My family is absolutely fantastic. Valerie, my mom, is youngish - maybe in her early- to mid-forties. She is slim and very athletic. She is very pretty. It's like living in the good-looking house (I think I sound like Zoolander). The father, Vincent, is handsome and although short (maybe 5'5"), he is very strong with short black hair with a bit of gray. He is away right now in Paris for work.
The oldest son, Benjamin, turned 17 in January and is very slim like the rest of the family, but also muscly as is common amongst the Deboissys. He plays tennis, and, as I understand is very good. He's cute, with black hair that matches that of his next brother, Hugo. Hugo is just turned 14 in May and is very sweet and smiley. He has braces and is very welcoming. He, also, plays tennis, and enjoys doing VTT biking (Mountain biking). He's very tanned and slim like the rest of the family. This morning, Hugo biked with me while I ran - very sweet.
The gem of the family, however, is their 7 year-old son Paul. He never stops talking and is superbly friendly, outgoing, and entertaining. Last night, at my first meal with the family, not more than an hour after meeting them, Paul told me, tu es adorable (you are adorable). He absolutely loves to color and his favorite coloring book at the moment is the Disney princess one. He's constantly asking me who my favorite princess is, and usually I tell him Cinderella. It's very fun learning the princess names in French. Paul's favorite is Blanc Neige or Snow White. Every time I pronounce "Snow White" in English for him, he laughs.
This evening at dinner, Valerie, Benjamin, Hugo, et Paul practiced their English with me. Paul was very proud upon telling me "I live in Menthon St. Bernard." I congratulated him. Valerie is intent on practicing her English because she has just returned from a 5 day conference in Dublin where she spoke English the whole time. She went for her work, for which it is becoming more and more important that she be able to speak English. Valerie tried to encourage Benjamin et Hugo to practice their English. Hugo was less shy about it than Benjamin was. Benjamin actually did the ESL program at Tufts last summer.
So last night (my first night here) for dinner we had cantaloupe, sardines (which I actually liked!), salad, baguette (bien sûr), and gateau that Valerie had brought back from Dublin.
Tonight for dinner we had absolutely DELICIOUS ratatouille and some pain complêt and then I had two apricots for dessert. The apricots were AMAZING!! Valerie said there is a lot of fruit available in France this summer because it was so warm out in the spring.
For lunch today I brought carrot sticks, a hard boiled egg (can you believe it Mommy!?!), a pomme pôte (yes!!), little cookies, and a nectarine. It was very good.
I'm going to try to post pictures tomorrow. i took some today. I really just can't comprehend how beautiful it is here - all I can say is that all of you MUST come visit Annecy some day. You will NOT regret it. I'm definitely thinking a bike touring trip and camping on the beautiful campground overlooking the lake.
We didn't start class until 11:30 today, so it was quite nice sleeping in a bit. I was, however, awakened at 4:30 in the morning by my phone ringing because Charlie called me to say good-bye before he left for his trip from Amsterdam to Paris. I guess he forgot about the time difference....
Alright, I still have 18 pages to read for IR and need to catch up in my journal.
A bientôt!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Je suis arrivée
I have arrived safely in Talloires after an adventurous night at the Geneva Youth Hostel and a fabulous and stunning TGV ride from Paris to Geneve. I will write more tonight, but let me just begin by saying that Talloires is quite possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been in my whole life.
Please check back tomorrow for some more information and I'll try to have pictures up ASAP.
Please check back tomorrow for some more information and I'll try to have pictures up ASAP.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Civilized
This is D's word which I have been able to use to describe just about everything in the Netherlands. From biking to work in the morning, to self-generated bike lights, to high speed rail, to perfectly paved biked paths criss-crossing the whole country, to brick-paved streets, and bicycles that have the right of way, there is not much about this country that was done wrong or could be improved. it's all just so civilized!
Yesterday, L and I decided to go biking. We had wanted to bike to Germany, but 60 km each way seemed a little ambitious so instead we decided to follow the Stroomdal Route around L's region of Drenthe.
