Monday, October 27, 2008
Friends don't let friends live near cemetaries
So...I had a pretty interesting day yesterday. Beatrice, who also lives in Bourcefranc and was one of the few students to stick around seeing as how her family lives in Martinique, came over to visit. We finalized our plans for going to Carcassonne on Wednesday (oh yeah...I'm going to Carcassonne on Wednesday, a very well preserved medieval town...yay!). We then decided that we were hungry so we walked across town to Buffalo Grill. That's right. It's called Buffalo Grill...in France. And you can wear these awesome paper hats that vaguely resemble indian headdresses. It tries for the whole "American West" vibe...and it actually manages to carry it off for the most part. They even had country music playing. So I ordered an "Arizona Burger" because I haven't eaten beef in a long time and what a burger it was! The beef was less like a burger and more like a steak. Which was fine with me. And I ordered un coca (a coke) which came in a bottle and tasted way better than I remember coke tasting. But anyhoo, after Buffalo Grill, we walked back to Beatrice's apartment. Here we enjoyed some French television. First, we watched Les Simpson (hilarious in french...especially since I've already seen most of the episodes) and then we watched Hellboy...in French. Now, I know that Hellboy is not a scary movie...but if you have a sensitive imagination like mine, the thought of walking a mile home in the dark at midnight after such a movie is not particularly appealing. Especially since Beatrice lives right next to a cemetary. Especially since it is almost Toussaint (all saint's day). In fact, after the movie, we opened up the skylight and looked at the cemetary in the moonlight. We both simultaneously decided that I would be staying the night. We then watched the Naked Chef...that British guy...try to reform school cafeterias in Britain. I fell asleep shortly afterwards and remembered no more. I woke up this morning to the rain. It figures. We could not go so many beautiful days without having a day or two of rain to mar an otherwise perfect streak of weather. So, I borrowed an umbrella and enjoyed a leisurely walk in the rain back to my apartment. I am starting to get too used to this slower pace of life. I'm never going to make it when I go back to America...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Handball is a dangerous and exciting game
Hello all! I've had a pretty wonderful weekend so far. I am officially on vacation. I know...I just got here, but the French have a delightful two week vacation for All Saint's Day in October. So...after bball practice on Friday, I was invited to go watch a handball match in Saintes the following night. I had my first intro to handball the previous day when I dropped in on the BTS PE class. It's nothing like handball in the US. It's a mix between ultimate frisbee rules played with a mini soccer ball on an indoor court with the physicality of rugby. Frankly, it's lots of fun. So, I woke up on Saturday morning, saw that it was sunny and reasonably warm, so I took a sheet and my ipod out to the courtyard where I basked in the sunshine for a couple of hours. I then biked into town, bought some Orangina (I'm quickly becoming addicted) and returned to have some baguette with camembert with lemon sorbet for dessert. I love french food. I then read Mark Twain for an hour or two, and then it was time to go to the match. So, I caught a ride to Saintes and proceeded to watch my first handball match. We had seats right on the floor and it was fantastic. Very violent and fast paced. I loved it! All the while the fans are crazy. Our side had a drum and the fans were chanting the entire match. "Allez, allez, allez!!" They kept playing snatches of Queen's "we will rock you" and for some reason "cotton-eyed joe". If you want to have a good time, I suggest you listen to a gym full of French people sing along to We will Rock you. It's fantastic. The home team ended up winning. I actually felt kind of sorry for the losing team. I kind of wished they would have won. But if I had voiced those sentiments, I probably would have been skewered on the spot.
After the match, the team went bowling. We didn't begin to bowl until after midnight. These french people stay up so late! Now, I have discovered that I don't particularly enjoy bowling. It hurts my fingers. And the game isn't enjoyable enough for me to want to hurt my fingers...kind of the way I play bball even though it shreds my knees. Also, if you know me, you know that after about 1 in the morning, I shut off. There's an automatic feature that just turns off late at night. Consequently, its difficult to get me to do much...much less speak coherently in another language. So...I was doing decently until about 1 am...then I began to suck extraordinarily. To make a long story short, I didn't get home until 3 am...waaaay too late for me. But it was fun to hang out with the basketball team and get to know them better. As a "welcome to the charente-maritime" they gave me two small bottles of Pineau. Haven't decided what to do with them yet... Anyhoo, as a result of staying up so late, I slept in until noon. I then woke up, showered, and made french toast while listening to Jimmy Eat World. A good morning. And now, I'm going to meet Beatrice and spend the afternoon with her. So...I had better get going! I'll talk to you all soon!
After the match, the team went bowling. We didn't begin to bowl until after midnight. These french people stay up so late! Now, I have discovered that I don't particularly enjoy bowling. It hurts my fingers. And the game isn't enjoyable enough for me to want to hurt my fingers...kind of the way I play bball even though it shreds my knees. Also, if you know me, you know that after about 1 in the morning, I shut off. There's an automatic feature that just turns off late at night. Consequently, its difficult to get me to do much...much less speak coherently in another language. So...I was doing decently until about 1 am...then I began to suck extraordinarily. To make a long story short, I didn't get home until 3 am...waaaay too late for me. But it was fun to hang out with the basketball team and get to know them better. As a "welcome to the charente-maritime" they gave me two small bottles of Pineau. Haven't decided what to do with them yet... Anyhoo, as a result of staying up so late, I slept in until noon. I then woke up, showered, and made french toast while listening to Jimmy Eat World. A good morning. And now, I'm going to meet Beatrice and spend the afternoon with her. So...I had better get going! I'll talk to you all soon!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
French Middle Schoolers
I LOVE them! They are so cute! Everyone keeps talking about what terrors they are, and granted, they can talk your ear off...but I just found them so interesting. Today in class, the now requisite question being asked (i.e. Do you have a boyfriend?) I responded with no, "les garcons sont mechants" or "boys are mean". And one adorable little red haired boy (you know how I'm a sucker for them red-headed kids) immediately responded with "certains garcons!" or "only certain boys!" He was so cute! All that to say, I enjoy the middle schoolers!
As an afterthought, I have posted a new album on facebook. The link to view it is here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030193&l=42edc&id=64300928
Hope to hear from you all soon!
As an afterthought, I have posted a new album on facebook. The link to view it is here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030193&l=42edc&id=64300928
Hope to hear from you all soon!
Monday, October 20, 2008
A Most Loverly Weekend
The weather once again was beautiful this weekend (a little bit more chilly than the sunshine would lead you to believe, but still good) which meant that I spent most of the weekend outdoors...which I love to do! After my excursion into the tidepools on Friday, I had basketball with the local club to look forward to. I was a bit apprehensive at first, wondering if they were going to let me play, but my fears were laid to rest the instant I entered the gym. Apparently, the club is for women of all ages over 17, so there were many mothers and daughters on the team. Also, I have many of these daughters in my classes and they have been talking me up to their mothers...which allowed these women to recognize me immediately as "l'americaine" and welcome me. Which was a great relief to me. Anyhoo, I haven't practiced in such an organized fashion since high school...running plays, zone defense...it brings back so many memories! It also showed me that I am miserably out of shape. Anyhoo, afterwards, the women invited me to watch the men's game in Marennes the following night. Christelle offered to pick me up and everything! I love this town! Maybe I'm just used to Californians...who aren't the nicest people in the world, but the people here have been soo nice! Anyhoo, since practice didn't start until 9 o'clock, and didn't finish until 11...I fell asleep immediately after my shower. How do these French people do this? They eat at 8 or 9 and are awake for forever! I'm hungry by 5 and I have to snack if I'm eating with a family otherwise, I'll never make it to dinner. On Saturday, Laurent came over to ride bikes with me. He brought his laptop and we compared our tastes in music, which are pretty similar. We rode our bikes through Bourcefranc...but first we had to stop at the supermarche because he was hungry. And what did he buy? cookies. I swear, some guys would never make it if they didn't have mothers or wives to take care of them. From there we rode down to the "beach" of Bourcefranc...which at low tide is more like a mud flat. We then rode to Fort Louvois, hoping it would be low tide so that we could finally cross over to the fort, but no such luck. He came over afterwards and we played Uno...Laurent has never heard of beginner's luck. He lost nearly every game. I fixed mexican food for dinner (well, as close to mexican food as I can find in French grocery stores...which is a bit of a stretch), but it was Laurent's first encounter with it and he liked it pretty well. But he refused to eat either the guacamole or the salsa. I say if I have to eat Langoustines, he can try some guacamole. It is interesting hanging out with Laurent because he speaks very little English, which means that I speak lots of French...which is good...but at the same time sometimes we are utterly unable to explain to one another what we are trying to explain. Afterwards, I was picked up by Christelle to go watch the game in Marennes.
