Le Nouvel Ans

Well,

Things have been a little crazy for me... Im in Paris at a friends house and a lot of things have happened which are sad. Im with people that I dont know very well so I have to pretend to be happy. That is hard. I was going to stay in Paris for the New Year but I think that Ill go back to Orleans because Paul is there and Raina and Arnault... people that are close to me. I think I would like to start the New Years with them.

Its so hard to know that you are making the right decisions in life, I never do but what Ive learned that even if you do make the "right decision"... if it wasnt what was in your heart you will always wonder. I think too much with my head sometimes. Anyway so far Paris has been really good and Ive eaten way too much and tonight is RACLETTE!! yay

Love from Leah

It's 3:30pm... My Turn Jesus!

Birthday cake!

Ok so yesterday was my birthday, I'm sure all of you know that because I usually do a countdown beginning in December haha. Anyway. The night of the 24th I went over to a family's house (I give english lessons to one of their kids and they just really like me) so we exchanged presents and they gave me local specialties, like cookies and candy and this pear brandy sort of thing AND two tickets to the championship basketball game because Orléans team is playing. Apparently they are really good, so that should be cool. So after that I went home and starting cooking. I made Turkey with foie gras and fig stuffed in it... so good, and I made my french green bean casserole. For those of you who have never tried foie gras, I suggest you do it because it is delicious seriously. So anyway then Raina, her boyfriend and Kyle (another american dude) came over and there were supposed to be more people but we actually had a lot of fun. We ate, we drank and boy were we merry. Then of course I talked to my parents at 3 in the morning.

The next day was a surpisingly beautiful day. I went to Raina's house and had brunch and then we went for a sunny walk (for once in the last month and a half) along the Loire. Lovely. Later that night we went to the best sushi restaurant ever. I mean real japanese style restaurant. Good wine good food good peeps. I couldn't have asked for more... well except my friends and family from the States. But beggars can't be choosers I suppose. :) All in all great day!

Thanks to everyone who made it special!

Love Leah

Big 2-4

It's my birthday and so far so good. I will make a real post later after all the festivities are finished. I've already gotten some really good presents though. :)

Jingle Bells Batman Smells

So, I'm on vacation. School is out for a couple of weeks and I don't know what I'm going to do here because everyone is gone. Literally I have no one to talk to at this moment. Some people have gone back to their respective countries for good which is really sad and others will come back. Although its been pretty hard for people to get places what with strikes, bad weather and train accidents. Everybody has had major issues traveling lately. Anyway, what makes this important to me is my birthday. haha. I was kind of hoping that this year lots of people would not be with their families and we could all spend it together but sadly it is not turning out this way and it will just be me Raina and her boyfriend... which I'm sure will be awesome but  I was hoping I could have a big party. Also a couple of days ago  my friend offered to take me to a restaurant for my birthday and he found out it was closed on Christmas. "Story of my life" is what I said to him. I mean I'm used to it everything is always closed but for some reason when he said that I got a little bit upset. I just don't like being disappointed. Its different when I'm prepared for things to not go how I want them, I was just really hoping that this time it would be different so now I'm disappointed. Oh well I do however have a christmas tree because it was on the street and I felt entitled, so I took it. Wish I could say I was drunk but this was just a bad sober decision.

The snow is gone
Love Leah

I Wasn't Dreaming of a White Christmas... Mais Merci Quand-Même

For the millionth time... I don't like snow.

Its ok for about 5 minutes and then it just becomes ugly, dangerous, brown mush. In fact, I would love someone to convince me to like it. Not only that, but today in class it was ridiculous. I mean, how do you teach 12 year olds English, when its snowing outside and they know they aren't going to have class tomorrow? You don't... you just sit there, staring out the window, cursing the white flakes that are falling before your eyes, covering the roads in any icy death trap. Ok sure I'm exagerating a little bit, but can you blame me? I from Texas for christ's sake. Sure it gets cold there but I don't have to go out in it, and if it snows, everything is cancelled for at least 3 days even if the snow doesn't stick. So all this snow does is make everything around me look either like a white desert (depressing) or like someone shit all over the sidewalk (equally depressing borderline nauseating). I know, I know I need an attitude adjustment. I'm working on that in fact I'm going to go workout right now at a gym that costs me money because ITS SNOWING OUTSIDE which means I must pay to run. Whatever...

