NEW ADDRESS!!!!

One month down, one month to go.

I am leaving tomorrow to a new site, Les Hermitans!

You can write or send things to:

Amanda "Dr. Pepper" Purnell
American Village
Maison Familiale Rurale
Les Hermitans
85190 Venansault
FRANCE


I will try to get on here and recap the past few weeks!!!!!

weird things...

This is going to be a list of weird/strange/different things I have encountered in Europe, specifically France.... i will add to this as I experience more...

The keyboards... the period is where the comma should be, and you've gotta press Shift to get a period. The q and the a are switched, as are the z and w. The apostrophe is on the 4 button. Oh by the way, you have to press shift to get the numbers. The question mark and the comma are on the key where the m usually is, so the m is where the ;: usually is. The exclamation point is by the right shift key, and the " is with the 3. Also the @ is with the 0. But so is the à. So you must press Alt Gr and the 0à to get the @. This proves difficult as i write this blog.

There is no walmart. The pharmacy is its own place. The tobacco shop is its own place.

Speaking of pharmacies, even the grocery stores dont carry cough syrup or ibuprofen. You have to go to a pharmacy to get this. Also, when you are sick, you go to the pharmacy first to see the chemist. They will give you medicine. You do not go to a doctor until the pharmacy has tried everything and doesn't help.

Supermarkets. American labels include Coca-Cola, Pringles, M&Ms, KitKats, and Twix. That's it. Also, they do not have bags. You must bring your own bag or carry all your groceries yourself.

The French do NOT waste food. Anything for that matter. All the games we play in America that use food, they would not do here. They save everything. We had the same dessert for lunch, dinner, and even some for breakfast the next day.

Showers. You must press a button. The water turns off every 20 seconds, therefore you need to keep pushing the button throughout your shower. I understand them tryign to save water, but seriously? Seriously.

Roads are narrow. Ridiculously narrow. I dont know how cars fit on them.

Deodorant... only available in roll-on and spray. Unscented. And most people dont seem to use it. Paris subways and even here at camp are smelly. Smelly.

Round-a-bouts. Lots of them.

French children don't have school dances. No homecoming, no prom. Nothing. We had a dance for our kids here at camp and it was most of them's first dance.

You don't get carded when you buy alcohol. Not even once since Ive been here.

French waitstaff are slow. Not because they are lazy. Im not sure why. Service here is NOTHING like restaurant service in America. You're lucky if they greet you within 10 minutes.

Pancakes, eggs, sausage, normal berakfast items are unheard of here. You're lucky if you can find a quiche.

The sun sets at 11:15pm. No joke. The sun still rises at normal time though. Its not dark until almost midnight, which really screws up your schedule. Maybe thats how we are able to work 18-hour days without noticing.

...to be continued...

Only in Paris....

two of the most interesting things I saw in Paris.....


.... sitting in Gare de Montparnasse, I witnessed a one-legged pigeon. Not really one-legged. One-footed. The footless stump resembled a peg-leg in both use and aesthetics.
Some of the pigeons here just look like they have had a rough time.


....speak of rough times.... as I walked up Rue Caulaincourt to a caffé, I passed the bus stop where an old, homeless man was sitting. A trench coat with no shirt underneath that I could see, crumpled, half-drank beer can in hand. Next thing I know, he has stood up and completely de-pantsed. Not only had he unbuttoned his coat (which confirmed the no shirt idea), but he had completely pulled down his knickers and pants. Why? To scratch himself of course. He stood there in all his glory for about 5 minutes just scratching and readjusting. At this point, I had lost my appetite.


Ah Paris, j'aime tu.

Self-Portrait

A Brief Self-Portrait In Paris

Smoke swirls
mirroring the embroidery on her white skirt

dry white wine
smudges on the glass
nose deep in some prententious novel

she checks her phone
once
twice
five, six, ten times
for a call not expected for another couple hours
Just in case.

She waits.

what a ride!!!!

Sorry it's been forever.... the keyboards get weirder and weirder and the internet gets more and more expensive!!!!

