I can't believe it's really the end! Tomorrow I take my last final, finish packing and say goodbye to my host family. This whole thing has gone by so fast! Now, I already waxed poetic about all of the things I've learned so I thought in this post I'd compile a list of things I've missed about the states, and things I'll miss about France.
First, things I've missed about America:
1. Dryers. Dryers are not environmentally friendly. Yes, I understand this. But I'm sorry, drying my clothes on a rack in the hallway does not get them nearly as soft as a dryer would.
2. Living on a college campus. I really enjoy the feeling of community I get living so close to friends at WashU. I love living in a city like Paris, and I love my host family, but I miss the WashU bubble. Also, I've never appreciated how convenient it is to have all of your classes in one place! Commuting between the 9th the 6th and the 17th everyday can get a little wearing, even with the convenience of the metro.
3. Stores that are open on Sundays. Nothing is open here on a Sunday. I mean nothing. And I, not being used to a country where the idea of 24/7 convenience is completely ridiculous, have more than once found myself without lunch on Sundays, munching on melba toast or whatever small snack I have in my room to tide me over until dinner.
Things I will miss about France:
1. Sandra's cooking. Oh. my. god. She makes the most amazing meals! Cassoulet, blanquette de veau... my tummy will be very sad to leave here.
2. Living in a walkable city. I have grown to love walking while I'm here. It's just so much more convenient to walk here than in St. Louis. The sidewalks are wide, the architecture is beautiful so there's always something to see, and everyone does it! I walk so much that despite Sandra's cooking, I've unintentionally lost a couple of pounds while in Paris.
3. Pain au chocolat. I eat about 5-7 of these a week. It's all the wonderful things about a croissant (buttery, flakey, warm) plus chocolate! What could be better?
4. Baguettes. I love that this is just standard bread. And it's cheap! I've learned to eat it and love it like the French--sans butter.
5. Free access to some of the most amazing museums in the world and weekly art history classes in the Louvre.
6. Sandra, Bruno and the boys. I really got lucky with this host family and I'll miss them all!
So, to sum up, what I miss about America is convenience, and what I will miss about France is food. Haha, I've learned so much!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Marseille, Lyon, the last days in Paris and new opportunities
Well, it's been a long time since my last post! Things have definitely busy so there is a lot to recount since my last post!
First, December 3, one of my roommates from last summer, Jake, came for a visit from Edinburgh! It was so nice to see a friendly WashU face and I had a really great time meeting up with him and his friend Lauren for some sightseeing and drinks.
The next day, I departed for an adventure in the south of France. Lauren (a friend from my program, NOT the Lauren who came with Jake) and I spent 2 days in Marseille and one in Lyon. It was cool to experience other parts of the country besides Paris. France varies greatly between regions and cities, and Marseille especially has a culture unto itself.
Our train pulled in at around 11 in the morning. Getting off the train, I was first struck by the gale-force winds. Little did we know that winter in Marseilles is dominated by the mistrals, HUGELY powerful winds that come off the Mediterranean and threaten to blow you all the way back to Paris. But despite the weather, we wasted no time dropping our things off at the hostel before heading out to explore the city.
My first impressions were definitely mixed. We made our way from the hostel (near the train station) through some of the more residential areas towards the touristy area around the old part. These real Marseillais neighborhoods were definitely different from anything I had seen in Paris. First of all, despite the flowery late-nineteenth century architecture and lovely Mediterranean colors, the streets were covered in trash. And when I say covered, I mean that cars were parked on a solid layer of collapsed cardboard boxes.
What was most shocking, however, was the lack of women in the streets. It's such an odd thing to remark upon. Walking down the street in Paris, or St. Louis, or Waconia, not once do I think about the proportion of men to women on any given stretch of sidewalk. But, here, it was really strange. I felt very out of place and I couldn't quite place why until I realized that Lauren and I were the only two women in the street. The only explanation that I can come up with is that Marseilles has an extremely large population of immigrants from the Maghreb, and, on many levels, functions like a North African city. Walk into any boulangerie in Marseilles and the standard selection is likely to be quite different from that in Paris. In addition to the standard baguettes, croissants and pains au chocolat, you have baklava, almond cakes, and an amazing selection of Middle-Eastern and North African sweets. Sure, you can find these things in Paris, but in Marseilles this is truly standard. The fact that we, as women, felt out of place wandering the streets unaccompanied by a man, even in broad daylight, is perhaps another manifestation of that cultural influence.
All in all, it was a really eye-opening experience. I feel like I left with a much better understanding of the tension between French and North African cultures. It was really enlightening to see a city like Marseilles, where the culture really is, predominately Maghrebien, and to contrast it with Paris, and even Tours, where many still hold strong to traditional "French" culture. It's so interesting to be in France at another so formidable time in the search for their national identity. Integrating Islam is a huge point of tension across Europe, as evidenced by Switzerland's recent decision to ban all further construction of minarets. And, although I live in one of the most diverse cities in Europe, until my trip to Marseilles I didn't really comprehend the profundity of those cultural differences and the real problems they pose.
After two days in Marseilles, we hopped a train for Lyon to celebrate the Fête de Lumieres. As much as I appreciated the things I learned in Marseilles, Lyon was much more my kind of city. Italian immigrants came to the city during the Renaissance to work in the silk industry, and their influence shows in the architecture, which is a very Florentine, with lingering hints of the gothic flamboyant style that was still dominating France. The buildings the beautiful oranges, yellows, and pinks of Tuscany and feature quite courtyards and traboules, enclosed walkways linking one building to the next. We took a historical tour of these traboules and courtyards, saw the Roman ampitheatre, and just enjoyed walking around the beautiful city.
At nightfall, we really stepped up our sightseeing game. The Fête de Lumieres started about 10 years ago, but the tradition that inspired it dates back to the 17th century when Lyon was hit by the plague. Townspeople vowed to honor the Mary if the town was spared. Ever since, for this celebration, people light candles in their windows and make their way to the Basilica of Fourvière to pay tribute to the Virgin. The tradition developed into a large festival with artists installing illuminated works throughout the city. We had a wonderful time watching the fireworks, running around the city to see as many installations as possible, and of course, enjoying street food.
Since I've been back, time has been flying by. I still can't believe that I leave Paris next Thursday. Luckily, Phoebe came to visit just as the semester wraps up. It was so nice to see her again, and I shamelessly exploited her visit for the opportunity to check some things off this semester's Paris to-do list. We went to the Institut du Monde Arabe and had tea in the Mosque de Paris. We saw the Venetien Masters exhibit at the Louvre, and generally had an amazing time. The highlight of her trip though was thanks to my host family--they threw me a surprise birthday party complete with two chocolate mousse cakes and a card that almost made me cry! It was extremely nice of them.
All in all, these last few weeks have made me realize what a wonderful opportunity this has really been. I got the chance to see new places and new cultures, to appreciate the diversity of this country and experience first hand the cultural tensions that exist within it. I got to live with an amazingly kind, caring, and fun host family that I am going to miss dearly. And I even had time to study a bit! Not to mention the fact that my French has improved dramatically--I've come so far I can hardly even remember what level I started at! In the beginning, adjusting to life in a foreign country was difficult. It was hard living in a new place. Honestly, I wasn't expecting there to be as many cultural differences as there were; I wasn't expecting to have to make so many adjustments. And, although I chose to concentrate on my accomplishments with the French language, there were definitely times when I found myself wanting to function in English for a change. At the end of the day I was mentally exhausted from functioning in a different language and according to different rules. Now it feels like I've finally gotten the hang of things and it's already time to leave. I'm done with my Sorbonne classes, my last two Sweet Briar finals are this week, then it's off to England and Scotland for some traveling before heading back to the states.
However, I go with the hope that I will return soon. I was lucky enough to have been awarded an internship at the US Embassy in Paris next summer! With any luck, the details will all work out and je reviendrai à Paris l'été prochain!
Bisous à tous!
First, December 3, one of my roommates from last summer, Jake, came for a visit from Edinburgh! It was so nice to see a friendly WashU face and I had a really great time meeting up with him and his friend Lauren for some sightseeing and drinks.
The next day, I departed for an adventure in the south of France. Lauren (a friend from my program, NOT the Lauren who came with Jake) and I spent 2 days in Marseille and one in Lyon. It was cool to experience other parts of the country besides Paris. France varies greatly between regions and cities, and Marseille especially has a culture unto itself.
Our train pulled in at around 11 in the morning. Getting off the train, I was first struck by the gale-force winds. Little did we know that winter in Marseilles is dominated by the mistrals, HUGELY powerful winds that come off the Mediterranean and threaten to blow you all the way back to Paris. But despite the weather, we wasted no time dropping our things off at the hostel before heading out to explore the city.
My first impressions were definitely mixed. We made our way from the hostel (near the train station) through some of the more residential areas towards the touristy area around the old part. These real Marseillais neighborhoods were definitely different from anything I had seen in Paris. First of all, despite the flowery late-nineteenth century architecture and lovely Mediterranean colors, the streets were covered in trash. And when I say covered, I mean that cars were parked on a solid layer of collapsed cardboard boxes.
What was most shocking, however, was the lack of women in the streets. It's such an odd thing to remark upon. Walking down the street in Paris, or St. Louis, or Waconia, not once do I think about the proportion of men to women on any given stretch of sidewalk. But, here, it was really strange. I felt very out of place and I couldn't quite place why until I realized that Lauren and I were the only two women in the street. The only explanation that I can come up with is that Marseilles has an extremely large population of immigrants from the Maghreb, and, on many levels, functions like a North African city. Walk into any boulangerie in Marseilles and the standard selection is likely to be quite different from that in Paris. In addition to the standard baguettes, croissants and pains au chocolat, you have baklava, almond cakes, and an amazing selection of Middle-Eastern and North African sweets. Sure, you can find these things in Paris, but in Marseilles this is truly standard. The fact that we, as women, felt out of place wandering the streets unaccompanied by a man, even in broad daylight, is perhaps another manifestation of that cultural influence.
All in all, it was a really eye-opening experience. I feel like I left with a much better understanding of the tension between French and North African cultures. It was really enlightening to see a city like Marseilles, where the culture really is, predominately Maghrebien, and to contrast it with Paris, and even Tours, where many still hold strong to traditional "French" culture. It's so interesting to be in France at another so formidable time in the search for their national identity. Integrating Islam is a huge point of tension across Europe, as evidenced by Switzerland's recent decision to ban all further construction of minarets. And, although I live in one of the most diverse cities in Europe, until my trip to Marseilles I didn't really comprehend the profundity of those cultural differences and the real problems they pose.
After two days in Marseilles, we hopped a train for Lyon to celebrate the Fête de Lumieres. As much as I appreciated the things I learned in Marseilles, Lyon was much more my kind of city. Italian immigrants came to the city during the Renaissance to work in the silk industry, and their influence shows in the architecture, which is a very Florentine, with lingering hints of the gothic flamboyant style that was still dominating France. The buildings the beautiful oranges, yellows, and pinks of Tuscany and feature quite courtyards and traboules, enclosed walkways linking one building to the next. We took a historical tour of these traboules and courtyards, saw the Roman ampitheatre, and just enjoyed walking around the beautiful city.
At nightfall, we really stepped up our sightseeing game. The Fête de Lumieres started about 10 years ago, but the tradition that inspired it dates back to the 17th century when Lyon was hit by the plague. Townspeople vowed to honor the Mary if the town was spared. Ever since, for this celebration, people light candles in their windows and make their way to the Basilica of Fourvière to pay tribute to the Virgin. The tradition developed into a large festival with artists installing illuminated works throughout the city. We had a wonderful time watching the fireworks, running around the city to see as many installations as possible, and of course, enjoying street food.
