Week 6

Hi Everybody!

Well, this week was my last week in St. Brieuc! It is crazy how fast the time flew by. Monday was the last day of regular school and Tuesday we talked about how to prepare for Paris. Wednesday was the final exam and it was actually pretty easy. That night my familly and I and our neighbors with the other student went to a "Fest Noz" which is a festival with breton music and dancing and we watched fireworks after that. Thursday we did not have school because it was the national holiday for France that day. We went to the beach with our neighbors and after that we ate at their house and we went to another festival with dancing and we watched fireworks again. Friday Amanda (the other student) and I went together to shop for some last minute gifts before we went to school to practice for the "Fete des Familles" (the party/concert for the famillies). The fete went very well but was bittersweet. Saturday, we played games all day with our neighbors and that night we went to eat with some familly of Marie. Today, I packed my bags (which was a bit dificult) and now I am going to have the last dinner with my family and our neighbors. I leave for Paris tomorrow and I get home on Thursday. I had a fabulous time here and I will never forget it. Thank you so much for supporting me on this trip and I ask for your continued prayers as I go to Paris! I will write again for the last time when I get back. à bientot!

Week 5

Hello Everyone!

This week went by really fast! Monday, we had our classes like usual but that night we went to the mayor building and met the assistant to the mayor and we sang for the parents and the staff so that was fun. Tuesday was just a normal day of school. Wednesday was the Tour de France and we only had a half day of school se we could watch the tour! It was really cool and I got a lot of souvenirs and a lot of pictures! :)  Thursday was a normal day of school but that night I went with my family to a music festival. Friday was a half day of school and we were able to eat out for lunch if we wanted to so I ate out with some friends of mine and then we went shopping for a little while and then i came home. That night I went to the music festival again with my family and it was really fun! Saturday, I walked through a pretty path with my family and we briefly viseted some family of theirs. After that, my host mom brought me to a store to find some gifts for my brothers. :)  And after that, we went to a beach where there was a sand ball tournament. Not volleyball, sand ball... It is similar to hand ball. After that, went came home and had dinner with our neighbors who have a student in the program with me who is Brazilian and I helped her make dinner, so that was fun! Today I am going to make chocolate chip cookies for my familly. :)  Well, I only have 11 more days in France! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I ask that you continue to pray for me in my last days here and I can't wait to return and tell you more about my trip! Thanks so much for all of your support! à bientot! :)

Week 4

Hello Everyone!

This week was great! The beginning of the week was just normal school days, but the end of the week was super fun. On Friday, we had an excursion to St. Malo and Dinan. Both of the cities are gorgeous! We went to Dinan first, and us students were split up into groups and we got to roam the city which was cool. After that we went to a city accross the bay from St. Malo called Dinard. There we ate our lunch and got attacked by seagulls for the food, and then got to walk on the beach for a little while. After that, we went to St. Malo and that city is really cool. It is a "walled city" because of the war and was almost completely destroyed during the war and the people decided to rebuild it exactly as it was before. There, we got to roam around also, and that city is known for having the best ice cream in Brittany so we ate some ice cream and itwas fabulous! That night, my familly, my friend, and I went to a music festival and that was fun. A bit bizarre but fun. :) Saturday, I went with a group of friends to the beach and we hung out there for the afternoon. That night my familly and me and our neighbors (who also have one of the girls in my group) went to a "Fest Noz" which is a Breton festival with breton music and dance and we all danced the traditional breton dances and it was super cool! Sunday, we went to a city called Pléneuf to meet the mayor and go to the beach and participate in the activities for "the American week" at Pléneuf. That was really fun and we got to sing the Star Spangled Banner. :)  Thngs are going really well and really fast! I only have 17 days left! It's crazy... well thank you again for your continued prayer and I will talk to you again next week! Au revoir! :)

Week 3

Hello Everyone!

