La Fête Nationale!

Salut tout le monde!

Aujourd’hui, c’est une fête- La Fête Nationale! J’aimerais être chez mes parents ou chez Aurélie. Quand nous avions dix ans, Aurélie et moi, nous sommes allées à Paris avec ses parents. Nous nous sommes promenées et nous avons regardé les feux d'artifice.

Oh, France me manque quelquefois…

I had to relive some past memories for a moment; today is La Fête Nationale! In America, it is probably better known as Bastille Day. Christelle, Sandrine, and I are celebrating, although Christelle is too homesick...

Before I talk about traditions and such, I should share a brief history of this holiday.

On July 14, 1789, the Bastille prison (which represented the monarchy) was stormed by Parisians to show their contempt towards the monarchy, especially in a time of economic crisis. A month later, La Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen (The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen) was written to define and defend the rights of all citizens. The Parisian militia abandoned wearing symbols of the royals (namely the fleur-de-lis in a blue field on a white background) and began to wear a cockade of blue and red. White was later added, thus becoming le tricolore- or “tricolor”- our country’s flag.

That was just an extremely brief history; now, onto some things I have done to celebrate…

The most memorable Bastille Day was when I was 10. Aurélie and her family took me to Paris with them, and we watched the parade on the Champs-Elysées. Later in the evening, we took a boat ride down the Seine and watched fireworks. They looked particularly amazing over the Eiffel Tower.

Bastille Day in Lille is extremely similar; there are still military and civilian parades, fireworks, music, dancing, etc.

I’ve also been in Nice for Bastille Day, and that is beautiful…

There is normally a picnic on the grounds of Versailles, and most people in attendance wear white. I would love to go to one!

Tonight, we are going to light some fireworks and celebrate. I still cannot help but miss France, though. I always become extremely homesick at this time of the year; I want to celebrate with my family and friends…

Sabine

Yet another survey...

Salut! 
Nothing much has been going on, and I am extremely obsessed with filling out these surveys/questionnaires/whatever-else-you-want-to-call-them. So yes, I am going to post another one. Feel free to fill this out on your blog, too.
There is so much to know about me, so hopefully, you enjoy reading my responses. ;)

Does being in love make you nervous?
Well…yes and no. Yes because you are trusting a person not to hurt you- you are trusting that person to always be there for you and love you unconditionally. Also yes because you may be the person breaking somebody else’s heart. Every rose has its thorn…
Oh, and no because once you found the right person, love is one of the best things ever…
How bad are heartbreaks?
You never forget your first heartbreak. However, you learn from it and move on. Again, for all the people who broke your heart, you may have broken somebody’s heart without even realizing it.
In my opinion, that hurts even more than having your heart broken.
Has anyone ever seen you kiss the last person you kissed?
Yes…but I kissed him on the cheeks- traditional French greeting!
Do you tell people the truth about your feelings?
Yes, but these people are in France…
Has anyone told you they don’t ever want to lose you?
“I never want to lose you, and if I had to, I would choose you…”
Miley Cyrus lyrics aside, yes, and I told them the same. ;)
Have you ever gotten into a fight with your current best friend since you started being best friends?
Well, of course, but the good thing is, both of us can forgive and forget. I’m sure our fights started because of typical teenage girl jealousy…
I had a minor fight with Aurélie a few years ago. She went to see Miley Cyrus’s concert in London, and she is not nearly as big of a fan as I am. I was so jealous, and I could not talk to her without wishing I was her…
Do you like to have long hair or short hair?
Long! Short hair would bother me…
Do you ever over-react on the smallest things?
I’m sure I have- haven’t all of us? I do sometimes get over-emotional, though.
Have you ever stepped on a straightener?
Nope- I don’t straighten my hair. If I were to step on one, I would probably cry hysterically...
Do you regret your last relationship?
I haven’t really been in one yet…
Do you have an innie or an outie belly belly button?
Innie…haha…funny question…
What kind of milk do you drink?
None!!! Milk is disgusting! I absolutely despise it. I get my calcium in other ways, like through yogurts and cheeses…
Have you ever had mono?
Nope, and I never want to get it…
Do you wear contacts?
Glasses
Are you happy relationship wise?
Well…
Is your phone a flip, slide or neither?
FLIP…ugh!!!! It’s somewhat outdated, but my mom won’t let me get a new one until my birthday…
Do you honestly miss someone?
Honestly? Definitely. I think about my grand-père who passed away every single day, especially when I put on my necklace every morning. I also think of my dad, brother, and friends…being overseas is hard sometimes…
Do you think you are a good girlfriend?
I think I would be. I am extremely loyal, and I would always be there. I consider myself to be understanding, compassionate, and loving. I want to love and be loved.
When did you last receive a text message?
A few seconds ago
How well do you know the last female you texted?
It was Aurélie- she’s my best friend!
Were you single on your last birthday?
Oui
How long does it take you to fall asleep at night?
It depends on what is on my mind or how tired I am.
Have you had any beer this week?
I’m not in Lille! Underage drinking in America isn’t acceptable. ;) Kidding, but I am French, so I was raised in a completely different mindset. The North [of France] is known for its beer, anyway…
Someone tells you that you’re beautiful, you say?
“Tu trouves?”
What’s your favorite holiday?
Christmas! Or La Fête Nationale, which you guys probably know as Bastille Day
Do your eyes change color?
They’ve been brown my whole life.
What are you doing this weekend?
Probably having my own Bastille Day celebration
Do you swear often?
I’m French…what do you think? ;) Hey, at least I do it in my native language…
Who was the last person you vented to?
Lilly
Is your hair long enough to put in a ponytail?
Oui
What does your last text say?
“Vraiment?”
Who was your last hug?
Ava
Are you happier now or four months ago? 
Now, I guess.
Whose sweatshirt did you wear last?
I don’t wear sweatshirts.
Do you know who’s mad at you?
Sandrine, Jess, the four girls who tried to make my life miserable (and succeeded…until I stepped up…)
If you got kicked out of your house, where would you go?
Aurélie’s house! Her family has always been there for me.
Are there any stressful situations in your life?
The situation with Sandrine and my personal situation with my mom
Is it okay to like someone else when you have a boyfriend?
This is such a hard question for me to answer. Isn’t that the ultimate form of betrayal? Then again, if I happened to be dating somebody and I liked somebody else, my boyfriend wouldn’t know if I kept it to myself…
Last awkward moment?
I pronounced a few English words wrong, and Ava starting commenting about it…
Where did you get the shirt you are wearing?
Liberty Jane Clothing
How has the week been?
Average
Who have you texted today?
Aurélie, Gérard, my dad
Were you happy when you woke up today?
No because I am not a morning person.
Anyone crushing on you?
I hope so… ;)
What is your favorite color?
Blue! It reminds me of Nice, my favorite place in the world.
What movie do you want to see?
I am dying to see the American version of LOL, and I also want to see So Undercover. Both star Miley Cyrus, so I am kind-of obligated to see them.
Do you have any tattoos?
No, and I don’t really want one. If I were to get one, it would say beau coeur in homage to my grandfather. But there are no places on my body that I would want it to be on.
Do you like chocolate?
BIEN SÛR!!!!!!!!!!!!
Connection between you and the last person who text messaged you?
MEILLEURE AMIE!
Kiss with eyes open or closed?
Closed
What are you doing tomorrow?
Not sure
Who was the last boy to give you a ride home?
Mon père- my dad.
Have you ever been addicted to something that was harmful to your health?
Chocolate
Whose house did you go to last?
Considering I attend boarding school, the last house I went to was Aurélie’s and that was in 2008 before I came to America.
Did you copy and paste this survey?
Oui
Do you consider yourself a study freak?
OUI! I have to succeed!
Have you ever thought about getting your lip pierced?
No way!
Have you ever been a cheerleader?
Haha, really funny. See one of my previous posts for the answer.
Have you ever been to SeaWorld?
Never
Did you send someone a good morning text this morning?
No
What can’t you wait for?
FOR AURÉLIE TO COME TO AMERICA!