Since I've been back, time has been flying by. I still can't believe that I leave Paris next Thursday. Luckily, Phoebe came to visit just as the semester wraps up. It was so nice to see her again, and I shamelessly exploited her visit for the opportunity to check some things off this semester's Paris to-do list. We went to the Institut du Monde Arabe and had tea in the Mosque de Paris. We saw the Venetien Masters exhibit at the Louvre, and generally had an amazing time. The highlight of her trip though was thanks to my host family--they threw me a surprise birthday party complete with two chocolate mousse cakes and a card that almost made me cry! It was extremely nice of them.
All in all, these last few weeks have made me realize what a wonderful opportunity this has really been. I got the chance to see new places and new cultures, to appreciate the diversity of this country and experience first hand the cultural tensions that exist within it. I got to live with an amazingly kind, caring, and fun host family that I am going to miss dearly. And I even had time to study a bit! Not to mention the fact that my French has improved dramatically--I've come so far I can hardly even remember what level I started at! In the beginning, adjusting to life in a foreign country was difficult. It was hard living in a new place. Honestly, I wasn't expecting there to be as many cultural differences as there were; I wasn't expecting to have to make so many adjustments. And, although I chose to concentrate on my accomplishments with the French language, there were definitely times when I found myself wanting to function in English for a change. At the end of the day I was mentally exhausted from functioning in a different language and according to different rules. Now it feels like I've finally gotten the hang of things and it's already time to leave. I'm done with my Sorbonne classes, my last two Sweet Briar finals are this week, then it's off to England and Scotland for some traveling before heading back to the states.
However, I go with the hope that I will return soon. I was lucky enough to have been awarded an internship at the US Embassy in Paris next summer! With any luck, the details will all work out and je reviendrai à Paris l'été prochain!
Bisous à tous!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Eating mousse au chocolat and doing mes devoirs
Sorry I've been absent for a little while! As the semester winds down, I'm really getting busy!
Last weekend I was in London again to celebrate Thanksgiving. Stephen's family invited me to their family dinner and I really couldn't refuse a turkey dinner for the holiday! In general, the French have strange reactions to Thanksgiving which vary from polite disinterest to flat out disbelief. My host family was pretty low key about the whole thing. They've had American students before so they get the general idea, but, as they don't really have an equivalent, I think they had trouble understanding exactly how important it is. To them, it's a minor holiday, on par with Halloween or something. When I explained that it's important to be with friends and family, that it's about celebrating relationships and being thankful, they smiled and nodded. Other students' host families had slightly funnier reactions. One of my friends explained the story of Thanksgiving to her host family (Indians teaching the pilgrims to farm and then sharing a meal together). Their reaction: That can't be a true story. If they taught you how to farm, why did you slaughter them all a hundred years later? So, needless to say, I was very happy to be able to spend the holiday in a family setting. Stephen's aunt had flown in from Austin and his cousin flew back from school in Austin so it ended up being really great. The food was delicious and they were very gracious hosts.
The next day, they treated me to a day of sightseeing! We started out the day at the Tour of London, ate lunch at a hip burger restaurant, took a flight on the London Eye and saw a show at the Old Vic staring Kevin Spacey! Afterward, we even got to meet him! All in all, it was a great day.
Saturday I hopped a train to Oxford to visit Phoebe. I had such an amazing time. First of all, it really does look like Hogwarts. Students even wear robes (for real). The town is also super cute. We walked around for a bit, ate at a café in the vaults of a 12th or 13th century church and generally had a good time. That night was a college bop: a huge party hosted by the college. This time the theme was "anything but cloths" so Phoebe and I made dresses out of plastic Thanksgiving tablecloths and had a great time.
The next day I hopped a train back to London. Unfortunately, however, Stephen's computer broke so we spent a good majority of the day running around trying to find an Apple Store that with an opening in the next 4 weeks. I was tired and London was experiencing lovely November weather (freezing rain), so I was grateful when we finally made it to his family's house for dinner.
Now I'm back in Paris and working on finishing up my final assignments! I have a paper to write for my literature class that's driving me crazy. The paper itself shouldn't be too bad, and I know that my professor is a lenient grader, but, the tutor that Sweet Briar hired to assist us in our classes is a huge pain. He's just not very nice (he told one girl that her problem isn't the language barrier, it's just that she's not very intelligent and must have that problem in English too). I have my second consultation with him tomorrow and honestly, he's adding to the stress rather than helping with it. His rude, brusque attitude just doesn't motivate me to do anything he asks me to! I just have to stay positive and remember that he does have helpful things to say, even if he isn't very tactful in his phrasing.
Last weekend I was in London again to celebrate Thanksgiving. Stephen's family invited me to their family dinner and I really couldn't refuse a turkey dinner for the holiday! In general, the French have strange reactions to Thanksgiving which vary from polite disinterest to flat out disbelief. My host family was pretty low key about the whole thing. They've had American students before so they get the general idea, but, as they don't really have an equivalent, I think they had trouble understanding exactly how important it is. To them, it's a minor holiday, on par with Halloween or something. When I explained that it's important to be with friends and family, that it's about celebrating relationships and being thankful, they smiled and nodded. Other students' host families had slightly funnier reactions. One of my friends explained the story of Thanksgiving to her host family (Indians teaching the pilgrims to farm and then sharing a meal together). Their reaction: That can't be a true story. If they taught you how to farm, why did you slaughter them all a hundred years later? So, needless to say, I was very happy to be able to spend the holiday in a family setting. Stephen's aunt had flown in from Austin and his cousin flew back from school in Austin so it ended up being really great. The food was delicious and they were very gracious hosts.
The next day, they treated me to a day of sightseeing! We started out the day at the Tour of London, ate lunch at a hip burger restaurant, took a flight on the London Eye and saw a show at the Old Vic staring Kevin Spacey! Afterward, we even got to meet him! All in all, it was a great day.
Saturday I hopped a train to Oxford to visit Phoebe. I had such an amazing time. First of all, it really does look like Hogwarts. Students even wear robes (for real). The town is also super cute. We walked around for a bit, ate at a café in the vaults of a 12th or 13th century church and generally had a good time. That night was a college bop: a huge party hosted by the college. This time the theme was "anything but cloths" so Phoebe and I made dresses out of plastic Thanksgiving tablecloths and had a great time.
The next day I hopped a train back to London. Unfortunately, however, Stephen's computer broke so we spent a good majority of the day running around trying to find an Apple Store that with an opening in the next 4 weeks. I was tired and London was experiencing lovely November weather (freezing rain), so I was grateful when we finally made it to his family's house for dinner.
Now I'm back in Paris and working on finishing up my final assignments! I have a paper to write for my literature class that's driving me crazy. The paper itself shouldn't be too bad, and I know that my professor is a lenient grader, but, the tutor that Sweet Briar hired to assist us in our classes is a huge pain. He's just not very nice (he told one girl that her problem isn't the language barrier, it's just that she's not very intelligent and must have that problem in English too). I have my second consultation with him tomorrow and honestly, he's adding to the stress rather than helping with it. His rude, brusque attitude just doesn't motivate me to do anything he asks me to! I just have to stay positive and remember that he does have helpful things to say, even if he isn't very tactful in his phrasing.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Une petite visite de mon copain :)
So much has happened since my last entry! First, the main reason I'm here: school. I aced my first round of exams. This was a real confidence booster. Thus far, I think I've been underestimating how much my French has improved. Yes, I know I can function on a day to day basis in French. But keep up with real french students? I didn't think so. It's clear proof that I'm not only comprehensible but fairly articulate in French! It's hard to evaluate how much I've improved while I'm still here, immersed in the learning process. It's good to hit a milestone like this.
In other news, Stephen came for a week-long visit! University College London gives students a week-long break around midterms to he jumped a chunnel and came to visit me. We had an amazing time. We enjoyed the Art Nouveau exhibit at the Musée d'Orsay, I dragged him to the Orangerie and Musée de Rodin, we toured the Palais Garnier and got lost in the Musée des Beaux Arts, we picnicked in Jardin du Luxembourg, we ate at L'As du Falafel, overdosed on sugar with Ladurée macarons and both chocolat chaud and a Mont Blanc at Angelina's, and we got to see Andrew Bird (my favorite musician) in concert! All in all it was a fabulous week.
I can't believe it's the middle of November! The semester has really flown past. The weather isn't even acting like it's almost winter! Today it was sunny and 57 degrees so after class, I took advantage of the weather and read a book in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was absolutely beautiful. Looking towards the end of the semester I have a lot to check off my "To-do in Paris" list. I still haven't explored more than the Richelieu wing of the Louvre (the wing where my class is held), or seen the Musée de Cluny (the medieval arts museum), climbed to the top of the Arc du Triomphe, seen the Archaeological Crypts beneath Notre Dame... the list goes on and on. I also have some traveling to do! I'm planning a weekend in Marseille with a friend from my program. The plan is, two days there, they make our way back to Paris via Lyon for the Fête des Lumieres. It should be a lot of fun. Stephen and I also managed to plan our Christmas break trip: Edinburgh. We had originally talked about doing Venice or Prague, but plane tickets turned out to be very expensive at that time of year, so, we're taking an overnight coach bus to Scotland! It will certainly be an experience :)
In other news, Stephen came for a week-long visit! University College London gives students a week-long break around midterms to he jumped a chunnel and came to visit me. We had an amazing time. We enjoyed the Art Nouveau exhibit at the Musée d'Orsay, I dragged him to the Orangerie and Musée de Rodin, we toured the Palais Garnier and got lost in the Musée des Beaux Arts, we picnicked in Jardin du Luxembourg, we ate at L'As du Falafel, overdosed on sugar with Ladurée macarons and both chocolat chaud and a Mont Blanc at Angelina's, and we got to see Andrew Bird (my favorite musician) in concert! All in all it was a fabulous week.
I can't believe it's the middle of November! The semester has really flown past. The weather isn't even acting like it's almost winter! Today it was sunny and 57 degrees so after class, I took advantage of the weather and read a book in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was absolutely beautiful. Looking towards the end of the semester I have a lot to check off my "To-do in Paris" list. I still haven't explored more than the Richelieu wing of the Louvre (the wing where my class is held), or seen the Musée de Cluny (the medieval arts museum), climbed to the top of the Arc du Triomphe, seen the Archaeological Crypts beneath Notre Dame... the list goes on and on. I also have some traveling to do! I'm planning a weekend in Marseille with a friend from my program. The plan is, two days there, they make our way back to Paris via Lyon for the Fête des Lumieres. It should be a lot of fun. Stephen and I also managed to plan our Christmas break trip: Edinburgh. We had originally talked about doing Venice or Prague, but plane tickets turned out to be very expensive at that time of year, so, we're taking an overnight coach bus to Scotland! It will certainly be an experience :)
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Je suis paraseuse ce weekend.
I am happy to report that I am finally feeling better. Unfortunately, that means it's time to get down to work. My blog has made it very apparent that I'm not doing much "studying" while abroad. The truth of the matter is, the French system is very different from the American system. In theory, French students spend many more hours in class every week (they take more classes and each class meets more often and for longer), but do less work outside of class. The problem is, we American students still only take 15 hours of class a week because that's what our universities will give us credit for. Plus, the light course load gives us time to travel and take advantage of all the city has to offer. Problem: this system is terrible for my study skills. For me, the less I have to do, the harder it is to get anything done. If I'm constantly running around, busy busy busy, everything seems to get done...and on time. Here, it's a different story. Because there's less to do, fewer commitments, and a less rigid daily schedule, it's hard to find a routine. That is why I am currently sitting in bed, blogging although I am still 3 acts away from the end of Le Misanthrope, dreading the in-class essay I have on Tuesday, and wishing I could be in Oxford right now where Stephen and my future roommate Shayna are visiting my friend and future-roommate Phoebe.
