tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54427749650481728922024-03-05T15:54:08.977-08:00On The Search For The Great PerhapsSebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-56211029374763468592012-04-25T08:24:00.001-07:002012-05-07T22:04:31.878-07:00Annecy and Easter Vacation!So, it's that time again when I feel guilty about neglecting this blog and force myself to write something. Enjoy.<br />
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It has officailly been eight months and one days since I've arrived in France! Wohoo! The end is coming soon which makes me nervous and anxious but I'll talk about that in another blogpost. School is starting to come to a close and students are starting to get nervous as the French bac is just around the corner. I restarted school this week after a two week Easter vacation. A week before the beginning of my Easter vacations started Rotary held a huge and incredible meeting with all the exchange students in France in the wonderful town of Annecy! Over 450 teenagers, blazers, pins, pure craziness! I missed a day of school on Friday where I met up with my districts bus outside of Montpellier and headed with the twenty or so students in my Rotary district onward to Annecy. I have to say that the people in district 1700 are some of the coolest human beings I've had the pleasure of meeting! They amaze me every time. On the bus strip we discussed regular exchange student stuff (host families, school, etc.) and then were told to work on a presentation for a talent show the next day. I had spent some time working with Julia, a Brazilian exchange student, on this and we had come up with a parody to a french song yet we needed another stanza. No one had any ideas for this. More on this talent show craziness later. We arrived at the hotel type place near a lake in early afternoon and as we unloaded people who knew each other were running like crazy and hugging, insanity. As I commented about how crazy do that is I saw a girl that had been on the same plane ride over to France, I dropped my stuff and ran for a hug. Irony. Rooms were found, roomates chosen, people hugged. Then we were driven off to another hotel/village type thing where we were to meet the other two hundred or so students! Chaos ensued. I had been talking to people with my district as we walked to where the other students were and yelling was done as we discovered bus trip people and BEFs (before exchange friends)! FOOOOTBALLL! We had dinner and there was a dance floor! One of my favorite parts of the night were just hanging out outside of the dance floor talking and meeting new people. It's hard to really describe how good it was to be with this type of people, people who understand. You don't really know what it is they understand but it's something. The next day started with a conference about how the Olympics brings people together, like Rotary. Pins were traded, lunch was had, and off we went on a boat ride. The beauty of Annecy, the lake, and the surrounding mountains was stunning. There was not a cloud in the sky... All the students were herded to a park where they took pictures of 450 foreigners being crazy, waving flags, and yelling in all different languages. People sang their national anthems, yelled about their football teams and were just themselves. For some reason, being surrounded by all of this humanity was calming. Even though we were in a different country in the middle of people from every corner of this earth it felt like we were home. When the Americans (there were so many!) started singing the anthem I joined in the back of the group and a guy actually told me to leave, that I wasn't american! I gladly informed him that I came from the state of Missouri, thank you very much. I then ran and joined the latinos to scream and throw people in the air. I then joined the finnish girls in waving their flags and yelling for their country (seriously, I had no voice left at the end of this weekend, I could barely speak...). We got back into town and headed to a dinner where the talent show was too occur. This is where we had to come up with something quickly. Everyone learned a quick dance and instead of writing another stanza I took out my harmonica and played with the music. When we presented this it went pretty well but the best part was after we finnished this song. A few other people from the district had written a rap about being exchange students! Man, one of the best rap performances I have ever seen up close (and the only). We had a dj and danced after the talent show. The rest of the night was spent going from room to room in the hotel village, visiting people. It was that night I got a haircut by a few girls I had met a few hours earlier. I've got to say it was one of the best haircuts I've ever had! I didn't go to sleep that night, I went to my room in the early morning, cleaned up and fell asleep waiting to for breakfast. I slept through breakfast, was awoken by Rotarians who came to get us and got on the bus. We met once more with the rest of the students and said our goodbyes. It's incredible how much you can miss people you've only met once or twice. It's those type of people that amaze me the most. After that weekend I had a week of exams, not very interesting. Then came vacations! I went off for ten days to visit my family in Mallorca, I hadn't been there since I was 8. They took me to see a little bit of everything which I loved! Mallorca is a beautiful place with it's own language and culture but I find it has way too many tourists (even though I was one). After that I went to Toulouse to spend a few days with a few Rotary friends, we met up and I got back last Saturday. That's it for now, I hope I can write something in a week or so.<br />
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Sebastian<br />
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having the time of my life!Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-37278772215572390952012-03-11T05:17:00.000-07:002012-03-11T05:17:22.147-07:00Paris/Barcelona Bus Trip!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, it's been some time. In the last two weeks of Feburary I went everywhere! First I stopped by Toulouse, one of the biggest growing cities in France, where I have a few Rotary student friends. I stayed at a friends house where I was surrounded by a small platoon of chihuahuas. I spent two days in Toulouse where we just walked around, looked at music and book shops. It was sorta nice to have a little break from French all the time where I actually was able to talk in English. I met up with a Chilean student that is on exchange with another group and the Spanish craziness started! This was just the beginning because the whole bus trip was a huge blur of crazy antics in all the languages! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gero!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Seok Jae, David</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Canadians!