-Sabine

Cent vérités

Salut, tout le monde!
To all my American readers, happy Fourth! I'm personally anxiously awaiting Bastille Day, which is next Thursday. I'll be sure to do a post about that for those who are curious about one of France's major holidays.
Today will probably not be too exciting. Lilly is dying to see the movie Monte Carlo for whatever reason, so I'll be seeing that with her. I might join the Americans and watch some fireworks tonight. Lilly claims to have a Katy Perry song for the occasion...great. If I had to choose a song for today, I'd pick "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. ;)

With the 4th aside, I decided to fill out this fun meme. Feel free to do the same!

BASICS:
1. What's Your full name: Sabine Aurélie Bouchard

2. Nicknames: None because I hate them- Chrissa calls me Sabs, but that doesn't count...

3. Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

4. Male or female: Female

5. Middle School: I went to Collège Paul Verlaine when I lived in Lille.

6. High School: I'm not in lycée...yet.

7. College: I want to go to L'Université Paris-Sorbonne, even though Paris isn't my favorite place.

8. Hair color: Auburn/red depending on the lighting

9. Tall or short: Shorter for my age...just a little bit below average

11. Sweats or jeans: Jeans

12. Phone or Camera: Phone! My cell has a camera on it, so I'm covered.

13. Health Freak: Nope!

14. Orange or Apple: Apple

15. Do you have a crush on someone: Two very nice boys :)

16. Eat or Drink: Eat

17. Piercings: Nope; I'm scared of needles.

18. Pepsi or Coke: Coke, if I had to pick.

19. Been in an airplane: Of course!

20. Been in a relationship: Well... ;)

21. Been in a car accident: Kind-of; I was driving with my cousin through the French countryside and we ran out of gas. Oh, and we were rear-ended...
22. Been in a fist fight: Jokingly

23. First piercing: Ears...eventually

24. First best friend: Julien Hérvagault (later on came Gérard Pelessier and Aurélie Faubert)

25. First award: I don't remember...

26. First crush: Julien!

27. First word: Mère

29. Last person you talked to: Lilly

30. Last person you hung out with: Lilly

31. Last person you watched a movie with: Lilly

32. Last food you ate: a croissant from Panera

33. Last movie you watched: Bad Teacher

34. Last song you listened to: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus

35. Last thing you bought: a Fuze

36. Last person you hugged: Ava

37. Food: Waterzoï

38. Drink: Orangina

39. Bottoms: black pants or my black flounce skirt

40. Flower: Roses

41. Animal: Micki's Yorkie, Sugar

42. Color: pastel and midnight blue

43. Movie: Bienvenue chez les ch'tis and The Last Song

44. Favorite subject: English or AP World History

HAVE YOU EVER: (Put an X in the brackets if yes)
45. [ ] gotten baptized.

46. [x] Celebrated Halloween (once!)

47. [x]Had your heart broken.

48.[x] went over the minutes/texts on your cell phone. (back before my parents got me unlimited texting)

49. [x] had someone question your intentions.

50. [x] had somebody not believe in you
51. [ ] Stole something.

52. [x] been bullied.

53. [x] Did something you regret.

54. [x] Broke a promise.

55. [x] Hid a Secret.

56. [x] pretended to be happy.

57. [x] met someone who changed your life.

58. [ ] pretended to be sick.

59. [x] left the country. (many times)
60. [x] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it.

61. [ ] cried over the silliest thing. (I only cry when things upset me...)

62. [ ] ran a mile.

63. [x] went to the beach with your best friend.

64. [x] got into an argument with your friends.
65. [x] hated someone.

66. [x] stayed single for a whole year

CURRENTLY:
67. Eating: Rien

68. Drinking: Rien

69. Listening To: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus
70. Sitting/Layin: Sitting

71. Plans for today: Going to see Monte Carlo with Lilly and then watch fireworks

72. Waiting for: Aurélie to come to America
YOUR FUTURE:
73. Want kids: Two daughters someday

74. Want to get married: Definitely!

75. Career: Sociologist

WHICH ONE in a significant other:
76. Lips or Eyes: Eyes

77. Shorter or taller: Taller

78. Romantic or spontaneous: Romantic

81. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship

82. Looks or personality: Personality!

HAVE YOU EVER:
83. Lost glasses/contacts: Yeah!

84. Snuck out of the house: My mom thought I did once even though I asked if I could leave...she must have ignored me when I asked...

85. Held a gun/knife for self defense: Non! Jamais!

86. Killed somebody: Yes, Courtney DiLaurentis...kidding! I always tease Lilly about her obsession with Pretty Little Liars.

87. Broken someone's heart: Probably...

89. Cried when someone died: Oui

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
90. Yourself: Oui!
91. Miracles: OUI!!!!! Anything can happen in this world for an ordinary girl! ;)

92. Love at first sight: Definitely!

93. Heaven: I don't know...

94. Santa Claus: Never have, never will.

95. Dinner or movie: Both
96. Kiss on the first date: Depends...I'd only date a guy I knew for awhile, so maybe...

TRUTHFULLY:
97. Is there one person you want to be with right now: OUI!!!!

98. Do you know who your real friends are: French friends- oui. American friends- I'm slowly learning

99. Do you believe in God: Sometimes I'm not sure.

100. Post as 100 truths? Oui

Have a great day!
-Sabine

le 26 juin

Delphine wanted me to take her swimming, so I did. I didn’t swim because guys have to wear Speedos if they want to get in the water. I don’t think I have it in me to publically wear one now. It wasn’t an issue when I was little, but now, it’s just a way to get harassed by tourists who know nothing about French culture.
Gérard tells me that I need to loosen up. Of course he would. He likes the attention he gets from tourists.

It also isn’t like Lille is the hottest place on the planet. I don’t consider 20* (Celsius of course) to be a pool day. Delphine clearly does, and that’s enough to make me have to go.

I tried to talk her out of it. I said I would take her for some crêpes before Maman returned home from work, but she said we can still do that and go to the pool. I asked her if she wanted to walk through the Citadelle, and she told me that parks are extremely boring.

The second time I met Sabine was at the Citadelle, and I just wanted to walk through to think about that. Since I was around four when this happened, Maman reminded me.

A band was playing “La Vie en Rose” in the background, which is probably the most cliché French song ever written. Still, good old Édith Piaf- her legacy lives on. Sabine was humming along, which wasn’t unusual. She has always loved music. She just couldn’t play it. Her piano lessons ended in tragic failure- the woman instructing her claimed that Sabine was simply not teachable. I can’t remember if Sabine was upset or not. She did, however, want to punch the instructor I am sure…

Back to that day in the Citadelle, Sabine was singing and swinging on a swing. She was minding her business as usual until an impatient girl shoved her off the swing. Her knees and arms were scrapped, and she was in tears. Although Sabine didn’t like me whatsoever, I still made sure she was OK. I talked to her and comforted her until our mothers stopped talking and realized that Sabine had had an accident that would be the first of many notorious accidents. I told the girl who shoved her, “tu es méchante!” Sabine laughed through her tears, and I actually think we had a conversation after that- well, as much of a conversation as a four year old can have.

But that wasn’t the first time I met Sabine, like I said. The first time was far more entertaining, and it showed a side of her that I didn’t know could exist…

-JH

Too much togetherness!

Salut, tout le monde! Lilly sait. 
C'est tout. 

Our conversation went something like this:
Lilly: Why did you cross your name off the list?
Moi: What list? (Playing dumb is always a smart, good option.)
Lilly: Don't play dumb with me. You know.
Moi: No, I don't.
Lilly: You crossed your name out. Just admit it.
Moi: I think somebody really, really hates me and doesn't want me to be part of the team! Jealous girls these days...you HAVE to love them!
Lilly: Nobody thinks you're potential competition. Just confess, please!
Moi: Fine. I did.
Lilly: But why? I wanted to be apart of something for once! I wanted my best friend to be apart of it, too!
Moi: I'm sorry, Lilly, but I know that I do not have the ability or desire to cheer.
Lilly: I get it. No, really, I do. I'm not mad or anything. I'm just disappointed. That's all.
Moi: Why don't you ask Jess? You're just as good of friends with her as you are with me!

Lilly then froze in her tracks. "Silly," she scoffed. "You know Jess already made the varsity soccer team. She doesn't do cheerleading. Whatever is going on between you two needs to stop. It's pathetic and ridiculous."

