My new website

Alright, I have been really busy lately, working on a new website. I think I got tired of the simple blog with this long page that you could only scroll down and up like an elevator.
So I am introducing to you my new website, which still include a blog that you can subscribe just like this one. My new site reflects me as well as the other one or even more, it showcases more the pictures I like to take, so if you are interested you can watch them and if you are not into photography then you just have to skip them, it is up to you. The site will also have a movie page now, the rest is that I need to buy a video camera and I will be on a roll with more fun stuffs to do. In the mean time, I am still improving my new site but I am switching to it starting today. So say goodbye to this one and Hello to that one http://web.mac.com/afroginaz
Tell me what you think, give me some feedback even the negative feedback is good for me, it helps me make it better.
See you all there.
J'ai ete tres tres occupee ces derniers temps, a travailler sur mon nouveau projet de creation d'un nouveau site web. J'en avais marre de celui-ci et de l'unique page qu'il faut monter et descendre comme un ascensseur. Alors je vous presente mon nouveau site, qui inclus d'ailleurs son propre blog auquel vous pouvez vous abonner tout comme celui-ci. Mon nouveau site reflete ma personalite tout autant que celui-ci mais appuie plus sur ma passion de la photo. Alors si mes photos vous interessent vous pouvez les admirer et puis si la photos vous fait bien chier et bien vous n'avez juste qu'a eviter les pages de photos. Et puis mon nouveau site a aussi une page de films, alors il va falloir que je m'achete une camera pour que je puisse un peu m'eclater, j'ai deja plein d'idees alors je vais economiser et casser la tirelire pour une camera tres bientot.
Alors dites au-revoir a ce site et bonjour a ce site "le nouveau site d'une frog in AZ"
dites moi ce que vous en penser, donner moi vos critiques, meme les negatives sont toujours bonnes, elles aider a faire mieux..
A plus, et on se voit sur l'autre site.

Linda! Bon Anniversaire!

Coucou ma chere Linda, voici une petite video juste pour toi pour ton anniversaire.
Gros bisous. Cecile et Chris.

Introducing: "Orienteering"

Have you ever heard of that sport? Orienteering. Now let's check the wikipedia definition of it. (Don't be mad Dawn, I know how much you hate your students doing their research in Wikipedia).
Orienteering originated in Sweden and is a running sport involving navigation with a map and compass. It involves cross-country, though other forms have evolved. The competition is a timed race in which individual participants use a special purpose map and a magnetic compass to navigate through diverse terrain (most often wooded) and visit, in sequence, control points that are indicated on the map. The course of control points is kept secret from the competitors, until the start, when they are provided with a detailed topographic map on which the course is marked. Competitors start at staggered intervals, are individually timed, and are expected to perform all navigation skills on their own.
For the ones from Tucson who are interested , we even have a Tucson Orienteering Club here. Check out the websitehttp://www.tucsonorienteering.org/

Avez-vous deja entendu parle de la "course d'orientation"?
Bon d'abord voyons ce que wikipedia donne comme definition. La course d’orientation est une activitésportive de navigation avec une carte et boussole qui se déroule en général dans la foret. La forme traditionnelle est une course a pied du type cross-country ; d’autres formes de course d'orientation sont nées au fil des années.

THE MAP - LA CARTE
It starts with a special map of a forest. A map that is specifically made for Orienteering.
Ca commence avec une carte tres speciale. Une carte creee juste pour la course d'orientation.



THE COMPASS - LA BOUSSOLE
And it can better to have a compass as well, but not any compass. We have those special Orienteering compass.
Et c'est mieux si on a une boussole, mais pas n'importe quel boussole. On a une boussole speciale pour la course d'orientation.

THE CONTROL POINT - LA BALISE
And of course the goal is to navigate in the forest with the map, but we have to make sure we stop at the control points. It is kinda like following an itinerary.
Et bien sur le but est de naviguer dans la foret avec l'aide de la carte, mais il faut prouver que notre itineraire passe par les balises.

THE RUNNING, THE OUTFIT - LA COURSE, LA TENUE

IT'S NOT ONLY RUNNING, IT CAN BE MOUNTAIN BIKING ORIENTEERING
LA COURSE D'ORIENTATION C'EST PAS SEULEMENT LA COURSE A PIED, C'EST AUSSI LE VTT

AND SOMETIME ALSO SKYING
ET PARFOIS AUSSI A SKI

HOW FUN IS THAT?!
CA A L'AIR VACHEMENT COOL HEIN?!

The past 10 years in six pictures

Comic book style, just for fun - Comme une BD

Les 10 dernieres annees en 6 photos

(click on the page to see it bigger - Cliquez sur la page pour agrandir)

Bonne Fete Maman!

It is Mother's day in France tomorrow, but I don't think I will be able to call my mom from the fire station and since it not only will be my very first day with my crew but I will be working a whole 24 hours, I thought I could leave a message on my blog for my dear little mom.
So here is a Happy Mother's day to you mom!

Comme demain est mon premier jour a la caserne de pompier, je ne vais pas pouvoir appeler pendant 24 heures, je me suis dit que ce serait mieux si je laisse un message de fete des meres sur mon site.

Done

Alright, I am finally done with all the academy and it feels great. Graduation night was Friday, they gave us our badge and our assignment, which means I know my schedule for one whole year. I work on thanksgiving, and also on Christmas but that's OK I guess.
I met with my crew and let me tell you, I was pretty impressed with those guys, they are HUGE, TALL, and super BUFF. I looked so little next to them.
My first day will be on sunday the 25th (in a week and it will be Mother's day in France).

Ca y est, j'ai fini l'academie et je suis bien contente. La ceremonie de remise de badge etait vendredi soir et j'ai rencontre l'equipe de gars avec qui je vais etre pendant toute une annee ou plus. J'ai carement ete impressionee car les mecs sont de vraies baraques, des armoires a glace les gars. Je suis toute petite a cote d'eux.
Je vais travailler le jours de thanksgiving et aussi le jour de Noel mais c'est pas grave. Et mon premier jour va etre Dimanche prochain le 25 mai (le jour de la fete des meres).

Bon anniversaire Nelly

Tomorrow is the birthday of my very best friend Nelly (in France), so I would like to make sure I wish her a Happy Birthday. I miss her a lot. I wish I was there with her to celebrate but tomorrow is also the day I graduate from the fire academy, but I will be thinking of her.

Nelly! C'est ton anniversaire demain alors je voudrais te souhaiter un SUPER BON ANNIVERSAIRE. J'aurai bien aime etre la pour celebrer avec toi mais demain c'est aussi le jour ou je fini l'academie de pompier et j'ai ma ceremonie avec remise de badge. En revanche je penserai bien a toi pour ton anniv. Amuse toi bien et regale toi bien avec un bon gateau au chocolat et plein de cadeaux.

Happy Birthday Lyn!

My dear Lyn, I wish you a Happy Birthday (on the 2nd right?). I hope you celebrated like you should and I hope to see you soon.
I have 2 more weeks of academy. I know I didn't stop by your house like I said I would that week-end (sorry about that). But I feel that there is light at the end of the tunnel (end of the tunnel in 2 weeks when I graduate) and I will feel more free and will actually have some time and less stress.
I miss you a lot.

Check out the both of us doing that evil "Dying Bug"

3 things that are different

I have moved to the US about 8 years ago, so I am pretty much used to it now. But it wasn't always the case. There are so many things that are different from the country I grew up in.
I said in another post that I would tell you about the difference between the French and the American washcloth. But there are many other things that are different.

J'ai demenage aux USA il y a 8 ans, alors j'ai bien l'habitude des coutumes et differences. Mais au debut c'etait different, tout m'etonnait. Il y a tellement de petites choses qui sont differentes ici.
_______________________________

The French washcloth is on the left. Like a glove, you slide your hand in it and it is pretty convenient I think. The American one is a square piece of towel.

Le gant de toilette francais a gauche, et le gant de toilette americain a droite, qui n'est pas un gant mais simplement un carre de serviette.
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On the picture the left pillow is the large square French pillow and on the right is the rectangular American one. I don't think there is one better than the other. They can be both as comfortable. I like to have both at home because I am both American and French now (hehehe...)

Les oreillers francais sont bien plus grands et carres, mais les oreillers americains sont rectangulaires. Ils sont tous les 2 bien comfortables mais j'aime bien avoir les deux sortes a la maison pour les invites.
__________________________
The windows in America slide up and down or sideways (I don't like it because they stick and are hard to open sometimes). In France they open wide like a door with a handle.

Les fenetres aux USA coulissent de haut en bas ou bien d'un cote a l'autre (Je n'aime pas trop car souvent elles sont dures a ouvrir et ne glissent pas super bien). Les fenetres francaises s'ouvrent bien en grand avec une poignee.

In the mail today...

I came home tonight and there was a big box at my door. It said it was from France, so I got all excited remembering that my mom said she sent me something. The box looked pretty beat up so I was hoping whatever was inside made it well.
I opened the box, to find another box inside which was wrapped in heavy paper and then duck taped all over. It took me about 5 minutes to get that off, and I finally get to the box which was also duck taped all over, making sure that any possible openings were safely shut. This box was definitely impossible to open by hand and needed the help of a knife or something sharp.
10 minutes later I open the mystery box and pull what is inside.
Oh !!!! a little box! wait a minute! I recognize that little box !
It was a little wooden box I had when I was little. And inside, I find earrings and necklaces that my mom made for me. And a ring that my brother got me.
In the big box I also find
- a dried French salami. (yummy...)
- 4 French style wash clothes (I will explain the difference another day about French and American wash cloth).
- 6 French pillow cases (Yes the French pillow cases have a different shape than the American ones, the French ones are large and square)
- 1 duvet cover (twin size)
- 1 mattress sheet (twin size)
- 10 0r 15 recipes (photocopies from cooking magazines... of the stuffs that are in fashion in the cooking world of France)
- and a cute note saying "dear Cecilou and Christou...... we hope you like it....... we love you and think of you....... mom and dad..... Marie-France and Noel".

Now let me tell you.
1- When my parents ship something, it will arrive in good shape and safe, because they are KING and QUEEN of packaging. They will pack it so safely that it will be a real challenge to open it.
2- When they say they are shipping a couple pillow cases, they mean : they went to the supermarket and bought everything they thought that could please us.
3- If you say on the phone (one day in a conversation), that you kinda miss French dried salami, they will make sure to go get you one and even more other things.
4- There will always be a sweet little note, whether it's on a tiny post-it or a big piece of paper and it will be signed "mom and dad" followed by their names (just in case I didn't remember who they really are.)

Now, is that the sweetest thing or what?

So I would like to thank you for all the gifts mom and dad, Marie-France and Noel (just in case).
And thank you Lionel (bro) for the ring, I really like it.

(Ah and just in case you are wondering, the twin size bed sheets aren't because I am moving out, but because when I start being a Firefighter in one month, I have to sleep at the fire station in a twin size bed (10 days a month).

J'ai les muscles qui poussent

Title: My muscles are growing.

Thank you, Thank you for all the nice comments, it's always good to see that my buddies are thinking of me.
Week 4 of the fire academy is over and I have 6 left. My muscles are very achy and sore and I have a hard time to recover from one day to another, so I think I'm gonna have to start eating meat again (unfortunately, I don't like meat very much. I will not eat chicken though, Yuukky!)
I am getting so strong, check out my muscles, It came suddenly this week, I looked into the mirror and found my arms with those muscles. It scares me...

Merci merci pour vos gentils commentaires, ca me fait toujours bien plaisir de voir que mes potes loin en France pensent a moi. Et puis j'ai fait ce blog pour que l'on puisse continuer a rester en contact, alors je suis contente de voir que ca marche.
La formation de pompier aux USA, c'est pas de la tarte... Je parie que c'est pas facile en France non plus, mais je ne sais meme pas comment c'est en France. C'est la 4eme semaine de formation et il m'en reste encore 6. Je suis fatiguee, j'ai des courbatures et j'ai du mal a recuperer d'un jour sur l'autre, alors je crois qu'il va falloir que je me mette a manger un peu de viande car mes muscles me font bien mal. (j'aime pas la viande. Je ne mangerai pas de poulet en tout cas... Bahhh!)
Et puis cette semaines j'ai mes muscles qui ont soudain pousse. Je me suis regardee dans le mirroir et ca m'a fait peur.

First 2 weeks in the fire academy

I AM DEAD TIRED !

Yes I haven't found a minute to update this blog. Since I started the academy, it's been crazy.
I have long long days there and when I come back home, I barely can stand up or keep my eyes open.
The academy has been a real challenge and I can tell that this is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.
Physically, I am exhausted, sore and bruised everywhere and mentally, I am totally drained. But 2 weeks have passed and I hope that I will get used to it and become stronger. We just don't stop running, pulling, pushing, lifting, crawling, jumping... I have never done whole 12 hour days of exercise before (5 days a week) but it is definitely going to get me in shape. However for the moment it is leaving me like a soft noodle when I get home, and I still feel out of shape. No time to do anything. I barely have time to shower, clean my uniform for the next day, eat and try to keep up with the homework, and that is usually during the homework part that I fall asleep from exhaustion.

