Life from Afar
So yesterday, January 20th was the inauguration of president OBAMA!!! It has been weird being in France because I think the combination of being separated from the rest of the world and then also in a country where I barely understand what exactly is going on around me has made me feel so distanced from the rest of the world. I feel like the world is going on around me but for me time is standing still, which scares me a little bit, because I don't want to waste my time in France. Anyways yesterday was long, b/c all I could do was think about the inauguration, it was really bad by the end of the day, because I was in class just tapping my foot b/c I didn't want to miss it, luckily our professor could tell that we were all angsting to get to the other room so we could watch Obama's speech so she let us go. Watching the speech was a bit difficult because we watched it on French TV so there was a translator (actually 2, they switched in the middle, which was slightly odd) and my brain just completely gives up when it hears English and French at the same time. Despite the fact the English is much quieter is still struggles to try to pick out words, and then at the same time it is trying unsuccessfully to translate French. I for the most part listened to the beginning of Obama's sentences in English and the end in French. My host mom was funny though b/c she told me that she had an Obama sign hanging in the window of the living room last fall.
After all the Inauguration watching we had language club (where French students come, and we speak French for the first 30 minutes and English for the last 30) and then I went to my first creperie. It was sooooooo goooood! And then after I went with some French students and another IES student to the movies. We saw le film Un Barrage contre le Pacific. Though by the time the film was finished it was 12h35 and the trams had stopped running. So we had to walk across the city to one of the French girls house to get her parents car so that she could drive us home. There was a minor problem and that was I didn't know how to get to my house by road, I always do a combo of walking and tramming it. So we tried to follow the tram line, but the roads would dead end or randomly turn another direction away from the tram line. We did eventually find my house, though when I got home I realized that all the shutters were closed, seeing it was 1h30, and that I was locked out of the house. I tried the back door and the door that leads to like a storage room and then into the house and neither door worked. I began to panic b/c I didn't think I was going to be able to get into the house and I had almost resigned to trying to find somewhere outside to sleep, despite the fact it was cold and wet, when I realized that there is a front door, that I have never seen used, but it does exist, so I thought I would try my keys on that and thank goodness I was able to get in, just before 2h00.
I also figured out my course schedule today, I am only taking 5 classes! First I am going to do a teaching internship at a school in Nantes, then I am taking a class on French Politics and Government depuis 1958, and then a course of US and France in the Middle East (which is crazy b/c in one class period I learned more about the moyen orient than I have in my entire life, and the class is in French!), then I am taking a Conversation and Phonetics course, and finally my French Grammar class! I don't know when I am doing my estage, but it is only once a week and right now I have one class Monday at 9h10, then I have class mardi from 10h00 a 18h15 with a huge break in the middle, then I have classes pretty much all day Wednesday with a 3h break in the middle, and then jeudi I only have 1 course and it doesn't start until 18h30!!!! and I have once class Friday at 10h00. I am just so excited because I have two heavy course days, but than 3 days where I only have one course! I need to find things to do with all this extra time that do not include spending money!
Okay so I totally meant to write this earlier, but there are so many little weird things I have noticed about France. First off the water classes are soooo petit and I feel like I drink 5 ou 6 verres de l'eau avec tous mes repas. Okay I guess I learned this but in France they separate the toilet room (toilet and sink) and the wash room (with the shower and sink). I have my own wash room so that is pretty cool b/c most everyone else on the program is sharing avec 3 ou 4 autres personnes! Also with showers in Europe they are a little weird b/c Europeans, like most people know are conscious about their resources, so when they are taking a shower they turn off the water between soaping and rinsing. Also the shower heads are supposed to be held in your hand so you can directly apply the water to your body. Also they actually still eat all of their meals in courses. It is pretty crazy, I heard they did, but I was wondering if it was just a tradition that has changed over time, but I am pretty sure most to all families do eat in meals. I actually sort of like it, granted you have to get used to it and not take/accept too much food in the first serving. The french are also crazy, crazy drivers, almost everyone's car has multiple bumps b/c the general rule is just to go (except they always come to a scretching hault for pedestrians, I think that is how you can tell if the person is not French b/c they look both ways before crossing the road). There are also so many rotaries here, its insane. The coffee is also soooooo good here, I don't know how to describe it, its just different and sooo much better! One weird thing I have eaten here though is Avacado with Olive Oil.
Sundays are so weird here b/c the city closes down. But last weekend I went with my host mom to the open air market where they sell everything french from shoes, to seafood, to vegetables, to cheese, to wine, to chocolate, everything. It was pretty cool and you can defintitely get really good food there! For the most part I have been going to the grocery store and purchasing bread and cheese to eat. I love camembert, c'est comme Brie!!!!