We slept late - until around noon - and then had a delicious breakfast of yogurt (which you pour and comes in a carton) and meusli and then made some sandwiches and gathered together some other provisions for our 48 km ride. Anett's neighbor let me borrow her bike, which was extremely nice. The bike was lovely and also came with a bike bag in which we put all of our food. I was too excited taking pictures so I just kept my camera out around my neck the whole time. One interesting thing is that even though there are tons of bikers, only the racers wear helmets. Biking without a helmet is a completely different experience. It's very free feeling and very exhilarating.
It took us a while to find the exact route we were supposed to be on after leaving Assen. Many of these routes pass through small brick streets past brick houses with thatched roofs with beautiful landscaping. I think I took close to 200 pictures yesterday afternoon alone. There are bike trails everywhere and the signage is also amazing and completely comprehensible.
(I am sorry there are no pictures included in this post, but my camera cable is in my big suitcase which is in the baggage section and I am currently sitting in my seat on the train and am unable to get up and go rummage through my suitcase. They will be posted soon, however)
One amazing thing about Holland is that it stays light until very late at this time of year. So, at around 5:30 we stopped for lunch and didn't arrive back in Assen until past 7 PM, and yet it was still very light outside. We showered, hung out, and finally had a little dinner around 10PM before heading into downtown Assen for TT. (it was only twilight at that point)
TT is the festival that accompanies the World Championship MotoCross Grand Prix race held in Assen every year on the last Saturday of June. The festival began Wednesday night and we also went out. Thursday night it was way crazier however. There were easily more than 10,000 people in Assen. There were many different concert venues we went to. For a while, L, G, and I just stood in one place and people-watched. We commented how the TT attracts a very Dutch-redneck crowd. It reminded us a little of the Dwight D'Eon concert in Yarmouth two summers ago.
We stayed out until fairly late - maybe around midnight - and then walked home. I quickly sat down to check email before going upstairs to pack for the next day's departure and saw that the status of one of my friends on facebook was "Michael Jackson died!?" This, of course, prompted me to do a little searching online. At that point (around 3:25 PM in LA), only one seemingly irreputable source had announced his death. L and I waited around for a while (maybe 10 minutes) and within that short amount of time, facebook statuses started remarking on MJ's death left and right - friends from all over the world - Canada, Israel, France, Italy, US. And at about 12:35 or 12:40 the LA Times confirmed the death. At this point, we knew it was real and felt we could go to bed worry free.
And that brings me to today:
I woke up before my alarm (which had been set to go off at 7:08 AM) and then was in a kind of half-dreaming mode for a while. Anett's chickens in the backyard bok every morning. This morning their cries made it into my dream - I kind of can't remember it now, but I do remember that we were at school and there was a bomb scare because they heard this crazy ticking and we were all standing outside of school in the parking lot, and it ended up that one of the preschoolers had brought to school an alarm clock that made a chicken noise as its tick. Very bizarre.
I caught the 8:22 train out of Assen. L accompanied me to the train station, and G came as well because she had to catch her train at 8:09 to school in Groningen. The train ride was easy and I slept part of the way to Amsterdam Schiphol. I paid 3,90 Euro for the train to Amsterdam Centraal and got there with over an hour to spare. Unfortunately, about ten minutes before my train was due, a train woman came over and informed me that my train had been cancelled so it would be necessary for me to take the train to Rosendaal and then the Thalys (high speed train) would be waiting there.
I sat next to two very nice older French women on the train to Rosendaal and it was fun translating the English that the conductor said into French for them.
It was simple transferring trains and then here I am, right now. I'm speeding through the Belgian country side on a high-speed train (there is a chance we're already in France, it's hard to tell). Paying the extra $12 for first-class was absolutely worth it. There is free wireless and I have a very wide and comfortable red velvet seat which is by itself on one side of the aisle because its 2 by 1.
I have already called ahead to A to let her know I'll be in to Paris about a half hour late, but for now I am very pleased to be in the warm comfort of the train as I look out at the gray sky threatening rain and lightning over green and yellow fields.
I'm not sure when the next time I'll be able to write will be, but thanks for reading this long post!
S
Yesterday, L and I decided to go biking. We had wanted to bike to Germany, but 60 km each way seemed a little ambitious so instead we decided to follow the Stroomdal Route around L's region of Drenthe.