On the brightside, Stephen comes to visit on Monday, giving me a strict deadline by which to finish my reading: I must have my studying done by Monday. I'm getting really excited for his visit. It will give me a good excuse to jump back on the Parisian-sightseeing-bandwagon. I still have a long list of things I want to see before the end of the semester and of late, I've been traveling, sick, or attempting to study rather than venturing out into the city too much. And the scary thing is, the semester is reaching the end! I have less than a month and a half of courses left. It's so strange... I don't feel like I've been here two and a half months, the time has really flown by. Then again there are clear signs that I've been in France for quite a while: I can't remember the last time someone has responded to me in English when I speak French to them, I have been asked for directions by French people more than 5 times, I can navigate the metro like a pro (even when my usual route closes due to bomb threats) and I know which way is north, south, east and west better than I do in any American city. Plus, I eat pastries everyday and have actually lost weight without trying... I must be becoming French.
On the brightside, Stephen comes to visit on Monday, giving me a strict deadline by which to finish my reading: I must have my studying done by Monday. I'm getting really excited for his visit. It will give me a good excuse to jump back on the Parisian-sightseeing-bandwagon. I still have a long list of things I want to see before the end of the semester and of late, I've been traveling, sick, or attempting to study rather than venturing out into the city too much. And the scary thing is, the semester is reaching the end! I have less than a month and a half of courses left. It's so strange... I don't feel like I've been here two and a half months, the time has really flown by. Then again there are clear signs that I've been in France for quite a while: I can't remember the last time someone has responded to me in English when I speak French to them, I have been asked for directions by French people more than 5 times, I can navigate the metro like a pro (even when my usual route closes due to bomb threats) and I know which way is north, south, east and west better than I do in any American city. Plus, I eat pastries everyday and have actually lost weight without trying... I must be becoming French.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Le Bon et La Grippe
Hello everyone! Sorry it's been such a long time since my last post. Life has really gotten crazy in both good and not so good ways. Let's start with the good:
My mom, Cheryl and Nancy just finished up their visit! It was so nice to see them and we had a really fabulous time. The weekend before last I met them in Tuscany. My mom had found a little villa in Lajatico through an agrotourism website so we were lucky enough to stay on a real Tuscan farm that produces its own olive oil, wine, grappa, and eggs. We kept busy visiting Volterra, San Gimingano, Lucca, Florence and Pisa, and even took a cooking class! I am proud to say that I can now make my own pasta from scratch! All in all, the weekend was amazing.
On Sunday evening, mom and the aunts followed me back to Paris. They had fun sightseeing while I was in class, and I managed to meet up with them as much as possible. Some highlights: tour of the Palais Garnier (which I had never done before), St. Chapelle (as beautiful as always), the Musée D'Orsay (still my favorite museum in the world, espicially with the current "Art Nouveau Revisited" exhibit), and L'As du Falafel (the famous falafel restaurant in the Marais). By far the best part of the trip however, was dinner with my host family. My host mom was so excited to meet my family and she invited them all to dinner. It was amazing! The boys were all dressed up in little plaid pants and sweaters and they tried to speak English. Amaury (11) was especially adorable because he's normally very shy, but this time was the first to show off his English. For dinner we had radishes (the french way: dipped in salt and eaten with buttered baguette), an amazing veal dish (slow-cooked in white wine for 36 hours...not exaggerating), cheese and cake. It was probably the best meal of my life. I have never tasted anything as amazing as that veal. To top it off, my host mom Sondra was completely adorable. She spoke in English with her French accent and entertained everyone. It was a perfect evening.
Friday morning we hopped a chunnel to London! This was the first weekend I've really done the touristy thing in London. Yes, I've seen a few sights visiting Stephen, but I was saving all of the big things to do with the Family. We started off strong Friday afternoon with a double-decker bus tour that gave us a chance to see all the sights and orient ourselves in the city. That night we met up with Stephen for Indian food. Yum. Saturday we met up at Portobella Market in the morning and browsed the antiques before heading off to Harrods in the afternoon. That night we saw Thriller the musical (which was a lot of fun from our fourth row seats!) and afterwards, Stephen and I went to a Halloween party at his dorm. Sunday we took in the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square and the British Museum (which was insanely crowded because they were holding special events for Dia de los Muertos) before heading back to Harrods.
Now I'm back in Paris, sans family and with the grippe. That's right, I think I have the flu. One of the downsides to living in a family with four young boys is that you are exposed to every germ imaginable. And, considering that every time something goes around I inevitably catch it, now that they have the flu, so do I. The timing wasn't so great either: today was my first Latin exam. It's shocking, I know, I actually have to study abroad. Needless to say, considering the time I spent with the family instead of studying, and my sick, foggy-headedness, I was not in top form for the exam. But on the bright side, according to the French system, this one isn't actually required. The only grade that is actually required is your final exam. All others are considered "optional," they can only help your grade. The plan is to do better the next time around.
The exam lasted the first hour of class and I skipped out on the second half and came home to sleep. I didn't wake up until my host dad knocked on my door 4.5 hours later to tell me dinner was ready. I think I needed that nap. Now, I've been awake for about 2 hours and I'm just about ready to go to bed again. I'll try to be more prompt with the next post!
My mom, Cheryl and Nancy just finished up their visit! It was so nice to see them and we had a really fabulous time. The weekend before last I met them in Tuscany. My mom had found a little villa in Lajatico through an agrotourism website so we were lucky enough to stay on a real Tuscan farm that produces its own olive oil, wine, grappa, and eggs. We kept busy visiting Volterra, San Gimingano, Lucca, Florence and Pisa, and even took a cooking class! I am proud to say that I can now make my own pasta from scratch! All in all, the weekend was amazing.
On Sunday evening, mom and the aunts followed me back to Paris. They had fun sightseeing while I was in class, and I managed to meet up with them as much as possible. Some highlights: tour of the Palais Garnier (which I had never done before), St. Chapelle (as beautiful as always), the Musée D'Orsay (still my favorite museum in the world, espicially with the current "Art Nouveau Revisited" exhibit), and L'As du Falafel (the famous falafel restaurant in the Marais). By far the best part of the trip however, was dinner with my host family. My host mom was so excited to meet my family and she invited them all to dinner. It was amazing! The boys were all dressed up in little plaid pants and sweaters and they tried to speak English. Amaury (11) was especially adorable because he's normally very shy, but this time was the first to show off his English. For dinner we had radishes (the french way: dipped in salt and eaten with buttered baguette), an amazing veal dish (slow-cooked in white wine for 36 hours...not exaggerating), cheese and cake. It was probably the best meal of my life. I have never tasted anything as amazing as that veal. To top it off, my host mom Sondra was completely adorable. She spoke in English with her French accent and entertained everyone. It was a perfect evening.
Friday morning we hopped a chunnel to London! This was the first weekend I've really done the touristy thing in London. Yes, I've seen a few sights visiting Stephen, but I was saving all of the big things to do with the Family. We started off strong Friday afternoon with a double-decker bus tour that gave us a chance to see all the sights and orient ourselves in the city. That night we met up with Stephen for Indian food. Yum. Saturday we met up at Portobella Market in the morning and browsed the antiques before heading off to Harrods in the afternoon. That night we saw Thriller the musical (which was a lot of fun from our fourth row seats!) and afterwards, Stephen and I went to a Halloween party at his dorm. Sunday we took in the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square and the British Museum (which was insanely crowded because they were holding special events for Dia de los Muertos) before heading back to Harrods.
Now I'm back in Paris, sans family and with the grippe. That's right, I think I have the flu. One of the downsides to living in a family with four young boys is that you are exposed to every germ imaginable. And, considering that every time something goes around I inevitably catch it, now that they have the flu, so do I. The timing wasn't so great either: today was my first Latin exam. It's shocking, I know, I actually have to study abroad. Needless to say, considering the time I spent with the family instead of studying, and my sick, foggy-headedness, I was not in top form for the exam. But on the bright side, according to the French system, this one isn't actually required. The only grade that is actually required is your final exam. All others are considered "optional," they can only help your grade. The plan is to do better the next time around.
The exam lasted the first hour of class and I skipped out on the second half and came home to sleep. I didn't wake up until my host dad knocked on my door 4.5 hours later to tell me dinner was ready. I think I needed that nap. Now, I've been awake for about 2 hours and I'm just about ready to go to bed again. I'll try to be more prompt with the next post!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Normadie? Norman-oui!
This weekend I got to go to Normandy! The trip is included in the program, so although I had already visited several spots on the itinerary, I didn't want to pass up a free weekend away. I wasn't disappointed. The trip was worth it if only for the chance to see the ocean (I absolutely love the ocean) and the bath I took in the hotel (this is the first bathtub I've come across in France). Overall, the trip was a lot of fun, but I felt that we didn't spend enough time in any of the places we visited; we got to see everything but we never got to see anything. But I'll make that my sole complaint. I had an absolutely wonderful weekend.
Friday we met at Gare St. Lazare at 8:30 and departed for Bayeux. We had just enough time to see the tapestry (a lot of fun--I love tapestries, and this one was especially kitchy) and eat lunch before getting back on the bus and heading to Omaha Beach. I made a beeline for the ocean and spent some time walking around, enjoying the salty air and taking pictures before reascending the hill and wandering through the American cemetary. We didn't have time to go through the museum before we had to get back on the bus and head out to Pont du Hoc--the location of German bunkers during WWII. All that remains now are giant holes in the ground and some concrete and tangled steel ruins, but barbed wire fences still line the cliffs. After only 45 minutes, it was back on the bus and off to the hotel near Mont St. Michel. There, they fed us and we had the evening to ourselves. I took the opportunity to take a bath because, as I mentioned, this was the first tub I'd seen since arriving in France. It was absolutely glorious after a long day on the cold, windy coast. Several of my friends attempted to find a bar in the small town we were staying in, but returned about 10 minutes later--no luck. So we spent the rest of the evening just hanging around talking.
The next day we got up early for breakfast before heading off to le Mont St. Michel. It was high tide when we arrived so the water still came to the base of the mountain. It looked absolutely magical in the morning light with the fog rising from the water. After a tour of the Abbey, we had enough time to do a little souvenir shopping, but not enough to tour the tidal plains surrounding the mountain. For that I guess I'll have to make a third trip out there! Then it was back on the bus and off to St. Malo. Upon arrival, our first priority was to find lunch. I was extremely excited to take advantage of our seaside location and order a French specialty: Moules frites, mussels drowned in white wine and served with French fries. I tried to teach others at my table to use an empty shell to pluck the mussels from their shells rather than using a fork (which tends to be unwieldy with the small shells), but no one else was a fan of this traditional French trick. After lunch, we met up with the rest of the group to tour an old pirate house (St. Malo is known as a pirate town). I was disappointed to know that the proprietor of this particular house was a poor excuse for a pirate--he was a merchant who committed tax evasion by hiding undocumented merchandise in a secret basement between his house and his neighbor's. After that, I only had time for a hurried tour of the walls (which brought extraordinary views) before we had to jump on the train and head back to Paris.
Friday we met at Gare St. Lazare at 8:30 and departed for Bayeux. We had just enough time to see the tapestry (a lot of fun--I love tapestries, and this one was especially kitchy) and eat lunch before getting back on the bus and heading to Omaha Beach. I made a beeline for the ocean and spent some time walking around, enjoying the salty air and taking pictures before reascending the hill and wandering through the American cemetary. We didn't have time to go through the museum before we had to get back on the bus and head out to Pont du Hoc--the location of German bunkers during WWII. All that remains now are giant holes in the ground and some concrete and tangled steel ruins, but barbed wire fences still line the cliffs. After only 45 minutes, it was back on the bus and off to the hotel near Mont St. Michel. There, they fed us and we had the evening to ourselves. I took the opportunity to take a bath because, as I mentioned, this was the first tub I'd seen since arriving in France. It was absolutely glorious after a long day on the cold, windy coast. Several of my friends attempted to find a bar in the small town we were staying in, but returned about 10 minutes later--no luck. So we spent the rest of the evening just hanging around talking.
