Hello everybody!
So I've said time and time again on my posts
that I am spending two months in France.
Well, I'm finally here! After having the trip from
hell to get here, I've actually made it this
far without killing myself...
Getting here really was the trip from hell.
Because my dad works for SAA, we get
a special discounted ticket, which we often
have trouble with at the check-in counters
of airports. We aren't supposed to be, but we
do. I had a confirmed ticket to Munich,
but when I went to check in at the counter,
I was told (very snootily) that I have to
wait until 15 minutes before the flight gates closed
to know if I could get a seat on the flight.
As much as I told her that this was NOT
how it works, it made no difference. Eventually,
because I "knew" the captain of the flight
(oooh how cool am I) she gave me a ticket
for the "jumpseat". Normally the crew book
2 or 3 extra seats just in case, and there
is an extra seat in the cockpit as well.
I was going to have to sit in the cockpit -
which was very nice of the pilots to offer,
and an awesome thing that nobody gets to
do anymore, but this was not ideal..
Sitiing the whole night in there, or sleeping
in the crew bunks where they could all
see me?! THAT wasn't part of my plan
at all! But in the end I did get a seat
because 5 people didn't pitch up (I did get
to sit in the cockpit for the take-off
though - which is quite a priveledge, and is
especially cool at night.
Before I carry on, let me just add that
sleeping in economy class is an art, and
I have a lot of respect for anyone who can
do it properly. I am not one of these
people.
Anyway, when I arrived in Munich, I was super
tired, but managed to find my way to
collect my bag (there was also a big glass
container with two HUGE sausages on
it on the conveyor belt - go figure). Then I got lost.
I couldn't find the way to catch a connecting
flight, so I asked a very unhelpful German
man...but I got there eventually and was helped by
a lady with hairy moles (charming).
Paris was even MORE confusing - the airport
is round and has all these little escalator tunnels
going through it in all different directions
(it is also very concrete-y and really ugly)
. In Paris I had to buy a TGV train ticket - but I
first had to figure out that it was in a
different building entirely, then waited
half an hour because the airport people had found a bag
that they thought had a bomb in it - all I
could think was that it would be a real waste for me
to have come aaaaall this way only to be blown
to bits...
Next came
getting the train ticket,
which was relatively easy, except that the man
who helped me was very French and
kept mixing English and French which is very
confusing :/
If I thought that that was the end of it
, man was I wrong - when I got on the train,
I could not, for the life of me, find my seat!
Twice I sat in the wrong seat and was
chased! But even now, I still have no idea
where the heck my real seat was!
Finally, I arrived in Montpellier, where
I have been the entire week so far, settling
myself in, and getting lost (many timmes)
...But more on that in the next post since
by now I'm sure it's getting
boring reading all this!
Friday 5 October 2012
Thursday 27 September 2012
What's happening...
Sooo...you can see from today's Ten Things Thursday post (and a number of others!) that tomorrow (Friday the 28th), I'm leaving for Montpellier! I'm SUPER excited, but (obviously) also a little nervous.
Anyway, today I FINALLY got my paws on my visa (it's been sitting in Joburg up till today), and it's such a relief to finally have the stupid thing where I can keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't go anywhere (they've proven themselves to be sneaky little things). Of course, as with my passport, I look AWFUL in the photo, and I wouldn't be surprised if the customs and immigration officers have a hard time believing it's me (or even human). This has happened to me before, in China - I was suspiciously asked if the person in my passport was actually me; luckily they believed me! But I digress.