We spent three days in Interlaken, Switzerland.... while Santorini was picture-perfect for a beach, Interlaken was picture-perfect for mountains and lakes! The water was emerald green in both lakes (Interlaken = inter+lakes = it's between two lakes)... the crystal green color is because it is glacier water! It was pretty chilly in Switzerland, and misted/rained most the time we were there. We still had a good time -- we definitely needed some chill-out time to recover from Rome!!!!!

Not much to say about Interlaken.... other than they have a Hooters. Yes, that's right.

Oh and by the way... I don't know if mom told you dad, but we went bungee jumping. Yep. Bungee jumping 450 feet off a gondola over a lake in the Swiss Alps. It's one of the highest in the world. It was one of the most amazing and crazy things I've ever done!!!!!! There is just no rush like that (although I still have to try skydiving!!!!) Interlaken is the #2 Extreme Sports capital, so everything was bungee jumping, skydiving, paragliding, hanggliding, canyoning, white water rafting...... bungee jumping was actually one of the most affordable!!!! It was so foggy and cloudy the day we went, you jumped out of the gondola into a literal complete fog. You couldn't see what you were even jumping into!!!! Talk about crazy!!!!!

____________________________________________________________

Now here we sit in a Paris hostel, St. Christopher's Inn, which is by and far the nicest hostel we've stayed in (except for the lack of air conditioning!!!!) It is brand new and totally tailored to the young backpacker -- movie room, sauna, bar, internet cafe, cool decor, young and hip employees, the works!!!! Everyone speaks English -- yay!!!!!!

Paris has been rather unexciting - me and Josh have both been very sick (tres malade!) Numerous trips to the pharmacie have been made for sinus medicine and various bottle of cough syrup! I haven't had this bad of a cough in years!!!! Most of paris has been spent in our hotel or chilling out. We've seen the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre (including the Mona Lisa!) and strolled down the Champs-Elysees. We saw a French cabaret (lotsa boobies! haha) and drank French champagne.

Tomorrow, our last full day in Paris together, we want to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower and also see the Notre Dame Cathedral.

It's surprising how little English the French speak... or how little they are willing to speak I guess. We have never really had a language problem until France. We strolled down Rue Cler's market to gather things for a picnic. Our first stop was a boucherie to get meat. Not quite sure how to order meat, I asked two employees, "Parlez vous Anglais?" I was laughed at. Rudely laughed at. At least I asked it in French!!!! Needless to say, I was a little disheartened. We had the best pizza of our trip around the corner anyway...

At this point, we are tuckered out on museums and art galleries.... so we are surpassing Monet's "Waterlillies" and Rodin's "The Thinker" and Van Gogh's "Starry Night." I know. I know. There is just only so much walking and seeing you can do.

Our feet are cracking... numerous blisters, calluses so thick you can even rub them off with a pumice stone (we tried!!!!). I've broken all my toenails except for two, and my ankles generally feel like they are screaming "enough already!!!!!!"

It's been a long hard trip..... very fun and very exciting... and it's actually gone pretty smoothly (save the 9-hour delay on our flight from Athens). But we are both tired. I guess being sick doesn't help.

I have spent almost 6 months planning and preparing for this trip with Josh. I have forgotten many times the fact that I am going to work for two months and will be without Josh.

We have literally spent almost every day of the past 10 months together, including every waking moment here in Europe. I find myself just staring at him across the table, trying to memorize every freckle, every facial expression. It's hard to imagine every day without him for over two months.

The one thing we were warned about before this trip -- people would say, "oh be careful, be patient. Most couples don't make it out of this kind of trip together. Most couples end up separating along the trip, or one just comes home altogether."
Me and Josh have made it through this trip relatively perfect. We haven't really even fought... except over which way the metro is, or needing to go pee every other hour, etc. I got sick a day before him, so there was a day of frustration when he didn't understand why I wanted to sleep all day. But that's it. Even I'm amazed.