The next day we got up early for breakfast before heading off to le Mont St. Michel. It was high tide when we arrived so the water still came to the base of the mountain. It looked absolutely magical in the morning light with the fog rising from the water. After a tour of the Abbey, we had enough time to do a little souvenir shopping, but not enough to tour the tidal plains surrounding the mountain. For that I guess I'll have to make a third trip out there! Then it was back on the bus and off to St. Malo. Upon arrival, our first priority was to find lunch. I was extremely excited to take advantage of our seaside location and order a French specialty: Moules frites, mussels drowned in white wine and served with French fries. I tried to teach others at my table to use an empty shell to pluck the mussels from their shells rather than using a fork (which tends to be unwieldy with the small shells), but no one else was a fan of this traditional French trick. After lunch, we met up with the rest of the group to tour an old pirate house (St. Malo is known as a pirate town). I was disappointed to know that the proprietor of this particular house was a poor excuse for a pirate--he was a merchant who committed tax evasion by hiding undocumented merchandise in a secret basement between his house and his neighbor's. After that, I only had time for a hurried tour of the walls (which brought extraordinary views) before we had to jump on the train and head back to Paris.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Back to Paris, back to work
This morning I took a 5:25 eurostar back from London. Yes, I went to London again. I wasn't planning on frequenting the city so often, but tickets were too cheap to pass up! So, I left Friday morning at 6:43 again, and again, had a wonderful weekend.
Stephen is now living in the dorms, so this time, I got to hang out in a more collegiate environment and meet all his friends! On one hand, I'm slightly jealous of his living in the dorms. Don't get me wrong, I'm still loving my current host family, but he's actually making friends his age from England, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, etc. There are parties every weekend he can go to, and everyone lives close by so he doesn't have the hassle of trying to get people together from all different ends of the city. But, I suppose it's a trade off. In France, without the experience of immersion in my French family, my language skills would definitely not be improving as quickly as they are. So, in the end, I guess I'll just have to enjoy English dorm-life while I visit and French-home-cooking when I'm here.
Friday was a day of relaxation. I got next to no sleep the night before, so the morning started off with a long nap. We spent the afternoon wandering around and doing a little shopping. Jil Sander did a line with the Japanese brand Uni Qlo (their version of the Gap), so I wanted to visit the store and check it out. I walked out very happy with a pair of black skinny jeans for about 20 GBP after my student discount. That evening, we splurged on dinner at an Italian seafood restaurant called Pescatori. It was amazing. After a meal of calamari, hand twisted pasta cooked perfectly al-dente in a pesto sauce with prawns (for me), seafood risotto (for Stephen), a bottle of inexpensive and extremely delicious white wine, espresso, and grappa (for Stephen) we were absolutely stuffed. We made our way back to the dorm where I got to meet some of his friends at a party. However, I was tired and too full of pasta to move, so we turned in early.
Saturday we took a train to Milton-Keaynes, a bus to Buckingham, and finally, after calling a taxi from a grocery store, arrived at Stowe house: a real English country estate. The house is famous for its landscape gardens, which, as you walk through them, are supposed to simulate a journey from life, to death and through the afterlife according to classical tradition. The gardens were truly amazing and we had our own private tour which lasted about an hour and a half. The day was chilly so after our tour, we had tea, scones and cake in the little tea room. When we were finished, we walked by the information desk to see if they could call us a cab back to Buckingham, and, to our surprise, the little old woman working the desk offered to drive us all the way back to Milton-Keaynes when her shift was over! We gladly took her up on the offer, avoiding both the taxi and bus ride, and benefiting from her knowledge of the area's history as we made our way back to the train station. That evening, we grabbed dim sum (including pork buns, one of my all-time favorite foods) from a neighborhood restaurant and met his friends for dessert at Yog (pronounced y-ah-g) the British version of Fro-yo (which, as you might have guessed, the British pronounce y-ah-gurt).
Sunday we had the chance to do what I had been planning to do since my first trip to London: visit the Tate modern. The museum was great: modern, kooky, and all that, without being as inaccessible as the Centre Pompidou (no meat dresses or naked woman-holding-upside-down-chicken-video-art here). That evening, we met up with his friends again for Indian food. Which was very tasty.
Now, I'm back in Paris and it's time to get down to business: Homework. Thus far, I've done a pretty good job putting it off, but class is at 8 a.m. tomorrow so there's no more time for procrastinating!
Stephen is now living in the dorms, so this time, I got to hang out in a more collegiate environment and meet all his friends! On one hand, I'm slightly jealous of his living in the dorms. Don't get me wrong, I'm still loving my current host family, but he's actually making friends his age from England, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, etc. There are parties every weekend he can go to, and everyone lives close by so he doesn't have the hassle of trying to get people together from all different ends of the city. But, I suppose it's a trade off. In France, without the experience of immersion in my French family, my language skills would definitely not be improving as quickly as they are. So, in the end, I guess I'll just have to enjoy English dorm-life while I visit and French-home-cooking when I'm here.
Friday was a day of relaxation. I got next to no sleep the night before, so the morning started off with a long nap. We spent the afternoon wandering around and doing a little shopping. Jil Sander did a line with the Japanese brand Uni Qlo (their version of the Gap), so I wanted to visit the store and check it out. I walked out very happy with a pair of black skinny jeans for about 20 GBP after my student discount. That evening, we splurged on dinner at an Italian seafood restaurant called Pescatori. It was amazing. After a meal of calamari, hand twisted pasta cooked perfectly al-dente in a pesto sauce with prawns (for me), seafood risotto (for Stephen), a bottle of inexpensive and extremely delicious white wine, espresso, and grappa (for Stephen) we were absolutely stuffed. We made our way back to the dorm where I got to meet some of his friends at a party. However, I was tired and too full of pasta to move, so we turned in early.
Saturday we took a train to Milton-Keaynes, a bus to Buckingham, and finally, after calling a taxi from a grocery store, arrived at Stowe house: a real English country estate. The house is famous for its landscape gardens, which, as you walk through them, are supposed to simulate a journey from life, to death and through the afterlife according to classical tradition. The gardens were truly amazing and we had our own private tour which lasted about an hour and a half. The day was chilly so after our tour, we had tea, scones and cake in the little tea room. When we were finished, we walked by the information desk to see if they could call us a cab back to Buckingham, and, to our surprise, the little old woman working the desk offered to drive us all the way back to Milton-Keaynes when her shift was over! We gladly took her up on the offer, avoiding both the taxi and bus ride, and benefiting from her knowledge of the area's history as we made our way back to the train station. That evening, we grabbed dim sum (including pork buns, one of my all-time favorite foods) from a neighborhood restaurant and met his friends for dessert at Yog (pronounced y-ah-g) the British version of Fro-yo (which, as you might have guessed, the British pronounce y-ah-gurt).
Sunday we had the chance to do what I had been planning to do since my first trip to London: visit the Tate modern. The museum was great: modern, kooky, and all that, without being as inaccessible as the Centre Pompidou (no meat dresses or naked woman-holding-upside-down-chicken-video-art here). That evening, we met up with his friends again for Indian food. Which was very tasty.
Now, I'm back in Paris and it's time to get down to business: Homework. Thus far, I've done a pretty good job putting it off, but class is at 8 a.m. tomorrow so there's no more time for procrastinating!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
La rentrée
Monday was my first day of class in a real French University with real French students. Right now, I will say (tentatively) that it went well. On the plus side, two different French girls asked me if they were in the right place for Littérature Classique. I count this as a win because a) I looked French and b) I looked like I knew what I was doing. However, my first lecture was very difficult. The professor talked very quickly and did not articulate particularly well, so it took all of my brain power just to listen and follow what he was saying. In the end, I hardly got any notes down because it took too much effort just to listen and comprehend, let alone worrying about the phrasing, spelling, and organization of notes. But I did follow everything he was saying. So overall, it was another win.
This morning, I had my first discussion section for this class. When the French say discussion section, what they actually mean is a three hour lecture for 50 people as opposed to 300. And it started at 8 a.m. To top it off, I could not just roll out of bed and rush off to class. I live a half hour metro ride away from the first and second year building at Malsherbes and wasn't sure of the classroom! So, I arrived at the building at 7:30. Thankfully, this building is arranged logically, unlike the mess formally known as the Sorbonne proper, and all classroom-searching went smoothly.
As for the class itself, I sat closer to the front where it was easier to hear the professor (who spoke much more clearly than the last one), and I was actually able to get some good notes! They're not perfect, and I've been doing a lot of verifying online, but overall, it went very well. However, I am a little worried about our assignments. Our grade is based on two in-class essays and an oral presentation. Both of these tasks are quite daunting given the fact that I write much slower than the average French student, I like to have both at dictionary and grammar book beside me as I write, and, it's even harder to speak eloquently (especially under pressure) than to write eloquently in French! Hopefully after a couple weeks I'll get into the swing of things, and with some practice, neither assignment will eat me alive.
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to sleeping in, then art history at the Louvre! Bonne nuit tout le monde!
This morning, I had my first discussion section for this class. When the French say discussion section, what they actually mean is a three hour lecture for 50 people as opposed to 300. And it started at 8 a.m. To top it off, I could not just roll out of bed and rush off to class. I live a half hour metro ride away from the first and second year building at Malsherbes and wasn't sure of the classroom! So, I arrived at the building at 7:30. Thankfully, this building is arranged logically, unlike the mess formally known as the Sorbonne proper, and all classroom-searching went smoothly.
As for the class itself, I sat closer to the front where it was easier to hear the professor (who spoke much more clearly than the last one), and I was actually able to get some good notes! They're not perfect, and I've been doing a lot of verifying online, but overall, it went very well. However, I am a little worried about our assignments. Our grade is based on two in-class essays and an oral presentation. Both of these tasks are quite daunting given the fact that I write much slower than the average French student, I like to have both at dictionary and grammar book beside me as I write, and, it's even harder to speak eloquently (especially under pressure) than to write eloquently in French! Hopefully after a couple weeks I'll get into the swing of things, and with some practice, neither assignment will eat me alive.
Tomorrow I'm looking forward to sleeping in, then art history at the Louvre! Bonne nuit tout le monde!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Maintenant, la vie est belle
After a rather stressful week, I'm finally settled in with a new host family. That's right, I moved! There was nothing egregiously wrong with my former host family, we just didn't click. I found myself spending more and more time on my own in my room, and naturally, started feeling lonely. I didn't want to spend the entire semester hiding away, never feeling like I was at home where I was living, so I decided it was time to switch. Overall, the move went very smoothly. I moved in with Aurora so she helped me move my bags, and we were out of there in 15 minutes.
What did not go so smoothly was the fallout. Soon after the move was complete, I got a phonecall from my former host mom. It started out cordially enough. She was clearly sad that I had decided to leave, but did not sound angry and invited me to coffee to say goodbye properly. As soon as I agreed, her tone switched. She became insulting and condescending, basically telling me over and over that I was "mal élévée" (literally, poorly brought up, but in French the insult connotes being poorly educated and therefore low-class, as well as being impolite). I kept trying to apologize, but she refused to let me speak or explain anything. After she continued to tell me that this whole situation was probably due to inner conflicts of my own that I really need to work out, I finally hung up the phone. Needless to say, we will not be meeting for coffee. I am at least glad this conversation happened on the phone and not in person.
On a happier note, I am now moved in with my new host family and sooooo much happier! They are a young couple who work from home and have four young boys! The youngest is 18 months and the oldest is 13. I can't tell you how nice it is to be in a place where there's activity going on! They're very warm, very welcoming, and extremely talkative. So far, there doesn't seem to be a dull moment.
