So the pictures uploaded backwards, so the surprise is spoiled. But this is Isabelle, me, Jacky and Orian mid-chicken harvesting. As you can see, Jacky is ecstatic about my choice to photograph our activity.
Limousine is a type of cattle, the kind that Isabelle raises. According to her, it's the best tasting steak in the world. (Phonetically, LEE MOOZ AN).
This is a shot of the farm. To the right are the sheep, to the left are the cows, and the goats and cheese room are behind me.
This is a picture of Vouhenans, the little village where the farm is. I bike there, so I get to see lots of pretty views like this.

I'm off to Besançon for two days with Mathilde, then Berlin on Tuesday. I have no idea what is going to happen !!!!

Sam

Hi hi hi!

I feel like I tell time more by the seasons and the moon than anything else. So when I say that I wore my winter coat today, that means that I've been here a while. Only a month really, but it seems like a lot has happened to me.

This is just an update to tell you that everything is exceptional. People always smile at me and say hello, as if I am not this new, weird person in the halls anymore, but rather a permanent fixture within them. I still stand out because of my clothes, as I don't wear chic black everyday, but for the most part all the teachers treat me as if I've been here for a long time.

The only thing is I still stick out because I don't eat in the cafeteria. I mean first and foremost because it's cafeteria food, but more than that it's usually pretty meat-centric, so when I get the meal without meat I end up with some plain rice and a side salad. Because I live right next to the school, it's easier just to go home and cook myself something scrumptious. I think I miss out on some bonding, but overall it's okay.

I asked if I could sit on the freshmen Spanish class, and today was my first lesson; I can't really express how excited I am to finally be taking deliberate action to learn a third language. Valerie, a super nice teacher, told me she'd be sure to put me with her worst class (even so, they've been studying Spanish for two years already) so that I would get lots of practice and repetition. In front of the class, she asked me my name, and I didn't even know how to say 'my name is Sam' because I was so nervous. It's nice, however, to interact with the students in a different capacity than language teacher; I get to be a student, too! I got a book from the library called L'espagnol pour Les Nuls (get it?) so I'm going to try to supplement the classes with rudimentary learning as well. Nonetheless, I am very excited. It'll also help solidify my French grammar too, as the class is a Spanish class taught in French. You should see my notes-- a jumble of three languages that no one but probably I could understand.

The farm is going really well. Isabelle and Jacky have sort of adopted me. Saturday I left with cheese, apples, and a full tummy. I also got stuck in the rain on my bike. It was what I like to call a character builder. I go back tomorrow to work with Elise, a farm hand whose family has also taken me in. I usually help her with the goats from 630 to noon then we go eat at her house. It's really fun.

Volleyball is also fun. My shoulder has begun to let me know that I'm over using it, however. I'm trying to do some strengthening exercises to make it less mad at me for playing so much. Hopefully it gets better with time.

And Berlin in a week!

Et voilà, all is well. Spanish, farming, volleyball, fall. As you can see, my life is happily uninteresting. I feel content and comfortable. I'm off to the open air market to buy some fresh veggies and cheese.

Love,
Sam

FALL!!!

Hi, everyone!

I owe you an update, I know. But I was waiting until my life got more exciting, then it got too exciting (joke) and I didn't have time to update. So, here it is:

I have officially been here for three whole weeks, whoa! And now, it's absolutely fall. It was 2° C today. Just cold enough to warrant a snuggly fleece but not cold enough for gloves and a hat. This morning I showed my class pictures on my computer. Each time I go into a class, I introduce myself (it's easier with the lower classes to also use pictures) and then they ask me any questions. After the pictures, I always get: 'Does you brother have a girlfriend?' And after I introduce myself I always get: 'Do you have a boyfriend' and 'How old are you?'. While it's flattering, I'm not sure that they're retaining any of the things I'm saying that don't have to do with the dating scene. You win some, you lose some. It's terribly entertaining to hear them speak English. I also really enjoy speaking to them and trying to communicate. I always have to be sure that they know I can speak French so that they don't talk about me in French.

This weekend was great, too. I went to a goat farm -- the sister in law of one of the teachers at the school. Hamid has been so wonderful to me. He's sort of adopted me as his own child. He took me to Isabelle's farm and sat with me and helped explain why I was there (I accidentally told them I wanted money for working on the farm). And then he left, and they took me home. But he's just a very sweet, genuine man. I then fed the cows, helped tag a new baby, and moved the hay all around. Then I got to help vaccinate the sheep against some sort of hoof disease. They have chickens too, and they want me to help harvest them. Thanks to Megan I have experience with that now, so I'll be helping this coming weekend. Tomorrow I'm going back to milk the goats and make cheese. This weekend I sold cheese at a market for twelve hours!! Some people find it difficult to understand my accent -- it's such a small town that it's rare to find someone who's maternal language is not French. They don't expect me to talk funny.

We have a vacation coming up in two weeks, and I am going to BERLIN! My friend Claire has a friend there, and I do too, so we're going to be there for about six days. Then I'm going to spend one day in Switzerland, then back to work. I am also still planning to be a delegate at the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit in December, so that will be my next trip. Then, for Christmas, it's down to Morocco, Italy and/or Greece. I'll keep you posted as to what I decide! One girl is going to an ice hotel in Sweden, doesn't that sound cool? Literally?

Tonight I'm going to cook dinner with Claire and Rebecca, American and English respecitvely, so that should be fun. It'll be nice to speak in English again. Doesn't happen very often (which is better for my French, I know...). This Friday I'm going back to Besançon to have the last portion of my orientation. They're going to teach us how to teach I think. That will be nice. I really like some of the assistants who live futher away from me, so it'll be nice to see them again. And we're planning on coordinating visits at the orientation and such.

So there is a very long update! It's not as interesting as I had hoped, but it's the truth. Maybe I'll start making things up, maybe then I'll have lots of visitors!

Oh, and I'm thinking about doing the Paris half marathon in April, weeee! Anna's trying to talk me into the full marathon, but I'm so scared....

Okay. I miss and love you all. And I think of you everyday.

Adoringly,
Sam

And, PS: I get internet in my room in less than a week! So I'll be able to upload pictures at will. You know, the ones I took on Photobooth of my first day of school. And I'll have an UNLIMITED phone that dials UNLIMITED to ANYWHERE in the WORLD. So expect some calls. I'll try to respect the time zone differences, but I can't make any promises -- I might get too excited. My mobile number is 06 37 22 94 08 if you're interested in calling or texting me in the mean time. And my other number will be up soon.

PICTURES