Well, I wouldn't say the French are the best basketball players ever, but I give them credit for trying. It was fun to watch. Their rules are a little bit different from ours. They go into double bonus immediately following the 5th foul...instead of one and one following the seventh foul and double bonus following the 10th foul. So, that was a little weird for me. It's been a little difficult picking up the new vocabulaire of basketball. They still use the words "shoot" and "dribble" but for the most part, all the names are different. Man defense is "individuel" and the backboard is a "panneau". A foul is a "faute" and the basket is a "panier". It's difficult to communicate with my teammates, but I'm starting to catch on. Immediately after the game, the team and its supporters broke out the food. Seriously, they had a mini feast in the gym following the game with wine and pizza (only in france) and lots of other things. The feast started around 11 or so...I was already sleepy. Anyhoo, I found out that they do not have a mini feast after every game...it just happened to be someone's birthday. For which I was grateful, for if there was a big meal after every game, I might be sick. I don't like to eat that late. When I got home well after midnight, I immediately crashed.
Sunday was a perfect day, weather-wise. I woke up and decided to go for a bike ride to find my way to Marennes, the local town where I will be teaching starting tomorrow. There are supposedly some "piste cyclable" or bicycle paths as you are not allowed to cycle alongside the main road. It is my firm belief that these cycling paths are a myth. I biked for three hours and could find no evidence that they existed. And seriously, I biked in each of the four directions from my apartment. I can see the cathedrale spire in Marennes...I just can't get there! So, first I went east, and hit a dead end in a small industrial patch. I then biked south, and found the fabled beach of Marennes...I'll return there at some other time. From there I went west over the bridge to the Ile D'Oleron...got half way across that wickely long bridge and saw that it was low tide and the causeway to Fort Louvois was now exposed. So, I turned around, biked into Bourcefranc le chapu and crossed the submersible causeway to Fort Louvois. I didn't have my camera on me, but the satisfaction I felt at finally having been able to walk up to the steps of the fort was immeasurable. After all this biking, I returned to my apartment where I promptly fell asleep for 2 hours. I had a loverly conversation with Katherine on skype for 2 hours and then later that evening, after spending 2 hours updating my itunes library, I called my sister and was finally able to talk to her. So, all in all, a most loverly weekend.
Well, I wouldn't say the French are the best basketball players ever, but I give them credit for trying. It was fun to watch. Their rules are a little bit different from ours. They go into double bonus immediately following the 5th foul...instead of one and one following the seventh foul and double bonus following the 10th foul. So, that was a little weird for me. It's been a little difficult picking up the new vocabulaire of basketball. They still use the words "shoot" and "dribble" but for the most part, all the names are different. Man defense is "individuel" and the backboard is a "panneau". A foul is a "faute" and the basket is a "panier". It's difficult to communicate with my teammates, but I'm starting to catch on. Immediately after the game, the team and its supporters broke out the food. Seriously, they had a mini feast in the gym following the game with wine and pizza (only in france) and lots of other things. The feast started around 11 or so...I was already sleepy. Anyhoo, I found out that they do not have a mini feast after every game...it just happened to be someone's birthday. For which I was grateful, for if there was a big meal after every game, I might be sick. I don't like to eat that late. When I got home well after midnight, I immediately crashed.
Sunday was a perfect day, weather-wise. I woke up and decided to go for a bike ride to find my way to Marennes, the local town where I will be teaching starting tomorrow. There are supposedly some "piste cyclable" or bicycle paths as you are not allowed to cycle alongside the main road. It is my firm belief that these cycling paths are a myth. I biked for three hours and could find no evidence that they existed. And seriously, I biked in each of the four directions from my apartment. I can see the cathedrale spire in Marennes...I just can't get there! So, first I went east, and hit a dead end in a small industrial patch. I then biked south, and found the fabled beach of Marennes...I'll return there at some other time. From there I went west over the bridge to the Ile D'Oleron...got half way across that wickely long bridge and saw that it was low tide and the causeway to Fort Louvois was now exposed. So, I turned around, biked into Bourcefranc le chapu and crossed the submersible causeway to Fort Louvois. I didn't have my camera on me, but the satisfaction I felt at finally having been able to walk up to the steps of the fort was immeasurable. After all this biking, I returned to my apartment where I promptly fell asleep for 2 hours. I had a loverly conversation with Katherine on skype for 2 hours and then later that evening, after spending 2 hours updating my itunes library, I called my sister and was finally able to talk to her. So, all in all, a most loverly weekend.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Field Trip!
Hello again! So today I had the opportunity to go on a "field trip" with the BTS students. Basically, they loaned me a pair of galoshes and we went galumphing through the low tide looking for all manner of sea creatures. It was a lot of fun. Low tide in this region of France is truly a low tide. We walked about a half a mile away from the beach out into the marshy seaweed-y tidepool like low tide area. At first it was horribly cold, but as we started walking, we began to warm up. It didn't hurt that the wind stopped blowing about half way through. I was sure that I was going to slip and fall, but I was lucky. We found all sorts of things...crabs (at least 5 different species), starfish, chitons, snails, limpets, slugs (ew), worms, oysters, barnacles, mussels, sponges, and a squid! The squid was pretty cool. When you touched it, it changed color to camoflouge with your hand. All the students had buckets. Which meant that there were many crabs harbored against their will. I was very fearful that I was going to wind up with a crab in my hair courtesy of one of my students from the whispered conversations and gleeful expressions I observed. Luckily, the professor checked all the buckets and made them put the crabs back. These students study fish farming and all sorts of things having to do with the ocean, so this trip was like Disneyland for them. The teacher had to keep yelling at them to put down the rocks, crabs, squid, or whatever else they were chasing and rejoin the group for the lecture. Afterwards, we returned to the shore and enjoyed a picnic lunch. It was very enjoyable. Especially since I got out of teaching today. Tee hee...
Like I've said, most of the BTS students are close to my age, so it was fun getting to know them and start to make some friends that aren't teachers. Beatrice, one of the girls, has lived in Martinique most of her life. Understandably, she finds France very cold. I've asked her to go to Carcassonne with me for La Toussaint...the week and a half break that is coming up in a week. Also, Laurent might join us. Laurent is going to bring his bike over tomorrow and we are going to take a bike ride. I hope I will finally discover the elusive bike trails that everyone keeps talking about. And tonight, I'm going to play basketball! Which means, that I should probably get going...talk to you all soon!
Like I've said, most of the BTS students are close to my age, so it was fun getting to know them and start to make some friends that aren't teachers. Beatrice, one of the girls, has lived in Martinique most of her life. Understandably, she finds France very cold. I've asked her to go to Carcassonne with me for La Toussaint...the week and a half break that is coming up in a week. Also, Laurent might join us. Laurent is going to bring his bike over tomorrow and we are going to take a bike ride. I hope I will finally discover the elusive bike trails that everyone keeps talking about. And tonight, I'm going to play basketball! Which means, that I should probably get going...talk to you all soon!