I sighed and headed for my room. I consider myself to be an introvert, and I very much enjoy my quality thinking time. Being around people sometimes overwhelms me, and it just overwhelmed me right now. Lilly is my only true friend in America, but she has been really bothering me lately. Maybe we just need some time apart? I probably was wrong for making sarcastic Jess remarks, but Jess is just the absolute most annoying person ever. She is my academic competition that I don't even want to compete with! After she realized that I was just as smart and well-traveled as she is, she decided to start competing with me when it came to school-related things. Oh, and the best part? She is a huge know-it-all. And she LOVES to brag about her accomplishments. She is gifted, yet before every test, she declares that because of soccer practice, she didn't have time to study and she'll probably fail. How annoying. She never gets anything but As! It's like she just wants attention...

The thing is, her twin (Zan or Alexandria...whatever you know her by) is smart, too, but she never brags. She does her own thing.

Oh, girl drama sometimes. It can be buckets of fun...

Sabine

le 24 juin

There is practically one month of summer left, and I haven’t had time to do anything that I wanted. I guess that is what comes with having a single, working mother as a parent. My eleven-year-old sister Delphine and I had an option to visit our father in Marseille, but we hate his wife (never will you hear us call her our stepmom!). She’s, for lack of better terms, a nerd. She doesn’t allow for us to have any privacy, and she needs to know where we are 24/7. If I am relaxing in my room, she’ll freak out and accuse us of sneaking around.
Paranoia. They have to have something to hide. Delphine and I prefer to wait until Père comes to Lille to visit us so we don’t have to put up with la putain.
Anyway, my friends are in Lille, so if I EVER had free time, I’d want to spend it with them, NOT la putain’s 13 year old daughter Léa. She’s basically crazy, to say the least. She has a deranged crush on me, and she constantly asks me invasive questions.
Some people have it worse, though, like my friend Sabine. I considered her sister to be crazy until I learned the dangerous truth. I couldn’t live with that. I basically protected Sabine when her sister and a group of awful girls went against her. It was the right thing to do, and I’m happy that Maman raised me to be the “perfect gentleman”. She said that she didn’t want me to end up like my father, and considering who my father is with, I want to be the furthest thing from him. My parents got divorced when I was six because he was having an affair with that creep. How low. I could never treat a girl that way, especially if she was my wife. Adultery is the lowest thing a person can do, and it destroys lives. My mother suffered from a rough bout of depression, and I hated seeing her like that. Delphine drew numerous fun, happy pictures for her, and it made me sad to hear Maman tell her that those didn’t make her feel much happier.
After Maman got the treatment she much needed, I vowed never to treat a girl like that. I even encouraged Maman to date again. Fortunately, she did, and her boyfriend Christophe is definitely a better role model for me than my dad was.
I miss talking to Sabine about this. I could email her all I wanted, but it wasn’t the same as talking to her in person. She basically grew up with me, and she was a friend when I needed it. The least I could do was be the much needed friend when those girls tried to make her life miserable. I will admit that I had a crush on her (had being the key word), but I was always uncertain of whether she liked me back or not. When Gérard moved here, I was under the impression that she was extremely impressed by Gérard, his passive aggressive and bitingly sarcastic sense of humor, and his perceived wealth. Gérard is one of my closest friends, but I do need some time away from him. He wears thin on me too quickly. Sabine doesn’t, though. She never really has. I mean, she could basically be a total maudite vache at times, and she could scream and get nasty with you, but something about her makes me overlook that. I’m not sure what though.
Maybe “did” was an understatement. I still DO like her. I enjoy the few emails she sends me each month, even the ones that contain Miley Cyrus fangirl material. That’s another thing- because of Sabine, I have a few Miley songs on my iPod. I ask her when she plans on coming back to Lille, and she either ignores that question or says je ne sais pas.
Then again, I’m not sure why I even care so much. I know we men are supposed to break girls’ hearts, but once again, the gentleman in me cannot fathom doing that. At a risk of sounding like a typical American middle school girl (in Sabine’s opinion, anyway), Sabine broke my heart. Plain and simple. I don’t think she’ll ever realize it, nor do I think she thinks what she did would matter so much. But it does/did matter. It still upsets me to think about it.
There’s so much more to that, but I don’t have much time to explain. Delphine wants me to take her to buy a new CD.
-JH

A lack of team spirit

Salut, tout le monde! Est-ce que quelqu’un a fait quelque chose que vous n'avez pas aimé? Ce matin, j'ai voulu tuer Lilly...pas littéralement, bien sûr!

Lilly was in quite the hurry this morning. I passed her in the hallway, and I said my usual bonjour, and she said her usual "hey". As she ran, she shouted, "I signed you up!"

Instinctively, I asked, "For what?"

She brushed off my question and said, "Well, I have somewhere to be, but I just wanted to let you know that I signed you up!"

Again, FOR WHAT?!?!?! She couldn't at least tell me that much?!
I had no idea where she was off to, but I'm pretty sure I didn't want to find out, either, so I avoided asking. Besides, I'm sure she was going to harass Micki as usual.

After walking a few more inches, I saw it. Part of my soul died.

She signed me up for cheerleading tryouts. I am not the kind of girl who does cheerleading. For one thing, I don't even know the basics! I can't flip, tumble, or whatever the heck cheerleaders do! I'm not flexible, coordinated, nor do I have the desire to scream corny cheers at the top of my lungs. The outfits are awful, and ugh. It's just way too American for me. The "appropriate clothing" mentioned, which probably consists of short gym shorts and tank tops, doesn't fit my style. And sneakers. Mon dieu. I dislike those things with a passion. So not cute! The running laps part, though, was what particularly turned me off.

So, I did what every not-flexible, uncoordinated, not-cheerleader-material girl must do. I ran back to my room, grabbed a pen, and ran back to the sign-up sheet.

What on earth was Lilly thinking? To top this off, she has even less athletic ability than I do! I know that she wants to be apart of a school sports team, but she just isn't a gymnast. I'm not, either, so I'm not putting her down. I just happen to know my limits. She...well, doesn't...

Sabine

A chapter's ended, but the story's only just begun...

Bonjour, tout le monde!
Another school year down, and many more to go! Friday the 3rd was our last day of school, and it was a little more eventful than the last days of years past. I would have posted about this earlier, but things were busy around here.

It was all about dumb, boring movies that week.

Lilly was about to literally die of boredom in history class. We had to watch a war movie, and she HATES war movies. I do, too- it’s not like they are overly entertaining or anything. Anyway, she could not sit still for the life of her. I just rested my head on my purse and tried to take a nap. That’s what 99% of the class did. It was awful. Just awful. War movies must be a guy thing; my brother and dad love them. Lilly says her dad and uncles do, too. Chrissa’s brother is obsessed with them as well…

We are now going to “surprise” her and make her watch Dear John. That isn’t all war, but still...I didn’t really enjoy it. I doubt she would like it.

In English class, we watched like every animated Disney movie ever. Bolt wasn’t included in this, sadly. That’s the only animated Disney film I enjoy.

In Spanish class, we watched West Side Story…yeah. I have nothing to say about this. Fortunately, it was in English. On a side note, Micki (who wore actual clothes this time) downed another bag of Goldfish.

We didn’t really watch movies in any of our other classes. They were just boring. We kind-of sat there, and some people had their hands in their purses and were texting. Yes, I was one of those offenders. If you do it right, you won’t get caught.

When the final bell rang, Lilly and I skipped down the hallway and sang as loudly as we could. Melanie dragged behind us and laughed.

Lilly then forced Melanie to skip with us. Lilly belted out “We’re the three best friends that anyone could have”, which is from The Hangover, one of her favorite movies. She repeated it until Melanie and I finally joined it. Hey, we had to make that girl happy somehow…

The skipping randomly stopped when Lilly caught sight of Micki. She left us and chased after her.

And I have no idea what happened. “It’s going to be okay, Sabine. I’m taking care of things,” was all Lilly said to me when I asked her about her confrontation with Micki…

This cannot possibly be good…

-Sabine

Goldfish and Llamas

Salut, tout le monde!
I have been so busy with the end of the school year- who knew it could be so stressful? I have a written and oral Spanish proficency test tomorrow, so wish me luck! I have been studying forever. I even skipped out on International Club and went to the Spanish study session.
And guess who my partner was?

