I know I've done a horrible job of keeping up with my blog...but its been a pretty busy past few weeks.
First there was Paris, then Christmas then New Years, then meeting my 4th host family, then changing host families, then running a race, then school and now I've finally been able to start even thinking about my blog! Then I had to catch up on all the blogging I didn't do...bref, I'm getting around to it now.
Anyways, I hope people received their postcards! There was hours of work that was put into those. And if you didn't get one its probably lost or its coming. I had to go and buy more postcards because I didn't have enough...Thats what I get for having a huge family.
Wow I'm forgetting about a whole bunch of things I did. Note to self, don't wait so long to write my posts...So the weekend before New Years Marielle planned a full packed weekend. Saturday we went to Cannes, Nice and Monaco. It was a nice sunny day out and when we got to Cannes we drove right beside the ocean all the way to Nice.
There was also quite a few paintings and you could also buy a lot of dried fruits which are a speciality there for this time of year. After that we all piled back into the car and starting making our way to our last stop, Monaco! On the way Marielle pointed out that there was lemon and orange trees all over the place. I was really amazed and asked if we could just pick them right off any of the trees and eat them and she said yes. I asked if the next time we passed by a tree if we could stop so I could pick one. When we did Remy pulled over, I jumped out of the car and practically climbed this tree on the side of a fairly busy road. I got a bunch of weird looks and these two gentlemen told me that the oranges wouldn't be very good. I said I didn't mind. I grabbed and hopped back in the car and off we went, with a huge grin on my face. I had just picked my first orange ever!
Driving to Monaco was so cool because the road followed the ocean the whole way. It was so beautiful and I can not imagine who ever decided it was even possible to build all the buildings pretty much on the side of a cliff. After a quick stop in Monaco it was starting to get late and we left to go home. I slept most of the way. It had been a long and wonderful day.
Next day was pretty much the last free day I had before I was going to change my host families so we went on another day trip but this time we went west instead of east.
We were going to go to Les Camargues. Here its kind of like these flat plan marshes that meet up with the ocean. Its here that they make lots of salt. Its also where there are a lot of horses, taros, and flamingos.
There we stopped to walk out to part of the salt production places and the sun was blazing. Remy said that in the summer it easily got up to 40 degrees out. We had an AWESOME lunch in Saint-Marie de la mer and I got this really yummy fish soup.
After we left we went to a fortified town which is this town that is completely surrounded by these castle walls because way back when the water actually came all the way up to the castle walls.
After our last stop was in Arles to see the arena. Arles used to be inhabited by the Romans so therefore they had this huge arena right next to a theatre. After that we made our way back home.
It was a really awesome day and I saw and did some really neat things today. I think it would be really nice to go back to Les Camargues again and maybe do some biking or horseback riding. But I will have to see I suppose.
So back to me. I last left you all off after Christmas. Next up was New Years! I was invited to a party by Imelsy (exhcanger from Mexico). Her host sister was having a party with a bunch of people so I went along with a few other exchangers. I spent the 31st in Aix with Danika (Australia), Dylan (Canada), Lucca (Brasil) and Clay (USA). We lost just bummed around and hung out. We sat in a little café restaurant for a while, had ice cream and then just walked around and took silly pictures. Later in the evening we got a bus to Celony which is I guess like a little region of Aix. We were some of the first people to arrive. We met up with Ime there. We had paid 10 Euros for the party all the food and drinks etc. After people started arriving that's when it started to get really fun. We started playing music and they even had laser lights set up with a smoke machine and everything! I'm guessing at the peak of the night there was probably at least 50 or 60 people there. All night there was dancing and talking, eating, hanging out and having a generally good time. We stayed there for the night and then the next morning we made our way back to Aix. We were all pretty tired and headed our separate ways there. I had to get back home because later that day I was going to meet my 4th host family. 