Word of advice to other travellers: Travel with your best friend. If he happens to be your significant other, than great. Make sure you're best friends first. And remind each other of it. Nothing makes me happier than when Josh looks at me and says, "you really are my best friend." He could say I Love You a thousand times and it wouldn't mean as much as that.


So now that I got all mushy and ridiculous, I must go. Italy is playing Spain in the Euro Cup quarter-finals, and a pint of cider is calling my name.

ok ok ok

So I've been really bad at this blog thing so far.
Internet here is not only expensive, but the keyboards are all different too, so everything takes a little longer to type.

Speaking of here, we are in Rome, Italy. Before I jump ahead of myself though..

Santorini was beautiful. We rented ATVs for cheap (one €10 tank of gas lasted us the entire time!) and were able to ride around the whole island and see everything! Not only is Santorini really just the rim of a volcano, but there are black sandy beaches (from the volcanic ash!), tons of wineries.... we even went scuba diving!!!!

One would think scuba diving would be fun... it was... but... I freaked out (so did another girl we were with though). There is just something strangely vulnerable about breathing into a machine underwater. I kept expecting to get water in my lungs, to all of a sudden choke, for the equipment to fail.... Hyperventilating + scuba diving = bad. Just overall freaked out, was really disappointed in myself (especially since josh was loving it!), but it was an experience.

Other than that, there's not much to say about Santorini. It was a living, breathing postcard. The pictures are on my facebook and they pretty much sum up the trip -- gorgeous. We really didn't do a whole lot there -- just drove around, hung out on beaches, ate some of the best food I've ever had.

The people in Greece are the nicest people I've ever met. Not only are they eager to speak English, but they speak it well, and really go out of their way to help you. I didn't run across a single Greek that wasn't nice... well except for the babushka (sp?) lady that screamed at Josh for riding his ATV down a walkway we weren't supposed to. haha but that was funny.

_____________________________________________________

Original plan.... took ferry to Athens in the morning, our flight was at noon. Fly to Bari, Italy, catch the last train to Naples.

Ended up getting to the airport at like 8am. Our flight was delayed until 1:30. Then 3:30. Then 5:10. Then finally at 7pm we got on a unmarked, generic plane, and flew to Bari, Italy. Of course, we had missed the last train to Naples or Rome, so we were forced to stay in Bari. The airline??? Gave us a voucher for €50 off our next flight with them. That's it. We lost our deposit on our hostel in Naples, lost our reservation on the train out of Bari. €50. Blahhhhhhhh

We decided to skip Naples. They are on a garbage strike and everyone has told us not to go right now. So instead we caught the train to Roma. We arrived close to midnight at one of the biggest train stations in Europe -- whew!!!! What's even crazier is that to get to our hostel, we have to walk through Chinatown... in Rome, Italy. Just makes me laugh.

Day one -- Did a tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. After grabbing some lunch, we did the Trevi Fountain and practically every major piazza -- Piazza Navona, Piazza Campo de Fiori, etc.

On our way to the Pantheon, walking down a cobblestone alleyway, we were all of a sudden cut off by police and security. What was going on?? We waited patiently to get through... and there he was. Ron Howard. I could have grabbed him. They were in the middle of filming "Angels and Demons"!!!!!!! Lights, camera, crew everywhere... and freakin Ron Howard!!!!!! Finally we were able to squeeze our way through to the Pantheon, visited that, and when we returned towards the movie set we saw someone else amazing -- who else but Tom Hanks!!!!! It was a nice glimpse of Hollywood in Rome! And my first time ever on a movie set on location!!!!
If only I could figure out how they are going to shoot the part of the book at the Vatican?????

