I just got an email that I am a Glimpse finalist. To any potential readers from Glimpse.org, might I conduct you to the post entitled An Interlude which is your official welcome onto my unofficial travel blog !
Unfortunately, I am still swamped in work, but I would like to take a brief pause to share my quote from the weekend.
"Did... did I just eat bird butter?"
Bird butter is to butter as peanut butter is to butter: it is not butter. It is, instead, a spread destined to be eaten on top of bread that consists of pulverized turkeys, ducks, and chickens. It tastes fine, but the idea is disgusting (the texture, too). However, there is an entire can of bird butter awaiting me in the fridge...
Oh joy.
I love France, guys.
mardi 8 décembre 2009
mardi 24 novembre 2009
Living... barely
Why yes, it certainly is "Finals" time here. For me, at least. So be warned that I won't be updating my blog for quite some time, as I'm very, very, very, very busy.
But also know that I won't be doing anything worth writing about because I am... well, busy.
Yes.
I have a dissertation to write now. Goodbye!
But also know that I won't be doing anything worth writing about because I am... well, busy.
Yes.
I have a dissertation to write now. Goodbye!
mercredi 18 novembre 2009
lundi 16 novembre 2009
A omann gleay.
Or allap.bynfw ydco t.fxrape co p.ugocbi yr yfl. jrpp.jynf cb yd. y.qy xrqv C jabbry ucq ydcov Or frg ap. ircbi yr i.y a lroy cb ICXX>PCODv vvv ydco co oaev
Title: "A small update"
(Translation from above follows)
So apparently, this keyboard is refusing to type correctly in the text box. I cannot fix this. So you are going to get a post in GIBBERISH. ... this is sad.
Yesterday, I walked around. A lot. More than 6 miles. I walked to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and ended up at the Centre Georges Pompidou (the modern art museum).
Why?
I was searching. Searching for living statues.
You know the ones: they paint themselves all in silver, gold, grey, white, or black and are masters at standing perfectly still. These are my favorite performers ever, and I have yet to see one. So I was on my search, which was unfruitful in that aspect, but what did I find?
A street performer!
He drew a HUGE crowd. To say that there were 200 people is an UNDERSTATEMENT. He picked three people from the audience: a German man, a Chinese man, and a Canadian woman. He made them do improv things. Oh, it was hilarious.
And since he was performing out in the open square, people were evidently walking by him in order to go to the museum building. He ran up to one woman and pretended to karate kick her in the FACE. She was terrified! She screamed and ran, and we all laughed heartily.
Later, a woman walked through the middle of his 'stage.' He stared at her, waiting for her to pass, when suddenly, she turns around and pulls down her pants. Turns out she was crazy! He had to wrestle her back to the side of the audience and hand her off to a man in the audience, who led her away (after forcibly pulling up her pants).
Oh, Paris.
Then at the end, after his 'volunteers' (victims, rather) sat down, a tiny little girl who was probably 18 months old in a giant jacket waddled out from the crowd. He stopped. He stared. Everyone chuckled quietly. He knelt down and beckoned her over with his index finger. She slowly walked towards him, and he turned away and picked up his jacket.
Suddenly, he pulled a piece of candy out of his jacket! The little girl broke into a run, dashing towards him with grabby hands. The crowd let out a roar of laughter, and he collected spare change from everyone in a giant polka-dotted umbrella.
It was a great day.
vendredi 13 novembre 2009
jeudi 12 novembre 2009
Obligatory post
It's actually a long weekend here in France because of 11/11, so I have no class.
But I figured that since you guys want to know that I am still alive, I would write a blog post.
Yesterday, I saw Hanna, my Swedish friend. We went to the Orangerie Museum that is in the Tuileries Garden. It has giiiiiant Monet paintings that take up entire walls, and a bunch of other impressionist stuff. We saw a little boy who fell asleep on the floor. He was adorable.
I did some work (translating comics, hurrah!), then I went to sleep around midnight.
At four in the morning, someone came into the apartment, washed his/her hands, and went into the other bedroom to sleep.
Why did I mention this?
Because my host mother is away in Bretagne (Brittany) until Sunday. Now, I'm not particularly concerned, as various members of her family have keys to her apartment and stay there randomly, but it's still weird.
Weird, I say!
So I went shopping and bought yogurt and "little swiss" cheeses, which aren't cheese at all: they're some sort of very thick yogurt... cheese. I don't know. They don't exist in the US. I bought lettuce and a couple of Kinder Surprises because this year is Ferrerro's 50th anniversary, and it's Asterix's 50th anniversary, so SOME have little Asterix toys inside.
Also, my personal computer died, which is extremely sad because I had discovered that I could get free internet on Saturdays if I walked to the Shopping Gallery down the street. But I will be getting a new one from my parents (Thanks Mom and Dad!) soon. Which is good.
I'm gonna go do homework stuff now. Perhaps nap. Perhaps figure out who is in my apartment.
But I figured that since you guys want to know that I am still alive, I would write a blog post.
Yesterday, I saw Hanna, my Swedish friend. We went to the Orangerie Museum that is in the Tuileries Garden. It has giiiiiant Monet paintings that take up entire walls, and a bunch of other impressionist stuff. We saw a little boy who fell asleep on the floor. He was adorable.
I did some work (translating comics, hurrah!), then I went to sleep around midnight.
At four in the morning, someone came into the apartment, washed his/her hands, and went into the other bedroom to sleep.
Why did I mention this?
Because my host mother is away in Bretagne (Brittany) until Sunday. Now, I'm not particularly concerned, as various members of her family have keys to her apartment and stay there randomly, but it's still weird.
Weird, I say!
So I went shopping and bought yogurt and "little swiss" cheeses, which aren't cheese at all: they're some sort of very thick yogurt... cheese. I don't know. They don't exist in the US. I bought lettuce and a couple of Kinder Surprises because this year is Ferrerro's 50th anniversary, and it's Asterix's 50th anniversary, so SOME have little Asterix toys inside.
Also, my personal computer died, which is extremely sad because I had discovered that I could get free internet on Saturdays if I walked to the Shopping Gallery down the street. But I will be getting a new one from my parents (Thanks Mom and Dad!) soon. Which is good.
I'm gonna go do homework stuff now. Perhaps nap. Perhaps figure out who is in my apartment.
jeudi 5 novembre 2009
The Power of Words
Today, as I was sitting in the lounge catching up on my emails, a girl turned to me and asked the following question:
"Do you know what Soup Con means?"
I stared blankly for an instant.
"Soup... Con...?" I asked. My mind was filled with images of giant convention halls filled with various soup vendors' booths. People dressed up in soup-related costumes, as ladles, even as giant cans of soup. Campbells handing out tiny cups with free samples of their most popular flavor - tomato, of course. In another room, soup-related games, bobbing for dumplings in chicken stock, trading rare soup can labels. In a smaller meeting room, a panel on the controversy of boxed versus canned soup; wet soup versus dehydrated soup.
All this and more flashed before my eyes as I grinned weakly with bewilderment. The girl looked down at her homework and spelled out:
"S-O-U-P-C-O-N. Soup Con. What does it mean?"
"Ohhhhh," I said, fighting back laughter, "soupçon, the verb is soupçonner. It means to suspect someone; to be suspicious. So a 'soup-sssson' is a suspicion."
She thanked me and went back to her work. Actually, maybe she didn't thank me. I don't know, I was too busy imagining this Soup Con.
For those of you who don't know, the cedilla (the little tail on the c that looks like this: ç) turns a c into the soft S sound instead of the hard K sound. Clearly, this girl had not remarked the cedilla.
If you'll excuse me, I have a Convention to plan. I will dress up as a spork. What will you be?
"Do you know what Soup Con means?"
I stared blankly for an instant.
"Soup... Con...?" I asked. My mind was filled with images of giant convention halls filled with various soup vendors' booths. People dressed up in soup-related costumes, as ladles, even as giant cans of soup. Campbells handing out tiny cups with free samples of their most popular flavor - tomato, of course. In another room, soup-related games, bobbing for dumplings in chicken stock, trading rare soup can labels. In a smaller meeting room, a panel on the controversy of boxed versus canned soup; wet soup versus dehydrated soup.
All this and more flashed before my eyes as I grinned weakly with bewilderment. The girl looked down at her homework and spelled out:
"S-O-U-P-C-O-N. Soup Con. What does it mean?"
"Ohhhhh," I said, fighting back laughter, "soupçon, the verb is soupçonner. It means to suspect someone; to be suspicious. So a 'soup-sssson' is a suspicion."
She thanked me and went back to her work. Actually, maybe she didn't thank me. I don't know, I was too busy imagining this Soup Con.
For those of you who don't know, the cedilla (the little tail on the c that looks like this: ç) turns a c into the soft S sound instead of the hard K sound. Clearly, this girl had not remarked the cedilla.
If you'll excuse me, I have a Convention to plan. I will dress up as a spork. What will you be?
mercredi 4 novembre 2009
Drugs: The Lowdown
So here's the info on drugs in France:
Paracetamol -- French tylenol.
Doliprane -- French ibuprofen.
Humex -- French Robitussin's.
Can I point out that Humex tastes like flat root beer? It's true! This is why French people HATE root beer (this is also why all of my high school classes forced our French aides to have root beer floats).
I have been informed that Germans hate root beer in a similar fashion, but not hanging out with a lot of Germans, I don't know first-hand.
Oh, by the way, I'm sick. I think it was just the regular flu, but it might have been Swine flu. Either way, I'm better, except for a lingering cough (thus, the root beer cough syrup!).
Activia unflavored yogurt is delicious in France. Not so in the US. Go figure!
But seriously, gotta go.
Paracetamol -- French tylenol.
Doliprane -- French ibuprofen.
Humex -- French Robitussin's.
Can I point out that Humex tastes like flat root beer? It's true! This is why French people HATE root beer (this is also why all of my high school classes forced our French aides to have root beer floats).
I have been informed that Germans hate root beer in a similar fashion, but not hanging out with a lot of Germans, I don't know first-hand.