Oh la la La Rochelle
Welp, I'm back again from another marvelous adventure...well...not so marvelous. All I did was go to the doctor's...but it was in La Rochelle...which is marvelous. Since, my appointment was at 9:30 in La Rochelle, I had to leave Bourcefranc by the 6:30 bus which took me to Rochefort where I took the train to La Rochelle. I arrived in La Rochelle before the sun did, seeing as how the sun doesn't come up until after 8 o'clock here in France. I walked to the Old Port, these massive towers that flank the entrance to the harbor. They are amazing! But I didn't get to go in seeing as how I arrived in La Rochelle before even the sparrows were awake. But I am definitely planning on going back. I finally found the doctor's office (don't worry...I'm not sick...You have to get a notice from the doctor saying that you are disease free before you can get your visa.) A little bit of awkwardness ensued...namely the french make you take a chest xray...and they don't give you anything to cover up with. Glad that's over with. Anyhoo, I met another assistant, Amelia, and we went shopping! La Rochelle has an Etam...my favorite store ever! La Rochelle also has a Galleries Lafayette (big french department store...come to think of it...the French invented department stores. Read "Ladies Paradise" by Emile Zola.) I was able to finally buy some lotion, because nowhere in the whole of Bourcefranc do they sell lotion. I've been looking for weeks. There were things that vaguely resembled lotion...but as I wasn't completely sure what they were, I refrained from buying them. Anyhoo, Amelia and I walked back to the old port and then we had lunch at a cafe. It was very relaxing. I decided to go back early, so I left Amelia and went back to the train station. I barely got on my train in time and I was on my way back to Rochefort to catch the bus back to Bourcefranc. Well, if you recall, I met a weird guy last time I was waiting for the bus. Welp, I met an even stranger one this time. He was openly staring at me as I tried to find out which bus to take. He then followed me to the bus stop, sat down next to me and offered me a cigarette. I declined and then he proceeded to light up less than a foot away. Did it enter his head that I might have declined because I dislike cigarette smoke in my immediate vicinity? I think not. Anyways, I tried to pull the "I don't speak french" card, but my accent is starting to get too good. It never works anymore. So...this crazy (did I mention he had a very scary unibrow...nothing against unibrows...but this one was worthy of praise) tried to carry on conversation with me for 30 minutes or so. Apparently we were waiting for the same bus. It wasn't coming, so he said something to the effect of "venez" and "chez moi" which means something like "would you like to come to my house?" Heck no! I told him that I would wait here for the bus come hell or high water. well...not exactly...but that's what I was saying inside. Well...this kind old lady took "la petite americaine" to another bus stop where I was able to finally catch the bus. I then had a pleasant conversation with the bus driver for an hour or so as I was the only person on the bus. So...all's well that ends well. But I am definitely returning to La Rochelle...so much history! Just think...Cardinal Richelieu was there! And so were the three musketeers! (I know...they're fictional...but La Rochelle is not!) So...until next time! Look for another blog coming soon about my excursion into the tidepools...well...more like our half mile hike into the low tide zone.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
More Adventures in Teaching...
So...all this week I've been doing an exercise in class where I write three sentences on the board, two of which are true, and one of which is false. The kids are supposed to figure out which one is false. I tell them that I am going to lie to them and then I proceed to do so. My sentences are fairly straight forward.
1. I have broken 5 bones.
2. I have won the school spelling bee...twice.
3. I hate monkeys. They are ugly.
If you know me, you should know which one is false. Anyhoo, after the kids figure out which one is false, I have them write their own three sentences. And let me tell you...some interesting class periods have resulted. Yesterday, a kid wrote these three sentences.
1. I love my brother.
2. I love to surf.
3. I love my bed.
Now guess which one was false? That's right. Number 1. Today, the game got dangerous. The first girl who went up wrote,
1. I love giraffes. They are tall.
2. I love girls. I am bisexual.
3. I have broken 2 bones.
I thought, oh please God, let number 2 be false. I've already seen one of my female students kissing another girl around the back of the school. So another student asked, "When you kiss a girl, it is good?" At this point, the girl burst into hysterical giggling, which instantly reassured me that number 2 was false. Phew. The second girl to go write her sentences on the board was the first girl's friend. She wrote,
1. I love babies. They are cute.
2. I'm bad. Very, very bad.
3. I'm pregnant.
Oh holy crap weasels! If number 1 is false and she hates babies, yet is pregnant...the only way that this could turn out good is if number 3 is false. Which luckily it was. But oh the directions an activity can go in which you did not anticipate going. Never a dull day in a French high school.
1. I have broken 5 bones.
2. I have won the school spelling bee...twice.
3. I hate monkeys. They are ugly.
If you know me, you should know which one is false. Anyhoo, after the kids figure out which one is false, I have them write their own three sentences. And let me tell you...some interesting class periods have resulted. Yesterday, a kid wrote these three sentences.
1. I love my brother.
2. I love to surf.
3. I love my bed.
Now guess which one was false? That's right. Number 1. Today, the game got dangerous. The first girl who went up wrote,
1. I love giraffes. They are tall.
2. I love girls. I am bisexual.
3. I have broken 2 bones.
I thought, oh please God, let number 2 be false. I've already seen one of my female students kissing another girl around the back of the school. So another student asked, "When you kiss a girl, it is good?" At this point, the girl burst into hysterical giggling, which instantly reassured me that number 2 was false. Phew. The second girl to go write her sentences on the board was the first girl's friend. She wrote,
1. I love babies. They are cute.
2. I'm bad. Very, very bad.
3. I'm pregnant.
Oh holy crap weasels! If number 1 is false and she hates babies, yet is pregnant...the only way that this could turn out good is if number 3 is false. Which luckily it was. But oh the directions an activity can go in which you did not anticipate going. Never a dull day in a French high school.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Rochefort
Well hello again everyone! I passed a very wonderful weekend in Rochefort and I thought I'd share with you all how much fun I had! One of the teachers in my school, Gwenael, invited me home for the weekend with his family in Rochefort, a neighboring town about 30 kilometers away. Rochefort is inland a ways, but it lies on the Charente, the major river in the region (the region is named the Charente-Maritime). The Charente connects to the ocean. So, Rochefort was an important military arsenal and shipyard during the 17th and 18th centuries when the French were fighting the British (when were the french not fighting the british?). The entrance to the Charente is guarded by several forts in the channel between the Ile d'oleron (the island off the coast) and the mainland. So...I met Gwenael at the bus stop to go to a french market. These occur once or twice a week, and all the producers from a weekend converge and sell their produce. The market in Rochefort is particularly reknowned. We then met Gwenael's family, his wife Dominique, and his three daughters, Emma, Angele, and Apolline. They were so cute! Aged 8, 6, and 3...I had so much fun this weekend! Anyhoo, we walked around Rochefort together and I took all the requisite pictures...I particularly was struck by one church in particular...I'll put up pics later. We then went down to the corderie, a building in which they used to make ropes for ships...is a very, very long building so that the rope could be stretched out and wound up and all sorts of other things you do with rope when making it. Later that afternoon, Gwen and I took a tour of the Hermione (pronounced air-me-own in french, not her-my-own-knee, harry potter fans). The Hermione is a historic ship that they are reconstructing. It was amazing! The Hermione was General Lafayette's flagship, the one he took to America when helping us in the American Revolution. This ship was beautiful...a frigate, with three masts, entirely in oak and pine. It was huge! Nearly the size of the Star of India...much bigger than the Bounty or the Surprise. They have just finished the middle level...which is historically accurate in size...meaning you have to hunch over like Igor just to move about. They started building in 1998, and they expect to finish in 2011...they will then sail to Boston, just as Lafayette did. She will return to Rochefort and will become a floating museum. Sigh...it was so beautiful...what I wouldn't give to sail on her maiden voyage!
