highlights of the cannes film festival

i still can't believe i was there to experience it.

the fact that i got the job in france, on the riviera, in one of the world's film cities.

that we lived so close we could hear screaming fans from our apartment.

that we got to act cool and say "ugh - tourists." haha.

it was a great time.

and now - i know what you really want - the pictures :P

the palais des festivals, where all the action is :)

this was my fave thing.  they screened films on the beach! for free!

the movie screen is built on a dock in the ocean.  they also gave everyone blankets.  the man walking is selling roasted nuts.  toes in the sand - best way to watch a movie ever.

the famed red carpet :)

the collection of ladders that screaming fans stand on.

waiting in line...

crazy weird and expensive cars. (this one was in Monaco on the night before the Formula 1)

and now i present:

the adventures of mel's only 'fancy' dress

"I'M ON A BOAT" ridiculousness on a yacht in Monaco.

 on the way to the VIP room club.  we got in! michelle rodriguez was the dj! it was a crazy fun night.

& the final adventure of the dress: 

i won tickets to see the closing night film at the Cannes Film Festival.  they drew less than 500 names for the whole city and i won! tux & bowtie mandatory (which i loved) steve had to borrow one.  

we got to walk the red carpet.

perfect end to a great year.

i miss you already cannes.

leaving france.

sadly i only have hours left in france. 

an early flight tomorrow morning + so many connections & layovers that we'll be traveling for 23 hours.  ugh. 

i have to admit, i'm not loving that i have to leave.  

but, canada will feel like home again soon enough.... i hope!

if only ontario was on an ocean.

no photos with this post, but i have a lot to catch up on ;)

my new hobby

fr9536, originally uploaded by melaniegodecki.

is being here.
why doesn't canada have a place like this for me!?
(and not for only 2 weeks in august and july)

language assistant no more.

i've officially had to say goodbye and turn in my keys. 

my contract with the school is over and my time in france is winding to an end!

here's a peek into what my school year was like. 

things always in my bag:

my classroom :)

the view from my class on the 4th floor.  yes, it is a school and not a palace.

in my final class, a student wrote me a poem and recited it. 

it was in french, and i had to translate it at home later - let's just say i'm glad i didn't understand it while sitting in class! i would have been really embarassed. :P

then we moved our lesson to the nearest cafe

other language assistants at the school - carolina from chile and ida from italy :)

and a pic of me in the bookshelf, just because. haha. 

i'll miss you lycee carnot! it's been a great year!

missing in action/having the most insane week of my life

hello bloggers. 

i'm sorry this won't be a very well prepared post.  

i am having a blast in cannes right now.  

the film festival is in full swing.  

celebrities and parties are everywhere.  (russell crowe, cate blanchette, woody allen, eva longoria!)

my friends and i will be leaving soon, and are trying to take advantage of every last second.

there are photoshoots, movie screenings on the beach, themed dinner parties, hikes, swimming in the ocean and

last night - partying at a VIP club where michelle rodrigez was the dj, p diddy the host, and cuba gooding jr and donatella versace were guests. oh and me and my girls!

we still can't believe we got in!

i only have 9 days left, and after all of this, how can i go back to real life?! haha

see you soon - loads more time to blog when this all settles.

i'm off to the beach.

'au revoir france' - a french themed party

sadly my time in france is coming to an end.  our language assistant contracts ended with april and the friends i've made over the past year are starting to leave.  and so, i present "au revoir france" our little good-bye party on the last day of our jobs. 

 i'm really pleased with how my cupcakes turned out :)

i modified elsies' dowload  for the mustaches and bubbles so they'd print better on white and made the french flags with some markers. haha.   the phrases on the bubbles include some new ones we learned since moving here.  (pls don't be offended if you speak french! ha ha)

a photo backdrop was a must, and what better than a french flag made of balloons to go with our french outfits?

 oh mr silly.  love you!

 we also enjoyed a fair amount of french wine.  dancing followed.  

a great time with some awesome friends!

thrift shopping - things i didn't buy

 another edition of the treasures at cannes' flea market :)

crazy marionettes

every war and battle imaginable

this doll would scare me as a child! she scares me now!

if these weren't so expensive.... *le sigh

p.s. happy mother's day all!

busy week update :P

this past week has been a little nutty for a few reasons.

steve's parents and aunt & uncle are here for a visit, so our days are filled with mini adventures, touring sights and eating at great restaurants :)

after i realized that the world photography award festival lasts 5 days, i decided i needed to find out what i could get into.  the very nice girl at the info booth said "oh, it's almost over, here's a pass."

*cha ching!*

so - saturday and sunday i was able to attend some shooting workshops with professional models and about 30 other photographers, shooting in and around the palais.  

from there i was invited to the istockphoto party at a really flamboyant hotel. 

and sunday i attended a seminar about the "new business of photography."

some new friends even offered to help me select my portfolio.

all in all, i met a lot of great people, learned some important advice, and had fun :)

lastly but not least - this is my final week of work as a language assistant.  