On top of that, my new host mom is an amazing cook! She told me that her goal is to cook something traditionally French for us every night! I'm in heaven. Last night, we had cassoulet--a dish from the Southwestern region of the country. It's a very rich dish (cooked, as the name suggests, in a casserole-like dish) with white beans, sausage of Toulouse, and duck confit. The beans soaked up the rich duck fat and everything was extremely tender. Absolutely delicious.
Looking forward to the rest of the semester, I am now extremely optimistic. I'm excited by the prospect to coming home everyday to this family, and I'm looking forward to starting classes at the Sorbonne on Monday! Thursday I went into the undergraduate offices at Malsherbes and formally enrolled in my subsections. Unfortunately, I didn't get the Latin subsection that I wanted, but the administrators of my program assure me that if I show up to the section I actually want, the professor will let me in. I feel like my semester abroad is finally starting!
What did not go so smoothly was the fallout. Soon after the move was complete, I got a phonecall from my former host mom. It started out cordially enough. She was clearly sad that I had decided to leave, but did not sound angry and invited me to coffee to say goodbye properly. As soon as I agreed, her tone switched. She became insulting and condescending, basically telling me over and over that I was "mal élévée" (literally, poorly brought up, but in French the insult connotes being poorly educated and therefore low-class, as well as being impolite). I kept trying to apologize, but she refused to let me speak or explain anything. After she continued to tell me that this whole situation was probably due to inner conflicts of my own that I really need to work out, I finally hung up the phone. Needless to say, we will not be meeting for coffee. I am at least glad this conversation happened on the phone and not in person.
On a happier note, I am now moved in with my new host family and sooooo much happier! They are a young couple who work from home and have four young boys! The youngest is 18 months and the oldest is 13. I can't tell you how nice it is to be in a place where there's activity going on! They're very warm, very welcoming, and extremely talkative. So far, there doesn't seem to be a dull moment.
On top of that, my new host mom is an amazing cook! She told me that her goal is to cook something traditionally French for us every night! I'm in heaven. Last night, we had cassoulet--a dish from the Southwestern region of the country. It's a very rich dish (cooked, as the name suggests, in a casserole-like dish) with white beans, sausage of Toulouse, and duck confit. The beans soaked up the rich duck fat and everything was extremely tender. Absolutely delicious.
Looking forward to the rest of the semester, I am now extremely optimistic. I'm excited by the prospect to coming home everyday to this family, and I'm looking forward to starting classes at the Sorbonne on Monday! Thursday I went into the undergraduate offices at Malsherbes and formally enrolled in my subsections. Unfortunately, I didn't get the Latin subsection that I wanted, but the administrators of my program assure me that if I show up to the section I actually want, the professor will let me in. I feel like my semester abroad is finally starting!
Monday, September 28, 2009
La vie à Paris
Saturday I got up early and hopped a train to Vernon, jumped on a bus to Giverny, and arrived at Monet's gardens. It was a beautiful day: clear blue sky, 75 degrees, and breezy. It felt so nice to get around the city and just wander around the gardens for the morning. The garden isn't sculpted and elegant like most famous French gardens, rather, everything seems to be overflowing. The late flowers were in full bloom, and a few water lilies still remained on the pond. What was most amazing to me was the clarity of the reflections on the surface of the water. I have never seen such a perfectly mirror-like surface.Because we arrived early, we were able to wander around at our own pace without crowds rushing us on. After a couple of hours my friends seemed ready to move on, but I was wishing I had brought a book and could just spend the entire day reading in the garden. However, they managed to pull me away and we stopped in a Creperie for lunch. We drank cidre out of tea cups, each ordered a savory crepe, and split two dessert crepes: one raspberry and one nutella.
Later that night, we met up again at a fondue restaurant in Monmartre. It's a tiny hole-in-the-wall place where you literally have to climb over the table to get into your seat if you're sitting against the wall, and they serve wine out of baby bottles. We had a really good time and afterward, we bought a bottle of cheap champagne from the grocery store that's in the movie Amelie, and sat by the Loire (which is a surprisingly popular gathering place at night in the summer) and shared it.
Sunday I went to the Centre Pompidou, the modern art museum with Aurora and Heather. I'm not going to lie, there were quite a few pieces that I just didn't get. Namely, the video of a naked woman holding a chicken upside down by its feet, the dress made out of meat, and the dead bird in a miniature bathtub. But afterward, we walked across Île-Saint-Louis and stopped for ice cream at the famous Berthillon. The weather was beautiful again so the line was incredibly long, but the wait was definitely worth it. I got a giant waffle cone with dark chocolate nougat, gingerbread, and salted caramel. Yum.
In other news, I finally figured out my class schedule! I was starting to worry that I would not be able to complete my French major (it's my second major) because the French course I needed to fulfill a very important requirement conflicted with my Latin class. But today, after about an hour and a half wandering the Sorbonne (the office number does not correspond at all to the floor it's on), I managed to find the Latin office and found their course listings (they don't post these things online here...ughh...) and found two other Latin courses which fit into my schedule and don't conflict with French Lit! Yay! Now I just have to go through the same ordeal and find the actual classroom at a different building in a different part of Paris...joy... But I can't wait to actually start classes on Oct. 5.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Chez Moi
After about one month in France, I am happy to report that it is starting to feel like home. It's little things that make me realize this: I understand conversations I overhear on the métro without really listening, I'm forming thoughts in French, navigating public transportation is becoming second nature, French people I meet seem surprised that I'm American. I'm starting to feel like this is my country--I'm starting to feel comfortable.
That's not to say I've given up on being a tourist. Monday I visited the Musée d'Orangerie and got to check one major item off my to-see list: Monet's waterlilies. The series is housed in three oblong-shaped rooms, light by skylights. The paintings follow the curve of the walls and as I stood in the center of the room, I truly had the sensation of being on an island in the center of a pond, surrounded by cool blue water, lilies in various stages of bloom, reeds and weeping willows. It was absolutely beautiful, and especially meaningful after studying the paintings, their history, their context and Monet's personal attachment to them last semester. They truly are a statement of peace in beauty in the imminent face of World War I.
After the l'Orangerie, I walked along the Seine all the way to Île-de-la-Cité to see Notre Dame. The sun was beginning to set and the western light hit the face of the cathedral perfectly. Inside, the shone perfectly through the stained glass--everything was aglow, yet without the harsh glare of direct light. To add to the experience, a monk was performing Gregorian chants and burning incense. The effect was magnificent--the perfect way to see the cathedral.
Tuesday I had the day off of class so Aurora and I took the RER to Versailles. As expected the château was both incredibly opulent, and incredibly crowded. Though the 17th century is not my favorite period in art and architecture (I prefer a little less gold and don't think it necessary to have a portrait of Louis XIV in every room), I was glad to have seen it.
In other news, while my courses at the Sorbonne have not yet commenced, I have started my Sweet Briar classes and am very happy to get back to the world of academics. Both my writing and art history professors are very animated and very effective teachers, so I look forward to the upcoming semester. However, I'm still a little worried about my classes at the Sorbonne. All of the courses I want to take seem to overlap so coming up with a schedule that works has been very difficult. I finally figured out a plan, but I'm not sure if the French literature class I have selected with count for the credit I need. I've emailed the study-abroad contact in the French department and am still waiting approval. Hopefully I will know before classes start on October 5.
That's not to say I've given up on being a tourist. Monday I visited the Musée d'Orangerie and got to check one major item off my to-see list: Monet's waterlilies. The series is housed in three oblong-shaped rooms, light by skylights. The paintings follow the curve of the walls and as I stood in the center of the room, I truly had the sensation of being on an island in the center of a pond, surrounded by cool blue water, lilies in various stages of bloom, reeds and weeping willows. It was absolutely beautiful, and especially meaningful after studying the paintings, their history, their context and Monet's personal attachment to them last semester. They truly are a statement of peace in beauty in the imminent face of World War I.
After the l'Orangerie, I walked along the Seine all the way to Île-de-la-Cité to see Notre Dame. The sun was beginning to set and the western light hit the face of the cathedral perfectly. Inside, the shone perfectly through the stained glass--everything was aglow, yet without the harsh glare of direct light. To add to the experience, a monk was performing Gregorian chants and burning incense. The effect was magnificent--the perfect way to see the cathedral.
Tuesday I had the day off of class so Aurora and I took the RER to Versailles. As expected the château was both incredibly opulent, and incredibly crowded. Though the 17th century is not my favorite period in art and architecture (I prefer a little less gold and don't think it necessary to have a portrait of Louis XIV in every room), I was glad to have seen it.
In other news, while my courses at the Sorbonne have not yet commenced, I have started my Sweet Briar classes and am very happy to get back to the world of academics. Both my writing and art history professors are very animated and very effective teachers, so I look forward to the upcoming semester. However, I'm still a little worried about my classes at the Sorbonne. All of the courses I want to take seem to overlap so coming up with a schedule that works has been very difficult. I finally figured out a plan, but I'm not sure if the French literature class I have selected with count for the credit I need. I've emailed the study-abroad contact in the French department and am still waiting approval. Hopefully I will know before classes start on October 5.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
London and other such nonsense.
After three spectacular days in London, it is now in the running for my favorite city in the whole world. I had a fabulous time and am already counting down the days until I return (40!). I'll start from the beginning:
I woke up Thursday morning at 4:30 a.m. and was out of the house by 5:10. I arrived at the métro station about 5 minutes later, only to find out that the first train doesn't reach Place de Clichey until 5:35. Unfortunately, it's not just early-risers who take the metro at 5:30 in the morning. There was a rather large contingent of people still up from the night before, most of whom smelled pretty ripe. However, I made it to Gare du Nord safely, went through customs (not without a little hassle when I didn't know the address I'd be staying at in the UK), boarded the train and immediately passed out.
Stephen met me in the train station. It was so good to see a familiar face! We ran back to his aunt and uncle's house where I met his aunt Marianne and dropped off my stuff before we headed out to get breakfast in Hampstead. I chickened out and did not get the full English Breakfast like Stephen did. However, I did pick sausages, tomatoes and mushrooms off his plate (as per usual) to add to my order of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and toast.
After breakfast we hopped on the tube (which was infinitely cleaner than the Métro) and took it down to Trafalgar Square. We walked by the National Gallery and spontaneously decided to breeze through a special exhibit of landscapes by Corot, Monet and others. Afterwards, we walked...and walked...and walked...down Bond Street, Oxford Street, New Oxford Street... By the time we stopped for tea around 3:30 my feet were killing me, but I couldn't have been happier. I love just walking around a new city, enjoying the architecture and atmosphere.
Tea at the Wolseley was absolutely wonderful. We each got a pot of tea, scones, assorted finger sandwiches and pastries. Everything was delicious and we left full and well rested. We even saw a minor celebrity there! As we got there, Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) was just leaving.
After tea, we walked along the Thames and across the Millenium Bridge towards the Tate Modern. It was our plan to explore the museum before going to see As You Like It at the Globe. However, we got there with only an hour to spare before we were supposed to line up for the show. So instead, we got drinks and oysters at the Swan, a little pub attached to the Globe. As You Like It was amazing. The entire cast was absolutely hilarious, and there's nothing like dirty Elizabethan jokes. However, we were groundlings and had to stand. The atmosphere was unbeatable--there was only one row of people between us and the stage--but by the end both of us could hardly stand our feet hurt so badly. So, we went home and immediately crashed.
The next day we had planned to sleep in but I accidentally got up early. I didn't know that my phone wouldn't automatically switch timezones so it was set an hour later! Apparently, Orange (my cellphone company here) has technology advanced enough to know when I leave France and then bombard me with text messages about Concierge services, etc. but switching timezones is just too difficult.