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I left Sunday night (19th of helmikuu) on train from Toulouse to Paris with a group of students from my district all coming on the bus trip. It consisted of 4 Americans, 1 Swede, 1 Korean, 2 Canadians, 1 Indian, 1 Taiwanese and 1 Brazilian! I slept for about an hour that night, spending most of the six hours on train listening to music, talking to the others or just standing around. Once we got to Paris we had to walk to another train station where we would meet the rest of the bus trip group in a few hours. So, we headed out, found a café and just waited. We all talked about how the past few months have been, how our French is getting better and what are the things we hoped to see on the trip. We soon enough met up with more people from our trip, which is where I met Gero, a Mexican exchange student. We spent a majority of the trip talking/yelling in Spanish and making jokes. There were about 5-6 spanish speakers on that bus so it did get pretty crazy. Once we got all our luggage on the bus we were set loose on the streets of Paris to find something to eat for lunch which is how I ended up eating a pizza in five minutes and running back to the bus just in the nick of time. We were then taken on a Paris bus tour, seeing the big monuments and just stopping to see the Eiffel Tower and the outside of the Louvre. It amazed me how I got there and that I was finally there, the beating heart of France. That afternoon we just spent it in the international hotel place just getting to meet each other. Next day we headed bright and early to the Eiffel Tower with the intention of climbing it. From far away, truthfully, the Eiffel Tower isn't that impressive. I think it's much more beautiful when you see the inside of it, all that it takes to keep such a thing standing up. For lunch that afternoon I ate at a Mexican restaurant a stone's throw away from Notre Dame de Paris with the latino exchange students. After enjoying my first real Mexican meal in France we headed and took pictures around Notre Dame, but mostly I was excited to see the accordian players everywhere.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Versailles!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kia playing Marie Antoinette: The video game!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We got on the bus and ended up at Versailles, my favorite part of the bus trip to Paris. Given three hours to roam in the gardens and the inside of the pallace I was amazed. As I walked around it all reminded me of how a year ago I was sitting at my desk in World History listening to Mrs. Grossnickle talk about Versailles and how now I was there. We had been given audio guides but Kia, a Finnish student, and I spent most of the time talking, me marvelling on how much I had actually learned in World History class. When we headed back to the hotel place everyone was dead tired and this was just the beginning! That afternoon I spent some time listening to a new Beatles CD I bought at Versailles (Beatles Go Baroque: Classical Beatles songs) and teaching Kia a little bit about my favorite band.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mona and I</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Viva La Vida!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Wednesday morning, the Louvre! We headed extremely early off to the home of the Mona Lisa. We were given two hours to see all that we wanted at the Louvre. Essentialy I spent those two hours running a marathon to see some of the most famous art pieces in that place plus trying to get to the deuxieme étage, the floor that Indy (South African student) really wanted to see. We went to every elevator we could find (they only went down, not up!) and asked about five times, each time given direction to the elevators! We ended up just getting to the bus breathless, annoyed that we never got to that other floor but laughing because of the craziness we had just experienced. I think I saw the Mona Lisa...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Los latinos!</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">The rest of the day was just bus time, heading down south for Spain! We stopped at Carcasonne, a medival town here in the south of France. I ate another pizza really quickly and ran around the cobbled stone roads of an medival city turned into a touristic playground. More bus. It wouldn't be until the next day that we would get to Barcelona, starting with a bus tour, stopping at La Sagrada Familia. I had been to this never-finished masterpiece about ten years ago and it has completely changed! It reminded me a lot about how the world, and even I, had changed in the past decade. More churches and buldings. After a traditional spanish lunch we were taken to Gaudi's play ground.</div><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steppin' on Dali</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaudi's Playground</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'OOTBALL!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The next day we headed to the Barca football field ('ootball!) and then given free time to roam around Barcelona, go shopping, and all that great stuff. The latinos ended up running around trying to find a place to eat and then really quickly buying souvenirs. The day ended with going to the Picasso museum which was an entire adventure within itself. The museum was interesting, a little less exciting than I thought it would be because it held most of his not very famous works. Something very interesting about Picasso is that his style digressed as he got older. The adventure part of the Picasso museum came when the bus group left and I was still in the gift shop. I immediately tried to run after them after I paid but no luck, gone. I had no phone, no contacts, nothing. I went to the gaurds of the museum where we started trying to find ways of getting in contact with the bus group. About thirty minutes later someone from the group came and picked me up! I was so grateful I knew how to speak Spanish because without that skill I have no idea how I would have managed. The next day was the saddest, it being the last. In the morning we left Barcelona and headed north, back to France. On our way back we stopped by the famous Dali museum, where the abstract is beautiful. That was one of my favorite museums that we visited, but once again we were givin too little time to actually enjoy it. Bus time... The kids from my district and I were dropped off at Narbonne to catch trains back home. Everyone from the trip came into the train station and bid us farewell, hugging and singing occured. We spent the time before getting on our trains talking about how much fun we had and how we would miss each other. That week was one of the best weeks I've had during this exchange, and that means something...<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifN4YdNcqQHvhyphenhyphenNoGiX37ei7ueLtHK1lI0E-3BEmXAONxExtVLoTMWwtg5lqzdK1T3Xf8nTBa8JRGfIuAUBONHTNr4HeZ37YJQDNrRobchy7hksaa2CgfpNz1Ol2fvSwUzWqdQ_vn-3bJC/s1600/IMG_2212.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifN4YdNcqQHvhyphenhyphenNoGiX37ei7ueLtHK1lI0E-3BEmXAONxExtVLoTMWwtg5lqzdK1T3Xf8nTBa8JRGfIuAUBONHTNr4HeZ37YJQDNrRobchy7hksaa2CgfpNz1Ol2fvSwUzWqdQ_vn-3bJC/s320/IMG_2212.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8M5o39R4n7YTZm3hoJwi6TQP5wRiBfBLaNqThKQ2x32F6ioH6fLORbIv1LWQFxjy7mBNnJw6bWOF93-Gdi2oHqnc9ugbrEiJq7Qh5spV86VDFm8qo2krL2ZDwZ8y3YVaaFZlkLQS974R/s1600/IMG_2142.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8M5o39R4n7YTZm3hoJwi6TQP5wRiBfBLaNqThKQ2x32F6ioH6fLORbIv1LWQFxjy7mBNnJw6bWOF93-Gdi2oHqnc9ugbrEiJq7Qh5spV86VDFm8qo2krL2ZDwZ8y3YVaaFZlkLQS974R/s320/IMG_2142.