Oui...Micki. Lilly is convinced that Micki has an eating disorder, but I definitely don't think that is the case. She had a bag of Goldfish hidden in her lunchbox, and she ate the entire bag- no, she INHALED the entire bag! I asked her if I could have one, and she flipped out and said that the Goldfish "weren't mine". Um, yeah, but giving me one won't hurt. Maybe she's just territorial? If so, I can understand. I'm extremely territorial, too. ;)
We were quizzing each other on basic phrases, and I asked her, "¿Cómo te llamas?" BUT!!! I made a Chrissa joke with the "llamas" part after I asked because it reminded me that Chrissa is obsessed with her pet llamas. Anyway, she gave me the death stare and walked away.

"First you want to heist my Goldfish, then you make Chrissa jokes out of the Spanish language? Wow, Sabine, just wow. You are so not an honorary Sun Queen anymore," Micki told me.
D'accord...who said I even want to be an honorary Sun Queen? The point is, Micki has been acting strange lately, and I want to get to the bottom of it.

-Sabine (qui ne comprend pas Micki...)

PS- Those Americans and PJs...why must they flaunt them in public?

Un bandeau et un foulard...

Bonsoir, tout le monde!
Lately, I have been growing quite bored with my wardrobe, and you should be seeing some new clothes soon! I promise! :)

I'm certain people are under the impression that the French have expansive wardrobes full of designer clothes and such. However, that isn't really the case. We buy the best quality items that we can afford...and that isn't necessarily always Chanel,Yves Saint-Laurent, or Christian Dior. We don't necessarily have large wardrobes, either. We like to wear things that can be mix and matched in different ways to create "new" outfits.

Accessories also help to spice up an outfit or create a new look. Because of my boredom, I decided to spice up my style with a cute headband and a scarf that I normally wear around my waist...

Just a quick post...you'll hear more from me this week. I hope I could help share ways to spice up the clothes you already have. Take this as inspiration...and inspiration only. ;)

-Sabine
(PS...this post was inspired by the girls at Into the Woods.)

Make Some Noise

Cher tout le monde,

Everybody has a voice. This voice includes your opinions and interests. This voice tells people who you are and what makes you unique. This voice tells a story.

Everybody has a story to tell.

But, what happens when somebody steals your voice? They take a part of you with them. They take part of that story.

I almost had my voice stolen.

It has been over a week since I have written anything. I need to talk about the Teen Dance and the other amusing things that happened, but I was afraid of having my voice stolen more than it already has been.

This has been going on for at least a year now. Some people just cannot help themselves. They love my thoughts, opinions, interests, style, ideas, and more. They want to incorporate me into themselves. They cannot let me go. They are in denial and embarrassed, but they put themselves in a position to get caught. They cannot continue to make up excuses. This is ridiculous.

To be honest, I wanted to stop writing. I wanted to make my blog private and only available to select people. I decided this would be unfair, not only to me, but to everyone who properly uses my blog. I was heavily considering even deleting my blog, but then, I had an epiphany.

There will always be those disrespectful people, but for every disrespectful person, there is one that cares. I was informed of this today when somebody in real life told me that I have a story of interest to tell and I should do so. Plagiarism shouldn't stand in my way. There are people that care...online AND off.

For those who enjoy my blog and use the material properly, I want to say thank you for your continued support! I almost had that voice stolen, but because of those who care, I didn't let them take all of it. With what I have left, I want to tell those people to stop. Stop stealing my voice. Find your own. Grow! Do not allow yourself to be stuck in identity vs role confusion!

Again, thank you to those who care! Your love and support means a lot!

Bises,
Sabine

My Heart Beats For Love

Bonsoir, tout le monde! Désolée que je n'ai pas écrit. J'étais très occupée.
To start off, je suis très fatiguée. I am beyond EXHAUSTED, thanks to the lovely Lilly Poullian. She woke me up at four because she wanted somebody to watch the royal wedding with her. Um, yeah. Half of the girls were up. She didn't need me! I value my sleep time.
Anyway, the royal wedding...je m'en fous. Seriously. I don't care, and I don't get the fuss. I've never really been phased by the British. I, however, do LOVE Monaco's royalty, but I'm not sure I'd want to be Princesse Sabine de Monaco.
Speaking of Monaco, this movie looks like it will be great:

Oui, I hate Selena Gomez. She is one of my sworn enemies, but still. Why would I avoid this film just because of her? I mean, these girls go to Paris and Monte Carlo. I never miss American films that somehow involve France (and Monaco). This won't be an exception. I'm too in love with cities on the Côte d'Azure! I thought Ratatouille was, however, dumb, but that was maybe due to the fact that Miley didn't provide the voice for any of the characters. I forgive Disney. They let her voice in Bolt. :)

The royal wedding made me think about my own wedding. Chrissa wants to get married under the Eiffel Tower (shocker), but I yearn to do something less stereotypical. I'd love to get married on the rocky shores of Nice...or outside of my beloved Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille. I'm just dreaming of the day I get to marry my beloved Julien (or Gérard), and I will be wearing a strapless white dress. To some, I'm too young to consider my future, but I just love to daydream...

While I am all gushy and lovesick, I might as well say I have a beautiful heart. Or so, my grandfather told me and my necklace continues to tell me.

It was a gift from my maternal grandparents before I came to America. The day it was given to me will always remain unforgotten; it was the last time I saw my grand-père before he passed away. I was going through a tremendously difficult time when I was given the necklace, and he told me it served as a reminder of how beautiful my heart was. Cheesy, but hey, what are grand-pères for? I miss him so much, and it reminds me of him every single day. It also reminds me to keep my cool in unpleasant situations. So, obviously, it is completely special to me. It even comes before my Miley Cyrus CD collection on the "my special things" list!

Enough of that...I'll have more to share tomorrow. The Teen Dance is tonight at 10, so I should be getting ready...

Sabine

An interlude in E minor

Salut, tout le monde!
The teen dance has unfortunately (definite sarcasm) been rescheduled for next Friday because the people who are hosting it weren't aware that this Friday is Good Friday.
So in the interim, I am learning how to play the flute. And guess who's teaching me?
Oui. Melanie.
To be honest, I never knew that Melanie played the flute and piccolo until yesterday when I heard her hit an octave that most normal people can't reach. After hearing her, a super brilliant idea popped into my head- I bet I could play Miley Cyrus songs with the flute! I've always wanted to play an instrument, but I didn't have the motivation when I was little. Mère once hired a private piano teacher for me, but she said that I was hopeless and she quit on me!
The good thing is, Melanie seriously promotes music education like it's going out of style, so I begged and pleaded with her to teach me how to play the flute, and she said she would. She is also a fabulous pianist, too...maybe she can teach me how to play that, too, since I never really got the chance to learn...? Two of my favorite Miley songs ("I Hope You Find It" and "When I Look At You") EVER have the best piano music in them.
So, Melanie taught me the B flat major scale, and it went OK. I then looked through her folder of sheet music because I was so impressed with my scale, and guess what I found? "WHEN I LOOK AT YOU"!!! Yeah. She said it was written for piano, but could be easily rewritten for flute. I'm not sure how that would be easy, but I'll take her word for it! She also said it was in E minor and that I didn't even know all my major scales yet, so I wouldn't be able to play it until I learned.
I basically know nothing about music. Like, what do "major" and "minor" mean? I, however, did learn some Italian, for example, poco più mosso and vivace. Next time I go to Italy and encounter a slow walker, I will so use the term poco più mosso with them. Just kidding. ;)
Sabine

Let's Dance!

Bonsoir, tout le monde!
Well...I have a somewhat interesting story to share. It's not really a story, but you get the idea. ;) I think the title of this post (which is also a Miley Cyrus song) is perfect.
As Lilly and I were walking around campus, we saw numerous posters advertising a "Teen Dance" that is to be hosted by the recreational center. I think it sounds like a great way to meet new people, even some guys, but I heard those dances were lame.
Let me explain.
Apparently, they only play the popular music, like Lady Gaga and Ke$ha. I, for one, gag whenever I hear them singing! The people who sponsor these dances don't realize that some people listen to Miley Cyrus and French pop. Since Americans like making everyone happy, they need to take this into account.

With that aside, I've never been to one, so I think I may go. Lilly wants to go, too, so it won't be that bad. Maybe we can even convince Melanie to come? Who knows? Maybe it won't be too lame?

I think that people must feel bad for middle schoolers because high school students have their prom, so this might be some dumb way to make up for potential jealousy. This is totally casual, though, so je ne sais pas. Isn't prom in the spring? This is in the spring, so I only made up one excuse.

