There is nothing that kills off a relationship quicker than the mundane. Let’s face it, once the dating phase is over, it’s just dirty washing and fights over who picks up the kids. The FOT has the potential to be the same – stay in one place too long and all the fun is replaced …
The art of PIE
It’s amazing how close humans are to a riot at all times. It only takes one PIE (Pusher-In-Erer) to cause an orderly group of airport queuers to lose their shit. The hardest part of the whole overseas trip was, you guessed it, getting home. Combine the two most anally retentive nations in the world – …
Lost and found
The Festival of Tina is not like a typical Australian 18 year old’s gap year, where you leave a trail of destruction across the globe. I’m more mature than that. Instead I’ve left a trail of stuff around the world. In fact I’ve lost so many things I can’t actually remember what I’ve forgotten. It …
I’m fluent!
After four weeks in a beautiful location but with sub-par weather, I was thrilled to spend my final few magical days in France, in springtime Paris with my BFR and her husband. We walked, ran and even cruised the Seine, and of course continued our study of French… wine. Let’s face it, that is what …
Au revoir la maison noire
So today my BFR and I skipped school and ran away from home. Yesterday we finished the four week program and we were supposed to return this morning to take a test that would show us how much (or little!) we had learned. We would finish off the week with lunch, a French film and …
Choose your own adventure
As you know I like to take a saying and make it my own. I have many of them. One of my favourites has always been: You can choose your own adventure OR have it foisted upon you. Nothing that has happened on my trip so far has made me change my mind. On Thursday …
Danger of morte and merde
The two main dangers in France are death… and stepping in dog shit. I’ve been living here in Villefranche-sur-Mer for nearly two weeks now and I’m shocked that I am still alive. I’m even more shocked that my shoes are clean. It’s time for a short French lesson. It is important for the story and …
Je suis française
All of the travelling thus far has brought me to this point. I am now officially French. Just ask anyone here… except my teacher. I chose this course in the magnificent town of Villefranche-sur-Mer, which is next to Nice on the French Riviera, because it came highly recommended. A dear friend of a dear friend …
Give up on your dreams, Susan
If you know me, you know that I love Melissa McCarthy. She is hilarious. So as I was walking down another charming street in yet another medieval village, feeling inexplicably despondent, I started giggling. “Give up on your dreams, Susan,” I said out loud. It’s a quote from the movie Spy. If you haven’t seen …
C’est la vie
Just before I left New York, I had a moment of panic. All this time I had been planning and dreaming about this trip to France and it was about to come to fruition. I was suddenly scared. Maybe I should just go home? Luckily changing your ticket is harder than moving to a foreign …