I just finished a 1.5 hour dinner with the family. Lots of conversation, lots of energy, and lots of family drama at this meal. It started out as per usual, with me sitting silently while they talk quickly and animatedly and I barely understand half of what they say, especially when Laure and her cousin speak to each other. or M. Beguin to Laure. After they talk rapidly for the first third of the meal, as they finish start paying more attention to their food, they calm down and talk slows down and somehow (usually with the aid of Mme. Beguin explaining something to me, or M. Beguin asking me a question during a lull in the conversation) I get integrated into the convo. At this point I can follow what's going on, and occasionally offer commentary of my own. Tonight after these first two parts and after we started dessert, the family got to the subject of Jean, the son and his girlfriend. His girlfriend, Josephine, is also his cousin. I met each of them once, together, one Sunday when I ate lunch with the family. I noticed that they seemed to be flirting and touching, but I figured it was just a close relationship between cousins. The next weekend, Mme. Beguin explained to me that they were dating, and that there are relationships that parents don't approve of, and this is one of them. Tonight she and Laure went on and on about how they disapprove of this relationship, for many reasons, but primarily because she is a cousin. At one point Mme. Beguin stopped to explain the situation to me. Josephine's father is her nephew, and thus Jean's cousin. That makes Josephine Jean's first cousin once-removed? Anyways they are still related quite closely, and apparently Jean has always been a big brother figure to her, especially since her father moved out and remarried five years ago. I'm not sure how old she is, but I heard the numbers 16 and 17 tossed around and she looks really young. Jean is 22 or 23.
Anyways, that was the family excitement of the night...I could finally follow most of their conversation, probably because it was mostly just Laure and her mother echoing the same reasons for disapproval over and over. It was quite amusing as an observer.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Provence!
This weekend was our school-sponsored excursion to Aix-en-Provence. My first voyage outside of Paris and into France (because as the French say, “Paris, it’s not France.) We left Friday morning and took the TGV (super-fast train, apparently travels at 300 km/hr according to my host father). To my surprise, I arrived in the train station to find Becky (my friend who is studying in Poitiers) there. I had figured she would meet us in Aix, but I got to ride the train with her. J
We arrived in Aix around 4 p.m., about an hour later than we planned (the train was late). We dropped our things at the hotel and took off to get to Cezanne’s workshop before it closed. We succeeded, and saw the room where Cezanne painted for the last 4 years of his life. It was interesting b/c the objects that he painted were still there, and many of his paintings had the walls or the windows of the room in them. Cezanne was born in Aix and lived there most of his life, so the whole city is obsessed with him, and there is a Cezanne trail with footprints leading around town. After we descended from his workshop, we wandered back to the hotel and our guide, an art history professor, Mme. Molle, talked to us about the city and its architecture and history. She was a super-knowledgeable guide, about art and architecture and the region. However, she never stopped talking at us and treated us like we were elementary schoolers. Every time we got on the bus she told us to put our seatbelts on and she always made us wait for her to cross the road first and she yelled if we were whispering at all or the tiniest bit late. At one point a girl took a picture as she was telling her not to (totally accidental that she actually took the photo) and Mme. Molle yelled and said she was the professor and we were the students and we needed to respect what she said. I can’t remember the last time someone insisted on making that student-teacher distinction…but that’s the French way. Mme. Molle was quite a control-freak and she would lecture and direct the bus driver constantly, and when we got off the bus this afternoon at the train station, he said to one of the Midd students, “Je veut la tuer…translation, I want to kill her.” Anyways enough about our guide.
Our hotel was right in the center of the city, ideal location, and very charming. I shared a triple with Becky and my friend Kay. The room was adorable: it had a sitting area with a pullout couch and a loft with two twin beds. I took pictures…I’ll post them soon. Friday night we ate dinner at the hotel and it was delicious. It started with kir, an extremely French/provencal aperitif consisting of white wine mixed with black currant juice. It’s probably my favorite drink, light and sweet. We had a traditional fish soup with croutons and gruyere and a main course of veal and vegetables. Everything up til then was tasty, but the dessert was absolutely fantastic. I believe it was called millefeuille (but I’m not certain) but it was a very light tart/cake with cream filling and honey drizzled on top and garnish of raspberries. An absolutely amazing finish to a 2.5 hour meal. Tired and full but very happy, we returned to our room with the intention of heading to bed. Naturally we talked until the wee hours of the morning. We actually did a really good job, I think, sticking to the language pledge during the trip. Anytime we were outside our room, we spoke French, including the 3 hour train ride full of catching up and all our free time up until dinner. The combination of French and English was fantastic and it’s definitely becoming much easier to hold normal conversations in French.
Saturday morning we ate breakfast bright and early in the hotel. I hadn’t appreciated French breakfasts yet, as they consist mostly of sweet carbohydrates and caffeinated beverages, but the hotel buffet seemed to be the best France has to offer and I enjoyed it. There were lots of mini pastries (brioches, pain au chocolat) and big croissants, yogurt (including my new favorite, mango), fruit, cereal, toast, and individual pieces of cheese (we each snagged a few for snack later on). I can’t imagine eating pastries and all that every morning, but I enjoyed it very much for two days. After breakfast Mme. Molle led us on another tour around town, through some cathedrals and a brief visit in a museum. We then hopped in a mini- bus and headed to the Mediterranean!
We arrived in a small coastal town called Cassis. For most of us, it was the first time we had seen the Mediterranean and it is incredibly beautiful. I always had thought nothing could beat the Caribbean, but this was amazing. The weather was also fantastic: very sunny, not too cold, cloudless blue skies. Quite a contrast from the grey of Paris. After gawking at the water for a while, my friends and I bought sandwiches and ate lunch on the beach. We touched the Mediterranean and took lots of pictures.
After lunch we hopped back on the bus and went on to Marseille. I was excited to go to another well-known French city, and I’m glad I got to see Marseille and the beautiful ports, but I have no desire to return. It’s a very old, very historical city and the ports are fantastic. The architecture is a strange combination of very old buildings and modern architecture (much of the city was destroyed by bombs in WW 2). We spent two hours there, listening to the history from Mme. Molle and also having a café in the sun across from the port.
After we returned from Marseille we had a free evening. I went out to dinner with a group of six girls. I knew two from the Midd program and Becky. The others were both year-long France girls, one from Paris and one from Poitiers. They both spoke very well, and I hope my accent sounds a lot more like theirs when my semester is over. We had a lovely meal, starting with a free aperitif. After dinner we decided to find another spot for dessert, as we had eaten outside and the outdoor heaters weren’t sufficing to keep us warm. We returned to the hotel and asked to be seated for dessert there. A snooty waiter told us there was no room, but one of the waiters from the previous night saw us, and seated us in a separate salon. We had the room all to ourselves and there was a tv. We watched some dog trials (all border collies!) and then the French version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. We spent almost four hours together and spoke French the entire time. It was one of my favorite moments so far in France, because the French came very naturally, even though we were talking about a wide variety of things, including lots of things related to Middlebury and campus life and tuition (we tossed in a bunch of English words). It was fantastic to converse so easily and so normally in French. There was much less pressure because we didn’t feel compelled to be perfect like we do when speaking to fluent speakers and we didn’t feel bad about tossing random English words into the conversation or asking how to say/translate something.
Sunday morning we rose early again to enjoy breakfast, and began the day by going to a cute Provencal outdoor market. We then boarded our bus again to travel to a monastery where Van Gogh (pronounced Van Gog in French) spent a year. Half of the monastery is now an institution-type place, and the other half is a museum of Van Gogh. Van Gogh went to this place right after he chopped off his ear to recover from whatever malady he was suffering from and the entire museum was dedicated to discussing whether or not he was mentally ill, and how doctors would diagnose and treat him today versus when he was there. it was very strange, but also interesting. Not what we were expecting, but still neat to see.
Afterwards we headed to a small Provencal village where we ate lunch. Nearly all of us chose the same restaurant and we told the waiter we were in a hurry, since speediness is not the French way, especially when it concerns food or Provence. Luckily the waiter was amused by americans and the opportunity to say random things in English, and he served us quite rapidly. After lunch we reboarded the bus and headed to Baux de Provence, a medival village & chateau situated on top of a hill. It was very quiet, as it was a very small town and it was a Sunday afternoon. A few small shops were open, and I found a Provencal gift for Mom's birthday.
The village was our last stop and we proceeded to the TGV station, arriving a solid hour before our train. The train ride passed very rapidly, as Becky and I talked the entire time (our homework sat untouched in front of us). We pulled into Paris at 9:15 and I made it home by ten.
When I got home I went to find my host parents to tell them I'd returned, and they were very happy that I came to see them. They're extremely cute, esp. Mme. Beguin, and she loves when I come talk to her.
We arrived in Aix around 4 p.m., about an hour later than we planned (the train was late). We dropped our things at the hotel and took off to get to Cezanne’s workshop before it closed. We succeeded, and saw the room where Cezanne painted for the last 4 years of his life. It was interesting b/c the objects that he painted were still there, and many of his paintings had the walls or the windows of the room in them. Cezanne was born in Aix and lived there most of his life, so the whole city is obsessed with him, and there is a Cezanne trail with footprints leading around town. After we descended from his workshop, we wandered back to the hotel and our guide, an art history professor, Mme. Molle, talked to us about the city and its architecture and history. She was a super-knowledgeable guide, about art and architecture and the region. However, she never stopped talking at us and treated us like we were elementary schoolers. Every time we got on the bus she told us to put our seatbelts on and she always made us wait for her to cross the road first and she yelled if we were whispering at all or the tiniest bit late. At one point a girl took a picture as she was telling her not to (totally accidental that she actually took the photo) and Mme. Molle yelled and said she was the professor and we were the students and we needed to respect what she said. I can’t remember the last time someone insisted on making that student-teacher distinction…but that’s the French way. Mme. Molle was quite a control-freak and she would lecture and direct the bus driver constantly, and when we got off the bus this afternoon at the train station, he said to one of the Midd students, “Je veut la tuer…translation, I want to kill her.” Anyways enough about our guide.