Josefina and Samantha were trying to tell me that these dances were "inappropriate" because the music has swear words and innuendos. Well, um, I don't like that music, but I don't care about swearing and stuff. I'm French. My whole culture would be inappropriate to those two. Anyway, they were talking about how they may go because they wanted to be "wild". Um...excusez-moi? Wild? Josefina Esperanza Montoya and Samantha Rose Parkington? To them, "wild" is playing games on Webkinz, whatever that is. I'm sure it's popular with the elementary school crowd...the crowd we aren't and shouldn't associate ourselves with!

So oui, I had fun poking fun at them...I have no shame in doing this, as they don't take me seriously, anyway. They think I'm a "bad influence" on people because I drink wine. Yeah, shows how much Americans know about other cultures...

Sabine

Hey, Micki!

Day 6- A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere
"Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Crois-moi, with some of the girls I go to school with make life a party in the USA...

On a side (and happy note), I'm getting new clothes soon. I hate to say this, but it's about time. I'm so sick of the things I have. One thing will make the perfect outfit for my trip to DC this summer.
Yeah. Micki and I are taking DC. Be prepared.

Before anybody says anything, oui, I actually like Micki. She basically is Nicki-Vicki, but she has a normal side to her. She can behave like a narcissist or a normal human being depending. Part of me feels like she is seriously insecure deep inside. Like Melanie, I don't know about her. Micki is anything but quiet, but she won't talk about her insecurities. She talks about them with Nicki and Vicki, and I confess to pleading with the twins for answers. They don't say anything except for, "all you need to know is that she a beautiful Sun Queen now."

Étrange. Très, très étrange...
Maybe I should put Lilly on the case? She can find out anything by means of the Internet.

Sabine

Day 5- A Song That Reminds You of Someone

"Can't Be Tamed" by Miley Cyrus. It reminds me of my twin, Sandrine. "For those who don't know me I can get a bit crazy/Have to get my way/Yup/24 hours a day/Because I'm hot like that". Oui. Those lyrics (and the rest of the song) fit Sandrine perfectly.

Day 4- A Song That Makes You Sad

"I Miss You" by Miley Cyrus wins this award. She wrote it about her grandfather's death, and I can't help but relate it to my grandfather's death, too. Like Miley, my grandfather was a very influential person in my life, and I think about him everyday. I miss my grand-père so much! I also think of my immediate family whenever I hear this song. Yeah, they're alive, but they are an ocean away.

Mademoiselle Melanie L'étrange

Before I get into the important stuff, days two and three of the 30 Day Song challenge.

Day 2- Least favorite song
Too many contenders. Anything by Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, or whoever else the Americans adore top my list. "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga tops this at the moment.

Day 3- A song that makes me feel happy 
"Fifty-Sixty" by Alizée is my feel good song. The music is so catchy, as are the lyrics. The music video is very animated (not "animated" as in "lively"- "animated" as in fun, pop art-inspired cartoons). I always want to sing along to this song whenever I hear it. I particularly love the lyrics, "Rêve de gloire et de fortune/Chic en Chanel/L'amour sera toujours glamoureux". I somehow feel like those lines describe my life, too. I dream of fame, fortune, and glory in that area. I have a small Chanel bag and some perfume, but I adore the clothes (especially the coats) and I can't wait until the day I can afford them. Oh, and love will always be glamorous.

Now, onto the subject of Miss Melanie Christine Holland...

Melanie (whom I occasionally call Mélanie because it always sounds better in French) est un peu étrange. It's not that she's strange in a bad way, but she is just different. She is somewhat avoidant...wait. Bad word choice. She's extremely introverted. She doesn't want to talk to Lilly or me. In fact, she doesn't even talk to Taylor and Amanda that much anymore. At lunch, she hurriedly eats her bacon, egg, and Mozzarella cheese sandwich and leaves us. We have no idea where she goes. We ask, but she never answers.
At first, I thought she was just a genius when it came to Spanish, algebra, and English, but according to Ava, she's like this in almost every other class.
The worst part about Spanish class is constantly being degraded by the teacher. Senora believes that Melanie is the only one who will have a successful future. She doesn't seem to like any other student, even Malorie who is just as precocious AND Spanish Club president to boot! This happens in algebra and English, too. My English teacher is OBSESSED with Melanie. She is always like, "why can't you guys be quiet like Melanie?" or "why can't you write like Melanie?"
Melanie doesn't talk to anyone, even those like me who try to talk to her. For the most part, nobody talks to her. Nobody wants to talk to her. They ignore her existence. A few people (Kailey, Kaya, Kirsten, and Hayley) call her terrible names and say the worst things about her. I can't help but feel bad...

Sabine

Day 1- Favorite Song

Bonsoir, tout le monde!
In addition to all my random ramblings, I'll be doing a "song a day for thirty days" challenge in which I'll post about a song every day for, um, 30 days.
As the title says, today is Day 1, and I will be talking about my favorite song...

This a hard question, actually. I have too many favorites. At the moment, I choose "I Hope You Find It" by Miley Cyrus. Here is some in-depth analysis of how it relates to my life.
Piano solo: Beautiful. There's no other words I could use to describe it. Melanie can play it (and the rest of the song) on piano and flute. I need to learn. I'm obsessed.
Now, onto the lyrics.
"These clouds are going nowhere, baby. The rain keeps coming down." As you have come to know, I'm from Lille, where the skies are always gray and dreary and rain falls incessantly.
"And I hope that you get this message that I'm leaving for you/I hate that you left without hearing the words that I needed you to..." One word: Marcelle. Long story. I don't want to get into details since it's nothing I want to share or relive, but yeah. Before I left for the US, she wanted to talk to me about what she and some friends, um, did.
"I hope you find it/what you're looking for/and I hope it's everything you dreamed your life could be and so much more/And I hope you're happy wherever you are..." Where do I even begin? This, in a nutshell, describes my move to the US. Enough said.

Sabine

Des cadeaux de Paris

Bonsoir, tout le monde! Je ne pense pas que je vous vois ses photos! 
I don't think I have ever posted photos on my blog of what we got from Paris. I thought of this when I opened my bottom clothing drawer and saw my little notepad. We got these things in the summer of 2009, so I think I am a little late sharing photos. I took new pictures, since I can't find the old ones. Enjoy!

Up first is a photo of me with my notepad. If you're lucky, you may get a letter/autograph from me (written on one of these sticky notes) someday. ;)

 Christelle got one, too. Sadly, the store was out of Sandrines, but Sandrine got earrings, which makes up for this.

This Eiffel Tower figure makes the most perfect room accessory:

I also got this set of drawers for my room...for TWO EUROS. Awesome deal!

Alyson got a purse...

...and an Eiffel Tower statuette thingy. It is the perfect addition to the glass candy, which was gifted to Alyson from somebody who lived in Italy, so it's authentic Italian blown glass.

Yeah, I know this post isn't overly exciting, but it needed to be done. It should have been done almost two years ago, but I forgot. Désolée. I promise I'll get on to bigger, better, and more exciting things next time.

Sabine
PS- I was reading my older blog entries (from 2008-2009), and I realized how much my English has improved! I'm completely impressed with myself.

Stalk Lilly!

Because she probably stalks you. :P
Kidding, she's my best friend. Bien sûr, I would promote her new blog. The stalking thing is kind-of our inside joke. She has a bad habit of searching for people on the Internet...
CLICK HERE to check out her blog. Leave her a comment, say "hi", and totally annoy her. I give you full permission to do that.

Sabine

La Vie en Noir

Salut, tout le monde! 
Hopefully, you know what this is a photo of. It's blurry because somebody was scared the rain would destroy her camera.

Quelqu'un est allé à la ville de New York...
...and somebody didn't buy anything for me. Apparently, AGPNY doesn't open until 10, and she was only on 5th Avenue before ten. NICE GOING. All I wanted was the shirt from the Recital Outfit. Is that really too much to ask? It's not like I want all the brightly colored items that most of the Americans here die for. One little shirt. That was all I wanted.
I hate to say this, but Chrissa could have taken the pants from that outfit. They'd work for her jazz class. Seriously, if you don't wear them for a dance recital (which is what they look like they're for...hence the term "recital" in the outfit's title), they are basically a fashion fail.