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-71601069953731793702012-03-10T23:51:00.002-08:002012-03-10T23:56:15.149-08:00Movie Review: "The Artist"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1kqkFc8Md-AtQNNJSvm21D2uyxOdQo_fcX9zIXE-_WfHyT7B4iPNiwDHDd-B3abMLJiFSpYHeI6lsPsactVGWRm1t2PtWeJ8wBGHYviJmyaYUpX2f_yVYW9p6bfpbvLNPOHHzjqjYR9x/s1600/tumblr_m0obq6HOvg1rqie0do1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN1kqkFc8Md-AtQNNJSvm21D2uyxOdQo_fcX9zIXE-_WfHyT7B4iPNiwDHDd-B3abMLJiFSpYHeI6lsPsactVGWRm1t2PtWeJ8wBGHYviJmyaYUpX2f_yVYW9p6bfpbvLNPOHHzjqjYR9x/s1600/tumblr_m0obq6HOvg1rqie0do1_500.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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I don't remember when exactly but I think it was the Summer of 2010, I saw a movie about the creation of Charlie Chaplin as an actor and his films. A few days after seeing the movie I asked my father why movies done in the old style (black and white/no sound) were never made any more? I thought it would be great to make and see such a film. Somewhere somebody listened because The Artist is just that, my prayers answered. This four Oscar-winning "silent" film is a French film with a majority of the cast being French. When the Oscars and Cesars (french equivalent of the Oscars, film prizes) rolled around it picked up everything it could, even Best Motion Picture Film. My host mom and I hadn't seen it yet and the movie theatre in town had brought it back for a few weeks even though it originally came out around six months ago. I decided to go, mostly skeptical about how good it actually is, whether it really deserves all those awards and whether or not I would get anxious just watching a silent film. I love films, even more in black and white (you see facial expressions better, there is a beautiful lighting style to play with in black and white films) but I wasn't sure I could go so long without hearing someone talk. The beginning of the film copied very well how older films did the title screen, slowly and calmly introducing us to the world of classical Hollywood. The music played a very important role in the film, becoming in a way the musical interpretation of the dialogue we were missing out on. But also, the silent parts of this movie were well arranged, added something incredible to the scenes. About ten minutes into the film we can hear our first big break from music, a ten second silence, and in that the tension mounts, worry comes to the actors faces, a type of agony comes from the audience from the lack of sound. And then it's restored with a beautiful piece of score. I've always weighed the importance of music and score in a movie as one of the most important aspects in the film viewing experience for myself. The Artist played well and did a good job imitating the type of sound and score from films made in the 1920's. So did the action and sight gags of the film. There was only one scene that didn't fit in with the rest of the movie to make the point of the changing styles in the 1920's and 30's where we could hear small actions, the sound of a glass being put on a table, the screeching of chairs. The movie, essentially, revolves around the evolution from silent films to talkies, the films with sound and dialogue we know today. There are two main characters, one a stubborn silent film star hesitant of this new move in cinema (Jean Dujardin) and the other a young budding actress who embraces the talkies and gains her fame from them (Bérénice Benjo). The struggle comes from their love interest and his own personal struggle to remain on top of the rolling ball that is cinema. Some scenes of this movie were metaphorical, something you don't get much in today's world because of the high amount of action and special effects. I was so happy to go a few hours without seening a complex special effect, which after some time becomes saturating. Anyways, as the characters evolve and change so does the actual foundations of the movie. This means talking.<br />
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I asked to my host mom her opinions on why The Artist had won so many awards in the U.S. , it being a french "silent" film. She essentially told me that it was because it made Americans think it was American. It copied itself so well that it fooled some people to thinking it was theirs, it came from their backyard. I could see why but it also shows the little people keep track of their favorite films/directors/creative content. Anyways, my personal opinion is that it was a nice tribute to the roots of modern cinema and it was needed to show that you don't need massive special effects and action scenes to be recognized. Some people may call it a de-evolution while I see it as maybe another building ground, a piece that reminds new creators that what worked in the past, the tugging of heart strings with old styles, can have the same effect on people now.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">La Fin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">p.s. I wrote this blogpost because of my love of film and also that it is a huge topic and honor for France and the French people. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Graphics and pictures can be found on Tumblr.com</div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-55455435008191837962012-03-10T07:57:00.000-08:002012-03-10T07:57:08.258-08:00Walk on the beach...This morning I was doing some homework for my french class and had to read an essay about how science decodes nature and how poetry makes it more complex. In the middle of answering a question on it I had the crazy idea of going to the beach. I grabbed my keys and headed for the door. In less than five minutes I was looking out into the mesmerizingly blue water. It amazed me the little number of people at the beach on such a sunny day, even though it was slightly chilly. I was part of ten people on that beach, some walked their dogs, others just sat on the sand soaking up the sun. I continued walking, calculating how many months I still had where at any moment on a weekend morning I could just walk to the waters edge and soak my feet. Some months in the future the closest mass of water near me will be the pond behind my house but I bet that won't feel as good as it does now, the salt water on my skin. The past few months have been the greatest in my life. I have met some of the most amazing and interesting and friendliest people in my life. Plus, I've discovered a lot about myself.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-66623183489926283872012-02-16T00:27:00.002-08:002012-02-16T00:27:33.428-08:00Feburary Vacations: Whole lotta running to do...So, it's vacation time again in France. One thing I really like about French schools is how many vacations we get, which is fair because we do have classes for longer school days. Anyways, I have several plans for this vacation which is happening in four stages. Stage 1 was going on a bus trip to Venice with a few of my classmates with a group from school. Stage 2 is currently happening, where I am taking a few days of to work on homework and just get some needed rest. Stage 3 begins this Friday where I will be heading for Toulouse where I have some Rotary foreign exchange friends that I'll meet with and just hang out in the city. On Sunday begins Stage 4 where I will go on a Rotary bust trip from Paris to Barcelona. So, yeah, the next week and a couple of days will be jammed pack with excitement. I'd like to just thank my Rotary Club here in France, Sète for paying for the trip to Venise and letting me enjoy my stay a lot more. Also a shout out to my club back in the States for giving me this oppurtunity. Below are some pictures from my trip to Venice that I hope you enjoy.<br />