However during the past 2 weeks we already learned how to break cars (to break them a certain way so that we can save trapped victims after a car crash). And also self rescue ourselves from small space entrapment (I didn't like that one, it was all dark and small and we could breath so well and it was in a long maze that was going left and right and up and down). And many other things that are on purpose to challenge us and see if we can take it.
I hope I can make it to the end, 8 more weeks...
Remember, I already went through a fire academy last year but this time it is harder and it is because the Fire department has to teach us their way of doing things.

Je suis morte de fatigue!
Oui je n'ai pas vraiment trouve le temps de mettre a jour mon blog depuis que j'ai commence la formation de pompier. Mes journees sont longues et quand je rentre a la maison je n'ai plus la force de tenir debout ou bien de garder les yeux ouverts.
La formation est un vrai challenge pour moi et je peux dire aujourd'hui que c'est l'etape la plus difficile que j'ai eu de toute ma vie.
Physiquement et moralement, je suis completement videe. Mais seulement 2 semaines sont passees et j'espere bien devenir plus forte d'ici la fin. On n'arrete pas de courir, pousser, tirer, soulever, grimper, sauter... Je n'avais jamais vraiment fait 12 heures d'exercice a la suite comme ca (5 jours par semaine) mais je vais etre bien forte a la fin (si je tiens le coup). Mais en attendant tous les soirs quand je rentre, je suis completement HS. J'ai le temps de rien faire. J'ai juste le temps de me doucher, laver mon uniforme pour le lendemain, manger, faire mes devoirs et c'est a ce moment la que je m'endors sur mes cahiers.

Cependant, en 2 semaines on a deja appris a casser les voitures (les casser comme il faut pour pouvoir sauver les victimes qui sont coincees apres un accident de voiture), et aussi a me sauver moi meme si jamais j'etais coincee dans un immeuble ou une maison pendant un feu (j'ai pas trop aime ca car ils nous ont mis dans un espece de long tunnel qui tourne et qui monte et qui descend, on se retrouve avec la tete en bas des fois et avec des cables et des barres de fer partout et il faisait tout noir, et ca faisait peur... parce que des fois on reste coince dans le noir et on ne peux respirer que pendant 30 minutes avec la bouteille sur le dos qui pese 25 kilos), et puis plein d'autres trucs avec les tuyaux et les echelles et les feux de voitures etc... etc...
J'espere que je vais pouvoir finir, plus que 8 semaines...
N'oublions pas que l'an dernier j'avais deja fait toute une formation de pompier, mais cette fois ci le departement de pompier pour lequel je vais travailler, nous apprend leur facon de faire. (la plupart du temps c'est tout pareil mais il fait tout refaire quand meme)

Surfing... Boogey Boarding... keeping the bikini on...

I expressed my desire to try surfing while in Hawaii, but while I was there I chickened out because the waves were too big for me (since it was going to be my very first time). So I thought I could maybe try boogey board instead (that small little board you just lie on your stomach on and slide in the waves. It is closer to the beach and maybe safer (Well at least I think there might be less chance of drowning).

So I am on a beautiful beach of the north shore of Oahu and the waves are starting to look pretty cool. Even the lifeguards are already talking with the speaker, telling people that kids should not be in the water and only good swimmers should be in. (I believe I am a good swimmer, after all I train for triathlon and swim in open water very often (in the rare lakes of Arizona)). Ok I am not so used to those waves but I am not scared at all. I take my small board, make sure it is attached to my arm and start walking towards the ocean. I turn my head to look at Chris who stayed behind on the beach towel and he looks worried but also has the look on his face that says "I better pay attention to what this girl is gonna be doing, I better play the personal lifeguard here". But I just shake my hand, waving at him, and he waves back with a worried smile.
The waves are cool! I am gonna have so much fun!
I step in the water and go forward, there is already a big big wave coming at me, maybe I can jump over it and I will be in the deeper water. I put my board against my stomach and jump over the wave, but I think I miscalculated the size of this first wave. I suddenly find myself tumbling under the water, I lost the board (I hope it stays attached to my arm). I keep holding my breath under the water; I don't know where the bottom and the top is anymore. I feel my head hitting the bottom and the sand, still holding my breath.
How much longer is this freaking wave going to keep me tumbling?
I don't know how much longer I could keep holding my breath like that but there is no way I breath now.
I start feeling my bikini pulling down, h my gosh I just hope it is still on when the wave is over.
10 seconds later I am lying on the sand with more waves coming at me telling me "take that! and That! Did you think you could master the big Hawaiian waves girlfriend?"
I am on my ass, legs up, the top of my bikini is half off, covering only one boob and offering the other one live and high definition to everyone watching me on the beach. The bottom is pulled down a little bit and is showing the beginning of my butt "a la plumber".
Now I am wondering if I should hide my boob or hide my ass first. Shit it doesn't matter Cecile, just do something to stop embarrassing yourself. But all I can do is cough the extra water I have in my lungs, and the waves keep going back and forth to keep trying to steal my bathing suit.
The Pacific Ocean is a thief!
After a minute of coughing, I finally put myself together, take my board, and look back toward Chris back there on the dry sand. He has the largest smile ever, and does not look worried at all. He then makes a sign calling me to come back to the towels. I turn towards the wannabe thief again and shake my head "You will not have my bikini today, I bought it in France last time I went at "Etam" and I keep it my dear."
So I turn around like a beat up dog and go back to my towel.
On my way there, a guy says "wow that wave really got you, you were under there for a very long time!"
So I said "Yeah!? Jealous?"
Pff... all I wanted was a little glide on a nice little wave but that damn ocean didn't want to share the fun with me today.
I will try again next year

Waikiki, Hawaii

Chris was tired and I am always up for more vacation (after 6 weeks in Japan, less than 4 months ago... you know... I am French after all, and vacations are important) so we decided to take 8 days off and fly to Hawaii to relax at the beach.

Anyway we are here in Waikiki in a really really nice hotel, the room is absolutely divine and we have an absolutely beautiful view on the beach as the picture shows. We got those beautiful flowers around our necks as soon as we got to the hotel.
The program is: Mai Tais, pina colada, delicious seafood, snorkle, kayak, bicycles rides and swim in the warm ocean. Maybe we will get adventurous and try to surf a little bit.

I took this this picture from the window of our room.
J'ai pris cette photo de la fenetre de notre chambre.

Chris etait tres fatigue et moi je suis toujours partante pour une nouvelle destination de vacances (apres 6 semaines au Japon il y a moins de 4 mois... de nouvelles vacances s'imposaient... je suis francaise apres tout, les vacances c'est important) alors nous avons decides de prendre 8 jours et de s'envoler vers Hawaii pour aller se relaxer a la plage.

Nous sommes donc ici a Waikiki dans un super hotel, la chambre est carement canon et la vue est imprenable. Ils nous ont mis les fleurs autour du cou des que l'on est arrive a l'hotel.
Au programe: Mai Tai, pina colada, delicieux poisson frais, palmes/masque/tuba, kayak, velo et baignades dans l'ocean bien chaud. Peut etre qu'on essaiera de surfer un peu si on est courageux.

Arthur, Nora's new baby

Arthur, Born on January 21st.

So one of my very dear friends from France (I only have a few left now after almost 10 years away from France), Nora, who lives with Fabien, had her first baby on january 21st. A little boy named Arthur. He is really cute and deserve to have his own picture on this blog.
Nora and Fabien were both with me in college, and I have to say that Nora is one of the most positive and happy person I have ever met. I miss you guys.

Une de mes meilleures amies en France (il ne m'en reste pas tellement depuis 10 ans que je suis partie), Nora, qui habite avec Fabien, a donne naissance a son premier petit garcon le 21 janvier. Il s'appelle Arthur. Il est trop mignon et merite bien d'avoir sa propre photo sur mon blog.
Nora et Fabien etaient tous les 2 a la fac avec moi et je dois dire que Nora est une des personnes les plus positives et joyeuses que je connaisse. Vous me manquez bien les copains.

Fabien and Nora (and Penelope)

Step six! I did it! I did it!

I got the call! I made it! I can't believe it! I am going to be a real firefighter working for a real fire department! I start march 10th.

Ca y est! Ils m'ont appele! J'ai reussi! J'y crois pas! Je vais etre un vrai pompier! Je commence lundi 10 mars.

Step five. Yipiii!!!!

Oh, Jebus! They called me today to tell me that I passed the first interview and I was scheduled tuesday afternoon for a second interview with the chief! I just can't believe it! I am so excited! I guess now we are down to 30 candidates and they are going to keep 20 for the academy. See you after tuesday for the result!

Ouah, ils m'ont appele aujourd'hui pour me dire que j'avais bien reussi mon entretien et j'ai donc mon deuxieme entretien avec le grand patron cette fois ci, mardi apres-midi. Je n'y crois pas! je suis carement excitee et nerveuse a la fois! Alors maintenant il ne reste que 30 candidats et ils vont en prendre 20 pour aller suivre la formation. Alors a plus, pour les resulats la semaine prochaine.

Step five. I don't know what to say

Well this morning at 11:00 I had my oral board interview, in front of 3 intimidating captains all dressed up in uniform. They of course asked a bunch of questions and I sometimes stumbled with my answers but tried to do my best to show them I was mature and ready for this hard work job and that I was eager to learn and blablabla... I almost laughed when they asked me to describe with my own words what I thought the job of firefighter really was. Because you see, if I had said it in my own words, to them it would have sound something like "blobli pa pujigo ratatouille, fusivoka redotula" or something like that. But after 20 minutes of questioning and answering (and I kept all my words in english to stay professional and understandable), they finally let me go and that is the worst time now, I have to wait a whole week before I know if they liked me or not and if I have a second interview with the big kahuna. I don't even know if I did well or not, they just stayed so stoic.

Alors ce matin a 11 heures, j'ai eu mon entretien. Il y avait 3 capitaines qui font peur avec leur super uniformes. Alors ils m'ont pose plein de questions et je me suis parfois un peu embrouillee dans mes reponses mais j'ai tout de meme essaye de faire de mon mieux a leur montrer que je suis une personne mature et prete a faire ce boulot difficile... Mais j'ai presque eclate de rire quand ils m'ont demande de leur dire avec mes propres mots ce que je pensais qu'etait le boulot de pompier . Parce que vous voyez, si je leur disais avec mes propres mots, et bien ils entendraient "blobli pa pujigo ratatouille, fusivoka redotula" (c'est comme ca le francais aux oreilles des americains). Alors apres 20 minutes de questions et reponses (et en gardant tous les mots en anglais (merci beaucoup)), ils m'ont finalement laisse sortir, et je suis maintenant dans la pire des situations: Ne pas savoir ce qu'il en est. Je ne sais meme pas si je m'en sui bien sortie ou pas, ils sont restes sans emotions et sans reactions. On m'a dit que je recevrai un coup de fil la semaine prochaine me disant si j'ai ete elimine ou si je vais etre admissible pour le dernier entretien avec le grand chef.

Step three and four : I kicked ass!

Yippee! I passed the skills and the medical questions. I kicked ass too! A lot of people got eliminated today. Too bad for them.
And now I am scheduled on tuesday for the oral board interview.

Youpi! J'ai reussi mes tests aujourd'hui. Plein de monde ont ete elimine. Tant pis pour eux. Alors la prochaine etape est pour mardi, et c'est le premier entretien.

Step two : Success!

That's it, I had to do the difficult physical test today and I did it I passed. I am so happy. I still have to do my best to stay in the game, I have much more to come. Tomorrow I have 2 more tests: The firefighter skills and the medical station.

Ca y est, j'ai passe aujourd'hui le test physique, qui etait bien dur. Je suis super contente. Mais j'ai encore du boulot pour rester dans la course. Demain j'ai le test d'aptitude de pompier et aussi le test de reponses d'urgences medicales.

Step one out of 6 : Success!

Right on! I just found out that I passed the written test. I have to get ready for the rest now. Saturday is my test on the firefighter skills. Come back after the weekend because I will know the result of the next step.
_________
Super! Je viens d'apprendre que j'ai reussi les ecrits. Il faut que je me prepare pour tout le reste maintenant. Samedi je passe le test d'aptitude de pompier. Revenez apres le week-end et je saurai le resultat de la prochaine etape.

My little secret, not a secret anymore

Ok I didn't want to say it, by fear of failing and feeling ashamed of it. But I will say it, then it will give me a little bit of stress and push to try harder (just for my pride).
I tested for Golder Ranch Fire District (click on the name to see their site).
So last week I had the written test, and if I passed that, then there will be the skill test, followed by the physical test, then the EMT medical test. Then if by any chance I didn't fail yet at those, I would have a first oral board, and then if that works out, there will be another oral board with the chief.
Anyway, all of this seems quite impossible since I found that we are 140 people applying and there are only 15 spots open. But after 33 years of life experience I found that nothing was impossible, so I am going to try this to the end. And if I succeed it really would prove me that with a little perseverance everything is possible, even in a country like the US. But if I fail, then I will just try again next year. I remember 7 years ago, I couldn't even speak english. And even farther back in junior high, my english teacher never forgot to remind me how much I sucked and that I was the worst student she'd ever had. Pff, I bet now I my English is better than hers, that bitch!. I don't remember her name (too bad).
Anyway, two more days and I will know the result of the written test.