After the Hermione, We met the rest of the family for a ride on the Pont Transbordeur. I guess there are only 8 of these types of bridges left in the world. This bridge was built in the 1900s to solve the problem of tall ships not being able to fit under a standard bridge. So, they built two tall steel towers, suspended cables between them, and engineered a ferry that crossed the river suspended from cables. It was pretty cool. We then went back home for dinner, which was amazing. Quiche Lorraine...with fresh strawberries for dessert...mmmm....
Sunday morning we were going to go the musee de beaux arts, but it was closed, so we took a walk around the old arsenal instead. After our walk, we returned for Sunday lunch...my favorite thing in the world! It was sooooo good! They didn't make me eat salad! Yay! We had duck with roasted apples...mmmm...and potatoes of some sort too. We also had pate for an appetizer. For dessert, after the cheese course of course, we had fruit salad with some delectable french biscuit that melted in your mouth. I adore Sunday Dinners in France! Afterwards, the girls played me in Mario Kart on the Wii and spanked me. Of course they would put it on the hardest level and laugh hysterically everytime I fell off the course...oh well. Gwen and his wife lent me several "bandes dessinees"...or french comics. The tradition of reading comics in France is very healthy, very much like the Japanese read manga. So, now I've been reading French comics for the past couple of days. They're actually pretty hard! But its a good way to improve my french. Well, I've probably rattled on long enough...and I'm hungry, so I will talk to you all soon!
After the Hermione, We met the rest of the family for a ride on the Pont Transbordeur. I guess there are only 8 of these types of bridges left in the world. This bridge was built in the 1900s to solve the problem of tall ships not being able to fit under a standard bridge. So, they built two tall steel towers, suspended cables between them, and engineered a ferry that crossed the river suspended from cables. It was pretty cool. We then went back home for dinner, which was amazing. Quiche Lorraine...with fresh strawberries for dessert...mmmm....
Sunday morning we were going to go the musee de beaux arts, but it was closed, so we took a walk around the old arsenal instead. After our walk, we returned for Sunday lunch...my favorite thing in the world! It was sooooo good! They didn't make me eat salad! Yay! We had duck with roasted apples...mmmm...and potatoes of some sort too. We also had pate for an appetizer. For dessert, after the cheese course of course, we had fruit salad with some delectable french biscuit that melted in your mouth. I adore Sunday Dinners in France! Afterwards, the girls played me in Mario Kart on the Wii and spanked me. Of course they would put it on the hardest level and laugh hysterically everytime I fell off the course...oh well. Gwen and his wife lent me several "bandes dessinees"...or french comics. The tradition of reading comics in France is very healthy, very much like the Japanese read manga. So, now I've been reading French comics for the past couple of days. They're actually pretty hard! But its a good way to improve my french. Well, I've probably rattled on long enough...and I'm hungry, so I will talk to you all soon!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Praise be to God!
I HAVE HOT WATER IN MY APARTMENT!!! FINALLY!!!
...I also was able to finally play some basketball!!
....and i finally opened the jam jar i had been trying to open for four days....
...I also was able to finally play some basketball!!
....and i finally opened the jam jar i had been trying to open for four days....
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Teaching...is a blast!
So...I'm half way through my first week of teaching. Some classes have been angelic, while others have been less so. All in all, I've had a lot of fun so far and I laugh at the students...a lot. I have had them ask me the strangest questions. Once, near the end of class, a girl raised her hand and asked me if I had children. WHAT? I've also had nearly every class ask if I had a boyfriend. Nosy little blighters... I get the feeling that once I answer in the negative, they all look at me slightly condescendingly. Today, I had the post graduate students and they were my favorite by far. I laugh to myself so much when I remember the class. They were very dismayed that I made them speak in English. One guy in the back kept talking in French no matter how many times I told him not to. Another teacher came in half way through and the guy in the back yelled, "Parlez en anglais!" or "Speak in English!" I found this ironic as he yelled it in French. One guy asked what Americans thought of French people. I said that they thought the French didn't like Americans and when I asked him if he liked Americans, he said "no." My favorite answer by far, when I asked them what they liked to do for fun came from one of they guys. His answer? Sex. What do you say to that? "Erm...that's nice?" Oh these crazy french kids...
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Calm before the Storm...
Le 5 Octobre 2008
Tomorrow is my first day of teaching…aaahhh!!!! Actually, I’m not that nervous. I get the sneaky suspicion that I should be much more nervous, but if I pretend to be nervous, maybe there will be no last minute real nerves. I hope you were able to follow that line of thought. Anyhoo, this weekend was lots of fun, in a relaxing sort of way. The weather was very windy and rainy, so I haven’t been much inclined to outdoor activity. I returned from orientation on Thursday after an hour long train ride followed by an intolerably 2 hour long bus ride where a strange man decided to make friends with me and wouldn’t leave me alone. I humored him for a small while and then spent the rest of the bus ride studiously staring out of the window or forcing myself to read, all the while feeling that his eyes were on me just waiting for an opportunity to once again point out that I could eat once I had arrived in Bourcefranc. I think he got the hint after a while as he turned very sulky. Better sulky than strangely eager to talk to me. When I got back to my apartment, there was still no hot water and there was a puddle of water under the water heater. I called Malika and left a message about the water situation and then went to use the computers in the teacher’s lounge. On my way out, I saw Pierre (Malika’s husband) descending from my apartment with what was apparently the maintenance guy. This was around 9 at night. Well, they couldn’t get the water heater going, so Pierre took me home (Malika’s home feels so much like home to me…its going to be hard to leave…other than the fact that I sometimes have to find excuses to leave the room when Pierre lights up a cigarette), where I have spent the rest of the weekend.
Friday night was interesting as I witnessed the launch and christening of a new boat, the Prana. Friends of Pierre and Malika have apparently been working on this 50 foot sailboat for over 3 years and are planning on sailing across the Atlantic to Brazil. Many friends had gathered and it was actually pretty exciting to watch them maneuver this massive boat into the water. They had rigged up a bottle of champagne to a line that hung from the top of the mast, and were all ready to smash it when the ladies in the audience started protesting that a lady needed to break the bottle. Well, the lady they chose was having some…er…technical difficulties, shall we say? She didn’t manage to break the bottle on the first two tries and the third try…I smile at the recollection. The rope wrapped three times around a free standing metal post and smashed…missing the boat completely. It was sublime.
I’ve been on a bit of a reading kick since returning from Poitiers. I discovered that Malika has a rather large cache of English books, and so I’ve read both Bridget Jones’ Diary and its sequel…in the space of two days. I find that subconsciously, I think much like Bridget and am very tempted to keep journal at all times, but would accomplish nothing. Am in a very pro-British mood at the moment. Or was…until I watched the Patriot in French with Pierre and remembered that we fought them and they have bad teeth. I also finished Gunslinger. It annoyed me in the way that science fiction novels do in that they don’t really have to have an ultimate objective…they can just be lost in space for 27,000 novels and never make it home. Interesting concept, but too many loose ends.
Today was Sunday, which in France means lovely, delicious Sunday lunch with all the family. I have now participated in two of these and they are absolutely fantastic. This time, we went to Malika’s mother’s home. A lot of extended family was there and we all sat down to a table that to me felt something like a French thanksgiving. Mind you, they do this every Sunday. There are always appetizers to start off the meal, bread and pate, cucumber salad, beets (I actually liked them…I despise beets in America…), bread, radishes, Oysters, bread…they made me try wine again and I decidedly do not like it. Then they bring out the main course…today it was duck and potatoes with salad. Malika made me eat salad. I tried to refuse. Oh well…I lived. And then we have dessert, which was plum tart today. All the while, everyone is squabbling in French all trying to talk over one another. I’ve noticed in France, that nobody waits for the other person to finish before speaking; they all jump in and are talking at the same time. How anybody understands anything is beyond me…I certainly understand very little at meal times. I should probably get going and attempt to figure out what I will be doing in class tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll have hot water tomorrow!