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</div><div>-Sebastian</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZTR4pOMz_RcuI0RWaWSY9Eh6X4W2OfSFl1h6dEHhtd5JKkgmrF0zWB9qHJnKekIp87nKBRvFn7UN9hA3ERGbvyj_tFXvWpO2q8VJuNEMDA0iuvHxEU2Fa95bPjhzz-L5eWICVnm-bsUn/s1600/IMG_1885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZTR4pOMz_RcuI0RWaWSY9Eh6X4W2OfSFl1h6dEHhtd5JKkgmrF0zWB9qHJnKekIp87nKBRvFn7UN9hA3ERGbvyj_tFXvWpO2q8VJuNEMDA0iuvHxEU2Fa95bPjhzz-L5eWICVnm-bsUn/s400/IMG_1885.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and the guys</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbaal4bwKqGSKn-9yD7UZsvvXhtyozPRhBQ98N-8TwmUDDzrz648udCTDQ4Ww9Pgb08KZh6ky8JGlU5zllHtJzSjqB-kCz64hdi37XwBPOaLUfmh5_gLuVAZxSLeFu2LK2R58And_mhs0/s1600/IMG_1888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbaal4bwKqGSKn-9yD7UZsvvXhtyozPRhBQ98N-8TwmUDDzrz648udCTDQ4Ww9Pgb08KZh6ky8JGlU5zllHtJzSjqB-kCz64hdi37XwBPOaLUfmh5_gLuVAZxSLeFu2LK2R58And_mhs0/s400/IMG_1888.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random canal: The water looks weird but doesn't smell that much</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LcmwvZ8f45X_sF6hdvo3dYzI0AKeKlypvf49Ym_d0nHYh7HN9UakBmusfX54Ocm_2Hcth-0kV6vjBUplJjH3YWaeClJVkcFNp_TdoYnT43Pjy37ddaz9tjg0hhBvfI0EukmS1SuONO3B/s1600/IMG_1916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2LcmwvZ8f45X_sF6hdvo3dYzI0AKeKlypvf49Ym_d0nHYh7HN9UakBmusfX54Ocm_2Hcth-0kV6vjBUplJjH3YWaeClJVkcFNp_TdoYnT43Pjy37ddaz9tjg0hhBvfI0EukmS1SuONO3B/s400/IMG_1916.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queen of the Carnaval</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLPr9t0x_NF2MF6qTa5a0auTCrN9PIRJDJYykHxd2mDg9fii3JKPuV0i0nfWwKOk4RJNSHaa9jgsnHuLOW5_h2gC84JeYGGM_1deCHHoRLXivogZglUaBx3Fya1fwqeOQQfF6pS0KNqtY/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLPr9t0x_NF2MF6qTa5a0auTCrN9PIRJDJYykHxd2mDg9fii3JKPuV0i0nfWwKOk4RJNSHaa9jgsnHuLOW5_h2gC84JeYGGM_1deCHHoRLXivogZglUaBx3Fya1fwqeOQQfF6pS0KNqtY/s400/IMG_1947.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Real italian pizza!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8pS29KYN66J8SBgQnQCesIF-8Oi8OFxf7TgRE-avngnI1481RonKvslrrb-6c2ulN5qk_05EjeA3Rpcc2GCFv02tvgYyB4t0VSa0kXsu_kmy45zqyEYVi5PZyPk9ieoxNf7JL7x1dAiU/s1600/IMG_1950.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8pS29KYN66J8SBgQnQCesIF-8Oi8OFxf7TgRE-avngnI1481RonKvslrrb-6c2ulN5qk_05EjeA3Rpcc2GCFv02tvgYyB4t0VSa0kXsu_kmy45zqyEYVi5PZyPk9ieoxNf7JL7x1dAiU/s400/IMG_1950.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and some italian scotsman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIL44tfjbbrBf9iNIpTeCGN92k-WmqgSZgQtC5fEtJPTe6hIC3DBO-LLiotIb1oCxk7PjSaN9yw696w2Cx06s5nNo3khaTNXumqJgkPQKRUiEg_exdK3N7IvtOmMM6eripn0nUaMle2rP/s1600/IMG_1953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbIL44tfjbbrBf9iNIpTeCGN92k-WmqgSZgQtC5fEtJPTe6hIC3DBO-LLiotIb1oCxk7PjSaN9yw696w2Cx06s5nNo3khaTNXumqJgkPQKRUiEg_exdK3N7IvtOmMM6eripn0nUaMle2rP/s400/IMG_1953.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just found this one kinda funny</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTs_ZZg7u0Bgig8ECzMTOHBLFYtSD7wqaUgRn97zZ1FgNKWONUFvbjLVIniDN3XcXIgvP9jkgk5SBaIWUcGX3Ubk0PWJMul0czNAfJi6f3qFXkVUKl0X4EfpmBDPKkNJu-biZHhvLe7r-v/s1600/IMG_1956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTs_ZZg7u0Bgig8ECzMTOHBLFYtSD7wqaUgRn97zZ1FgNKWONUFvbjLVIniDN3XcXIgvP9jkgk5SBaIWUcGX3Ubk0PWJMul0czNAfJi6f3qFXkVUKl0X4EfpmBDPKkNJu-biZHhvLe7r-v/s400/IMG_1956.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful costumes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTja3g9lTEdRiLik4UZZ7DnrKhlUUTRPkJk1ZZ1U7QabsTs2VYi15vn5y95AOk66_LUm5bgqhyphenhyphenLPNhXwdERvSaCW4dkr0BBiAbfnCpqazVwZrT1RZeoo-uJqR9stFuq_Y3IYmurayaw0Nl/s1600/IMG_1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTja3g9lTEdRiLik4UZZ7DnrKhlUUTRPkJk1ZZ1U7QabsTs2VYi15vn5y95AOk66_LUm5bgqhyphenhyphenLPNhXwdERvSaCW4dkr0BBiAbfnCpqazVwZrT1RZeoo-uJqR9stFuq_Y3IYmurayaw0Nl/s400/IMG_1965.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Verona !</td></tr>
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</div><div>More pictures to come in a holiday wrap-up blogpost...</div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-87635592856430220432012-02-05T10:29:00.000-08:002012-02-05T10:29:48.893-08:00Still here!So this is going to be a quick picture post. I'll be moving a lot soon, during the Feburary vacations I will be going to Venice on a school bus trip, then I'll go see some foreign exchange student friends in Toulouse and finish up the holiday with a bus trip from Paris to Barcelona!<br />
Here are some pictures from the past few months!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADxwHv3e46i2cd-9f5D4jKdOwpkGANoiYjhAXIUif3K83QD6P2tQc79T54eHHZ8mbMrWRDbQhhX33Ary_ZJ5l9U1MRAenOt6YhN5bZ67gNNeX8TkhhHjsvhoQ7ExmKiB3ZzwzB0DlXeHk/s1600/IMG_0943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhADxwHv3e46i2cd-9f5D4jKdOwpkGANoiYjhAXIUif3K83QD6P2tQc79T54eHHZ8mbMrWRDbQhhX33Ary_ZJ5l9U1MRAenOt6YhN5bZ67gNNeX8TkhhHjsvhoQ7ExmKiB3ZzwzB0DlXeHk/s320/IMG_0943.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London Town! I've got a bunch of pictures from this trip but this is certainly one of the best!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwKBqczVFlHuTYEKFxJpMFclmubi0NW_mcn5YD59Iu8EUCLjAzIMsEXCV74F_h9tdvDdRHXaDTFDAHqLRss2B-idxm1sk3qzkc0UiATvp4yxlHYFhzsro7Io-4jxSIuPNemv1bLyPRLH2/s1600/IMG_1012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXwKBqczVFlHuTYEKFxJpMFclmubi0NW_mcn5YD59Iu8EUCLjAzIMsEXCV74F_h9tdvDdRHXaDTFDAHqLRss2B-idxm1sk3qzkc0UiATvp4yxlHYFhzsro7Io-4jxSIuPNemv1bLyPRLH2/s320/IMG_1012.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every tourist does this. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning market on Wednesday a two weeks before Christmas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My walk to school.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB3c5P6SPQVQJbm8-f1X8J8m2zegEPYfGmIIeRwBjgIba87hxkvCFMgAdBmddRc-TYOCXzUoBJw4PhL1G1yGlz6CRUhlLAkbL-zqQyLek4Imn6s3SA5TubM0HBXmmbHQ0rOe0Z5wSWSwT/s1600/IMG_1459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuB3c5P6SPQVQJbm8-f1X8J8m2zegEPYfGmIIeRwBjgIba87hxkvCFMgAdBmddRc-TYOCXzUoBJw4PhL1G1yGlz6CRUhlLAkbL-zqQyLek4Imn6s3SA5TubM0HBXmmbHQ0rOe0Z5wSWSwT/s320/IMG_1459.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1er STG: My classmates </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLq-7A3R02PK9PyYx5w-4jp2ovkksl7xYokWvJg93EFVRYodSDYmrTXyplxbqsIV3G5MpE-0UC1CkcgaNP1k3PpzQ3DmXNVpJ-1mm39nXWbHWFgOndIP8sP6O8kE-pC7d5VDfmBMORlNo/s1600/IMG_1719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLq-7A3R02PK9PyYx5w-4jp2ovkksl7xYokWvJg93EFVRYodSDYmrTXyplxbqsIV3G5MpE-0UC1CkcgaNP1k3PpzQ3DmXNVpJ-1mm39nXWbHWFgOndIP8sP6O8kE-pC7d5VDfmBMORlNo/s320/IMG_1719.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me next to a wine barrel in a church converted into a wine storage building. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zBhttn3FkQOxNRXhxdQ0UIiuxicoOSfHPYlplnww8x2ddtYPV9q-5SaZhSadTKOXXonTI3lf7sGHldq7ask-PZ2UOo6Se3COLVEefsSe5qHP540BWtv57GqjEu3ThKS0RW5O72a7FQi9/s1600/IMG_1750.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zBhttn3FkQOxNRXhxdQ0UIiuxicoOSfHPYlplnww8x2ddtYPV9q-5SaZhSadTKOXXonTI3lf7sGHldq7ask-PZ2UOo6Se3COLVEefsSe5qHP540BWtv57GqjEu3ThKS0RW5O72a7FQi9/s320/IMG_1750.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of my host sisters and I in a chimeny in a monastery near by.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwj1-LNR7bObqbQE7nQPLCggD1D8relYCsbnr3x2Xt3v6gDAC65pL5zwyUtYkkHi2G9iUBB_jEDYC02jGA5tdVIp0pOGNvXYHdyRF380w1FRo3ta5WB3ZCiPr_IpdO-13yvglM-ylzxm80/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwj1-LNR7bObqbQE7nQPLCggD1D8relYCsbnr3x2Xt3v6gDAC65pL5zwyUtYkkHi2G9iUBB_jEDYC02jGA5tdVIp0pOGNvXYHdyRF380w1FRo3ta5WB3ZCiPr_IpdO-13yvglM-ylzxm80/s320/IMG_1755.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stained glass window I thought looked cool.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-52055398653446080072012-01-01T06:59:00.000-08:002012-01-01T06:59:12.292-08:002012Bonne année! Maintenant c'est 2012!<br />
So, I took the last few hours of 2011 thinking about the year as a whole and what I look forward to in 2012 and I want to share a few of my thoughts with you!<br />
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2011: A Cultural Odyssey<br />
The past year has been a good one, I have to say! Even excluding my exchange it was a pretty successful year. I learned a lot about myself as a person by learning about others. I made new friends and even better friends with those I had. I took some of the most interesting classes I had ever taken at school, teaching me more about the human mind, society, how we see (and honor) those before us, and how we are essentially a society built on the shoulders of giants. My family helped me a lot through many things such as getting started for this exchange. But the biggest thing I think I learned about the past year was to say "thank you". That simple phrase (that in french is "merci") can take you around the world and back. The trick is to learn to use it. Help has come to me from places I would have never imagined through out 2011 and I sometimes feel like I haven't said it enough. I want to thank my family for everything, literally everything! Thanks to my teachers in the U.S. (et en France) for always believing in me. Thanks to Rotary (especially Kevin Baiotto, Tim Laffoon, and the Kirksville Thousand Hills Rotary Club), that without them this adventure would not have been possible. Also, thanks to the Rotexes, Rotarians, and other exchange students I met at the 2011 Outbound Camp! Even though I say it every day, I want to thank my host families for having the most patience and interest I have ever seen in a group of people. Also, to my class here in France (1ere STG, Lycée St. Joseph), together we laughed and learned our way through the first trimester of school!<br />
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2012: A Cultural Odyssey 2 (The Expected Sequel)<br />
My adventures in France are not over and I am grateful for that every day! I still have a lot to learn, about myself, the language and the culture! I don't usually make resolutions for the New Year but this year I hope to make a few changes in my life such as writing every day in French, like a journal. Also, reading more in general. (Another one is writing more often on this blog, I still have a lot of posts that I owe you guys discussing the culture, food, my trips, etc.)<br />
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Well, I hope you have a wonderful beginning to this new year and that your 2012 is full of prosperity and joy!Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-18160227784323039702011-12-16T12:58:00.000-08:002011-12-16T13:00:21.238-08:00FRANCE: DistancesTraveling usually teaches you about geography and different perceptions of distances. I've discovered French people have a much different idea of a long car ride than Americans. Lately I went to Google Maps to explore a little, see how far away from things I am and learn a little about my current place in this wonderful country.<br />
These are some of my discoveries:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlVjPiN011tNo0xstc5Y9SMR-9V_t2EdIH-DG7XKKosPM90Smhb1gScO7jBEaHaJicua093507jjgYFNC1mKBmXqu2nFzUpMVA6cpo9M6wxv7v7qkdsEEr24LAmYEWn0rfFRPEmHZk4B1/s1600/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.33.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxlVjPiN011tNo0xstc5Y9SMR-9V_t2EdIH-DG7XKKosPM90Smhb1gScO7jBEaHaJicua093507jjgYFNC1mKBmXqu2nFzUpMVA6cpo9M6wxv7v7qkdsEEr24LAmYEWn0rfFRPEmHZk4B1/s640/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.33.31+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How far I am from Middle of Nowhere, Missouri (aka Kirksville)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmhO9YAFZ-1nxrundvqTFJUEiCfGxB1kitR6i3WvaMrKFDz9DSebz45sA-FFntFchE0Zm-X7dk-sDNd_AMtnvbmOFyTXByJEdPMC9bcuC4Khx6Hz2GHe-9G1WQs_hARpnOjYwtlMNt_PD/s1600/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.33.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmhO9YAFZ-1nxrundvqTFJUEiCfGxB1kitR6i3WvaMrKFDz9DSebz45sA-FFntFchE0Zm-X7dk-sDNd_AMtnvbmOFyTXByJEdPMC9bcuC4Khx6Hz2GHe-9G1WQs_hARpnOjYwtlMNt_PD/s320/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.33.47+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeu5WKIZDKZrr7nN7AFtGcP2oi40UR1WD1mOenHdZGsaAga3A1Du-YKdc1FYhqFawF6WOs04ad19jY7orGo72KjnshQatv5YU4wJHCMyzMspnvH7NleM9sjr1KyoIeAiGKGgDa_U9aCKp/s1600/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.32.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjeu5WKIZDKZrr7nN7AFtGcP2oi40UR1WD1mOenHdZGsaAga3A1Du-YKdc1FYhqFawF6WOs04ad19jY7orGo72KjnshQatv5YU4wJHCMyzMspnvH7NleM9sjr1KyoIeAiGKGgDa_U9aCKp/s400/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.32.08+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had no idea I was so close to Mordor. Oh, Google Maps...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmhO9YAFZ-1nxrundvqTFJUEiCfGxB1kitR6i3WvaMrKFDz9DSebz45sA-FFntFchE0Zm-X7dk-sDNd_AMtnvbmOFyTXByJEdPMC9bcuC4Khx6Hz2GHe-9G1WQs_hARpnOjYwtlMNt_PD/s1600/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.33.47+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzELJKt1QbJRlJ4dbdTHqxpIckt_IPuW-g-eAu5IOXaS92lsk4s2fs4fvWi3Ipeu-qSgJxwvbgv7suvqpy1Y_rHSr5B_bHMCKAJZep-QwvEoUonUtPAhVMMQHbVEsGAMpq4T9NbUWsXAmN/s1600/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.32.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzELJKt1QbJRlJ4dbdTHqxpIckt_IPuW-g-eAu5IOXaS92lsk4s2fs4fvWi3Ipeu-qSgJxwvbgv7suvqpy1Y_rHSr5B_bHMCKAJZep-QwvEoUonUtPAhVMMQHbVEsGAMpq4T9NbUWsXAmN/s320/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.32.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAyDJ_7lEABKd4PoI0FKu5T_DgMFFbLatNdgmxr8BFkCpjbFcEJNkKwDiKbOTQGvGBGwnQNZ6ZsXr2LFRE8IPp0hMez3eJinhucdSQQ-LP8GsR-yMN3BZg9k7pmTAn7dJ-6C4z4Ti4VyM/s1600/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.35.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAyDJ_7lEABKd4PoI0FKu5T_DgMFFbLatNdgmxr8BFkCpjbFcEJNkKwDiKbOTQGvGBGwnQNZ6ZsXr2LFRE8IPp0hMez3eJinhucdSQQ-LP8GsR-yMN3BZg9k7pmTAn7dJ-6C4z4Ti4VyM/s400/Capture+d%25E2%2580%2599e%25CC%2581cran+2011-12-16+a%25CC%2580+9.35.06+PM.png" width="303" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How far I am from one of the most famous cities in the world. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How far I am from the beautiful city I will be visiting in about two-three months!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had no idea Narnia was in Australia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought Hogwarts was in Scotland. Guess I was wrong.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cosmic distances are a lot closer than I could have ever imagined.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London town! I gotta go back there some day...</td></tr>