My mom (tentatively) informed me this morning that I may have yet another unpleasant problem when I leave tomorrow. Let me explain. My family always travels business class. Always. Not because we're snobs (even though we are snobby about airline seats), but because my dad gets discounted tickets because he works for the airline company. Why not go business class then? Anyone who has ever travelled business class AND economy class will know that if you have the choice (and you're smart), you choose business class. Then you can actually get some sleep on your flight. Anyway, my ticket for my flight to Germany is a business class ticket, but before I booked my ticket, some selfish, idiotic person booked out the WHOLE of business class...this means (horror of horrors) that I may have to go economy class, if all those people do pitch up (which is unlikely - we've had this problem before and they almost NEVER do). This is REALLY annoying because I was really looking forward to my nice cushy business class seat (I haven't flown for a while so i was really excited). I HOPE that one of those silly people has decided to cancel (they often do, who knows why?). Oh well, at least, if nothing else, I get to sit in the business class lounge. I'm such an aeroplane snob :P
So there you have it, my latest update. There probably won't be too many more for a while - I'm going to get quite busy this next while...speaking of which, I mentioned that the school does excursions - here's their program for the next few days :
1/10 - guided tour of Montpellier - the historical centre
3/10 - cheese tasting
4/10 - restaurant "Moules Frites"
6/10 - excursion to Aix-en-Provence
8/10 - guided tour of the city - Antigone (the new city)
10/10 - the underground museum "Crypte"
11/10 - Oriental evening
13/10 - excursion to Provence
Maybe to some of you, this doesn't sound exciting, but I think it does! I'm particularly looking forward to the tours of Montpellier, Aix-en-Provence, Antigone, and Provence (especially Provence).
More on these and what I'm up to soon!
Anyway, today I FINALLY got my paws on my visa (it's been sitting in Joburg up till today), and it's such a relief to finally have the stupid thing where I can keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't go anywhere (they've proven themselves to be sneaky little things). Of course, as with my passport, I look AWFUL in the photo, and I wouldn't be surprised if the customs and immigration officers have a hard time believing it's me (or even human). This has happened to me before, in China - I was suspiciously asked if the person in my passport was actually me; luckily they believed me! But I digress.
My mom (tentatively) informed me this morning that I may have yet another unpleasant problem when I leave tomorrow. Let me explain. My family always travels business class. Always. Not because we're snobs (even though we are snobby about airline seats), but because my dad gets discounted tickets because he works for the airline company. Why not go business class then? Anyone who has ever travelled business class AND economy class will know that if you have the choice (and you're smart), you choose business class. Then you can actually get some sleep on your flight. Anyway, my ticket for my flight to Germany is a business class ticket, but before I booked my ticket, some selfish, idiotic person booked out the WHOLE of business class...this means (horror of horrors) that I may have to go economy class, if all those people do pitch up (which is unlikely - we've had this problem before and they almost NEVER do). This is REALLY annoying because I was really looking forward to my nice cushy business class seat (I haven't flown for a while so i was really excited). I HOPE that one of those silly people has decided to cancel (they often do, who knows why?). Oh well, at least, if nothing else, I get to sit in the business class lounge. I'm such an aeroplane snob :P
So there you have it, my latest update. There probably won't be too many more for a while - I'm going to get quite busy this next while...speaking of which, I mentioned that the school does excursions - here's their program for the next few days :
1/10 - guided tour of Montpellier - the historical centre
3/10 - cheese tasting
4/10 - restaurant "Moules Frites"
6/10 - excursion to Aix-en-Provence
8/10 - guided tour of the city - Antigone (the new city)
10/10 - the underground museum "Crypte"
11/10 - Oriental evening
13/10 - excursion to Provence
Maybe to some of you, this doesn't sound exciting, but I think it does! I'm particularly looking forward to the tours of Montpellier, Aix-en-Provence, Antigone, and Provence (especially Provence).
More on these and what I'm up to soon!
Ten Things Thursday - Montpellier
So it's Thursday again, and this isn't just any Thursday for me...tomorrow I'm leaving and jetting off (first class of course :P) to France! As a recap for anyone who didn't read my previous post about going, I'm off to a city called Montpellier, which is a university and language school hotspot.
There's lots to do there, and so my theme for this Thursday is 'Things to do in Montpellier":
1) Visit the zoo - I know zoos are a bit of a controversial topic, but I can't help liking them!
2) Visit the Odysseum - This place sounds like a SERIOUS mall (being a serious mall rat, this suits me just fine). It has an ice rink, a planetarium, a big cinema, and loads of shops. YES PLEASE!
3) Visit the beach - Alright, so I'm going near winter, but from the sound of it, it will still be warm for about half the time I'm there, so hopefully I'll get to sit on some of their beautiful beaches. There are also supposed to be natural flamingo colonies - which I hope I might get to see, if they haven't left for winter or something!
4) Visit old buildings / historical sites - As in most European cities, Montpellier has loads of stunning old buildings and churches, statues, and historical places to see. Some people my age wouldn't be interested in this type of thing, but I am (must have something to do with being into art).