Bon, je ne voulais le dire a personne, par peur d'avoir la honte si jamais j'echoue, mais apres tout, je vais quand meme vous le dire. Comme ca ca me donnera un coup de stress pour mieux reussir.
J'ai postule la semaine derniere pour un des plus grand departement de pompier de la ville.
Voici leur Site internet si vous voulez jeter un coup d'oeil. Golder Ranch Fire District. C'est le departement de pompier qui couvre toute la partie nord de la ville et aussi la ville atachee au nord.
Alors j'ai eu le test ecrit la semaine derniere. Et puis si jamais j'ai reussi les ecrits, et bien il y aura 3 autres tests ce week end (1- test physique, 2- test de demonstrations de connaissances des pratiques de pompiers, et 3- test de reponse d'urgences medicales), et puis si je reussi ces trois autres tests, et bien je pourrai aller au premier entretien et puis si jamais je reussi bien au premier entretien, et bien il y a le deuxieme entretien avec le "chief".
Bref tout cela me parait bien impossible vu qu'il y a 140 personnes qui ont postule pour seulement 15 places offertes. Mais avec mes 33 ans d'experience de la vie, je me suis bien rendue compte que rien n'est impossible alors je vais tenter le coup jusqu'au bout et puis si ca ne marche pas et bien je repostulerai l'an prochain ou bien ailleurs; et puis si ca marche et bien ca prouvera bien qu'avec un peu de perseverance on arrive a tout, meme dans un pays comme les USA. (je me souviens il y a 7 ans, je ne parlais meme pas l'anglais, et puis je me souviens encore plus loin au college, ma prof d'anglais n'oubliais pas de me rappeler que j'etais la nulasse de la classe. Je parie que je parle mieux l'anglais qu'elle cette petasse (je ne me souviens plus de son nom, dommage.)) (par contre mon francais commence un peu a craindre...)
Dans 2 jours j'aurai le resultat des ecrits, alors tennez vous au courant.

Cecile B. - EMT

NO FRENCH - Pas de traduction Francaise (trop long). Pardon I won’t translate this one in French (it is too long, it is funny but too long)

Let me tell you what it’s like to be an EMT.
The night before my shift I usually open my fridge to look for any leftovers I could pack in one of those plastic container that you keep forever because they last forever. You know, those Tupperware things that are the most hideous color ever (mostly because I got them from my mom and she bought them in one of those awful meetings back in the 70’s). So then it takes me 2 min to try to open the thing because of course these containers are earthquake proof and they won’t open even if you throw them violently on the tiles (like I did after my 2 minutes battle). So then I give up with the plastic container and decide to fill a Ziploc plastic bag with the leftover spaghetti with tomato sauce from last night. Yuk! Gross, it looks kind of weird and cool at the same time in the bag, and it is definitely interesting to the touch. It reminds me of some other thing I will see on my shift, but let’s not jump ahead. Let’s pack a mini muffin with chocolate chip for breakfast and a minute soup for dinner. That is not enough food, so I will also bring a mini bag of dried nuts and mixed fruits, and also 2 mandarins and a granola bar. Yes that should do it. So now my backpack is full of food from lunch to dinner, cool! Let’s go to bed.

6am, the alarm tells me to get the hell out of bed, and that… is not cool. I get my stupid uniform on (dark blue pants, dark blue polo shirt with letters on the side of my chest that say “Cecile B. - EMT”. But it doesn’t matter that my f&%#ing name is written right there because everyone, from patients to nurses and doctors today are going to butcher my name trying to pronounce it like it’s out of another planet and then ask me again the ultimate question: “oh where are you from?”…… Ahhhhhhhhh…….. Not that question again!!!
So here, I am ready to rock and roll like they say here, I have my uniform on, I look clean, I have a backpack full of food and let’s not forget I have another huge bag with a pillow, sheet and blanket because I am going for a 24 hour shift and I will sleep on a wonderful bed at the station.

At the home station we get our ambulance from the team that is finishing their shift and are now going back home. I am teamed with someone I usually don’t know because I am still new and I am not at the same station every time. On our way out we stop the ambulance by our cars to transfer our bag full of food and the one with the blanket, pillow…
Let’s go to the station now.
As we arrive there, I decide to make my bed right away. I haven’t even pulled the pillow out of my bag, that our radio is calling us for our first call of the day. Oh!! This is going to be one of those days huh?
Here we go, my partner jumps on the driver side, which means that I will be taking care of the patient. We arrive at the location of the incident to find a lady in her mid 30s who says she wants to kill herself because she is depressed and wants to go to the hospital to be evaluated, she took lots of medication and alcohol and she does not smell good. Ok lady! Jump in the ambulance! As I take her blood pressure (while my partner is driving us to the hospital), I see my patient slowly trying to do her reading of the day on the left side of my shirt. (Great she is reading my name!) And the lady says, “Is it Cecilia?” And I say, “No, it is Cecile. It is French.” (There I said it, she won’t ask). Then she says with her drunken attitude “Oh cool, so you speak Spanish, huh”. Then I look at her with my eyes wide open and say, “No, I speak French”. To what she asks “ah? So where are you from?”
And when she said “from” I could smell her breath full of alcohol and medication… Baaaah, I should wear a breathing mask, it is not human to smell that way.
So after what I said: “so, you said you want to kill yourself today, huh?”
And there I opened the door, because she started to talk and talk and talk about things that didn’t even made sense and I could smell her breath more and more as it was filling and replacing the oxygen in the whole ambulance. She talked about everything and nothing, as a drunk depressed crazy person would. But then she says to me, “You know, Cecilia, you are a good doctor, because you listen very well”.
(Pfff, I’m not a doctor.) But I smiled and said, “ oh you are welcome my dear, and that is why I am here…. Oh look! Here we are at the hospital let’s get out of the ambulance and get some fresh air……”
Ahhhhh! Fresh air.
And that is when she decided to throw up everywhere on the stairs of the ambulance…
(Lady! You didn’t have lots of medications; you just ate a lot of spaghetti with tomato sauce and drank 2 bottles of vodka to make it go down!!!)
Oh, what a disaster, it suspiciously looked like she could have eaten the lunch I had packed for me.
Well, of course we dropped her off to the ER, then got back to clean the mess she made. At least now someone else is dealing with her and not me. I am just glad she didn’t throw up on me.

Then as we are leaving the hospital, we get called to another patient and then another one and another one. After 8 calls in a row it is now 8 pm and I am dizzy because we didn’t have time to eat. We finally get a break but we are so hungry, we just decide to get a hamburger quickly.

As we later arrive at the station, I am looking at my unmade bed and I pull the food I had prepared for me from my bag. The bag of spaghetti makes me want to vomit, so I toss it right away and I am so tired now, I just lie down on the naked mattress there and fall asleep (it is 9pm).
Suddenly the crazy high pitch beeping of the radio screams in our ears (I probably slept 3 hours but I still feel really tired). I look at the clock and see: 9:15pm. …What??... I only closed my eyes for 15 minutes? You gotta be kidding me!! But here we go again on another call. And it will be like that until 7am. I slept 1 or 2 hours all together. It is the morning and we had more crazy stinky patients and a few nice old ladies with a broken hip. And that one homeless guy without his front teeth that told me that I was pretty, and that we could make a great couple and that he could clean up real good for me. (At least he didn’t ask me where I was from). I just gave him a nice smile in return and it was enough for him. (But that was only to keep me from busting out laughing).

I get home around 7:30am. I shower and I fall into my nice clean beautiful bed. What a day!
To tell you the truth it is not like that every time but sometime it is. And next time I won't even try to prepare my meals in advance because half of the time the Ziploc bag (which is not earthquake proof like Tupperware) tear apart in my bag pack and I don't even want to describe what I see and smell there, and I should just buy a good sleeping bag because that is faster.

Getting ready for Santa.

Here in Tucson it is cold in the morning, and nice and sunny in the afternoon. Also it might be the desert but we still have to have the traditional Christmas tree.

So here is ours. I hope Santa comes with lots of stuff, because I have been good this year.

Ici a Tucson il fait bien froid le matin et chaud et ensoleille l'apres midi. On est peut etre dans le desert mais il faut quand meme installer le sapin de Noel traditionel. Alors voici le notre. J'espere que le pere Noel va venir avec plein de cadeaux car j'ai ete bien sage cette annee.

New work, New routine

So I am finally out of training. I Started my normal shifts and believe it or not, I don't work on Christmas eve nor Christmas day and I don't work either on new year's eve and that means I can eat, drink and party...
So in the mean time, my friend Meredith had a boy named "Sam"(a picture will come soon). And for the ones who didn't notice, I lost one Sam (Goldfein) last month and another one comes around (let's not start talking about reincarnation or things like that), plus Meredith knows the Goldfeins...
Also, I started my regular shift at work, and it is pretty cool. I mostly work 48 hours a week: 2 shifts of 24 hours, I work on Sundays and Thursdays. Which means I have 5 days off per week, isn't it cool?! So that leaves me some time to pick up an extra 12 hour shift to make my hours up to 60 hours a week. I won't do it all the time but if I need extra money, at least I have the option.
Thank you to my friends who are leaving me comments.

Nelly (in France): I miss you too and I will call you very soon to know what Santa is bringing you this year.

Nora (In France): How do you like the country life? And how is everything doing with that little boy in your tummy?

Madoka (in Japan): Don't worry about my sleep, I take naps and I have so many days off now, life is good. How did your thesis go? And how is Christmas going to be in Japan for you?

Jay (in Tucson): I haven't been to the coffee shop very often lately (but I am going tomorrow morning). And I am sorry I missed the white elephant party (I actually worked until 1am that night)

Lyn (in Tucson): Good talking to you today, I have to see you soon to give you the gift I brought you from Japan.

Daphne (in the Reunion Island): Well Daphne, you are the only one from over there who actually look at my blog. I haven't been to the Reunion in a few years but should I ask you to watch after my brother? If my brother wasn't doing so well, I don't think he would tell me, so I put you in charge of watching after him please.

________________________________
Alors ca y est j'ai fini ma formation au boulot. Et j'ai commence mon emploi du temps normal. Je ne travaille pas la veille ni le jour de Noel, et je ne travaille pas non plus la veille et le 1er de l'an. Ce qui veut dire que je vais pouvoir boire, manger et m'amuser...
Pour les nouvelles: ma super copine Meredith a eu un petit garcon qu'elle a appele "Sam" (je vous montrerai une photo bientot). Alors un Sam (Goldfein) s'en va et un nouveau pointe son nez. Reincarnation ? (De plus, Meredith connais les Goldfeins).
J'ai aussi demarre mon emploi du temps normal de 48 heures. Je travaille 2 services de 24 heures (le dimanche et le jeudi) et le reste de la semaine je suis libre. C'est plutot cool hein!? J'ai 5 jours de conge par semaine. (c'est comme l'inverse de tout le monde).
Mais alors du coup comme j'ai tout ce temps de libre et bien la plupart du temps je me rajoute un service de 12 heures et comme ca ca m'ammene a 60 heures de travail par semaine.

Merci a tous mes potes qui me laissent des commentaires.
Nelly (en France): Tu me manques aussi et je vais te telephoner tres bientot pour savoir ce que le pere Noel t'amene cette annee.

Nora (en France): Alors c'est comment la vie a la campagne? Et comment tu vas avec ce petit garcon dans le ventre? Il arrive quand deja?

Madoka (au Japon): Ne t'inquiete pas pour mon sommeil, je fais des siestes de temps en temps, et puis j'ai tellement de jours de conge, la vie est belle. Comment se passe ta these? Et comment celebrez vous Noel chez toi au Japon?

Jay (a Tucson): Je ne suis pas allee au Coffee Shop ces temps ci mais j'y vais demain matin. Desolee de ne pas etre allee a la soiree des elephants blancs (echange des cadeaux de noel), mais j'ai travaille jusqu'a 1 heure du matin ce soir la.

Lyn (a Tucson): J'ai ete contente de te parler au telephone aujourd'hui. Il faut que l'on se voit tres bientot pour que je puisse te donner le cadeau que je t'ai ramene du Japon.

Daphne (a l'ile de la Reunion): Et bien Daphne, tu es la seule de l'ile qui regarde mon blog. Et je ne suis pas allee rendre visite a mon frere depuis quelques annees. Alors devrais-je te mettre en charge de veiller sur lui? Profite bien de tes litchis, ca me manque bien. (ps. J'ai fais un rougail saucisse il y a deux jours, super bon avec du gingembre)

Slacking

Yes I am slacking on the whole blogging thing, but I have been so busy with work. Last week I worked 53.5 hours and made 3 pennies, but oh well. I wake up at the crack of dawn to go to work and finish when it is time to go to bed. I also had my first 24 hours shift Saturday at a fire station. Only one more week at this pace (because I am still in training), and I will have a more regular schedule with 3 days off per week. I can't wait. ( but I will still make 3 pennies). Leave me comment messages to let me know how you are doing if you'd like. Big hugs to all.

