So many things to say

Hey !

First of all, I apologize for my last message. I was particularly sad and disappointed. In fact, I had a meeting with my surgeon on January 15^th, and he had to take my cast off. He told me I had to keep my cast one more week, to try to walk. Before my surgery he wanted me to go to a special hospital to do physiotherapy, everyday for 2 weeks, when I’ll take my cast off. During the meeting I told him it wouldn’t t be possible because nobody could take me there and bring me back home everyday. Then, he started getting angry and asked me if there was a medical center near my home, to do the physiotherapy there (the thing I don t understand it s why he didn’t t asked me that before, because it would have been more practical to do physiotherapy just next to my home). Anyway, he asked his assistant to call the closest medical center, to book a place for me as soon as there is one available. But I reminded my surgeon I had to leave in 2 weeks for La Reunion (on vacation), then he started yelling at his assistant, he told her stop trying to call the medical center, because they wouldn’t get a place for me before I leave. He yelled at me because, according to him, he didn’t t know I had to go to La Reunion so fast (that is not true because my mom and I told him about it, just after my surgery, and he even told me with a huge smile it would be good for me, that the sun and the sea would be advantageous for my recovery), and he even told me it would be my fault if the surgery wasn’t a success. He almost made me cry… He’s such a jerk, and a liar! My mom noticed I was panicked and sad because of what he said to me, she started fighting with him, telling him she could do the physiotherapy to me because she knows all the moves (I had physiotherapy for 20 years so we got used to it). This stupid surgeon left without telling us goodbye and he didn’t even give us a date for the next meeting, he, as most of surgeons, treats his patients as piece of meat. It’s pretty scary.

Fortunately, I made lots of efforts, and physiotherapy everyday with my mom, and I forced myself to walk (because it was freaking painful), and now I finally walk!! I just hitch a bit because it’s still a bit painful. But that fucking stupid surgeon was wrong; I did well, just thanks to my mom and myself, and I’m proud of that!

One week after getting my cast off, we flew to La Reunion. Damn, 11 hours in a plane, it’s so hard when you’re scared in it… I took a sleeping pill and I slept only 3 hours lol. But this airplane company (Air Austral) was pretty good, the best I ever tried, I recommend it. The food was delicious (and we all know it’s quite rare in an airplane), and the flight attendants were very friendly and polite.

Anyway, I visited my childhood friend (Claire), her son (Leo, 4) and her boyfriend (Bertrand), who live there now, and I was very happy to see them! We had a blast, we talked a lot, we played cards and board games almost every night haha and we visited a lot of wonderful places: The volcano Piton de la Fournaise (it’s amazing), an Hindu house of prayer, a Chinese house of prayer, a beautiful botanical garden, a huge aquarium (with tons of fishes from Indian ocean, we also saw seahorses!!)... We went to very interesting museums: the museum of the volcano, the museum of turtles, the museum of sugar cane… We saw real sea turtles (and 2 turtles making sex, aww disgusting), crocodiles, chameleons, cute lizards, wonderful waterfalls, colorful flowers …
We visited the following towns: St Joseph, Ste Rose, St Pierre, St Leu and St Gilles Les Bains. We didn’t visit St Denis, that is Reunion’s capital city, because many people told us it wasn’t an interesting city. We also ate lots of typical food: many fruits (mangos, pitayas, litchis, Victorian pineapple, small bananas), some spices (like curcuma), bouchon, samosa, chicken cari … All the food there is delicious!!

We really had a great time!! Reunion Island (that is a French department) is really beautiful, it’s very colorful, and people are really friendly. The only bad thing was that the weather wasn’t that good, it was supposed to be the summer, but during 3 weeks it was sunny and very hot only one week … The two other weeks were so so … it poured a lot, and when it wasn’t raining, it was quite cloudy, so I didn’t get back home very tanned lol.
Below this post, you can find another post introducing Reunion Island.

At the end of our stay, the atmosphere was quite horrible because my girlfriend has serious relational problems with her boyfriend, we were embarrassed, so even if we had wonderful moments with them, we were happy to go back home. I really hope she will solve her problems.

Now it’s time to get back to work! The last time I worked was in 2004-2005, before going to NYC, it was an internship as marketing assistant and I really enjoyed it, I learned a lot! Now, it’s job hunting! I’d like to be a marketing manager or a marketing project manager, but I only got a bachelor’s degree, and to do these kind of jobs you need a master’s degree, it’s depressing lol, so right now I apply only to be a marketing assistant, but now, companies prefer interns as assistants, and I’m looking for a job, not an internship, so we’ll see. I’ve applied to the fashion/textile/cosmetic industry and also to the audiovisual industry, because that’s the fields that interest me the most. But I know it’s very hard to find a job in these kinds of sectors if you don’t know anyone who works there. If I don’t get any positive response in one month, I’ll apply to many other sectors. Please, cross your fingers, because I’m looking forward to working!! I’m active, and I really need to work!

Good news: My car is finally fixed!! Better late than never! And my parents offered me a scooter as new electrical wheelchair, and it rocks! I’ll be proud to ride it! And thanks to this and my car, I’m going to be much more independent! I’m going to get my scooter on Wednesday; I’m looking forward to having it!

Anyway, I won’t put up any photograph of my trip to La Reunion here, because I have too many, so here are 2 slide shows with some nice pics, and if you want to see more photographs, you can see them on facebook, on my myspace page and on my flickr page:
http://www.myspace.com/moonlitfairy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/moonlitfairy/

Here is the cutest baby girl ever, Scarlette, 3 months, who is the daughter of my friend Ilse. Isn’t she adorable?