We ate breakfast at the house and then set off again for some sightseeing. We started off at the Natural History museum. I had read on the website that they had a blue whale there so obviously, I had to go see how big the largest mammal actually is. Stephen informed by that this is a standard attraction at most Natural History museums, and is not in fact, unique to London. However, never having been to a Natural History museum, I dragged him there anyway. It turns out, that what they actually have is a real blue whale skeleton. The "whale" is a life-size model with the actual skeleton hanging over it. Lame. But the building was really lovely and we had fun looking around a bit.
Next we headed over to the Victoria & Albert museum which houses an enormous collection of decorative arts. The museum is absolutely massive. To see it all would take days, so we limited ourselves to the fashion and jewelry exhibits. The jewelry was my favorite part. The collection was stunning, spanning from 2500 B.C. to present and housed in an ultra modern two-story series of rooms that reminded me of some high-security bank vault you would see in a movie. Everything was black and the room was dark save the light from the display cases.
After the B&A we were starving so we wandered around looking at restaurant menus until we decided on Dim Sum. The food was fabulous. I have a weakness for the little pork buns, and they had a prawn dumpling in chili sauce that was fabulous.
After lunch, we ran across the street to Harrods to browse. We ran all around the store looking at pretty things we can't afford and then went down to the food stalls, where there were free Champagne and rum tastings. So, after two glasses of Champagne and a few samples of rum, we headed over to Ladurée for a snack. I had a really pretty pastry with raspberries, hazelnut meringue, and many other layers of yumminess I can't remember. It was amazing.
Finally, after another long day, we headed back for my first ever Rosh Hashanah dinner. Stephen's family is hilarious and the food was amazing. After dinner, we watched a couple episodes of Mad Men and turned in early.
Saturday we were so exhausted from running all over London for two days straight, we slept until 10:30 and were still exhausted so we decided to take it easy and stay in the neighborhood for the day. We ate breakfast then went out to explore Hampstead. We walked around, visiting different shops, and stopped at a pub for lunch and a pint of cider. We shared fish and chips with mushy peas and an antipasti platter, before heading off to visit the Keats' House. Apparently, Keats lived in Hampstead right down the road from Stephen's aunt and uncle. The house was cute with a nice little garden in back.
After the Keats' house, we were ready to rest our sore feet again so we headed back to relax, grab some food and watch The Graduate before my train left. Stephen had never seen it before and I thought he would really like it. He did, but I destroyed all respect he had for Wes Anderson when he realized that Anderson's entire style was stolen from that movie.
I got back to France without any problems, but I already miss London! I had an amazing three days and can't wait to go back.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Rainy Days in Paris
Since my last post, the euphoria about being in Paris has started to wear off. I am still loving this city and incredibly grateful to be here, but it's starting to feel less like a fairytale and more like a real city.
My first day here was the only sunny day we've had thus far. Every day since has been cloudy, gray, and cold. The weather feels like October in Minnesota. In my imagination, Paris wasn't rainy and dreary like this, and I definitely couldn't catch colds like the one I feel coming on!
But besides the gloomy weather, my relationship with my host family still has not improved. Everything here is perfectly fine, I just wish they seemed more interested or excited about me. Instead, I feel a little like a boarder renting a room here, and that gets a little lonely. It just seems like the host family experience here is much less personal than what I was expecting.
I've been dealing with this little case of the blues by getting out and walking. I've explored the Marais, the 8th and the 16th. Paris is such a beautiful city that just walking around, enjoying the architecture, looking for fashionably dressed people and cute little dogs, tends to cheer me up.
Today, I wandered down to the 16th to the Musée de Marmottan. I love the Impressionists so this was a really wonderful experience for me. I got to see a lot of pieces I have studied in books, which was really really nice. I was particularly interested in seeing one of my favorite paintings, a Berthe Morisot piece. I love Morisot because of what she accomplished as a woman working in a sector usually reserved for men, and gaining really clout in the art world. At the time of her death, her pieces were selling better than Monet's and all of the other male Impressionists. Her personal history is like a 19th century soap opera, and I really had a good time studying her last semester. I particularly like "Jeune fille au bal" because of the girl's expression. She's not one of Renoir's doe-eyed, rosy cheeked girls. Her gazed is focused, discerning and intelligent.
After my visit, I stopped in the gift shop to pick up a couple of postcards and a poster of "Jeune fille au bal." Art museums in general have a very calming effect on me, so I left feeling a lot more zen about my living situation.
Now, I'm back at the apartment, eating a bowl of cereal and packing up. I'm heading off to London Thursday-Sunday to visit Stephen!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Le premier jour à Paris
Yesterday was a very full day. I marche-ed until I could not marche anymore. Aurora and I decided to enjoy our first day in the city by walking around and exploring. We started out the day in Monmartre, winding our way up the hill to Sacré Coeur. There were tons of people there, speaking dozens of different languages. We went into the church, walked around a little, then parked ourselves on the grass outside to people watch and plan our route from there. Outside, besides the hundreds of tourists, there were street musicians (including a man who had managed to station his full-sized harp on the steps), men selling model Eiffel Towers and cheap plastic sunglasses. There were plenty of interesting characters to hold our attention as we took a quick break.
From there, we went down the hill and made our way to the Cemitière de Monmartre. It was a beautiful day--70s with a bright blue sky. Unfortunately, we both forgot our sunglasses and wound up squinting all day long. We won't make that mistake again! We got to the cemetary and consulted the map so we could find the graves of some of the famous people buried there (Zola, Berlioz, Degas, Dumas, Stendahl, etc.). Despite this effort, we were woefully unsuccessful. We didn't manage to find a single famous grave!
From there, we made our way back towards the 9th, grabbing a quick lunch from a boulangerie on the way. Sandwiches (on baguette of course), fancy pastries, and sodas, all for 5 euro. Yum yum yum. We ate on some park benches in front Église de la Trinité, the church my host parents go to.
From there, we continued to Galleries Lafayette to do some window shopping. The flagship store is seriously the most beautiful store, and one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. It carries every designer brand you could possibly think of. Aurora and I had fun just walking around all of the fancy clothes. Everything was so entirely out of our price range there was no temptation to buy.
Afterwards, we hit the streets again and walked all the way to the Louvre. Aurora wasn't in the mood for a museum so we walked around the Tulleries and then down by the Seine. Finally, we grabbed the metro home. It was one very full, very fun day.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Finallement: Paris.
I'm here! Je suis arrivée! The bus ride from Tours was painfully long without jetlag to knock me out, but I survived and I'm IN PARIS!!!! I was definitely sad to leave my host family but I'm excited by all that lies ahead for me in Paris.
Saying goodbye to the Chidiacs this morning was definitely difficult. I felt a little choked up leaving such a warm, welcoming, generous family. Thus far, my Paris family just isn't the same. Then again, the bar has been set extremely high! My first impression of the Fouques are a little more formal, a little less engaged than the Chidiacs. This isn't necessarily bad, it will simply be a different experience. Whereas the Chidiacs were quick to ask me to help with dinner, take me out at night, and socialize with me, the Fouques seem to want to give me my space. With them, in Paris, I'll just have to be a little more outgoing and independent. They have a daughter who is 21 and lives in the same apartment building as them, though not on the same floor, so tonight for dinner it was just me and the host parents.
That said, the Fouques are very nice and we had a lovely conversation at dinner. Both of my French families have been very very interested in the American healthcare debate, which I'm happy to discuss with them. It's very satisfying to know that I can carry on a complex conversation about a current issue in French! After that, talk turned to art history. My host father is an architect and when I told him that my family had Scandinavian heritage, he ran to get a couple of books on Scandinavian painters. He particularly likes the Swedish watercolorist Carl Larson. A couple of the more abstract paintings he showed me reminded me a lot of Grandpa Jensen and Howard's paintings.
Tomorrow I have nothing on my agenda so the plan is to get lost in Paris! I'm thinking of meeting up with a friend or too, wandering aimlessly, and taking in the sights. I can't wait to experience Paris!
Saying goodbye to the Chidiacs this morning was definitely difficult. I felt a little choked up leaving such a warm, welcoming, generous family. Thus far, my Paris family just isn't the same. Then again, the bar has been set extremely high! My first impression of the Fouques are a little more formal, a little less engaged than the Chidiacs. This isn't necessarily bad, it will simply be a different experience. Whereas the Chidiacs were quick to ask me to help with dinner, take me out at night, and socialize with me, the Fouques seem to want to give me my space. With them, in Paris, I'll just have to be a little more outgoing and independent. They have a daughter who is 21 and lives in the same apartment building as them, though not on the same floor, so tonight for dinner it was just me and the host parents.
That said, the Fouques are very nice and we had a lovely conversation at dinner. Both of my French families have been very very interested in the American healthcare debate, which I'm happy to discuss with them. It's very satisfying to know that I can carry on a complex conversation about a current issue in French! After that, talk turned to art history. My host father is an architect and when I told him that my family had Scandinavian heritage, he ran to get a couple of books on Scandinavian painters. He particularly likes the Swedish watercolorist Carl Larson. A couple of the more abstract paintings he showed me reminded me a lot of Grandpa Jensen and Howard's paintings.
Tomorrow I have nothing on my agenda so the plan is to get lost in Paris! I'm thinking of meeting up with a friend or too, wandering aimlessly, and taking in the sights. I can't wait to experience Paris!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
News news news!
It has been a few days since my last post so I have lots of updates! First, I'll explain my absence from the blog: my computer crashed! In fact, I was trying to post a lovely new update when the problems began. The connection was slow, things weren't working, etc. so I tried to reboot the computer. When I did, it couldn't restart! I brought it to a shop in Tours and, after my host dad called and talked to them, they were able to fix it right away.
So, to recap everything that has happened since my last post:
Chenonceau
The entire group went to Chateau Chenonceau last Saturday. All in all it was a great time. I had already been when I traveled with Leah and Shana in 2006, but it was equally beautiful this time. It is easily my favorite chateau both for it's history and it's architecture. Not only is it incredibly picturesque, spanning the river, but it is also surrounded by beautiful, meticulously maintained gardens. It was built by François I (who reigned at the same time as Henry VIII ruled England) for his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. When François died, his wife, Catherine de Medici, seized the castle for herself, "trading" Diane for the less valuable Chaumont (which I visited later with my host family). I don't blame them for fighting over it! It's really beautiful.
Chaumont
Sunday I visited Chaumont with my host mom and Mika, the Japanese student who also lives with us. It is famous for it's gardens and there was an exhibition going on. Some gardens were modeled after paintings or inspired by poems, others were purely artistic. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people (and dogs) there to enjoy the weather.
On a fait l'equitation
My oldest host sister, Emilie, rides horses at a club just across the river from Tours, on the grounds of an old chateau (which, in France, is apparently a very normal place to have a riding club), so she invited me to take a lesson with her! I was very excited to participate and get to ride while I was there but a little nervous about the language barrier. Vocabulary like girth, stirrup, right lead, etc. never really came up in French class! But I had a very nice horse and ended up having a great time. Mika had never even touched a horse before and had a great time coming to watch and feeding the horses sugar cubes after we were done. It was impossible to get a clear picture of her feeding the horses because their noses tickled her hands so much she squirmed and squealed!
Cooking Class
Today I took a cooking class that was offered through my program. After classes, ten of us headed over to a professor's house to learn to make Tarte Tatin, the French version of apple pie. It was a lot of fun and the result was very tasty. Especially with the hard cider (a specialty of Normandy) that our professor provided.
