November 30, 2008 by samantha.

We had a slow and relaxing day today. Not like we needed to relax, but it was nice to stay in the apartment and do nothing. The big adventure of the day was taking my grandmother out for a fancy lunch. She was so excited that she called twice to make sure that we were coming and even asked us to arrive early. Lunch was fun. I tried monkfish for the first time. It was not too bad. I would try it again. Tomorrow we are heading toward Barcelona. I am so excited! My Aunt Vivi is coming with us and I am sure that it will be an adventure. We have tried our best to research the city on the computer, but our Internet connection is slow and moody. We know that we have to visit the Cathedral and Parc Guell. Maybe we will take a tour. Who knows! Who cares! It will be a much more exciting way to spend a Monday than if I was at work!

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November 29, 2008 by samantha.

We have a serious problem. Do not get me wrong. Being back in France is very relaxing and familiar. I am having a fantastic time and I think it will be very hard to leave. It has been enjoyable to visit with my grandmother and catch up on the family gossip. The food is beyond delicious. Even shopping is more fun here. I cannot think of why I need to return to the States. My most important possessions can be sent to me and Val would love France. Maybe I should seriously think about moving here.

Okay, back to my problem. My mom and I are having a hard time leaving the apartment. The apartment is nothing to rant and rave about. It is in desperate need of some remodeling and updated furniture. Still, we are so comfy and relaxed here. We read, play games, and watch TV all day long. There is even a little super market downstairs were can buy all of our groceries. We have to force ourselves to leave and stretch our legs. I know that we should be out and about, but it is hard to get moving when you are so comfortable!

That being said, we went to downtown Perpignan today. The city looks pretty much the same and the bus ride down is always fun. We hit a couple of the local stores and had a nice lunch. It was a lot of fun. I think we are planning on going back again on Wednesday and explore some more. Tomorrow we are having lunch at a restaurant that is a family favorite and on Monday we are venturing to Barcelona. It should be interesting. I have not been to Barcelona in over ten years and I am anxious to get back.

It is sad to say that I will be leaving in less than a week. It will be hard. I am tempted to throw a temper tantrum and make a scene so I do not have to leave, but I do not think it will work. Does anyone have any ideas?

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November 27, 2008 by samantha.

Well, my mom and I had great plans for Thanksgiving. We thought we had everything worked out. To bad things did not happen as we had hoped.

Our plan was to go to Canet Plage (a local beach town) and feast on fresh, delicious seafood. We had talked about it when we were back in the States. We dreamed of plates of wonderful seafood last night. We quickly got ready so we could head toward the beach today. We typed the address into the GPS and got on our way. In no time we were in Canet Plage. Immediately we noticed how dead the place was, but it made sense to us. Canet Plage is a popular summer destination, but is very dead in the winter. Still, a few of the restaurants stay open for tourists like us. In our rush to get to our Thanksgiving feast, we forgot that most restaurants in France do not open until noon or later for lunch. We arrived in Canet Plage at 11:15. There was nothing to keep us entertained until the restaurants opened, so we left. We have vowed to try again at a later date and arrive at a later time!

So, our Thanksgiving seafood feast became a little lunch at a local pizza joint. I think both my mom and I were both disappointed. To make ourselves feel better, we sent shopping for some “necessities”.

We had my Aunt Rose and Aunt Vivi over this afternoon to catch up on the gossip. It was fun to listen to them talk and laugh. They are always exciting to have over. I do not think that either of them knows how to be boring!

I do not know what are plans for tonight. I think we will stay in and watch some French TV. The television shows here are… interesting. Maybe we’ll make ourseveles a little dinner and play some cards.

Even though our Thanksgiving plans did not work out, we still had a great time. And we were happy to be away from the family and all the chaos!

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November 26, 2008 by samantha.

I may be in France, but I have nothing exciting to report. We went to visit my grandmother twice. It has been so long since I last saw her and it was shocking to see how much she aged. She seems to be doing well. Her room is cute, but could use some sprucing up. We have the task of getting her a desk while we are here. It sounds easy, but I think it will be a difficult job. It can only be so wide by so long and my grandmother must approve it. At least it will keep my mom and I out of trouble.