Well the time has flown by! I am already half way through! It's crazy. This week was great. For the most part it was just a normal week except for Friday. Friday we got out of class early because we had a party that night for music and danse folklorique. That afternoon I went shopping with some friends for the "solde" which is a huge sale everywhere in France for like a month or so. The prices are really low! :)  That night, the party was fantastic! A Breton Group came to teach us the traditional breton danse and music and they were dressed in costume and everything! It was really fun! This week we are dog sitting for some family and the dog is about as big as I am, but she is really sweet! I will try to get a picture with her. :) The french is getting easier and easier. I am thinking in French for the most part now so that is really cool! The weather is warming up and we went to the beach yesterday. It is gorgeous! We are going again today because it is even warmer outside today than yesterday! :) Alright well my time is up, but I will talk to you again next week! Thanks again for your prayers! à bientot :)

Week 2

Hey everyone!

Ok this is going to be a fast blog because I lost track of time and spend all of my computer time emailing my family! oops! lol... Well, this week was pretty busy. Monday was a national holiday so we had the day off and we only had school for 2 days this week because we had an excursion this Thursday and Friday.  The excursion was really cool, but it rained the whole time! On Thursday we went to Mont St. Michel and the World War 2 museum.  Both things were really awesome! On Friday we visited the German cemetery from WW2, the American cemetery (located on Omaha Beach), and the tapestry of Bayeux. The cemeteries were eye opening and astonishing. I took lots of pictures. The tapestry was really cool but I wasn't allowed to take pictures. Alright well my time is up so I will have to tell you ,ore about this week when I get back home. Thanks again for all your prayers and I will talk to you next week!

Week 1

Hey everyone!

Well, my first week has gone well! It has been hard, but I am understanding pretty well. The first day we did not have school but we took a tour of St. Brieuc. It is a really pretty town and I will have lots of pictures when I get back. :)  School is a bit difficult but it is not too bad. My teachers are nice and I really like the other students on the trip. One girl who I have gotten pretty close to is actually a christian! I am not alone. :)  I am starting to think in both english and french so that is a bit weird. Our group took a trip to Fort Lalatte and Erquy on Friday. It was beautiful! I took a lot of pictures that will be on facebook when I get back. :)  Yesterday I went to an art rock festival.  It was fun and the music was great, but the french are a little crazy.  I am going again this afternoon so we will see what happens today. Again, thank you for all of your support and prayers! I can't wait for what is to come and to come home and share it with you all!

Lots of Love!

Caitlyn

Welcome Supporters!

Hello Everyone!

First, I would like to thank everyone for supporting me on this adventure. Whether you are supporting financially or prayerfully, you have been a huge blessing to me. I am very busy getting ready for the trip. I leave 2 weeks from today and I am getting really excited. I have been in contact with my host family. My host mom, Marie-Claude, and I have been e-mailing back and forth. She says that it is just her and her 28 year old daughter in the house along with their new puppy. Her daughter's name is Stephanie and their puppy's name is Gabou. I will have my own room and there are no smokers in the house! She says that there are going to be festivals going on in the town every weekend and her and her daughter are volunteering for a few weekends. She says that it will be difficult for me at first, but she is sure that I will really enjoy this experience. While I am there, I will be studying french grammar, conversation, culture, and phonetics five days a week. Classes will be in the morning and last until mid-afternoon. I will have the rest of the afternoon until dinner to explore the city, go on tours with my group, or spend time with my family. My family and I will eat together for dinner every night and afterward, we will sit around and talk and play games. During the weekends, I will either do things with my family, including going to the festivals in town, going to the beach, or other things, or I will be going on bigger trips with the group. One trip that we will take is a trip to Normandy. We will get to see the beaches that America stormed in WW2 and get to see the WW2 memorial and the cemetery. At the end of our time in St. Brieuc, we will get to stay in Paris for 4 or 5 days before we head back home to Indiana. My communication back home is very limited during my stay. I am allowed one hour of computer time a week and I am not allowed to call, text, or skype. I am allowed to e-mail and blog. I decided to set up a blog so that everyone can be updated on what I am doing. Because of my limited time on the computer, I will not be able to respond to everyone's e-mails. I ask that if you would really like to e-mail me, to only do so a couple times during my trip. I also apologize ahead of time if I am unable to respond to your e-mails. If you do not hear back from me, it is only because I did not have time to respond. Nonetheless, I truly appreciate all of your e-mails and I will get around to reading them eventually. :) I would ask that you just keep me in your prayers as I am preparing to leave and as I am there. Thanks once again for all of your support!

Merci!

Caitlyn