Oh, by the way, I'm sick. I think it was just the regular flu, but it might have been Swine flu. Either way, I'm better, except for a lingering cough (thus, the root beer cough syrup!).
Activia unflavored yogurt is delicious in France. Not so in the US. Go figure!
But seriously, gotta go.
lundi 26 octobre 2009
mardi 20 octobre 2009
An Interlude
A big welcome to the people who work for Glimpse.org, who may or may not be reading my blog now!
I'd like to take this moment (perhaps in light of my newest readers) to point out that this blog is extremely representative of one thing, and one thing only:
How hectic it is to study in another country.
Sure, I could say it's showing how adventurous I am. I mean, I wrote about eating snails! Is that not fabulous? My mother points out to me that no, in fact, it is not fabulous. She says that snails are full of bacteria and that I should not eat them. All the more reason to argue that I'm adventurous! I'm eating bacteria-ridden snails! Oh, the adventure!
Or we could suppose that it could show my French prowess. I have conversations in French, I translate them into English, and I post them on my blog. How fantastic am I?
Maybe I've got the social commentary thing goin' for me on this blog. I have those pictures from Normandy, right? I'm proud to say that I was the first to notice that the Nazi flag had been spat upon, and the only who attempted to photograph the spit (and not just the flag). I have photographs of the beach. (I neglected to mention that as I walked across the beach with my sandals in hand, I felt as though I were walking across a graveyard, watching life go on.) And let's not forget the funny French stores with funny French names.
Perhaps I'm writing 'creative' reports about the French lifestyle. (This reminds me, I have two short poems to share with you as soon as I find my binder). Worms, my Abridged History of the World post, my little anecdotes about people asking me if I'm Russian, my difficulties with the Sorbonne's system... these all could be tiny reports! Okay, maybe not the anecdotes. Well, I'm sure I could write something about how to avoid being spoken to on the street (hint: try to look like an axe-murderer who is about to snap).
I could say that I've been showing off my writing style, but that would be a blatant lie. While much of what I write on this blog is very "me," you have to admit that if you've ever read one of my essays, my blogging style is written as though I were speaking to personal friends. ...which I am. And let's not kid ourselves, I'm no great orator. Or if I am, I've been hiding this talent from you for a very long time. Not that I'm terrible at speaking, mind you; on the contrary, I seem to speak quite a lot! Even when unprovoked!
"But Cindy," I hear you say, "France isn't all that different, is it? Don't you mostly keep this blog to let your friends and relatives (among others) know that you're still alive and that you have not yet contracted swine flu?"
My response is as follows:
What is this sudden pessimism on your part? If France isn't all that different, why do I find something to write about every week--nay, every day (I just forget to write down everything that happens to me)? And why do you occasionally leave messages of disbelief? Or rather, why, when I call you, do you say, "I read that on your blog, but I don't understand!" Why wouldn't I just create a contact list on my email account and send out a mass email once a week reading, "I live. I have no swine flu." (I eliminated the verb "to be" from that because there surfaces every few years a movement to eliminate all forms of "to be" from the English language. The question truly is "to be" or NOT "to be." This amuses me; thus, I share it with you.)?
Because truly, though France has many similarities to the United States, there are major differences between the two cultures and the two languages. You say avocado, I say lawyer!
And though I truly have many more topics about which I would like to wax prosaic, I simply must fly away on the wings of... well, on my feet, as the metro workers are having a strike and only 1/3 of the trains are running.
And lo! I depart! To the Sorbonne!
I'd like to take this moment (perhaps in light of my newest readers) to point out that this blog is extremely representative of one thing, and one thing only:
How hectic it is to study in another country.
Sure, I could say it's showing how adventurous I am. I mean, I wrote about eating snails! Is that not fabulous? My mother points out to me that no, in fact, it is not fabulous. She says that snails are full of bacteria and that I should not eat them. All the more reason to argue that I'm adventurous! I'm eating bacteria-ridden snails! Oh, the adventure!
Or we could suppose that it could show my French prowess. I have conversations in French, I translate them into English, and I post them on my blog. How fantastic am I?
Maybe I've got the social commentary thing goin' for me on this blog. I have those pictures from Normandy, right? I'm proud to say that I was the first to notice that the Nazi flag had been spat upon, and the only who attempted to photograph the spit (and not just the flag). I have photographs of the beach. (I neglected to mention that as I walked across the beach with my sandals in hand, I felt as though I were walking across a graveyard, watching life go on.) And let's not forget the funny French stores with funny French names.
Perhaps I'm writing 'creative' reports about the French lifestyle. (This reminds me, I have two short poems to share with you as soon as I find my binder). Worms, my Abridged History of the World post, my little anecdotes about people asking me if I'm Russian, my difficulties with the Sorbonne's system... these all could be tiny reports! Okay, maybe not the anecdotes. Well, I'm sure I could write something about how to avoid being spoken to on the street (hint: try to look like an axe-murderer who is about to snap).
I could say that I've been showing off my writing style, but that would be a blatant lie. While much of what I write on this blog is very "me," you have to admit that if you've ever read one of my essays, my blogging style is written as though I were speaking to personal friends. ...which I am. And let's not kid ourselves, I'm no great orator. Or if I am, I've been hiding this talent from you for a very long time. Not that I'm terrible at speaking, mind you; on the contrary, I seem to speak quite a lot! Even when unprovoked!
"But Cindy," I hear you say, "France isn't all that different, is it? Don't you mostly keep this blog to let your friends and relatives (among others) know that you're still alive and that you have not yet contracted swine flu?"
My response is as follows:
What is this sudden pessimism on your part? If France isn't all that different, why do I find something to write about every week--nay, every day (I just forget to write down everything that happens to me)? And why do you occasionally leave messages of disbelief? Or rather, why, when I call you, do you say, "I read that on your blog, but I don't understand!" Why wouldn't I just create a contact list on my email account and send out a mass email once a week reading, "I live. I have no swine flu." (I eliminated the verb "to be" from that because there surfaces every few years a movement to eliminate all forms of "to be" from the English language. The question truly is "to be" or NOT "to be." This amuses me; thus, I share it with you.)?
Because truly, though France has many similarities to the United States, there are major differences between the two cultures and the two languages. You say avocado, I say lawyer!
And though I truly have many more topics about which I would like to wax prosaic, I simply must fly away on the wings of... well, on my feet, as the metro workers are having a strike and only 1/3 of the trains are running.
And lo! I depart! To the Sorbonne!
jeudi 15 octobre 2009
PICTURES
For a real blog post with info, see the post below this one. It's short, I promise.
Now, pictures from my trip to Normandy.
This looks like a fish head. Don't worry; it's just shells :
Juicy Fruit: The Gum With The Fascinating Artificial Flavor:
Someone spit on the Nazi flag, and the museum workers never cleaned it off. I approve:
Kicking Hitler out of France:
In Normandy, life goes on:
Now, pictures from my trip to Normandy.
This looks like a fish head. Don't worry; it's just shells :
Juicy Fruit: The Gum With The Fascinating Artificial Flavor:
Someone spit on the Nazi flag, and the museum workers never cleaned it off. I approve:
Kicking Hitler out of France:
In Normandy, life goes on:
Life says, "Just kidding!"
I went to the Sorbonne today for [my] first day of the main course in Ancient Christianity. It's the third week of the course.
Sat in the Amphitheatre for awhile.
Noticed after about 30 minutes that there were 5 people in the room.
Walked up to a girl and asked, "Excuse me, is this the right room for the course on Ancient Christianity?"
She said, "Yes, but I think I heard some students say that last week, the professor said there wasn't class this week."
...
Gah.
Sat in the Amphitheatre for awhile.
Noticed after about 30 minutes that there were 5 people in the room.
Walked up to a girl and asked, "Excuse me, is this the right room for the course on Ancient Christianity?"
She said, "Yes, but I think I heard some students say that last week, the professor said there wasn't class this week."
...
Gah.
mercredi 14 octobre 2009
We can work it out...
I am working out the classes thing. Turns out this level 3 class I signed up for at the Sorbonne? It is actually a level 5 course!! But if all goes well tomorrow, I will officially be signed up for the class and its supplemental lecture at the Sorbonne. I will also have enough credits. This is good news!
As I was leaving the Sorbonne yesterday, I passed by a guard who was checking for student IDs. I had pulled my phone out of my pocket and the guard said something that I didn't quite catch.
"Excuse me?" I asked, thinking he was asking to see my ID even though I was leaving.
"Are you calling ME with that phone?" he repeated with a wink.
I stuttered, "N-no...?" and he grinned.
I have my own non-wormy fruit. This is also good news.
Pictures soon from various adventures.
As I was leaving the Sorbonne yesterday, I passed by a guard who was checking for student IDs. I had pulled my phone out of my pocket and the guard said something that I didn't quite catch.
"Excuse me?" I asked, thinking he was asking to see my ID even though I was leaving.
"Are you calling ME with that phone?" he repeated with a wink.
I stuttered, "N-no...?" and he grinned.
I have my own non-wormy fruit. This is also good news.
Pictures soon from various adventures.
lundi 12 octobre 2009
Weekend, Monday
Today in Comics class, we talked about exploding cows.
«You see,» said my professor, «the theory is that since cows, um, emit methane, if a cow farts and you hold a flame up to it, the cow will explode. Now, I don't know if I'd believe that, but you'd have to think there would at least be a small flame!»
I declined offering my opinions on this extremely important discussion.
Then he told me about more books I can buy about comic books. Yes, books about comic books. Fabulous!
Oh, this weekend.
Friday: I get home to discover that my French friend is hanging out with her father and my host mother. My host mother tells me she's leaving for the weekend. Granted, this is after she has lost her house keys, wallet, credit cards, Metro pass, and all that. But that was Tuesday. My French friend and I hung out, went to a wine tasting at IES, went to dinner with one of my friends from IES and some people he knows, then... watched TV. Bad French TV. Ha.
Saturday: Laundry. Dishes. TV. Groceries. Then a friend from IES came over and in exchange for dinner, he helped me by throwing away all of the rotting fruit my host mother has left in the kitchen. Worms included. He has my eternal gratitude because I am afraid of worms.
