It's vacation time: the final chapter

Well, school is out for the high schoolers (but not for middle school or elementary school) but I'm the only one really on vacation. We finished classes on Tuesday at lunchtime, and the first part of the bac is monday. So, for all of the kids in première and terminale who have the bac, this week is very important revision time. But, since I'm not taking the bac, I have been chilling out. Well, I have been working too, doing summer homework for my two AP English classes, but when I don't feel like working, I don't have to. So, I'm relaxing around the house, trying to get started on my packing and cleaning up my bedroom. I emptied out my school binders and filled an entire bag with used paper to recycle. It is amazing how many pages of paper I used in this year, between taking all of the notes, doing homework assignments, and writing essay tests in every subject, even the science subjects. It felt good to clean it all out and really be able to appreciate all of the work I had done this year.

So, on Monday, we watched movies in 3 classes out of 6. In English, we watched a Michael Moore documentary about the gun problem in the USA. In DNL(history in English) we watched Black Book in original version, so in Dutch, with English subtitles. And in math, we watched Vegas 21. In the three other classes, we crammed since the bac is coming up: history and 2 hours of french. well, actually, only half the class had 2 hours of french and the other half had an hour of SVT. The french teacher offered that last hour as revision and last-minute question time for those interested, and the rest had SVT. Since I'm not taking the bac, I graciously decided not to take a spot in french and went to SVT. In SVT, we did an activity where we looked at documents and answered questions in groups of 2. My partner and I did the best, so we won a box of candy, which was super awesome. Remember when I talked about how Milky Way bars are called Mars bars here? Well, they also do have things called Milky Ways which are like a normal milky way but without the caramel. So it is just like chocolate covered nougat.

On Tuesday, we had physics, history, and PE. In physics/chemistry, we worked until the last second, doing a chapter of O-chem on the last day of school. In History, we spent the first 30 minutes listening to the teacher give some last advice for the bac. And then we watched a movie. And then in PE, we finally got to go bowling. It was supposed to be 6 to a lane, but at the end, there were 4 of us together without a lane so we got to play as just 4. But, it didn't help us finish any faster because it actually turned out that our lane had a problem. They stopped our game at the end of the 8th frame, and even after we asked 2 different staff people to help us, no one really did anything. We were not happy and wanted to play our final two frames(since we had paid 3.50 euros for the game.) We were still waiting once everyone else had finished and was off playing billiards or foosball. With just 10 minutes until it was time to go, the staff turned on two lanes for us, and we got to play a whole other game with just 2 in each lane. I ended up with a horrible 103 and came in 3rd, but I blame it on the fact that we had to play fast so I didn't have time to aim. I was winning the first game that got stopped. But it was still cool that we got to play a complete 2nd game.

At the bowling alley. We were the only ones there(just our 2 classes of PE) so it almost felt like a private bowling birthday party or something.

Friends in my class waiting for their turn to bowl.

The bowling balls were basically exactly the same as back home. The same colors for the same weights, same sized finger-holes, ect. Some of the boys tried to "show off their strength" by using the balls marked "13" saying "look, the ball is 13 kilos" but then the girls pointed it out that it was in pounds, not kilos, and the boys looked pretty silly.

So, after the end of class, I said a fair number of "Good-byes" to people I know I probably won't see again. It was weird, after a year with having them in every class to think that it really is coming to an end. Then, I went to a "BBQ" at my friend Laure's house. They have a huge bbq/grill in the backyard we had planned to use, but a few people ended up not being able to come at the last minute, so it wasn't really worth it for the 5 of us. So, we grilled sausages in a frying pan and called it a bbq, making hot dogs with fresh baguettes. We made "cocktails" with orange juice and a fruit smoothie-type drink.

After lunch, Laure asked us if we wanted ice cream, a proposition which we gladly accepted. She opened the freezer and started pulling out cartons, first 1 then a 2nd and a 3rd...and then an 8th and a 9th. I had never seen so many different flavors of ice cream in one personal freezer in my entire life. From left to right, top to bottom there was: apple-black current sherbert, double chocolate chocolate chip, chocolate hazelnut (ferrero rocher style), rum raisin, lemon sorbet, caramel dulce de leche, raspberry sorbet, vanilla bean, and caramel. There was also caramel sauce, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce to put on top. It was a real sundae bar, and lots of fun to build bowls with 3 or 4 flavors.

After the bbq, I took the bus back with my other friends to downtown and said some more "good-byes." Then it was home to start sorting clothes and beginning to pack. I got my letter with my train ticket and Paris orientation info and everything is just getting more and more real. It is like the month leading up to my departure all over again. I find it hard to believe that July 7th is just around the corner, but more and more things are coming along to make it real. So, I've spent a relaxing week, working on summer reading and packing, planning my trips to the south and my summer back home.

However, I haven't let myself be too holed up in the house, making sure to get outside a bit each day. I went to play tennis with a friend from school on Thursday(well, it was more like get slaughtered by said friend. But, I hadn't played since one little informal game in October, and he has played competitively for more than 9 years. So, I was just glad for a fun chance to get out and move around.)

I'll let you guess which score was which.

I also made dinner for my host family on Thursday. As my host siblings came into the kitchen and asked what was for dinner, they quickly realized that if I was making dinner, that could only mean one thing: baked macaroni and cheese. My macaroni turned out just as wonderful as usual(if I do say so myself) and even though there were only 7 of us instead of 8 eating it, every last noodle was polished off. I'm getting pretty good at the macaroni now, and I can't wait to make it back home too, both to share with my friends and to alleviate my mom from always having to do the cooking. The other thing I'm getting good at making now(besides chocolate chip cookies) is log cakes. Everyone seems to say that making them is hard and that they often crack, but with the right technique, anyone can make a good one. The hardest part is getting it to roll without cracking, and the important part is to roll it while it is still hot. Once it comes out of the oven, flip it immediately onto a damp hand towel that has been dusted with powdered sugar and roll it(towel and all) right away. Leave it rolled in the towel 30-60 seconds, then unroll it and frost it/fill it, and then reroll it on itself, and you have your roll cake. But, be careful, because the filling may melt. If you are going to fill it with ice cream or something meltable, leave it rolled in the towel until it is cooled. It will be a bit humid, but the filling will take care of that. I didn't take any pictures of the nutella ones I made this week, but here's an old picture of the one I made with my first host family where I learned the towel technique:

Here is a recipe for log cake, if anyone is interested. They are really simple and easy to make, and lots of fun:
4 eggs
120 g(1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp)sugar
A pinch of salt
140 g(1 1/3 cup)flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Filling(jelly, nutella, whipped cream and strawberries, ice cream...it's all up to you)

Line a pan/cookie sheet (preferably with sides) with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 355 degrees F.
Separate the eggs and whisk the yellows and the sugar together until the mixture turns almost white.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff but not too dry.
Add the flour and baking powder to the sugar and yellows and mix, but not too much. Gently add in the egg whites.
Spread your batter evenly onto your prepared pan and bake for 12 minutes. The cake should be lightly golden when done.
Flip your baked cake onto a moist hand towel that has been sprinkled with powdered sugar and immediately roll it, towel and all. Depending on your filling, either let it stay in the towel until cool, fill it, and then reroll it. Or, let it stay in the towel 30-60 seconds, then fill it and reroll it. You can either freeze it, refrigerate it, or let it stay at room temperature until you are ready to serve it.

Enjoy!

I also had my last guitar lesson on Friday afternoon. It was great, and I am really glad to have had the opportunity to take lessons during these months, since it gave me something to do when I was bored, a project to work on.

Well, that's it for the update. I leave for my vacation in Marseille on Monday morning, so lots of adventures are in store. Stay tuned!