I think my mom and I are making quite an impression in Perpignan. We have misplaced the apartment keys, gotten in trouble for not spending enough money to use a credit card, and struggled to bag our own groceries. Needless to say, we are entertainment. Every time we go out now, we know we will come back with some story and we will have left our mark.

On to the important stuff, the food! I had my first bite of saucisson and it was delicious. For those of you not in the know, saucisson is the most delicious French country salami. That definition does not do it justice. The Camembert was not so good. It was not ripe yet, so we have to wait a few days. The rest of the meals have a good. For Thanksgiving, my mom and I have special plans. Let’s just say that we are not having anything close to Turkey!

By the way, pictures will be coming. My Internet connection is slow and I use it sparingly! I will do my best to get pictures up. Bare with me!

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November 25, 2008 by samantha.

We woke up to our first morning in France and it is a cold one. It is only supposed to get up to 46 degrees today and the winds (the Tramontane) are blowing. It is just as a fall day should be in Southern France. The apartment needs some airing out (it has been neglected since last October!) and the beds have to be made.

The trip was a good one. The flight from LAX was boring… there is not much to do when stuck on a plane for ten hours and crammed in like sardines! I cat napped and watched movies. We arrived in Paris, made it through customs, and waited for our connecting flight to Montpellier. The flight was short and half empty! Our luggage made it no problem and after we got our rental car, we were good to go!

Our little car is awesome. It is a Peugeot 308. It is a standard and I am so happy to be driving a stick shift again. The car has GPS and pretty much anything we need, including AC! We are living the high life! We had one snag with the car. We stopped to get some necessities on our way to Perpignan. We got back in the car and could not get it into reverse! I tried and my mom tried. No luck! I even tried to put the car in neutral and roll back, but that did not work! Finally, some guy offered to help. He showed us how to put it in reverse and I am so happy he did. We never would have figured it out. It is different than in the States. After that we were back on the road. We found the apartment with little trouble.

The apartment is not at all as I remember it. Still, it feels homey and somewhat familiar. We opened all the shutters and peeked in every room. The water had been shut off and then began our second adventure. We had no problem getting the water back on, but getting hot water was another story. My Aunt Vivi came down to help and between my mom and her they could not figure it out. Then I came to rescue! I read the instructions and lo and behold I got it to work. I even took hot shower last night.

Than our second day in France started. We have already headed downstairs to the local market to get some things. We are going to take it easy today. Go out for lunch and see my grandmother. Maybe tomorrow will go on a day trip. Who knows and who cares! I am back on France!!!!

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November 12, 2008 by samantha.

Thank goodness this problem is not plaguing America. Sometimes it is comforting to only complain about the government and gas prices!

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November 2, 2008 by samantha.

Halloween has been my favorite holiday since I can remember. This year lived up to my expectations. I hung out with friends and “family”. We had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows as we passed out candy. I saw some great costumes. I am hoping to put some pictures of some of the cuties I saw, but I have to get permission first! It is always so sad when Halloween comes to an end. Now I have to wait another whole year before it comes around again. I should start planning now!

Today, I went to see W with a good friend of mine. We were both disappointed by the movie. In fact, we both found the movie a bit boring. I expected more from Oliver Stone. I wanted to be shocked and learn something new. Instead, the movie showed us everything that we already knew. Josh Brolin did a fantastic job as W. His accent and mannerisms were perfect. I can see him getting an Oscar nomination for his performance.

Now I am gearing up for Tuesday night. I am going to a friend’s house to watch the results. I know I will need to be monitored. I am so nervous. I hope the right guy wins. And in California, there are so many controversial props on the ballot. I have already decided that I will dress all in black on Wednesday if I am not happy with the results. I may have to take Wednesday off to morn. This election is so exciteing! No matter who wins, history will be made! It is an exciting time! I wonder how many of us will be disappointed come Wednesday.

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