The dreaded countdown has begun.... Instead of telling people how long I’ve been here, I’ve switched to telling people how much time I have left. LESS THAN 4 MONTHS! And I’m not even going to see it pass... There are too many events distracting me from the time that is ticking.

Not too long ago I met my family in Rome which is something I never thought I would say... and we toured Rome for 3 days, Pompei for 1 day and then Venice for a day. I really enjoyed our time exploring Italy together. One day while we were touring the coloseum in rome... I saw a familiar face with some strangers... JULIE Giesbrecht ! We had known that we would be in Italy at the same time... but we didn’t think that meeting up would be possible! This was soo lucky... and I was shaking like a leaf. Excited clearly! It was no biggy saying good-bye though, because she will be coming up here to Paris soon. It was just an early surprise, thats all.

After Italy we all came up here to Paris where I got to show my family my world. I enjoyed running the show for the most part, and with Paris being my recent home, there was a lot less confusion when it came to transporation and figuring out the city. This created for a more relaxed portion of the trip. Never, though, have I felt so canadian as I did while touring, talking, and eating with my family. Thinking of my family having been in Paris with me, still amazes me.

For the Easter week-end, the family and I went to Liseux Normandie, where we rented a cabin in a zoo. This was clearly no ordinary zoo... Our porch looked out into a field with rihnos, monkeys, and gazelles. Then in the enclosed area where the cabins were, there were kangaroos and deer. The tropical atmosphere conflicted slightly with the low temperatures... but it was a great week-end non the less.

Spring time is here. Flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing and the parisians have put on their spring attitudes. I don’t think I’ll be getting tired of France anytime soon...