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Note: Point A is Poussan, the small town outside of Sete where I am currently living with my second host family. I got to school in Sete.<br />
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Thank you for taking the time to read this! Also, thanks to Rotary for sending me on this great adventure!Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-88200296948870549572011-11-30T09:57:00.000-08:002011-11-30T09:57:28.424-08:00FRANCE!: The Great Perhaps This blogpost is not really about my exchange, it's more about some ideas that I've been pondering and answering a question.<br />
<br />
So, I want to explain the title of this blog. I've gotten questions before on it and just want to clear things up. The name of this blog comes from the supposed (there are several accounts) last words of François Rabelais. He was a writer and is still studied today in French school because of different philosophical ideas his novels dealed with. The supposed last words he said to be "I go to seek a Great Perhaps" or un grand peut-être. I first learned about this when I read a book by the title of <i>Looking for Alaska </i>by John Green. In this book the main character decides to go to a boarding school because he didn't want to wait until he was on his own deathbed to go looking for his Great Perhaps. I found this idea fascinating and it was one of the things that actually motivated me to do this exchange. I don't want to miss out on an experience like this because it is really interesting in the way that one discovers a lot about themselves. I have learned some interesting things about myself, some good and some not so good. No one is perfect but we can work to be better so I do like seeing my faults because now I can try to change that as best as I possibly can. I find this as being part of finding my Great Perhaps, even though the definition of that phrase is not very clear. It can mean several things for different people but for me it means is an internal search that comes from an external difference. Learning from myself is what leads me to this thing. It's hard to explain but it's an important idea I thought about when I decided to be part of this program. Well, that's it, I hope this was intersting because it is for me. So, I shall continue my search for the Great Perhaps...Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-42992338028676834492011-11-29T12:49:00.000-08:002011-12-01T08:58:19.487-08:00FRANCE: The LanguageThis is a short topic post just about the French language and how I've been progressing. But first, an update! Everything has been going well for me, we are starting a new trimester at my lycée and I'm actually really excited. Now that I have a better understanding of the language I am hoping for my grades to get better. My classmates are really nice and I am enjoying school so much because of the people there. My second host family and I are doing well. I am starting to talk more at home about little things like differences between families here and the U.S., movies, pretty much anything. But it's taken a while thanks to the language and my little knowledge of it. Let me start from the beginning...<br />
So when I started high school I began taking French class. I took that class for two years and in the few months here I forgot and relearned practically everything (plus more!). It sounds weird saying I forgot it all but when I got here nothing, and I mean nothing, sounded like the French I had heard in class. A language in a classroom is boxed in, a bubble of dated vocabulary and grammar. Sure, teachers try to update their courses but since living languages are just that, living, they change and grow every day. Example: Some time ago I used the word "barbant" to say boring and my host mom told me that only really elderly people still use that word yet that is what we were taught in school. I've started to pick up more of the slang and modern grammatical structures which involve shortening sentences. I understand the language more and more each day since I listen and read it every day. I love French as a language because of how it sounds, where even boring sentences can have the rythem of poetry. I had a discussion a little while ago with my host father about how songs in English can litterally sound and be about anything while in French you have to be very careful with the rhyming scheme which limits it. Still, I am amazed by French songs and have been introduced to more of it through out my living with this second host family because my host father plays guitar and is a real music lover.<br />
Another thing about the language is it's formal and informal states. Formal is usually used with older people you don't know or higher persons (either in school, work, institutions like that) while informal is used among friends or people around your age. Crossing this over at times can be a huge insult so it's very important for me to keep an eye on how I'm talking depending who I am with.<br />
Like I said, I'm speaking more and that means the more mistakes I am making (and learning to do). It's a good learning process. One thing that has really gotten to me is the French pronunciation of the letter "r" in most words. I have spent a lot of time in the past week trying to pronounce the word "arbre" (tree) and still can't do it. My classmates and I usually have a good laugh at this everyday but I continue practicing, hopefully getting closer to saying it correctly each time.<br />
Well, as my exchange goes and my knowledge of the language grows I will update on how it's going and different interesting things about French. One lesson this exchange has taught me already is the importance of communication and how to become better at it. First you have to have a want to be understood, which is a want understood by pretty much all of humanity. The need of being understood is what drives our daily actions and our conversations every day. It's what drives me to get better at this new language.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-56771710433073292512011-11-12T23:20:00.000-08:002011-11-12T23:20:09.360-08:00FRANCE: Two months and counting...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2Zv58YsWeAKXybw9L1rt4Ncu5ClvnQa3JW2F-3UpetnoO1iKXpBTds2Y1q9KNgWIpzRfU1uKbMjZakhAdYMaAb4AapxBeJyLkmjQ4304Rqx4n5p1bqTWMr9NHoeIE7BCoHwrmu9gAMvZ/s1600/661px-Tielle_setoise_haut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW2Zv58YsWeAKXybw9L1rt4Ncu5ClvnQa3JW2F-3UpetnoO1iKXpBTds2Y1q9KNgWIpzRfU1uKbMjZakhAdYMaAb4AapxBeJyLkmjQ4304Rqx4n5p1bqTWMr9NHoeIE7BCoHwrmu9gAMvZ/s200/661px-Tielle_setoise_haut.