Our hotel was right in the center of the city, ideal location, and very charming. I shared a triple with Becky and my friend Kay. The room was adorable: it had a sitting area with a pullout couch and a loft with two twin beds. I took pictures…I’ll post them soon. Friday night we ate dinner at the hotel and it was delicious. It started with kir, an extremely French/provencal aperitif consisting of white wine mixed with black currant juice. It’s probably my favorite drink, light and sweet. We had a traditional fish soup with croutons and gruyere and a main course of veal and vegetables. Everything up til then was tasty, but the dessert was absolutely fantastic. I believe it was called millefeuille (but I’m not certain) but it was a very light tart/cake with cream filling and honey drizzled on top and garnish of raspberries. An absolutely amazing finish to a 2.5 hour meal. Tired and full but very happy, we returned to our room with the intention of heading to bed. Naturally we talked until the wee hours of the morning. We actually did a really good job, I think, sticking to the language pledge during the trip. Anytime we were outside our room, we spoke French, including the 3 hour train ride full of catching up and all our free time up until dinner. The combination of French and English was fantastic and it’s definitely becoming much easier to hold normal conversations in French.
Saturday morning we ate breakfast bright and early in the hotel. I hadn’t appreciated French breakfasts yet, as they consist mostly of sweet carbohydrates and caffeinated beverages, but the hotel buffet seemed to be the best France has to offer and I enjoyed it. There were lots of mini pastries (brioches, pain au chocolat) and big croissants, yogurt (including my new favorite, mango), fruit, cereal, toast, and individual pieces of cheese (we each snagged a few for snack later on). I can’t imagine eating pastries and all that every morning, but I enjoyed it very much for two days. After breakfast Mme. Molle led us on another tour around town, through some cathedrals and a brief visit in a museum. We then hopped in a mini- bus and headed to the Mediterranean!
We arrived in a small coastal town called Cassis. For most of us, it was the first time we had seen the Mediterranean and it is incredibly beautiful. I always had thought nothing could beat the Caribbean, but this was amazing. The weather was also fantastic: very sunny, not too cold, cloudless blue skies. Quite a contrast from the grey of Paris. After gawking at the water for a while, my friends and I bought sandwiches and ate lunch on the beach. We touched the Mediterranean and took lots of pictures.
After lunch we hopped back on the bus and went on to Marseille. I was excited to go to another well-known French city, and I’m glad I got to see Marseille and the beautiful ports, but I have no desire to return. It’s a very old, very historical city and the ports are fantastic. The architecture is a strange combination of very old buildings and modern architecture (much of the city was destroyed by bombs in WW 2). We spent two hours there, listening to the history from Mme. Molle and also having a café in the sun across from the port.
After we returned from Marseille we had a free evening. I went out to dinner with a group of six girls. I knew two from the Midd program and Becky. The others were both year-long France girls, one from Paris and one from Poitiers. They both spoke very well, and I hope my accent sounds a lot more like theirs when my semester is over. We had a lovely meal, starting with a free aperitif. After dinner we decided to find another spot for dessert, as we had eaten outside and the outdoor heaters weren’t sufficing to keep us warm. We returned to the hotel and asked to be seated for dessert there. A snooty waiter told us there was no room, but one of the waiters from the previous night saw us, and seated us in a separate salon. We had the room all to ourselves and there was a tv. We watched some dog trials (all border collies!) and then the French version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. We spent almost four hours together and spoke French the entire time. It was one of my favorite moments so far in France, because the French came very naturally, even though we were talking about a wide variety of things, including lots of things related to Middlebury and campus life and tuition (we tossed in a bunch of English words). It was fantastic to converse so easily and so normally in French. There was much less pressure because we didn’t feel compelled to be perfect like we do when speaking to fluent speakers and we didn’t feel bad about tossing random English words into the conversation or asking how to say/translate something.
Sunday morning we rose early again to enjoy breakfast, and began the day by going to a cute Provencal outdoor market. We then boarded our bus again to travel to a monastery where Van Gogh (pronounced Van Gog in French) spent a year. Half of the monastery is now an institution-type place, and the other half is a museum of Van Gogh. Van Gogh went to this place right after he chopped off his ear to recover from whatever malady he was suffering from and the entire museum was dedicated to discussing whether or not he was mentally ill, and how doctors would diagnose and treat him today versus when he was there. it was very strange, but also interesting. Not what we were expecting, but still neat to see.
Afterwards we headed to a small Provencal village where we ate lunch. Nearly all of us chose the same restaurant and we told the waiter we were in a hurry, since speediness is not the French way, especially when it concerns food or Provence. Luckily the waiter was amused by americans and the opportunity to say random things in English, and he served us quite rapidly. After lunch we reboarded the bus and headed to Baux de Provence, a medival village & chateau situated on top of a hill. It was very quiet, as it was a very small town and it was a Sunday afternoon. A few small shops were open, and I found a Provencal gift for Mom's birthday.
The village was our last stop and we proceeded to the TGV station, arriving a solid hour before our train. The train ride passed very rapidly, as Becky and I talked the entire time (our homework sat untouched in front of us). We pulled into Paris at 9:15 and I made it home by ten.
When I got home I went to find my host parents to tell them I'd returned, and they were very happy that I came to see them. They're extremely cute, esp. Mme. Beguin, and she loves when I come talk to her.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Today started off pleasantly despite the freezing cold as the cousin came to fetch me before school and we went there together. We took the bus, which was super easy and a bit quicker than walking (mostly b/c the bus was already there when we got to the stop) but now I know where the stop is and whatnot, and I think I'll have a buddy every Thursday. We spoke entirely in French this morning, but we agreed that we'd compare schedules next week and find an hour to spend together speaking half in English, half in French. She's really really eager to practice English, so she's completely willing to help me out with French stuff, so hopefully I can get to her to help out with HW or whatnot if I need assistance (and if i get HW other than studying and looking at a long list of supplemental reading).
When I returned home from school today, I was pleasantly surprised that after we said our standard "hi how are you?", Laure asked if I had gone to school today with Jeanne. This might be the first time she's ever addressed a question to me voluntarily, so I was pretty excited. I asked her what she was working on, as she's always sitting at her desk cutting or pasting or drawing or designing something, and she showed me and babbled about the assignment for a few minutes (I just kept nodding since she was talking fast and using artsy vocab that I don't know). The assignment was for a printmaking or graphic design class or something like that. She's doing an internship at the moment in that field, but they don't have much for her to do, so she leaves early often and doesn't go in some days (this would be why she's always here). Her internship lasts for another week and then she goes back to classes, which are apparently quite intense and go from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and demand that she work until 3 a.m. and on Saturday nights. She asked what classes I was taking, and when I told her they didn't seem to have that much work, certainly not in comparison to what she had to do, she replied, "that's because you're at the FAC (French slang for university, abbreviation for faculty); I go to an ecole" That made me think that she's probably at some great design/art school. Next time we get talking, maybe I'll ask. Anyways our little convo made me quite happy. Perhaps Laure and I will have a relationship after all.
When I returned home from school today, I was pleasantly surprised that after we said our standard "hi how are you?", Laure asked if I had gone to school today with Jeanne. This might be the first time she's ever addressed a question to me voluntarily, so I was pretty excited. I asked her what she was working on, as she's always sitting at her desk cutting or pasting or drawing or designing something, and she showed me and babbled about the assignment for a few minutes (I just kept nodding since she was talking fast and using artsy vocab that I don't know). The assignment was for a printmaking or graphic design class or something like that. She's doing an internship at the moment in that field, but they don't have much for her to do, so she leaves early often and doesn't go in some days (this would be why she's always here). Her internship lasts for another week and then she goes back to classes, which are apparently quite intense and go from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and demand that she work until 3 a.m. and on Saturday nights. She asked what classes I was taking, and when I told her they didn't seem to have that much work, certainly not in comparison to what she had to do, she replied, "that's because you're at the FAC (French slang for university, abbreviation for faculty); I go to an ecole" That made me think that she's probably at some great design/art school. Next time we get talking, maybe I'll ask. Anyways our little convo made me quite happy. Perhaps Laure and I will have a relationship after all.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Cooking & Boots
Two milestones in my Parisian life today: I cooked for the first time and I purchased a pair of boots. The weather was very chilly today and rainy and snowy and grey, plus I finished class at 10 a.m., so on my way home I decided to stop at the grocery store and buy the ingredients to make chili. And since I would have lots of time to spare, I decided to make the chili. So I went into the grocery store and encountered the first round of problems in finding the ingredients. First of all, my recipe was in English with American measurements, so I bought cans measured in milliliters and hoped that it was approximately the same amount in ounces. At the first store I went to, the only thing on my list that I could find was canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. I bought those two items, and thought maybe I should reconsider my cooking career. however on my way home from the gym, I passed by another, slightly larger grocery store, and popped in to continue my search. In this store I managed to find red kidney beans (the recipe asked for dark and light, I decided to buy both red and white), a jar of tomato sauce labeled chili, and a can of something with jalapenos on the front. I had no success in finding chili powder (I looked through minimal spice shelves at three stores...I think the French have special stores just for spices), chili peppers, any peppers, onion flakes, chili mix, or cannellini beans (I may have found those but I think I bought all the beans I could find and I don't actually know what those are in English, let alone French). When I returned home I dumped all my purchases in a pot, and after letting it simmer for half an hour, voila, I had vegetarian chili. All I really had was heated up beans in tomato sauce with chili flavoring, but nonetheless I cooked something. And I'll know how to do it better next time. My French mother was proud of me for finally cooking something. She said she wanted to try it...I'm not sure if I'll let her, or if she'll actually want to follow through on this. We had a nice interaction earlier. She makes jewelry and she has a workshop filled with literally thousands of beads and she really enjoys showing me the earrings she's made that day. This evening she had just returned from a trip to the bead store, and we sifted through her purchases one by one. I sat and gushed and told her how pretty and cute I thought everything was (that's pretty much the extent of my vocabulary for talking about jewelry). I told her that I bought boots today and she got all excited and asked to see them. Maybe I'll finally look Parisian now that I have brown boots to wear, although I'm not actually sure when I'll wear them yet or with that. I tried them on wearing my jeans and managed to stuff the whole bootleg of my pants into the boots...this was the moment when i decided I'd better buy them b/c I may never find another pair that fit. Plus they only cost 35 euros, which is the cheapest I've seen in this city. Hopefully I'll try them out this weekend, en Provence!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Family Time
Alors, I just finished a highly entertaining dinner with the family. At the beginning, it was like being a stranger at some other family's dinner table (which in fact, I am), because the family was having an intense discussion/argument. The Beguins really want Laure to learn/practice/become fluent in English, and they want to send her abroad for a year (since living with American students isn't working...Laure rolled her eyes at the suggestion of practicing by talking to Americans). They wanted her to go to England or the United States, or some other well-known anglophone country, and the only place she wants to go is Malta, the tiny island in the Mediterranean. She's quite stubborn and argumentative. One of my first nights at dinner, Julien, her future brother-in-law, told her she had a "spirit of contradiction" and this phrase has been tossed around and debated ever since. Mme. Beguin whipped it out tonight as Laure was arguing about the benefits of studying in Malta and why she didn't want to go farther away. After the discussion died down a bit, Mme. Beguin turned to me and asked why I was so quiet...why was I intimidated tonight? was it the cold? It would have taken someone far more outspoken and audacious than I to burst into that conversation. Plus I have difficulty understanding, because when they get passionate, they get loud and talk fast, particularly Laure. Luckily the conversation died down in pace and intensity, and I was able to join in a bit. M. or Mme. Beguin usually helps me get involved, particularly Mme. Beguin, because it's much easier (in any language) for me to talk to one person.