We slept late - until around noon - and then had a delicious breakfast of yogurt (which you pour and comes in a carton) and meusli and then made some sandwiches and gathered together some other provisions for our 48 km ride. Anett's neighbor let me borrow her bike, which was extremely nice. The bike was lovely and also came with a bike bag in which we put all of our food. I was too excited taking pictures so I just kept my camera out around my neck the whole time. One interesting thing is that even though there are tons of bikers, only the racers wear helmets. Biking without a helmet is a completely different experience. It's very free feeling and very exhilarating.
It took us a while to find the exact route we were supposed to be on after leaving Assen. Many of these routes pass through small brick streets past brick houses with thatched roofs with beautiful landscaping. I think I took close to 200 pictures yesterday afternoon alone. There are bike trails everywhere and the signage is also amazing and completely comprehensible.
(I am sorry there are no pictures included in this post, but my camera cable is in my big suitcase which is in the baggage section and I am currently sitting in my seat on the train and am unable to get up and go rummage through my suitcase. They will be posted soon, however)
One amazing thing about Holland is that it stays light until very late at this time of year. So, at around 5:30 we stopped for lunch and didn't arrive back in Assen until past 7 PM, and yet it was still very light outside. We showered, hung out, and finally had a little dinner around 10PM before heading into downtown Assen for TT. (it was only twilight at that point)
TT is the festival that accompanies the World Championship MotoCross Grand Prix race held in Assen every year on the last Saturday of June. The festival began Wednesday night and we also went out. Thursday night it was way crazier however. There were easily more than 10,000 people in Assen. There were many different concert venues we went to. For a while, L, G, and I just stood in one place and people-watched. We commented how the TT attracts a very Dutch-redneck crowd. It reminded us a little of the Dwight D'Eon concert in Yarmouth two summers ago.
We stayed out until fairly late - maybe around midnight - and then walked home. I quickly sat down to check email before going upstairs to pack for the next day's departure and saw that the status of one of my friends on facebook was "Michael Jackson died!?" This, of course, prompted me to do a little searching online. At that point (around 3:25 PM in LA), only one seemingly irreputable source had announced his death. L and I waited around for a while (maybe 10 minutes) and within that short amount of time, facebook statuses started remarking on MJ's death left and right - friends from all over the world - Canada, Israel, France, Italy, US. And at about 12:35 or 12:40 the LA Times confirmed the death. At this point, we knew it was real and felt we could go to bed worry free.
And that brings me to today:
I woke up before my alarm (which had been set to go off at 7:08 AM) and then was in a kind of half-dreaming mode for a while. Anett's chickens in the backyard bok every morning. This morning their cries made it into my dream - I kind of can't remember it now, but I do remember that we were at school and there was a bomb scare because they heard this crazy ticking and we were all standing outside of school in the parking lot, and it ended up that one of the preschoolers had brought to school an alarm clock that made a chicken noise as its tick. Very bizarre.
I caught the 8:22 train out of Assen. L accompanied me to the train station, and G came as well because she had to catch her train at 8:09 to school in Groningen. The train ride was easy and I slept part of the way to Amsterdam Schiphol. I paid 3,90 Euro for the train to Amsterdam Centraal and got there with over an hour to spare. Unfortunately, about ten minutes before my train was due, a train woman came over and informed me that my train had been cancelled so it would be necessary for me to take the train to Rosendaal and then the Thalys (high speed train) would be waiting there.
I sat next to two very nice older French women on the train to Rosendaal and it was fun translating the English that the conductor said into French for them.
It was simple transferring trains and then here I am, right now. I'm speeding through the Belgian country side on a high-speed train (there is a chance we're already in France, it's hard to tell). Paying the extra $12 for first-class was absolutely worth it. There is free wireless and I have a very wide and comfortable red velvet seat which is by itself on one side of the aisle because its 2 by 1.
I have already called ahead to A to let her know I'll be in to Paris about a half hour late, but for now I am very pleased to be in the warm comfort of the train as I look out at the gray sky threatening rain and lightning over green and yellow fields.
I'm not sure when the next time I'll be able to write will be, but thanks for reading this long post!
S
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Photos
I've been asked already to hold another photo contest. You're welcome to submit guesses on the following dates:
6/26
7/25
7/29
These mark the dates when I leave one destination and travel to another place. If you'd like, you're more than welcome to guess in between as well!
Thanks so much,
S
P.S. The number's already getting up there!!