So I feel like I need to plan now, but I have three weeks of vacation and everyone is going places, so I need to come up with places to go. I think I might tag along with one of my friends who is attempting to travel inexpensively. We shall see.
I am excited b/c this weekend IES is taking us to see Mont Saint Michel, its is supposed to be amazing, but really cold. The weather in Nantes really isn't bad, usually its cloudy and drizzly half the day, but so far it has also been sunny the other half a day, so its not really depressing at all, like some people told me it would be.
After all the Inauguration watching we had language club (where French students come, and we speak French for the first 30 minutes and English for the last 30) and then I went to my first creperie. It was sooooooo goooood! And then after I went with some French students and another IES student to the movies. We saw le film Un Barrage contre le Pacific. Though by the time the film was finished it was 12h35 and the trams had stopped running. So we had to walk across the city to one of the French girls house to get her parents car so that she could drive us home. There was a minor problem and that was I didn't know how to get to my house by road, I always do a combo of walking and tramming it. So we tried to follow the tram line, but the roads would dead end or randomly turn another direction away from the tram line. We did eventually find my house, though when I got home I realized that all the shutters were closed, seeing it was 1h30, and that I was locked out of the house. I tried the back door and the door that leads to like a storage room and then into the house and neither door worked. I began to panic b/c I didn't think I was going to be able to get into the house and I had almost resigned to trying to find somewhere outside to sleep, despite the fact it was cold and wet, when I realized that there is a front door, that I have never seen used, but it does exist, so I thought I would try my keys on that and thank goodness I was able to get in, just before 2h00.
I also figured out my course schedule today, I am only taking 5 classes! First I am going to do a teaching internship at a school in Nantes, then I am taking a class on French Politics and Government depuis 1958, and then a course of US and France in the Middle East (which is crazy b/c in one class period I learned more about the moyen orient than I have in my entire life, and the class is in French!), then I am taking a Conversation and Phonetics course, and finally my French Grammar class! I don't know when I am doing my estage, but it is only once a week and right now I have one class Monday at 9h10, then I have class mardi from 10h00 a 18h15 with a huge break in the middle, then I have classes pretty much all day Wednesday with a 3h break in the middle, and then jeudi I only have 1 course and it doesn't start until 18h30!!!! and I have once class Friday at 10h00. I am just so excited because I have two heavy course days, but than 3 days where I only have one course! I need to find things to do with all this extra time that do not include spending money!
Okay so I totally meant to write this earlier, but there are so many little weird things I have noticed about France. First off the water classes are soooo petit and I feel like I drink 5 ou 6 verres de l'eau avec tous mes repas. Okay I guess I learned this but in France they separate the toilet room (toilet and sink) and the wash room (with the shower and sink). I have my own wash room so that is pretty cool b/c most everyone else on the program is sharing avec 3 ou 4 autres personnes! Also with showers in Europe they are a little weird b/c Europeans, like most people know are conscious about their resources, so when they are taking a shower they turn off the water between soaping and rinsing. Also the shower heads are supposed to be held in your hand so you can directly apply the water to your body. Also they actually still eat all of their meals in courses. It is pretty crazy, I heard they did, but I was wondering if it was just a tradition that has changed over time, but I am pretty sure most to all families do eat in meals. I actually sort of like it, granted you have to get used to it and not take/accept too much food in the first serving. The french are also crazy, crazy drivers, almost everyone's car has multiple bumps b/c the general rule is just to go (except they always come to a scretching hault for pedestrians, I think that is how you can tell if the person is not French b/c they look both ways before crossing the road). There are also so many rotaries here, its insane. The coffee is also soooooo good here, I don't know how to describe it, its just different and sooo much better! One weird thing I have eaten here though is Avacado with Olive Oil.
Sundays are so weird here b/c the city closes down. But last weekend I went with my host mom to the open air market where they sell everything french from shoes, to seafood, to vegetables, to cheese, to wine, to chocolate, everything. It was pretty cool and you can defintitely get really good food there! For the most part I have been going to the grocery store and purchasing bread and cheese to eat. I love camembert, c'est comme Brie!!!!
So I feel like I need to plan now, but I have three weeks of vacation and everyone is going places, so I need to come up with places to go. I think I might tag along with one of my friends who is attempting to travel inexpensively. We shall see.
I am excited b/c this weekend IES is taking us to see Mont Saint Michel, its is supposed to be amazing, but really cold. The weather in Nantes really isn't bad, usually its cloudy and drizzly half the day, but so far it has also been sunny the other half a day, so its not really depressing at all, like some people told me it would be.
Comments
Post a Comment