Sunday: We went to Versailles! Okay, the Chateau de Versailles! It was big. The walls were furry. Tourists suck. But it was fun because we both know French, so people were mostly nice to us. We adopted a pair of Russian speaking tourists who were hopelessly confused. They were very appreciative. We went to a concert of gigantic flutes (hee!) at the medieval museum (the Cluny), and then we ate at a restaurant.
I ate snails. SNAILS ARE DELICIOUS
Continuing on with Sunday: I went back to my apartment and started on my homework. My host mother returned later that night with a bag full of pears. Some of these pears are already too old to eat.
AH THE WORMS! I am unhappy with the worms.
It's okay. I now keep a stash of fruit that I purchase on my own in my room. It is not spoiled. It is also not infested with worms. I will eat my fruit stash and be happy.
I need to buy more Nutella. Mmmm.
As for the Sorbonne issue, I still have no idea what's going on. I'll keep you updated. Now, I'm going to go eat non-wormy fruits and rice and possibly spinach. Because I'm Popeye.
Oh yeah, and I got bonus points (not literally) for mentioning Popeye eating spinach in my comics class.
OH YEAH, and I got bonus points (again not literally) in my Theatre class for my improptu performance of the text we were studying. I was reading the lines (two characters) with my friend for the class, and one of my lines was "..."
And the teacher stopped us right after that and said, "Did you all see that??!?!" She was met by blank stares. "Cindy's line was '...' and, well... but she did it! Did you see her do that?" And since, of course, they hadn't been watching me but following along in their texts, she had us do it again so everyone could watch me.
I win.
No, but seriously, I was embarrassed. The good kind of embarrassed. It's one thing to act... it's another to be called out for it in a class full of extremely non-theatrical people. But really, my friend and I are the ONLY ones who don't read scripts as though we're 6-year-olds struggling to read a chapter book.
Bah. I'm gonna go eat.
«You see,» said my professor, «the theory is that since cows, um, emit methane, if a cow farts and you hold a flame up to it, the cow will explode. Now, I don't know if I'd believe that, but you'd have to think there would at least be a small flame!»
I declined offering my opinions on this extremely important discussion.
Then he told me about more books I can buy about comic books. Yes, books about comic books. Fabulous!
Oh, this weekend.
Friday: I get home to discover that my French friend is hanging out with her father and my host mother. My host mother tells me she's leaving for the weekend. Granted, this is after she has lost her house keys, wallet, credit cards, Metro pass, and all that. But that was Tuesday. My French friend and I hung out, went to a wine tasting at IES, went to dinner with one of my friends from IES and some people he knows, then... watched TV. Bad French TV. Ha.
Saturday: Laundry. Dishes. TV. Groceries. Then a friend from IES came over and in exchange for dinner, he helped me by throwing away all of the rotting fruit my host mother has left in the kitchen. Worms included. He has my eternal gratitude because I am afraid of worms.
Sunday: We went to Versailles! Okay, the Chateau de Versailles! It was big. The walls were furry. Tourists suck. But it was fun because we both know French, so people were mostly nice to us. We adopted a pair of Russian speaking tourists who were hopelessly confused. They were very appreciative. We went to a concert of gigantic flutes (hee!) at the medieval museum (the Cluny), and then we ate at a restaurant.
I ate snails. SNAILS ARE DELICIOUS
Continuing on with Sunday: I went back to my apartment and started on my homework. My host mother returned later that night with a bag full of pears. Some of these pears are already too old to eat.
AH THE WORMS! I am unhappy with the worms.
It's okay. I now keep a stash of fruit that I purchase on my own in my room. It is not spoiled. It is also not infested with worms. I will eat my fruit stash and be happy.
I need to buy more Nutella. Mmmm.
As for the Sorbonne issue, I still have no idea what's going on. I'll keep you updated. Now, I'm going to go eat non-wormy fruits and rice and possibly spinach. Because I'm Popeye.
Oh yeah, and I got bonus points (not literally) for mentioning Popeye eating spinach in my comics class.
OH YEAH, and I got bonus points (again not literally) in my Theatre class for my improptu performance of the text we were studying. I was reading the lines (two characters) with my friend for the class, and one of my lines was "..."
And the teacher stopped us right after that and said, "Did you all see that??!?!" She was met by blank stares. "Cindy's line was '...' and, well... but she did it! Did you see her do that?" And since, of course, they hadn't been watching me but following along in their texts, she had us do it again so everyone could watch me.
I win.
No, but seriously, I was embarrassed. The good kind of embarrassed. It's one thing to act... it's another to be called out for it in a class full of extremely non-theatrical people. But really, my friend and I are the ONLY ones who don't read scripts as though we're 6-year-olds struggling to read a chapter book.
Bah. I'm gonna go eat.
vendredi 9 octobre 2009
Things are Uncertain and I DON'T LIKE IT
Here is a chronological list of things that have happened to make this weekend the most unsettling of my stay thus far.
--It was time to sign up for outside courses
--The Sorbonne hadn't given us their hours yet, so I waited.
--The Sorbonne gave us their hours, and RIGHT AWAY I chose the class (and its obligatory ''supplemental lecture'' aka TD) I wanted
--IES, at some point, sent the Sorbonne an email with the names of the students and the classes they wanted to take.
--The Sorbonne never responded.
--IES told us that classes started the week of October 5th.
--On October 6th, I went to the first TD (supplemental lecture).
--The TD was full. The professor said, "If you're not SIGNED UP for this course, you have to leave. If you're a walk-in, I don't have seats for you."
--Nobody left.
--The professor said, "Okay, then I will call role."
--I was not on the list, even though I had been told by IES that I was registered for it.
--I went to IES and said "WHAT IS GOING ON?"
--IES said, "Oh, I dunno... try going to a different TD this week"
--I said, "I can't. You see, I chose this specific TD because it fit in my schedule. Maybe I can do one on Fridays"
--I went to the actual class on October 8th.
--I was informed that classes had actually started on October 1st. I was already a week behind in class.
--The professor told me all the TDs, even the Friday ones, were completely full.
--I returned to IES and said, "Um, what am I supposed to do?"
--IES said, "Oh, hmm, well... choose another class. The Master's level classes are usually not full!"
So the solution? I had to choose a Master's level course. IES will email them to ask if they have spaces available. IF they have spaces available, I will start those classes next week... the THIRD WEEK of classes. I will be WEEKS behind everyone else. I will have assignments to make up. And more importantly, I won't understand anything because it's a Master's level course.
If there are no spaces available, then I don't know. Because if I don't take another class, I don't have enough credits, and I'm in trouble.
I don't know what I'm going to do. But I have to go now, and I don't have internet until Monday afternoon.
--It was time to sign up for outside courses
--The Sorbonne hadn't given us their hours yet, so I waited.
--The Sorbonne gave us their hours, and RIGHT AWAY I chose the class (and its obligatory ''supplemental lecture'' aka TD) I wanted
--IES, at some point, sent the Sorbonne an email with the names of the students and the classes they wanted to take.
--The Sorbonne never responded.
--IES told us that classes started the week of October 5th.
--On October 6th, I went to the first TD (supplemental lecture).
--The TD was full. The professor said, "If you're not SIGNED UP for this course, you have to leave. If you're a walk-in, I don't have seats for you."
--Nobody left.
--The professor said, "Okay, then I will call role."
--I was not on the list, even though I had been told by IES that I was registered for it.
--I went to IES and said "WHAT IS GOING ON?"
--IES said, "Oh, I dunno... try going to a different TD this week"
--I said, "I can't. You see, I chose this specific TD because it fit in my schedule. Maybe I can do one on Fridays"
--I went to the actual class on October 8th.
--I was informed that classes had actually started on October 1st. I was already a week behind in class.
--The professor told me all the TDs, even the Friday ones, were completely full.
--I returned to IES and said, "Um, what am I supposed to do?"
--IES said, "Oh, hmm, well... choose another class. The Master's level classes are usually not full!"
So the solution? I had to choose a Master's level course. IES will email them to ask if they have spaces available. IF they have spaces available, I will start those classes next week... the THIRD WEEK of classes. I will be WEEKS behind everyone else. I will have assignments to make up. And more importantly, I won't understand anything because it's a Master's level course.
If there are no spaces available, then I don't know. Because if I don't take another class, I don't have enough credits, and I'm in trouble.
I don't know what I'm going to do. But I have to go now, and I don't have internet until Monday afternoon.
mercredi 7 octobre 2009
It's Important to Learn New Things
The following post will outline some of the new things I have seen, read, been taught, been told, or been lectured on.
- I am Meryl Streep. At least, whenever my film professor needs someone to demonstrate something. (Film Class)
- Cut Camembert into little triangles. (Normandie trip)
- When washing your hands, if you have a choice between soap and the alcohol-sanitizer stuff, choose the sanitizer. Be sure to spread it between your fingers, because that's where the germs hide. (Comics Class)
- When taking over the world, don't say, "I'm going to kill you. I'm going to fight you, I'm going to kill you, I'm going to send you off to be gassed, and then we will rape your women." Instead, say, "God spoke to me, and He told me ____________." Oh, and don't forget to say that anyone who resists is a terrorist. That's important! (Comics Class)
- In The Shining, when the little boy is playing with his toy (cars?) in the hallway, that is a "Traveling Shot" (Film Class)
- Even though Bande Dessinées (comics) is a valid form of art/communication here in France, I am STILL the only girl perusing (yes, perusing!) the non-manga part of the comics shelves at Gibert Jeune (student bookstore/everything else store). This also means they will apologize profusely if I have to reach around them to pull out a used Batman comic album. And by apologize profusely, I mean I say "Excuse me" and they will respond, "Oh, excuse me, I'm so sorry, I was in your way and I didn't notice blahblahblah" and by the time they've finished apologizing, I've already snatched the book and started reading it. (Gibert Jeune)
- Batman is even funnier in French. (Gibert Jeune)
- When people make mistakes with lighting in films, lamps can sometimes have a shadow. Imagine a lamp (that is turned on) having a shadow. It's funny. (Film Class)
- French people think that squirrels are able to be petted. (Comics Class)
- Squirrels are, and I quote: "an American phenomenon." Think about that. (Comics Class)
- The word for "avocado" and the word for "lawyer" are EXACTLY the same. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can order a "lawyer salad" for lunch. (Restaurants)
- In almost every class, I am somehow or another "the exception" to whatever we're talking about at any given moment. (My Life in General)
lundi 5 octobre 2009
Normandy (Normandie)
I went to Normandy. Saw the Memorial of Caen (the only museum dedicated to peace, as opposed to a 'war museum').