A couple of hours after I got home Marielle and I left to go and meet my 4th family. I will be staying with them from the end of May till when I leave. I was pretty excited and I suppose a little nervous too. But I know meeting my other host families went well so I figured this one would go just as well. They live pretty near to the centre of Fuveau in a big beautiful housewith a pool in the front and the most wonderful huge fluffiest dog ever. I already love the dog so much. She really reminds me of Kyte actually. Her name is Crystal and she is awesome. In this family I will have a younger host sister, I think she's 16 or maybe 17; And I will also have an older host brother.Since we were visiting on the 1st of January there is this french tradition that starts this day where you eat these cakes called les gateaux des rois; What they do is when they bake them inside the pastry they put a little clay thing and if in your piece of cake you get it you become le roi (the king) and then you get to wear a crown. And guess who got it? ME :) The family was really nice and we sat around and talked and ate cake for the afternoon. We ended up on the topic that I like to go running and was thinking of signing up for the Fuvelaine which is a race that happens in Fuveau. And the host dad said that he knew the course and that if I want he would show it to me before the race. Of course I said yes and we organized a day during the week to meet up. Marielle and I left late that evening and I was really pleased how everything went and I am really looking forward to living with them in June.
I spent the next two days packing, doing last minute laundry and all that. I definitely have more stuff now than when I came with but I think I sshhhoouulldd be moderately ok for when I come back because I won't have any of my host gifts any more I left Marielle and the family on Thursday the 3rd. We loaded up the car, her little french car was rather full, and we headed off to my new home with the Calsats. On the way we talked about how it wasn't really goodbye because I would still see them thought the year. We arrived at the Calsat then unloaded all my stuff. Only my host siblings were there. Clementine (15) and Cyril (21). My host dad was having a surgery done on his back that day and wasn't coming home till Monday and my host mom was out. Until my h.brother, Cyril, left to Paris on the Sunday for University I stayed in my host sister's room. Marielle stayed for a little while until Fabienne, my second h.mom got back. We sat around and talked and then Fabienne arrived and we went and sat out on the terrace. And yes it is January and we had lunch outside. It is just too weird for me to even think about doing it. And we did it multiple times!! Finally Marielle had to leave and we sad out goodbyes. It still was a little sad knowing I wouldn't be seeing her all the time. I'm truly thankful for what she has done for me.
The evening of my arrival in my second host family I went to see The Hobbit with my h.brother and sister. The next few days went pretty normal. We went to Marseille to visit my host dad a couple times as well and spent an hour sitting by the ocean because it was crazy warm out!
Then that night I went with Cyril to meet up with some friends and we went and played laser tag which was pretty fun! And on the Sunday Cyril was leaving to head back to Paris which meant that I could move into my room! Its a pretty cool room too. its got a desk set up which the bed is over top of. I also have a couch :D And the room is in this kind of turret part of the house so half the room round out like a semi circle. Its also nice because it is the only room upstairs besides the bathroom so I have a little bit of my own space which is nice to have everyonce in a while.
So I set up my room when I got back from going to Fuveau and runing the Fuvelaine. Which was a race of either 6km or 13km. I did the 13km in an hour and fifteen minutes which I was pretty happy with. 
I really enjoyed doing the race and I am keeping my eye out for anymore that come up in the area!
On Monday school started back up and the week went fairly normally. Clementine syncronize swims so I went to the pool to watch. its really awesome and if I ever get the chance in Universaity to do it I'd really like to. We also asked her instructer if it would be alright if while they practiced I swam laps on the side and it was! So once a week I swim at the pool and watch Clem swim.
It's been amazing really how easy it was to integrate in with my new h.family. Definitely way easier than the first because there wasn't any problems or worries about language or culture or anything because I've already learned most of that.
This was my h.brother trying to write my blog: (I mostly think it was a nice attempt :p )
"I see a tv show that sucks. People who play in are nervous, I don't know how French can see that." -Cyril
And he also has decided that my host sister is crazy. Crazy = foulle Clem = foulle
I also realize that this write up has been also a little bit of a long time in coming. BUT here it is :)
ALSO so everyone knows today is my brothers birthday HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEVAN! <3 nbsp="">(by the time I actually added pictures and posted this it isn't actually my brothers birthday anymore...) :P
Bisous,
Rebecca
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