Tomorrow is my first day of teaching…aaahhh!!!! Actually, I’m not that nervous. I get the sneaky suspicion that I should be much more nervous, but if I pretend to be nervous, maybe there will be no last minute real nerves. I hope you were able to follow that line of thought. Anyhoo, this weekend was lots of fun, in a relaxing sort of way. The weather was very windy and rainy, so I haven’t been much inclined to outdoor activity. I returned from orientation on Thursday after an hour long train ride followed by an intolerably 2 hour long bus ride where a strange man decided to make friends with me and wouldn’t leave me alone. I humored him for a small while and then spent the rest of the bus ride studiously staring out of the window or forcing myself to read, all the while feeling that his eyes were on me just waiting for an opportunity to once again point out that I could eat once I had arrived in Bourcefranc. I think he got the hint after a while as he turned very sulky. Better sulky than strangely eager to talk to me. When I got back to my apartment, there was still no hot water and there was a puddle of water under the water heater. I called Malika and left a message about the water situation and then went to use the computers in the teacher’s lounge. On my way out, I saw Pierre (Malika’s husband) descending from my apartment with what was apparently the maintenance guy. This was around 9 at night. Well, they couldn’t get the water heater going, so Pierre took me home (Malika’s home feels so much like home to me…its going to be hard to leave…other than the fact that I sometimes have to find excuses to leave the room when Pierre lights up a cigarette), where I have spent the rest of the weekend.
Friday night was interesting as I witnessed the launch and christening of a new boat, the Prana. Friends of Pierre and Malika have apparently been working on this 50 foot sailboat for over 3 years and are planning on sailing across the Atlantic to Brazil. Many friends had gathered and it was actually pretty exciting to watch them maneuver this massive boat into the water. They had rigged up a bottle of champagne to a line that hung from the top of the mast, and were all ready to smash it when the ladies in the audience started protesting that a lady needed to break the bottle. Well, the lady they chose was having some…er…technical difficulties, shall we say? She didn’t manage to break the bottle on the first two tries and the third try…I smile at the recollection. The rope wrapped three times around a free standing metal post and smashed…missing the boat completely. It was sublime.
I’ve been on a bit of a reading kick since returning from Poitiers. I discovered that Malika has a rather large cache of English books, and so I’ve read both Bridget Jones’ Diary and its sequel…in the space of two days. I find that subconsciously, I think much like Bridget and am very tempted to keep journal at all times, but would accomplish nothing. Am in a very pro-British mood at the moment. Or was…until I watched the Patriot in French with Pierre and remembered that we fought them and they have bad teeth. I also finished Gunslinger. It annoyed me in the way that science fiction novels do in that they don’t really have to have an ultimate objective…they can just be lost in space for 27,000 novels and never make it home. Interesting concept, but too many loose ends.
Today was Sunday, which in France means lovely, delicious Sunday lunch with all the family. I have now participated in two of these and they are absolutely fantastic. This time, we went to Malika’s mother’s home. A lot of extended family was there and we all sat down to a table that to me felt something like a French thanksgiving. Mind you, they do this every Sunday. There are always appetizers to start off the meal, bread and pate, cucumber salad, beets (I actually liked them…I despise beets in America…), bread, radishes, Oysters, bread…they made me try wine again and I decidedly do not like it. Then they bring out the main course…today it was duck and potatoes with salad. Malika made me eat salad. I tried to refuse. Oh well…I lived. And then we have dessert, which was plum tart today. All the while, everyone is squabbling in French all trying to talk over one another. I’ve noticed in France, that nobody waits for the other person to finish before speaking; they all jump in and are talking at the same time. How anybody understands anything is beyond me…I certainly understand very little at meal times. I should probably get going and attempt to figure out what I will be doing in class tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll have hot water tomorrow!
Adventures in Aquitaine...more like Poitiers...but Eleanor of Aquitaine DID live there...
Le 1er Octobre 2008
Well, here I am in the “ville aux cent clochers”…that is to say…Poitiers. I have orientation tomorrow, so I am currently holed up at the hotel central. It’s not bad, really. For 45 euro, I have my own room with a shower AND toilet…That’s something to be excited about, especially in Europe. I must say that is decidedly more peaceful than a hostel. Actually, the hostel was full, so I didn’t have much of a choice. I kept scanning the crowds today, hoping to spot some other assistants, but I only heard English once…and they turned out to not be assistants. There is some kind of festival going on in Poitiers today. I think it’s the festival les Expressifs…haven’t really figured out what they are celebrating yet… They have a circus tent set up in the middle of the centre-ville right next to hotel de ville (the city center and the mayor’s office). Of course, my hotel would be located in the centre ville, so I’m hearing lots of festivities. I ducked into the tent for a moment to enjoy a song or two, but there was enough smoke in there to create a fantastic, hazy lighting effect for the musicians. When I came out, I could see the cigarette smoke issuing out in plumes…well, maybe not quite plumes, but you get the picture. Well, let’s start with the beginning of my very long day, shall we? I stayed at Malika’s again because for some reason there is no hot water in my apartment. I had more adventures in dining…this time I tried Scallop (surprisingly good) and cooked oysters. I still don’t like them. The first time, Malika had me try them, they were raw. I think if I had known this, I couldn’t have eaten them. They tasted like a big gulp of seawater to me. Delicious. Of all the shellfish I’ve tried, cooked scallops and mussels are the best. Oysters, I’m sorry, guys, but you just don’t make the cut. I’ve also tried rabbit since coming. The first time I saw rabbit being sold in the grocery store, I thought they were cats! They are sold skinless…which means they don’t have their cute bunny ear s anymore. It wasn’t too bad at all. I vastly prefer rabbit to shellfish. What else has Malika made me try? Langoustines. They are a mix between lobster, crayfish, and shrimp. They frighten me. Malika just boiled them a bit and handed me a langoustine. What was I supposed to do with it? So she ripped its body to pieces and handed me a smidge of meat from what I supposed was the tail. Pas mal (not bad). She then proceeded to eat the mush out of the head cavity. That, I could not do. Anyhoo, back to Poitiers.
It just hit 8 o’clock and I heard the chime from a bell tower. Poitiers is truly the city of 100 bell towers. Malika dropped me off the high school this morning just in time to catch the bust to Surgeres. There is absolutely nothing in Surgeres other than a train station. (Just heard another bell tower chime the hour). From Surgeres, I took the TGV (train a grande vitesse…a.k.a. very fast train…or VFT) to Poitiers. Poitiers is a VERY old city situated on a tall hill in between two rivers. So, I climbed a million stairs to the heart of the city and was able to find my hotel without any problems. All this accomplished by noon. What to do with myself now? Explore, of course! I timed how long it would take me to get to the CRDP (the place of orientation) and then I continued to follow signs along windy medieval streets that pointed out the direction of a museum. Along the way, I found something even better…cathedrales! I love cathedrales…oops…I think I spelled that the French way…oh well. The first church was truly remarkable for its age. The Baptistery of Saint-Jean was built in the 4th century…so old!!! I guess it’s one of the few remaining early Christian sites in Europe (pulled that line straight from a brochure). Of course, it was renovated in the 12th and 13th centuries…otherwise it might just be a pile of rubble. The next church, very close to the first, was the Cathedrale Saint-Pierre. It was my favorite by far. Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, and probably founded in part by Eleanor of Aquitaine, it was a beautiful Gothic cathedral. What beckoned me in, however, was the organ music drifting out of the church. I didn’t have to be asked twice to be out of the rain and into the Cathedral. The nice thing about catholic churches in Europe is that they are always open. You can waltz in whenever you feel like it. Cathedrale de Saint-Pierre is beautiful and full of light…so different from the dreary Notre Dame de Paris. True, Notre Dame de Paris and Chartres are much bigger Cathedrals, but Saint-Pierre’s vaulted ceilings draw your eyes toward heaven, just as they were meant to. After spending a very long time in Saint-Pierre, I set out looking for Notre-Dame-la-grande, Poitiers’ most notable church. Welp, to make a long story short, I got lost. I guess I had passed Notre Dame without even realizing it. I was expecting a much bigger church than Saint-Pierre, but it was just the opposite. Notre Dame la Grande precedes Saint-Pierre. It has the understated, but no less grand architecture of the Romanesque period. The interesting part of Notre Dame la Grande, is that she has no windows in her nave, making her decidedly darker and much more mysterious than Saint-Pierre. All of the walls and pillars were repainted in the 19th century, giving this church much more color than the stately stone of many other cathedrales. Most cathedrales were originally painted…inside and out. Can you imagine all the stonework on the outside of Notre Dame de Paris being painted different colors? You can still see the paint in the crevices of stone on many cathedrales. Disney did history a grave disservice by portraying the cathedral as having no color in the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Having finished with Notre Dame la Grande, and deciding that the map I had was largely useless in a medieval city, I got lost again. I eventually found my way back to my hotel, where I watched some very entertaining French game shows. The French version of Wheel of Fortune is way more fun than ours…Vanna dances…and the host is lecherous. Having finished Persuasion (Jane Austen) on the train ride, I decided to see if I could find any books in English at the numerous book shops, knowing full well that it was only a matter of time until I lacked reading material. Poitiers is a university town, so I was able to find quite a few English books. Namely, a Steven King sci-fi (Gunslinger), Kim by Rudyard Kipling, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (I’ve read ‘em already, but I’ve always liked ‘em.), and the Red Badge of Courage, which I’ve also already read. I’ve also got Northanger Abbey and a Louis L’amour western. I should be good for a month. Hopefully. If you have any books you feel like sending my way, I would welcome them exceedingly. I’ve probably written more than enough at one go, but I know that if I don’t write everything down pretty nearly after it has happened, I lose most of my first impressions which are so much fun for me to read later on. Anyhoo, time to start winding down in preparation for tomorrow…A demain!