Speaking of the Vatican -- day 2 was an all-day tour of St. Peter's Basilica, the vatican Museums, the Tombs, th Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. From "Pieta" to "The Last Judgement" to "God Creates Adam" -- some of THE most famous works of art, and I was standing feet from them!!!!
The other most humbling thing was seeing the tomb of Pope John Paul II. Nuns were knelt in prayer and others cried -- flowers and letters surrounded his tomb.
After a lunch siesta, we headed to San Giovanni in Laterano. It is Rome's Cathedral and where the Pope does Mass in Rome (outside the Vatican). Across the street was the Scala Santa or "holy stairs". They are 28 stairs transferred to Rome from what used to be Pontius Pilate's palace in Rome. They are said to be the stairs that Christ scaled during the Passion. Pilgrims from everywhere come to these steps and climb them on their knees in silent prayer. It was a site to see all these people scaling this small tiny staircase on their knees.

Being in Rome kind of makes you proud to be a Catholic. Probably because demographically, 84% of Rome is Roman Catholic.

I am surprised at how easy it is to pick up Italian. It very similar to Spanish and French. I've definitely gotten down restaurant ordering and asking where something is and directions. Oh and how to ask how much something costs = important!!!! =)

Tonight is our last night in Roma -- we are then heading to Florence for a day and Venice for a day. Then it's off to beautiful neutral Switzerland!!!!!!!

Well, this hour of internet has cost me €2,00 (roughly $3.50) so I better head out of here.
Ciao!
- Amanda

Hey ya'll. So no London Eye or London Tower.

Friday night we ended up gettig sushi in Chinatown. A pint of Haagen-daas kept us all company as we sat in Leicester and Trafalgar square, as we welcomed the evening. Then we headed back to Jenny's dorm and watched the finale of Lost because c'mon, it's Lost.

Yesterday was an early morning as we headed to a local patisserie for pastries and quiche. Then hopped on the tube and headed for Camden Town.... which is by far my favorite place in London. A great open marketplace -- Billy Idol wannabes with studs in every orifice sit on a bridge while you squeeze through between tourists and merchants. Food of every country is represented -- from falafels to Morroccan, Chinese to Brazilian -- all of the vendors screeching "food here! you eat!" and sticking samples in your face if you just LOOK at the table. Postcards, hemp, combat boots, and even real coconuts that are chopped open for you to drink from. An amazing place!!!!!

A double decker bus was still calling our name -- we rode one back to Trafalgar and scored our Avenue Q tickets before treating ourselves to a pint at Chandos and some fresh-made gelato at Scoop.

For FOUR years I have wanted to see Avenue Q -- student rush tickets were available for only £25!!!!! We had box seats right by the stage! What a hilarious show! It was Jenny's second time seeing it actually, and the rest of the night was filled with us singing songs from the show. The perfect way to end our time in London!

Tomorrow we fly out at 4:30pm GMT (10:30am Central time) -- straight to Athens where we check into our hotel on the port.

I will try to write again tomorrow night!

TaTa for now London!!!!
- Amanda

London... dreary London...

Here I am in London... today is the only day it hasn't been raining!!!!

Our flight here was uneventful. However we were on a Boeing 777 -- the first class had those awesome pod seats that fold down into beds!!! Obviously, we were not fortunate (or rich) enough to get first class. LOOOONG flight.

We exchanged money first off -- $35 USD turned into £12.86 - WHAT?!?!??! The currency exchange is so unfavorable for Americans!

Getting on the tube (the subway) we followed Jenny's directions to get to Trafalgar Square nearby where she works. Coming up those subway stairs into one of the most famous squares in the world was overwhelming. People everywhere, pigeons everywhere, the most beautiful architecture you've ever seen!!! And the architecture didn't stop there... it's an absolutely gorgeous city!!!!

A visit to Covent Square brought us amazing pizza, men juggling, audiences laughing...an Italian opera singer could be heard in the distance. What a sight!!!

We then ventured down to Fleet St -- this means nothing unless you've seen/read "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street". Very picturesque part of town that led to St. Paul's massive cathedral, and paralleled the bank of the Thames. Tugboats and tourist boats alike all chuggin through the dirty Thames -- we enjoyed a Corona on the deck of a yacht to take in the view.

Big Ben, The House of Parliament, The London Eye (the big ferris wheel), the Thames, the Tower Bridge in the distance... if only it would stop raining!!!

