One thing I did not do during my trip to Australia last year, that I wished I had once I returned to Canada, was create a blog. Many people had suggested it to me before my departure, but once I got there I was overwhelmed with all the wonders of Sydney that I never got around to it. I think (and hope) it will be a good way for all my friends and family to keep up to date on my new life in Paris, beginning in mid or late August. I made it extra early so I can have the hang of it by the time I arrive to my new home in Europe.
For those of you who are not fully aware of my plans for the year of August 2011 to August 2012, I am moving to a town approximately 18 kilometers outside of Paris called "Marly-le roi" with a population of around 16, 900. An interesting fact about Marly-le-roi is that it was once the location of the Château de Marly, a residence of King Louis XIV that was destroyed after the French revolution (there is still a popular park where the castle used to be).
I am doing what is known as an Au Pair Internship which allows me to live and work for a French family while studying. The purpose of this type of an internship is to perfect the French Language, culture, and society. Two of my major "life goals" since high school have been to: 1) go to medical school and 2) become bilingual. I figured that the easiest language for me to become bilingual in would be French due to my previous attempts to learn it in high school and even briefly in university. However, these attempts were not enough; in every course I seemed to just polish up what I had previously learned and then forgotten due to lack of use. I have heard that the only way to truly become bilingual in French (or any language for that matter once the "vital years" are passed, as is the case with me considering I am in my twenties) is to be immersed in it, and where could be better to do that than the beautiful Paris?!? Also, I want some time off of university now that I have completed my Batchelor's degree in Biomedical Science at the University of Ottawa (as I am sure all, or at least most, of you know). I don't feel ready to tackle the battle of getting accepted into medical school just yet; I want a gap year to take a breather and travel before I make the commitment to more school, whether medical school or otherwise.
One major road block to more school - the travel bug - which I caught all the way back when I traveled to Honolulu for a volleyball tournament in high school. I then nurtured this "obsession" with my following trips to the Azores, Portugal to visit my childhood, and still good friend, Kalli; Paris, France to take summer school at the University of Paris to obtain grade 12 french (I told you I have tried to learn french before); Bien/Biel, Switzerland on a Lions Club exchange where I also stayed with a host family (who were amazing and I hope to visit while in Europe); Donetsk, Ukraine to visit my best friend from my Switzerland trip, Margo, who I still adore; and finally my voyage to Sydney, Australia and surrounding areas as well as Bali, Indonesia and New Zealand while in the Southern Hemisphere. I am hoping one last long trip (they have been incrementing from one week, to my last trip of almost 7 months, and now this one coming of a year) will help satisfy my travel bug while I pursue my second life goal. Besides, when else will I get the chance to spend a whole year in Europe? If I went back to university next year, I would be letting this opportunity to learn French and spend an entire year in a different culture just pass me by which, for those of you who know me well, was not an option. And I don't know if you have asked many doctors or other medical professionals what their one regret is, but I have, and the most common answer I have gotten seems to be not taking time off to explore the world. I am sure you are seeing my train of thought now??
Anyways, I will be working for approximately 30 hours a week for the family I am living with. I will help their two kids (a boy of 7 years and a girl of 13 years) get ready for school in the morning, and willl hang out with them after school until their parents get home. I will also be traveling into downtown Paris every week for 10 hours of language courses at a language school near the Champs Elysées. The school is called France Langue (http://www.france-langue.fr/en/choose_your_city/paris.php).
Most weekends I will have free to explore Paris and the surrounding areas. I am hoping to visit many people I have met on previous trips, as I have been lucky enough to meet many amazing people with similar interests to my own (primarily an obsession with exploring the world) and I cannot wait to not only see some of these people in Europe, but also meet even more great people.
I had my appointment to get my VISA on Monday (June 27, 2011), as I was lucky enough on Friday to catch a cancellation someone had made (otherwise I was not going to have an appointment until July 29). Strangely enough, it is necessary for all residents of Ontario and Manitoba to travel to TORONTO for the appointment at the French Consulat. So I spent a weekend with my family in Woodstock before going to my appointment (which was lovely, but a lot of traveling for a short time considering a flight cancelation for my trip to Toronto followed by multiple delays, as well as delays on the train back to Ottawa!). Now I am currently waiting the 10 days it takes process the application. Once that is completed (fingers crossed it goes smoothly) I can get my plane ticket booked and start to prepare for the actual move! I will keep the updates coming, as it has finally started to feel real and will only continue to even more!
Au revoir pour maintenant mes amis!
