Montréal, Je t'adore

Bonjour mes amis,

As each day passes, I get that much closer to being able to move to Montréal and hopefully attend McGill University. The closer I get to being in Montréal, the more anxious I get and the more I desire to go! I've been keeping an eye out for things about it for a while now, including regularly checking The Montréal Buzz, reading Montreal 24, listening to la Radio-Canada, and *gasp* paying attention in U.S. History whenever Québec is mentioned. It always catches my attention when people mention Montréal or Québec, and it's probably the lone reason I ever go watch the news.

Finally, today when I was driving home, it hit me. I have these wonderful flowery dreams about the things I want to do with my life... but generally, they don't come true. But today? Today it hit me; I realized I am going to Montréal. I am. Me, Delphine Chevalier, the secret rebel who's always been afraid to do what she wants, is going to Montréal for college. I'm so excited. It's like when you get told something and you're in that initial "OH MY GOD THAT'S SO AMAZING!!" stage but you're still kind of experiencing the shock, and then the shock goes away so all that's left is "OH MY GOD THAT'S SO AMAZING!!"

Accompanying the realization that I'm going to be moving over a thousand miles away and into a different country, of course, came the realization that I'll be moving away from all of my friends and family. Another thing that I realized, though, is that not only do I know I can manage moving, as I've done it before, but this time it won't be as bad. Back when I moved to my mother's house for the first time, I felt alone in this world. I was hardly speaking with my father, my sister was out of the house, I didn't like my brother, my half brother was always out partying, and I didn't have that close relationship with my mother. Not to mention after dealing with some serious family issues for a few years, I had little to no self esteem and thus felt I had no friends (although that wasn't true). This time, I know that no matter how far I go, I have a mother, a father, a step-father, three protective older siblings, one little sibling that looks up to me, and loads of friends that love me. I also know that he will be there with me, and that alone is more than enough to get me through any difficulties my new life throws my way. No matter how hard things get, he always seems to make it better.

I'm not the type of person to shy away from my goals just because I know it will be hard. Usually it just makes me want to accomplish them more. When it comes to Montréal, this proves no different, because I know it will be worth it in the end and I'll learn so much from it.

But now I must return to reading two chapters of U.S. History, the lesson on the War of 1812 and writing about it, completing an entire English project on my own, and three or four math assignments. The scary part? I'm looking forward to it because I know it will lead to McGill, and thus, Montréal.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Rambling Because Life is Good

Bonjour mes amis,

As the title states, this post is me rambling. I don't have any specific topic, I just feel like writing, and I haven't in a few days since this was my first week back in school. But really? Life IS good. I'm managing my classes (Yes, even Physics! ... Thus far) pretty well and on Monday during my open period I get to go chat with my counselor to get the information I need regarding independent study for AP French Language and AP Psychology. I've also been submitting some more applications trying to find a job. Hopefully something will turn up!

Extracurriculars are going well. I'm going to be throwing together a French club as best I can this year, at the wish of Mme Hanson, the district's French teacher. Then the other four days of the week will be teching after school for the school musical. I might audition for the winter one acts or just tech again, I have plenty of time to decide though. In late winter, Speech will be starting and it's my first year doing it even though I thought it sounded like fun last year. Oh, and the information for Spirit Players should be given out at some point next week! I'll have to make a post dedicated to that activity to give you an idea of what the hell I'm talking about.

My social life is ~*amazing*~ thus far this year. I caught the attention of my dream guy over the summer and while I can't give too many details, I can tell you, he is wonderful. Also, I noticed this week during school I'm much more outgoing than I have been in the past and it's nice to see that my hard work is paying off and I'm finally breaking free from my shell. In all of my classes I have people I can chat with (well, except APUSH but all focus is on the teacher in that one) and I always run into random people in the halls I talk to, even if I don't have classes with them. Plus, while I haven't made many plans with people, I am going to go shopping with my friend after school this Friday for new clothes and to get her a dress for Homecoming. We're kinda short on money so I'm just using my dress from last year, all I need are new shoes.