The cousin who lives here during the week...I think her name is Jeanne...who is super nice and much more personable than the other children/relatives...came to my room to fetch me for dinner and asked if I'd be willing to speak English with her sometimes b/c she needs to practice for some really important exam she has to take. It's funny how I always think that the French are so much better at English than I am at French, when in fact often they are not. I think it's partially due to the fact that it sounds okay when the French speak English with a heavy accent...their misprononciations are cute, whereas when Americans speak French with an American accent, we are butchering their beautiful language (and it just doesn't sound good). Anyways, Jeanne and I are going to walk to school together on Thursday and speak English and French. I said I'd be happy to help her out with HW or whatever in English, and she said she'd work on my French with me if I wanted. I told her I was taking a translation class and could probably use some help with the English to French. She said she'd be happy to help, which works out very nicely for me.
The cousin who lives here during the week...I think her name is Jeanne...who is super nice and much more personable than the other children/relatives...came to my room to fetch me for dinner and asked if I'd be willing to speak English with her sometimes b/c she needs to practice for some really important exam she has to take. It's funny how I always think that the French are so much better at English than I am at French, when in fact often they are not. I think it's partially due to the fact that it sounds okay when the French speak English with a heavy accent...their misprononciations are cute, whereas when Americans speak French with an American accent, we are butchering their beautiful language (and it just doesn't sound good). Anyways, Jeanne and I are going to walk to school together on Thursday and speak English and French. I said I'd be happy to help her out with HW or whatever in English, and she said she'd work on my French with me if I wanted. I told her I was taking a translation class and could probably use some help with the English to French. She said she'd be happy to help, which works out very nicely for me.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Le Week-end
I woke up early (for me) this morning and headed to the outdoor market at the Place de la Bastille. It was a beautiful day, sun shining, so I decided to walk. I wandered along the Seine and across to a huge, bustling market. I started by wandering up and down the aisles, looking at products and prices. Buying things at the market is both intimidating (there are lines, some merchants want to move through customers quickly, it's difficult to hear prices over the crowds), but it's also rewarding (I was called Bella at the end of every sentence by the plump Italian man who sold me clementines and who added a few extra into my bag). I left the market with apples, clementines, carrots, and mangos (3 for a euro!)...enough fruit to last me the week but too much to carry home, despite the fact I wanted to stay in the sun. Before heading back I bought a pastry (a mix between a baguette and a croissant, kind of an almond-flavored breadstick) and sat on the ground in the sun and listened to a jazz band play. Nice way to spend a morning.
When I got home I found Mme. Beguin outside my room (there's a terrace on two sides and there are no walls, just sliding doors) cleaning off the terrace and trimming her plants. She loves gardening and there are plants all over both sides of the terrace. At around 2:30, Laure and M. Beguin managed to get her off the terrace to have lunch. She was too busy to cook, so she sent M. Beguin to a nearby boulangerie to pick something up. I was starving by that point and excited about the meal. We started with salad, then she brought out of the oven a sandwich cut into four pieces. It was a Croque Monsieur, a very very French sandwich of ham and cheese (usually laid out on one slice of bread, this one was more American-style, like a grilled cheese with ham and tomatoes). Following that, she brought out a quiche, which I believe was filled with goat cheese, but I didn't care to know the details of what was inside since I enjoyed the taste. I know there were artichokes and I think a few onions and definitely some kind of cheese.
After lunch all I wanted to do was collapse on my bed, which I did for about 10 minutes, then realized I better take advantage of the nice weather. The sun had already begun to fade behind clouds, but it was still relatively nice so I set out in jogging clothes, intending to run or walk as I felt like for an hour. As soon as I came out of our building my feet seemed to spring to life, and I took off jogging down the street (unlike unusual, when I run in Luxembourg Gardens across the street). I headed down to the Seine, then went down on the roads that run right along the water which are closed to cars on Sunday so people can walk. I ran down to Pont Alexandre (near Les Invalides) then crossed the bridge and ran back up the other side until the Pont Neuf and ran back to my appt. Amazingly an hour had passed, and although I was exhausted by the end, I was quite excited to have finally done my first long run of Paris. It started raining halfway through and I was pretty wet when I got home, at which point the sun came out again. Overall lovely day.
When I got home I found Mme. Beguin outside my room (there's a terrace on two sides and there are no walls, just sliding doors) cleaning off the terrace and trimming her plants. She loves gardening and there are plants all over both sides of the terrace. At around 2:30, Laure and M. Beguin managed to get her off the terrace to have lunch. She was too busy to cook, so she sent M. Beguin to a nearby boulangerie to pick something up. I was starving by that point and excited about the meal. We started with salad, then she brought out of the oven a sandwich cut into four pieces. It was a Croque Monsieur, a very very French sandwich of ham and cheese (usually laid out on one slice of bread, this one was more American-style, like a grilled cheese with ham and tomatoes). Following that, she brought out a quiche, which I believe was filled with goat cheese, but I didn't care to know the details of what was inside since I enjoyed the taste. I know there were artichokes and I think a few onions and definitely some kind of cheese.
After lunch all I wanted to do was collapse on my bed, which I did for about 10 minutes, then realized I better take advantage of the nice weather. The sun had already begun to fade behind clouds, but it was still relatively nice so I set out in jogging clothes, intending to run or walk as I felt like for an hour. As soon as I came out of our building my feet seemed to spring to life, and I took off jogging down the street (unlike unusual, when I run in Luxembourg Gardens across the street). I headed down to the Seine, then went down on the roads that run right along the water which are closed to cars on Sunday so people can walk. I ran down to Pont Alexandre (near Les Invalides) then crossed the bridge and ran back up the other side until the Pont Neuf and ran back to my appt. Amazingly an hour had passed, and although I was exhausted by the end, I was quite excited to have finally done my first long run of Paris. It started raining halfway through and I was pretty wet when I got home, at which point the sun came out again. Overall lovely day.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Paris III vs. Centre Madeleine
I had class this morning at nine a.m. for the second day in a row. I'd be hesistant to sign up for a class at Midd at nine a.m. ... I'm not sure why I chose two of them here. It was so dreary getting up this morning...the sun doesn't rise in Paris until about 8:45, plus it was rainy. I did discover this morning however that I can make it from the front door of my building to school in 22-23 minutes, just in case. I arrived at school at 8:57 this morning, slightly later than I intended since I had to look up my room number and then find it, but I still made it to class several minutes before my professor. Timeliness is not really a virtue here. All of the classes are scheduled back-to-back so every one of my classes has started at least five minutes late b/c students are coming and going at the same time. Even my class at Centre Madeleine started ten minutes late today, though my professor insists that next week we're starting on time. Today at Paris III I had my discussion section type class (it appears to be more of an interactive lecture). I discovered that this course, like my translation one, is the second half of a yearlong course. The professor kept referencing things the class had learned during the first half and next week we're going to review the final. I went back and forth in my head for the two hours of the class deciding if I should drop it or stick with it. I think I'm going to stay. I spoke to the prof after class, and he showed me one method on the board and told me that was all I really needed to know. The thing he showed me was basically sentencing diagraming, like we did in Freshman year English (at Loomis), so I don't think the class will be terribly hard. He didn't mention evaluations at all - when I asked him after class, he said we'd have two exams, one in classes in about five or six weeks (hopefully we'll get a specific date for that soon) and one late in April (couldn't really understand if this is take-home or in-class or group or what). Everything academic seems so chill here. Students arrived in class beginning at nine but continued arrived until at least nine-thirty. A few fell asleep. Students at Paris III in all my classes have also talked through the entire class. They are constantly whispering to each other throughout the entire time. Sometimes the professors shush them and sometimes they just talk over them. I've talked to a few other Middkids and they said the same thing happens in their classes as well. Experiences like that remind me that we are in classes with first-year students, who perhaps are slightly less mature than ourselves (I've also been told this by several Midd professors - that Parisian students are less mature and less motivated). Attendance also appears optional, even in classes that take roll. The professor would often call a student's name, and a friend of theirs would reply that that student wouldn't be there this week but he/she would return next week. The prof would say OK and move on (this has happened with at least 5-6 students). Despite the disorganization and mild chaos that seems to define Paris III, I've really enjoyed my experience there so far. The professor have been nice, the students aren't super scary when they are not in huge packs or tight circles of friends. My linguistics class this morning had a bunch of students sitting alone - I think the whole group has changed sections since last semester - maybe I'll befriend one of them.
