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Protected: Synapse Holiday Party 2007

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The AIDS Walk Experience

Team members Jee Sook, Laura, Jee Young and of course, Aviva!

Today’s 2008 Seattle AIDS Walk was totally awesome. Our excellent team showed up with cheery attitudes to complement the rainy weather. We raised over $1500.00 . . . beating our team goal by half! Josselyn, Jee Young, Daniel, Gregory, Joe, Isaac, Aaron, Eric H., Eric L., Nicole, Matt, Laura, Jee Sook, Chris, Kenny, Morgane, Aviva and I all started our day at 9 am by the statue of William H, Seward, donning our Team Adventure gear and heading down to check-in and to watch Lifelong’s AIDS Walk program.

Aviva gets a pic with Team ASPEN!

One of the very inspiring stories of the walk is that the top fundraising team is a bunch of high school kids called Team ASPEN, which stands for AIDS Student Peer Educators of Newport High. Straight outta Bellevue, of all places, the 26 High School Juniors and Seniors raised over $43,000.00. In addition to raising huge amounts of money for the Lifelong AIDS Walk every year, Team ASPEN teaches all the HIV and STD education to each grade at their school and the sophomore lesson at the other three schools in their school district. They are also in charge of the food delivery route for Lifelong on the Eastside. SO AWESOME! So apparently there is hope for our country, if it is in the hands of kids like that! WOO HOO!

Team Captain Le Gall

The Adventure School is really proud of our team and to have been a part of the 2008 AIDS Walk. Next year we will raise at least $3000.00! Last time I checked Lifelong had reached 64% of their goal taking in over 400,000, well on their way to the goal of $650,000! Awesome!
The always inspiring/hilarious Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

After the walk we all headed to my house nearby and proceeded to finish four bottles of champagne (with orange, mango, peach juice and grapefruit juice of course), four dozen eggs, three packages of bacon, yogurt, cereal, fifty pancakes (some with Nutella! some with bananas! some with bacon!) and much more. Don’t forget the appletizers and honey! All in all it was great day and nap-time was graciously welcomed by all.

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Cultural Differences

Hi everybody !

I’ve been entrenched in this cultural experience for more than one month now. Thus I think I should try to assess my knowledge of American practises.

1) Hot chocolate with water? NO WAY!

Let me explain to you the situation. It was cold, rainy, I had walked a lot and I was exhausted. My stomach was grumbling when I saw this little restaurant with a perfect view on the small harbour of Bainbridge Island. I entered and ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream, my first hot chocolate in Starbuck’s country. I was so excited!
But as you may guess, it was just for a short moment: this hot chocolate was made of hot water!
From this day, I ask before ordering!

2) “Hi! How is it going?”

I love American people. They are much more friendly than French ones!
My first purchase in a grocery store which was a king of epic, proved it to me.
Let me give you an idea of what the conversation looked like:
-“Hi
-Hello (it’s me, French people learn to say “hello” and not “hi” at school. It’s so outdated, I know!)
-How is it going? (with the American accent and very fast)
-Sorry ? Can you repeat please? (with the French accent and very slow)
-Never mind”.

Then I went out and tried to remember the conversation. “OHH he was asking me how I was!”
I wanted to go back to the store, but it was too late.
Now I’m the first to ask when I go somewhere.

3) Seattle is one of the cities in the US where public transportation is highly developed. ARE YOU SURE?

It’s time for me to complain about something. I hate your buses the most ! They are always late, they are not enough, they are expensive and they make foreign people look ridiculous.

The first day I took it I came with my 20 dollar bill. I was naïve and thought that the bus driver would have some change. Of course, I had nothing else to pay with. The bus driver was very angry at me. He tried to explain that he carried no change but I didn’t understand anything and a big line formed behind me.
I finally entered without paying. When I wanted to get off, I looked for a button to press or something. Nothing. I had to ask someone who said “you have to pull on the rope Miss”. WHAT? A rope? It was funny.
Bus was really a challenge for me at the beginning.
Not to mention the time I needed to understand that sometimes you have to pay as you enter, sometimes you don’t have to pay at all, sometimes you have to pay when you leave and so on.

But now I am an expert and can teach you how to cheat on the bus when you really have to.

4) Becoming a party expert.

To become a party expert in Seattle when you come from Paris you have to know that:
- American people don’t kiss each other, but hug. If you kiss someone, you look weird. I experienced it.
- People eat at 6.00 so you have to fill your belly early for lunch if you want to be hungry when you go to a dinner
- Parties start at 6.00 and end at 10.00, the time cool French people usually eat. Can you believe it? So, plan an after-party at your apartment with your friends on Skype or try to get used to this rhythm. It’s simple.

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Culture War!

After watching the painful VP debate on the big screen at Central Cinema, The Adventure School really needed to clear our heads. What better way than art? So we headed down to Pioneer Square from the Central District to see Nick Kamuda’s drawing show. The show was a total success. Tons of smart babes with good ideas and great hair were there not talking about being Hockey Moms! Thanks Nick!

Morgane: Guitar Hero

Emma and the Ink

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Studio Six Word on the Street

Jackets
2008
Nicholas Kamuda

At the creativity factory that is The Adventure School HQ there are quite a few talented people running around all day and night, making art and making magic. We are proud to announce that one of them, Nicholas Kamuda, is having a solo show tomorrow night! So please come out and see his new drawings during the artwalk. Check out his website to catch a feel of the work at

Nicholas Kamuda dot com.

Then you will see what we have the good fortune to see on the daily. We will see you at the Gibson Showroom!

Details of the Show:
Thursday, October 2
6 pm – 9 pm
159 S Jackson, Seattle (in Pioneer Square)
The Gibson Showroom

Word to the wise . . . the Memphis Radio Kings are also playing and Gibson will be displaying their amazing collection of guitars.

Seascape (1)
36″ x 84″
Ink on Vellum
2007
Nicholas Kamuda