Saw Omaha Beach. Walked on Omaha Beach. Touched one of the giant concrete structures on Omaha Beach. Think I saw Gold too, but I don't know. Saw the American cemetary. Rode on a bus a lot. Got sick.
Oh yeah, last week I was really sick. I thought I was going to die. I didn't though, so hurray!
I'm tired and have lots of homework to do. My class at the Sorbonne starts tomorrow, so I have to get ready for that as well.
There was something else I was going to write, but I forgot what it was now. I'm gonna go and get my work done. Bye!
Saw Omaha Beach. Walked on Omaha Beach. Touched one of the giant concrete structures on Omaha Beach. Think I saw Gold too, but I don't know. Saw the American cemetary. Rode on a bus a lot. Got sick.
Oh yeah, last week I was really sick. I thought I was going to die. I didn't though, so hurray!
I'm tired and have lots of homework to do. My class at the Sorbonne starts tomorrow, so I have to get ready for that as well.
There was something else I was going to write, but I forgot what it was now. I'm gonna go and get my work done. Bye!
vendredi 25 septembre 2009
...Are you Russian?
Most of my friends are away in Munich for Oktoberfest. I don't mind (I'm glad they're going and having fun, AND I'm glad I'm NOT going!!), but that means this weekend is destined to be filled with reading comics, reading plays, and perhaps watching movies.
All of these are for class, of course.
... No, really!
Anyway, the point of this update was to tell you all about a confusing happenstance that took place yesterday afternoon.
I was walking away from a pastry shop where I bought a meringue, and I was in the process of consuming said meringue (Note on meringue consumption below) when the well-dressed, groomed man carrying a backpack who was walking in front of me stopped.
«Hello, Miss,» he said. I kept walking past him. He continued, «I am on a pilgrimage to spread the word of Christ. I gave up all my worldly belongings and live in the street. I am extremely happy in my new path for Christ, and as you can see I am well dressed, I am clean and groomed, and I am spreading the word of the Bible...»
He continues to speak to me for a little bit. I understand the gist of what he's saying, but he's speaking rather quickly (and obviously, he thinks I am French).
When he finishes, I tell him, «Oh, yes, I'm a Christian.»
He hears my (slight) accent and quickly realizes I'm not French.
«Are you Russian?» he asks.
I sputter, «Uhh.. no... but I'm... Christan...?»
«Oh,» he says. «Well, have a good day!» And he leaves.
...
I AM CONFUSED FOR SO MANY REASONS!
That is all.
(Note on meringue consumption: They crumble into pieces and leave you covered in a fine, sugary powder. Very difficult to eat a meringue without making a mess.)
All of these are for class, of course.
... No, really!
Anyway, the point of this update was to tell you all about a confusing happenstance that took place yesterday afternoon.
I was walking away from a pastry shop where I bought a meringue, and I was in the process of consuming said meringue (Note on meringue consumption below) when the well-dressed, groomed man carrying a backpack who was walking in front of me stopped.
«Hello, Miss,» he said. I kept walking past him. He continued, «I am on a pilgrimage to spread the word of Christ. I gave up all my worldly belongings and live in the street. I am extremely happy in my new path for Christ, and as you can see I am well dressed, I am clean and groomed, and I am spreading the word of the Bible...»
He continues to speak to me for a little bit. I understand the gist of what he's saying, but he's speaking rather quickly (and obviously, he thinks I am French).
When he finishes, I tell him, «Oh, yes, I'm a Christian.»
He hears my (slight) accent and quickly realizes I'm not French.
«Are you Russian?» he asks.
I sputter, «Uhh.. no... but I'm... Christan...?»
«Oh,» he says. «Well, have a good day!» And he leaves.
...
I AM CONFUSED FOR SO MANY REASONS!
That is all.
(Note on meringue consumption: They crumble into pieces and leave you covered in a fine, sugary powder. Very difficult to eat a meringue without making a mess.)
jeudi 24 septembre 2009
An Abridged History of the World
Welcome, class! I'm your professor, and today we'll be talking about the development of Europe and where exactly the origins of France lie.
But I'm also on a time crunch, so class isn't going to take very long today. I trust you guys to do your research, read your textbooks, and fill in the gaps.
CHAPTER ONE "The Beginning":
First, there was the world. The first homo sapiens probably originated in Africa or Asia, but for whatever reason, the different bands of humans spread out across the globe and gradually mutated and changed skin colors and cultural differences arose based on their surroundings and resources.
[--segment abridged--]
Now that we've covered Asia, the Pacific, Australia, the Americas, and Eastern Europe, we're going to focus on the mutants who primarily inhabited Western Europe.
Some of these mutated humans were pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that they lived part of their lives in icy, snowy conditions, and moose lived near them, and they called the moose the "King of the Forest." Enough about the Swedes, though.
In Central Western Europe, there were a bunch of tribes of humans, including the Romans and the Gauls and the crazy peace-loving hippies who are extremely militarily advanced over in what is known today as Switzerland. Did I mention the Gauls? They're the topic of the day!
So the Gauls were okay for a bit, but rather unorganized. The Romans decided to take over Gaul. Despite their resistance, the Gauls eventually were defeated by the massive Roman army, and suddenly their language combined with Latin and turned into what is known as Old French.
[--segment abridged--]
Therefore, because the French/Gauls were SO strange, the rest of Europe was more or less happy to give them a large plot of land, which is now known as France. Now, the French thought they were particularly clever at getting their own country, but secretly, Europe was just trying to impose some official borders to keep all of the French weirdness in one, contained area.
CHAPTER TWO "Reasons why France is strange":
So as Europe progressed and developed things and became socially and technologically advanced, France did, too. France developed some super awesome things, like beds that are big enough to sleep on in a supine position, super large produce (fruits, vegetables, etc) and eclairs! But France developed some particularly odd habit and things, which will be listed (though not exhaustively) below:
In the streets:
In the restaurants:
In the bathroom:
NOT in the bathroom:
In the home:
In the public transportation system:
Again, this is not an exhaustive list.
Okay, class, that's all I feel like teaching for now, but I'm sure next time I'll have more oddities which I can share with you. Don't be late, and remember -- they created France so they'd have a place to keep all the weird French people.
Class dismissed!
But I'm also on a time crunch, so class isn't going to take very long today. I trust you guys to do your research, read your textbooks, and fill in the gaps.
CHAPTER ONE "The Beginning":
First, there was the world. The first homo sapiens probably originated in Africa or Asia, but for whatever reason, the different bands of humans spread out across the globe and gradually mutated and changed skin colors and cultural differences arose based on their surroundings and resources.
[--segment abridged--]
Now that we've covered Asia, the Pacific, Australia, the Americas, and Eastern Europe, we're going to focus on the mutants who primarily inhabited Western Europe.
Some of these mutated humans were pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that they lived part of their lives in icy, snowy conditions, and moose lived near them, and they called the moose the "King of the Forest." Enough about the Swedes, though.
In Central Western Europe, there were a bunch of tribes of humans, including the Romans and the Gauls and the crazy peace-loving hippies who are extremely militarily advanced over in what is known today as Switzerland. Did I mention the Gauls? They're the topic of the day!
So the Gauls were okay for a bit, but rather unorganized. The Romans decided to take over Gaul. Despite their resistance, the Gauls eventually were defeated by the massive Roman army, and suddenly their language combined with Latin and turned into what is known as Old French.
[--segment abridged--]
Therefore, because the French/Gauls were SO strange, the rest of Europe was more or less happy to give them a large plot of land, which is now known as France. Now, the French thought they were particularly clever at getting their own country, but secretly, Europe was just trying to impose some official borders to keep all of the French weirdness in one, contained area.
CHAPTER TWO "Reasons why France is strange":
So as Europe progressed and developed things and became socially and technologically advanced, France did, too. France developed some super awesome things, like beds that are big enough to sleep on in a supine position, super large produce (fruits, vegetables, etc) and eclairs! But France developed some particularly odd habit and things, which will be listed (though not exhaustively) below:
In the streets:
- Walking dogs without leashes
- Dogs 'relieve' themselves in the middle of sidewalks
- If you see a puddle on a sidewalk, PROBABLY NOT WATER
- Similar note: public urination
- Beggars
- Dogs
- Beggars with dogs
- Smooth sidewalks, none of this "groove in the cement every 1.5 feet" garbage we have in the US
- Cobbled roads
- Motor-scooters
- Pigeons
- Pickpockets
- Restaurant managers yelling at you from across the street, "HEY! COME INTO MY RESTAURANT! YOU, EAT HERE!"
- Smoking
- Dodging lit cigarettes
- Jaywalking
In the restaurants:
- Dogs
- Bottled water (expensive!)
- Cow tongue
- Tripe (intestines)
- Slow meals
- Tip/tax is included
- Always have coffee after a meal
- Unusual choices of music
- You have to ask for the check
- You can stay as long as you want (but it's rude if you don't keep buying a new coffee)
- No refills on most drinks
- Smoking
In the bathroom:
- STRANGE SHOWERS
- No shower curtains
- Not the toilet!
NOT in the bathroom:
- The toilet (and no sink by the toilet room)
In the home:
- Guests come over at 9:00 pm for dinner
- Guests stay until 1:00 am
- Fruit is by-and-large not refrigerated, therefore:
- Fruit flies
- Moths
- Lots of old, broken things
- Coffee presses
- "Airing" your room (open the windows every day)
- Noiiiiise
- NO INTERNET >:[
In the public transportation system:
- Strong smell of urine
- 10-year-old pickpockets
- Leering men
- Broken Metro lines (always!)