In other news
After cooking class, I returned to the Institute to pick up my housing assignment for Paris! I will be living in the 9th arrondissement near the Opera, Galleries Lafayettes and Printemps! The Monsieur Fouque is an architecht and his wife works for a bank. They have three children, but I don't know their ages yet. Knowing where I'll be living makes me even more excited to go to Paris! That said, I will be sad to leave my host family here in Tours. The Chidiacs have been incredibly kind and welcoming. I can't imagine having a better experience with a host family. I can only hope that my Parisian family is half as wonderful as they are.
So, to recap everything that has happened since my last post:
Chenonceau
The entire group went to Chateau Chenonceau last Saturday. All in all it was a great time. I had already been when I traveled with Leah and Shana in 2006, but it was equally beautiful this time. It is easily my favorite chateau both for it's history and it's architecture. Not only is it incredibly picturesque, spanning the river, but it is also surrounded by beautiful, meticulously maintained gardens. It was built by François I (who reigned at the same time as Henry VIII ruled England) for his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. When François died, his wife, Catherine de Medici, seized the castle for herself, "trading" Diane for the less valuable Chaumont (which I visited later with my host family). I don't blame them for fighting over it! It's really beautiful.
Chaumont
Sunday I visited Chaumont with my host mom and Mika, the Japanese student who also lives with us. It is famous for it's gardens and there was an exhibition going on. Some gardens were modeled after paintings or inspired by poems, others were purely artistic. It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people (and dogs) there to enjoy the weather.
On a fait l'equitation
My oldest host sister, Emilie, rides horses at a club just across the river from Tours, on the grounds of an old chateau (which, in France, is apparently a very normal place to have a riding club), so she invited me to take a lesson with her! I was very excited to participate and get to ride while I was there but a little nervous about the language barrier. Vocabulary like girth, stirrup, right lead, etc. never really came up in French class! But I had a very nice horse and ended up having a great time. Mika had never even touched a horse before and had a great time coming to watch and feeding the horses sugar cubes after we were done. It was impossible to get a clear picture of her feeding the horses because their noses tickled her hands so much she squirmed and squealed!
Cooking Class
Today I took a cooking class that was offered through my program. After classes, ten of us headed over to a professor's house to learn to make Tarte Tatin, the French version of apple pie. It was a lot of fun and the result was very tasty. Especially with the hard cider (a specialty of Normandy) that our professor provided.
In other news
After cooking class, I returned to the Institute to pick up my housing assignment for Paris! I will be living in the 9th arrondissement near the Opera, Galleries Lafayettes and Printemps! The Monsieur Fouque is an architecht and his wife works for a bank. They have three children, but I don't know their ages yet. Knowing where I'll be living makes me even more excited to go to Paris! That said, I will be sad to leave my host family here in Tours. The Chidiacs have been incredibly kind and welcoming. I can't imagine having a better experience with a host family. I can only hope that my Parisian family is half as wonderful as they are.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Oh Galleries Lafayette how you taunt me...
For the first time since I arrived in France, we had bad weather. It rained almost all day. Perhaps the weather was simply reflecting the feelings of French children today: it was their first day of school. As I walked to class this morning, parents were walking their children to school. There are no school buses so everyone walks or takes public transportation. This morning all of the children, dressed up for their first day, were absolutely adorable.
Morning classes were relatively painless. I'm still adjusting to the lack of air-conditioning in our attic classrooms, but overall, the language classes are going well.
After class we had an hour and a half break before our group photo... No one was excited about said photo because it was raining, everyone's hair was frizzy, their clothes were wet, etc. etc. But the program had hired a professional photographer so the administrators clung to the hope that there would be a break in the rain long enough to snap a couple of photos of all of us sad-faced, drenched exchange students. So, while we waited, a couple of friends and I grabbed coffee and pastries. Reason #546 to move to France: pastries. I had aux framboises and almost died of happiness. We returned to the Institute in time for the picture, which, despite all of the stress and build-up, was over in about 2 minutes.
Since we had the afternoon free, a couple of girls and I went shopping. I had only planned on buying a curling iron (which is surprisingly difficult to find in France), but ended up with a pair of shoes (patent purple ballet flats... my entire wardrobe will soon be purple) and a blousy blue silk dress. Needless to say, I could not find the one thing I actually needed. And, after viewing the exchange rate, I need to remember that 1 Euro does not equal 1 dollar. I highly doubt, however, that I will be able keep me out of Galleries Lafayettes for long. I already have plans to go back later in the fall for winter accessories. They had a large collection of adorable cloches (I've been searching for the perfect cloche for close to a year now) and really lovely gloves.
On my way home from shopping I witnessed my first French protest. The professor for whom I do research stood on a baracade in 1968 and student strikes are a very real possibility this year (ESPECIALLY at the Sorbonne), so seeing a "manifestation" in person was really interesting for me. For the French, strikes, protests, etc. are a very normal part of life and a very valid form of political expression. Tangible results are gained from such actions. Very normal people with normal attitudes and opinions, not just the extremely political participate. It's very much a different attitude towards political participation that I find very interesting.
When I finally got home, I made a salad for lunch, relaxed a little, and finally broke out some comp exam books. I've made very little progress on my preparations so far. I've only gotten through 1 book out of 12. But I'm really starting to like Mrs. Dalloway so soon, it will be 2 down, only 10 more to go. At first, the book was a little intimidating to me. I didn't think I would like it as much as To the Lighthouse because the style seems more forcibly stream of conciousness. I found myself struggling a little with the rythm of the book, having to reread passage after passage, searching for the subject of the description. But as I get farther and farther along, that seemless flow between characters, between descriptions, between the future, past and present, becomes really absorbing. More and more, I'm starting to see that it's the sort of book that engulfs you, and once you enter that world, it's much easier to follow the flow of the text.
This evening, the Chidiac's had friends from South Africa over for a visit. We all helped make dinner and sat down together to eat. It was another beautiful French meal: tomatoes in a vinagrette, melon, roast duck, potatoes, wine, cheeses, and pleanty of wine. Tonight, the conversation moved more quickly than I am used to, as old friends got together to exchange stories, jokes, etc. I tried to keep up and succeeded for the most part, but had to have a few things explained to me. All in all, it was a long, wonderful, and entertaining evening. I'll sleep well tonight.
Morning classes were relatively painless. I'm still adjusting to the lack of air-conditioning in our attic classrooms, but overall, the language classes are going well.
After class we had an hour and a half break before our group photo... No one was excited about said photo because it was raining, everyone's hair was frizzy, their clothes were wet, etc. etc. But the program had hired a professional photographer so the administrators clung to the hope that there would be a break in the rain long enough to snap a couple of photos of all of us sad-faced, drenched exchange students. So, while we waited, a couple of friends and I grabbed coffee and pastries. Reason #546 to move to France: pastries. I had aux framboises and almost died of happiness. We returned to the Institute in time for the picture, which, despite all of the stress and build-up, was over in about 2 minutes.
Since we had the afternoon free, a couple of girls and I went shopping. I had only planned on buying a curling iron (which is surprisingly difficult to find in France), but ended up with a pair of shoes (patent purple ballet flats... my entire wardrobe will soon be purple) and a blousy blue silk dress. Needless to say, I could not find the one thing I actually needed. And, after viewing the exchange rate, I need to remember that 1 Euro does not equal 1 dollar. I highly doubt, however, that I will be able keep me out of Galleries Lafayettes for long. I already have plans to go back later in the fall for winter accessories. They had a large collection of adorable cloches (I've been searching for the perfect cloche for close to a year now) and really lovely gloves.
On my way home from shopping I witnessed my first French protest. The professor for whom I do research stood on a baracade in 1968 and student strikes are a very real possibility this year (ESPECIALLY at the Sorbonne), so seeing a "manifestation" in person was really interesting for me. For the French, strikes, protests, etc. are a very normal part of life and a very valid form of political expression. Tangible results are gained from such actions. Very normal people with normal attitudes and opinions, not just the extremely political participate. It's very much a different attitude towards political participation that I find very interesting.
When I finally got home, I made a salad for lunch, relaxed a little, and finally broke out some comp exam books. I've made very little progress on my preparations so far. I've only gotten through 1 book out of 12. But I'm really starting to like Mrs. Dalloway so soon, it will be 2 down, only 10 more to go. At first, the book was a little intimidating to me. I didn't think I would like it as much as To the Lighthouse because the style seems more forcibly stream of conciousness. I found myself struggling a little with the rythm of the book, having to reread passage after passage, searching for the subject of the description. But as I get farther and farther along, that seemless flow between characters, between descriptions, between the future, past and present, becomes really absorbing. More and more, I'm starting to see that it's the sort of book that engulfs you, and once you enter that world, it's much easier to follow the flow of the text.
This evening, the Chidiac's had friends from South Africa over for a visit. We all helped make dinner and sat down together to eat. It was another beautiful French meal: tomatoes in a vinagrette, melon, roast duck, potatoes, wine, cheeses, and pleanty of wine. Tonight, the conversation moved more quickly than I am used to, as old friends got together to exchange stories, jokes, etc. I tried to keep up and succeeded for the most part, but had to have a few things explained to me. All in all, it was a long, wonderful, and entertaining evening. I'll sleep well tonight.
Monday, August 31, 2009
And so it begins...
I started my language classes today. It doesn't look like they'll be too bad. The point is really to correct some of the bad habits we've gotten into and review some sticky grammatical points. But today, we mostly did introductions.
There was a long break for lunch and I went with some friends for lunch. We walked to a little street one girl's host mom had recommended (Rue Colbert) where there were a lot of cafés and ethnic restaurants. We ate at a little Turkish restaurant that was very good and very inexpensive. I had never eaten Turkish food before so I decided to share a "grande assiette" with another girl. She had had Turkish food and knew what to order so I just told her to get whatever she wanted and I would try whatever she got! It ended up being very very good. Lamb sausage, two kinds of rice, a salad, french fries... tons of food!
After the break, we reconvened for orientation about our classes and host families in Paris. They gave us tons of information at once and the classroom was so hot I don't think anyone caught everything.
Tomorrow, my big adventure will be to find a curling iron. Apparently straighteners are far far far more common than curling irons here, as evidenced by my unsuccessful trip to Monoprix (the French equivalent of a Super Target). I'm getting tired of throwing my hair up in a ponytail every day!
There was a long break for lunch and I went with some friends for lunch. We walked to a little street one girl's host mom had recommended (Rue Colbert) where there were a lot of cafés and ethnic restaurants. We ate at a little Turkish restaurant that was very good and very inexpensive. I had never eaten Turkish food before so I decided to share a "grande assiette" with another girl. She had had Turkish food and knew what to order so I just told her to get whatever she wanted and I would try whatever she got! It ended up being very very good. Lamb sausage, two kinds of rice, a salad, french fries... tons of food!
After the break, we reconvened for orientation about our classes and host families in Paris. They gave us tons of information at once and the classroom was so hot I don't think anyone caught everything.
Tomorrow, my big adventure will be to find a curling iron. Apparently straighteners are far far far more common than curling irons here, as evidenced by my unsuccessful trip to Monoprix (the French equivalent of a Super Target). I'm getting tired of throwing my hair up in a ponytail every day!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Bonjour de la France!
Bonjour tout le monde! I have been in France for 3 days and so far I'm in love. Right now, I'm in Tours (in the Loire Valley) for a two-week language intesive before heading off to Paris to start classes! Because I'm a little late in getting this started, I'll give you a recap of what has happened thus far.
Day 1: I got up at 4:00 in the morning Minnesota time to drive to the airport with my mommy. I hardly slept the night before because I was so excited to get going. Once there we unloaded all of my bags (110 lbs in all) and said goodbye. The flight to D.C. was uneventful until we were about to land. All of a sudden we started circling. I kept checking my watch as we circled, noting that we were now ten minutes late, now twenty... Finally the pilot came over the intercom and said that we could not land because there was a turtle on the runway. Yes, one turtle. We were reassigned to a different runway and landed 40 minutes late without crushing a single turtle.