Well, here I am in the “ville aux cent clochers”…that is to say…Poitiers. I have orientation tomorrow, so I am currently holed up at the hotel central. It’s not bad, really. For 45 euro, I have my own room with a shower AND toilet…That’s something to be excited about, especially in Europe. I must say that is decidedly more peaceful than a hostel. Actually, the hostel was full, so I didn’t have much of a choice. I kept scanning the crowds today, hoping to spot some other assistants, but I only heard English once…and they turned out to not be assistants. There is some kind of festival going on in Poitiers today. I think it’s the festival les Expressifs…haven’t really figured out what they are celebrating yet… They have a circus tent set up in the middle of the centre-ville right next to hotel de ville (the city center and the mayor’s office). Of course, my hotel would be located in the centre ville, so I’m hearing lots of festivities. I ducked into the tent for a moment to enjoy a song or two, but there was enough smoke in there to create a fantastic, hazy lighting effect for the musicians. When I came out, I could see the cigarette smoke issuing out in plumes…well, maybe not quite plumes, but you get the picture. Well, let’s start with the beginning of my very long day, shall we? I stayed at Malika’s again because for some reason there is no hot water in my apartment. I had more adventures in dining…this time I tried Scallop (surprisingly good) and cooked oysters. I still don’t like them. The first time, Malika had me try them, they were raw. I think if I had known this, I couldn’t have eaten them. They tasted like a big gulp of seawater to me. Delicious. Of all the shellfish I’ve tried, cooked scallops and mussels are the best. Oysters, I’m sorry, guys, but you just don’t make the cut. I’ve also tried rabbit since coming. The first time I saw rabbit being sold in the grocery store, I thought they were cats! They are sold skinless…which means they don’t have their cute bunny ear s anymore. It wasn’t too bad at all. I vastly prefer rabbit to shellfish. What else has Malika made me try? Langoustines. They are a mix between lobster, crayfish, and shrimp. They frighten me. Malika just boiled them a bit and handed me a langoustine. What was I supposed to do with it? So she ripped its body to pieces and handed me a smidge of meat from what I supposed was the tail. Pas mal (not bad). She then proceeded to eat the mush out of the head cavity. That, I could not do. Anyhoo, back to Poitiers.
It just hit 8 o’clock and I heard the chime from a bell tower. Poitiers is truly the city of 100 bell towers. Malika dropped me off the high school this morning just in time to catch the bust to Surgeres. There is absolutely nothing in Surgeres other than a train station. (Just heard another bell tower chime the hour). From Surgeres, I took the TGV (train a grande vitesse…a.k.a. very fast train…or VFT) to Poitiers. Poitiers is a VERY old city situated on a tall hill in between two rivers. So, I climbed a million stairs to the heart of the city and was able to find my hotel without any problems. All this accomplished by noon. What to do with myself now? Explore, of course! I timed how long it would take me to get to the CRDP (the place of orientation) and then I continued to follow signs along windy medieval streets that pointed out the direction of a museum. Along the way, I found something even better…cathedrales! I love cathedrales…oops…I think I spelled that the French way…oh well. The first church was truly remarkable for its age. The Baptistery of Saint-Jean was built in the 4th century…so old!!! I guess it’s one of the few remaining early Christian sites in Europe (pulled that line straight from a brochure). Of course, it was renovated in the 12th and 13th centuries…otherwise it might just be a pile of rubble. The next church, very close to the first, was the Cathedrale Saint-Pierre. It was my favorite by far. Built in the 12th and 13th centuries, and probably founded in part by Eleanor of Aquitaine, it was a beautiful Gothic cathedral. What beckoned me in, however, was the organ music drifting out of the church. I didn’t have to be asked twice to be out of the rain and into the Cathedral. The nice thing about catholic churches in Europe is that they are always open. You can waltz in whenever you feel like it. Cathedrale de Saint-Pierre is beautiful and full of light…so different from the dreary Notre Dame de Paris. True, Notre Dame de Paris and Chartres are much bigger Cathedrals, but Saint-Pierre’s vaulted ceilings draw your eyes toward heaven, just as they were meant to. After spending a very long time in Saint-Pierre, I set out looking for Notre-Dame-la-grande, Poitiers’ most notable church. Welp, to make a long story short, I got lost. I guess I had passed Notre Dame without even realizing it. I was expecting a much bigger church than Saint-Pierre, but it was just the opposite. Notre Dame la Grande precedes Saint-Pierre. It has the understated, but no less grand architecture of the Romanesque period. The interesting part of Notre Dame la Grande, is that she has no windows in her nave, making her decidedly darker and much more mysterious than Saint-Pierre. All of the walls and pillars were repainted in the 19th century, giving this church much more color than the stately stone of many other cathedrales. Most cathedrales were originally painted…inside and out. Can you imagine all the stonework on the outside of Notre Dame de Paris being painted different colors? You can still see the paint in the crevices of stone on many cathedrales. Disney did history a grave disservice by portraying the cathedral as having no color in the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Having finished with Notre Dame la Grande, and deciding that the map I had was largely useless in a medieval city, I got lost again. I eventually found my way back to my hotel, where I watched some very entertaining French game shows. The French version of Wheel of Fortune is way more fun than ours…Vanna dances…and the host is lecherous. Having finished Persuasion (Jane Austen) on the train ride, I decided to see if I could find any books in English at the numerous book shops, knowing full well that it was only a matter of time until I lacked reading material. Poitiers is a university town, so I was able to find quite a few English books. Namely, a Steven King sci-fi (Gunslinger), Kim by Rudyard Kipling, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn (I’ve read ‘em already, but I’ve always liked ‘em.), and the Red Badge of Courage, which I’ve also already read. I’ve also got Northanger Abbey and a Louis L’amour western. I should be good for a month. Hopefully. If you have any books you feel like sending my way, I would welcome them exceedingly. I’ve probably written more than enough at one go, but I know that if I don’t write everything down pretty nearly after it has happened, I lose most of my first impressions which are so much fun for me to read later on. Anyhoo, time to start winding down in preparation for tomorrow…A demain!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
First Impressions
Le 25 Septembre 2008
