving in a country that doesn't actually celebrate the holiday.We decided to have a Thanksgiving party on Friday night, not on the actual day but I really didn't even notice

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-42359496863932411812009-11-25T15:39:00.005-05:002009-11-25T17:53:02.337-05:00

Wow, what an amazing day! This was one of the best days of my time in France. It may have something to do with the fact I'm still smiling from last night, or possibly because of the copious amounts of sugar I consumed today, but no matter what the reason, I'm happy to be happy.We started the day like every other Wednesday with handball for Paul. I already knew something suspiciously good was

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-7234922527048299222009-11-25T15:05:00.004-05:002009-11-25T15:39:13.636-05:00

Last night was my second night at theatre class. It was amazing. I love my life.This week I actually got to do stuff. Last week I got there late and only did part of the warm up. Then I sat for the remaining three and a half hours watching other pairs of students doing scenes from 'Waiting for Godot' (or 'En attendant Godot'). It was interesting but boring too.This week, I had made some friends

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-44201050308734051272009-11-22T16:04:00.003-05:002009-11-22T16:15:53.592-05:00

Great news! I am now participating in theatre classes in Marseille! It's awesome and I'm so excited!I had a meeting a week ago with the woman who runs the school. She offers a unique opportunity for foreign students to learn theatre and improve their French. Basically, we just start with the beginners class and stay there until our level of French (and our acting ability) improves enough to

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-31555279566861188522009-11-20T08:54:00.007-05:002009-11-21T03:59:21.454-05:00

I've come to the conclusion that it's not about what you do, it's about where you do it and who you do it with.As it always does when fall arrives, my mind is exploring possibilities for my future. As usual, I have already changed my mind multiple times. I'm past the 'go to VCU and get my social work masters' phase and the 'go back to school for anything right when I get home' phase. I'm already

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-14836793188306392242009-11-16T15:44:00.013-05:002009-11-17T18:20:48.109-05:00

Welcome to Nimes! It is a beautiful city full of Roman ruins that you can reach in as little as an hour by train from Marseille. The five of us (Camilla, Lisa from Germany, Chelle from North Carolina, Hannah, and me) spent the whole day exploring this place. It was a perfect day. Not too cold, overcast but no rain, fall leaves, and hardly any other tourists. As we walked through the tree-lined

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-64643956293137539712009-11-15T13:51:00.004-05:002009-11-15T14:01:18.671-05:00

I just wanted to let you know that I was hit by a car the other day. It didn't hurt and it was probably my fault but I'm still mad.A huge group of people became impatient (as usual) in Marseille so they decided to cross the street before the little red man turned green. I followed the crowd because really, would a car keep going if there were twenty people in front of it, even if it was in a

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-24932016377886511532009-11-14T11:45:00.008-05:002009-11-14T12:22:27.873-05:00

I just got the urge to blog but I don't have anything specific to blog about. Hm...Sometimes I freak out a little when I write these things. I try to be funny, or at least entertaining, but I find that is hard to be funny when you're trying to be funny. I've also heard (quite recently and from a reliable source) that my blog is in fact scaring people and possibly alienating them with my usage of

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-86468157020811744682009-11-08T14:01:00.006-05:002009-11-08T14:21:40.359-05:00

I know, second post in one day. Sorry, I can't help it. When stuff happens, it all happens at once. This is also my second promotional post of the day. I've already urged the consumers of this blog to check out and love the music of Olivia Ruiz. Now I implore you to go see the movie "Le concert." It may be difficult for those of you who are stateside (i.e. most of my readers) because I assume

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-14384146242688022352009-11-08T08:42:00.009-05:002009-11-08T14:01:02.303-05:00

I feel that I have been an exceptionally cultured individual this week. I have admired architecture and murals at historical sights such as the Pont d'Avignon and the Palais des Papes in Avignon. I have witnessed a Baroque concert in the charming Aix en Provence. I saw a French film, Mademoiselle Chambon, at the cinema. And then, to top it all off, I went to a French Pop concert.I have not been

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-58870850195368988462009-11-04T03:17:00.008-05:002009-11-04T16:54:29.293-05:00

I drove myself to Aix-en-Provence. Completely alone. I must be a crazy person. I don't even like to drive to Roanoke when I'm at home. And it was dark. And the road signs are in French. And did I mention I'm driving a manual car?Everything went incredibly smoothly until I reached the second toll booth. I inserted my ticket as instructed and went to plug in my credit card. "Rejected, please try

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-22965113760438495952009-11-03T08:52:00.007-05:002009-11-03T18:12:49.547-05:00