Oui je sais je me traine un peu ces temps ci, je n'ai pas trop le temps de mettre le blog a jour car j'ai un emploi du temps de la mort. La semaine derniere j'ai travaille 53.5 heures et je me suis fais 3 centimes, mais c'est pas grave. Je me reveille aux aurores et je termine le boulot a 21h la plupart du temps. J'ai travaille 24 heures de suite dans une station de pompier (mais j'ai dormi quand meme, on a des chambres et des lits bien sur, mais on est appele en plein milieu de la nuit pour aller sauver les petites vieilles qui ont soudain un infarctus ou autre chose).
Bref je suis quand meme toujours "in training" (je ne sais plus comment on dit ca en francais), et j'aurai un emploi du temps normal des la semaine prochaine, avec un week-end de 3 jours chaque semaine. Laissez moi un petit message commentaire si ca vous chante, pour me donner des nouvelles. Bises a tous.

Silvia and Robin's wedding

I was thinking Silvia would be the perfect wife for my big brother Lionel (and they are the same age too) but Lionel was too busy doing his research in his lab and never got here on time. Robin on the other hand had nothing else to do and jumped on the occasion. Oh well... Maybe an other time Lionel.
So Saturday was Silvia and Robin's wedding. It was such a nice day, the atmosphere was absolutely great. The ceremony was at the botanical garden, then lunch at a seafood restaurant and the party at night was at the fabulous house of Maebel. It was so much fun.

Je pensais que ma copine Silvia aurait ete une epouse parfaite pour mon frere Lionel, mais Lionel a ete bien trop occupe a travaille dans son lab. il n'est pas venu a temps. Robin par contre n'avait rien d'autre a faire que de draguer la belle Americaine. Donc samedi c'etait le mariage de Silvia et Robin. C'etait vraiment super et l'ambiance est extra chouette. La ceremonie etait au Jardin botanique, le dejeuner dans un resto sympa et la soiree dans la grande maison de Maebel. C'est vraiment cool.

In Loving Memory of Sam

A wedding and a funeral, is the name of my weekend. One of my best friend, Silvia, is getting married and it should be fun. But Thursday one of my favorite people, Sam Goldfein died. I got to know Ann and Sam after I started to train Ann 2 years ago. Lately the training happened at her house, since I quit the club a few months ago, but it was also convenient because Sam was getting weaker and Ann wanted to stay around him. It was nice to see Sam's smile every day when I would go to their house.

Sam and Ann also asked Chris and I to care for their home every summer while they would be on vacation. And let me tell you, staying at their house is like being on vacation itself. For the passed 2 years we then lived in their house for the 2 months summer and enjoyed the large swimming pool, the barbecue, the view on the city on one side, on the mountains on the other, and the quietness.
Yesterday was his funeral, and you know how at funerals people say how great and nice the person was. Well yesterday, some people talked and reminded us how wonderful and how generous and nice and passionate Sam was, but this time everybody felt that it couldn't be more true. All the nice things that were said described Sam perfectly. Sam was a cardiologist and his passion and talk of interest was to tell us how everyone should have social security and universal medical care, that everyone deserves to be treated and be healthy. Not that many people think that way in America, or else we would have universal medical care (but we don't). For my part, the one thing I will remember and miss the most is the smile he had on his face when he opened the door for me. I could see it thru the little glass square in the door when he would turn the lock on the other side.
Sam was a good man and we are going to miss him.

Un marriage et un enterrement, c'est le nom de mon weekend. Une de mes meilleure copine, Silvia, se marie aujourd'hui avec Robin. Mais Jeudi une de mes personnes preferees, Sam Goldfein est decede. J'ai rencontre Ann et Sam quand Ann a decide d'avoir un coach personnel il y a 2 ans. Ces derniers temps je l'entrainais a domicile puisque j'ai demissione de mon club il y a quelques mois. De plus, c'etait plus pratique car Sam etait de plus en plus faible et Ann voulais rester pres de lui. Le sourire de sam va me manquer. Sam et Ann nous demandais a Chris et moi de rester dans leur maison tous les etes lorqsqu'ils partaient 2 mois en vacances. Et je vous assure que rester dans leur maison c'est comme des grandes vacances. Et Chris et moi avons bien profite de la grande piscine, du barbeque, de la vue sur toute la ville d'un cote et sur la montagne de l'autre, mais aussi de la tranquillite du quartier. L'enterrement etait hier. Vous savez aux enterrements comme il y a des gens qui parlent pour rapeler a tout le monde que la personne decedee etait une chouette personne blablabla et tout le monde a une larme a l'oeil. Oui mais hier quand les anciens amis ou membres de la familles ont parle de Sam pour nous rappeler sa bonte, sa generosite, sa gentillesse, sa passion pour l'autre, et sa determination de ne pas mourrir a 37 ans apres sa premiere crise cardiaque ni plus tard apres une deuxieme, ni apres son bipass il y a quelque temps mais plutot a 81 ans apres avoir complete une longue belle vie pleine de bonheur. Toutes les choses qui ont ete dites ne pouvaient pas etre plus vraies. Sam etait un cardiologue et il aimait nous rappeler que tout le monde devrait avoir droit a la securite sociale et aux soins medicaux universels. Pour ma part, chaque jour que je venais entrainer Ann chez eux, je sonnais a la porte et Sam venais ouvrir. Je pouvais voir son sourire sympa de l'autre cote de la petite vitre carree de la grande porte. Sam was a good man. Il va nous manquer.

50 heures de boulot par semaine!

Picture from other site

Well lately, I have been recovering from my trip, and enjoying all the free time. I sleep in in the morning and slowly take care of my stuff around. I kinda like being at home. But the day after I got back from Japan, I got a phone call from a company I had applied for before I left. They said they had taken note of my traveling date and they liked me, so that is why they wanted to call me right away before I applied elsewhere. Anyway I was hired by "Southwest Ambulance" to be an EMT, 50 hours a week. Well that is full time! 50 hours! I've never worked that much! I hope I can do that. I start Monday at 9am.

Picture from some other site

Et bien ces derniers temps je me remet de mon voyage, et je profite de mon temps libre. Je dors tard le matin et je m'occuppe de mes trucs a la maison. J'aime bien etre a la maison.
Cepedant, le jour apres mon retour du Japon, j'ai eu un coup de fil d'une boite ou j'avais postule pour un boulot. Ils ont dit qu'ils avaient pris note des mes dates de voyage mais qu'ils m'avaient vraiment bien aime et c'est pour ca qu'ils m'appellent le jour de mon retour, afin que je ne postule pas ailleurs. Bref j'ai ete embauchee par "Southwest Ambulance" en tant que Emergency Medical Technician (je ne pense pas qu'il y ait un equivalent en France). En fait ce boulot d'EMT c'est quand par exemple il y a des accidents sur la route, ou bien une crise cardiaque ou bien une nana qui est en train d'accoucher dans le bus, ou bien un mec qui s'est pris une balle dans le ventre; je fais partie de l'equipe d'urgence qui va soigner cette personne sur les lieux et la transporter en vitesse a l'hopital. (J'avais ete a la fac l'an dernier et passe les diplomes d'EMT avant de faire ma formation de pompier. Pompier et EMT vont ensemble et on ne peut pas devenir pompier sans avoir les diplomes d'EMT).
Alors je vais bosser 50 heures par semaine, c'est du plein temps, c'est pour dire. J'ai jamais travaille autant d'heures, merde, j'ai pas l'habitude de ca. (Quand je pense que vous en etes aux 35 heures bande de faineants...).
Je commence lundi a 9 heures.

After math / L'apres coup

JET LAG!

Oh, I have been back home for 6 days now but I am just good for nothing, I feel so sluggish and tired all the time. I can't wake up in the morning and I lie on the couch most of the day. And also my brain works a little slowly. Yesterday I was doing nothing on the couch lying there with a magazine and the bell rang; I went to answer; it was just someone trying to sell calendars or something but to my big surprise and to his too, I answered "No thank you" in Japanese. I didn't even know I could do that! Then I said I was sorry, (in French!). And then he left because he probably had pity for my lost soul... I don't even know what language to use anymore, I'm gonna have to take classes.

DECALLAGE HORAIRE!
Oh, je suis arrivee ici a la maison il y a 6 jours mais je suis une vraie bonne a rien. Je me sens toute molassone, je suis tout le temps fatiguee. Je n'arrive pas a me reveiller le matin et toute la journee je suis vautree sur le canape. Et mon cerveau marche au ralenti. Hier, je faisais rien vautree sur le canape avec un magazine et soudain quelqu'un sonne a la porte. Je vais repondre et c'est juste un mec qui veut vendre des calendriers ou un truc comme ca. Mais soudain a ma grande surprise et a la sienne aussi, je lui dit "non merci" en Japonais. Je ne savais pas que je pouvais faire ca! Et puis j'ai dit "oh desolee" (en Francais!). Et la il est parti car il avait surement pitie de mon ame perdue... Je ne sais meme plus quelle langue parler, il va falloir que je prenne des cours.

Happy Birthday Robin and Jessica!

Robin! You british devil! Your Rugby team beat the French at the world cup but I won't keep it against you, I guess. So I wanted to say Happy Birthday

!! I hope you are celebrating.

Robin! Espece de diable anglais! Ton equipe de rugby a battu les francais a la coupe du monde mais je ne t'en veux pas. Alors je voulais te souhaiter un Joyeux Anniversaire!! J'espere que tu fais la fete.


Jessica! Happy birthday! You sweet half French half American (at least in the heart)! I hope you are also celebrating your birthday. I wish I was there, maybe we could have gone eat sushi and dance disco again.

Jessica! Joyeux Anniversaire! Douce mi-francaise, mi-americaine (dans le coeur)! J'espere que tu fais aussi la feter pour ton anniversaire. J'aurai bien aime etre la, on aurait pu aller manger des sushi et aller danser disco.

Welcome to the Job fair! / Bienvenue au forun des metiers!

This are all the jobs I got to do here in Japan during those past 5 weeks

Voici tous les metiers que j'ai eu la chance de faire pendant ces 5 semaines.

Brushing the buddha for all of you (read story)

Only 2 more days here in Japan. I have been here for 5 weeks, going from one host family to another and doing tons of different amazing stuffs. So let's see, I got to be:
A geisha; a firefighter; a paramedic; a Karaoke singer; a sushi chef, a farmer at the farm, a farmer in the rice field, a high school baseball coach, a lacquer painter, a professional sake tester, a tea maker, a pottery maker, a soba noodle maker (that was a mess with the flour), a Manju maker (extra sweet Japanese cookie), I got sweat on me from a buddhist Monk who was so close doing his amazing prayer, a Koto player (that was super cool).
But most, I got to wash off all of my friends and family's pain by brushing the little statue of a buddha. I tried to brush every little corner of the buddha thinking of everybody's pain. Like for exemple I brushed the buddha's elbow to fix Bill's and I brushed the buddha's knees for my friends Ann, Abi and all the others that don't talk about it. And I got to brush the buddha's breast to try to prevent all of my girlfriends from breast cancer. I would have taken care of my friend's little prostate problem but I didn't feel like brushing the Buddha's private in front of everyone there watching me (so I hope that the spitting monk took care of that one in his prayer).
I am sure I am forgetting a lot because I feel I did so much, it was amazing. (check out the pictures of some of the jobs I got to do)

Plus que 2 jours au Japon. Ca fait 5 semaines que je suis ici, allant de famille d'accueil en famille d'accueil, faisant des tonnes de trucs differents. Alors voyons... J'ai ete: Une Geisha; un chef Sushi; une fermiere; une coupeuse de riz; un entraineur de Baseball; Pompier; Paramedic; chanteuse de Karaoke; peintre sur objets laques; maitre de ceremonie de the; pottier; faiseur de nouilles au sarasin; faiseur de Manju (gateau Japonais trop sucre); je me suis fait postillione dessus par un buddhiste qui faisait une priere pour moi a deux centimetres de moi, j'ai ete joueuse de Koto (instrument japonais a corde) etc...
J'ai eu aussi la chance de brosser la statue d'un buddha pour enlever les bobos de tout le monde, alors j'ai brosse le coude du buddha pour que le coude de mon pote Bill aille mieux, et puis j'ai brosse les genoux pour mes copines Abi, Ann et pour tous les autres qui ont mal aux genoux et ne disent rien. Puis j'ai brosse la poitrine pour que toutes mes copines n'ai jamais le cancer du sein. J'aurai bien soigne le petit probleme de prostate qu'un de mes potes a mais je ne me voyais pas en train de brosser les couilles du buddha alors j'espere que le postilloneur buddhiste, dans sa priere a rajouter une note a ce sujet. Je suis sure que j'en oublie mais j'ai fait tellement de choses. C'etait vraiment trop cool.

Not a Geisha yet but almost

Check this out.

Pas Geisha, mais presque. La classe non?

Kyoto

No more host families, no more meetings, no more visits, we are now on our own and can be real tourists. I am now in Kyoto. Took the bullet train this morning, and 4 hours later arrived in Kyoto. I am staying in those traditional little place where you sleep on the floor and have a nice lady bring you tea after opening the paper sliding door and taking shoes off.

The city seems great. I have to say that I am a little tired but walked all over the corner of Gion where I saw Geishas walking with little steps going somewhere secret probably.
I am now very used to Japanese food and don't even crave French or American food so much.
The city of Kyoto is very much of a faster pace from the last village we stayed in, where there was no internet connection (no blog for a week).