- Strikes
- Candy machines
- Beggars
- STAIRS STAIRS STAIRS
- (Almost) no elevators
- Not handicap-accessible
Again, this is not an exhaustive list.
Okay, class, that's all I feel like teaching for now, but I'm sure next time I'll have more oddities which I can share with you. Don't be late, and remember -- they created France so they'd have a place to keep all the weird French people.
Class dismissed!
mercredi 23 septembre 2009
A side note
Actual post is below this one!! Scroll downnnnnn...
Today, my Word and Image: French Cinema teacher informed me, « I'm not going to eat you. »
He was demonstrating a type of shot where the camera zooms in on someone, and I must have looked alarmed as he approached me VERY, VERY QUICKLY. This prompted him to inform me that he was only 'zooming in' on me, and that he was not a monster, and that he was not going to eat me.
I was relieved.
Today, my Word and Image: French Cinema teacher informed me, « I'm not going to eat you. »
He was demonstrating a type of shot where the camera zooms in on someone, and I must have looked alarmed as he approached me VERY, VERY QUICKLY. This prompted him to inform me that he was only 'zooming in' on me, and that he was not a monster, and that he was not going to eat me.
I was relieved.
Pigeonman, schedule, weekend, classes!
So there is this guy who lives in the apartments above the IES center's building. His name is Jonathan. He is a professor in Paris. He is American. He found a baby pigeon who could not fly. He kept it as a pet in his apartment. Not in a cage in his apartment, no... just in his apartment. It sleeps in his bed. Its name is Poopzilla. Allow me to repeat that: ITS NAME IS POOPZILLA.
How do I know this? I walked out into the garden, and a man was sitting there in the sun, reading a paper, occasionally glancing up at a pigeon in a cage. I remarked that I thought the pigeon was cute. He told me all about the pigeon.
I like this crazy old professor; he and I would be awesome friends.
What else? I have my schedule now! My schedule allows you to call me when I am NOT in class. All times listed are first in Paris's timezone, then in Central time.
Monday:
Wake up at 8:00 am (1:00 am, if you're awake you can call me!)
Theatre in Paris, 9-10:30 (2 am - 3:30 am)
Comic Strips and Society, 10:45 - 12:15 (3:45 am - 5:15 am)
Free time (when I'm in the computer lab with no reception)
Word and Image: French Cinema, 16:00-17:30 (9:00 am - 10:30 am)
Tuesday:
Wake up at 8:00 (1:00 am, again, you can call me!)
Translation, 9-10:30 (2 am - 3:30 am)
**Starting Oct 5** History (time TBD)
Wednesday:
Wake up at 8:00 am (1:00 am)
Theatre in Paris, 9-10:30 (2 am - 3:30 am)
Comic Strips and Society, 10:45 - 12:15 (3:45 am - 5:15 am)
Free time (when I'm in the computer lab with no reception)
Word and Image: French Cinema, 16:00-17:30 (9:00 am - 10:30 am)
Thursday:
Wake up at 8:00 (1:00 am, again, you can call me!)
Translation, 9-10:30 (2 am - 3:30 am)
**Starting Oct 5** History (time TBD)
Friday - Sunday:
FREEEEEEE! Call me any time between 3:00 AM CST and 4:00 PM CST! If you want to call me outside of these hours, send me an email, and we'll figure something out beforehand.
Non-sequitur! This weekend I was hanging out with a friend (after I twisted my ankle and it got better). He smokes. A man walked up to us and heard that we were speaking in English, so he asked, in English:
"Do you have ... fire?"
I struggled to keep a straight face as my friend picked up his cigarette lighter and lit the man's cigarette. The man walked away.
Hee hee.Okay, so then I started classes. Let's go through them in slight detail.
Theatre in Paris
Very nice teacher. We're reading 4 plays, then we're going to go watch 6 different plays in Paris. Free admission to the plays. AWESOME. Mostly contemporary French plays. I'm not a fan of contemporary plays as much as I am of classical plays, but you can't be picky when it comes to free theatrical outings.
Comics and Society
AH I LOVE THIS PROFESSOR! And yet... it's awkward. I'm already the 'exception' because we were talking about girls and how they generally don't read comics. «Girls, did you ever read lots of superhero comics when you were little ?» he asked. I nodded. All other girls shook their heads. « Well, you're just the exception. We're not talking about you.» he grinned.
Additional reason as to why it's awkward as follows:
I know a webcomic. He's super popular. We occasionally chat online, and I mentioned this to my professor (in the context of "What is your favorite comic?") and he was extremely interested in a super popular webcomic in America. This is because my professor is a comic/film critic in one of the biggest newspapers in Paris.
SO at his request, I sent him the link to the webcomic. I will not include the link on my blog, nor will I mention its name, simply because it has rather 'crude' humor (yes it is the humor; it doesn't have any naughty pictures or anything!!) and my family and parents (Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi Grandpa Z!) would probably not appreciate it. In fact, it's 100% certain that they would not appreciate it.
Anyway, he read the first comic and liked it, but he didn't quite understand the joke. I had to explain it to him. The joke was something that students and professors DO NOT DISCUSS in normal classes. That alone was mortifying. He will continue to read it, and he told me he will continue to ask me questions when he doesn't understand something. OH MY GOODNESS. AWKWARD.
Then we had class, and he said, «Now I truly understand how difficult this class will be for you. Cindy sent me a link to an American comic, and it took me a long time to understand WHY it was funny. There were several cultural and linguistic aspects that I had to research before I could finally understand the joke, and this is what you're going to have to do throughout the course.»
He went on to explain the comic in great detail. I felt awkward because again, NOT SOMETHING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS DISCUSS. I professed the reason for my embarrassment to him after class. He responded, «Ah yes, but I am not your average teacher. This is the kind of thing I study... the kind of thing I critique! It's a very good exercise, for me. I will be reading more!»
Enough on that class. Moving onwards:
Word and Image: French Cinema
Now, what's cool about this class is that it's taught not by a professor, but by a (former?) film director (and producer, I believe). We're learning about the development of cinema right now, but it looks like a VERY promising class. Also, we're forced to watch French movies outside of class. DARN, my homework requires me to go to the movies with my friends! (That was sarcasm, you know!)
Translation
This class is not about translating French to English, which is very easy. It's about English to French. A lot harder than you'd think, because English has two sets of vocabulary bases: Latin-based words (the ones that are similar to French, Spanish, Italian, etc), and Anglo-Saxon words/grammar structure (think German!). French only has one major vocabulary base AND grammar structure, both of which are derived from Latin.
So if I want to translate something from English to French, but the English words are all taken from the Germanic roots, it's a lot harder to find a corresponding word in French because FIRST I have to find the Latin-based synonym for the word (if one exists), then I have to translate that into French, and I have to make sure I haven't lost the meaning during all of this.
OH BUT NOW IT IS TIME FOR CLASS! Gotta go!
jeudi 17 septembre 2009
My first test, ouais !
I had my first test. Pretty easy, but the kind of stuff that I make stupid mistakes on.
Okay, so today I'm going to tell you about my opportunities, and I'll ask for your feedback (GIVE ME FEEDBACK OR I WON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE).
Things I'm definitely going to do:
Open a French bank account (this is difficult) with HSBC.
Get a Carte Imaginaire (A year-long pass to ride the Tram, Train, and Bus).
Things I'm considering:
Applying for Glimpse.org. This is something supported by National Geographic, and there are posters all over IES so we know it's legit. If you follow the link, you can see what it's all about.
Why would I apply for Glimpse: I think it would be awesome to get career training in writing and photography, and then I could maybe find a way to highlight the cultural differences AND similarities in Paris (and with a stipend I could travel to other parts in France and look more closely at the differences there). While Paris is extremely similar to larger American cities in many ways, there are some major differences that can trip up even the most seasoned French tourist, not to mention the unsuspecting tourists.
On the other hand, I could use the stipend to fund a short stay in French-speaking Africa (not Mali, since I've been there), and I could write about the impact of colonization in Africa, how they are (or are not) progressing after being liberated (or abandoned?), and how current French culture manifests itself in these francophone regions.
Why I would not apply for Glimpse: Looking at the lists of current 'correspondents,' it seems like almost all of them are based in foreign countries that are quite 'exotic,' where they are not at all normal students, where nobody would assume them to be natives at first glance. Paris versus Vietnam? Which would you choose? Which is more interesting? And finally, would my writing and photography be good enough for this program? I don't think it is. I wasn't even accepted to be an IES blogger!
And finally, my host mother has told me that I absolutely may stay in the apartment during Christmas and winter vacation. She offered to bring me along on her family vacation. If I agreed, I wouldn't be able to spend Christmas with Michelle (something we were counting on). I think I would probably be very homesick during Christmas, and being with a French family that I know à peine (I'm forgetting my English!) and not having any way of knowing what gifts to bring or the traditions... that might be really lonely. So I'm thinking I want to stay in the apartment and have Michelle come over for about a week around Christmas time, but then I would be missing a real French Christmas experience. What do I want to do? I could always have Michelle over just before or just after Christmas, except I don't know how long this Christmas family vacation would take!
In other news, I have half of my schedule completed.
"Why half?" you ask.
"Well, I'll tell you," I respond.
You sit down with your listening cap on, and I begin. "So I went to this meeting on Tuesday afternoon-"
"What kind of meeting?" you interrupt. But I stare you down until you slouch back a little bit. This is my story.
"I went to a meeting on Tuesday with Jeanne, the academic coordinator at IES," I continue. "She has an American husband who doesn't like French showers, and her kids are bicultural, and they don't understand why she is afraid of American showers.
"But I sat down in her office, and she said, 'Are you still taking the Theatre in Paris course?'
"'Yes.'
"'Are you still taking the Comic Strips and Society course?'
"'Yes.'