5) Visit the parks - Montpellier's park "Le jardin des plantes", literally "The Garden of Plants" (creative), is meant to be the biggest botanical garden in France. They seem to have lots of other parks and gardens too, all so beautiful. Normally I'm not into gardens, but these really are pretty, so I'm definitely going to see them...my mom would be so proud!
6) Visit the caves - Montpellier is quite close to the Pyrenées mountains, so there are some beeg caves in the area. I'm actually scared of caves...but I'm not going to miss an opportunity to take photos of these (bragging rights you know...)
7) Go to the markets - There are a few markets in the area, but the one I'm most interested in is the Flower Market. I love flowers, and although nobody ever buys them for me, I still like to look!
8) Hopefully visit the nearby towns - The school that I'm going to has classes till 12:30, then they go on excursions some afternoons of the week. They do tours of the nearby cities and places, like Provence, Camargue (where they do horse riding), Avignon, Pont du Gard, Carcassonne, Nimes, Uzes, Aix-en-Provence, etc. I'm really excited about these excursions - they look like they organise really interesting things to do!
9) Visit Le Bookshop - I found this on one of the websites about Montpellier (yes I've been looking, I'm excited OK!). It sounds like a big bookshop, that sells all kinds of things, and also runs conversation swaps. They do this is other countries where people wanting to learn a language (either the local language or English) come to speak to people who can speak it. Hopefully I can go there to practise my french or even to speak English to someone! Buying a few books never hurt either....
10) And of course....MOST IMPORTANTLY - have an amazing time, eat lots of yummy food, make new friends, and speak french :D
More on whether or not I actually get to do all this coming soon!!
There's lots to do there, and so my theme for this Thursday is 'Things to do in Montpellier":
1) Visit the zoo - I know zoos are a bit of a controversial topic, but I can't help liking them!
2) Visit the Odysseum - This place sounds like a SERIOUS mall (being a serious mall rat, this suits me just fine). It has an ice rink, a planetarium, a big cinema, and loads of shops. YES PLEASE!
3) Visit the beach - Alright, so I'm going near winter, but from the sound of it, it will still be warm for about half the time I'm there, so hopefully I'll get to sit on some of their beautiful beaches. There are also supposed to be natural flamingo colonies - which I hope I might get to see, if they haven't left for winter or something!
4) Visit old buildings / historical sites - As in most European cities, Montpellier has loads of stunning old buildings and churches, statues, and historical places to see. Some people my age wouldn't be interested in this type of thing, but I am (must have something to do with being into art).
5) Visit the parks - Montpellier's park "Le jardin des plantes", literally "The Garden of Plants" (creative), is meant to be the biggest botanical garden in France. They seem to have lots of other parks and gardens too, all so beautiful. Normally I'm not into gardens, but these really are pretty, so I'm definitely going to see them...my mom would be so proud!
6) Visit the caves - Montpellier is quite close to the Pyrenées mountains, so there are some beeg caves in the area. I'm actually scared of caves...but I'm not going to miss an opportunity to take photos of these (bragging rights you know...)
7) Go to the markets - There are a few markets in the area, but the one I'm most interested in is the Flower Market. I love flowers, and although nobody ever buys them for me, I still like to look!
8) Hopefully visit the nearby towns - The school that I'm going to has classes till 12:30, then they go on excursions some afternoons of the week. They do tours of the nearby cities and places, like Provence, Camargue (where they do horse riding), Avignon, Pont du Gard, Carcassonne, Nimes, Uzes, Aix-en-Provence, etc. I'm really excited about these excursions - they look like they organise really interesting things to do!
9) Visit Le Bookshop - I found this on one of the websites about Montpellier (yes I've been looking, I'm excited OK!). It sounds like a big bookshop, that sells all kinds of things, and also runs conversation swaps. They do this is other countries where people wanting to learn a language (either the local language or English) come to speak to people who can speak it. Hopefully I can go there to practise my french or even to speak English to someone! Buying a few books never hurt either....
10) And of course....MOST IMPORTANTLY - have an amazing time, eat lots of yummy food, make new friends, and speak french :D
More on whether or not I actually get to do all this coming soon!!
Monday 24 September 2012
Excitement.