________________

Plus de familles d'accueil, plus de reunions, plus de visites guidees, nous sommes maintenant libres de faire les vrais touristes.
Je suis maintenant a Kyoto, j'ai pris le TGV ce matin est suis arrivee 4 heures plus tard a Kyoto. Je suis avec Sarah dans un Ryokan (ces chambres d'hotes traditionelles ou tu dors par terre sur un futon et une dame gentille ouvre ta porte coulissante en papier pour t'apporter du the, apres avoir enleve ses chaussures). La ville a l'air super. Je dois avouer que je suis un peu fatiguee car j'ai marche partout dans le quartier de Gion ou j'ai vu des Geishas marcher a petits pas allant surement a des endroit bien secrets.
Je suis maintenant bien accomodee a la nourriture Japonaise et la bouffe Francaise ou Anericaine ne me manque pas de trop.

Village life

No internet connection last week, since we stayed in a real old country village. Our host family's home were different and it was really cool to see all that. We got to be in big cities and small villages, and I think that is such an enriching experience to see it all.
They put us to work again and made us cut some rice in the field, we liked it a lot.
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Pas de connection internet la semaine derniere, car nous sommes restes dans un village de la campagne. Les maisons de nos familles d'accueil etaient differentes et c'etait plutot cool d'etre la. On a eu la chance d'etre dans des grandes villes et dans des petits villages, et je crois que tout cela est bien enrichissant comme experience.
Ils nous encore mis au travail et cette fois, on a coupe le riz, ca nous a bien plu quand meme.

More photos, more infos

Don't forget to go check our "team in Japan" blog, if you want to see more pictures and know more about what we do here

http://gse5500tofukushima.blogspot.com/

N'oubliez pas d'aller voir le blog de notre equipe au Japon, si vous voulez voir plus de photos et en savoir un peu plus sur nos activites ici au Japon.
http://gse5500tofukushima.blogspot.com/

They put me to work; they finally did it!

Yep, they tried already at the farm with the chickens last week, but here in Koriyama they finally put me to work for good. I thought I was kind of on vacation here in Japan, but nope, I was put to work.

When my family heard not only that I was American, but also that I was a fitness personal trainer, they thought it would be a good idea to have me teach a strengthening training session for the entire Baseball high school team of their 16-year-old son. Mmmmm, let me think again… Oh yeah, that’s right!... I know nothing about baseball!!... Ha!
Last September when I took the American citizenship test, they asked me questions about the government and also about the history but nothing about baseball. So why would the Japanese think that I would just be able to teach a baseball strengthening class just because I am American?


And let me think again one more time…. 1- I know nothing about baseball. 2- I know nothing about teaching to a high school. 3- and most important. I DON’T SPEAK JAPANESE!
So now all day I am totally freaking out because I am going to make a fool out of myself in front of not only the baseball coach of the high school but in front of 50 Japanese teenagers who are going to repeat it to their parents and their children later, who are going to tell their neighbors and their brother and sister in laws and also their friends, and soon enough my own children and grand children will know that I was the fool who came to Japan to teach a baseball strengthening session. Oh crap!
My host dad probably promised them that I should be good because I am from the USA and in the USA we know baseball. Humm, Sir? Are you sure you want to do this? Because you see, I am still very French and in France we like rugby and soccer, and in my case it’s gymnastics, but Baseball, mmm… not so much. So? A little change of mind here? Let’s just go home all right?
But to all of that, there was something lost in translation and he understood that I would be super happy to teach to the team and that I was super good and I know exactly what I am doing. Oh great!!!
So here I am at the high school, on the field and those kids are already there practicing and they are totally kicking butts. I mean I see balls flying on the other side of the field and they are super super organized and everything is flowing very well.
But suddenly the coach comes and stops everything and all the boys come to line up in front of him and that is when I hear the coach say “blablablabla…. America… blablablabla… Seshiru Buraun san (that is my name in Japanese)… blablablabla….blablablablabla…..”. And I am standing there next to him and all the boys suddenly bow and say in unison “Konnichiwa!”.
So with a sure and confident voice I respond “Konnichiwa”, caus’ I want to sound and look professional here.
I turn and the coach is now gone aside and it is my time to do my job. Oh shit, I feel like being somewhere else right now (like at my daily starbucks time in the morning, what time is it in Arizona right now? Oh, 3am, perfect, I should be in bed right now).
Big silence and all the boys are waiting for me. So I say: “If I speak English, are you guys able to understand me?”… Big silence… And 2 or 3 boys say “Yes”. Out of that whole group, that is good enough for me, I am ready to start now.
So I start and make them work a little bit on warming up the hip joint (in Base ball, I saw them lifting their leg high up front when they throw), that should be good. Then I decide that those boys are not strong enough in the lower body and make them do some super cool exercises for the quads and for the core and for the shoulders and I tell them that this exercise is good for the pitcher to prevent injuries on the rotator cuff and that exercise is good for the batter because it is always good to have a strong core when you are a batter. And all I am thinking is that to them I sound like this: “Blablabla….. Pitcher… blablablablablablabla… batter… blablablablabla…let’s go!”.


The best part is that those kids are so disciplined and polite, they are doing everything I ask. Not one stops, even when they are struggling after 100 abdominal exercises. And they all are counting in unison with me, in English, very seriously. This is so cool.
Well, after a whole hour of workout, I see all those boys are very sweaty and dirty; that probably means I am done with my work here.
They suddenly all line up in front of me again and one of them steps forward and says in English “Thank you very much for the great workout”, and they all clap.
Aww… that is so nice! I wonder what they think now. (Do they know I know nothing about baseball, not even a rule, not even the terms, Nothing!?)
I decided it didn’t matter that I knew nothing about baseball for tonight. I feel good about my session. I am so happy I got to do this, this was a great experience; and 2 parents that were on the side came to me and said in English: “It was very beautiful”.
Well I just feel I had the privilege to teach to a Japanese High School Baseball team tonight and that was great.


(traduction francaise viendra peut etre plus tard, un autre jour si il y a de la demande. Desolee, mais l'histoire est un peu longue)

Free labor in Japan

I am staying this week in a traditional Japanese farm in the country side (at my new host family). It's pretty cool and I like this experience a lot. But this morning 5 am the rooster came knocking on my Japanese paper door to give me a nice loud wake up call. "Cockadoodledoo!!" "Ahhhhhh what the hell was that?" You can imagine the jump I did on my super thin futon on the floor "Ouch! my back!" No springs in those mattresses that's for sure.

Then I hear my hosts parents Yoko and Jiro moving around in the courtyard. It looks like they have a lot of work to do in this farm, maybe I could check if they want my help (I am used to chasing the chickens at my grand mother's farm back in France). And they say:
- "of course we need help! What do you think lazy city girl? Here, take this bucket and go feed the 80 chickens and then go broom the courtyard because since you have been here it's pretty dirty around here! Go! and move faster Cinderella! (I think that is what Yoko said in her fast countryside Japanese but I am still working on the language translation if you know what I mean).
So I am enjoying my time, throwing those little grains to the chickens dancing around me (like I saw doing when I was little at my grandma's and also in movies) and Yoko sees me and comes towards me looking angry.
-"You are not doing it right, You give too much! In Japan people or chickens don't eat so much!" she says.
-"Oh I'm sorry" I say, "they just look so happy those chickens with all the food I give them". Well I am now done with that. Maybe I can do the brooming now, but here comes Jiro who says:
- What!? you are not ready? We have to go; today we visit Sake factory with the rest of the group (who instead of feeding chickens, got to stay in normal homes where they got to shower and be served breakfast by the host mom). Pfew, saved by the bell, I won't be put to Japanese farm labor today.

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En ce moment je suis dans la campagne Japonaise et ma famillle d'accueil a une ferme, c'est plutot cool. Ce matin a 5 heures le coq a decide de venir frapper a ma porte en papier Japonais pour me reveiller d'un bon fort "Cocorico". "AHHHHH! qu'est ce que c'est que ca?". Vous pouvez imaginer le saut que j'ai fait sur mon petit futon tout plat par terre. "Aie! mon dos!". Ya pas de ressorts dans ces matelas c'est certain.
Puis j'entend mes parents d'accueil Yoko et Jiro faire du bruit dans la cour. On dirait qu'ils ont du boulot, peut-etre que je peux leur demander si ils veulent un coup de main (j'ai l'habitude de courrir apres les poules de ma chez ma grand mere en Bretagne).
- "Ben sur qu'on a besoin d'aide! Qu'est ce que tu crois petite paresseuse de la ville!? Tiens prend ce saut et va nourrir les poules et puis apres ca tu iras balayer la cour parce que depuis que tu es la, c'est bien degueulasse par ici" Allez, depeches-toi Cendrillon!" (Je crois bien que c'est ce que Yoko a dit dans son Japonais des campagnes, mais j'ai encore du boulot pour les traductions...).
Je commence a jeter des poignees de grains aux poules comme j'ai vu faire plein de fois en Bretagne quand j'etais petite (et aussi dans les films), et soudain Yoko arrive a grands pas avec son air pas content, et elle dit:
- Cest pas comme ca qu'on fait!... tu en donnes bien de trop! Au Japon les gens et les poules ne mangent pas tant...! (Je suis sure que c'est ce qu'elle a dit)
- Oh, pardon! Je luis repond. Les poules ont l'air contentes pourtant.
Alors maintenant que j'ai fini de nourrir les poules il faut que je me mette a balayer la cour mais c'est a ce moment que Jiro arrive et me dit :
- Quoi? T'es pas encore prete? Grouilles-toi, vas t'habiller il faut aller retrouver les autres pour aller visiter l'usine de Sake aujourd'hui. (Les autres: qui sont dans des familles sans ferme, sans poules, et qui ont passe leurs premieres heures du matin a dejeuner et a se doucher). Sauve par le gong, je ne travaillerai pas plus a la ferme aujourd'hui.

To my people at Starbucks.

This is a special note for my people at the coffee shop.

For the ones who don't know, I have a little routine; I usually go to work for an hour and then take a break and go hang out at Starbucks (even though I am not so crazy about large companies like that that killed all the little cute coffee shops). I go there because I like my group of people, and I try not to order anything because I don't drink coffee anyway.

Petit message pour mes potes au cafe du coin.
Pour ceux qui ne le savent pas, j'ai une petite routine; je vais au boulot le matin pendant une heure et apres je prend une pause et vais au Starbucks d'a cote. Comme j'y vais tous les jours a la meme heure, je retrouve les habitues du matin et nous avons notre petit groupe super sympa; on parle, on rigole et on essaye de refaire le monde et c'est mon moment favori de la journee.

First there is Bill : "The Mayor of Starbucks" (He is very important like every mayor in every town, he gets to chose who is part of the group or not)

Tout d'abord, il y a Bill : "le Maire de Starbucks" (Il est tres important, comme tout maire.)

Then there is Arnavaz, the smartest of all of us (and the most politically involved and opiniated), she definitely brings spices into our mix of people there.

There is Craig "the Doc". We are happy he is there because a medical advice is always needed (even though he recommended chocolate on my burned butt from the Hot spring, I am not so sure he got that out of medical book, we will still go to him for med. advice)


And Mike "the Firefighter", he is kinda useless (like most firefighters are 80% of the day) but we like him anyway.
There is also Pat. She is so sweet.

And there are others who were not there the day I brought my camera but deserve to be recognized like the handsome Jay who I hope will bring his laptop there to show this post to the others. Jay seems to be the busy one, he works a lot or at least fakes he is working a lot, but I suspect he just stays late in bed when he doesn't show up in the morning at Starbucks. Let's not forget Leslie (ah crazy Leslie), And Tom (Pat's husband), also Heidi and Suzy who come once in a while but are definitely part of the gang, and finally Hue who got back by surprise from the monks in LA right before I left to Japan.

"I MISS YOU ALL VERY MUCH, AND AM ALWAYS THINKING OF YOU HERE IN JAPAN. I WILL BE DRINKING SOME JAPANESE TEA TO YOUR HEALTH". "KAMPAI!!"

Japanese food

Not much to say, just a few pictures of some dishes I have been eating. Check out the hamburgers made with the tightly packed rice (that was pretty interesting). I ate a bunch of other things I had never eaten before, including grasshoppers (yukk....).

Okonomyaki (japanese pizza)

Sukiyaki

Gelly fish - Meduse

Soba (buckwheat noodle) tray - Soba (pates aux sarasin)

terryaki Grasshopers for snack anyone?

Tempura vegetable - Legumes tempura

Hamburger with packed rice buns

Madoka saved my life today.

This morning Madoka (first host sister) is taking me to the local swimming pool. A little exercise will do me good. That smart Madoka had noticed one of my Japanese Kanji tattoo, and she tells me that it is forbidden to come to the pool with tattoos in Japan so she had brought for me a large piece of band-aid to cover the tattoo on the back of my neck that says "Art" in Japanese. I am surprised but totally OK with this because this is the rule and I follow rules. (some of you might think "yeah right...")

Then as I am swimming Madoka explains to me that only Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) have tattoos in Japan and they are not allowed to swimming pools or Hot Springs by fear of starting problems at public places like this.
Wow, Madoka totally saved my life today, I think that with my art tattoo I could have started a war at the pool and could have been shot by the Yakuza rivals (against art, might have been the scientists Yakuza or something like that).
Well I am joking but this is to say how serious those things are in Japan and I really feel fortunate that I get to visit places like this with someone from here.