6/26
7/25
7/29
These mark the dates when I leave one destination and travel to another place. If you'd like, you're more than welcome to guess in between as well!
Thanks so much,
S
P.S. The number's already getting up there!!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
A Walk Around Amsterdam
My flight to Reykjavik was at 9:30 so M, C, and I went out to dinner in Boston before hand. The meal was delicious, and it was a little upsetting to think that that would be my last time consuming decent Asian food (aside from my homemade sushi) for over 2 months. 
The flights were both very easy. I didn't sleep much on the way to iceland, i watched Slumdog Milionaire and it was also hard because, as we were flying East, the sky kept getting ligther and lighter. The sunrise was spectacular - a full rainbow of colors on the horizon, beginning at fiery red and ending in a pale blue. It was beautiful flying into Reykjavik, it's very scrubby and there are purple fields of lupins everywhere.
I got my passport stamped for my entrance into the EU, and then walked around the airport a bit before boarding my flight. I had window seats on both flights which was lovely, and I also had two men in my rows on both flights as well. I slept for most of the 2 hour 40 minute flight to Amsterdam. We flew in from the North (and didn't even fly over land, because we flew north of Scotland as well) and the water was beautiful.
It was very easy getting through the airport, getting my suitcase and finding Lyd! She had a Welcome to Holland sign with my name in big letters, and presented me with a lei which she had gotten for free from the train company the previous weekend.
We headed to her friend's apartment and then walked around Amsterdam for close to 6 hours.
There are bikes just everywhere. And the paniers are so cool!! Really bright colors and prints.
The bikes are also crazy colors.
In Amsterdam we saw all of the museums, and walked around just about the whole city.
We visited the Red Light District and even walked into the entranceway of a coffeeshop.
This is all I'm going to write fr now as we are heading off to the good-bye party of Lydia's Finnish friend, but the weather here is beautiful and I have already eaten some absolutely wonderful Dutch food.
I'm exhausted, because of extreme lack of sleep, but I know how important it is to enjoy the short time I have here, so I'm putting off sleep and experiencing the Netherlands with Lydia!
The flights were both very easy. I didn't sleep much on the way to iceland, i watched Slumdog Milionaire and it was also hard because, as we were flying East, the sky kept getting ligther and lighter. The sunrise was spectacular - a full rainbow of colors on the horizon, beginning at fiery red and ending in a pale blue. It was beautiful flying into Reykjavik, it's very scrubby and there are purple fields of lupins everywhere.
I got my passport stamped for my entrance into the EU, and then walked around the airport a bit before boarding my flight. I had window seats on both flights which was lovely, and I also had two men in my rows on both flights as well. I slept for most of the 2 hour 40 minute flight to Amsterdam. We flew in from the North (and didn't even fly over land, because we flew north of Scotland as well) and the water was beautiful.
It was very easy getting through the airport, getting my suitcase and finding Lyd! She had a Welcome to Holland sign with my name in big letters, and presented me with a lei which she had gotten for free from the train company the previous weekend.
We headed to her friend's apartment and then walked around Amsterdam for close to 6 hours. There are bikes just everywhere. And the paniers are so cool!! Really bright colors and prints.
The bikes are also crazy colors.
In Amsterdam we saw all of the museums, and walked around just about the whole city.
We visited the Red Light District and even walked into the entranceway of a coffeeshop.
This is all I'm going to write fr now as we are heading off to the good-bye party of Lydia's Finnish friend, but the weather here is beautiful and I have already eaten some absolutely wonderful Dutch food.
I'm exhausted, because of extreme lack of sleep, but I know how important it is to enjoy the short time I have here, so I'm putting off sleep and experiencing the Netherlands with Lydia!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friendship
As I lie in bed, pitifully typing on my iPod touch, I'm reminded that this is the last night I'll spend in my bed until the twenty-something of august and we're ready (or perhaps not) to be seniors. It was sad saying goodbye to so many people last night and today and it's even harder to imagine that there are some whom I won't see until they come back to visit from college. Will our friendships ever be the same? Will they even survive?(our friendships, that is). I'm going to sleep, but with the sincere hope that whatever this summer may bring, the friendships made as well as the friendships preserved and put on hold will remain strong and true.
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