National LamPoole's Christmas Vacation + 1 American.

I am sitting here in our rented car (or as the aussies say, the car they hired) using teh internet. I am on top of the hill above our mountain chalet in the little town of Le Biot int eh French Alps.

I, in wonderful Claire fashion, had some exciting adventures. After my last exam, where my professor told me I was a brilliant young political scientist...but have problems expressing myself in French (YOU THINK?) I headed home to fully pack from my month of traveling and holiday fun. Robyn also had her last exam and MADE me drink champagne...(forced I tell you....) and I packed up Beau D into my dorm room with his newly transplanted leg/pedal (another story for another night) and rushed off to teh bus where I was meting benji to give him his Chrismakkuh present. It started off fine, I was a little heavy loaded but good.

Then the wrapping on benji's present fell off. OH well.

Then I had three minutes until my bus left for the train station.....come on come on come on come on come onnnnn NO. I am walking up to teh station when my bus pulls away. I flag heavily and yell to no avail. Ben looks at me with this look of deep apologies and tell me that he even went around an opened up all of the luggage carriers in order to slow her down. No bust. We exchange words, make goodbye noises and I get ont eh next bus to teh TGV station...should have about 3 minutes to spare if all goes well. I remember I am in France and let out a few expletives (though many in French).

I get to teh train station with 2 minutes to spare and race u teh stairs because for God knows what reason the elevator is broken. I run onto teh platform as the guard is blowing his whistle and scream "attends! attends!!" I am running the train starts moving! He waves at me and I jump on with another couple at my heels. I'm on! I'm really on!! Putains de PHEW!

Well, I get to Paris no sweat, meet up with Caitlin and Matt no sweat and teh Poole's. Meet my family for teh next three weeks and they are all so lovely! AND, I have never seen such a diversified family. it i bizarre, they ahve this quality of Poole-ness to them...but are all different shapes and sizes and hair colors. It is fascinating.

Anyway, we hire the car and BARELY fit inside. I mean luggage on our laps and still barely fit...this is where national LamPOOLE's Christmas vacation comes in. We are driving to le Biot from Lyon and it is taking a little while because of course Aussie's rive ont eh wrong(left) side of the road so it is a little confusing. Plus everything is on French. But we get 8 km from our town and we start to ascend this mountain pass. I'm thinking, not as bad as little cottonwood...no problem. Then I remember...no 4x4....no AWD. I nervously as..."this car has ABS right?" yes, it oes. Phew.

Then it starts to snow.....

30 minutes later. Shoot to all teh children running around outside frolicking int eh snow as the aussies don't really get a lot of the white stuff down unda. (P.S. I will (and already sorta am) speak with an Australian accent before the end of this trip. By gosh its insane. I'm sayying weird differently and other ones I can't remeber because it sounds NORMAL TO ME NOW! AHHHH)

We are stuck int eh snow/can't move becsue teh tires just keep spinning...car is too heavy and no AWD or 4x4...we abandon the car. But our lovely chalet people pick us up and we arrive to salad and hot french lasagna.

Since then we've been munching on chocolat and enjoying the wonderful scenery, going skiing tomorrow. I brought my boots but had to rent skis. When I went tot eh place and saw teh man fitting mine all up A horrible fleeting thought came across my head....I will basically have to re-learn my job at the ORP, I can barely remember anything!!!!!....Oh well.

Ok, going inside to help with dinner and learn some more pertinent Aussie traditions to solidify my amerussie status.

Bonne Fêtes!

Oh and we went to Carrefour and I may or may not have bought "the Tales of Beetle the Bard" in french.....I HAD to right??? To practice my french, right??? Come onnnn, right????. Shut up.
-Claire
Song "I'm yours" new rendition...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S55VH3bIpZ0