Oh, and did I mention my braces are FINALLY getting fixed tomorrow at 4pm? YEAH!!!! For the past month, the wires have been out of the back two brackets and as a result have been slicing and re-slicing open my cheeks. Pain comes most when I am forced to say "Quebec" instead of "Québec" (although mental pain always accompanies that no matter what) and while doing vocal warm ups in choir.

Yeah, life is good. :)

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Update: Studying in Québec

Bonjour mes amis!

I've already made it quite known on my blog that I really want to go to Québec for college (here was me excitedly talking about it if you missed that post) so this is sort of a little update as to how things are going.

The more and more I think about it, the more and more I find myself wondering: If I want to study music so badly, why did I completely drop it this summer like every other academic activity I dislike, yet continue brushing up on my French? I'm still not 100% positive where I want to go with that, but I'm really leaning more towards French. Even though I've been ridiculously lazy with incorporating French into my posts this past month (and a half..) or so, I have been doing other things related. I love French music! And I've been chatting online with people in French, and I've even taught my parents quite a bit of French. We'll see where things go, I have plenty of time yet.

However, I'm not quite so open with my family about how excited I am to go to Québec because I got a pretty negative response from my mother when I brought it up one evening. She's kept it in mind though, and I think the longer she dwells on the matter, the more she's starting to come around. When my aunt was over, she mentioned right away that I was thinking about Canada. She also must have brought it up at work, because today she said one of her co-workers recommended looking into a Canadian college (in Ontario, but the thought was still appreciated!) and instead of just ignoring it, she passed the message along. And then we were talking about the ACT versus the SAT (as most students here just take the ACT, but she wanted me to take both) when she asked me to see about the colleges I had been looking at. Which she of course knows, are in Québec. Mind you, I haven't brought this up to my father yet. I'm nervous about that because it will either be really easy and he'll be great, or he'll be very upset and will disapprove.

As for actual colleges go, my first choice all around is McGill University in Montreal. It's world renowned for being a great international school and it's made it into the world's top 25 university lists multiple times (the only Canadian school to do so!) among Harvard and Yale. It also offers courses that are in French but designed for students who've only learned it as a second language, along with English courses and whatnot. Very versatile. My other two universities I've looked at would only be if I indeed decide to pursue French as my major, which are UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal) and the University of Montréal. My concern with these two is that while they are excellent schools, the classes are only taught in French, with little no help for English speakers. You also have to pass a test to prove that you are proficient enough in French to go to these schools at all. It's a little daunting, but either way I'll probably try. After all, my French comprehension is very high- it's just lacking more when it comes to writing and especially speaking. But I could stumble through a conversation. Let us hope I get to take French at the local University next year, or I'll never make it.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Painting My Face

Bonjour mes amis!

Non, before you flip, I'm not literally painting my face. Or caking on makeup.

The first part of my day consisted of anxiously awaiting my friend's phone call to say he got the gift. I was so nervous that, no joke, my palms were sweating. I mean, what if the painting wasn't as good as I thought it was? Or it was damaged during shipping? Or it gets there whole and he just plain and simple doesn't like it?

Boy was I wrong. He LOVES it!! I was SO relieved. He was talking about how it's the "nicest gift anyone's ever given me" and how it'll be the only thing he has hanging on his walls and how talented I am. But I think the best thing he said, was later when I told him I had just one more question that was important.

"Did it make you smile?"

"More than smile, it's nearly brought a tear to my eye. You made my birthday."

I think I did good. :) And as promised, here's the painting from a low-quality phone camera:

As for the second part of my day, my aunt came over to give us some free samples of Mary Kay products and talk about them, etc. It was actually really fun! The lip .. gloss, I guess? It's not super shiny though, that she had me try on looked really nice, and it's still on two hours later after I've drank and eaten a little bit. Same with the hand moisturizer stuff, and she said it also works wonders on feet. I really liked the foundation, but wish she had cover-up/concealer to try since mine doesn't work as well as I'd like. She had a lot more stuff she left at home, so my mother and I will have to visit her to try eye shadow colors and the like.