So...today is Tuesday. Ordinarily, this wouldn't really mean much to me (sitting around doing nothing means you lose the use of your internal calendar), but THIS Tuesday, it means that there are 3 days left until Friday, when I'm jetting off to France!
After a lot of hard work and effort (mainly on my parents part - thank you, dear parents!), I finally get to go. Ok, so it IS a little scary making such a long journey all on my lonesome - I'm going from Durban to Joburg, from Joburg to Germany, from Germany to Paris, then from Paris I'm taking the train to Montpellier. Yes, I KNOW, it's quite a "leggy" trip, isn't it?
But I'm REALLY excited! I have never lived away from home for such a long period of time before (10 weeks), which is a little daunting. But, I'm hoping it will be good for me, and I know it'll be good for my French! I'm also really hoping that there are some younger people at the language school, and that they're not all old (this is a possibility, but not likely, I think)! More on that to come...
So this Thursday, I'll be posting a list (the Ten Things Thursday list) of some of the things that I hope to do in Montpellier (awesome things!). But because I'm very impatient, here's a little preview of some of the "to-do's" in Montpellier - beautiful beaches (obviously this had to be the first thing that came to mind) ; churches, abbeys, mansions ; beautiful architecture ; a massive mall that includes an ice rink, planetarium, big movie theatre, and loads of shops (I approve!) ; beautiful parks and gardens ; markets ; a zoo and aquarium ; visiting other nearby cities ; wild flamingo colonies (which hopefully haven't gone anywhere for winter yet) ; lavender farms ; maybe a perfume farm ; so much more!!!
So, now do you see why I'm excited???
Oh, and then, below is a picture of WHERE I'm going - Montpellier, which is in the Mediterranean (be jealous)....
Word of the Week
So I've decided to do a post every week about the "word of the week". I got this idea from another post I was writing (which you will see in the future!), because there are so many awesome words in this language of ours (and then some in others).
So my first word is:
ASTEISM - no, not atheism, asteism. An "asteism" is an "ingeniously polite insult". As a big fan of sarcasm, innuendoes, implications, inference, and clever language in general, this appeals to me!
For example (I didn't come up with this)-
"Oh, I love your dress! It does wonders for your figure."
And then, a quote I like about insults:
"The only gracious way to accept an insult is to ignore it; if you can't ignore it, top it; if you can't top it, laugh at it; if you can't laugh at it, then it's probably deserved." - Russell Lynes
So my first word is:
ASTEISM - no, not atheism, asteism. An "asteism" is an "ingeniously polite insult". As a big fan of sarcasm, innuendoes, implications, inference, and clever language in general, this appeals to me!
For example (I didn't come up with this)-
"Oh, I love your dress! It does wonders for your figure."
And then, a quote I like about insults:
"The only gracious way to accept an insult is to ignore it; if you can't ignore it, top it; if you can't top it, laugh at it; if you can't laugh at it, then it's probably deserved." - Russell Lynes
Friday 21 September 2012
Yippeee!
By now, everyone who speaks to me, reads my Facebook statuses, or reads my blog will know that I have had some problems with my Schengen visa and the documents for it...
The really good (awesome) news is that that document that I needed finally arrived yesterday morning (after a long wait)! My mom phoned the visa people to ask when she could come in to finish my application, and they said...."TODAY!" So, my dear, darling mother went off to Joburg (I couldn't go because it's too pricey to fly around two people for just the day), and at long last, that silly visa was applied for.
Today (this afternoon to be precise), we got an e-mail informing us that my visa and passport are ready to be collected! How's that for you - ONE day to process and give me my visa! Kudos to you, Capago people!
So, what does that mean??? That means...everything is SORTED and I am most definitely going to France next week Friday! YIPPEEEEEE!
The really good (awesome) news is that that document that I needed finally arrived yesterday morning (after a long wait)! My mom phoned the visa people to ask when she could come in to finish my application, and they said...."TODAY!" So, my dear, darling mother went off to Joburg (I couldn't go because it's too pricey to fly around two people for just the day), and at long last, that silly visa was applied for.
Today (this afternoon to be precise), we got an e-mail informing us that my visa and passport are ready to be collected! How's that for you - ONE day to process and give me my visa! Kudos to you, Capago people!
So, what does that mean??? That means...everything is SORTED and I am most definitely going to France next week Friday! YIPPEEEEEE!