Particularly in comparison to my classes at Paris III, my French language class at the Center this afternoon was very enjoyable and very comfortable. The professor, a very chic, middle-aged, very French woman named Isabelle, handed out a SYLLABUS! Who would have thought I'd be so excited to get a packet with HW assignments on it. With the syllabus of course comes regular HW assignments, but it also means knowing what's expected and structure to the course (something more than a brief list of topics for the semester - a la Paris III). The class itself seems kind of unstructured...apparently we have a short reading assignment and exercises to do for each class. Today we started reading together and we did a super-close reading...practically word-by-word, and the professor digressed constantly to explain vocab and connotations and words that sound similar but mean different things or cognates that have different definitions in French. I'll definitely be learning a ton of vocab in this class. It was completely all over the place though, as we talked about history, vocab, law-related vocab, random words, etc. My prof is very dynamic and energetic and on top of things, so the class itself was a pleasant experience. It will be far far more work than any of my other classes, but I think I'll get a lot out of it and enjoy it. The professor is kind of like our advisor in Paris, she's open to questions about our experiences and cultural differences and word usage and vocab and whatnot, so it should be very helpful. We also have to report to her about our volunteer work/internships/interactions with the French and write diary entries about them for her.
Particularly in comparison to my classes at Paris III, my French language class at the Center this afternoon was very enjoyable and very comfortable. The professor, a very chic, middle-aged, very French woman named Isabelle, handed out a SYLLABUS! Who would have thought I'd be so excited to get a packet with HW assignments on it. With the syllabus of course comes regular HW assignments, but it also means knowing what's expected and structure to the course (something more than a brief list of topics for the semester - a la Paris III). The class itself seems kind of unstructured...apparently we have a short reading assignment and exercises to do for each class. Today we started reading together and we did a super-close reading...practically word-by-word, and the professor digressed constantly to explain vocab and connotations and words that sound similar but mean different things or cognates that have different definitions in French. I'll definitely be learning a ton of vocab in this class. It was completely all over the place though, as we talked about history, vocab, law-related vocab, random words, etc. My prof is very dynamic and energetic and on top of things, so the class itself was a pleasant experience. It will be far far more work than any of my other classes, but I think I'll get a lot out of it and enjoy it. The professor is kind of like our advisor in Paris, she's open to questions about our experiences and cultural differences and word usage and vocab and whatnot, so it should be very helpful. We also have to report to her about our volunteer work/internships/interactions with the French and write diary entries about them for her.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Translation
I had my first translation course today, both French to English (thème) and English to French (version). The theme seems like it’s going to be pretty easy – I won’t lose any points for mistakes like using the wrong prepositions. My professor is a cute, rotund British man who is jolly and speaks in both French and English. Although I am comfortable hearing French in the classroom, it is always comforting to hear English words. The prof is excited about having American students – he speaks English to us b/c he says it’s natural for native English speakers to speak it to one another (he obviously doesn’t know about the language pledge).
The second part of the translation class, version, seems quite difficult, as my level of French is at comprehension but certainly not translation, and definitely not minute details of translation like idioms. Today our “homework” (totally optional) was to translate a passage from a Eudora Welty short story, and I had difficulty just translating her metaphoric writing into common English. The professor warned us that it’s going to be a difficult course – if possible I may try to switch sections to find slightly more welcoming professor. I’m really excited about both sections of the class though. It’s unlike any class I’ve taken before and I think I will learn a ton from it.
The second part of the translation class, version, seems quite difficult, as my level of French is at comprehension but certainly not translation, and definitely not minute details of translation like idioms. Today our “homework” (totally optional) was to translate a passage from a Eudora Welty short story, and I had difficulty just translating her metaphoric writing into common English. The professor warned us that it’s going to be a difficult course – if possible I may try to switch sections to find slightly more welcoming professor. I’m really excited about both sections of the class though. It’s unlike any class I’ve taken before and I think I will learn a ton from it.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Today my Parisian education started for real...I had my first enormous lecture class. My linguistics class is divided (Parisian style) into a huge lecture and a smaller, discussion-section type class. Today's lecture was in an ampitheater with 100 plus students, including several older women and two students with strollers. The professor spoke using a microphone (as though it wasn't difficult enough to understand his French). The lecture was OK, not super interesting, but I'm interested in linguistics and the course doesn't seem too hard. I thought I was going to be the sole Middkid in the class, but just before class started I found my friend Dan. After class we hung out for a while, crashing in the nearby Starbucks and treating ourselves to coffees to celebrate surviving another day at Paris III. We started making plans for the weekend our friends visit in February...should be exciting!
After our coffee Dan and I stopped in the nearby Monoprix so he could buy notebooks and I could continue my search for a hairdryer. This is the fourth Monoprix I've been to and every single one has been sold out of hairdryers. Who knew it would be so difficult to find a hairdryer in Paris? I thought the French were super concerned about their coiffures. Also difficult to find are books. I guess we're pretty spoiled at Midd by having a bookstore that carries all of the necessary course books in it. I went to two bookstores this afternoon and managed to find one of the three books needed for my EU class. It appears that bookstores carry very few copies of each book, and they had run out of the other two.
After my shopping adventures, I had my first rendez-vous with the gym. I didn't pick the smartest time to go - 7 p.m. when the after-work crowd is there, but it was a successful trip. I used the fancy French stairmaster (all the machines are super-new and computerized and have personal t.v.s).
Dinner with the family tonight, but just the parents, no daughter. We ate a very informal meal in front of the television, watching some classic B&W French movie that I couldn't seem to follow but the Beguins loved. I focused on my fish instead (which was not quite cooked enough - the French don't seem to appreciate the concept of "well-done). We also had vegetable soup which was delicious and naturally bread and cheese (such a nice way to finish a meal). After dinner, Mme. Beguin showed me how to use the laundry machine, and as I write my first load of laundry is being washed. Yay for clean jeans!
After our coffee Dan and I stopped in the nearby Monoprix so he could buy notebooks and I could continue my search for a hairdryer. This is the fourth Monoprix I've been to and every single one has been sold out of hairdryers. Who knew it would be so difficult to find a hairdryer in Paris? I thought the French were super concerned about their coiffures. Also difficult to find are books. I guess we're pretty spoiled at Midd by having a bookstore that carries all of the necessary course books in it. I went to two bookstores this afternoon and managed to find one of the three books needed for my EU class. It appears that bookstores carry very few copies of each book, and they had run out of the other two.
After my shopping adventures, I had my first rendez-vous with the gym. I didn't pick the smartest time to go - 7 p.m. when the after-work crowd is there, but it was a successful trip. I used the fancy French stairmaster (all the machines are super-new and computerized and have personal t.v.s).
Dinner with the family tonight, but just the parents, no daughter. We ate a very informal meal in front of the television, watching some classic B&W French movie that I couldn't seem to follow but the Beguins loved. I focused on my fish instead (which was not quite cooked enough - the French don't seem to appreciate the concept of "well-done). We also had vegetable soup which was delicious and naturally bread and cheese (such a nice way to finish a meal). After dinner, Mme. Beguin showed me how to use the laundry machine, and as I write my first load of laundry is being washed. Yay for clean jeans!
Monday, January 15, 2007
CLASSES!
Classes Parisian-style started today. I was super-nervous about both my classes because of language issues and because they were both extremely long (by my standards). I got home from school at nine p.m. I figure I can deal with this, because the classes don't start until one, and it's the only time both classes meet all week.
My first class was The European Union, a poly sci class taught at the Centre Madeleine by a professor from Sciences Po. The prof seems totally great - she is relatively young, but nice, on top of things, and an interesting lecturer. She even treated us to a plan for the class (French universities don't do syllabi or outlines, so a list of the weekly lecture titles was a huge treat). Our work consists of 3 quizzes (45 minutes each) on the lecture material, one press review, and a final exam. We do the press review in groups, and naturally all the Midd kids flocked together but we had an uneven number, so I wound up in a group with three strangers, all from the Hamilton program. This class is one of the Consortium classes that includes Middlebury, Smith, and Hamilton students. When we walked into the class before it started, two Midd friends and I were slightly shocked to see it filled with girls. Aside from 4 Midd boys, there is only one other guy in either of the other groups out of a total of twenty-two students. Paris is definitely a study abroad location that is ridiculously female (all the students we met at registration, twenty plus of them, were also all female). Anyhow, I'm really excited about this class: the material seems extremely interesting, and a bit difficult, but I think I'll definitely get a lot out of the class.
Thus educational experience number one was quite similar to Middlebury...it seems like a nice balance between American and French teaching styles (definitely on the French side though). My second class was a very different experience. Paris III is a public university, and in France anyone who graduates high school essentially (gets a baccalaureate, which is actually a bit more difficult) can attend. Our Midd language prof reminded us that as far as education goes, you get what you pay for, and a university education in France costs a few hundred euros per year. The Paris III building looks like an enormous urban high school, both on the outside and inside. There are clusters of students smoking outside and huge groups chilling on the hallway floors. Paris III is also way way more diverse than anywhere else I've seen in Paris, which is exciting for me. There certainly won't be nearly as much pressure to dress to the nines for class.
My class itself went really went. I wasn’t super-enthused about the subject – History of Cinema – but the prof seems great and it doesn’t seem very hard. The classes has only 13 people (the prof said there should be more next week) and seven are American students, six of them from Midd. I’m excited that there are Middkids in my class, and that we can struggle to understand together, but it’s a group of kids who were also in my EU class, and who I haven’t seen separate since we got here. They are the captains of Team Partying and Team English-Only, which is kind of annoying for me, since I’m making an effort to stick to the Language Pledge for a while, and I’d rather not stick out entirely at the Paris school. During the break we spent the entire time babbling in English, and when class started again, the prof said, “I noticed during the break that we have some foreign students here.” Apparently, to our great surprise, he didn’t guess immediately that we were American, though he did notice throughout his lecturing that we often looked a bit confused. He was actually totally excited about it b/c America apparently invented cinema and today we talked about only American film history and watched American film clips. A third of the movies screened are American ones as well. I’m excited that the professor seems so excited to have us there; he thinks it will be a great opportunity for cross-cultural discussion. He also said after class that if we need him to slow down or to explain something, we should just ask. That’s excellent, since he talks super-fast and was sometimes hard to understand. I hope all my French professors are this nice and understanding. The class work doesn’t seem bad at all – he said we have only two grades, a midterm and a paper. None of us understand if it is understood that we have a final, or if we actually don’t have one. Hopefully the prior…then I’d be done with work for this class on April 2nd. The paper doesn’t seem too bad – we have to write about one of the movies on a list he gave us. They are all being screened at some university cinema places – I think it’s suggested we attend but not required, and since I have class at the same time as the screenings, I guess I won’t go? One of the films we can potentially write about I’ve already seen, and since the Midd profs told us to use any advantages and resources we have for the French classes, I think I’ll write my paper on that one. Perhaps I’ll compare it to another one, which is in English. The class is a first-year class, so it seems like the expectations are not super-high. The professor repeated a million times that this is a university-level course, and that the paper must have a bibliography. Seems like this class will be another good experience.