"'And Word and Image [author's note - this is an art and literature course]?'
"'Yes.'
"'And you haven't changed your mind about any of these?'
"'Um, no?'
"'Okay,' she said, 'And you're in the earliest Translation course. What are you taking to fill the rest of the required credits?'
"I responded, 'Well, I want to take some history courses at the Sorbonne... but do you know the schedule yet of those classes so I can sign up for them?'
"'No,' she said curtly, 'they haven't sent me their course hours yet, so you'll have to do something in the meantime. Why not sign up for some courses at the Catholic Institute of Paris (ICP) so, just in case you get the hours at the Sorbonne and can't fit any of those courses into your schedule, you'll still have the classes you need?'
"'Um, okay.' I said. So we went through the courses and signed up for two that are possible. She marked that I would prefer to take courses at the Sorbonne.
"'Anything else you need?' she asked.
"'I said, 'I do need to translate the course descriptions into English and send them to the History Department of my college to ask if they can accept any of them as my official History credits. Is there any way you could send me the description of the courses, even if we don't have the hours yet?'
"'Of course, I'll email it to you now,' she said.
So I went downstairs to the computer room to check my email. She had emailed me last year's course schedule... so I now have last year's course hours, but not their descriptions."
You listen and nod. "Yep," you conclude, "that sucks."
"So that is how I have half a schedule," I finish.
Meanwhile, leave me a message and let me know what you think of these things I may or may not do.
Okay, so today I'm going to tell you about my opportunities, and I'll ask for your feedback (GIVE ME FEEDBACK OR I WON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE).
Things I'm definitely going to do:
Open a French bank account (this is difficult) with HSBC.
Get a Carte Imaginaire (A year-long pass to ride the Tram, Train, and Bus).
Things I'm considering:
Applying for Glimpse.org. This is something supported by National Geographic, and there are posters all over IES so we know it's legit. If you follow the link, you can see what it's all about.
Why would I apply for Glimpse: I think it would be awesome to get career training in writing and photography, and then I could maybe find a way to highlight the cultural differences AND similarities in Paris (and with a stipend I could travel to other parts in France and look more closely at the differences there). While Paris is extremely similar to larger American cities in many ways, there are some major differences that can trip up even the most seasoned French tourist, not to mention the unsuspecting tourists.
On the other hand, I could use the stipend to fund a short stay in French-speaking Africa (not Mali, since I've been there), and I could write about the impact of colonization in Africa, how they are (or are not) progressing after being liberated (or abandoned?), and how current French culture manifests itself in these francophone regions.
Why I would not apply for Glimpse: Looking at the lists of current 'correspondents,' it seems like almost all of them are based in foreign countries that are quite 'exotic,' where they are not at all normal students, where nobody would assume them to be natives at first glance. Paris versus Vietnam? Which would you choose? Which is more interesting? And finally, would my writing and photography be good enough for this program? I don't think it is. I wasn't even accepted to be an IES blogger!
And finally, my host mother has told me that I absolutely may stay in the apartment during Christmas and winter vacation. She offered to bring me along on her family vacation. If I agreed, I wouldn't be able to spend Christmas with Michelle (something we were counting on). I think I would probably be very homesick during Christmas, and being with a French family that I know à peine (I'm forgetting my English!) and not having any way of knowing what gifts to bring or the traditions... that might be really lonely. So I'm thinking I want to stay in the apartment and have Michelle come over for about a week around Christmas time, but then I would be missing a real French Christmas experience. What do I want to do? I could always have Michelle over just before or just after Christmas, except I don't know how long this Christmas family vacation would take!
In other news, I have half of my schedule completed.
"Why half?" you ask.
"Well, I'll tell you," I respond.
You sit down with your listening cap on, and I begin. "So I went to this meeting on Tuesday afternoon-"
"What kind of meeting?" you interrupt. But I stare you down until you slouch back a little bit. This is my story.
"I went to a meeting on Tuesday with Jeanne, the academic coordinator at IES," I continue. "She has an American husband who doesn't like French showers, and her kids are bicultural, and they don't understand why she is afraid of American showers.
"But I sat down in her office, and she said, 'Are you still taking the Theatre in Paris course?'
"'Yes.'
"'Are you still taking the Comic Strips and Society course?'
"'Yes.'
"'And Word and Image [author's note - this is an art and literature course]?'
"'Yes.'
"'And you haven't changed your mind about any of these?'
"'Um, no?'
"'Okay,' she said, 'And you're in the earliest Translation course. What are you taking to fill the rest of the required credits?'
"I responded, 'Well, I want to take some history courses at the Sorbonne... but do you know the schedule yet of those classes so I can sign up for them?'
"'No,' she said curtly, 'they haven't sent me their course hours yet, so you'll have to do something in the meantime. Why not sign up for some courses at the Catholic Institute of Paris (ICP) so, just in case you get the hours at the Sorbonne and can't fit any of those courses into your schedule, you'll still have the classes you need?'
"'Um, okay.' I said. So we went through the courses and signed up for two that are possible. She marked that I would prefer to take courses at the Sorbonne.
"'Anything else you need?' she asked.
"'I said, 'I do need to translate the course descriptions into English and send them to the History Department of my college to ask if they can accept any of them as my official History credits. Is there any way you could send me the description of the courses, even if we don't have the hours yet?'
"'Of course, I'll email it to you now,' she said.
So I went downstairs to the computer room to check my email. She had emailed me last year's course schedule... so I now have last year's course hours, but not their descriptions."
You listen and nod. "Yep," you conclude, "that sucks."
"So that is how I have half a schedule," I finish.
Meanwhile, leave me a message and let me know what you think of these things I may or may not do.
mardi 15 septembre 2009
My blog is in FRENCH?
As Callie pointed out to me, my blog is in French. Bon, ce n'est pas écrit en français, but the website itself is in French. Allow me to help you out by translating the page a little bit.
Let's start on the left side that has all the tabs and stuff.
''Abonnés fidèles'' These are people who are subscribed to my blog.
''Archives du blog'' These are the, uh... archives. Of my blog. You can select certain entries to look at by selecting their titles, which are listed below the month and year.
"Qui êtes-vous ?" That means ''who are you?'' and shows the blog's profile and its info and stuff. It has a picture of me. You can click on it, I think, and it will bring up a different window where you can get some of my contact information (it lists that I'm a student, I live in the 14th neighborhood of Paris, and I like to chase pigeons).
Good job! We got through the left side of the Blogspot layout in French. I'm proud of you.
Next, we'll go to the center, the good stuff. The center has my blog posts, starting with the most recent. If you want to start at the beginning of my blog, go to the left side and select "Paris In A Bottle under the Archives column.
It lists the day, the date, the month, and the year in that order. The French days are as follows:
Lundi - Monday
Mardi - Tuesday (think Mardi Gras!)
Mercredi - Wednesday
Jeudi - Thursday
Vendredi - Friday
Samedi - Saturday
Dimanche - Sunday
I'll trust you to be able to figure out the date, month, and year.
So you read my blog entry and you enjoy it, you're laughing, you're entertained, you're glad I'm having a good time... then you're done with that entry. At the bottom is a message that reads ''Publié par ParisInABottle à l'adresse (some number)'' This tells you when I published that entry to the internet.
Directly to the right of this is something that says 0 commentaires or 4 commentaires or such. If you wish to read the comments that people left me, click on that and scroll down. If you wish to make your own comment, click on that and scroll down.
SIGN IN before you write a comment, or else you'll have to rewrite it. Some people have already discovered this, much to their dismay.
So type your comment and then, if you want to see what it looks like without publishing it, click "Aperçu" If you want to publish it, click on the box that says "Publier un commentaire"
Aaaaand that should be all you need to know!
Now I'm going to show you a successive list of images and you're going to guess my entire schedule for today.
Here's a clue: I woke up this morning.
Let's start on the left side that has all the tabs and stuff.
''Abonnés fidèles'' These are people who are subscribed to my blog.
''Archives du blog'' These are the, uh... archives. Of my blog. You can select certain entries to look at by selecting their titles, which are listed below the month and year.
"Qui êtes-vous ?" That means ''who are you?'' and shows the blog's profile and its info and stuff. It has a picture of me. You can click on it, I think, and it will bring up a different window where you can get some of my contact information (it lists that I'm a student, I live in the 14th neighborhood of Paris, and I like to chase pigeons).
Good job! We got through the left side of the Blogspot layout in French. I'm proud of you.
Next, we'll go to the center, the good stuff. The center has my blog posts, starting with the most recent. If you want to start at the beginning of my blog, go to the left side and select "Paris In A Bottle under the Archives column.
It lists the day, the date, the month, and the year in that order. The French days are as follows:
Lundi - Monday
Mardi - Tuesday (think Mardi Gras!)
Mercredi - Wednesday
Jeudi - Thursday
Vendredi - Friday
Samedi - Saturday
Dimanche - Sunday
I'll trust you to be able to figure out the date, month, and year.
So you read my blog entry and you enjoy it, you're laughing, you're entertained, you're glad I'm having a good time... then you're done with that entry. At the bottom is a message that reads ''Publié par ParisInABottle à l'adresse (some number)'' This tells you when I published that entry to the internet.
Directly to the right of this is something that says 0 commentaires or 4 commentaires or such. If you wish to read the comments that people left me, click on that and scroll down. If you wish to make your own comment, click on that and scroll down.
SIGN IN before you write a comment, or else you'll have to rewrite it. Some people have already discovered this, much to their dismay.
So type your comment and then, if you want to see what it looks like without publishing it, click "Aperçu" If you want to publish it, click on the box that says "Publier un commentaire"
Aaaaand that should be all you need to know!
Now I'm going to show you a successive list of images and you're going to guess my entire schedule for today.
Here's a clue: I woke up this morning.
samedi 12 septembre 2009
Saturday Shopping
It's a bright Saturday, and I'm inside, typing on one of those funky European keyboards. Fab.
Also, I'd like to introduce you to two of my favorite stores that are in the area near the programme center. At least, their names are what delight me so, as I have not entered either of the stores as a potential customer.