I spent this morning reading some magazines that Mère sent me. I really miss getting to read and buy French magazines all the time. They are so much more informative than American magazines, plus they feature the cutest clothes!

Julie is very similar to American Girl magazine. Let's put it this way: I don't really like Julie as much as I like other French magazines. I mean, the girls that read this actually have crushes on Justin Bieber and Rob Pattinson. Um, EW! How about the cute guys like Jérémy Kapone or Éric Greff (better known by his stage name Helmut Fritz)? Bien sûr, I have crushes on guys who aren't celebrities, but even they are way cuter than Justin or Rob.
Just saying. These girls clearly don't know what "cute" means. Maybe it's because I'm kind-of past Julie's target audience and I don't buy into American media too easily? The oldest girl in there was 12, I think. There are some American things I like, but I do think more highly of French movies and stuff.

This magazine, Jeune et Jolie, is more my thing. Plus, the outfits featured are awesome. I'd love to own most of the things featured. The articles are more of an interest to me.

 Apparently, Chrissa loves J et J, too! Kidding- I doubt she knew what it was before she saw me reading it. She came up behind me and shouted at the top of her lungs, nonetheless, "SABS! AWESOME FRENCH MAGAZINE!"

She startled me for numerous reasons...

Reason #1: ses vêtements. Everybody should know who and what she is trying to dress like. I'm going to take the time and explain a few things:

1. Son béret- bérets do not make you look French. They are just...ugh...so stereotypical! Don't ask me why Christelle wears them. I think she is trying to fit the stereotype or something.
2. Son écharpe- yeah, French people do wear scarves, but then again, the stereotypical thing can also come into play here. Take caution while wearing one- it can go both ways. The French can think you look cute, or they can think that you're a walking stereotype. You've been warned.
3. Son tee-shirt- I will ridicule this to no end. D'accord, what is with the giant logo, the stars, and the sequins? How does wearing this make you look French, especially since the words AMERICAN GIRL PLACE: NEW YORK are plastered on the front? Oh, Chrissa...
4. Son pantalons- she wears those to dance class. Enough said.

The thing that annoys me about this is that she tries so hard to dress "French". Black does not equal French. For some reason, I feel like because I wear black and am French, she needs to do the same. I don't get it. Yeah, black and other neutrals are common in France, but people wear clothes in other colors, too. I don't wear black because I'm French; I wear black because I'm a redhead and don't look great in a lot of colors.
Which, by the way, leads me to my second point. There is no particular way to dress "French". The French that I know (and I know quite a few...:P) dress in clothes that fit their bodies, styles, and personalities. They wear what looks good on them in colors that suite them. I repeat, neutrals are the most common, but people do wear other colors! Obviously, some things do scream American...like 99.99% of Lilly's wardrobe...but wearing black doesn't instantly make you French. Sorry, Chrissa.
Black really doesn't suit her...or her personality.

Oh, more Chrissa talk. This involves her boyfriend. Lilly and I discovered Chrissa talking to him on the phone, so we eavesdropped and laughed. It is such a cliche teen relationship that it's not funny! I highly doubt that they "love" each other. Lilly determined that this guy MUST be very tolerant, though, because let's face it: he could do so much better. How does he tolerate her?

Anyway, we are predicting that this relationship will end very soon. First of all, he is from her hometown in Iowa and they have been dating since sixth grade. Chrissa came to PPBS in the spring of that school year. There is no way that such a long-distance relationship will last, especially one like this. I bet he has already "cheated" on her or something...

Chrissa: you can't live with her; you can't live without her. Without that girl, my life in America wouldn't be too exciting...

Oh, I was tagged by The Green Girls, so I will list "7 Things" (Miley Cyrus pun!) about myself that you may or may not know:
1. I consider myself to be a secretive person. There is more to me than what I reveal.
2. I love traveling, especially around Europe.
3. I don't really try to dress "fashionable"; I actually effortlessly put together my outfits. But I do love clothes...
4. I do not like to wear my hair up. I prefer wearing it down or wearing it a half-ponytail.
5. Aurélie really needs to come to America. She needs to stop being so indecisive about it and just do it. I need one of my best friends here with me...long story...
6. I would never be caught dead in sneakers, hoodies, or sweatpants.
7. When I go to college, I plan on majoring in sociology, thanks to the Americans. ;)

If anybody else wants to do this, they can. I tag anybody who wants to do this.

Sabine

Fermez-la!

Salut!
Have your parents ever totally annoyed you to the point that you want to scream "FERMEZ LA BOUCHE" at the top of your lungs?
My mother. What an evil person.

She has never complimented me (or Sabine, but Sabine doesn't matter here, duh!) before. She has never called me pretty or told me what a talented and magnificent dancer I am. All she does at yell at me. Like I'm going to listen to that. She tells me that I need to do better at school and blah blah blah. She tells me to treat others with respect. Um, I DO do that?! It's not like I'm mean to people or anything. They just aren't respectful of me or my views.

Yeah, and I can't help that. I can't help a lot of things, but whatever. Nobody needs to know anything. Sabine doesn't need to spread family secrets around the "anonymous" Interwebs. She needs to stay out of my business, just like Mère.

Well, anyway, my visa has expired. I better get that little situation checked out and fixed before Mère decides to nag on me further.

Bises!
Sandrine <3

Who owns my heart?

Who Owns My Heart?
Gérard Lemercier is my other good guy friend. While I haven't known him as long as I've known Julien, I can't help but have a crush on him, too.
Gérard moved to Lille from Mont-de-Marsan in third grade. At first, I thought he was a snob! His mother inherited quite a bit of money when her parents died, so he always had the latest and greatest EVERYTHING. He was able to afford clothes from Galeries Lafayette and Printemps that were not even on the sale rack. His sister Adrienne, who is two years younger than us, always had the best clothes.
Was I jealous? Think again. Mère never allowed Sandrine, Sébastien, and me to look or dress bad. She bought us nice, high-quality clothes, too. They were just on sale. That was the only difference. To be honest, there's no shame in that. I mean, if you buy clothes on sale, you can get more clothes than you would if you only bought the not-on-sale things.
Back to my story...I got over whatever thoughts I had about Gérard and decided to pursue a friendship with him for one very immature reason- I wanted to get invited to his house. I eventually did, and his place wasn't that great. I guessed they were the type of people who didn't believe in showing off their wealth by owning a fabulous home. The interior design of their home looked very much like mine...
...wait. Mère helped them to decorate their home. She's an interior designer, but not like an elite or famous one; you wouldn't see her on HGTV. She does it for fun, but she also gets paid.
Anyway, dinner with the Lemerciers was very enjoyable. They had lively, intelligent conversations; sometimes, their conversations were sometimes even in English as they believed in learning and obtaining fluency in as many languages as possible. I was completely impressed. I think their love of cultures was what really made me want to pursue a friendship with Gérard.
Our friendship took off once I introduced my parents to his. Our families became quick friends, mostly because mine loved traveling as much as his did. When I was in 7ème (the equivalence of 5th grade), our families planned a trip to Rome together, and that was one of the best vacations of my life! Gérard and I bonded, especially since we were allowed to go on walks together. Like Julien, I told Gérard everything. We especially discussed Sandrine, who was progressively getting worse. He understood. He understood anything.
Then, of course, like my story with Julien, Gérard was there for me in 6ème (equivalence of 6th grade). I shouldn't have to explain that; he did the same things Julien did. :)

So these are my boys. ;) I could see myself marrying one someday, actually. But which one? I couldn't choose whom I like more! It's too difficult! They are both cute and both the nicest guys ever. For any girl, this choice would be near impossible.

This would be extremely impossible for Chrissa. She is too obsessed with Frenchmen for her own good. Speaking of which, I will post about Chrissa and her boyfriend sometime this weekend. I won't have computer access until Saturday. Hopefully, Aurélie will be joining me in America. ;)
Sabine

(Note from "the human": Aurielle has been renamed Aurélie; I like that name much better. I needed to use it for something besides Sabine's middle name.)

And I love you more than I did before...