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Ce matin Madoka m'emmene a la piscine faire un peu d'exercise, je crois qu'elle aussi avait remarque que je commencais a prendre un peu de bide. Bref la Madoka avait vu que j'avais un tattouage Japonais dans le cou (qui veut dire "art") et m'annonce que les tattouages au Japon sont interdits dans les piscines et Hot Spring publics. Elle sort de on sac un grand morceau de sparadra pour le recouvrir. Lorsque nous sommes en train de nager, Madoka m'explique qu'au Japon les seules personnes avec des tattouages sont les Yakuzas (la Mafia Japonaise) et qu'ils sont donc interdits dans les endroits publics ou l'ont peu voir leur tattouages, afin d'eviter de commencer des problemes entre rivaux.
Ouah, Madoka m'a sauve la vie aujourd'hui, je pense qu'avec mon tattouage signifiant "art", un Yakuza rival du genre "scientifique" ou quelque chose comme ca aurait commence une guerre a la piscine entre le Yakuza et moi et ca aurait ete un vrai carnage.
Bon OK je rigole mais c'est juste pour dire que ces choses la ici au Japon c'est carement du serieux, et que j'ai vraiment de la chance de pouvoir visiter ce pays avec quelqu'un d'ici, car les traditions et regles sont vraiment differentes.

My first sushi, by myself...

Tonight at home (host family #2) they are serving sushi. But sushi that you make yourself. On the table is a big bowl of sticky rice and a lot of different fish already cut for sushi.

This seems really exciting to me and I am eager to play "sushi chef" tonight, then I can show off back in Arizona in front of my friends and say "Yeah, I know how to make sushi". Anyway they are explaining to me that tonight the way to make it is to take a piece of nori (the large piece of seaweed), put it in your hand and flatten some rice onto it, and then you can chose your piece of fish and roll the nori over it. They tell me it is a hand roll. So ok, I do it and it's great, and it tastes good. But I want to make sushi, you know the real stuff. I have seen Yuki at Sushi on Oracle make it 100 times before and I want to do it too. So I ask permission to my host family and they say Yes of course; and the dad even say "Oh yes me too, I want to make sushi!" Here we go, we dig into the large bowl of rice and I am ready with 2 fingers of my other hand to press the rice into a oval ball. But everything is a mess and sticks to both of my hands. Oh crap! what a disaster, there is no oval ball, no sushi, no nothing, just a big mess in the palm of my hand and some messy rice sticking to my other 2 fingers of the right hand. How did Yuki do it at sushi on Oracle already?
So I still put a piece of fish on my messy sushi palm because I don't want to waste that good rice I have in my hand and of course everybody is totally cracking up, the dad is bringing the soy sauce over my hand laughing and put a few drops over my hand and says "enjoy !". And I ate like that, out of the palm of my hand licking every last grain of rice... Not as good...
How many times did I make a fool out of myself again? I don't even count anymore.
I guess I will be going back to Arizona, saying "let's go have sushi at Sushi on Oracle" and I will have a lot more respect for Yuki the sushi chef now. (ps. the host dad made the same mess as me in his own hand). Aha...

Ce soir nous mangeons des sushis a la maison (famille d'accueil #2), le type de sushi qu'on fait soit meme. Aors sur la table il y a un grand saladier avec plein de riz et puis il y a des assiettes avec du poisson frais de toutes sortes. J'ai hate de commencer, et la famille m'explique que ce soir le style de sushi que l'on va faire commence par poser une feuille d'algue couvrant le creux de la main, puis la recouvrir par une fine couche de riz qui colle et ensuite d'ajouter le morceau de poisson que l'on desire. Le tout trempe delicatement dans la sauce soja sera ensuite ingurgite et mache. Merci, c'est delicieux! Mais moi je veux faire le vrai sushi, celui que Monsieur Yuki fait a chaque fois que je vais au resto Japonais "Sushi on Oracle" a Tucson. Alors je demande la permission a la famille et ils me disent "mais bien sur, vas-y!". Chouette! Je commence par prendre le riz et le met directement dans le creux de ma main et je commence a le travailler delicatement avec 2 doigts de l'autre main (comme j'ai vu Monsieur Yuki faire au moins 100 fois a Sushi on Oracle). C'est la que je me rend compte qu'il y a un probleme, mon riz reste colle partout ou il touche et je me retrouve avec du riz partout dans la paume et aussi colle sur l'autre main. Ma famille d'accueil est morte de rire (quoi de neuf depuis que je suis au Japon je n'arrete pas de faire des conneries de ce genre qui les fait bien marrer) bref la maman decide de poser un morceau de poisson sur mon bordel de riz et le papa met un peu de sauce soja par dessus et me souhaite bon appetit. Et me voila en train de manger dans ma main, le plus rate de tous les sushis de la terre. Quand je rentrerai a Tucson, je retournerai a "Sushi on Oracle" et j'aurai beaucoup plus de respect pour Monsieur Yuki, c'est sur. (Moi qui croyais que j'allais pouvoir craner en disant que je sais faire les sushis).

Tea ceremony

I assisted to a tea ceremony. Everything seems to be like a choreography, every movement was well learned and practiced. And the tea was delicious.J'ai assiste a une ceromony de the. Tout a l'air d'etre comme une choreographie, chaque mouvement a ete appris et repete. De plus, le the etait delicieux.

Kimono dressup

My host family took me to dress me up with a really nice kimono. It was pretty cool but I bet it is really tacky for a foreigner to wear the kimono. Oh I don't care, I had fun.

Ma famille d'accueil m'a emmener pour prendre des photos de moi en Kimono. C'etait plutot cool mais je paris que c'est kitch pour un etranger de porter le Kimono. Oh ben tant pis, moi j'ai bien aime.

Happy Birthday Jenny!

Hey Jenny, I am far away in Japan but still thinking of you. I promise I will bring you a gift for your birthday. Here is your Japanese birthday cake with Hello Kitty, and off course it says Happy Birthday in Japanese on top (Tanjoubi Omedeto). (Joyeux anniversaire). There,... you have it in English, in Japanese and in French. That means I really mean it.

Salut Jenny, je suis loin au Japon mais je pense a toi. Je te promet que je te ramenerai un cadeau pour ton anniversaire. Voici ton gateau avec "hello Kitty" et bien sur au dessus c'est ecrit "Joyeux anniversaire" (Tanjoubi Omedeto), (Happy Birthday). Alors voila tu l'as en Englais, en Japonais et en Francais. Je t'ai vraiment pas oublie.

Did you say "HOT" Spring ??

So I would like to tell you my first Hot spring experience. My host family is taking me to a very nice private hot spring. My host sister Madoka announces me that the "Onsen" we are going to is a little stinky like volcano because it is natural from the mountain and it will be milky looking, but it is good for our health and skin. I can’t wait. Oh and she also warns me that we have to be naked and asks me if that is ok with me. Well..., I think so...; I mean I am always naked walking around at home, why not in front of tons of other women in a hot bathtub in a foreign country? They won't remember me, they won't put me in the paper right?

Masahiko (my host dad) goes to the men’s side, good..., I didn't dare asking if we would be separate because that would have made me uncomfortable.
After taking our shoes off at the entrance of the spa hotel we are now getting undressed on tatamis and putting our clothes into a basket. So here I am, all naked, like Madoka warned me. I am ok with this but I still will put my towel in front of me to hide my breasts because I feel different than when I am dancing naked in my living room on sunday morning.
We have to rinse our body first, and we are now sitting on a tiny little wooden bench showering and rinsing. Then off we go into the steaming hot water outside. It is beautiful! I am the only westerner here and the women are looking at me but I don’t feel they are wondering or judging, I only feel they are looking at me and thinking, "oh a tourist, let’s watch her getting her “derriere” burned!" So I step in with just one foot and ... ahhhhh.... it is soooooo Hooooooot, I already have to step out. I explain to Madoka and her mom that I really enjoy this but I will take my time getting into the bath because it is a little hot for me.
Everyone is deep in the hot spring up to their neck but I still have water up to my ankles only. Darn! I look like a fool standing here with my towel in front of me, everybody is watching the blond girl with the short hair who looks that she is not from here, hiding her breast like it's something different than theirs (they probably really want to see under my towel now that I made it so secret). Ok let’s go! 1, 2, 3… Nope, too hot! But I now have water up to my knees. Oh! That is too hot, I am getting out again, and oh great, now they can see my bottom of course because I turned around to go up the little stairs. Oh this is ridiculous, I have to get in. Madoka’s mom tells me that the water is cooler on the other side, away from the fountain source. "Ok, that sound’s good mommy, let’s go there Madoka!"... Ahhhhh, What do you mean it is cooler? Yeah like one degree, that’s all!. But here I have to go because I looked enough like a fool dancing around from one foot to an other with water only to my knees.
1…,2…, 3…. This time I’m in, Awwwwwwww, this feels great, ...and too hot, burning,... and great again and... awwwwww,... what a relaxing way of spending the afternoon. Cool (I mean... hot!), I like it! But I already have to take a little break from this lobster cooking water, so I sit on the rocks on the edge and keep my feet inside, and I feel ok doing that because other women are doing it too. Madoka reassures me by saying that this water is very very good for our health and our skin and it helps us to live longer. OK! I get back in I want to live longer. This magic steaming burning hot water better make me live at least up to a healthy 100 years old, i am telling you.

Je voudrais vous raconter ma premiere experience dans un bain Japonais de source chaude. Ma famille d'accueil, m'emene dans hotel ou il y a un de ces bain de source chaude. Ma "soeur" d'accueil, Madoka, m'annonce que le "Onsen" (le bain) ou l'on va est volcanique et va sentir un peu le souffre car c'est une source d'eau naturelle, mais que c'est tres bon pour le corps, la peau et la sante. J'ai hate d'y etre. Oh, et elle me dit aussi qu'il faut etre tout nu dans ces bain et me demande si ca ne me derange pas. Ben... heu... nan... je crois.... Enfin je veux dire, je suis tout le temps toute nue a la maison, alors je ne vois pas pourquoi je ne pourrais pas devant un tas de femmes Japonaises dans un bain d'un pays etranger? Elles ne se souviendrons meme pas de moi, je ne serais pas dans le journal hein?
Masahiko (mon pere d'accueil) va du cote des hommes, pfiouuu... Je n'osais pas demander, mais ca m'aurait vraiment gene.
Apres avoir enleve nos chaussures a l'entree de l'hotel, nous enlevons nos vetement dans une piece tatami et posons nos habits dans un panier. Alors me voila toute nue, Madoka m'avais prevenue. Ca va je suis a l'aise mais je met ma toute petite serviette devant tout contre moi pour cacher ma poitrine, en fin de compte c'est quand meme pas pareil que quand je danse toute nue dans mon salon le dimanche matin.
Il faut se rinser et laver le corps et les cheveux, et nous sommes assises sur un tout petit tabouret en bois. Et hop... on va dehors... en route pour le bain bien chaud. Ouah, c'est beau! Je suis la seule occidentale et elles sont toutes en train de me regarder mais je ne sens pas qu'elles me jugent mais elles sont plutot en train de penser "oh, chouette on va regarder la touriste se faire bruler les fesses dans le bain!" Alors je met un pied dans le bain et... ahhhhhh!.... c'est carement chaud!.... Je sors mon pied, car c'est bien trop chaud pour moi. J'explique a Madoka que j'aime beaucoup le bain mais je vais prendre mon temps a entrer dans l'eau car c'est un peu chaud pour moi.
Toutes les femmes sont assises dans le bain avec de l'eau jusqu'au cou et je suis toujours debout sur les marches avec de l'eau jusqu'aux chevilles. Merde! j'ai l'air nunuche debout la, avec ma toute petite serviette devant moi. Tout le monde regarde la fille blonde au cheveux courts qui a l'air de ne pas etre du coin, cachant sa poitrine comme si c'etait different des autres (elles surement hate de voir ce qu'il y a en dessous de ma serivette maintenant que j'ai cache mon corps comme si c'etait un secret). Bon allez j'y vais, 1... 2... 3... Non,... trop chaud! mais maintenant j'ai de l'eau jusqu'aux genoux. Ah! C'est vraiment trop chaud! Je ressort de l'eau une fois de plus, et maintenant elles peuvent voir mes fesses puisque je me suis tournee pour monter les escaliers. Ah, quel bordel! Il faut que je me lance.
La maman de Madoka nous dis que l'eau est moins chaude de l'autre cote de la source. OK! super! Allez viens Madoka, on va de l'autre cote!... Ahhhhh!!! Comment ca moins chaud de l'autre cote? Tu rigoles? c'est pareil! Bon mais il faut que je me lance car je me suis rendue assez ridicule devant tout le monde a danser d'un pied sur l'autre.
1... 2... 3... Cette fois j'y vais... Haaaaaa.... super... nooon, trop chaud... ahhh super... c'est relaxant... J'aime beaucoup. Mais apres une minute dans cette eau aussi chaude qu'une cocote pour cuire les homards, l faut que je sorte deja pour prendre une pause. Je m'assois sur les enormes galets sur le bord, et d'autres femmes sont assises aussi, toutes nues la. Madoka me rassure en me disant que cette eau est speciale et aide a vivre plus longtemps. Puree, cette potion magique brulante a interet a me faire vivre jusqu'a mes 100 ans, je vous le dis tout de suite.