Je vous présente: Cuir Center !
Oh, I'm sorry, do you not know how to pronounce that? Let me help you out. Repeat after me: "Queer." Very good! The next part: "Center." Wow, you guys are fast learners! Do you think you are ready to say it all together with me? Okay, let's do it: "Queer Center!" Good job!
Now, can you guess what they sell? No, not that. No, not that either, geez! You have some mighty strange guesses! Alright, alright, I can see you have no idea. The truth is that they sell leather. Leather couches and furniture and such, but still. Cuir Center sells leather; I find this hilarious.
Oh, that other place that I like? It's called "Undiz." I think you guys can probably guess how it's pronounced, but I'll help you out, just in case. I will type slowly for those of you who have trouble with pronouncing French words. Ready? Okay, this store's name is... "Undies." Yes, undies... like those things that you are wearing under your clothes (I hope!).
What's that? You want to know what this store with the funny name sells? Well, like I said, I haven't been inside, but your guess is as good as mine if you look at a picture of the storefront:
What?! Those mannequins are practically naked!! All they're wearing is... is... underwear? Ohhhhh... suddenly, it all makes sense.
Anyway, my friend is staying over this weekend and still looking for apartments, so we've been and will continue to be taking the Metro all over Paris to see different apartments and such. It's quite fun. Also, she will be visiting us someday in Minnesota. LOOK FORWARD TO THIS!!
Iù, getting bored zith this internet cqfe noz; qnd upset zith the keyboqrd; so Iù, gonnq get going qnd Iùll try to ,qke qnother updqte on ?ondqy or Tuesdqy for you qll: Byyye111
Also, I'd like to introduce you to two of my favorite stores that are in the area near the programme center. At least, their names are what delight me so, as I have not entered either of the stores as a potential customer.
Je vous présente: Cuir Center !
Oh, I'm sorry, do you not know how to pronounce that? Let me help you out. Repeat after me: "Queer." Very good! The next part: "Center." Wow, you guys are fast learners! Do you think you are ready to say it all together with me? Okay, let's do it: "Queer Center!" Good job!Now, can you guess what they sell? No, not that. No, not that either, geez! You have some mighty strange guesses! Alright, alright, I can see you have no idea. The truth is that they sell leather. Leather couches and furniture and such, but still. Cuir Center sells leather; I find this hilarious.
Oh, that other place that I like? It's called "Undiz." I think you guys can probably guess how it's pronounced, but I'll help you out, just in case. I will type slowly for those of you who have trouble with pronouncing French words. Ready? Okay, this store's name is... "Undies." Yes, undies... like those things that you are wearing under your clothes (I hope!).
What's that? You want to know what this store with the funny name sells? Well, like I said, I haven't been inside, but your guess is as good as mine if you look at a picture of the storefront:
What?! Those mannequins are practically naked!! All they're wearing is... is... underwear? Ohhhhh... suddenly, it all makes sense.
Anyway, my friend is staying over this weekend and still looking for apartments, so we've been and will continue to be taking the Metro all over Paris to see different apartments and such. It's quite fun. Also, she will be visiting us someday in Minnesota. LOOK FORWARD TO THIS!!
Iù, getting bored zith this internet cqfe noz; qnd upset zith the keyboqrd; so Iù, gonnq get going qnd Iùll try to ,qke qnother updqte on ?ondqy or Tuesdqy for you qll: Byyye111
vendredi 11 septembre 2009
One more thing!
I forgot: Just because YOU read MY blog and know how I'm getting along in Paris doesn't mean I know how you are doing!
So leave me a message letting me know how you are holding up (how is this possible without me around? ;) ) and how school is and all that good stuff, okay?
SERIOUSLY, DO IT.
I know who you are.
(I can decide to not send you a postcard)
So leave me a message letting me know how you are holding up (how is this possible without me around? ;) ) and how school is and all that good stuff, okay?
SERIOUSLY, DO IT.
I know who you are.
(I can decide to not send you a postcard)
No internet = no updates?
So we're working on trying to get internet at my apartment. This is a teeny update just so you guys don't think I've forgotten about you.
Tuesday was the first day of orientation. It was boring. What I learned? "If you go to a party and you drink maybe a little, and you kiss a guy? You're his girlfriend. You kiss him twice? You're gonna meet his mother the next day. No, I'm serious! French people are.... intense like that."
Wednesday was also orientation. It was still boring.
Thursday we started the 'intensive language' courses (classes don't start until the 21st). Mine is easy. The professor is super nice, though. She's excited to have me in class because I already um... know what she's teaching, I guess. But seriously, it's two hours every morning of things I learned in lycee (high school).
Today we continued with the courses. I'm bored. But my friend from Sweden is coming over tonight and tomorrow night, so we'll have lots of fun and go out to dinner and stuff.
I have a French telephone number now (you can contact my mother for it or send me a message on Facebook). Next step? Get a French bank account and then buy a year-long pass for the Metro.
Okay I'm gonna go now! Bye! :)
Tuesday was the first day of orientation. It was boring. What I learned? "If you go to a party and you drink maybe a little, and you kiss a guy? You're his girlfriend. You kiss him twice? You're gonna meet his mother the next day. No, I'm serious! French people are.... intense like that."
Wednesday was also orientation. It was still boring.
Thursday we started the 'intensive language' courses (classes don't start until the 21st). Mine is easy. The professor is super nice, though. She's excited to have me in class because I already um... know what she's teaching, I guess. But seriously, it's two hours every morning of things I learned in lycee (high school).
Today we continued with the courses. I'm bored. But my friend from Sweden is coming over tonight and tomorrow night, so we'll have lots of fun and go out to dinner and stuff.
I have a French telephone number now (you can contact my mother for it or send me a message on Facebook). Next step? Get a French bank account and then buy a year-long pass for the Metro.
Okay I'm gonna go now! Bye! :)
dimanche 6 septembre 2009
what can I type in 5 minutes?
So 5 minutes left on the computer. Better make this fast.
When we had gone to the Eiffel Tower (and walked up and down all its steps), we saw a dead rat outside of it. It was gross. We saw an all-black pigeon followed by an albino pigeons. Awesome.
Yesterday all the internet cafés were closed. I met my host mother yesterday. She gave me grapes, it was cute. I'm moving in today. Oh yeah, she LOVED the gifts I gave her -- ESPECIALLY the Obama paper dolls. She said, "We're all Obamaniacs in this house!" She is a FRENCH PROFESSOR and I swear she must be the long-lost twin sister of my French professor because they are seriously practically the same person.
Orientation starts tomorrow at 9:45 AM and now I need to call my host mother, find a bank to open an account (this might take a few days depending on where banks are), and um... I forget. Well, move the rest of my stuff to my host mother's apt, but yeah. Oh and I need to find a place that offers wifi because there is no internet access at the apt. Sad. She said she's going to try to find out how much it will cost to get either a landline or wifi in the apartment. She really is the sweetest person ever.
Okiedokie, I gotta go! Call me or text me sometime!
When we had gone to the Eiffel Tower (and walked up and down all its steps), we saw a dead rat outside of it. It was gross. We saw an all-black pigeon followed by an albino pigeons. Awesome.
Yesterday all the internet cafés were closed. I met my host mother yesterday. She gave me grapes, it was cute. I'm moving in today. Oh yeah, she LOVED the gifts I gave her -- ESPECIALLY the Obama paper dolls. She said, "We're all Obamaniacs in this house!" She is a FRENCH PROFESSOR and I swear she must be the long-lost twin sister of my French professor because they are seriously practically the same person.
Orientation starts tomorrow at 9:45 AM and now I need to call my host mother, find a bank to open an account (this might take a few days depending on where banks are), and um... I forget. Well, move the rest of my stuff to my host mother's apt, but yeah. Oh and I need to find a place that offers wifi because there is no internet access at the apt. Sad. She said she's going to try to find out how much it will cost to get either a landline or wifi in the apartment. She really is the sweetest person ever.
Okiedokie, I gotta go! Call me or text me sometime!
samedi 5 septembre 2009
Adventuring
So we had an adventure through Paris and walked all over.
I walked from the hostel to Zone Nordique (see post below for link). Then we walked to the Eiffel Tower with a slight detour at Notre Dame.
Click here for the path we walked (it's a little confusing).
We stopped on the way for lunch at Café La Dauphine.
It was pretty great. Then there was the Eiffel Tower itself, which we climbed. Yes, on the stairs. Yes, 1665 stairs. We also climbed down. Yes, on the stairs. Yes, the same 1665 stairs.
Then we got tired and decided it was time to take the Metro back. We trudged over to the Bir-Hakeim metro station. We rode the Metro over to the Daumesnil station. We switched and rode that Metro over to the Ledru-Rollin station. We walked over to Milk (the cybercafé), and here we are. I'm tired. Perhaps it's time for dinner now.
Bye!
I walked from the hostel to Zone Nordique (see post below for link). Then we walked to the Eiffel Tower with a slight detour at Notre Dame.
Click here for the path we walked (it's a little confusing).
We stopped on the way for lunch at Café La Dauphine.
It was pretty great. Then there was the Eiffel Tower itself, which we climbed. Yes, on the stairs. Yes, 1665 stairs. We also climbed down. Yes, on the stairs. Yes, the same 1665 stairs.
Then we got tired and decided it was time to take the Metro back. We trudged over to the Bir-Hakeim metro station. We rode the Metro over to the Daumesnil station. We switched and rode that Metro over to the Ledru-Rollin station. We walked over to Milk (the cybercafé), and here we are. I'm tired. Perhaps it's time for dinner now.
Bye!
Quittin' time
So my friend is quitting her job at Cop.Copine for various reasons, and while she does that, I have to walk to a place where she'll be applying for her next job. Therefore, I have very little time to provide updates.
I bought Nutella in a glass jar and Nairn's oatcakes (yes. Nairn's.)
These have served as my meals for awhile. Also, my friend and I had lunch together yesterday at Cafe Jade. Delicious coffee.
Today we're going to Zone Nordique (the shop where she wants to get a job).
