i got to ride on a bright yellow school bus!!!
but really i was more impressed in the fact i got the bus at the right time, transfered at the right place onto the right bus and got to school ok.

well, school was interesting. first of all i found the english teacher, and she introduced me to all 4 students who spoke english, (im sorry for my stereotypes but i am now attending a north american school based on social status) they were to geeks, a druggie and a skater. each of them offered their own advice and told me where i could find them if i needed help. i had to sit in a long assembly where the princiâl sppoke french so fast i didnt even pick up the fact he was introducing the exchange students, until everyone was looking at us. that was weird. then we went to a formclass like room to get information about the school year, such as new rules (including dress code, yuo have to cover your shoulders and back and skirts can be no shorter than mid thigh). i was doing ok just sitting back and trying to listen to the french and pick up on some words. then we all left to get our school books from the library, get our photo for our student cards, get lockers and pay our school fees. this all finished at about 1 and i was left to do nothing tilll my bus came at 4. so i sat in the sun and watched all the social groups collect on the field. there are the social elite (well groomed females and very good looking males) the skaters and bikers (also good looking guys) the geeks and the druggies. so, yes maris, i will get more information on the `sexy canadians` (that was term you used).

after school i had a good chat with mummy (love you long time) and then went and got a community discount card. it has my photo on it and says im officially part of the drummondville community :) and i get into the swimming pool half price.

all in all a good day. school doesnt start till friday so i have the house to myself again today (thursday).

oh and the little time thingy on the blog will be wrong. i think its set to an american time. i cant change it because everything is in french....so when it changes youll know im getting better!

moose!!!!!!
i found out in winter moose come into my back yard!
im looking forward to winter for several reasons:
-my first white christmas
-snow...everywhere
-and apparently by december i should speak fluent french

this last one i find very strange. im having a bit of trouble talking in french and no one here speaks english. and i cant imagine myself understanding the 6oclock news by december, when at the moment, for i know it could be the spanish channel. my host family are very supportive tho, so im lucky there. i can always try to speak english with my host mum, shes really keen on it because she wants to speak it fluently. i have a really good french dictionary which helps, but speaking french isnt really my problem. its understanding it. i was at school and my host mum was talking french with the assistant principal and only just managed to get the subject the were talking about, and if they needed to ask me something, my host mum had to translate for me.

i know im lucjy here because i have a very supportive host family and i can always joke with them about my language problems.

ive been changed schools because there wasnt enough space for all the afs students at marie riviere. im now going to a school that i dont know the name of (helpful isnt it) and this afternoon i find out what subjects i can take.

im getting a mobile phone soon so ill email out that number when i get it

thinking bout yuo all in new zealand xo

i met the whole family yesterday
they have to children, genevere 32 married to pascal. they have two kids simon 4 and hugo 2.
and nic 30 married to someone with a long french name and they have one baby cedric 10 months and the monther is prgnant with a child due on my birthday!
the family are very french and they offered me quite a bit of alcohol. i had this really nice wine spritz (its big in quebec) and after dinner we had `spanish coffee` its coffee with brandy and two other types of alcohol i didnt get the names of, and it had whipped cream on top. it was soo strong. but they quite happily let the four year old have a few sips. sfter all the kids went to bed, we all stayed up and talked for ages, well really it was them tlaking really fast and i was only just keeping up with the topic (i had no idea what they were actually saying) but while they were tlaking pascal, who works with an english company, was translating for me and giving me key words to listen for. it was really interesting, when they started discussing drink driving i managed to explain the situation in new zealand with alcohol. i was so tired after all the french....

i was wokenup this morning at 6 by hugo who had lost the sheep i had given him and was trying to ask me if i had seen it. i didnt actually know this at the time because no one really understands him. it was only when later that morning we found simon had two sheep and hugo was still distressed. their parents had gone out so we were left to look after them. diane and i took them for a walk in the rain to the park. it was heaps of fun, i got heaps of pictures of them and got to meet familys from around the neighbourhood. apparently its usual for everyone to walk on sundays, even if its raining.

going into school tomoro will be fun. i have an interview with the principal at 10.

a bientot :P

salut from drummondville

its beautiful here. its flat and theres trees everywhere. drummondville is around st francois river. there are lots of bush walks and theres a camping sight just down the road from my house.
and the house is awesome. its quite big, for those of you who know my old house in khandallah, its about the same size as that. thers a really big grass section at the back too. its really nice. my family is really sweet. i talk to my host dad in french(or try to anyway. )quebecoise is soo different from the french i learnt. they seem to just put words together. for example instead of moi aussi (english it is me too) they say moissi! so that makes it so hard to understand, atleast i know how to say please speak slowly.....
i went to the supermarket. insanley huge sizes of things. like bottles of coke and blocks of cheese. and cheese comes in everything...string, spary can, sliced, grated, blocks...so amny ways to get cheese!!!
It was really funny noticing all the girls here are tiny. they are soo skinny! and all the guys remind me of hicks (cleadus the slack jawed yokel) its odd.

im going into school for the first time next week. should be interesting...

will update when im allowed back on the computer (theres not much internet a month)

guess where i am.......california.......slightly less cool...im in a stinking hot spanish american hotel 5 minutes from the airport...but...there is a starbucks across the road.

the flight here was average. an hour delay to start with. but i had lots of space so managed to sleep 9 out of 12 hours. and watch a movie. :)

American customs suck...you have finger prints and an eye scan...and hey ask you a gizzilion questions. oh and 6 out of the 8 students had their bags searched and locks removed...i wasnt one of them...probably cos my bags were so heavy getting into them would have involved too much effort...

I gotta go meet the other students for dinner.
will update at the next computer in Montreal