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tielle</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, I'm already two months into this exchange and I haven't written a blogpost! I actually have started writing several posts, got distracted, and never finished. But this time it's different! I'm going to give a short summary of the past two (crazy!) months. I will later do more themed posts about French culture, school, trips I've been on, things like that. So, I'll start with the initial feelings I had when I came to France. When I arrived at Charles De Gualle with a group of around 50 other exchange students emotions were running high. It was as if we had made it, finished are long journey yet it was only the beginning. Everyone looked around, wide-eyed, making sure they didn't miss a second of their first day in France. I spent most of this time worrying about my luggage and trying to see if they were going to be on the plane to Montpelier with me (the airline told me yes but when I got to Montpelier... Surprise! not there). I like to describe that first day as sorta being thrown into the middle of a foreign film with the subtitles turned off. I tried to listen to what was happening around me, recognize words but nothing came to me. It was as if I had an idea of the movies plot but didn't really know any of the characters or what they were talking about. Thanks to the French Rotarians everyone met up with their families or were sent on their way to the different terminals spreading us wide and far all around France. I met up with a friend from Outbound Camp who was headed on the same plane to Montpelier because are towns are pretty close to each other. We got on the plane, it landed (late), my bags didn't arrive, found my host family and headed for the beautiful city o</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">f Sete (I still haven't figure out how to write out the accent but there is one over the first e). Seriously, it was the most beautiful day to arrive in France because there wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was really nice and warm, summer was still in full swing. As soon as I got to my first host families home they fed me traditional food from Sete, the tielle. Man, after eating really bad airlpane food this was so heavenly. For the first week I think I ate meat twice because the diet here is mostly centered around fish since there it is a port town. I've had the best fish in my life here, also the bread! I'll dedicate a post later on to food because there is so much to talk about when it comes to french cuisine. Well, right after lunch I slept for a few hours, trying to get used to the humid heat of the coast. This is a lot of what I did the first few days in France, trying to catch up on sleep and getting rid of the jet lag. My host family took me to a few museums and exhibits, a tour of Sete, made me really happy to be here and got me more acquainted with the culture. School started about a week and a half later. The first few days were really rough because of how large the language barrier was. I'm not perfect in French yet or anything but I've learned so much in the past two months that I sometimes surprise myself. One thing that I find fascinating is how much a foreign exchange is centered around communication, the want and need to be understood by others. As humans we try to get others to understand our situations and who we are but when you are on exchange you have to add the need of trying to be understood in the simple ways saying short sentences your not exactly sure how to pronounce. I can understand a lot of French now but still have those moments everyday when I have no idea what people are talking about. Those are getting less frequent, at least. Let's see, after about a week of school Rotary held a weekend meeting for the exchange students in my district in the town of Cahors. There I met a bunch of students from around the world who are staying here in the the more southeastern part of France. Really fun weekend full of canoeing, laughs, and very interesting conversations. Two other big news, I went to London and I am now staying with my second host family. London was really cool (I'll write a blog about it soon enough, hopefully) and it was really nice of my first host parents to invite me to go and show me around the city! And yes, I am currently with my second host family. I will have two host families here in France and I will be changing every few months between them. Both of my host families have been really nice and understanding of me and the things that go with being on exchange. And now I shall go because it's morning and I have a report to write in French to do. I'll try to write more often from now on, maybe a post every week about a specific topic and how everything is going in general. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Au revoir!</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Sebastian</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhuwBmQythIK9rccFQeRVhMjRXMY5POQNkNdJwJPtM4kbY9l8NugC7bKSAYyyISH1CLKMUh2dRSFrpjcrLKX1SRxBHqXIkxyi0DSwmLyO-u-E1vikm_KvtMsdoa01IwCRrqMboh9OhbF-/s1600/IMG_0358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhuwBmQythIK9rccFQeRVhMjRXMY5POQNkNdJwJPtM4kbY9l8NugC7bKSAYyyISH1CLKMUh2dRSFrpjcrLKX1SRxBHqXIkxyi0DSwmLyO-u-E1vikm_KvtMsdoa01IwCRrqMboh9OhbF-/s200/IMG_0358.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up in the air...</td></tr>
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</span></span>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-78861767502018259192011-08-23T04:23:00.000-07:002011-08-23T04:23:02.495-07:00Before France #3:I've been meaning to write a post lately but have been busy with packing and all that lately. I am currently listening to Abbey Road as I wait for my flight from Kansas City to D.C. to start boarding. No other RYE students around but I'll see some at D.C. I bet. Everything has gone well up to this point, except I am a bit mad about only getting three or four hours of sleep. It would have been nice to get a little more. I'll take a nap on the plane hopefully. This is a little more rambling than my usual blog posts mostly because I have to kill the time. I could read and practice my French but I have a five hour lay over in D.C. to do that plus most of the flight from there to Paris. I seriously can't wait to get to France tomorrow! I am a little nervous and anxious about the whole experience but that's normal. Expect to hear more from me soon!<br />
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SebastianSebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-24482801963645233242011-07-10T18:57:00.000-07:002011-07-10T18:57:13.028-07:00Before France #2: The Art of LeavingI've been thinking a lot lately about my exchange, trying to get my visa, and all that. I'm also trying to start a relationship with my first host family. All of this has made me think about leaving. Just the act of picking up a suitcase and not coming back for a long time. I, as I'm sure many people that are my age, have had this dream of taking a backpack full of one's prized possessions and leaving. Leaving your house, family, friends, your whole life. I don't know why but it's always a feeling I've had, since I was a small kid. I want to always keep moving, sort of like a shark. In the movie Up In The Air there is a line that goes: "The slower we move the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living." I feel this to be true. If you're not moving forward, you're not doing anything at all. I really like being in airports for this reason, the mystique that surrounds a place where people are always moving, going forward. These people move in straight lines, an orderly fashion most of the time, trying to be as efficient as possible. All these lives and stories gathering in one location but very few are shared. This all amazes me, but it's just a way to romanticize travel.<br />
I've been living in the United States for almost eleven years and as my exchange approaches I see it as my next big move. Eleven years ago I came to a country whose language I did not know how to speak, who had different customs, and didn't really have anything I really wanted. I was moving with my parents because of course they aren't going to leave me and they saw this move as a game changer, the same thing millions of other immigrants have dreamed America to be. In about a year I learned the language, the culture, and how to enjoy myself here. But in recent years I've been getting anxious, it's been way too long since I've felt completely out of place, not knowing anything about anything. I feel that if I get too comfortable I will never achieve things I want to do. So I see this exchange as my big game changer, my chance to redo everything I did a few years ago but this time with a job and minus the parents. My job is to be an ambassador, and I like that. It gives me a purpose, a reason to be there. I know more French than I knew English when I moved here, so thats a plus. There is another feeling in me, one that enjoys that I now can manage myself very well in the U.S. Almost my whole family has moved to the U.S., all my friends are here, and a lot of good things happened in the past year. This year was a good year because I feel like I finally know what I'm doing. But then will come that fateful day that I leave all of this behind, this control that has taken me almost ten years to learn, and I like that. I am moving forward, knowing that there are rough roads ahead of me. I can't wait. For most of my friends and schoolmates it seems that they see my leaving as if I were falling off the face of the Earth for a year and then coming back. Some of them have expressed a want to do a foreign exchange but there are things stopping them from doing it. Family, friends, and school. They don't want to have to go through rough times without their families and friends. They are also afraid of falling back in school, and I don't blame them. As I'm doing all of these things to get ready to leave all of this comes to mind. I think this is why foreign exchange students mature four years in the year of their exchange. We leave the safety and comfort of our regular lives in search of something new, each with their reasons. For some it's to learn the language, other's to see the world outside of their hometown. For me it's the urge to keep on moving, to see life in as many ways as I possibly can before I can do it no longer. I want to learn as many languages as I can, experience as many cultures as possible, and see as many extraordinary places that people could only imagine. I know it's going to be tough and there will be times I will want to come back but that's all part of the experience, right? It's getting through all that that seems to make the experience enjoyable, which I have gathered from listening to the Rotex's stories about their exchanges. As the date of my departure approaches the mix of happiness and fear becomes greater. I see leaving no longer as an action, but art. A thing that is done sometimes with little knowledge of it's subject or where it's headed but after it's all said and done, you step back. You look at the thing you've created, the person you've become. And you smile.Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5442774965048172892.post-20938576016959156802011-06-23T19:48:00.000-07:002011-06-23T19:48:35.509-07:00Before France: An Announcement and Outbound Camp<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bonjour! Hello, mes amis! Comment-allez vous? So, a couple of months ago it was revealed to me that I would be going to S</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">ète, France! Soon after the announcement I went to Google to see where this place was in France and what it looked like. Then I saw this picture:</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1X8DrKxTJ3JFBGUVfpJigV2Vt9Gi-21j_hxDLocL_4YkBMvNSDp1kOQMq5hm3xisE6cVEY40Znj9z-joGY0mx-imeh0ClD8Ol-t3zgfWGTGYJrwlOLcH4pAp5mSclv4o-FL54WTYNBqPs/s1600/vue-aerienne-sete-olivier-maynard-2035-210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1X8DrKxTJ3JFBGUVfpJigV2Vt9Gi-21j_hxDLocL_4YkBMvNSDp1kOQMq5hm3xisE6cVEY40Znj9z-joGY0mx-imeh0ClD8Ol-t3zgfWGTGYJrwlOLcH4pAp5mSclv4o-FL54WTYNBqPs/s320/vue-aerienne-sete-olivier-maynard-2035-210.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I almost had a heart attack because this place looks so awesome! My excitement for the Rotary Youth Exchange program skyrocketed. For those of you who don't know, I was born on a small island called Puerto Rico. My earliest memories are of me at the beach. I was so excited when I found out that the beach is but a five minute walk away from my host family's home! But this isn't all fun and games. I'm currently working to get my visa so I can stay in France and practicing the language. I've had two years of French class and I know that is far from being enough to master the language. A few months ago I met a French person who was visiting my town and I stopped dead, forgetting how to say what time it was. I'm getting rusty about things that I learned less than a year ago! So, finally, I'm trying to get some needed practice (reading newspapers and listening to music, all in French). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Recently I went to Rotary Youth Exchange Outbound Camp in Edmond, Oklahoma. I met so many awesome people who next year will do similar but extremely different treks than I will (confusing, I know). The uniting factor between all of us is that we all will be departing places (for some of us it's our home, and for others it's just a place to eat and sleep) and living in a new world outside of the United States of America for a year. I find this to be incredible, that there are others like me who are crazy enough to take a year from their lives and dedicate it to learning a new language and culture. In the few days we had at camp we learned so many things, preparing us to go all our separate ways. We also became a family there, one family who shared laughter and tears. This whole experience made my exchange seem more real in my eyes, reminding me it's just around the corner...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As my exchange gets closer and closer, the more real it becomes. Instead of this fantasy that I've had for the past few years it is becoming tangible. This both frightens and excites me. I'm happy to have both feelings because they balance each other out, hopefully making my eyes more open about this whole experience. Well, I shall continue reading <i>Le Monde. </i>Au revoir!</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
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</span></span></div></div>Sebastianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09297962501288802448noreply@blogger.com0