I have arrived! Thank heavens, Malika found me at the station! I slept pretty much the entire train ride. I managed to get all of my suitcases off of the train and Malika found me before I had even decided what to do next. She took me home to her family, fed me, and put me up in her daughter’s room. While Malika speaks English, her husband, Pierre, and son, Valentin, do not. So, I must speak French around them. It is difficult at times, but it is getting easier already. In fact, Malika and I slip in between French and English so often that sometimes I forget which one we are speaking. Malika’s home is everything that a house should be. Made of stone with teal shutters on the windows, surrounded by vineyards…I love it. She has two cats Paquerette ( a type of flower that blooms at Easter) and Plume (feather)….they call him Plumo because he is so fat. A third cat, Pistache (pistachio) lives with her mother. I should have known that Malika would be a cat person. I love her family! They also have a huge dog, Pongo. I think tomorrow, that I shall take a walk with Pongo through the vineyards. Today, Malika took me to the lycee (high school) and the college (middle school…I know it’s confusing…bear with me). Everyone is so nice! At the college, one of the English teacher, Claire, is particularly amiable. I hope I am able to make some good friends. It looks like I’ll be living in an apartment at the school…God must be looking out for me because it is perfect! It has 3 bedrooms (I don’t need three bedrooms!), a kitchen, a dining room, bathroom…it’s huge! It’s on the deuxieme etage…which is the second story in France but the third story in America. It’s kind of a winding staircase that reminds me of a tower. In fact, the whole apartment reminds me of a castle tower…it even has a balcony. Plus it is located at the school so I don’t have to pay extra transportation to get to work! And here’s the best part…it’s FREE! Can you say wow? It’s the only thing I could say. It even has a washing machine so no having to haul my laundry on a bus across town to a Laundromat. C’est incroyable! To see some pics I posted on Facebook...follow this link here...http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029604&l=11db6&id=64300928
Hmm…what else did I do today? On the way home from the school, Malika stopped at the beach. She lives on the Ile D’oleron…an island just off the coast of Bourcefranc. It was beautiful. Much different than a California beach, even though it was still the west coast…of France. It reminded me of beaches in Oregon. Lots of grasses and dunes. When we got home, I taught Valentin how to play Uno. He’s only 11, but he caught on so quickly. Fact of the matter is…he skunked me. But I beat him in the end. Malika made crepes for dinner and afterwards Paquerette cuddled in my lap. I have so many snags in my jeans from where she’s been kneading! Of course, I’ve been made to drink wine already. It’s difficult to refuse when you are staying in someone’s home. My first night here, they had me try Pineau…it’s the wine made on the island. It was a sweet white wine, but I just can’t stand how it burns! Last night, we had cider with dinner. Cider in France is alcoholic, not sweet, and carbonated. Think gross Martinelli’s. Oh well. Maybe I’ll develop a taste for it. Maybe. A Demain!
I have arrived! Thank heavens, Malika found me at the station! I slept pretty much the entire train ride. I managed to get all of my suitcases off of the train and Malika found me before I had even decided what to do next. She took me home to her family, fed me, and put me up in her daughter’s room. While Malika speaks English, her husband, Pierre, and son, Valentin, do not. So, I must speak French around them. It is difficult at times, but it is getting easier already. In fact, Malika and I slip in between French and English so often that sometimes I forget which one we are speaking. Malika’s home is everything that a house should be. Made of stone with teal shutters on the windows, surrounded by vineyards…I love it. She has two cats Paquerette ( a type of flower that blooms at Easter) and Plume (feather)….they call him Plumo because he is so fat. A third cat, Pistache (pistachio) lives with her mother. I should have known that Malika would be a cat person. I love her family! They also have a huge dog, Pongo. I think tomorrow, that I shall take a walk with Pongo through the vineyards. Today, Malika took me to the lycee (high school) and the college (middle school…I know it’s confusing…bear with me). Everyone is so nice! At the college, one of the English teacher, Claire, is particularly amiable. I hope I am able to make some good friends. It looks like I’ll be living in an apartment at the school…God must be looking out for me because it is perfect! It has 3 bedrooms (I don’t need three bedrooms!), a kitchen, a dining room, bathroom…it’s huge! It’s on the deuxieme etage…which is the second story in France but the third story in America. It’s kind of a winding staircase that reminds me of a tower. In fact, the whole apartment reminds me of a castle tower…it even has a balcony. Plus it is located at the school so I don’t have to pay extra transportation to get to work! And here’s the best part…it’s FREE! Can you say wow? It’s the only thing I could say. It even has a washing machine so no having to haul my laundry on a bus across town to a Laundromat. C’est incroyable! To see some pics I posted on Facebook...follow this link here...http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2029604&l=11db6&id=64300928
Hmm…what else did I do today? On the way home from the school, Malika stopped at the beach. She lives on the Ile D’oleron…an island just off the coast of Bourcefranc. It was beautiful. Much different than a California beach, even though it was still the west coast…of France. It reminded me of beaches in Oregon. Lots of grasses and dunes. When we got home, I taught Valentin how to play Uno. He’s only 11, but he caught on so quickly. Fact of the matter is…he skunked me. But I beat him in the end. Malika made crepes for dinner and afterwards Paquerette cuddled in my lap. I have so many snags in my jeans from where she’s been kneading! Of course, I’ve been made to drink wine already. It’s difficult to refuse when you are staying in someone’s home. My first night here, they had me try Pineau…it’s the wine made on the island. It was a sweet white wine, but I just can’t stand how it burns! Last night, we had cider with dinner. Cider in France is alcoholic, not sweet, and carbonated. Think gross Martinelli’s. Oh well. Maybe I’ll develop a taste for it. Maybe. A Demain!
Arrival...
I know this is well over a week late...but I had no internet connection...so...for your reading pleasure, my thoughts, direct from my journal...
Le 24 Septembre 2008
So, for all intents and purposes, it appears that I am stranded at Gare Montparnasse in Paris, France. Well, at least for the next hour or so… I have been traveling for nigh on 24 hours and I am trying desperately to stay awake. I woke up at 4:15 am, California time. Alli drove me to the airport and I was checked in and waiting for my plane by 6:15 am. We left at 8:05 am. I can honestly say that was one of the more enjoyable flights I have ever flown. I had a window seat and was seated next to a nice elderly couple. The woman proceeded to list every cruise that she and her husband had ever been on, but she stopped before my eyes started to glaze over. After landing in Dulles, I had a nice leisurely stroll to the other side of the terminal where I arrived just in time to board my next flight. I managed to sleep a good deal on this flight, which was good considering we landed in Paris at 6:36 am! I also managed to finish Inkheart. Except now that I’ve finished, I want to read Inkspell and Inkdeath, the sequels…but they’re at home! The third book in the Eragon trilogy comes out in a couple of days…I think it’s called Brisingr, but I suppose I would have to read Eldest, the sequel to Eragon, before I get to Book 3. Anyhoo, back to France.