I've finally managed a day trip into a more typical Provencal area. On Sunday, I went with Anne and the kids to visit Anne's grandmother in Avignon. The drive there was absolutely gorgeous. We arrived in an hour and ate lunch all together. Then we set off for Avignon city center. I don't know if you've heard the song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" but it's a really famous kids' song here. It's the

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-6507343549340285752009-10-31T10:36:00.005-04:002009-10-31T11:13:42.067-04:00

Not being able to communicate in the language of an entire country provides extended opportunities to talk to one's self. Considering I spend most of my time in my own head anyway, this hasn't been too difficult of a transition. In fact, I've realized it's actually a blessing to be able to tune out the crowds around you. For example, I'm glad I can't understand what the gang of unruly teenage

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-28998324169316050822009-10-28T09:37:00.007-04:002009-11-01T03:58:57.626-05:00

When life gives you eggplants, don't make what I made.I received a note this morning in French that I think was asking me to use the eggplants in the fridge for Marie's and my lunch. Well, actually it said "aubergines" so I first had to look it up to see what vegetable I was supposed to be cooking. When in France, it may seem like a good idea to find an American website online that gives you

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-78102411540268111212009-10-25T13:47:00.004-04:002009-10-25T13:51:45.640-04:00

This is Mech-Mech. She is a sheep who thinks she is a dog. Until three weeks ago, we thought she was a boy. She is a girl. She tries to eat my books. She likes me to pet her around her ears. Today, she slept on my feet.

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-85090316901832749482009-10-25T07:49:00.003-04:002009-10-25T08:20:11.220-04:00

This post has a lot more content than just my pursuit of doors, but I thought the title fitting since doors are what I want most right now. As of Friday afternoon, there have been almost no doors in our house. Why? you might ask. Well, the house is in the process of being renovated, as it has been since before my arrival two months ago. We are at the point of sanding and painting the doors.

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-74468802239993771872009-10-20T23:51:00.002-04:002009-10-20T17:58:42.858-04:00

The day started out oddly. I left the house a full two minutes early, practically guaranteeing I'd get a parking spot at the gare (train station), therefore eliminating the necessity of parallel parking on the sidewalk. Have done this once before. Not a great success.Imagine my surprise when I arrive at the gare, only two minutes early mind you, and realize I have almost half of the parking lot

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-67565422125031040912009-10-18T11:42:00.001-04:002009-10-18T05:45:18.238-04:00

Ok, this is one of those posts that I don't really want to write and that's not going to be especially fun to read either. But, I'm going to write it anyway, because I want to keep people updated, with the good news and the bad.This week was one of the most difficult of my life. I was just coming off an episode of homesickness that had lasted about three weeks. Sunday and Monday I was in a

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-64926723618041827622009-10-11T20:50:00.000-04:002009-10-11T14:51:13.711-04:00

This week my title has dual meanings. First, my class at Alliance Francaise went on a field trip to the Musee d'Art Contemporain (Museum of Contemporary Art). Thus the first meaning of my title: modern art. Now, I've discovered a deep appreciation for abstract and modern art from my time at Milligan College. I have come to understand that, even if I can't get a thing out of a particular painting/

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-24149477393135892712009-10-04T12:20:00.000-04:002009-10-04T06:21:07.713-04:00

As I'm settling into the routine here, I'm looking for more and more ways to stay entertained. For example, what was once a momentous occasion, such as venturing into Marseille by myself, has now become an almost daily occurance and has since lost some of its charm. Driving in town, once the stuff of nightmares, is now second nature (well, usually.) Now, I know I need to be doing some travelling.

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-6520578482032613082009-09-28T21:40:00.001-04:002009-09-28T15:41:07.579-04:00

This week has been a bit more difficult than most of the others. Well, I can't even say it's been the whole week. It was just this weekend that's been difficult. I've just experienced my first serious wave of homesickness. I was walking through Marseille on Friday and I suddenly realized that I just wanted to understand what was going on around me. I wanted to know what everyone was saying, look

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-31557881758258251872009-09-21T16:01:00.004-04:002009-09-21T16:41:39.437-04:00

Happy Anniversary to me!! As of Sunday, I've been in France one month. A whole month! That's crazy. It feels like I just got here but at the same time, I know that's not possible because I know so much more than I knew before. I know more of the language, I understand the train system, I know not to try to use your friend's metro pass instead of buying a ticket because it does not work, I know

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-82087628893142737412009-09-19T06:33:00.005-04:002009-09-19T15:35:13.729-04:00

I was getting worried that I wouldn't have anything interesting to write for my entry this week. School was fun but normal, I ran errands instead of getting to hang out with friends, and I worked, ate, and slept pretty much just like any other week. Oh, and I also got saved off from the side of the road by my neighbor. And I got to go to the cinema to see "Up" in French. So cool!! But I digress..

