Saint-Paul-de-Vence

Today I went to St-Paul-de-Vence.  It is a very famous, historical city in the south of France.  It is one of the oldest medieval towns in this part of France. 

The village began to be built in the 1400's.  It was built high up on a hill so the villagers could see enemies coming to attack them from far away.  The church is in the middle and there are walls all around the city, again for protection.

The streets are very small, windy, and very beautiful.  Today, St-Paul-de-Vence is a historical, protected site.  Many French celebrities (actors, singers) live here now, and many famous art galleries are here as well.

Here is a website if you would like to learn more!
http://www.saint-pauldevence.com/en/history

Translate my Blog/ Traducir mi Blog/ Tranduir mon Blog

English

If you would like to read my blog in a different language than English, you can!  I'm sure some of you have found it already, but if you go to the very bottom of the page, you will find a part that says, "Translate."  Then, you can click "Select Language" and choose almost any language you would like to translate to blog to. 

Español

Si quieres leer mi blog en una idioma diferente de inglés, puedes!  Si vas al fondo de la página, vas a encontrar una parte que dice, "Translate."  Después, puedes selecionar "Select Language" y elegir casi cualquier idioma que desea traducir la página en.

Français

Si vous voulez traduir mon blog en francais, allez en bas de la page, vous trouverez une fonction "translate," clickez sur "select language"et choisir French.

Je Suis en France

After a very long trip and confusing time change, I made it to Nice, France!  I am very happy to be here.  It looks a lot different than Illinois.  Instead of corn, there is the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, mountains, and very old buildings.  The weather is a little colder than home.  It is supposed to  warm up by Saturday though.

Today, I take my first driving lesson.  I am trying to learn how to drive a stick shift.  We will see how it goes!  I will start French classes next week, but am already learning new words and phrases.  Check out this website if you want to learn French too!

http://www.bonjour.com/

On My Way!

I am officially on my way!  After lots of packing and a giant security line, I am sitting at my gate and waiting for my plane.

I take off from Chicago and arrive in Stockholm, Sweden in 8.5 hours.  There is a seven hour time difference, so when I land it will be 7am their time, but 12am our time.  I will be tired, and it will take some time to get used to the time difference.

 
After a two hour layover in Sweden, I take a three hour flight to France.  I am very excited to get there, but have a long trip ahead of me!

Packing

My packing progress so far

Packing for a trip that lasts 2+ months can be difficult.  First, make sure to check the weather for the places you are going.  Last summer, I spent about two weeks in Argentina and then went to Europe.  Argentina has opposite seasons to ours because it is in the Southern Hemisphere.  So when I was there in our summer, June, it was their winter and very cold!   

I was bragging to all of my friends in Argentina that I was going to spend the summer in warm Europe.  I did not bother to check the weather and mostly brought tank tops and flip flops.  When I landed in London, I was surprised to find that their weather is cold and rainy a lot...even in summer!  It was about the same temperature as winter in Argentina, and I was cold a lot.  Lesson learned.

Me in London in front of Big Ben

It is important to research the customs of the countries you are planning to go to as well.  I want to travel to Morocco for a couple of weeks.  Morocco is a predominately Muslim country in Africa that is very different from ours.  They are a lot more conservative, and most women wear clothes that do not show their shoulders or knees.  So, even though it is hot in Morocco, it is important for me to have enough long skirts and sleeved shirts to wear when I am there.

The next step in packing is to clean and do laundry.  This way, you can see what you have and what you need.  Then you can go shopping!  It is always nice to get a few new things for a big trip.  My mom and I went shopping today, and now I am organizing my things and trying to fit them into my suitcase.  Tomorrow, I will probably pack and repack a few times to get it just right.  Then, I am off on Sunday!

If you would like to learn more about Argentina, England, Morocco, or any other country you are interested in, check out these websites!

 http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/

 http://www.timeforkids.com/around-the-world

http://www.factmonster.com/countries.html

Empty Classroom

Today is my last day of school, and the past two days have been very quiet!  It is strange to see the classroom so empty of smiling faces and happy conversations.  I miss you guys already!  I hope everyone has enjoyed their first days off.  I am leaving for France on Sunday and will try to start packing tomorrow, but will probably leave it to the last minute like I always do.  Check back for updates!

Last Day of School

Today was our last day of school!  We had a wonderful day full of movies, popcorn, pizza, music, pictures, and summer crafts.  Last week, everyone made a summer goal and I hope we will all stick to them.  My summer goals are to learn beginning French and travel to Africa! 

I am so proud of all of my students' progress this year.  They all worked so hard and have grown so much.  Congratulations new 7th, 8th, and 9th graders!!  Have a wonderful, fun-filled summer!!

Summer's Here!

Another year is over, and another summer is beginning!  This year, I will start my summer adventures in Nice, France.  Nice (pronounced "neece") is on the southern coast of France in the French Riviera.  

My plans are to stay there for about a month and take French classes!  I am excited and a little nervous to start to learn a new language.  After classes finish, I hope to travel to Paris, Italy, and maybe even Africa.  The possibilities are endless, so we will see what happens!  Not only will I need to learn a new language, I will need to learn to drive a new type of car--a stick shift.  Unlike the U.S., most cars in Europe are not automatic.  Here is the car I will be driving, she is 45 years old, and I named her Candy Finnegan. 

While I am excited to travel again, I am sad to see the year come to an end.  We have had a great year.  I was blessed to to be the teacher of an intelligent and fun group of amazing young men and women.  There is no doubt in my mind that if they work hard, they will all go on to do great things.  I will miss them, but hope that they are reading this right now and will follow my blog!  If you are reading this and  interested in learning more about France, here are some websites to visit!

http://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/france-facts.html

 http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/places/find/france/

http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/france/france.htm

Au revoir (that's goodbye in French) until next time,

Ms. Fritz