I don't know, typing about it here it seems silly, but this stuff just makes you feel good! And that's what make up is for, right? I'm crossing my fingers we can order the lip gloss, once we try one of the cover-ups, concealer, and moisturizer for my face. I have just normal Neutrogena cleanser that works really well but I can tell it dries out my skin. I know we probably won't, but maybe at least the lip gloss. Realistically you could probably get a cheap moisturizer at a department store, and my mother doesn't understand the importance of cover-up and foundation.

Oh, as a side note, I've noticed she's not only bad with technology, she's not the best with reading things in general. A few days ago on Facebook I posted about a few books I wanted to buy from Barnes & Noble and one of them was Princeton's ACT Review (2010 edition) and today she asked me why I'm thinking about applying to schools on the east coast because it's "so far!" Yeah, so far.. *cough* .. and then my mother told her I was thinking Québec. That was fun.

All in all, I've discovered that despite her bluntness, I really do like my aunt. What I don't like is my aunt and mother together. My mom gets much more, how do you say, aggressive? Attacking me for not doing chores well enough, making fun of the hair on my arm, saying I only want to go to Canada because it's cheaper, so on and so forth. Sigh.

Still, the reaction from my friend about the painting totally made my day. Maybe my week!

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

No "If"s, "And"s, or "But"s

Bonjour mes amis,

Be it reading poems (Wild Geese by Mary Oliver), listening to music (Taking Chances - Glee, Cave In - Owl City), glancing at the school website ("The real meaning of travel, like that of a conversation by the fireside, is the discovery of oneself through contact with other people." -Paul Tournier), or even reading Facebook statuses ("Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain), I am constantly reminded of my dream to go to school in Québec.

So I'm going to do it. No "if"s, "and"s, or "but"s about it. Where there is a will, there is a way, and boy do I have the will. If it means I don't get a nice pair of shoes or new clothes for the school year, if it means I have to continue playing my piano by sitting on my bed, if it means I have to hang out at home and save some gas money, if it means I have to skip lunch here and there... I'm going to find the money. I'm going to go to Québec for school. I filled out a few more job applications tonight and I'm going to pick some others up tomorrow.

I'm going to make my dreams into reality.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Money =/= Happiness

Bonjour mes amis,

While I realize this isn't the smartest idea, ranting here on this blog, as I have a link to it from my Facebook and my family has access to my Facebook... But I promised I'd write more and this is the only thing on my mind.

My family is big on bonfires. My mother and step-dad, anyways, and they decided that we were having one tonight. So at 7:30 when the sky was still bright blue, Jeff goes out and starts the fire and then drags us (my little sister and myself) out as well. Soon enough everyone has eaten and then is getting a little bored, so the little sister whines for someone to toss beanbags with her, and of course my step father agrees. Meanwhile, my mother and I get on the topic of college.

You see, I don't really run fresh ideas through my parents, I wait until I've thought them well over and they're pretty solid first, because I generally end up fighting for my ideas. Except, you know, I figured they'd be fighting about the Québec/Canada part... not the following-my-dreams part. Yep. My mother disapproves of me wanting to be a choir director. She thinks I should choose a job so I can be rich and "support myself." I understand this worry she has about me being poor, I mean, she's pretty much lived it her whole life and I see the way it stresses her out, but I'm also not going to be nearly as irresponsible with my money as she. It makes me thankful my father was the one who raised me.

Dad always raised me saying it's all about how happy you are with the job, not about the money. He wakes up every morning, hating his job SO much, but he always goes so that he can support not just himself but his four kids, two of which live with him even though they're adults. Don't worry, they pay rent. Or at least, one does, but that wasn't always the case. For a while my mother was out of the picture and he had to raise us on his own. God bless that man, raising four crazy children by himself!

I guess what I'm getting at, is this reminds me of a promise I made myself when I was younger. I told myself I could chase after any job in the whole world that I wanted, as long as it made me happy.

"Tout le monde m'avait dit que c'était impossible; moi, je leur ai répondu qu' « impossible n'est pas français » et puis je l'ai fait." (Everyone told me it was impossible. Me, I responded to them that "Impossible isn't French" and then I did it.)

And that's exactly what I intend on doing.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Here's the Mail, It Never Fails. It Makes Me Want to Wag My Tail!