Wednesday 19 September 2012
Ten Things Thursday - FOOOOOD
Ok so of course, I have to do a Ten Things Tuesday about food. I mean, everybody loves food. Everybody. Even anorexics love it deep down....
So here's list of some of the yummiest foods :
1) PASTA - Have I mentioned before that I'm MAD about pasta? Yes, yes I have. I'm not lying here, I really do love pasta. it is without a doubt, my favourite food in the whole world. Lasagne is probably my favourite type of pasta dish, so here's a picture of it for you to drool over. YUMMY.
2) NUTELLA - Nutella has become SUCH a major thing with everybody - and for good reason. It is pure goodness in a jar. If you haven't tried it yet (which I doubt, everyone has), for your own good, TRY IT! There are loads of super tasty looking recipes that use nutella, and because I'm such an awesome person, here are the links to some:
Nutella Caramel Hazelnut Brownies
Nutella Milkshakes
Nutella Filled Doughnuts
Nutella Dream Cookies
Red Velvet Cake with Nutella Fudge Icing
Nutella Crème Brûlée
Nutella Ice cream
3) PIZZA - Everybody loves pizza. I don't think I've ever met anyone who dislikes it. Although there probably are some oddballs out there who don't like it. But really, this is good stuff. Unfortunately, here in South Africa, it's hard to find really nice pizza. When I've had pizza in America, the slices are massive and dripping with cheese, covered in yummy toppings. That's probably not even close to what you can get in Italy. Here, the shops are are bit stingy, with the size and the toppings. But, oh well, we'll just have to make do with what we've got! Or you could always make it yourself!
Pizza Recipe
4) ROAST POTATOES - Come on, who doesn't love some good roast potatoes? I mean the really good kind, the ones that are crisped just right, with just the right amount of seasoning...mmm.
Personally, I'm very disappointed if my family has a roast of some sort without potatoes. It's just not the same. I really want to try them the way they're done in the second picture - wrapped in bacon with a dip. MIAM MIAM.
5) CUPCAKES - So maybe cupcakes are a little bit childish, and only for little girls...but I don't care because they're so good! It's so much easier popping a cupcake into your mouth that cutting pieces of cake and having to find a way to eat your slice without ending up wearing it as well. I love making cupcakes, and all my friends and family are plied with cupcakes whenever a birthday or celebration comes round. Here are a few recipes I found for cupcakes :
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon-Blueberry icing
White chocolate, Peanut butter, and Banana Cupcakes
Milky Way Cupcakes
6) PANCAKES - This is for my brother. I actually don't like pancakes all that much, but pancakes for him are like pasta for me. He would eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 365 days a year if he could. Pancakes are pretty versatile, I mean you can eat them with chicken, mince, creamed spinach, cinnamon and lemon, bananas and caramel (a good one), ice cream, syrup, and of course, NUTELLA. Nutella is good on pancakes. Actually, it's good on anything.
7) BILTONG - I sometimes feel sorry for people who aren't South African because they miss out on biltong. Sure some other countries have some form of nasty dried meat, and America has beef jerky (I don't know what they see in this), but we're the only people who can buy biltong at the drop of a hat! All South Africans will tell you that biltong is good - how can a whole nation be wrong? :)
8) CHIPS (CRISPS) - Here we call them chips. We call the ones you fry or get at McDonalds chips too. We're cool like that. Either way, both forms of these, crisps AND fries as some would say, are extra yummy. My family used to call me "The Chip Monster" (which I actually find insulting), because once I start with chips, I can't stop. Can't. I don't know anybody that is as bad as me...oh well, at least I'm unique. Like everybody else.
9) CREAMED SPINACH - Most people think it looks like vomit. Most people will disagree with me and say they don't even like regular spinach! I, on the other hand, looove it. If you have to eat vegetables, why not eat them doused in cream, with bits of feta cheese? I don't see what's so horrible about creamed spinach at all! So leave me to eat my vomit in peace....
10) NOT PEAS - I'm breaking the trend here, and adding something that is NOT yummy. I repeat, NOT YUMMY! I don't really know what it is about them that I hate so much. They don't taste particularly good, and it's not like they're worth all the effort of eating them. I mean, you chase the stupid things all around your plate, and after five minutes of performing an extreme balancing act with a bunch of peas, you end up with two on your fork. It doesn't work for me. Nope.