My first class was The European Union, a poly sci class taught at the Centre Madeleine by a professor from Sciences Po. The prof seems totally great - she is relatively young, but nice, on top of things, and an interesting lecturer. She even treated us to a plan for the class (French universities don't do syllabi or outlines, so a list of the weekly lecture titles was a huge treat). Our work consists of 3 quizzes (45 minutes each) on the lecture material, one press review, and a final exam. We do the press review in groups, and naturally all the Midd kids flocked together but we had an uneven number, so I wound up in a group with three strangers, all from the Hamilton program. This class is one of the Consortium classes that includes Middlebury, Smith, and Hamilton students. When we walked into the class before it started, two Midd friends and I were slightly shocked to see it filled with girls. Aside from 4 Midd boys, there is only one other guy in either of the other groups out of a total of twenty-two students. Paris is definitely a study abroad location that is ridiculously female (all the students we met at registration, twenty plus of them, were also all female). Anyhow, I'm really excited about this class: the material seems extremely interesting, and a bit difficult, but I think I'll definitely get a lot out of the class.
Thus educational experience number one was quite similar to Middlebury...it seems like a nice balance between American and French teaching styles (definitely on the French side though). My second class was a very different experience. Paris III is a public university, and in France anyone who graduates high school essentially (gets a baccalaureate, which is actually a bit more difficult) can attend. Our Midd language prof reminded us that as far as education goes, you get what you pay for, and a university education in France costs a few hundred euros per year. The Paris III building looks like an enormous urban high school, both on the outside and inside. There are clusters of students smoking outside and huge groups chilling on the hallway floors. Paris III is also way way more diverse than anywhere else I've seen in Paris, which is exciting for me. There certainly won't be nearly as much pressure to dress to the nines for class.
My class itself went really went. I wasn’t super-enthused about the subject – History of Cinema – but the prof seems great and it doesn’t seem very hard. The classes has only 13 people (the prof said there should be more next week) and seven are American students, six of them from Midd. I’m excited that there are Middkids in my class, and that we can struggle to understand together, but it’s a group of kids who were also in my EU class, and who I haven’t seen separate since we got here. They are the captains of Team Partying and Team English-Only, which is kind of annoying for me, since I’m making an effort to stick to the Language Pledge for a while, and I’d rather not stick out entirely at the Paris school. During the break we spent the entire time babbling in English, and when class started again, the prof said, “I noticed during the break that we have some foreign students here.” Apparently, to our great surprise, he didn’t guess immediately that we were American, though he did notice throughout his lecturing that we often looked a bit confused. He was actually totally excited about it b/c America apparently invented cinema and today we talked about only American film history and watched American film clips. A third of the movies screened are American ones as well. I’m excited that the professor seems so excited to have us there; he thinks it will be a great opportunity for cross-cultural discussion. He also said after class that if we need him to slow down or to explain something, we should just ask. That’s excellent, since he talks super-fast and was sometimes hard to understand. I hope all my French professors are this nice and understanding. The class work doesn’t seem bad at all – he said we have only two grades, a midterm and a paper. None of us understand if it is understood that we have a final, or if we actually don’t have one. Hopefully the prior…then I’d be done with work for this class on April 2nd. The paper doesn’t seem too bad – we have to write about one of the movies on a list he gave us. They are all being screened at some university cinema places – I think it’s suggested we attend but not required, and since I have class at the same time as the screenings, I guess I won’t go? One of the films we can potentially write about I’ve already seen, and since the Midd profs told us to use any advantages and resources we have for the French classes, I think I’ll write my paper on that one. Perhaps I’ll compare it to another one, which is in English. The class is a first-year class, so it seems like the expectations are not super-high. The professor repeated a million times that this is a university-level course, and that the paper must have a bibliography. Seems like this class will be another good experience.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
We received an email a few days ago from the Midd academic coordinator telling us that French profs would expect us to be familiar with the course material and the books a bit before the course began. I've been reading and re-reading through the course descriptions, and not a single book is mentioned in any of my classes. I hope the Midd classes at least will provide a syllabus and have more structure than the Paris ones, where we've been told to expect a brief course description and a bibliography of 50+ suggested books on the first day. I hope the course description at least tells us what work we have to do...if we have a paper, or presentation, or midterm or all or neither. I think that most French classes have a midterm, final, and one other piece of work (either a oral presentation or a paper). Apparently my translation class has more regular work, and that suits me well, as I'd rather all my classes not be end-heavy as far as work.
I got my initiation into French politics today. The UMP, the center-right party in France who currently holds power, had their convention today for the upcoming elections in April. Lots of ministers and senators and important people in the party gave speeches giving their support to the party's candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy. They spent a fair amount of time bashing the left, particularly the socialist candidate, Segolene Royal. I really enjoyed listening to the speeches, both because they were interesting, and because politicians speak slowly and use very proper French, so for the most part I could understand. Politics-wise it's definitely a very cool time to be in Paris, and I'll have to keeping reading the newspapers and such to keep up with the election news. Politics is an extremely popular discussion topic here. I couldn't understand my family very well as they were discussing the speeches, but I'm pretty sure that my host-mom supports Sarkozy and the UMP. My guess would be her husband does too. The only one who clearly opposed Sarkozy was another cousin I met today, who I imagine is around my age as well and lives downstairs. She came over for lunch to visit with Jean, the mysterious son whose shirts have been hanging in my bathroom for a few days and who I finally met today. He was interesting - seemed very much like the only boy. He whined/complained almost the entire time I spent with him. He was hungry, he didn't want to do his chores, he was hungry, he didn't want to do his HW, etc. All of the family seemed a bit annoyed with him and finally at one point during lunch his mother snapped at him. Nonetheless he was very polite to me and seems like a good kid.
My host mom had mentioned a few days ago she would take me to another outdoor market this morning around noon, and when i went to find her, she was still in her pajamas. After she dressed, she told me we were going for a quick tour (all the kids were asking for lunch). She said we'd go to the "Marche des Oiseaux" (Bird Market). I figured this was just the name of some location/market, but it actually was a bird market. There were tons of birds for sale, along with birdhouses, bird food, hamsters, guinea pigs, and lots of other pet toys. It was very cute.
After lunch (delicious as always), I headed out to walk and enjoy the sunshine that had finally arrived. I wandered for a few hours, stopping to shop in a few stores and picking up a few more fashionable (I hope) Parisian clothes. So far all from American chains (Gap, H&M)...hopefully I'll dare to enter some of the French boutiques soon. But for now I'm super content with my purchases.
I got my initiation into French politics today. The UMP, the center-right party in France who currently holds power, had their convention today for the upcoming elections in April. Lots of ministers and senators and important people in the party gave speeches giving their support to the party's candidate, Nicolas Sarkozy. They spent a fair amount of time bashing the left, particularly the socialist candidate, Segolene Royal. I really enjoyed listening to the speeches, both because they were interesting, and because politicians speak slowly and use very proper French, so for the most part I could understand. Politics-wise it's definitely a very cool time to be in Paris, and I'll have to keeping reading the newspapers and such to keep up with the election news. Politics is an extremely popular discussion topic here. I couldn't understand my family very well as they were discussing the speeches, but I'm pretty sure that my host-mom supports Sarkozy and the UMP. My guess would be her husband does too. The only one who clearly opposed Sarkozy was another cousin I met today, who I imagine is around my age as well and lives downstairs. She came over for lunch to visit with Jean, the mysterious son whose shirts have been hanging in my bathroom for a few days and who I finally met today. He was interesting - seemed very much like the only boy. He whined/complained almost the entire time I spent with him. He was hungry, he didn't want to do his chores, he was hungry, he didn't want to do his HW, etc. All of the family seemed a bit annoyed with him and finally at one point during lunch his mother snapped at him. Nonetheless he was very polite to me and seems like a good kid.
My host mom had mentioned a few days ago she would take me to another outdoor market this morning around noon, and when i went to find her, she was still in her pajamas. After she dressed, she told me we were going for a quick tour (all the kids were asking for lunch). She said we'd go to the "Marche des Oiseaux" (Bird Market). I figured this was just the name of some location/market, but it actually was a bird market. There were tons of birds for sale, along with birdhouses, bird food, hamsters, guinea pigs, and lots of other pet toys. It was very cute.
After lunch (delicious as always), I headed out to walk and enjoy the sunshine that had finally arrived. I wandered for a few hours, stopping to shop in a few stores and picking up a few more fashionable (I hope) Parisian clothes. So far all from American chains (Gap, H&M)...hopefully I'll dare to enter some of the French boutiques soon. But for now I'm super content with my purchases.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
End of Orientation
The final two days with our orientation group have been activity-heavy, but fun and educational about Paris. Well yesterday was not exactly fun...we visited the Louvre for the first time. There's a reduced price for students on Friday nights, so we went at 6. By the time everyone arrived it was 6:30, and we were supposed to do some sort of craft activity but it was already full. They were giving free tours, so our group decided to take a tour of the Egyptian section. Actually our leaders decided we should do it, and of course they asked us, but being an agreeable group and also not understanding parts of what they say, we agreed. The Friday night of orienation week is an unfortunate time to choose a museum, as we were all exhausted. Thus one and a half plus hours of listening to a woman babble in French about 5 or 6 works (that's right, only five or six on the entire tour) was not the best experience. Even the people who speak French and were taking notes at the beginning were searching for places to sit down by the end, thus I don't think our American-ness is entirely to blame.
After the Louvre adventure our group separated and I went out to dinner with my friend Kay, who's from William and Mary, as the rest of the group went to hit the clubs and bars. Our group definitely has some hardcore partyers, who regretted a few of last night's decisions during the trek up to Montmartre today.