First lesson learned...

So we are in that shopping mall and I see that cute top I’d like to try and I ask the vendor if I can try it on (me asking meant: Me making gestures showing this and that). She shows me into the fitting room. So I step in right away without thinking and that is when she starts saying things politely but very fast while she is pointing at my feet. So I am thinking: oh you like my shoes? Yeah I bought then in the US, they are “Tevas”, aren’t they cool! ? But then I realize she is just trying to tell me that I can’t go into the fitting room just like that and I have to take my shoes off. Ooooh my gosh! I am so sorry and so embarrassed! I say: “Sumimasen” at least 5 times and she says “sumimasen” 3 times (I beat her, I said it 2 more times than her, I must be more sorry than she is). Well I am sooooooooo sorry little lady, I feel like a freaking fat, fool French American that I am. So now I am in the fitting room without my shoes and she is showing me a piece of cloth that looks like a pillow case open on 2 sides, and she points at my head and shoulders; I am just thinking, now what? Does she want me to put this over my head so that I can’t see how I look like with my top on? Oooooohhh, I have to put this over my head to protect the clothing from my dirty hair and all the make up I don’t put on my face in the morning! This is so smart and respectful for the clothing, I like it. So here I am, half naked, without my shoes and a pillowcase over my head, in the smallest fitting room ever, banging my elbows on the door and mirror. Of course the top is way to small for me, even though I chose a large size. I get out of the room and say “sumimasen” one more time to excuse myself from being such a big fat ugly stupid American; and she seems to be ok with my apologies, we are good, I can go away now. Pfffffeww, I made it!

Alors je suis au centre commercial et je veux essayer ce haut tres mignon; je demande a la vendeuse si je peux l'essayer ("je demande" veux dire que je fais des gestes dans tous les sens en montrant le petit haut). Alors elle me conduit a l'essayage et moi je rentre dans la piece et c'est la que derriere moi j'entend la petite dame me dire des trucs tres vite mais elle reste tres polie. Je me tourne et je vois qu'avec son index elle pointe mes pieds. Alors je me dis, ouais elles sont chouette mes pompes, je les achete aux USA, ce sont des "teva", elles sont cool hein? Mais elle continue a me parler de plus en plus vite et c'est la que je realise que j'ai fait la grosse erreur de rentrer dans la piece d'essayage avec mes chaussures. Ahhhh! Je suis desolee! Et je dis "sumimasen" au moins 5 fois, et elle me dit "sumimasen" 3 fois. Je suis tellement embarrassee, il faut absolument que je dise "sumimasen" au moins 2 fois de plus qu'elle pour lui prouver que je suis encore plus desolee qu'elle ne l'est. Oh lala je me sens comme une grosse, nulle debile francaise americaine que je suis. Alors maintenant elle pointe a un truc qui ressemble simplement a une taie d'oreiller et ensuite a ma tete. Quoi, tu veux que je mette une taie d'oreiller sur ma tete pour que je ne puisse pas voir la laideur de mon corps dans ce petit haut trop mignon ? Et la je comprend qu'il faut que je mette la taie d'oreiller pour proteger le petit haut trop mignon de mes sales cheveux degueux et de tout le maquillage que je ne met pas tous les matins sur ma tronche. Ouah, c'est plutot cool tout ca, quel respect pour le vetement. Bref j'essaye le haut en me tapant les coudes a la porte et au mirroir dans la piece d'essayage la plus petite au monde et malgre le fait que j'ai choisi une taille Large, le haut est 10 fois trop petit pour moi. Alors je sort et je redonne le haut a la vendeuse en disant "sumimasen" 2 ou 3 fois de plus pour lui prouver que je suis vraiment desolee d'etre une grosse, moche, stupide Americaine. Elle a l'air d'accepter mes excuses et s'excuse egalement, surement pour me dire que je peux partir maintenant. Pfffiou, je m'en sort vivante!

Here in Japan

I am not gonna write a big journal or anything but here is a picture of my first meal. Breakfast this morning including dried salmon, rice, natto (fermented soy beans) tofu, miso soup, pickled vegetable and something else I don't know what it was in the middle. I am so full.

Je ne vais pas ecrire un long journal mais voici une photo de notre premier petit dejeuner. Saumon, riz, miso soup, natto (soja fermente), legumes vinaigres, tofu et un autre truc que je ne reconnait pas. J'ai le ventre plein.

Also this morning after waking up I open the curtains to see what weather we were in and I was happily surprised to see the beautiful view on the japanese garden. It is so perfect. I love it.

Ce matin en me levant j'ouvre les rideaux pour voir quel temps il fait et je vois une super vue sur le jardin japonais. C'est vraiment super, j'adore. Voici la photo a travers ma fenetre.

BodyBasics says "Au revoir" Cécile/ BodyBasics dit "Good bye" Cécile

This is the note that my old job left on their web Newsletter regarding me leaving.
Voici ce que mon ancien boulot a edite sur leur site concernant ma demission. (j'ai tout traduit en francais quand meme!)

...A Bittersweet Goodbye!...

As many of you already know, Cécile, one of our valued team members has made the decision to pursue her passion and take her career in a different direction. Cecile has been with BodyBasics since the very beginning and helped build BodyBasics into what it is today. Her creative mind and enthusiastic spirit helped to keep the aesthetics pleasant and the energy high throughout the studio.

Cecile discovered her desire to become a Fire-Fighter in the fall of 2006 and she has been working towards that dream ever since. She graduated from the Pima Fire Academy in May of 2007 and has begun the tedious process of applying, interviewing and performing the physical tests for the various fire departments around town.

Cecile realized that in order to be successful in her dream, she would need to put 100% focus towards that dream. She made the tough decision to leave BodyBasics to pursue her future as a Fire-Fighter.

We will all miss Cecile very much and we wish her the very best! Thank you, Cecile, for all of your hard work, dedication and love that you put into BodyBasics over the years. You will not be forgotten and a part of you will always be a part of us. Au revoir Cecile!
click here to read the Newsletter on BodyBasics' website
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Comme beaucoup d'entre vous le savent, Cécile, un des entraineurs de notre valeureuse equipe, a pris la decision de poursuivre sa passion et d'engager sa carriere dans une direction differente. Cecile s'est engagee avec BodyBasics depuis le tout debut de sa creation et a aide a construire ce qu'il en est aujourd'hui. Son esprit creatif et enthousiaste nous a aide a garder l'esthetique agreable et l'energie bien haute au studio d'entrainement.

Cecile a decouvert le desir de devenir pompier en 2006 et a poursuit ses efforts dans cette direction. Elle est diplomee de l'Academie Pima de Pompier (may 2007) et a demarre le processus d'entretiens et de tests pour les differents Casernes de pompiers des allentours. Cecile a realise que pour atteindre son desir, elle avait besoin de s'engager a 100% et a donc pris la dure decision de quitter BodyBasics.

Cecile va beaucoup nous manquer et nous lui souhaitons bonne chance. Merci, Cecile, pour tous tes efforts, ton devouement et l'amour que tu as engage a BodyBasics pendant toutes ces annees. Tu ne seras pas oubliee et une partie de toi seras toujours ici avec nous. Good Bye Cecile!
Cliquez ici pour lire la Newsletter sur le site de BodyBasics (en Anglais)

Before/After - Avant/Apres

Those years are a killer. The only one that's getting better is the freakin' house. We ain't gonna get better though.

Toutes ces annees...! La seule qui est de plus en plus belle, c'est la maison. Nous on ne s'arrange pas vraiment.

Cordel our house in Brittany - (1985) and (2007)
Cordel, notre maison en Bretagne
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My brother Lionel (2 years old) and then after years of partying.
[Daphne, j'ai pique cette photo sur ton blog. (Je n'ai pas vu mon frere depuis au moins 2 ans, alors je n'ai rien de recent).]
Lionel (1971) et apres quelques de fete (2007).

____________________________________________________________________











Pas de commentaire. Avant (1969) Apres (2006)
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(1999) (2007)
In between there was purple long hair, purple shorter hair, red hair etc...
Entre les deux, il y a eu les cheveux violet longs, les cheveux violet courts, les cheuveux roux etc...
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(1979) (2007)
My husband Chris, no change, still smiling.
Chris mon mari. Pas de changement, il sourit toujours.

Happy Birthday Lionel!

Tomorrow is September 1st and it is my brother's birthday, but on Reunion Island where he lives it is already September 1st right now. So I want Lionel to see this post as soon as he wakes up (not as soon as I wake up, or else it will be already September 2nd for him and it will be too late). Anyway, enough confusion and let's wish HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIONEL!!!

Demain c'est le 1er Septembre et c'est l'anniversaire de mon frere, mais a l'Ile de la Reunion c'est deja le 1er Septembre. Alors je veux que Lionel voit ce post des qu'il se levera (et pas demain quand moi je me leverai, ou bien ce serai le 2 septembre pour lui et ce serai trop tard). Enfin bon, assez de confusion, et souhaitons un JOYEUX ANNIVERSAIRE A LIONEL!!!!!

"Cadeau!

Je paris que tu ne l'as pas cette photo de toi et papa en Bretagne sur l'ane "Mouton"."

Congratulations Meredith/ Felicitations Nora

Congratulations to both of my girlfriends Meredith and Nora who are pregnant. You guys don't even know each other since one of you lives in Tucson and the other in Paris, but you will have your babies almost in the same time. I am trying to catch up with you but I don't know... Not working!
Anyway... Meredith, I can't wait to see your little boy.
Nora... I can't believe I found out you were pregnant from David (who lives in New-York); we definitely need to talk more often.

Felicitations a mes deux copines Nora et Meredith qui sont enceinte. Vous ne vous connaissez meme pas puisque l'une habite a Paris et l'autre a Tucson et vous allez avoir vos petits pratiquement en meme temps. J'essaye de vous rattraper mais je ne sais pas... Ca marche pas!
Meredith... j'ai hate de voir ton petit garcon.
Nora... Incroyable! J'ai appris que tu etais enceinte par David (qui habite a New-York); il faut vraiment qu'on se parle plus souvent.

Disco Night for my Birthday.

We celebrated my birthday for the past 2 days. Dinner at Silvia's with Robin cooking wonderful french food, tons of amuse-bouche, Duck breast with sauteed potatoes and frisee salad with roasted figs, then we had a beautiful cheese platter and the wine was awesome. (Silvia and Robin are both in the wine business). Thank you very much Silvia and Robin.
And last night we went disco dancing and that was fun. Chris enjoyed very much the part where the good looking 70 year old man, still dressed like if he was in the year 1978, invited me for a dance. I turned my head and saw my husband busting out laughing. My girlfriends reassured me, telling me it was a good compliment to be invited for a dance by a gentleman. (Whatever...)

Cecile, Jessica and Jenny doing the "Disco finger pointing"
Cec, Jess and Jen faisant le "Le fameux Disco pointe du doigt"

Nous avons celebre mon anniversaire ces derniers jours. Le dinner francais chez Silvia et Robin etait super, avec des magrets de canard, petites patates sautees et une salade frisee avec des figues roties; et puis le plateau de fromage etait delicieux, ainsi que le vin. (Silvia et Robin sont tous les deux dans le business du vin). Merci beaucoup Silvia et Robin.
Et puis hier soir nous somme alles dancer "disco". Chris a beaucoup aime le moment ou le bel homme d'environ 70 ans habille comme si on etait encore en 1978, m'a invite a danser. J'ai tourne la tete et j'ai vu Chris eclate de rire se foutant de ma tete. Mes copines ont essayer de me rassurer en me disant que c'etait un bon compliment de se faire inviter par un gentilhomme a danser. (ye ye... cause toujours.)

L'Arizona C'est Comme Ca !

Click To Play

As you know I live in Arizona and Some of you have never been here, so here is a 2 min Video Picture to show you how it looks around here, maybe it will make you want to visit me.

Comme vous le savez j'habite en Arizona et certains d'entre vous ne sont jamais venus ici, alors voici une video photo d'environ 2 minutes pour vous montrer comment c'est par ici, ca vous donnera peut-etre l'envie de venir me rendre visite.

Video Fire academy / Cecile Pompier

Click To Play

Check out my little video of the Fire Academy, we had fun.

Video de l'Academie de Pompier que j'ai termine en mai, on s'est bien marres.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMMY!

My friend jimmy was in college with me in France and he was my upstairs neighbor in Nanterre for a few years. He also is the ONLY one french friend of mine (beside my family) that came to visit me in Tucson.
Jimmy, I would like to wish you a Happy Happy birthday, 33 years already! I hope you are having a great day. Be good.

Mon pote Jimmy etait a la fac avec moi en France, et il etait aussi mon voisin du dessus a Nanterre pendant quelques annes. Il est egalement le seul de mes amis francais (sans compter ma famille) qui soit venu me rendre visite ici a Tucson.
Jimmy, Je voudrais te souhaiter un Joyeux anniversaire, 33 ans deja! J'espere que tu t'eclates bien aujourd'hui. Ne fais pas de betises.

Car or cactus ? / Voiture ou Cactus ?