Bonjour mes amis,

Today I woke up to the sound of shattering glass... on my carpeted bedroom. I love my kitten. I then proceeded to clean it up, get dressed, throw on shoes and grab an umbrella to go across the street in a solid downpour to check the mail for my movie. It hadn't even come yet. It was about nine in the morning. Heh. Heheheh. *Twitch* I went to bed after two in the morning. What's wrong with me? Why can't I sleep in until noon?? Je suis malade! T.T

As for the retelling of yesterday's tale:

I ran out to grab the mail again (Er, not again since it was first? Je ne sais pas.) except this time it had come, and a letter from the College Board came! I had it opened before I made it back across the street, and guess what? I PASSED!! I get college credit for World History, assuming my college of choice in Québec accepts it. I know McGill does, and that's a definite possibility right now. I just saved myself about $1-2,000.

When my mother came home, of course she asked about it and had some things to say, and then she went through the rest of the mail. Oh look, my driver's license came finally! Sweet! It had a bad picture though and I knew it, so I hadn't really been looking for it.

"And Delphine proves her dorkiness yet again! She notices her score on a test but not that her driver's license came." Thanks Mom. Love you too.

I also started my day off with listening to a Yale professor lecture about music. It's pretty cool, I found it with StumbleUpon and it's got a ton of free lectures you can look into. I also went on iTunes and grabbed a bunch of free ones from elsewhere. There was some stuff on French, but either it was really really basic or a level or two above me, unfortunately.

As for my blog, I found Blog This! It's actually pretty neat for Google Chrome users. It gives you an icon next to the address bar that you can click and it'll open up a new window with a new post, starting with a link to the page/title and whatever text you have highlighted. I tried it out with the video I posted a few days ago (and granted, you can't highlight a video..) but I did like not having to come all the way to blogger when I felt like sharing that.

I think I'm going to wait until noon before I check the mail again.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Tagging: Not Just for Facebook Anymore

Bonjour, mes amis,

I was just looking at random blogs and there was one saying she got "tagged" to answer a survey thing, kind of like how Facebook does it. Except at the end she tagged everyone who read it. I guess I can, I don't really feel like posting anything else super interesting and it gives me an excuse to start adding more than boring text to my posts. Allons-y!

1.What shoe size are you? Quelle pointure êtes-vous?
Size 8 - 9 depending on the brand, but usually 8 or 8 and 1/2.

2.Where do you work? Où est-ce que vous travaillez?

I wish I worked.

3.Favorite piece of clothing you own? Qu'est-ce que votre vêtement préféré?
My fedora, of course! Excluding accessories, I'll go with my newest shirt. Black, racerback with ruffles on the chest, loose fitting with the elastic on the bottom. Makes me wish I had some necklaces to layer with it.

4.Your favorite blog? Votre blog préféré?
I love reading all of my friends' blogs, but honestly, Two Beans or Not Two Beans wins this one.

5.Do you have any pets? Est-ce que vous avez animaux domestiques?
Yep! We have the family cat, and then I have a kitten named Sir Galahad. He's adorable even though he's not really a kitten anymore.

6.How many siblings do you have? Combien de soeurs et frères est-ce que vous avez?
I have a brother (25), a sister (22), a brother (19), a step-sister (11), and a half-step-sister (17). What's a half-step-sister? It's my step-sister's half-sister, of course.

7.If you could live anywhere where would it be? *Too lazy for conditional tense*
Québec. I love you France, but right now, I'm day dreaming constantly of college in Québec.

8.What were you doing before this? *Too lazy for French*

Ironically, tagging my friends on Facebook. It wasn't a survey-type thing, though, it was Henry Thoreau's "Friendship." :)


9.Your favorite food? Votre nourriture préféré?
Perogies, hands down. The real kind though, homemade, not icky frozen ones.

10.Do you have a middle name? *Hey, I don't have to write in French*
Yes I do.

11.Your favorite websites? *Lazy*
Facebook, Blogger, Youtube, StumbleUpon, Gmail, Dirpy, and College Fashion (no particular order to that).

12.Who do you tag? *Lazy*
French Bean, E, and Kayla!