We met with Jenny and strolled down the bankside past Shakespeare's Globe Theater. We ended up at the greatest Greek restaurant. Cravings for gelato led us around the corner, but it was closed since the weather was so dreary.

Jenny lives in the residence halls for the University of Westminster. It's an hour-long tube ride back to her place, but the subway life/life-forms are interesting.

By this point, we had spent all day lugging around our 30lb. packs so we were exhausted. At least we stayed up, so we were able to get our sleeping schedules in sync with Greenwich Mean Time.

The second day was a whirl -- our packs left at Jenny's, we were able to maneuver quicker and lighter. We first visited the National Gallery; Van Gogh's "Sunflowers", Rembrandt's self portrait, Monet's "Lilly pads" and "The Virgin on the Rocks"! Some of the greatest works of art ever!

We then made the long walk across the Thames to Tate Modern (obviously the modern art museum). Everything from Andy Warhol to Picasso (a lot of Picasso) to Paul McCarthy's sexually explicit home videos on projection! An audio tour guided us along our way.

Then me, josh and Jenny headed to the Arc to meet some friends of hers -- 2 for 1 pizzas and 2 for 1 cocktails!!!! This led us to a pub/venue where I had my first pint of Cider!!!! A couple pints are enough trust me!!! We rocked along with an English band called the The Fins -- not the Friends and not the Fiends -- this was the first difficulty I've had with the accent.

Well besides all this...
trash can = bin
loo or toilet = bathroom
fags = cigarettes (no really, it does. It's crazy embarrassing asking for them too!)
vest = waistcoat
subway = underpass for pedestrians (NOT a underground rail!)


just some random things have made for an entertaining trip!!!!

Today, we woke up early to go to Buckingham Palace to see the traditional "Changing of the Guard"... pretty pompous and boring and waaaay too many tourists.
We then ventured to Westminster Abbey and The Houses of Parliament which are two of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen!!!! Westminster Abbey had so many tombs of British and Church leaders -- kinda creepy!

After that, we found the best little Indian restaurant before we headed to the British Museum. It houses 50% of what was recovered from the Parthenon (the other 50% being what's left of the Partenon in Greece!). It also houses the most extensive Egypt collection outside of Egypt -- including sarcophagi and even Cleopatra's mummy!

Now that we have had our fill of culture, here I sit in an internet cafe with a few conclusions...

London = skinny jeans. Everyone wears them. Boys, girls. It's like all the emo/punk/eclectic people of America came to London.
London = tall boots. Yes, even though it's summer, all the girls wear tall boots or Uggs.
London = America with accents and cooler architecture.
Londoners = London college students rival the most travelled adults in America. Everyone we talk to has been to almost every continent, has travelled all over, has studied all over, and knows at least two languages. It's almost embarrassing to be an American sometimes.


Tonight we head to the London Eye (big ferris wheel) since it's a clear night.
Tomorrow, patisserie in the morning and the Science Museum. Tomorrow evening, we are going to see the London production of the New York Broadway Musical "Avenue Q" -- which I've been dying to see for FOUR years!!!

Well, we are going to head to the London Tower now to meet Jenny before the London Eye...
We fly out Sunday afternoon to Greece!!!!!!

Until then... Cheers!

TaTa -- Amanada

Leavin on a jetplane...

Our flight leaves this evening at 6:10pm.

Pretty nervous. Haven't even finished the final packing yet.

Any idea how long it takes to get through customs???? Yeah me either.

Next time i write, I will be in London! Cheerio!

My address for work...

The first session of work, I will be stationed in Locminé. This may change every two weeks, or it may not -- it depends on enrollment at the other sites.

But starting June 26th, you can write me at:
ATTN: Amanda Purnell
American Village
Lycée Anne de Bretagne
5 place Anne de Bretagne
BP 70366
56503 LOCMINE

You can also reach me by landline at the site:
from the US & Canada: 011 33 297 60 18 36
or my cell phone: 816-739-0461

I will update this if my address changes!!!!!