In America, we love our cars, that's for sure! But in Arizona, we love our cactus even more!

En Amerique, on adore les bagnoles, ca c'est sur! Mais en Arizona on adore les cactus bien plus!

C'est du serieux, voici l'equipe/ Introducing, the team

Here is the team going to Japan. Don't we all look nice and professional. I hope we become all crazy and fun over there.

Voici l'equipe qui va au Japon. On a l'air tout beau et tres professionel. J'espere qu'on deviendra fous et qu'on s'amusera la bas. Ils vont pas etre decus, je vais foutre un bordel monstre moi la bas...

Don't forget to go check out our Team Blog while we are over there.
N'oubliez pas d'aller sur notre Blog lorsqu'on sera la bas.

Hummingbirds / Oiseaux-Mouches

L'oiseau-Mouche est un oiseau tres commun ici en Arizona, j'en vois souvent dans mon jardin autour de mes arbres. Pas plus grand que mon pouce, il n'existe qu'en Amerique (du nord et du Sud), alors je voulais vous le decrire un peu. Car je trouve que c'est l'oiseau le plus cool qui existe.

Amazing Hummingbird Facts

• Hummingbirds can fly forward, backward, shift sideways and stop in mid-air.
• An average hummingbird consumes half its weight in nectar each day.
• The Hummingbird is the world's smallest bird.
• Hummingbirds can reach speeds up to 60 miles an hour.
• Their wings beat 78 times per second during regular flight. The fastest wing-beat during normal flight belongs to the Sun Gem, a Hummingbird found in South America, is 90 beats per second. PER SECOND!
• Hummingbirds do not have a sense of smell. They locate their food by eyesight.
• A Hummingbird's egg is about the size of a pea.
• A Hummingbird's heart beats 1,260 times per minute.

Faits etonnants concernant les Oiseaux-Mouches (ou Colibris)

• L'oiseau-Mouche est capable de voler en avant, en arriere, de cote et meme de s'arreter en plein vol.
• L'oiseau-mouche consomme en moyenne la moitie de son poids en nectar par jour.
• L'oiseau-mouche est le plus petit oiseau au monde.
• Les Oiseaux-Mouches peuvent atteindre une vitesse d'environ 95 km/h.
• Leurs ailes battent 78 fois par secondes.
• Les Oiseaux-Mouches n'ont pas d'odorat. Ils Localisent leur nourriture par la vue.
• Leurs oeufs ne sont pas plus gros qu'un petit pois.
• Leur coeur bat 1260 fois a la minute.

Did you know? Facts about Arizona.

• Did you know that the State of Arizona was the 48th state to be part of the United Stated, in 1912?
• That Arizona is the nation leader in copper production?
• That Arizona, among all the states, has the largest percentage of its land set aside and designated as Indian lands?
• That the nickname of Arizona is "the Grand Canyon State"?
• Check out on the map above. You see the place in the north of Arizona where it perfectly meets Utah, Colorado and New Mexico? This area is called "4 corners". It's the only place in the country where 4 states perfectly meet.

• Saviez-vous que l'etat d'Arizona etait le 48e etat a faire partie des USA, en 1912?
• Que l'Arizona est le premier producteur de cuivre du pays?
• Que l'Arizona, a le plus grand pourcentage de sa surface, designee comme "Reserve Indienne"?
• Que le surnom de l'Arizona est "L'etat du grand Canyon"?
• Regardez la carte un peu plus haut. Vous voyez en haut de l'arizona, la ou L'arizona, Utah, Le Colorado et le Nouveau Mexique se rencontrent parfaitement geometriquement? Cet endroit s'appelle "4 coins". C'est le seul endroit aux USA ou 4 etats se rencontrent parfaitement a angle droit.

I quit!

I just quit my job yesterday! I gave a nice letter of resignation and my last day will be on August 31st. My boss decided it was a good idea for the business to stop giving the employees their benefits. And then 3 weeks later, he decided to bring them back, but I already had made my decision. Yeah, taking benefits away! That's a nice thing to do Huh!

J'ai demissionne hier! J'ai donne une jolie lettre de demission et mon dernier jour sera le 31 aout. Ensuite j'entrainerai de mon cote. Le boulot est toujours un peu plus lent l'ete alors c'est mieux si j'entraine de mon cote au lieu de travailler pour un club. Je peux ainsi me faire plus de sous.

Japan Here I come!

We've been told about the team that is going to Japan in October 07. And "I'm going!" Yeahhhh! Now all I have to do is learn some Japanese like crazy. We are going to visit the region of Fukushima, a couple hours north of Tokyo. We will stay in different families to discover their culture. During the day we will present our team and our culture to the different rotary clubs over there. We will also be paired with someone from the same profession as us and go to work with them a few days. We have been told that we will come back exhausted. We created a blog that we will update probably everyday while over there, I attached the link at the end of this post. Our traveling dates will be from September 14th to October 18th.

On nous a annonce l'equipe qui va partir au Japon en Octobre 2007. Et j'en fais partie! Youpi! Maintenant il faut que j'apprenne le Japonais a fond. Nous allons visiter la region de Fukushima, a 2 heures au nord the Tokyo. Nous serons acceuillis par differentes familles (quelques jours dans chaque famille) afin de decouvrir leur culture. La journee nous presenterons notre equipe et notre culture aux differents club rotary de la region. Nous allons aussi etre mis en contact pour decouvrir notre profession au Japon. Nous allons revenir completement creuves. On a creer un blog, que nous mettrons a jour pendant le voyage. Nos dates de voyage sont du 14 septembre au 18 octobre.

Visit our team blog / Visitez le blog de notre equipe
http://gse5500tofukushima.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad !

Today is my mom and dad's birthday! That's right they were both born on the same day June 16th. So we wanted to wish them a Happy Birthday. And on my way I'd like to say "Happy Father's day" for tomorrow.

Aujourd'hui c'est l'anniversaire de maman et papa! Oui ils sont nes tous les deux le meme jour, le 16 juin. Alors on voulait leur souhaiter un Joyeux Anniversaire. Et au passage n'oublions pas la fete des peres dimanche.

My brother is an actor !

So my brother Lionel is not only a researcher on Mango and Sugar cane but he is an actor on his free time. He just sent me this poster that he realised himself for their play. I really like it with that deep red (don't forget Lionel is color blind! Who knows if it was meant to be red...). Also their team of actors finished 2nd in their competion. Great Job!
If you want to know were my brother lives, check out Reunion Island online with the two links I attached here.
Hawaii's big island has a sister: Reunion island
http://www.reunionisland.net/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/4469169.stm

Mon frere Lionel n'est pas seulement un chercheur sur la Mangue et la cane a sucre mais aussi un acteur aparement. Il vient de m'envoyer l'image de l'affiche qu'il a cree lui meme pour leur piece de theatre. J'aime beaucoup l'affiche et surtout la couleur (Je tiens a rappeler que Lionel est daltonien! Qui sait, l'affiche etait peut etre censee etre verte...). Sa troupe a terminee 2eme dans leur competition. Super ! (si vous voulez en savoir plus sur l'ile de la Reunion, visitez.
http://www.la-reunion-tourisme.com/

Explanations

I got an email today from my brother congratulating me on this blog (thank you Lionel!), however he pointed that there were no pictures of Chris (my husband) and that there was a picture of my dog even before there was one of him. The fact is that Chris wasn't so happy to see my blog with pictures of him so he told me not to add any. As a good wife I listened to him. But oh well, this will be in between you and me. Let's not tell him. I just don't want to seem too narcissist as Lionel said in his email. So here is a picture of Chris.

J'ai recu un email de mon frere aujourd'hui me felicitant pour ce blog (Merci Lionel!), cependant il a fait la remarque qu'il n'y avait pas de photos de Chris (mon mari) et qu'il y avait une photo de ma chienne avant qu'il y en ait de lui. En fait Chris m'a dit qu'il ne voulait pas tellement avoir de photos de lui sur ce blog. (Il veut garder son identite secrete peut-etre...). Bref je vais quand meme en mettre une juste histoire de ne pas paraitre trop narcissiste puisque c'est le mot que Lionel a employe dans son email.

Our Week Vacation / Notre semaine de vacances

We just got back from a week vacation in a resort in Scottsdale. That was really really nice and we literally did nothing! Well, swimming in the pool and enjoying the restaurants around was all we wanted to do anyway.

Nous venons juste de rentrer d'une semaine de vacances dans un hotel a Scottsdale (pres de Phoenix). C'etait vraiment chouette et nous n'avons literallement rien fait! Nager dans la piscine et aller dans les restos des allentours etait tout ce que nous voulions faire de toute facon.

I was in the paper!

Il y a quelques mois, un des journaux locaux m'a demande de faire une interview avec photos sur le sujet "garder un ventre plat, et avoir des abdos de plombs pendant les fetes de fin d'annee". Alors voici l'interview et les photos mais je ne vais pas la traduire, desolee.

A few months ago, a local newspaper asked me to do a little thing about exercising your abs and keeping a flat stomach during the holidays. So this was the article the journalist wrote and the pictures they published with it.
[Cecile B., a fitness coach at Body Basics Health and Fitness, said it's harder for women to lose extra fat around the belly because women have a higher body fat percentage than men do overall. "So even a little body fat is going to hide (a firm) stomach right away." The biggest misconception, she said, is the idea that you can slim down in a week or just before summer. It's more of a lifestyle change, she adds. "You have to really lower your body fat and eat really, really lean," Cecile said. When she wants to slim her midsection, she maintains a lower-fat, lower-sugar diet. I don't drink alcohol so that's not a problem. I don't do a low-carb diet, but I do replace my intake of more processed foods such as bread with more whole foods such as brown rice, and I eat a lot of salads and soups. No added dressing, just vinaigrette. I also have yogurt daily because I need the calcium." It's something that you can maintain even during the holidays or out at restaurants, Cecile said. If she eats out, she orders grilled salmon without butter or olive oil. When at a party, she enjoys what's offered, but at reduced portions. "Share a dessert with your husband or take a spoonful instead of a slice."]

"The Little House In Brittany"

Some of you know about our cool little house in Brittany, and I would like to welcome the last addition to the house : "The Arizona Room" on the left side of the house, with it's new super cool corner couch. A lot of good naps are to come... I will post a picture of before and after (when I get one of before) because the difference is pretty amazing. My parents have been working on renewing this house for the past 20 years now and I need to tell them again what a great job they did. We love it over there.

Certains d'entre vous ont deja ete dans notre chouette petite maison en Bretagne, et je voudrais vous presenter la derniere venue "La Veranda" renomee "Arizona Room" et son nouveau canape de coin. Beaucoup de siestes sont a venir... J'afficherai des photos "avant/ apres" car la difference est incroyable. Mes parents ont passe les 20 annees passees a retaper cette maison et je tiens a leur dire a nouveau qu'ils ont fait du vrai bon boulot. On adore passer du temps la bas.

Working with the team at Body Basics

Most of you know I am a personal trainer in a health club, go check out the website of the place where I work, our great health club Body Basics and meet the crew.

La plupart d'entre vous savent que je suis coach personel dans un club de sport, allez visiter le site du club ou je travaille, notre super club Body Basics et faites la connaissance du groupe.
http://bodybasics.biz/

Trip to Japan ? We'll see...

I applied for a group exchange to Japan happening in October offered by the Rotary Club International. I still don't know if I was selected to go as one the team of 4. But I know I am in the 6 finalists. The team leader will let us know in about a month. I am learning Japanese intensively though, and I love it.

J'ai postule pour un echange au Japon en Octobre offert par le Rotary Club Inernational. Je ne sais toujours pas si j'ai ete choisie a faire partie de l'equipe de 4 mais je fais partie des 6 finalistes. Le leader du groupe nous anoncera l'equipe dans un mois environ. J'apprend le japonais et j'aime beaucoup.

The Fire Academy

At the Fire Academy in the heat of Arizona with class mates.

A L'academie de Pompier dans la chaleur de l'Arizona avec les potes de classe.

Me a Firefighter ? Maybe...

Yeah ! I just graduated on may 17th 2007 from the Fire Academy and am now a Firefighter and an EMT. Happy ! I was the only girl in a class with 36 boys and with a training "Military style", me!!? Yes. Running, doing Push ups, Pull ups and getting yelled at. It wasn't easy.

Youpi ! Je viens juste de terminer et reussir l'academie de Pompier. Je suis maintenant Pompier pour de vrai. Contente ! J'etais la seule fille dans la classe parmis 36 garcons et avec une formation "style militaire", Moi !!? Oui. Courir, faire des pompes, des tractions et se faire crier dessus. Ce n'etait pas facile !

My Picture Art

I like to take pictures of stuff in my house. This is some of them.
Photo de "Mon art a la maison".

To start / Pour demarrer

Well this is the start of this blog, probably with a lot of spelling mistakes since I am not writing it in my native language and I am not a very good writer in any language anyway. I will do my best to do the "Spelling Checking Thing" I promise.

C'est le debut de ce blog, avec probablement beaucoup de fautes d'orthographe, je ne suis pas tres bon ecrivain ni en anglais ni en francais (en plus je n'ai pas de verificateur d'orthographe en francais sur mon ordi); je ferai de mon mieux c'est promis.