So...life-changing people. Rencontrez Julien Hérvagault...
J'ai rencontré Julien Hérvagault quand j'avais quatre ans. Ses parents avaient toujours été des biens amis de mes parents. Première, je le detestais. Je trouvais qu'il était très étrange parce qu'il était timide et il voulait jouer avec mes jeux. J'étais fâchée!!!! Et mon dieu, Il ne parlerait pas...
For those who don't speak French, I met Julien when I was four. Our parents has been good friends since before I was born, so after Julien was born, they decided to schedule a playdate.
When I first met Julien, I hated him. I thought that his shyness was strange, and I was furious that he wanted to play with my toys. He tore through my books and bent the corners. For a four year old, I considered myself to be quite the neat freak. With my hands on my hips, I stood up and yelled at him. Bien sûr, Mère heard me and wasn't too happy. She insisted that I treated my guest with respect.
Respect! Hmph! How could I treat somebody who tore up my property with respect? When Mère left the living room, I snatched my book from his hands faster than anyone could say "au revoir".
Et cross-moi, I wanted to tell that child "au revoir".
He retreated to the bottom of the staircase, where he sat and whimpered. I approached him and told him that's what he got when he thought he could touch my things without permission, and he remained quiet. His big brown eyes filled with tears, and I told him to stop crying because only babies cried. Lame, yeah, but I was four! Mère told me that I was becoming a "big girl".
He was relieved when it was time to leave...I was, too. However, Mère, with help from his mother, decided to organize ANOTHER playdate! This time, we met at the Citadelle Park. If you remember anything about the Citadelle, you need to remember the zoo. I was terrified of animals at the time, so we met in the playground part of the park. Ignoring Julien, I decided to swing. I was humming along to a band playing an Édith Piaf song when all the sudden, some random, dumb girl came up behind me and pushed me off the swing. I landed on my face, and I was in tears. My knees and arms were scraped, and at the time, blood also terrified me. Mère was TOO BUSY talking to Madame Hérvagault, so she couldn't hear me, but Julien came to my aid! He asked me if I was okay, and that was the first time I heard his voice. His voice was soft and demure, just like his personality at age four. Instantly, I developed a crush on him.
Yeah, so four year olds probably shouldn't know what a crush is, but give me a break. My brother was seven when I was four, and that was all he talked about. I believe his first crush was named Alexandrine, but I'm not certain.
Anyway, all it took was for him to talk to me and for our dark brown eyes to meet. :)
As the years progressed, Julien and I grew considerably closer. I felt like I could trust him. I mean, he never was jealous of me, he never made fun of me (unless he was teasing), and he never told anybody anything I told him. In some ways, I felt like I trusted him more than I trusted Aurélie. I mean, I love that girl to death (she's my best friend), but my relationship with Julien was just different. I can't describe it. It just...was.
Julien, Aurélie, and I attended elementary school together, and we did some of the craziest, dumbest things. Like, Julien ate paint. Long story, but mon dieu at least it was nontoxic. I think he wanted to try it because it "smelled nice"...? Les garçons. Très stupides quelquefois.
Aurélie wasn't my friend when this happened; I met her in second grade...with the help of Julien. Aurélie has always been very quiet and reserved, like Julien was. (Julien has since broken out of his shell.) This led a few girls to bully Aurélie, one bully being the one and only Sandrine. During recess, Sandrine took a soccer ball from Aurélie's hands and threw it across the street. This made Aurélie cry hysterically. A few girls proceeded to point and laugh, which upset her even more. Julien came to the rescue and asked Aurélie if she wanted to play with us. She said, "oui", and that's how our friendship began.
In third grade, a boy named Gérard Pélissier moved to Lille from a small town in the Aquitaine region. He bonded with Julien, and therefore became a member of our little group. He was very outgoing, witty, and had somewhat of an attitude, but he was fun to be around. Later, I discovered he was an only child and his parents were on the wealthy side, so that might explain things? I couldn't help but develop a little crush on him, too.
In collège (middle school), things really began to change. I'm not going to talk about my situation because I don't feel comfortable doing so, and Sandrine probably wouldn't appreciate it, but Aurélie attended a different school because of where she lived, and I felt alone at Collège Paul Verlaine. The only people I had were Julien and Gérard. I could have had more, but that is a different story. Those two, regardless, were always there for me. Julien, in particular, was. He was the only person (aside from Aurélie) who told me that everything was going to be okay. He met me almost daily at the Palais des Beaux-Arts to talk, just listen to me, or just sit by me as we listened to our iPods. He was a friend when I needed one the most.
To wrap up this post, I want to say that I miss him and think about him daily. I know that love between fourteen-year-olds isn't necessarily real love, but I feel like our relationship is kind-of different. So, yeah, I haven't really told him that I have a massive crush on him and always have, but I get the feeling that he feels the same way about me in return. Before I came to America, Julien and his family came to my house for dinner. I was being my usual spastic self, and I spilled wine all over my favorite white blouse! He was laughing hysterically while my parents rolled their eyes (Mère in embarrassment, Père because he knows I'd do something like that). Needless to say, he changed my life because he brightened my day when I needed it the most.

What made me think of Julien? Chrissa and her boyfriend talk, of course! Chrissa has been in this long-distance relationship with a boy from her old middle school in Iowa since she came here. Lilly and I can't help but laugh about this. This does deserve a separate post; I think it's amusing.

One last thought: because of all the photo stealing, I'm really getting tough about enforcing no copying/plagiarism rules. This doesn't have to do with anybody in particular; instead, it's a just a message saying not to do it! You may really like the aspect of my life that I just posted, but please, don't go make up your own version because you liked it. That would be a little obvious.
Merci!
Sabine

My Life According To...

Bonsoir encore!
I found a fun questionnaire online and decided to fill it out. For this questionnaire, titled "My Life According To...", you choose a singer and answer the questions with that singer's songs. Because I love both Miley Cyrus and Alizée, I filled it out for each of them. Feel free to fill this out for yourself; it's a lot of fun, especially if you can tell your life story in songs.

My Life According to Miley Cyrus
Pick your artist:
Miley Cyrus
 
Describe yourself:
Can't Be Tamed
 
How do you feel?
Obsessed
 
Describe where you currently live:
Party in the USA
 
If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
Spotlight
 
Your favorite form of transportation:
Liberty Walk
 
Your best friend is:
One in a Million
 
You and your best friends are:
Ordinary Girl
 
What's the weather like?
Permanent December
 
Favorite time of day?
GNO- Girls' Night Out
 
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called?
The Other Side of Me
 
What is life to you?
 This is the Life
 
Your relationship:
See You In Another Life

Your fear:
Giving You Up
 
What is the best advice you have to give?
I Hope You Find It

Thought for the day:
I Miss You
 
How would I like to die:
Supergirl
 
My soul's present condition:
Mixed Up

My Life According to Alizée
Pick your artist:
Alizée
 
Describe yourself:
Une Fille Difficile
 
How do you feel?
J'en ai marre!
 
Describe where you currently live:
Les Collines
 
If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
Limelight
 
Your favorite form of transportation:
Mon Taxi Driver
 
Your best friend is:
Lilly Town
 
You and your best friends are:
Gourmandises
 
What's the weather like?
14 Décembre
 
Favorite time of day?
À quoi rêve une jeune fille
 
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called?
Moi...Lolita
 
What is life to you?
Fifty-Sixty
 
Your relationship:
Cœur déjà pris

Your fear:
A Cœur Fendre
 
What is the best advice you have to give?
Parler tout bas

Thought for the day:
C'est trop tard
 
How would I like to die:
Mademoiselle Juliette
 
My soul's present condition:
À contre-courant

 
If you knew me well enough, you would know how each of these songs correlates with my life. I swear, Miley Cyrus sings songs about my life. I have stated this before, though, so I'm just restating the obvious. Alizée sings songs about my life, too, but not like Miley. I can relate so many aspects of my life to her songs; it's not funny.
Hmm...if you're lucky, maybe I'll explain the parallels. ;)For now, rhetorically answer these questions: have you ever known somebody who has completely changed your life for the best? Have you ever met somebody who spoke one sentence to you, and has that sentence totally changed you?
My responses will be coming soon because I think about this person every single day of my life...
Sabine

A few random topics...

Bonjour!
This is a continuation of a few previous posts, so bear with me as I work through my list.