In D.C. I met up with my group and we boarded the plane! I was hoping for a window seat, but sadly did not get one. At least I was lucky enough to be on the aisle. I didn't sleep at all on the plane so when we arrived in Paris at 5 a.m. French time, I was in a daze. We loaded the bus for Tours and everyone fell asleep almost immediately. Finally, around noon, we arrived in Tours and met our host families.
For the most part, there are two students from my program per host family and most "host families" are just older retired women with extra room in their houses. I am in a different position. I am the only student from my program staying with my host family, and I have a real family: A mother, father, two daughters (17 and 18 years) and a son (20 years). I've been having an absolute blast. The girls are very nice and very willing to show me around and help me out. They speak perfect English but everyone insists on speaking French to me. While this was a little tiring at first, I can already tell that my French has improved tremendously.
The first day I was extremely tired and couldn't wait to go to bed. But, I wanted to get on the French time schedule so I tried to tough it out and stay awake. As soon as we got back I took a shower and changed my clothes, hoping that would wake me up a little. After that, I had lunch with my host mom (Virginie), host siblings (Emilie, Victoria and Clement), and Anne-Calixte, Virginie's 3-year-old god-daughter. She was absolutely adorable. I love it when little children speak French! I think it's so much cuter than English-speaking children, but that may be because these little French babies are speaking the language better than me! For proof that French children are cuter than American children, see Capucine.
After lunch Emilie, Victoria and I went for a walk around Tours. It is absolutly beautiful here. Everything is made of white stone and looks like it came straight out of the 18th century (which it probably did), with beautiful statues and carvings. The exception is Place Plumereau, a square in the center of town with lots of bars and restaurants. All of the nightlife in Tours is at Place Plumereau. Here, the buildings date to the Renaissance, made of redbrick and exposed beams. Again, very beautiful.
After our walk I was so tired I could hardly stand so I took a short nap. Just after I woke up, another exchange student arrived! Both Emilie and Victoria studied abroad for a year, and Emilie went with a Rotary exchange program. Their parents are Rotarians so they offered to host Adrianna, a new exchange student from Mexico, for a night until her host family was ready to take her. When Adrianna arrived we went for another walk around town and had dinner. The food is absolutely wonderful and I'm sure I'm going to gain at least 50 lbs while I'm here.
After dinner, the four of us girls went down to Place Plumereau for a drink on the terrace of a cafe. It was fun just sitting and people watching but I was absolutly exhausted, having slept less than 4 hours in almost 2 days, so we headed back around midnight. I don't think I've ever slept so well!
Day 2: After breakfast, Emilie, Adrianna and I took Anne-Calixte to the park nearby to feed the ducks and play on the playground a little. Anne-Calixte is very shy but in the end she started warming up to me and asked me to hold her hand and swing her around on the way back.
When we got back to the house it was time for lunch and two of Virginie's friends came to join us. However, I had to rush through the meal a little bit because I had a meeting with my program to get to. After the meeting I had an hour and a half of downtime before we were supposed to meet up again for "Un pot de bienvenu" (A welcome drink), so I went with a big group of students to buy cell phones. The store was packed and the salesperson didn't speak a whole lot of English, which was difficult because signing up for a cell phone plan can be confusing even in one's native language. A lot of girls looked like deer in the headlights, so instead of letting my nerves get the better of me, I stepped up and tried negotiating with the salesman in French. It worked! I did a lot of translating for the others and I walked out with a cell phone with pre-payed minutes and a big boost in confidence.
From their we headed off to Place Plumereau where our program director gave us each 2 tickets to buy drinks. We sat around, talked, had a few little appitizers and then went to our respective families for dinner. When I got home, we had another exchange student! Mikah is 27 and from Japan. She came to Tours to learn French and will be staying with the family for four weeks.
Again, dinner the second night was fabulous and full of wonderful conversation. Adrianna left for her own host family after dinner and we moved to the living room for tea and talked until about 11. My host parents are very interested in my thoughts on healthcare reform in America. In France, they have a single-payer system and don't understand why many Americans are so vehemently opposed to healthcare reform. It was a good exercise in my vocabulary explaining both sides of the debate and expressing my own personal stance on the issue. All in all it was a very good day.
Day 3: Yesterday, my host parents left for a wedding in Toulouse (the southwest of France) so it was just the girls at home for the day. We slept late and just after breakfast, I went to meet up with my group at the train station for our excursion to see chateaux! We say Clos Luce and Amboise. Both were located in the town of Amboise, and were lovely. Clos Luce is the former home of Leonardo Da Vinci. He lived there for the last four years of his life and is buried in the chapel of Amboise. My favorite part of the house was the garden. It was very large and included replicas of many of his inventions. The house itself was very small (for a chateau that is).
Amboise was beautiful, but again, smaller than some of the other chateaux I have seen. I hate to sound unapprecitive but I think my favorite part of the castle was the ice cream I had before going in, which was mango flavored, delicious and refreshing on such a hot day.
I got back just in time for dinner. Emilie made pasta and invited her best friend Margaux over for dinner. Again, dinner was fabulous. After that, we went out to a club! It was fun meeting all of Emilie's French friends and dancing. I had a great time, but was exhausted when we returned.
That brings me to today! I slept in today, which was very nice. I'm on the go so much here and still adjusting to the time difference so it was nice to have a morning to relax. However, I got up a little too late so when Victoria and I biked over to the supermarket to buy notebooks (my classes start tomorrow and I don't have any school supplies), it had just closed (it's only open until 12:30 on Sundays). The bike ride was fun though and we walked around the open-air market that was going on nearby before riding home for lunch!
All in all, I'm having a wonderful time in Tours and will be very sad to leave here after 2 weeks.
Day 1: I got up at 4:00 in the morning Minnesota time to drive to the airport with my mommy. I hardly slept the night before because I was so excited to get going. Once there we unloaded all of my bags (110 lbs in all) and said goodbye. The flight to D.C. was uneventful until we were about to land. All of a sudden we started circling. I kept checking my watch as we circled, noting that we were now ten minutes late, now twenty... Finally the pilot came over the intercom and said that we could not land because there was a turtle on the runway. Yes, one turtle. We were reassigned to a different runway and landed 40 minutes late without crushing a single turtle.
In D.C. I met up with my group and we boarded the plane! I was hoping for a window seat, but sadly did not get one. At least I was lucky enough to be on the aisle. I didn't sleep at all on the plane so when we arrived in Paris at 5 a.m. French time, I was in a daze. We loaded the bus for Tours and everyone fell asleep almost immediately. Finally, around noon, we arrived in Tours and met our host families.
For the most part, there are two students from my program per host family and most "host families" are just older retired women with extra room in their houses. I am in a different position. I am the only student from my program staying with my host family, and I have a real family: A mother, father, two daughters (17 and 18 years) and a son (20 years). I've been having an absolute blast. The girls are very nice and very willing to show me around and help me out. They speak perfect English but everyone insists on speaking French to me. While this was a little tiring at first, I can already tell that my French has improved tremendously.
The first day I was extremely tired and couldn't wait to go to bed. But, I wanted to get on the French time schedule so I tried to tough it out and stay awake. As soon as we got back I took a shower and changed my clothes, hoping that would wake me up a little. After that, I had lunch with my host mom (Virginie), host siblings (Emilie, Victoria and Clement), and Anne-Calixte, Virginie's 3-year-old god-daughter. She was absolutely adorable. I love it when little children speak French! I think it's so much cuter than English-speaking children, but that may be because these little French babies are speaking the language better than me! For proof that French children are cuter than American children, see Capucine.
After lunch Emilie, Victoria and I went for a walk around Tours. It is absolutly beautiful here. Everything is made of white stone and looks like it came straight out of the 18th century (which it probably did), with beautiful statues and carvings. The exception is Place Plumereau, a square in the center of town with lots of bars and restaurants. All of the nightlife in Tours is at Place Plumereau. Here, the buildings date to the Renaissance, made of redbrick and exposed beams. Again, very beautiful.
After our walk I was so tired I could hardly stand so I took a short nap. Just after I woke up, another exchange student arrived! Both Emilie and Victoria studied abroad for a year, and Emilie went with a Rotary exchange program. Their parents are Rotarians so they offered to host Adrianna, a new exchange student from Mexico, for a night until her host family was ready to take her. When Adrianna arrived we went for another walk around town and had dinner. The food is absolutely wonderful and I'm sure I'm going to gain at least 50 lbs while I'm here.
After dinner, the four of us girls went down to Place Plumereau for a drink on the terrace of a cafe. It was fun just sitting and people watching but I was absolutly exhausted, having slept less than 4 hours in almost 2 days, so we headed back around midnight. I don't think I've ever slept so well!
Day 2: After breakfast, Emilie, Adrianna and I took Anne-Calixte to the park nearby to feed the ducks and play on the playground a little. Anne-Calixte is very shy but in the end she started warming up to me and asked me to hold her hand and swing her around on the way back.
When we got back to the house it was time for lunch and two of Virginie's friends came to join us. However, I had to rush through the meal a little bit because I had a meeting with my program to get to. After the meeting I had an hour and a half of downtime before we were supposed to meet up again for "Un pot de bienvenu" (A welcome drink), so I went with a big group of students to buy cell phones. The store was packed and the salesperson didn't speak a whole lot of English, which was difficult because signing up for a cell phone plan can be confusing even in one's native language. A lot of girls looked like deer in the headlights, so instead of letting my nerves get the better of me, I stepped up and tried negotiating with the salesman in French. It worked! I did a lot of translating for the others and I walked out with a cell phone with pre-payed minutes and a big boost in confidence.
From their we headed off to Place Plumereau where our program director gave us each 2 tickets to buy drinks. We sat around, talked, had a few little appitizers and then went to our respective families for dinner. When I got home, we had another exchange student! Mikah is 27 and from Japan. She came to Tours to learn French and will be staying with the family for four weeks.
Again, dinner the second night was fabulous and full of wonderful conversation. Adrianna left for her own host family after dinner and we moved to the living room for tea and talked until about 11. My host parents are very interested in my thoughts on healthcare reform in America. In France, they have a single-payer system and don't understand why many Americans are so vehemently opposed to healthcare reform. It was a good exercise in my vocabulary explaining both sides of the debate and expressing my own personal stance on the issue. All in all it was a very good day.
Day 3: Yesterday, my host parents left for a wedding in Toulouse (the southwest of France) so it was just the girls at home for the day. We slept late and just after breakfast, I went to meet up with my group at the train station for our excursion to see chateaux! We say Clos Luce and Amboise. Both were located in the town of Amboise, and were lovely. Clos Luce is the former home of Leonardo Da Vinci. He lived there for the last four years of his life and is buried in the chapel of Amboise. My favorite part of the house was the garden. It was very large and included replicas of many of his inventions. The house itself was very small (for a chateau that is).
Amboise was beautiful, but again, smaller than some of the other chateaux I have seen. I hate to sound unapprecitive but I think my favorite part of the castle was the ice cream I had before going in, which was mango flavored, delicious and refreshing on such a hot day.
I got back just in time for dinner. Emilie made pasta and invited her best friend Margaux over for dinner. Again, dinner was fabulous. After that, we went out to a club! It was fun meeting all of Emilie's French friends and dancing. I had a great time, but was exhausted when we returned.
That brings me to today! I slept in today, which was very nice. I'm on the go so much here and still adjusting to the time difference so it was nice to have a morning to relax. However, I got up a little too late so when Victoria and I biked over to the supermarket to buy notebooks (my classes start tomorrow and I don't have any school supplies), it had just closed (it's only open until 12:30 on Sundays). The bike ride was fun though and we walked around the open-air market that was going on nearby before riding home for lunch!
All in all, I'm having a wonderful time in Tours and will be very sad to leave here after 2 weeks.
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