a la mode..

i am not sure if i will ever get used to the amount of smokers in france. everyone and their grandmother here smokes. that is not an overstatement.. it is rare to find people here that don't smoke or that haven't in their lives at one point or another.

walking downtown at 10am, there are people sitting at bistros with an espresso, book and a cigarette. the kicker is.. the majority of smokers that i have seen are the younger generation. you would think the younger generation would know all of the statistics on how bad it is for you.

the doctor i spoke to today said there seem to be almost more girls than guys that smoke now, especially in the younger generation, and she believes it's because girls feel the more they smoke the less they will eat and the skinnier they will get. she says smoking is "la mode".. very in fashion. i must admit, 14 year old girls look like they're about 22, and they do make smoking look appealing.. they make something about it look romantic, sexy and mysterious. everyone rolls their own cigarettes because it's cheaper.. and looks a lot more hard-core.. but at the same time. they look good now but won't be thinking the same when their teeth are brown and their lungs filled with gunk and nails and skin turn yellow.

proud to be canadian

i had to go to the immigration office today to prove that i was in good health and able to stay in the country. i had to wait several times and talk to 4 different people because there is ALWAYS a line to be in another line in france. though in my 2 hours at the immigration office and after talking to 2 very lovely nurses/doctors i realized just how lucky i am to be a canadian.

the first nurse as soon as she read i was from canada told me all about her summer vacation to niagra falls and how lovely it was to go to canada and that she cannot wait to go back. she from then on was very warm and nice to me when questioning me if i've had any major illnesses in my life (thankfully, i have not).

the second lady i spoke to, the doctor, was an even bigger fan of canada and we had a lovely chat as she listened to my heart rate and went over my chest X-ray. she was telling me (in french mind you) that she has never been to canada but she would love to go and she has only ever met the nicest people from canada. she then proceeded to tell me that france could learn some lessons from us. i told her how i found it weird that people don't really smile often here, unless you know them. no friendly smiles on the streets or public places, no "bon jours" while walking past someone on the sidewalk.. unlike in canada where i feel comfortable smiling at anyone i pass by. she said the french can often be cold and always are occupied (especially with the popularity in cellphones and personal electronics).

she told me that it is easier for most canadians to adapt in france since the language is easier for us to pick up with our accents and we don't feel as homesick because we're all so nice and social that we try our bests to integrate as well we can and we are also used to french since it's our country's second language, or first language if you're in quebec. though i will point out, the french generally dislike quebecers-- which is unfortunate (but i always tell people i'm english speaking canadian to win brownie points with the general population).

this wasn't the first time during my stay so far that i've been proud to be canadian, but i was a fairly significant one. i also have realized how lucky we are with our health-care and education systems.

it is strange being a "foreigner" but at the same time, i am happy that of any language, english is my first language. it is the language most used around the world and everyone here seems to wan to know it. we have it easy. i have never appreciated knowing a language, especially english, until i got to a place where only a small population speak english fluently. learning a second language is very tough-- but so interesting and fun. french is a beautiful language, much prettier than english, but i do realize how easy people who speak english have it-- all over the world.

i love many places, and can't wait to travel and live in several different countries.. but at the end of the day, canada is my home and i am so grateful for my life there with my family and friends. it's an amazing place to be born and live longterm. being canadian is nothing i am ashamed to tell anyone when traveling, if anything people are more accepting of me after they know my nationality.. which says a lot about our reputation.

does that chateau come with a price charming..

so as i knew, my host family in france had a "house" in tours. that's all i knew. i was quite surprised when on friday evening we drove down this long and winding pathway which led to a magnificent and huge, chateau. that's right, a chateau in the loire valley for a "weekend house". they bought it off of my host mom's grandmother (who also lives in an equally as beautiful chateau a 3 minute drive, or a 15 mins bike ride as i chose to do). they plan to rent out part of it to tourists, and they have already renovated the majorityof the chateau, and needless to say, it looks beautiful.

as i read yesterday on the terrace as a horse grazed in the pasture merely 20 feet from me, i couldn't help but feel like it was a scene from a movie. shouldn't a gorgeous and brave knight be riding up sometime soon like in ever after (drew gets all the luck)!

while taking a canoe ride in the river at the base of the chateau i realized.. i am happy. just utterly and undeniably happy. i couldn't have asked for a better host family, i have made some wicked friends so far from all over the world and i am trying new

things, stepping outside my comfort zone and doing it by myself.

i have always loved the big city and living in a place where there is something to do all the time, never realizing that there is always something to do in the country too. we canoed, we played archery, i read a lot, biked, drank wine on the terrace.. but best of all, i got to explore a place i had never been to in my life. it was nice just having an entire weekend to relax and not worry about anything. even when it rained the sunday there was something so satisfying about it, everything was just so green and lush.

i now understand why people in france love their countryside and never want to leave it. my host mom and dad want to retire at the chateau, and i can't blam

e them. it's gorgeous.

they call it the city of love..

I was in paris for 5 days before arriving in Nantes, where I'll be living for the next 4 months. A wise friend of mine once told me, "Remember Alex, Paris love isn't real love." This quote definitely made me laugh, but it must also hold some merit.

How can all of these couples actually be so happy? I am aware that every relationship has it's ups and downs. But, from what I saw during my wanderings of Paris, there was a lot of romance. Now I am not sure if my friend is right, but the city does have a romantic allure to it.

Wouldn't anyone be swayed if someone were to tell them "you're beautiful" while standing on the Eiffel Tower, or sipping espresso at a cute bistro on the corner?

On another note, I find that no matter where I was, there were complete euro-babes.. everywhere. Maybe it was the allure of the city, but I swear, the French are generally far better looking than most other people I've seen. This is probably true for most Europeans, as the Italian and Spanish are gorgeous as well. Is it wrong to say I believe in first sight after spending some time in Paris? Though not to say there was anyone specific.. I'm not picky when it comes to a tall, dark and handsome European.

Maybe Romeo and Juliet weren't crazy after all.

Point I'm trying to make is that the french just seem much more happy and in love than most Canadians and Americans I've met. They seem to "speak the language of love" and not just say how they feel, but show it as well. It is refreshing. The few couples I have met so far in my travels are super cute and as much as the country (being as beautiful as it is) might have an effect on the strength of love... they are just genuinely more happy.