Copying- I've said this before and it's on the right hand side of my blog, but I guess I need to say it again. If you want to use any of my ideas, PLEASE ASK ME FIRST. Really, the worst that can be said is "no". By "ideas", I'm specifically speaking of all original, creative ideas- and yes, my blog layout is included with this. I just got a new header, and I really don't want to see facsimiles of it plastered all over the Internet. Really, it's best to use your own ideas. It seems like every time I get a new header, it strikes inspiration in people. I'm not trying to be mean, but I really like to have control of my creative property...I just want some respect. I know that people might like my ideas, and I respect that, but I'd just prefer be asked first.

Chrissa- this goes along with point number one, but it's Chrissa, so it deserves a separate point. I just wish that she would stop trying to be everything that I am, because she's not. Like, she decided to wear BLACK the other day, which is completely out-of-character for her. Thankfully, I talked to her about this, and she actually understood how annoying it was. She is wearing a bright red, which is much more her. I mean, it's nice that people look up to me and are inspired by me, but I want to encourage people to be unique...be themselves.

Japan- still no word from Jess and Zan's aunt Akira. I'm a little worried. I realize that she probably doesn't have electricity to keep in contact, so I'm hoping this is the only reason she isn't responding.

-Sabine

Une lettre à Kyoto

Salut! Je pense que tout connaît que quelque chose horrible s'est passée sur l'île de Japon. Il y avait une tremblement de terre et je suis inquiète, spécialement pour Zan et Jess...
This morning, I caught Zan crying and writing a letter to her aunt Akira. (D'accord...is it me, or doesn't Zan's outfit look very Tokyo...or...um...as they say in Japanese kawaii?)

 The letter read:

I'm going to assume that little character means "love", but I do not speak or know Japanese with the exception of a few words Zan taught me. (Also note that Zan and Jess are almost as fluent as one could possibly be in Japanese...)
Now for a brief backstory on Zan and Jess's maternal side of the family:
The grandparents moved to the United States after Zan and Jess's mother was born. They had two additional children- one boy and another girl- in the five years after their to Michigan. All of the children were taught Japanese and English simultaneously, so they were fluent in both languages and had the proper accents for both. (Impressive!) They visited Japan every summer after their move, which of course promoted and improved their speaking skills. Jess and Zan's mother, aunt, and uncle are extremely intelligent. I believe all of them have their PhDs in something. Their uncle now lives on the American west cost and their aunt moved to her parents' hometown of Kyoto, Japan.
This leads into the main point of this post. Jess and Zan are very worried for their aunt. They haven't heard from her since the earthquake. I'm hoping she calls or e-mails. Although Jess and I don't get along AT ALL (Zan and I do), I still feel horrible for them. I can totally relate to them at the moment. Even though their immediate family lives in the United States, I still understand how hard it is to have family overseas and worry about them. I worried about my family when the terror threats in Paris were occurring. I mean, yeah, they don't live in Paris, but I was still scared for them, and I wanted nothing more than to be over there by their side!
I'm hoping for the best. I don't want to see anything happen to their aunt, uncle, cousins, or anybody else in Japan. 


As for a positive, the temperature changes have been crazy, and I wasn't certain on what I should wear. I threw this outfit together, and I'm quite proud of it:

-Sabine

Think you want to be just like me?

Think again.
It seems as of lately, a young girl has found our photos once again. How, I do not know unless she is a member of AGPT or stumbled across my blog. This photo was posted on Ava's Tumblr, which I have graciously linked to on the side, so maybe she just stumbled across it that way. Je ne sais pas, but I suggest she removes it.
As the writer of this blog and a self-proclaimed creative genius, I know how annoying and disheartening plagiarism, copying, or stealing intellectual property can be. If it is not licensed under Creative Commons, it cannot be used for your benefit and any breech of that is centering on illegal.
I have also experienced this with Chrissa today. *sigh* She has been trying to copy my outfits or make up stories about her life that are basically facsimiles of mine. It's totally annoying. First of all, THERE IS ONLY ONE ME. Yeah, I understand that she looks up to me, but I do not take it as a compliment when people think they can just copy me. I'm an individual.
Message to Chrissa: stop copying me. You are not me. You don't live the same life as me. You don't have the same ideas at me. Your life is nothing like my life. Stop trying to dress like me. Shop trying to do and be everything I do and am!!!!! It's frustrating!
I am not a piece of paper. You cannot photocopy me. You cannot take every tiny aspect of my life and make it your own. Stop dressing like me or wanting to dress like me. Get your own style.
In other words, in a world full of copiers, be an original!
This doesn't just go for Chrissa- it goes for everyone. Everybody is unique, so create your own style, write your own thoughts and ideas, sing your own song, take your own photos, and please stop trying to be something you're not. Living in America, I have witnessed the Americans in action. They are especially obsessed with trying to rock to somebody else's beat.
Sorry for the vent. It's just frustrating, especially when you like constructive feedback. I shouldn't have to worry about my ideas or photos being stolen. People should know not to do it out of respect. I mean, the least you can do is ask and the worst anybody could say is no...
Everybody reading this, thanks for putting up with my vents about Chrissa and those young girls who actually think it is fine to take intellectual property without any rhyme or reason.
It's disheartening, again, and makes people want to stop sharing what others enjoy and use properly...
-Sabine

C'est la montée...

There's always going to be another mountain
I'm always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm going to have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb...
-"The Climb" by Miley Cyrus

Salut, mes amis! Cette chanson est parfaite pour ma vie maintenant. C'est très vraie aussi...

So...on Sunday, we found out who won the AGPT Academy Awards (and the real ones! I didn't care for those this year, though), and malheureusement, it wasn't me. There were two options: 1. I could whine and complain about it or 2. I could build a bridge and get over it (thanks, Ava, for the line!). At first, I was teary and sad because I am the girl who has wanted to be famous since forever, but hey, sometimes I'm going to have to lose. C'est la montée. Nobody likes whining, anyway, so you won't hear it from me. Congrats to all the winners! :)

As for the positives, I got to wear the most amazing dress ever! It flattered my figure so well. Plus, black is so my color.

That's the thing about fashion: you should always dress in clothes with flattering fits in flattering colors. For example, girls with dark hair should definitely flaunt the jewel tones- especially the bright reds because I can't. Girls with blonde hair and fair skin look best in cool, light colors. Anything too dark is too harsh. Redheads like me look best in neutrals.
D'accord, I'll confess. I didn't make these tips up. I stole them from Marisol. Hey, I at least gave her credit! I was fair.

Anyway, Lilly tried to comfort me, but I was being my usual stubborn self and wouldn't listen to what she had to say. I felt bad, though, because she's always been a good friend to me. I treat her like total crap sometimes, which I want to change.

Lilly was worried that Melanie hated us because she has been hanging out with Taylor, so I had to go confirm this. I knew Melanie never hated us, especially me. I have more in common with her than Lilly does. Melanie was afraid that Lilly and I were in a fight, which we weren't. We just had a mutual disagreement. C'est tout. I do know now, however, that if Lilly and I were to get in a fight, Melanie would stay totally neutral.

OH. Get this: Lilly is allergic to peanut butter, yet she took a risk and ate the cake with peanut butter icing. That girl sometimes. I had to console her as she used to EpiPen to control the reaction. I also got a lecture about her multiple allergies. I'm glad she stopped before she told me her stories about allergy shots. Those were very graphic...

Now, for the event of the evening that will leave you completely speechless.
Before I introduce you to these three girls, I need to explain some basic French history.
Louis XIV referred to himself as the Roi-Soleil, or Sun King. He ruled from 1643-1715. Louis XVI ruled from 1774-1791; he reigned during the Révolution Française.
Flemish is a language closely related to Dutch. It is spoken in Belgium and sometimes in Northern France. It is also a culture, obviously.
Now that you know the truth, don't take the following seriously. If you do, mon dieu...
RENCONTREZ LES REINES-SOLEILS: NICKI (en rose), VICKI (en bleu), et MICKI (en vert)!!!!

So...we've already established that these three think they founded the Flemish language and culture because their last name is Fleming. We have already established that these three called themselves Sun Queens. They just made their public debut. That's all that's new. They continuously shout "l'état, c'est nous" and claim that they are like supreme beings or something (which is where the title Sun Queen comes into play). The refer to everybody else as "enfants de la patrie", or citizens of the homeland, if you desire an English translation. Yeah. Their stupidity is wearing thin on everyone, including Ava who actually quoted Christelle. So unlike her...
For the full story, CLICK ICI!
-Sabine