So here's list of some of the yummiest foods :
1) PASTA - Have I mentioned before that I'm MAD about pasta? Yes, yes I have. I'm not lying here, I really do love pasta. it is without a doubt, my favourite food in the whole world. Lasagne is probably my favourite type of pasta dish, so here's a picture of it for you to drool over. YUMMY.
2) NUTELLA - Nutella has become SUCH a major thing with everybody - and for good reason. It is pure goodness in a jar. If you haven't tried it yet (which I doubt, everyone has), for your own good, TRY IT! There are loads of super tasty looking recipes that use nutella, and because I'm such an awesome person, here are the links to some:
Nutella Caramel Hazelnut Brownies
Nutella Milkshakes
Nutella Filled Doughnuts
Nutella Dream Cookies
Red Velvet Cake with Nutella Fudge Icing
Nutella Crème Brûlée
Nutella Ice cream
3) PIZZA - Everybody loves pizza. I don't think I've ever met anyone who dislikes it. Although there probably are some oddballs out there who don't like it. But really, this is good stuff. Unfortunately, here in South Africa, it's hard to find really nice pizza. When I've had pizza in America, the slices are massive and dripping with cheese, covered in yummy toppings. That's probably not even close to what you can get in Italy. Here, the shops are are bit stingy, with the size and the toppings. But, oh well, we'll just have to make do with what we've got! Or you could always make it yourself!
Pizza Recipe
4) ROAST POTATOES - Come on, who doesn't love some good roast potatoes? I mean the really good kind, the ones that are crisped just right, with just the right amount of seasoning...mmm.
Personally, I'm very disappointed if my family has a roast of some sort without potatoes. It's just not the same. I really want to try them the way they're done in the second picture - wrapped in bacon with a dip. MIAM MIAM.
5) CUPCAKES - So maybe cupcakes are a little bit childish, and only for little girls...but I don't care because they're so good! It's so much easier popping a cupcake into your mouth that cutting pieces of cake and having to find a way to eat your slice without ending up wearing it as well. I love making cupcakes, and all my friends and family are plied with cupcakes whenever a birthday or celebration comes round. Here are a few recipes I found for cupcakes :
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon-Blueberry icing
White chocolate, Peanut butter, and Banana Cupcakes
Milky Way Cupcakes
6) PANCAKES - This is for my brother. I actually don't like pancakes all that much, but pancakes for him are like pasta for me. He would eat them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner 365 days a year if he could. Pancakes are pretty versatile, I mean you can eat them with chicken, mince, creamed spinach, cinnamon and lemon, bananas and caramel (a good one), ice cream, syrup, and of course, NUTELLA. Nutella is good on pancakes. Actually, it's good on anything.
7) BILTONG - I sometimes feel sorry for people who aren't South African because they miss out on biltong. Sure some other countries have some form of nasty dried meat, and America has beef jerky (I don't know what they see in this), but we're the only people who can buy biltong at the drop of a hat! All South Africans will tell you that biltong is good - how can a whole nation be wrong? :)
8) CHIPS (CRISPS) - Here we call them chips. We call the ones you fry or get at McDonalds chips too. We're cool like that. Either way, both forms of these, crisps AND fries as some would say, are extra yummy. My family used to call me "The Chip Monster" (which I actually find insulting), because once I start with chips, I can't stop. Can't. I don't know anybody that is as bad as me...oh well, at least I'm unique. Like everybody else.
9) CREAMED SPINACH - Most people think it looks like vomit. Most people will disagree with me and say they don't even like regular spinach! I, on the other hand, looove it. If you have to eat vegetables, why not eat them doused in cream, with bits of feta cheese? I don't see what's so horrible about creamed spinach at all! So leave me to eat my vomit in peace....
10) NOT PEAS - I'm breaking the trend here, and adding something that is NOT yummy. I repeat, NOT YUMMY! I don't really know what it is about them that I hate so much. They don't taste particularly good, and it's not like they're worth all the effort of eating them. I mean, you chase the stupid things all around your plate, and after five minutes of performing an extreme balancing act with a bunch of peas, you end up with two on your fork. It doesn't work for me. Nope.
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