After going through immigration and baggage claim (not to mention meeting 4 other assistants on the same flight bound for different regions!) I located the 15 euro bus that would take me to Gare Montparnasse directly so that I wouldn’t have to take the metro. Besides, it appears that metro workers are on strike (again) and some of the lines are down. So, what should have taken maybe an hour max stretched into three wretched hours on a bus, because of an accident on the freeway, time I had not planned on spending stuck on a French freeway somewhere in-between Charles de Gaulle and Paris. So, I ended up missing the first train out of Montparnasse to La Rochelle by minutes. That was at 10:40 am. It is now 1:36 pm and my train does not leave until 2:45 pm. So, I’ve been sitting here in the station surrounded by my luggage, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. It’s rather hard to be cheerful when one is tired. So far, I’ve been able to buy tickets and ask questions when I’ve been lost and nobody has asked me to repeat myself, which I guess means that my French is pretty decent. When I first arrived at the station, I was hauling my 2 big pieces of checked luggage, plus my 2 carry-ons…needless to say it was difficult to maneuver. I knew I had to do a few things right away once I arrived at the station and I knew they would be difficult with luggage to haul around. 1.) had to pee. 2.) needed to buy a ticket. 3.) needed to find an ATM and get Euros. 4.) had to call home and my contact Malika. 5.) MUST EAT! This is what actually happened…I walked into Montparnasse and was like, “Holy crap, Lauren! What do I do now? I’ve got to act like a grown-up…no adult to tell me what to do…this sucks…” So, I went up to the ticket counter and managed to purchase my discount youth card for the trains and a ticket to La Rochelle…for a train 4 hours later… Objective 2 taken care of…even if the guy who sold me the ticket got a kick out of learning how to say “Lauren Kay” instead of “Laure Ka-i?”. From there I called home and woke my parents up at 2 am…I felt some satisfaction in this…if I wasn’t allowed to sleep, why should they? I then tried to call my contact, Malika…the number didn’t work. I’ve since tried every possible way of getting a hold of her, but no dice. I tried the wifi in the station, but you have to have an account with a French internet provider to access it. So, I can’t even email Malika and tell her what time my train comes in! So, I’m praying that God will work everything out…otherwise I might be staying in La Rochelle. Back to the list!
On my way to the restrooms, I noticed luggage lockers. At this point I was fed up with hauling around my suitcases, so I decided I would cough up 10 euro to store them for an hour or so. Once I had stowed them, you needed 10 Euros in change to lock them. I said screw it and left my luggage in an unlocked locker and set out in search of the restroom. Once I found it, I rediscovered that restrooms cost money in France. So, I trekked back up the stairs to an ATM, got some Euros, attempted to pay for luggage lockers a second time, but they couldn’t break a 50. Having said screw it a second time, I walked into Columbus café and bought a sandwich, where I got some change. I was then finally able to walk back downstairs to the restroom. Unable to locate a drinking fountain, I filled up my water bottle in the bathroom sink. I am so beyond caring at this point in time. After the restroom, I sat down and ate half of my sandwich while the dirty Parisian pigeons molested me. Why there are pigeons INSIDE the train station, I do not know. I decided to go recover my luggage before someone could steal it (keep in mind, to get into the luggage area, you had to go through security. This was my 4th or 5th time through…I’m sure the luggage guy thought I was nuts…). Luckily, no one had taken my luggage, so I hauled it back upstairs to the waiting are where I have been ever since. Did I mention that most of the pigeons in this station are missing toes? One in particular, has no toes at all…just stumps. I have dubbed him Stumpy. It’s slightly disconcerting all the same. I must admit that I’ve felt like crying once or twice since I’ve arrived in Montparnasse, but I’ll chalk it up to exhaustion. Anyways, I’ve managed to kill a good 45 minutes or so and now the only thing left to do is stay awake until I get on the train! Talk to you all soon!
Le 24 Septembre 2008
So, for all intents and purposes, it appears that I am stranded at Gare Montparnasse in Paris, France. Well, at least for the next hour or so… I have been traveling for nigh on 24 hours and I am trying desperately to stay awake. I woke up at 4:15 am, California time. Alli drove me to the airport and I was checked in and waiting for my plane by 6:15 am. We left at 8:05 am. I can honestly say that was one of the more enjoyable flights I have ever flown. I had a window seat and was seated next to a nice elderly couple. The woman proceeded to list every cruise that she and her husband had ever been on, but she stopped before my eyes started to glaze over. After landing in Dulles, I had a nice leisurely stroll to the other side of the terminal where I arrived just in time to board my next flight. I managed to sleep a good deal on this flight, which was good considering we landed in Paris at 6:36 am! I also managed to finish Inkheart. Except now that I’ve finished, I want to read Inkspell and Inkdeath, the sequels…but they’re at home! The third book in the Eragon trilogy comes out in a couple of days…I think it’s called Brisingr, but I suppose I would have to read Eldest, the sequel to Eragon, before I get to Book 3. Anyhoo, back to France.
After going through immigration and baggage claim (not to mention meeting 4 other assistants on the same flight bound for different regions!) I located the 15 euro bus that would take me to Gare Montparnasse directly so that I wouldn’t have to take the metro. Besides, it appears that metro workers are on strike (again) and some of the lines are down. So, what should have taken maybe an hour max stretched into three wretched hours on a bus, because of an accident on the freeway, time I had not planned on spending stuck on a French freeway somewhere in-between Charles de Gaulle and Paris. So, I ended up missing the first train out of Montparnasse to La Rochelle by minutes. That was at 10:40 am. It is now 1:36 pm and my train does not leave until 2:45 pm. So, I’ve been sitting here in the station surrounded by my luggage, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. It’s rather hard to be cheerful when one is tired. So far, I’ve been able to buy tickets and ask questions when I’ve been lost and nobody has asked me to repeat myself, which I guess means that my French is pretty decent. When I first arrived at the station, I was hauling my 2 big pieces of checked luggage, plus my 2 carry-ons…needless to say it was difficult to maneuver. I knew I had to do a few things right away once I arrived at the station and I knew they would be difficult with luggage to haul around. 1.) had to pee. 2.) needed to buy a ticket. 3.) needed to find an ATM and get Euros. 4.) had to call home and my contact Malika. 5.) MUST EAT! This is what actually happened…I walked into Montparnasse and was like, “Holy crap, Lauren! What do I do now? I’ve got to act like a grown-up…no adult to tell me what to do…this sucks…” So, I went up to the ticket counter and managed to purchase my discount youth card for the trains and a ticket to La Rochelle…for a train 4 hours later… Objective 2 taken care of…even if the guy who sold me the ticket got a kick out of learning how to say “Lauren Kay” instead of “Laure Ka-i?”. From there I called home and woke my parents up at 2 am…I felt some satisfaction in this…if I wasn’t allowed to sleep, why should they? I then tried to call my contact, Malika…the number didn’t work. I’ve since tried every possible way of getting a hold of her, but no dice. I tried the wifi in the station, but you have to have an account with a French internet provider to access it. So, I can’t even email Malika and tell her what time my train comes in! So, I’m praying that God will work everything out…otherwise I might be staying in La Rochelle. Back to the list!
On my way to the restrooms, I noticed luggage lockers. At this point I was fed up with hauling around my suitcases, so I decided I would cough up 10 euro to store them for an hour or so. Once I had stowed them, you needed 10 Euros in change to lock them. I said screw it and left my luggage in an unlocked locker and set out in search of the restroom. Once I found it, I rediscovered that restrooms cost money in France. So, I trekked back up the stairs to an ATM, got some Euros, attempted to pay for luggage lockers a second time, but they couldn’t break a 50. Having said screw it a second time, I walked into Columbus café and bought a sandwich, where I got some change. I was then finally able to walk back downstairs to the restroom. Unable to locate a drinking fountain, I filled up my water bottle in the bathroom sink. I am so beyond caring at this point in time. After the restroom, I sat down and ate half of my sandwich while the dirty Parisian pigeons molested me. Why there are pigeons INSIDE the train station, I do not know. I decided to go recover my luggage before someone could steal it (keep in mind, to get into the luggage area, you had to go through security. This was my 4th or 5th time through…I’m sure the luggage guy thought I was nuts…). Luckily, no one had taken my luggage, so I hauled it back upstairs to the waiting are where I have been ever since. Did I mention that most of the pigeons in this station are missing toes? One in particular, has no toes at all…just stumps. I have dubbed him Stumpy. It’s slightly disconcerting all the same. I must admit that I’ve felt like crying once or twice since I’ve arrived in Montparnasse, but I’ll chalk it up to exhaustion. Anyways, I’ve managed to kill a good 45 minutes or so and now the only thing left to do is stay awake until I get on the train! Talk to you all soon!
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