Pics from my first day

I couldnt add photos before so heres a couple I took this morning after I woke up =)

Angers day one

Well I arrived in my host town last night at 9.30pm after a 10 and a half hour flite to Frankfurt, Germany. Then a 1 hour flight to Lyon, France. Then from there I had a 2hr flight into Nantes, France. Then I had to drive 1 hour to get to Angers. I am satying with my councilor and his wife for one week before I go to my host family because they live closer to school and it will be easier for me to go to school for the first couple of days living closer. Its really cool here, the appartment is real old and this huge cathedral is just across the road!! If you look up Angers on google you will see it. The bells from the clock however woke me up at 7 o'clock am. It was weird coz it rung 7 times at 7 then at 7.30 it rung more than 100 times (I counted) The appartment Im in is really tall and skinny. I have to climb 57 steps to get to my bedroom and the whole house is like 12 steps wide. I slept for 14 hours and I woke up and no one was home. But when I got out of the whower Thérèse (councillors wife) was home for lunch and she had cooked me lunch which is practically like dinner and so I had to eat like meat and stuff for breakfast! But it was yum. I can speak lots of French and so far have probably only said about 5 sentences in English. I have a huge advantage having learnt French before, umlike others who are goin to countries where the language is really rare. Evern when my hosts speak to me in English I try answer in French. Its monday and I am starting school on Weds. School is Mon-Fri but only the morning on a thursday. I am looking forwrd to school more now I found out that my 3rd host bro named Nicholas will be coming to school with me. Dominique (my councilor) will drop me at his house and we will walk to school together. Dominique is also organising a dinner witha all 3 host families, I don't know when I didn't really understand what he was saying. But Nicholas is going to USA next year and will be at the rotary meeting that I'm going to tonite. We are going bowling for the rotary meeting. The flight from LA tro germany was crap. Tiny seats, no leg space, no TV's and crap food. I didn't sleep much I felt real sick as that morning I woke up and vomitted in the hotel toilet. I think I was just really exhausted. I had my first real french meal last night when I arrived which consisted of chicken, salad, this salmon cake thing, and baguette, and red wine. Then for desert we had cheese and fruit haha. Its not too cold here, but when we arrived in Germany it was snowing and the flight was delayed to land because the snow had made the runway too slippery. We were only in Frankfurt for like 1hr because our flight was the first to leave and we had to rush and catch a train and a bus to get to our terminal! It was so strange to be in such a huge airport, I was so happy I had someone with me. The boy who I came into Nantes with is called Andrew he is not in Angers but very close, his host dad is like the youth exchange officer I think and we are going to have lunch together soon. It was good that me and Andrew could meet our families together it made it was less awkward. into Nantes, France. Then I had to drive 1 hour to get to Angers. I am currently at home by myself watching TV even though I understand nothing haha and its really dark but I can't find the light switch, I am going to look up in my dictionary in a moment how to say "where is the light switch?" hahah =b I am allowed to go out aswell so I might go for a little walk soon but it's kind of scary I have never been for a walk by myself in a strange town before!

LA baby

Disneyland was so awesome today, it rained heaps, and we got hail aswell, but because of the rain there was no queues for the rides so we went strait onto everything and so we saw everything. I went around with Alex and Kim from my district and also two other girls Laura and Emily who are both going to France and whoa were in thesame hotel room with me. Me emiy and Laura all get on real good and we are planning a shopping trip in Paris haha, Laura was in 5th form last year and Emily in 6th. We went on the swinging gondala at California adventure and when we got to the top there was hail and all you are in is a cage we got so soaked! I wore my chucks and they had puddles in them, it was so fun though. Disneyland was so much mopre exciting than last time I went because we did so much compared to last time. Graham the chaperone bought us all Ponchos so that was really good and we wore them pretty much all day. Aparantly it hadnt rained for a year in LA but it just happened to when we arrived, and the day we left it was so sunny. The next day we went to Universla studios and after we went to see some sites of LA like the hollywood sign on Hollywood Blvd and rodeo drive and some of the celebrity houses it was weet as! Universal was alright but not as good in the rain, the best ride (Jurassic Park) was shut due to the rain and some of the shows werent going. We still did the backlot tour which is when you go on a tram ride around all the sets. We didn't go down Wisteria Lane though because they were filming but we saw the end of it haha that was pretty cool. The other exchange students are really cool and its kinda like we have been friends for ages. The LA stopover was really worth it as we have now established friends who are all in the same position as eachother. There are 5 people in France this year from NZ and we will all be on the same Eurotour so that will be awesome. Hers some pics for y'all.
Laura x

Leaving Tomorrow

Wow, i can't believe that this time in 24hours i will be in the car on the way to the airport! I have a few mixed emotions at the moment. It hasn't entirely hit me yet that I will be leaving all that I have ever known for something which I have no idea what to expect. This is kind of a test post aswell just so I can figure out how to use this thing before I actually get over there and have something exciting to tell you all! Well my bags are packed, and hopefully are not over weight! I've had an awesome summer which is cool because soon I will be in the snow. From the moment i finished my last exam i have been so busy preparing for this, it feels strange to think that all the work I've put in, in between school, study, Duke of Ed, New Year etc. is about to all pay off. Well thats it from little old Pukekohe, my next post will be all the way on the other side of the world in Angers, France.
Au revoir mes amies!!
xxxLaura