Wow, I'm much more tired than I thought. Good night blogger, tomorrow I will catch you up on today's events!

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Bonjour, mes amis,

If I went to college in Québec, it's not really much more expensive than the schools here even though I'd be an international student. Now, if I was a resident of Québec, I could get my education for ridiculously cheap. For example, at the University of Minnesota, I could pay $18,800 a year to go to school in my own state. If I went to McGill University, I could pay $15,000 a year and that's in another country. Not even just another country, in a major French-speaking area of the world! Impressed? It gets better.

Now let's say I go to a college that doesn't have such a big name, like known across North America. But still a very good school... How about Sherbrooke University? This school doesn't just have a program for Music Education, it has a Masters degree specified for Choir Directing! If I was a resident of Québec, I'd be paying $3,888 a year. No, that's not a typo. Three thousand and eight-hundred eighty eight dollars. I see a light at the end of the tunnel, and it doesn't end with me being in debt until I'm 40!

From what I've seen, it doesn't sound too awfully hard to become a resident, and I have a friend in the area who could definitely help me out. I can't believe I could actually go to college in Québec for less than four thousand dollars a year! That's ridiculous! And I LOVE IT. Je t'aime, Québec! I see you in my future, small student loan debt.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

AP French Language

Bonjour mes amis!

Next year will be my first year since sixth grade that I haven't studied French in school. If I leave it be, the colleges I apply to will see "French II" and "French IV." Two years of French. Most colleges look for at least two, if not three or four. I wish I could take four years of French! I'm thinking to solve this dilemma, I may independant study AP French Language. A friend of mine who graduated this year said that on his applications, they didn't even ask for scores, just how many and which AP tests he'd taken. Granted, he took like 20 something because he's a genius, but still. Even if I don't get college credit, it could still help me get into a better college!

From the looks of it, the test is challenging, but I think if I really studied and took up the offer to practice avec mon ami en français, I could probably pass it. I'm still waiting to get the letter in the mail regarding my score on the AP World History exam I took this May. It should be coming soon! A few of my friends were thinking about studying AP European History but I don't think that is going to happen, and I don't think I could handle the course load of two AP history courses on top of the challenging math and science courses I'll be in next year.

But I could keep my open period that I signed up for and just do independant study so it shows up on the transcript, and then take the AP test in May. Unfortunately, the school isn't going to pay for it since the AP French Language exam isn't offered here, so it would be the full price, around $80 or $90. Comparing those prices to the prices of a college course, however, makes them seem much nicer. Not to mention it'll be coming out of my parents' pockets, not mine!

What do you guys think? Should I add a third year of French to my transcript? I do want to go to Québec for college, and I'm going to France after I graduate. I adore the language. The passion is there.

À demain et merçi beaucoup,
Mlle Delphine

Red is Bad, Green is Good

Bonjour, mes amis,

So... I still haven't gotten around to looking at any colleges in southern California yet (yes, that's a possibility) but I've looked at a handful in Quebec or nearby. So far? Nothing dream-like, but I'm making progress. The other day I realized my notes were getting far too messy and unorganized, so I put the main categories I'm looking at into a spreadsheet. Once I get more colleges I'm actually liking the sound of, I'll go into more details. Here is my college search thus far:

Yeah. See that big red block? That's the schools that don't have decent (or any) Music Education programs. I won't be going there, but I figured I'd keep them on the list just so I know what I've already been through. The U of MN is my backup college if all else fails, but so far it looks like McGill University and Laval University are doing the best. But still not very strong in some areas, either, unfortunately! I need a school that's cheaper than $30,000 a year, has a decent Music Education program, and is around Montreal/Ottawa. You wouldn't think it's that hard, would you? But I'll find one, just you wait and see. Even if it's not super close to either city, if it's within a three hour drive I could do that.


Alright, now you're wondering, "Why Montreal/Ottawa? I thought she said Quebec." Yeah I said Quebec, and I meant Quebec. But I don't really want to be on the other side of the continent in Quebec (the city) and I do want to be near a big city. I think I'd die without being able to make weekend trips to some place fun! Plus I know a couple people in the region, it'd be nice to have them help me get used to living in a totally new country without any family around.