This afternoon we gather at Uli's (my leader's) appartment where she and Alex (the other leader) made us lunch. We ate pasta with her two roommates and chattered in French and English about last night, American universities, the craziness that is Paris, etc. Uli lives in up the north of Paris. Getting of at her metro stop was like going from the Upper East Side in Manhattan (where I live) to the Bronx. She lives in a neighborhood with lots of African immigrants, and the streets were filled with hair salons and cheap restaurants (chains like KFC). After lunch we walked up to Sacred Heart where the view of Paris is absolutely amazing. We wandered around little streets up there, up and down hills and through cute little parks. Although the weather was overcast and grey, it was a great way to spend the afternoon. Most of our group had had enough group time at that point and they left, while Kay, James and I stayed with Alex. He took us to Bellevue, a nearby neighborhood that houses one of Paris' Chinese neighborhoods. It was great to explore a more residential area, where everything is less expensive and touristy. Bellevue is another one of the "hills of Paris" so we saw another awesome view of the city. James, Kay and I ate Chinese food together for dinner there. It's nice to be finished with orientation actvities, and to have some time to rejuvenate tomorrow before starting my routine of classes on Monday.
After the Louvre adventure our group separated and I went out to dinner with my friend Kay, who's from William and Mary, as the rest of the group went to hit the clubs and bars. Our group definitely has some hardcore partyers, who regretted a few of last night's decisions during the trek up to Montmartre today.
This afternoon we gather at Uli's (my leader's) appartment where she and Alex (the other leader) made us lunch. We ate pasta with her two roommates and chattered in French and English about last night, American universities, the craziness that is Paris, etc. Uli lives in up the north of Paris. Getting of at her metro stop was like going from the Upper East Side in Manhattan (where I live) to the Bronx. She lives in a neighborhood with lots of African immigrants, and the streets were filled with hair salons and cheap restaurants (chains like KFC). After lunch we walked up to Sacred Heart where the view of Paris is absolutely amazing. We wandered around little streets up there, up and down hills and through cute little parks. Although the weather was overcast and grey, it was a great way to spend the afternoon. Most of our group had had enough group time at that point and they left, while Kay, James and I stayed with Alex. He took us to Bellevue, a nearby neighborhood that houses one of Paris' Chinese neighborhoods. It was great to explore a more residential area, where everything is less expensive and touristy. Bellevue is another one of the "hills of Paris" so we saw another awesome view of the city. James, Kay and I ate Chinese food together for dinner there. It's nice to be finished with orientation actvities, and to have some time to rejuvenate tomorrow before starting my routine of classes on Monday.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Course registration at Paris III was this morning - what a hassle. After arriving at 9:15, we got in a huge line (of only American students) and waited and waited. I was near the front, probably at the end of the first quarter/third of the group, and I registered at 11:30. They had only one person doing registration for each department (we were in the literature/linguistics line), so everyone had a one-on-one meeting with the representative to sign up for classes. Luckily there was no line to sign up for my translation class. The Middkids were waiting in line for the lit classes with a group from Sweet Briar College - a massive pack of girls who spoke English the entire time. Three of the girls, who go to Kenyon but are from West Chester, NY, tried to squeeze in front of us in line to register - but the Middkids bonded together and spread ourselves across the doorway so they wouldn't cut us. Perhaps not a lovely impression of Midd students, but it was a nice moment of bonding for us, and the three girls had been whining next to us in English for about an hour. At least when we complained we tried to do it in French.
After surviving registration I wandered home and found a really cute street along the way with an outdoor market, a nice grocery store and lots of cute little sandwich shops and creperies. I bought some fruit and the market and the store (cheap clementines and raspberries for only a euro). I also found a Starbucks!! My first one - and it's on the way to school! I'm very excited about this. :)
This afternoon my orientation group went ice skating in the center of Paris on a random ice rink. Apparently this is a big thrill for Parisians, who rarely ice skate. Our group leader seemed slight disappointed when we told her that in New England nearly every town has an ice rink. This was definitely ice skating Parisian-style, as we had to carry our bags with us, and there were signs everywhere telling us not to smoke. Ice skating seems like a popular activity for teenage boys, kind of the Parisian version of a skate park. There were lots of teen boys racing around the rink and performing tricks. Just like in the US, there were also a few old men, both on figure and speed skates, practicing turns and twists and fancy moves. Because it’s so warm here, the ice had melted quite a bit and there was about an inch of water covering the rink’s surface. All the other girls were super-hesitant to partake, esp. with their large handbags, but I really enjoyed it.
After skating, my group headed to the Centre Georges Pompidou, a museum. We saw an exhibition called The Movement of Images (or something like that). It was really interesting – there were lots of film clips and films meant to represent the cinema process. Definitely modern art.
The group parted ways after the museum and I walked home via a grand boulevard where there were tons of stores having their big after-Christmas sales. The sales started yesterday and apparently last for three weeks. Absolutely every store has “SOLDES” signs in the windows. I took the opportunity to do my first shopping in Paris, stopping in several shoe stores to look at pairs of boots (everyone’s wearing them) and visiting H&M and Zara (right next to each other). I got a cute sweater, a couple hair clips and a simple black bag that I’ll use for now to take my things to school. I also tried on lots of clothes, part b/c I thought of buying them and part for the amusement of seeing myself in fashionable European attire. Finding pants that fit here is definitely going to be an issue. They don’t seem to come in “short” sizes (that makes sense as every female here appears to have long, thin legs). Hopefully I’ll find some in GAP or some American chain later, if not, I’m not a huge fan of skinny jeans/pants anyways, which is basically all they wear and sell here. The shirts ranged from small and ridiculous to enormous and ridiculous on me. I’m not used to seeing myself dressed so fashionably. Perhaps I’ll dare to buy something and wear it, but I think I’d feel like an imposter – some hippie/preppy/Vermonty girl wearing Parisian fashion. Nonetheless, the shopping trip amused me greatly and I’m excited about what I did purchase and that the sales continue.
After surviving registration I wandered home and found a really cute street along the way with an outdoor market, a nice grocery store and lots of cute little sandwich shops and creperies. I bought some fruit and the market and the store (cheap clementines and raspberries for only a euro). I also found a Starbucks!! My first one - and it's on the way to school! I'm very excited about this. :)
This afternoon my orientation group went ice skating in the center of Paris on a random ice rink. Apparently this is a big thrill for Parisians, who rarely ice skate. Our group leader seemed slight disappointed when we told her that in New England nearly every town has an ice rink. This was definitely ice skating Parisian-style, as we had to carry our bags with us, and there were signs everywhere telling us not to smoke. Ice skating seems like a popular activity for teenage boys, kind of the Parisian version of a skate park. There were lots of teen boys racing around the rink and performing tricks. Just like in the US, there were also a few old men, both on figure and speed skates, practicing turns and twists and fancy moves. Because it’s so warm here, the ice had melted quite a bit and there was about an inch of water covering the rink’s surface. All the other girls were super-hesitant to partake, esp. with their large handbags, but I really enjoyed it.
After skating, my group headed to the Centre Georges Pompidou, a museum. We saw an exhibition called The Movement of Images (or something like that). It was really interesting – there were lots of film clips and films meant to represent the cinema process. Definitely modern art.
The group parted ways after the museum and I walked home via a grand boulevard where there were tons of stores having their big after-Christmas sales. The sales started yesterday and apparently last for three weeks. Absolutely every store has “SOLDES” signs in the windows. I took the opportunity to do my first shopping in Paris, stopping in several shoe stores to look at pairs of boots (everyone’s wearing them) and visiting H&M and Zara (right next to each other). I got a cute sweater, a couple hair clips and a simple black bag that I’ll use for now to take my things to school. I also tried on lots of clothes, part b/c I thought of buying them and part for the amusement of seeing myself in fashionable European attire. Finding pants that fit here is definitely going to be an issue. They don’t seem to come in “short” sizes (that makes sense as every female here appears to have long, thin legs). Hopefully I’ll find some in GAP or some American chain later, if not, I’m not a huge fan of skinny jeans/pants anyways, which is basically all they wear and sell here. The shirts ranged from small and ridiculous to enormous and ridiculous on me. I’m not used to seeing myself dressed so fashionably. Perhaps I’ll dare to buy something and wear it, but I think I’d feel like an imposter – some hippie/preppy/Vermonty girl wearing Parisian fashion. Nonetheless, the shopping trip amused me greatly and I’m excited about what I did purchase and that the sales continue.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Rainy day, Fun Dinner
Intense orientation activities at the Centre Madeleine seem to have subsided and the rest of the week is mostly about exploring Paris with our orientation groups. Earlier today I met with the academic coordinator to choose my classes, and we decided on French language and a poly sci class on the EU at the Centre Madeleine, plus an intro linguistics course, a translation course, history of cinema, and a cinema class called Aesthetics of the Image. I will drop of the last four courses b/c I only need five, but the woman recommended that we start with a “spare tire course” in case we don’t like one of the ones we chose. Hopefully I’ll be able to drop one of the cinema courses, since I’m not super interested in that, but she said the translation course is difficult and very hard to get a good grade in (apparently American students do very poorly on the English-to-French translations). I’m really interested in that class though, so I hope it works out. I think there will be at least a few other Middkids, so maybe we can help each other. I hope that the cinema course will count for an ART distribution requirement at Middlebury b/c that’s the only requirement I need to fulfill while here. I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t, but I emailed the Film and Media culture dept. head yesterday with the course descriptions, and first he said it wasn’t his decision, then he said that he wasn’t comfortable with such a short course description or with a course at an unknown university. Of course this “unknown university” is in partnership with Middlebury and very respectable. I know he wouldn’t be able to approve it before I return anyways, so I’m hoping that next fall I’ll be able to argue with him or with the Curriculum Committee and hopefully get it counted. Nobody at Midd seems to know for sure who is responsible for saying which courses fulfill which distributions…very frustrating.
This afternoon it rained and even though our group meeting finished at 4, leaving me with five plus hours to explore before dinner, I couldn’t think of doing anything other than returning home. Which I did. And I opened the door – but it took a while. My absolute biggest challenge so far here has been opening the door to my apartment with my key. The door has two locks, so if you turn it once it locks halfway, and twice it locks completely. I think the door is rarely actually locked though. So when I stand there and turn the key obsessively, I’m locking a door that wasn’t already locked. Oh well. I studied the lock today when I came in, in hopes of understanding it better. If the door is locked completely, I need to turn the key twice to the left while pulling on the handle, then turn it to the right while pushing on the door to enter. Maybe I should go practice now…
Anyways once I finally let myself in this afternoon, I wrote some emails and then collapsed on my bed for two hours. I didn’t sleep, but I just lay there and found it impossible to get up. Apparently moving to a new country and wandering around a city for hours per day is exhausting. I’ve also been getting at least 7 or more hours of sleep per night (almost 9 last night), which is far more than usual. Hopefully these good sleeping patterns continue – being ready for bed at midnight works well for me, especially if I’m going to have an eight a.m. class, which I might to ensure that I have a good professor.