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-28591435836136017922009-09-13T12:42:00.007-04:002009-09-13T13:24:19.207-04:00

This week has been fantastic! One of the best weeks ever! It started on Monday with the beginning of language school. Many of you know that I was concerned about the scheduling because I was told I had to go to school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday but I have to work Wednesdays. It turns out I go to school Mondays and Tuesdays from 9-1 and that is perfect. It means I have to wake up at 6:30 to

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-61364100416741469322009-09-04T12:34:00.004-04:002009-09-04T13:19:24.899-04:00

So, I decided to venture into Marseille today. Marseille is one of the largest cities in France. I live in Ferrum, Virginia, population: a couple families and a bunch of cows. Marseille population: like...a million. Of course I got lost.It started out great. I got up at 6:30, left by 7:15, managed to buy my ticket and jump on the 7:26 train right as they closed the doors, arrived in Marseille no

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-11561404069950272042009-08-30T05:45:00.006-04:002009-08-30T06:16:12.155-04:00

I feel that today is a major milestone. For one thing, it marks exactly one week that I've been in France. It's amazing that it's already been that long and I'm starting to dread how fast this year will fly. Better make it count I guess.I also realized last night (around midnight so it counts as today I think) how much French I've learned in just one week. I thought I wasn't getting anywhere with

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-43708825641048833582009-08-29T09:03:00.005-04:002009-08-30T05:45:05.163-04:00

Bonjour de France!!I'm here, I'm finally here! I've been here about a week and so far it's been a rollercoaster of experiences and emotions. I've gone from exhausted and nervous to homesick and confused and finally to excited and content. The beginning was more difficult than I anticipated. Fortunately, I think I'm starting to get settled into the routine and life is making more sense to me now.I

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-90024622926118252342009-08-21T16:09:00.004-04:002009-08-30T05:44:03.058-04:00

The time is upon us. I have 18 hours until I board the plane and fly off into the sunset, providing the weather is kind to me, unlike the last time I tried to fly anywhere.I have been seriously freaking out for the last few days. I kept panicking about what to take and what's going to happen once I get there. Today, though, has been much more peaceful. I'm almost finished getting ready and this

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-79557327732299733212009-08-12T20:12:00.006-04:002009-08-17T16:16:31.994-04:00

This is just a short update. I'm in the process of cramming for a French placement exam for language school. I really want to cheat and sound smart but that would do me no good because then I'd be in way over my head when I got to school. I don't generally cheat (before you get the wrong impression) but I always tried to cheat on eye exams. Again, that did me no good. It just meant I couldn't see

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-22659934741653266062009-08-10T20:43:00.007-04:002009-08-10T21:21:57.306-04:00

I am getting old. I know this when the kids I used to babysit are teenagers, when my friends are getting married, when my little brother heads off to college (that happened today), and when technology is starting to overwhelm me. Right now I am wrestling with becoming more "net savvy." I like that phrase. Well, actually I like the word savvy and spent about 20 minutes googling it trying to find

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-78456745005218295942009-08-05T22:33:00.003-04:002009-08-05T23:01:46.227-04:00

Meet Felix. He's the lovely little car we're renting so I can learn how to drive stick shift. Now, Felix is a little rough around the edges. He's been used and abused. But he and I understand each other. We at least have a mutual agreement. I will try not to break him if he doesn't let me crash. I think that's a healthy goal for any relationship.So, I have to learn to drive a manual car because

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-71234904581989057492009-08-02T21:25:00.011-04:002009-08-03T00:45:00.533-04:00

So I know you've all been holding your breath. And the verdict is... they didn't reject me! They accepted all my paperwork and I'm pretty confident that the visa will be granted. I guess I'll find out when they mail my passport back hopefully before August 22nd.This weekend was crazy! My dad and I left from home Thursday evening to begin the 5 hour trek to Washington, DC. The trip was fine and

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-62510802277241274032009-07-30T15:44:00.013-04:002009-11-04T15:46:47.163-05:00

My visa appointment is tomorrow! Ahhh! I'm on the verge of a panic attack and we haven't even left for Washington DC yet. Tomorrow determines whether I get to leave on time or whether I get to go to France at all. My entire life is the the hands of the French government. *shivers* I am scared. I have all the paperwork required (I think, as long as I don't forget to pack it, leave it in a taxi,

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7235977313986473331.post-20630514387168946452009-07-29T07:55:00.001-04:002009-07-29T11:32:27.031-04:00

This is only my first post (on any blog...ever) and already this page has evolved numerous times. Mostly the change is in the title, but with that, of course, comes the entire theme of the blog. At first I was looking for something really dramatic and poetic. I was thinking of titles that combined words like adventure, quest, and life. I tried to use a Disney quote but it was too long and a

Kaityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10573220843443658130noreply@blogger.com1