How to contact us & our schedule

Hey I just finished a general overview of how to get in touch with us while overseas as well as what our rough schedule is. Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/6q2v9e

-Josh

T minus 5 days...

To Mom, Dad, and all my friends and family...

First off, thank you for your support and encouragement as I begin this amazing journey. I am nervous and scared out of my mind, but so excited.

Hopefully this blog will keep you updated on where I am, where I am going, and what I'm up to.

OK, so here is the direction my life is going right now. Many of you have been confused as to what I'm doing this summer/where I'm going, etc. Let me clear it up for you. I've also included some Frequently Asked Questions.

May 27th - Fly from Kansas City to London-Heathrow Airport. Yes London, UK.

May 27th - June 24th -- me and Josh are backpacking throughout Europe. England, Greece, Italy, Switzerland and France. End up in Paris, where I hop on a train to be...

June 26th - September 1st -- ...a camp counselor/English teacher at an English-language immersion camp in France. That means once those kids step foot in the camp, there is no English. None. They eat, sleep, learn, play in English.

FAQ:

Q: Why?
A: Here I am. It's almost 6 months after I've graduated college. I don't want to settle down just yet. I'm not married (although i might as well be). I don't have kids. As of May, I don't have an apartment. Most of my friends... well needless to say, I just don't have much holding me here. So the question is, WHY NOT?

Q: Why France? Why not China/Thailand/Australia/etc?
A: From age 5-15, I danced classical ballet. Ballet is French. Created by the French using French vocabulary. I took French in junior high. I love the French culture -- pastries, cheese and wine? hell-OOO?! I have always been fascinated with France. It's my place. Josh's place is Greece. Meagan's is Africa. Mine is France.

Q: Where did you find a job like that?
A: I honestly just googled "English speaking jobs overseas" for shits and giggles. This camp popped up on the first page of an overseas job board.

Q: Do you know any French?
A: I know enough to survive. But no, not really.

Q: How can you work in France and not know French?
A: The camp would rather you not know any French so you're not tempted to speak it around the campers. They only hire counselors whose native language is English (Americans, Canadians, Australians, Britains, etc.) with some very rare exceptions.

Q: How can you teach kids a language if you don't speak their language?
A: Europe is not like America. Most children in France are taught some English growing up. They have a rough, if not surprisingly good, understanding of English. The camp is basically a pro-American camp -- teaching them English and how to use it in America.

Q: How much does it pay?
A: Not too shabby, considering I get lodging and food included. I did have to pay for my plane ticket over there, however. The pay averages out to about $300 a week for a 6-day work week. Also, by French law, for every 26 days of work, I get a 10% paid vacation. They also pay for accident and liability insurance while I'm over there.

Q: Are you scared?
A: Yes a little bit. More excited than scared. Really really excited. I'm more scared about the month of backpacking before camp.

Q: What are you doing after camp?
A: Not quite sure. I might spend some more time backpacking with fellow counselors and seeing all the things me and Josh aren't seeing. Or I might be really homesick (aka Josh-sick) and want to come home.

Q: Are you coming back to Springfield?
A. Hell no. Well... maybe to visit. Maybe.

Q: Does that mean you're quitting the radio station?
A: Unfortunately, yes I am. I gave everyone notice WELL in advance so I'm covered. I'm very sad to be leaving Power 96.5 and the Journal Broadcast Group family. They are the best company I've ever worked for. Every person I've worked with there has helped me grow professionally and personally. Truly, this is the hardest part about leaving. When (if?) I decide to enter the industry again, I will without-a-doubt look at Journal Broadcast openings first and foremost.

To conclude... I'm in Europe from end of May until September or beyond. All I know is I have a plane ticket back to Kansas City on Sept 4th that is exchangable for another date for only $35. So who knows when I'll be home.

After that? No clue. Who knows where the winds will take me. Definitely not Missouri.

Maybe move to where Josh is at that point, which is looking like Austin, TX...
Maybe Seattle...
Maybe we'll just throw a dart at a world map...

and I'm perfectly okay with that.