I ate dinner with my family again tonight and it was actually a really good meal (conversation and engagement wise – the food is always delicious). French is finally starting to flow (perhaps that’s a strong word…) from my mouth. My vocab hasn’t really improved but my accent has and I’ve become much much more comfortable speaking French in the past few days. My host mom commented today that I’ve become much more talkative. I think I was engaged at dinner tonight both because I’m more talkative, but also because the family was significantly calmer and quieter than during previous meals. The oldest daughter Marie and her boyfriend weren’t there, so I imagine that calms everything quite a bit. I met a new member of the family today: a female cousin who lives during the week in the son’s room. She is super nice, and she attends the same university as me, so she gave me directions. I hope she’s around more often as she’s very pleasant. Tonight at dinner we had a large variety of cheeses (previously we have had only too). One was from the mountains and very soft with little taste - I enjoyed this a lot, especially on bread. The other new one was from Corsica and it smelled very strongly. My host mom cut me a small piece and it tasted like animal. While it was it my mouth, I felt like I was on a farm and I had licked the nearest goat. Not in a bad way, it was just surprising and strong. I like pretty much all cheese so I'll eat whatever they serve, but I'll cut bigger pieces of the softer ones. The cheese also made me understand the importance of the red wine, b/c it left an intense aftertaste that only "vin rouge" could take away. I'm getting used to my little glass of red wine at every dinner. I can't say I love it - I'd be fine with water, but I'm used to it and realize it accompanies the meal well. Also that I need to drink copious amounts of water on my own to avoid dehydration (no Nalgenes filled with ice cubes here).
Tomorrow morning I go to Paris III to register for classes and get a tour of the place – should be exciting. I think my orientation group might also go ice skating if it’s no raining again – should provide some fun stories.
This afternoon it rained and even though our group meeting finished at 4, leaving me with five plus hours to explore before dinner, I couldn’t think of doing anything other than returning home. Which I did. And I opened the door – but it took a while. My absolute biggest challenge so far here has been opening the door to my apartment with my key. The door has two locks, so if you turn it once it locks halfway, and twice it locks completely. I think the door is rarely actually locked though. So when I stand there and turn the key obsessively, I’m locking a door that wasn’t already locked. Oh well. I studied the lock today when I came in, in hopes of understanding it better. If the door is locked completely, I need to turn the key twice to the left while pulling on the handle, then turn it to the right while pushing on the door to enter. Maybe I should go practice now…
Anyways once I finally let myself in this afternoon, I wrote some emails and then collapsed on my bed for two hours. I didn’t sleep, but I just lay there and found it impossible to get up. Apparently moving to a new country and wandering around a city for hours per day is exhausting. I’ve also been getting at least 7 or more hours of sleep per night (almost 9 last night), which is far more than usual. Hopefully these good sleeping patterns continue – being ready for bed at midnight works well for me, especially if I’m going to have an eight a.m. class, which I might to ensure that I have a good professor.
I ate dinner with my family again tonight and it was actually a really good meal (conversation and engagement wise – the food is always delicious). French is finally starting to flow (perhaps that’s a strong word…) from my mouth. My vocab hasn’t really improved but my accent has and I’ve become much much more comfortable speaking French in the past few days. My host mom commented today that I’ve become much more talkative. I think I was engaged at dinner tonight both because I’m more talkative, but also because the family was significantly calmer and quieter than during previous meals. The oldest daughter Marie and her boyfriend weren’t there, so I imagine that calms everything quite a bit. I met a new member of the family today: a female cousin who lives during the week in the son’s room. She is super nice, and she attends the same university as me, so she gave me directions. I hope she’s around more often as she’s very pleasant. Tonight at dinner we had a large variety of cheeses (previously we have had only too). One was from the mountains and very soft with little taste - I enjoyed this a lot, especially on bread. The other new one was from Corsica and it smelled very strongly. My host mom cut me a small piece and it tasted like animal. While it was it my mouth, I felt like I was on a farm and I had licked the nearest goat. Not in a bad way, it was just surprising and strong. I like pretty much all cheese so I'll eat whatever they serve, but I'll cut bigger pieces of the softer ones. The cheese also made me understand the importance of the red wine, b/c it left an intense aftertaste that only "vin rouge" could take away. I'm getting used to my little glass of red wine at every dinner. I can't say I love it - I'd be fine with water, but I'm used to it and realize it accompanies the meal well. Also that I need to drink copious amounts of water on my own to avoid dehydration (no Nalgenes filled with ice cubes here).
Tomorrow morning I go to Paris III to register for classes and get a tour of the place – should be exciting. I think my orientation group might also go ice skating if it’s no raining again – should provide some fun stories.
Une Amie a Paris!
I saw Becky in Paris today! and I have a cell phone and a bank account. I'm practically a true resident. All I need is my gym membership (which I'll get later this week).
I was so thrilled to see Becky in the Centre Madeleine today - I think I hugged her for ten minutes. I forgoed dinner with the host fam to eat with her and we spent a few hours together - dinner, wandering the streets, tea until we got kicked out of the restaurant. We babbled in English the entire time and planned our adventures for the spring.
I was so thrilled to see Becky in the Centre Madeleine today - I think I hugged her for ten minutes. I forgoed dinner with the host fam to eat with her and we spent a few hours together - dinner, wandering the streets, tea until we got kicked out of the restaurant. We babbled in English the entire time and planned our adventures for the spring.
Monday, January 8, 2007
Middkids Meet Paris
Today we had our first orientation meeting at the Centre Madelaine. I met Jess and we walked over together. Everyone on the Middlebury staff was extremely nice and helpful. David Paoli, the director spoke to use for several hours about our schedule, rules, the language pledge (and its brilliance), etc. We met 5 french students (our "animateurs") who are basically our orientation leaders, who are taking us around Paris for the next week. We were divided into 5 groups - mine includes James Davis, Althea, and Patrick. Our leader, Ouli (sp?) is super cute and sweet. She seems a bit out of it (she was the only group leader without a schedule) but our time together should be fun.
In the afternoon we discussed classes. Apparently the universities that we chose back whenever at Midd were our final choices and the school was prepared for us to attend them (and not prepared for 7 people to want to change schools today). I want to change to Paris 3, to study linguistics and translation, and to start next week and end a month early. The director gave me a really hard time, saying I should study sociology since that's my major and I'm already familiar with it. Unfortunately I have little interest in any of the soc classes offered, plus I want to study something new while i can. Even though i didn't argue with him, he could tell I was disappoined and said I could study wherever I wanted as long as I figured out what classes to take. Hopefully everything will work out tomorrow.
After school I wandered home via the grocery store (Monoprix). I didn't arrive there until 6 p.m., which is apparently the craziest time of the day, with everyone stopping there on their way home from work. I was completely overwhelmed, both by the crowd and my first experience in a huge French grocery store. I wanted to wander there forever and look at everything, and I probably would have if I wasn't tired and starving. I made an excellent find...caffeine-free diet soda! It does exist in France. I bought Fanta Citron (Lemon) Free, Sprite Free, and Coke Lite Sans Caffeine. tres bien. I waited in line for half an hour to pay, and ate a third of my baguette while waiting. In the spirit of Paris and of Kristen-laziness/unwillingness to cook, I ate a baguette and brie for dinner. It was delicious. Combined with a clementine and a few French cookies, it was a perfect meal for me.
In the afternoon we discussed classes. Apparently the universities that we chose back whenever at Midd were our final choices and the school was prepared for us to attend them (and not prepared for 7 people to want to change schools today). I want to change to Paris 3, to study linguistics and translation, and to start next week and end a month early. The director gave me a really hard time, saying I should study sociology since that's my major and I'm already familiar with it. Unfortunately I have little interest in any of the soc classes offered, plus I want to study something new while i can. Even though i didn't argue with him, he could tell I was disappoined and said I could study wherever I wanted as long as I figured out what classes to take. Hopefully everything will work out tomorrow.
After school I wandered home via the grocery store (Monoprix). I didn't arrive there until 6 p.m., which is apparently the craziest time of the day, with everyone stopping there on their way home from work. I was completely overwhelmed, both by the crowd and my first experience in a huge French grocery store. I wanted to wander there forever and look at everything, and I probably would have if I wasn't tired and starving. I made an excellent find...caffeine-free diet soda! It does exist in France. I bought Fanta Citron (Lemon) Free, Sprite Free, and Coke Lite Sans Caffeine. tres bien. I waited in line for half an hour to pay, and ate a third of my baguette while waiting. In the spirit of Paris and of Kristen-laziness/unwillingness to cook, I ate a baguette and brie for dinner. It was delicious. Combined with a clementine and a few French cookies, it was a perfect meal for me.
Sunday, January 7, 2007
Round 2
Day 2 in Paris began at noon when I finally managed to get out of bed. After being awake from 2 to 7 a.m., I managed to fall asleep again. I got dressed and found Mme. Beguin, who offered me food, as usual. For the first time I said yes, and she asked if I wanted to eat lunch with the family. I said yes, and she said that when her husband finished working on her car, we would go to the marché to pick something up.
The marché was an experience tres Parisien. We went to the Place de la Bastille, which was filled with fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, crepes, etc. She started by buying some shrimp, then came back for more shellfish, then potatoes, flowers, herbs, avocados, cucumbers. I just followed her in awe and carried the bags. I definitely want to return there next weekend. The liveliness of the place and the kindness of the people were amazing.