But now I have to go, otherwise I will be late meeting her there! So... bye!
I bought Nutella in a glass jar and Nairn's oatcakes (yes. Nairn's.)
These have served as my meals for awhile. Also, my friend and I had lunch together yesterday at Cafe Jade. Delicious coffee.
Today we're going to Zone Nordique (the shop where she wants to get a job).
But now I have to go, otherwise I will be late meeting her there! So... bye!
vendredi 4 septembre 2009
Oh, I guess if you guys want to follow my adventures using Googlemaps (click here) I can give you addresses and links to places I've been. Don't expect me to keep up with this unless you remind me, yeah?
OH AND USE STREET VIEW OKAY?
Okay, so my hostel is 10 Rue Trousseau, Paris, France (drag the screen to the right and you will see Auberge International des Jeunes).
It's pretty close to La Bastille but that's full of people wanting me to sign up for stuff.
I walked to Le Pont de Sully (Sully Bridge) and stared at Le Cathédral de Notre Dame for awhile.
I also went to Cop.Copine to visit my friend (you can't see it in Streetview but it's off to the right).
At one point yesterday I was in Le Jardin des Plantes (the Garden of Plants. Creative, I know).
Before that I was at some Musée de Sculptures en Plein Air (Outdoor Sculpture Museum).
Where else have I been wandering? Dunno. Am currently trying to find a duck for my brother's birthday present. Little luck.
MOM: I FOUND HUGGING SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS!! If they weren't 20 euros I'd have totally gotten them for you, but that's almost 40 dollars. A little much for s&p I think. Sorry.
OH YEAH and I'm at a cybercafe called Milk. It's pretty sweet.
Ok enough updating for now. Later!
OH AND USE STREET VIEW OKAY?
Okay, so my hostel is 10 Rue Trousseau, Paris, France (drag the screen to the right and you will see Auberge International des Jeunes).
It's pretty close to La Bastille but that's full of people wanting me to sign up for stuff.
I walked to Le Pont de Sully (Sully Bridge) and stared at Le Cathédral de Notre Dame for awhile.
I also went to Cop.Copine to visit my friend (you can't see it in Streetview but it's off to the right).
At one point yesterday I was in Le Jardin des Plantes (the Garden of Plants. Creative, I know).
Before that I was at some Musée de Sculptures en Plein Air (Outdoor Sculpture Museum).
Where else have I been wandering? Dunno. Am currently trying to find a duck for my brother's birthday present. Little luck.
MOM: I FOUND HUGGING SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS!! If they weren't 20 euros I'd have totally gotten them for you, but that's almost 40 dollars. A little much for s&p I think. Sorry.
OH YEAH and I'm at a cybercafe called Milk. It's pretty sweet.
Ok enough updating for now. Later!
Paris is full of hipsters
"My God.... It's full of hipsters."
No, but seriously, Paris is full of hipsters. Should I be surprised? Not really. Am I? A bit.
Also, I'm making a list of nationalities people have guessed me to be, as well as a list of nationalities I have pretended to be (to avoid the American stereotype of being 'easy'). The lists are as follows:
Guesses:
American, Australian, Canadian, English, French, Irish, Italian, Scottish, Spanish, Swedish
Pretenses:
Canadian, Scottish, English
More lists include how many men have accosted me (so far 3, one tried to walk up to me and hug me in the middle of the sidewalk but I evaded him; another asks "Do you have a boyfriend?" I respond, "Yes." He asks again, "Are you SURE?" I say, "Yes!" And he swears, "PUTAIN!"), how many people have mistaken me for being Parisian (7-10), how many people have listened to me stutter and realized I'm NOT Parisian (6-7), and how many people have asked me for directions to a Metro station (4).
I'm sure as these numbers mount towards innumerable, I will give up on the lists. But for now, it's a very good indicator of how well I am (or am not) fitting in here.
I had coffee today. Delicious. French coffee is amazing, there's none other like it. I think I had a dream where somebody was correcting my grammar. I forget.
I walked past Notre Dame today and back. (Below is the view of Notre Dame standing on Pont Sully--Sully Bridge)
That's a round trip of about 8 kilometers (4-5 miles?). This walking was caused by my new friend from the hostel, a girl from Sweden named Hanna. That is, she has a job in a clothing store called Cop-Copine on Rue du Four (near Boulevard Saint-Germain), and we had lunch together. She says I should visit her in Sweden during one of my vacations. I agree.
I stood staring at that view (above) for a good 20 minutes. They were doing construction on Pont Sully below me, so some Protection Civile de Paris guy in a boat was going in circles below. Lots of tourist boats passed by... but whatever.
I've spoken to my host mother twice so far. She's extremely nice, and we're going to have breakfast on Sunday, where she'll take me shopping for groceries and give me the key to the apartment. This will be great; my only concern is that I won't be able to figure out how to get inside the apartment building. Apartments in France are confusing. Gah.
Alright, I'm bored. Gonna find something else to do on the internet, 'k bye.
No, but seriously, Paris is full of hipsters. Should I be surprised? Not really. Am I? A bit.Also, I'm making a list of nationalities people have guessed me to be, as well as a list of nationalities I have pretended to be (to avoid the American stereotype of being 'easy'). The lists are as follows:
Guesses:
American, Australian, Canadian, English, French, Irish, Italian, Scottish, Spanish, Swedish
Pretenses:
Canadian, Scottish, English
More lists include how many men have accosted me (so far 3, one tried to walk up to me and hug me in the middle of the sidewalk but I evaded him; another asks "Do you have a boyfriend?" I respond, "Yes." He asks again, "Are you SURE?" I say, "Yes!" And he swears, "PUTAIN!"), how many people have mistaken me for being Parisian (7-10), how many people have listened to me stutter and realized I'm NOT Parisian (6-7), and how many people have asked me for directions to a Metro station (4).
I'm sure as these numbers mount towards innumerable, I will give up on the lists. But for now, it's a very good indicator of how well I am (or am not) fitting in here.
I had coffee today. Delicious. French coffee is amazing, there's none other like it. I think I had a dream where somebody was correcting my grammar. I forget.
I walked past Notre Dame today and back. (Below is the view of Notre Dame standing on Pont Sully--Sully Bridge)
That's a round trip of about 8 kilometers (4-5 miles?). This walking was caused by my new friend from the hostel, a girl from Sweden named Hanna. That is, she has a job in a clothing store called Cop-Copine on Rue du Four (near Boulevard Saint-Germain), and we had lunch together. She says I should visit her in Sweden during one of my vacations. I agree.I stood staring at that view (above) for a good 20 minutes. They were doing construction on Pont Sully below me, so some Protection Civile de Paris guy in a boat was going in circles below. Lots of tourist boats passed by... but whatever.
I've spoken to my host mother twice so far. She's extremely nice, and we're going to have breakfast on Sunday, where she'll take me shopping for groceries and give me the key to the apartment. This will be great; my only concern is that I won't be able to figure out how to get inside the apartment building. Apartments in France are confusing. Gah.
Alright, I'm bored. Gonna find something else to do on the internet, 'k bye.
jeudi 3 septembre 2009
Paris in a Bottle
So that's right, the title of this blog is "Paris in a Bottle." Why? I'll tell you. There's an old French saying that roughly translates to "With ifs and buts, you could put Paris in a bottle." The closest saying we have in English is probably, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." So the title of this blog is to remind myself that I'm here because I'm done wishing, so I'm actually in Paris. If you want to know the story of my flight and my first two days, read on. If you're bored, then don't. I won't be offended. In fact, I won't even know. So my flights? Yes, I left from Minneapolis/St. Paul on September 1st and had a layover in Chicago O'Hare. From Chicago I flew directly to Paris (after about an hour's delay because of airplane maintenance of some such thing).
It was a long flight, and I was seated next to a French couple who were extremely concerned with constantly being attached at the mouth. I felt awkward. There was also a little boy a row behind and a few seats over from me. We played with my pillow/snow leopard. His parents were impressed with my ability to keep him quiet. I was just tired.
Both of my bags arrived at the same time as I did, which was a major surprise. People like to lose my bags. They like to lose my bags A LOT. I somehow managed to put on both backpacks and the messenger bag and grab the rolling suitcases and get it
-on the RER (a BIG subway train),
-off the RER, down the stairs,
-up the stairs,
-down the stairs,
-on the Metro (smaller subway train),
-off the Metro,
-up the stairs,
-up more stairs,
-down the stairs,
-back on the Metro,
-off the Metro,
-up the stairs,
-up LOTS of stairs,
and to the hostel to check in.
Then I brought my luggage down more stairs to the luggage storage room because the rooms are closed from 10am to 4 pm for cleaning. This is not uncommon... just mildly inconvenient. I locked up my bags and was satisfied with the security. I wandered around Paris and discovered I was very close to La Bastille:
Fabulous.
Now I'm out of time on the computer, so I gotta go!
A bientôt!
It was a long flight, and I was seated next to a French couple who were extremely concerned with constantly being attached at the mouth. I felt awkward. There was also a little boy a row behind and a few seats over from me. We played with my pillow/snow leopard. His parents were impressed with my ability to keep him quiet. I was just tired.
Both of my bags arrived at the same time as I did, which was a major surprise. People like to lose my bags. They like to lose my bags A LOT. I somehow managed to put on both backpacks and the messenger bag and grab the rolling suitcases and get it
-on the RER (a BIG subway train),
-off the RER, down the stairs,
-up the stairs,
-down the stairs,
-on the Metro (smaller subway train),
-off the Metro,
-up the stairs,
-up more stairs,
-down the stairs,
-back on the Metro,
-off the Metro,
-up the stairs,
-up LOTS of stairs,
and to the hostel to check in.
Then I brought my luggage down more stairs to the luggage storage room because the rooms are closed from 10am to 4 pm for cleaning. This is not uncommon... just mildly inconvenient. I locked up my bags and was satisfied with the security. I wandered around Paris and discovered I was very close to La Bastille:
Fabulous.
Now I'm out of time on the computer, so I gotta go!
A bientôt!
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