August 30th

It's funny. I find myself telling different things to different people. I don't know if it is because I get bored of saying the same things over and over again, or because I know some parts of this one person will enjoy, while someone else would find that boring. For example, I will tell (for lack of a better description) one of my jock friends about TV here while I will tell one of my Berkeley friends about the museums I visited.

That may not have made sense. It's been a long day. This morning as I was getting ready to leave for Paris on the train I was told that I would be staying until Friday in Cannes with another family in the same house we had been staying at.  I am helping the mom get acclimated to the city and watching her two kids. While I am excited to get to Paris, this way I can move into my room when I arrive and it will give the boys a chance to settle back in before I get there.  This is an American family and being with them for just a day reminded me of how different things are in a French household. Not shocking, but it was funny how quickly I forgot that I could eat pizza with my hands with a cold beer still in the can, instead of a starter, a main course, a cheese dish and a dessert.

One of the greatest things today was the fact that I held my own in a one on one conversation with a Frenchman who didn't speak any English. He was good humored and patient, but regardless I think I got everything over the net and I could understand (for the most part) what he was saying. He and his wife were the housekeepers and I helped them dress the beds for all the rooms.

The Museum Count.

I am going to start writing down the museums I visit and when I visit them. I am at four now and will be writing them in my journal. I will let you know how many I have at the end of the year.

My chin.

I kinda, sorta, maybe, might've split my chin open again.

It's Nice in Nice.

I know, my titles are hilarious. No need to tell me.

I took the train to Nice on my day off (approximately 40 minutes by train) and spent the day walking around the old town and the city. Somehow, on the trainride over, I ended up on the Nightcar and got a whole sleepers car to myself. It was very peaceful and I was able to lay down and watch the Mediterranean pass by. The sun was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds except right at the waters edge so it made it look like a Californian Sunset during this summers' July. The water was so beautiful and no one was there yet. It really was very peaceful.

Once I got there I began walking around old town. It was quite beautiful. A huge street opened up to a water fountain and that lead up to a large courtyard. I wandered around and somehow I came to the panorama of the city. Somehow I always gravitate the the highest point in whichever city I visit. (I did the same last week here in Cannes as I was looking for a quiet place to read.) Anyways at the top there was a Jewish cemetery and to the left a man made waterfall.

Seeing these two things right next to each other made me realize that when I die, I don't want my body in the ground or in a tomb.  Instead I would like to be donated to whatever and I would like a bench in a peaceful area with lots of trees.

Reasons?
1.) Graveyard with above ground tombs are creepy.
2.) It was really hot and the trees afforded nice shade.
3.) Benches are just so quaint and very helpful to the traveler with sore feet.

Anyways, after exploring I began walking back to the train station when I ran into the Modern art Museum of Nice. The art was very good and I realized that I really enjoy modern art. However it wasn't so cool to look down onto the courtyard five stories below and see a guy getting a handjob. I mean, it was funny. Just not modern art.

The Vacuum.

Sorry if this one sounds a little too bloggish. But I feel like I need to justify some of my stupid moments since I have been here.

Not only am I experiencing culture shock... I am experiencing the shock of leaving my family, hearing a new language, being new to Europe and European history/common knowledge, and living on my own. 

That's how I justify the fact that I couldn't figure out how to vacuum up the kitchen while trying to help the housekeeper.  

The Icecream.

It's ridiculously hot here. So I keep eating Ice Cream. They have baby drumsticks at the house which are adorable. I have had Creme Bulee Ice Cream, Minthe Ice Cream, and today I bought Rum Raisin Ice Cream because it had a Bacardi Bottle on top as decoration.

Life's a Show.

You wouldn't think that while I don't miss hamburgers, hotdogs or apple pie, I definitely miss dancing. Now, don't misunderstand. I am allowed to dance, no problem. But I really really want to go to a school dance, or have a living room dance session with kids who are as weird as me (Dayna, Christina or Julie).

This is just one more reason I am looking forward to Paris, so that I won't have a curfew and I can go out with friends. What brought this on?  Last night we finally went out to see some Cannes nightlife. We saw another fireworks display and we took the 00:00 bus home. While I continually saw the groups of kids my age that I wanted to hang out with, I was content with my party, but I definitely look forward to having friends.

We did see nightlife. We saw a dancing crew and a guitarist who pulled in crowds of at least a hundred. We sat on the beach and looked down La Croisette and it looked like a fairground. The hotels were lit up and reflected in the Mediterranean, the kids ran around with their toys they bought from a street vendor, kids practiced breakdancing in the street, and a two story Merry-Go-Round really completed the scene.

While we were listening to the singer, I wanted to dance so badly. An old bum was walking around trying to get people to participate, it was so funny to watch how uncomfortable people became. and it was very enjoyable to eat my creme-bulee flavored glace and watch the show.