(i did a little photoshoot, will post more and of the school itself)

me in my little classroom - D408 :)

i've got loads of pictures to catch up on editing, a good-bye dinner tonight, my official "au revoir france" (french themed) party tomorrow night (hard to find party decorations here!) and the last couple days with steve's family. 

i cannot believe how april flew.

april goals update tomorrow!

world photography awards & inspiration

Thursday night, by some stroke of insane networking by my cousin, Katie and I were able to attend the 2010 Sony World Photography Awards at the Palais de Festivals in Cannes. 

this was a major deal for me for a few reasons.

1.  I've been dying to see the inside of the very exclusive palais.  it's where the cannes film festival takes place every year.  it was smaller inside than i had imagined. so small in fact that katie and i sat in the velvet upholstered seats wondering if it had been Tom Hanks or Tom Cruise who had been seated there before us.  Katie sniffed - Tom Hanks.  lol.

2.  We got to dress up! It was a black tie event.  The men were in suits and women wore gorgeous ballgowns.  We had cocktail dresses and were fine :)

Also of note - that most male winners of the awards find it suitable to wear brightly coloured sneakers with the suits.  Ok fine, you think you're quirky and original...but so did the other 35 guys.

Plus you're over 50, get some leather shoes.

3. this is the first time that i've ever attended something strictly photography related.  it was the photographer's oscars.  i was in a room with a lot of incredibly talented people, and even some personal photography heroes!  it was wonderful to hear inspiring speeches about sticking it out in such a difficult industry, about people not giving up and working toward their dream, being brave.

and it worked.  i sat there for 2 hours being inspired.  feeling that yes, this really is what i want to do.  

50 years from now i want to be the one on that stage accepting a lifetime achievement award.  

i want to create images that i am proud of.  

i just want to take pictures and nothing else will do.

Bon poisson d'avril!

happy "April Fish" if you translate it directly...

today in france is similar to april fool's day in north america, with tricks and jokes

but they also have a cute tradition that we don't!

i'm not sure on the history of the fish - children will cut out fish shapes and tape them on each others backs with jokes, teasing remarks, etc. on them.  

i asked my high school students if they do anything and yes, they will sneak notes onto people's backs in a not-so-pleasant and more-like-high-school manner. not so cute.

fill in the blank - i am _______.

at the end of the day i noticed a little fish fall to the floor, facedown.

uh oh.  i don't work with cute little gradeschoolers!

but look!

"i am beautiful." awww! i was so excited!

it may relate to what i was originally going to post today...?

i love seeing other people's wardrobe posts, and this is a little bit DIY too.

i bought this little shirt at a thrift store - totally vintage, a bit ho-hum...

so i changed the buttons and it got some drama ;)

which took 10 minutes and was entirely worth it.

 love my floral tights :)

shopping stats: necklace, shirt, buttons - thrifted in france

headband - dollarama, lol.  skirt - joe fresh (love!)

boots - L&B (france.) belt - Mim (france.)

tights - random corner shop in cannes that used to be a candy shop, was an accessories place for a couple months, then luggage and is now under construction. 

yes, i have only been here since september.

anyway, that's what i wore today.

hope you had a happy 1st of april!

the coolest school i've ever seen. i wanna go!

yesterday i was lucky enough to attend an open house at a school in cannes, which specializes in fashion and costume design.  (i met a few of the students at a party a couple months ago)

i was in awe, inspired and in love.  i want to go here!

it's a regular high school, but also has prep school level, for university level classes.

the displays of their work were impeccable.  each class project had a theme to inspire the work.

 romantic white

could you imagine if this was your classroom! <3

children's summer dresses

this was an interesting tradition i've never heard before.  in the fashion world, on nov 25, unmarried women over 25 make and wear a headpiece.  (sorry they told the story in french, i may have missed some more details.) if you know any more of the history, please let me know!

candy and baked goods inspire corsets

the cupcake corsets!

t-shirts inspired by human anatomy - hearts, skeletons, spines, pregnancy, muscle tissue.

i thought this muscle one was incredible! my fave.

marina demonstrates a tee, the heart has a pump attached so it inflates and deflates with beats!

love the back of the peach dress.

virginie has a fitting in her creation. they have made the dresses first with muslin, as replicates of dresses from famous paintings, complete with corsets, bloomers and the works.

cleo shows her work.

marina and her dress.  after the patterns are finalized, they will remake the dress again, using recycled materials!

 we're trying to organize a photoshoot for when the dresses are finished! i'm really hoping it works out, they are due only days before i have to leave france!

 they have a store!

i wish this was my closet.

lights in the halls are looong dresses.

some randomness above the main office.

such a magical place!