I can’t leave you without telling you I’m so proud that Marion Cotillard (a very talented French actress) won an Oscar for the movie La Vie En Rose (the original title of this movie is La Mome, if you haven’t seen it yet, hurry up, it’s just gorgeous!)

PS : WARNING, I changed my MSN, I won’t use moonlit_fairy@hotmail.com anymore, my new MSN login (and email account) is oli-dolly@hotmail.fr , normally I sent you a request to add me as a friend, if you didn’t accept it, don’t forget to add me again in your contact list. See ya online

Introduction to Reunion Island

I took this straight from the website “Introducing Reunion Island”

Not as well-known as nearby Mauritius or the not-so-far-away British Seychelles, little Reunion seems but a speck in the vast ocean, dwarfed by Madagascar, located 500 miles to the west. The French know the island well but only the very well-traveled have ever stepped foot on Reunion's varied and enticing terrain.

With an active volcano on its south coast, 17 miles of warm, welcoming beaches in the west, and lots of mountains and forests in between, Reunion Island offers vacation opportunities ranging from relaxing to truly insane. If you're looking for a place to "chill out", you'll find it here. But if you're the kind of vacationer who prefers an adrenaline rush over a sunburn, the possibilities are endless. From hiking Reunion's unique "cirques" or canyoning the island's many waterfalls to scuba diving or surfing in the clear waters that surround this tiny 30-mile-wide island, adventure activities abound for vacationers hoping to do something a little daring while on their Reunion holiday.

The cirques :

As a volcanic island, the topography of Reunion Island is unique and craggy, with the island’s most enticing natural formations being its three cirques, formed as the inside of Piton des Neiges - the volcano that gave birth to Reunion Island - and further shaped by centuries of erosion.
Most often referred to as natural amphitheaters, these cirques – Salazie, Cilaos, and Mafate – are all a bit different, each attracting travellers that are looking for a true adventure. Some come here for the incredible canyoning excursions. Others want to hike the hundreds of kilometers of trails that traverse the cirques. Some spend their holiday in Reunion mountain biking while others choose a more relaxing trek with stops along the way to explore the cirque’s enticing mountain villages.
No matter which cirque you visit and what activity you choose, you’ll be treated to breathtaking scenery, friendly locals, and world-class adventure…all wrapped up into one magnificent little island.

There are two volcanoes : Piton de la Fournaise and Piton des Neiges ;

1) Situated in the southeast corner of Reunion Island, Piton de la Fournaise is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. Erupting for the first time about 50,000 years ago, records note that this basaltic shield volcano has erupted nearly 180 times since such eruptions were first recorded in 1640. The most recent occurred in 2004.

Piton de la Fournaise (Furnace Peak) stretches to about 2,631 meters in height and, since 1980, has been consistently monitored by volcano experts including scientists and government surveillance facilities, just in case an evacuation of residents and guests is required.
The 700,000 residents of Reunion Island have learned to deal with life in the lava path of an active volcano. As a matter of fact, many locals earn money offering guided walking tours and rides to Piton de la Fournaise and the volcano is undoubtedly Reunion’s most popular tourist attraction. Few leave the island without a close-up look at Furnace Peak.
It’s actually quite easy to walk to the top of the mountain and courageous guests can even camp near the rim of the volcano. A helicopter tour is also an awe-inspiring way to experience this amazing sight and such tours are readily available for those who fancy a ride over this bubbling cauldron. In reality, however, the view from down below is the most spectacular. Piton de la Fournaise spews orange and yellow lava day and night, with the evening pyrotechnics topping any first-class fireworks display you’ve ever experienced.

2) The highest point on the island of Reunion, Piton des Neiges soars to 3,070 meters. The most dominant geological feature on the island, located in the north central region of Reunion, Piton des Neiges may be an old, eroded volcano but it’s also a favorite destination of hikers who come from all around the world to explore the area.

Piton des Neiges occupies much of the northwestern two-thirds of the island. Unlike the island’s other famous volcano, this one has been inactive for approximately 20,000 years. Its name translates as “Snow Peak”, but you certainly won’t be doing any skiing here. You will, however, often find a little bit of snow dusting the top of the mountain as you look towards Reunion’s blue sky.
The road to the summit is described as a “walk-up”, not a particularly difficult climb for healthy individuals. Many additional hiking trails surround the area, appropriate for a variety of skill levels. Avid climbers also flock to this area for a little adventure with the best months for climbing being May through November, when the weather is dry.
Visitors will find a biological reserve on the lower slopes of the Piton des Neiges. A stop here will allow guests to learn about many of the 200+ varieties of plants and the many species of animals that are found on this volcanic island. One of four on the island, this reserve was set up about 40 years ago because residents of the island and the government of France were both quite concerned about preserving Reunion Island’s unique biome.

The Wildlife : Reunion Island is a bird-watchers paradise the many birding aficionados head the island simply for the purpose of discovering how many species of winged creatures they can spot here.

There’s nothing terribly unusual about the fauna of Reunion Island. Throughout the centuries, a number of animals were introduced to the forests of the island, such as deer and rabbit. However, if you’re looking for something a bit more exotic or unusual, you may be able to spot a brown maki lemur (from Madagascar), a few varieties of bats, a number of rats, and the nearly extinct Pteropus Edwardsii, a flying fox. Marine mammals may include a few different species of whales