Baby mine don't you cry
Love Leah

The New Marilyn Monroe

SOOOO
It has been an eventful weekend for me. First thursday night there was a party at my house where I accidentally got drunk I forgot that American whiskey (yes i specifically bought bourbon) is stronger than scotch. I dont know if thats true but thats how I feel it all went down. So anyway I went to bed at about 2 and woke up and 6 to work allllllll day. 8- 430 ( I know all the people with real jobs are like shut up Leah) THEN I had to run.. seriously run.. by tram and then on foot.. to the place where the concert was for soundcheck. Then I had to run... again seriously... to my house. None of these places are even remotely close to each other. Anyway luckily Mathieu picked me up once I showered and everything because he had to go there too. So we get there and its 3 euros to get in with an open bar. Nice. The family I work for came and most of our friends came because the jazz group I play with are all my friends. Long story short the band was awesome. We rocked it seriously. People were dancing and cheering and people came up to us after, it was really great. Then we just danced the night away. Oh how I miss singing.

So that night I went to bed late again because of the partying and had to get up early again! 730 this time to go to Paris with the family. It was the Fete de Mexicanos. So we went to mass at Notre Dame which was really neat and its just beautiful in there. But instead of a traditional mass they had a mariachi band to play mexican hymns. The mass was in spanish and french. All in all it really made me miss my little mexican Sarah. The mariachi singer sang Ave Maria and it was the most beautiful thing ive heard in a long time. So after that we ate at a Mexican restaurant!!!!!!! I was so stoked, we even had margaritas!! So good.

It was a good day but by the end I just couldnt say anything else I was so cold and tired. But now Im good. I miss everyone like crazy especially because its the holidays. They actually play christmas carols in the sreet through speakers. Its like being in a movie or something. Ha, anyway I hope everyone at home is good. I love ya'll;

Love Leah

I taught Frenchies how to Two Step

Hello everyone,

I feel like its been a long time since I've written. That is partially due to my fab trip to Paris grâce à Mathieu and his friends who were super nice. The only, I mean the only thing I would have changed about the weekend was the fact that they live on the 13th floor and the elevator is broken. Well at least I got some exercise. Anyway I ate delicious Japanese food and we saw a really good rock show, which made me super homesick. All I could think about was Austin when we were watching them. Anyway, we also so an amazing Miles Davis exhibit. It was cool because there are so many things to show since it wasn't that long ago that he was alive. It went through his entire career and it just goes to show, NOBODY looked cool in the 80's. It really was a good trip and the people were very cool and patient with my bad french.

But now with the sadness. Its funny how with an  awesome weekend comes a bad day. Its raining (like always), I don't feel good, I'm homesick, I sang really badly at practice because A) my heart wasn't in it and B) I'm getting sick. Then I had to go to tutoring which wasn't bad at all actually it was nice. But then when we were waiting for the tram and there was this group of idiot boys, you know the kind that harass women and rape children, sell drugs all that good stuff. There are a lot in Orléans so I just avoid that part of town.. which is easy. But they were at the tram stop and they came up to the car and asked Nico (the guy I tutor) for his car lighter, which was missing. Nico said to me... well he sure didn't come up here to ask for that lighter he came up here to see what you look like. So we went to the next one and sure enough they were on the tram and then one of them pissed in it. What the fuck. You know I get really tired of being called FILLE FILLE VIENS! TOI, FILLE! I hate it.

Anyway, Stoney sent me a good christmas gift and I'm listening to some of it right now.  Here are some pictures from Pere Lachaise (the big cemetery in Paris) Why do I like to visit cemeteries so much... I don't know. Makes for good pictures though.

 

Allah Akbah

Get this,

Switzerland just passed a referendum banning the construction of minarets, which are basically muslim steeples. Just the colorful top of a church. I want to know how you can justify this without talking about racism or hitler? Whats so wrong with the swiss muslims building mosques you ask? Well the minarets are a symbol of political power. Ok.... so does that mean the Vatican is not ok, because god knows that is a symbol of political power. Someone might say to that, "Well, the christians dont't go around killing people who are different." Go open a history book, you idiot. That is basically the entire christian legacy. Sure they suffered for about 500 years but boy did they return the favor. The christians had the 1st century, the jews had the holocaust... why dont people realize that this is heading in that direction. In a tolerant country, with a democracy, you cannot ban someone from practicing their religion unless you ban everyone from practicing their religion. Its discriminatory. And when people feel discriminated against... well thats when you have real problems.Come on Switzerland, I thought you were supposed to be the sane people?

Leah

BBC News Article