Now I'm just rambling because I'm tired and all sorts of other things, so bonsoir, mes amis.



À demain,
Mlle Delphine

Un peu de tout

Bonjour mes amis!

Je néglige mon français! Ce message sera en français, complètement. (This post will be in French, entirely. Desolée, my anglophone friends!) Et desolée, mes amis francophone, pour mon mauvais français.

Ce matin j'ennuyais, allors j'ai décidé chercher l'internet pour divertissement! Voilà, mon matin.

Premièrement j'ai vu la film Amélie. Mon beau-père a Netflix et j'ai voulu voir P.S. I Love You mais je n'ai pu pas la regarde sur l'ordinateur. Et ensuite j'ai vu "Amélie: Vous devez voir!" Pourquoi pas? La film est très bizzare! Mignon, mais bizzare. "Vous devez voir" comprendre.

Deuxièmement j'ai écouté à Éric Lapointe. Mon ami a dit il est bon. Je pense il est comme si comme ça. Sa voix, c'est trop âpre pour moi. Ses chansons lente sont bon; j'aime cette chanson. Vraiment? Il a l'air effrayant.

Enfin, j'ai regardé à plus d'universités en Québec. Je suis déjà regardé à Université Laval, l'Université de Montreal, l'Université de Québec, McGille Université et autres, mais maintenant je regarde à Carleton Université et l'Université d'Ottawa.

Et.. ouai. Je ne veut pas écrire en français maintenant, allor ce message est finit!

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

College... in Quebec?

Bonjour, mes amis!

Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

Wouldn't that be SO AWESOME?! Okay, here I go trying to explain to my evil councilor why this is a good idea and why he shouldn't talk me out of it like he does to all my other friends and their ideas. Also, for my friends who are now panicking about me going away to Canada. *Clears throat and the screen does the wavey fade out and in again to another scene*

I want to major in Music Education and become a choir director. French, however, is something I could never give up, and so every time I search for colleges, I have to look for a music program and a good French program. Realistically, I know there are some out there, but they tend to be very expensive or in remote areas I'm not so fond of moving to... and to be honest, I want to go to a decent school, not some random place in a town of 400 that conveniently is affordable. No, money is not my primary concern, but it is a concern. I expect to be in debt until I'm forty and I want to make sure that every single dime was spent on me enjoying my one life. My father will be taking me to France after I graduate from high school for a couple weeks, and as much as I'll love it, I know I would never be able to afford to go to school there. So, I guess I could study abroad for a semester or two. But then I had a better idea:

Why not go to school in Quebec?

Think about it, I'd be doing all of my learning in one school so I wouldn't have to be uprooted every 4-9 months. It's a major French-speaking area in the world and most any college I look at will be taught in French, and they have programs to assist the students whose native language isn't French. I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not there is a good French program all while being pretty immersed in it, and I know my ability to speak the language would increase drastically. Then I would be able to focus my actual classes on getting my major and it would save me money in the long run since most language classes are a handful of credits.

As for the actual going to school in another country, I think it would be an incredible opportunity. I've always loved seeing new places, but visiting them on vacation is never the same as actually living there. Simply moving cities was an intense culture shock to me because my hometown was all I ever knew. Now I know the surrounding metro, but I feel like I'm still missing out on so much. I know it won't be easy to move to a place so far away, and I know I will miss my friends and family, but I don't believe that life is about living inside of your comfort zone. I also know, from experience, that I will be able to stay in touch with anyone who truly cares about me and that I'll make amazing, new friends while I'm there! I have learned so much about the way other people work, about other places, but most of all, about me. Going to a university in Quebec would be another opportunity to keep learning about the world while still moving onwards and upwards in my life, and I think I would be a fool to not take this opportunity.

*The screen wavey fades out and back into real time* What do you think? Somewhat convincing? The wording and rambling is going to happen no matter how much I edit this paragraph because I'm not the best speaker, so I figured I'd leave it as is. I'm actually really excited at the prospect of going to college in Quebec! I've been doing some research on it but know I still have more work to do before I can prove to my councilor that I know enough about the difference in systems.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine