Guys!

My French is definitely getting better. I’m able to string sentences together and people can understand. Of course, I repeat the same collection of words a lot, but every day, I fill in gaps where I used to say English words, with new French words.  I am also pleased to tell you that my French-English dictionary is getting an indicative workout. The pages are getting grubbier and they don’t sit together perfectly like they did. I have been using it a lot this week during class to find verbs. Since Sally and Colleen told me about verbs and all the rules, I have kind of become a little obsessed about understanding how they work so I can use them in sentences. There are 4 types of regular verbs the ones that end in ER, IR, and RE and... I can’t remember the last one...

So these regular verbs e.g. “manger” (to eat) are altered in 6 different ways to suit 6 different contexts. I eat (je mange), you eat (tu manges), he/she eats (il/elle mange), we eat (nous mangeons), you (plural) eat (vous mongez), and they eat (mangent). We just stick ‘eat’ at the end of them all but they don’t... the complicate everything! So these endings apply to all the other regular ER verbs, but that is all I have focused on so far. I don’t know if the other regular IR an RE verbs are altered the same way... if not, then I have to learn 4 different sets of 6 different endings...

 And then there are the irregular verbs that.... don’t get me started.  But I feel like I am definitely progressing.

So last time I wrote to you I can’t remember if it was before or after dinner on Saturday night, but just to remind you I was at my host grandparents house and it was definitely before breakfast or lunch the next day. Their names are Maurice and jenee. So the English equivalents are Morris and Jenny. I think I ate more in that 2 days then I have all week! You already know about the 4 awesome flavoured gigantic pizzas and then the apple pie and ice cream, but because Julie and Jean and I were still awake at 12... We went back for more pizza. Breakfast was croissants and raisin de pains, and lunch was a huge selection of cured meats (salami prosciutto etc), 4 different varieties of olives, bread, salad and cheese. Yummy.  That was simply delicious and I was proud of myself because I didn’t gorge it all down... Oh wait, here comes Jenee with a large tray with roast meat (pork? I can’t remember), gravy, and some oven baked potatoes with cream. Ok, I guess I can squeeze it in... 20 minutes later, I am struggling to walk up the stairs. Not to mention that this house has 5 separate levels:

1.       There is downstairs on the ground floor with kitchen no. 1 and a dining room. I didn’t go through the whole house I don’t know what else is down there.

2.       Level 2 is the second kitchen, smaller dining room and main lounge room with the TV. The back was is completely glass so you can look out on the back garden. There is also a toilet, the main entry room, front door etc.

3.       Level 3 is their bedroom and im guessing other rooms too? Again, I didn’t explore!

4.        Then there in the 4^th floor which is where i slept. There was an on-suite off my room. And then a bathroom next to that too. Then the room at the end is this big open space with again, a glass wall to look at the garden... from above.

5.        Only the next day did i realise there is a nifty step-ladder leading to the loft which is another classy bedroom.

So yes, there you have it... the grandparents crib. However something had to connect all these floors up and that would be the nifty staircase..(see below)

Sorry I am not done talking about the food. By the time we had gotten back up to level two and settled into our electric devices in the lounge room (with marble floors) – Julie and i on our laptop and Jean on His play-station – Jenee arrives with a Pavlova with hardened toffee drizzled over the top, literally floating on a sea of vanilla syrup/custard/stuff (it’s name translated to floating... something)... how could I not squeeze this in also? It would have been rude right!? Yeh, that’s my excuse... and it, was delicious.

Schools had been good as always! yada yada. I’m going out for sushi with a girl is my class – Chloe. She’s so lovely.

I went shopping yesterday afternoon too... again. I kind of had an epiphany. In Australia, some of you know how I liked to dress – a little eccentric. Anyway, before I came to France I thought, “I will dress the way the French dress!” and abandoned my current fashion. Everything I decided to bring I’d either never wore before or it was so plain and boring that a pot-plant could wear it and no one would blink an eyelid. Not to mention I bought a pair of thermal tights for$160 which a literally as warm as a regular pair of tight.... actually, there are quite a few packing regrets that I have so I’ll make a list to put it into perspective for me and you.

Danikas packing regrets:

1.       Bought a pair of $160 tights before I left that are not worth $160 DOLLARS. WHAT WAS I THINKING (mum should definitely cop some blame though... love you mum xx).  

2.       Bought a pair of black Levi’s for $120 before I left... and now I don’t like them coz they’re to loose and don’t make me look very attractive (I HATE IMPULE PURCHASES)...

3.       Packed clothes I got as a hand-me-down a week before I left and had never worn them out.

4.       Didn’t pack my favourite clothes.

5.       Didn’t back a leather or denim jacket.

6.       I rock up to France and decide to go shopping before i observed the current fashion properly.

7.       Spent $300... And am stoked for a day! Until I regret it ( can i just say that i went mad and bought everything because I actually just wanted to get out of the shop. I was scared. People were talking to me and I didn’t understand. “You like?”... “Um, yes...” “You take?” (AHHHH) “Ok”... And now I have lots of clothes I’m not sure about.... for a woman, I can’t shop to well. Don’t get me wrong, some items are great and I love them. But yew, not my finest moment.

So anyway, all this tragedy had got me feeling pretty low, and then I realised (the epiphany I mentioned earlier) that I miss dressing the way I do in Australia, so I went out shopping yesterday determined to only buy cloths I loved, and that were super-cheap. And now I’m happy. I’d still love it if mum posted over my denim and leather jacket (mum? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge :P).  

There’s a carnival in town just down the road so Julie jean and I and julie’s friend went to it last night. Not sure why, but we went on the dodge ‘em cars 5 times and we got smashed... I got a cut in my shit where I hit the front if the frame of the car, and a bruise on my right knee (I honestly don’t bruise easily). And my thigh muscle is reacting so badly that my leg gave way twice today. T’was a little embarrassing.

I’m exhausted just writing this blog, so that is all. Love everyone lots! X

Now for the photos:

The glorious staircase in my host grandparents house.

just an indicater of how cold it really is. it has warmed up a bit now thank god!

the view from one of the theme-park rides.

 

IN THE TUNNEL OF DOOM! ok, i made that up..

whats up bro?!

what a diva.

i wanted to add more but my computer is having an argument with the internet.

WHY CANT THEY JUST BE FRIENDS

definitely over tired... night x