When we returned Mme. Beguin and Laure began to make lunch. I offered to help and she let me snap the tops off the green beans (my favorite job at home). She promised to give me cooking lessons so that I will be able to cook fabulous French meals for my family and friends when I return. It turns out that she teaches the cooking lessons for the Middlebury school, so I'll definitely be signing up. For lunch she made shrimp in a sauce of mustard and olive oil and put in on top of half an avocado. It was delicious. She also made a delicious salad, plus we had bread and cheese and fruit afterwards. We drank red and white wine. M. Beguin made me a concoction of white wine and black current juice, which I greatly enjoyed. I tried to follow the lunchtime conversation, but the family talks fast when they are together and I only caught pieces. I did fine if I was listening from the beginning, but I got lost if I tried to jump into the middle of conversations. For the first time they brought up politics, asking if I liked "Boosh". I imagine there will be many more political conversations to come. I'm not very articulate about anything yet and I'm barely articulte about politics in English, so I'll have to prepare for those conversations.
After lunch I headed out to wander the city again. I planned on walking to the Centre Madelaine (my school) so that I'd be prepared for the morning and know how long it takes to get there. The subway closest to my house goes directly to the school's Metro stop, but at least for a while I'd prefer to walk. I got distracted along the way and didn't figure out how long it would take, but I know more or less how to get there now. I'm going to study my map again tonight to make sure I know the way.
While I was wandering up and down the street of the Centre Madeleine (never found the school...there is no sign...I guess we'll find it in the morning), I ran into Jess Tietjen, another Middlebury student and one of the few that I actually know. We were both extremely excited to find another Middkid and both confused b/c we couldn't find the school. We wound up walking together for almost an hour, sharing stories about our travels and our host-families. It was nice to find someone who is as overwhelmed by Paris as I am and who speaks English. It will be nice to meet all the other Middkids tomorrow. Jess and I agreed to meet at the bridge closest to our school tomorrow so we can arrive together. She knows lots of the other Middkids who are coming so she can introduce me. After wandering around the rive droit (right side of the Seine) for a while, Jess and I walked home. She lives in the 7th directly across from the Seine, and about a twenty minute walk from my building. I think we'll be able to arrange it so that I can pick her up on the way to school, as soon as I can orient myself better and figure out exactly how to get there.
When I returned home I took my first European shower. It feels very good to be clean again. The shower is not enclosed at all...it's just a showerhead in the corner of the bathroom. The water pressure was great and there was hot water.
Dinner started at 10 p.m. tonight and I didn't return to my room until 11:30. The Beguins oldest daughter, Marie, and the father of her child (I'm not sure if they are engaged yet), Julien, came over. Like Laure, they both talk extremely fast and are difficult to understand. They also argue constantly. Laure, Marie, and Julien all seem to correspond well with the stereotype of the French - they are young, tall, thin, fashionably dressed, opinionated, loud, and enjoy arguing. When I could understand, I enjoyed listening. Mme. Beguin helped me out from time to time understanding what they were saying.
The meal was excellent again. I had my first opportunity to try a new and unusual French food (unusual my my standards). We had calamari, which I enjoyed, and two kinds of shellfish which I cannot even name in English. I think one was mussels. They had a really tasty pesto sauceon them, so I tried them and didn't mind them at all. Except for the strange consistency. Experiment one with French food was a success though. We also celebrated the Epiphany with a galette des rois (king's cake), a cake that has a fevre, or a little trinket inside. Whoever gets the piece with the fevre is the king for the day and wears a crown. M. Beguin had the fevre in his slice. The meal was long but lively. I am heading to bed full, happy, and excited for tomorrow.
The marché was an experience tres Parisien. We went to the Place de la Bastille, which was filled with fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, crepes, etc. She started by buying some shrimp, then came back for more shellfish, then potatoes, flowers, herbs, avocados, cucumbers. I just followed her in awe and carried the bags. I definitely want to return there next weekend. The liveliness of the place and the kindness of the people were amazing.
When we returned Mme. Beguin and Laure began to make lunch. I offered to help and she let me snap the tops off the green beans (my favorite job at home). She promised to give me cooking lessons so that I will be able to cook fabulous French meals for my family and friends when I return. It turns out that she teaches the cooking lessons for the Middlebury school, so I'll definitely be signing up. For lunch she made shrimp in a sauce of mustard and olive oil and put in on top of half an avocado. It was delicious. She also made a delicious salad, plus we had bread and cheese and fruit afterwards. We drank red and white wine. M. Beguin made me a concoction of white wine and black current juice, which I greatly enjoyed. I tried to follow the lunchtime conversation, but the family talks fast when they are together and I only caught pieces. I did fine if I was listening from the beginning, but I got lost if I tried to jump into the middle of conversations. For the first time they brought up politics, asking if I liked "Boosh". I imagine there will be many more political conversations to come. I'm not very articulate about anything yet and I'm barely articulte about politics in English, so I'll have to prepare for those conversations.
After lunch I headed out to wander the city again. I planned on walking to the Centre Madelaine (my school) so that I'd be prepared for the morning and know how long it takes to get there. The subway closest to my house goes directly to the school's Metro stop, but at least for a while I'd prefer to walk. I got distracted along the way and didn't figure out how long it would take, but I know more or less how to get there now. I'm going to study my map again tonight to make sure I know the way.
While I was wandering up and down the street of the Centre Madeleine (never found the school...there is no sign...I guess we'll find it in the morning), I ran into Jess Tietjen, another Middlebury student and one of the few that I actually know. We were both extremely excited to find another Middkid and both confused b/c we couldn't find the school. We wound up walking together for almost an hour, sharing stories about our travels and our host-families. It was nice to find someone who is as overwhelmed by Paris as I am and who speaks English. It will be nice to meet all the other Middkids tomorrow. Jess and I agreed to meet at the bridge closest to our school tomorrow so we can arrive together. She knows lots of the other Middkids who are coming so she can introduce me. After wandering around the rive droit (right side of the Seine) for a while, Jess and I walked home. She lives in the 7th directly across from the Seine, and about a twenty minute walk from my building. I think we'll be able to arrange it so that I can pick her up on the way to school, as soon as I can orient myself better and figure out exactly how to get there.
When I returned home I took my first European shower. It feels very good to be clean again. The shower is not enclosed at all...it's just a showerhead in the corner of the bathroom. The water pressure was great and there was hot water.
Dinner started at 10 p.m. tonight and I didn't return to my room until 11:30. The Beguins oldest daughter, Marie, and the father of her child (I'm not sure if they are engaged yet), Julien, came over. Like Laure, they both talk extremely fast and are difficult to understand. They also argue constantly. Laure, Marie, and Julien all seem to correspond well with the stereotype of the French - they are young, tall, thin, fashionably dressed, opinionated, loud, and enjoy arguing. When I could understand, I enjoyed listening. Mme. Beguin helped me out from time to time understanding what they were saying.
The meal was excellent again. I had my first opportunity to try a new and unusual French food (unusual my my standards). We had calamari, which I enjoyed, and two kinds of shellfish which I cannot even name in English. I think one was mussels. They had a really tasty pesto sauceon them, so I tried them and didn't mind them at all. Except for the strange consistency. Experiment one with French food was a success though. We also celebrated the Epiphany with a galette des rois (king's cake), a cake that has a fevre, or a little trinket inside. Whoever gets the piece with the fevre is the king for the day and wears a crown. M. Beguin had the fevre in his slice. The meal was long but lively. I am heading to bed full, happy, and excited for tomorrow.
Le Premier Jour
It's 3 am here and I'm wide awake so I figured I should start recording my adventures. I slept from 8 pm to 2 am because I couldn't stay awake any longer at eight...hopefully I'll be able to fall asleep again in a few hours, make it through tomorrow without a nap, and get on a regular schedule (that's my plan at least).
So far, everything has gone well. The flight went by quickly. I sat next to a couple from Cameroon who had been in the US for a month visiting their children. They were charming and I spent a while talking to each of them (in English...I started speaking French but they switched to English about 2 minutes into the conversation). We didn't take off from JFK until almost 9 p.m., but the flight was short so we were only about half an hour late arriving in France. The lady from the car company was not pleased about this, plus my luggage was the last off the plane (so it took me another half hour to get to the car), but after a gentle scolding from the driver about him having to wait, things were fine. The driver was Sri Lankan...I note this b/c the first thing my host mom asked was if a black drove me. The ride into Paris was very short, no traffic at all.
M. Beguin met me when we first arrived at the appartment. He asked if I spoke French, then spoke to me in English the whole way up. They live on the seventh floor (top) of a beautiful building. Mme. Beguin's father built it and the one next-door in 1964, and at least half the appartments are filled with family members. I imagine that is in part how they afford to live in such a nice location, directly across the street from the park. The appartment is spread out length-wise, starting with my room, then a small sitting area, a kitchenette/bathroom, Mme. Beguin's workshop, their bedroom, then the kitchen/living/dining rooms. So if I want to get to the kitchen or living area from my room, I have to go through their bedroom. Luckily their is also a terrace that runs along the entire appartment on both sides, so I can use that to get to the main area. That terrace looks out on Luxembourg Gardens, and on the other side of my room is a terrace that looks out at the Eiffel Tower. The views are amazing.
My room is very nice. My bed is very comfortable, though very low to the ground (I cannot fit my suitcases under the bed). I have plenty of room for all my clothes and supplies, and there is a bookshelf filled with all the books previous American students have left behind (every guide to Paris you could imagine). I have my own sink in the room, and I think my own bathroom next to the kitchenette. The area of the appartment that Laure (the daughter) and I share has its own entrance.
The Beguin family is great. They are all very, very artsy. The appartment is decorated with tons of artsy things, including stuff that Mme. made. She makes jewelry (for a hobby I guess, but she sells it) and knits and sews and seems extremely crafty. M. Beguin likes to work on old cars and he's building a new door for my room. The daughter is studying design at a Parisien art school and our shared living space is basically her studio. Mme. Beguin is extremely nice, very vibrant and energetic. She took me on a tour of the neighborhood in her car, which is ancient and adorable and would fit in the trunk of my car. I'll take a picture of it soon. M. Beguin is more reserved and speaks to me in a combination of French and English (which is great b/c I have more trouble understanding him). Mme. Beguin speaks nice, slow French, and won't speak English but will translate words for me if I don't understand. They had dinner plans with family for last night, but I'll be eating with them tomorrow. She offered to cook me dinner, but I said I'd find something. I went walking to explore the neighborhood and wandered for about an hour, then found a little panini both and got a baguette for dinner. I made friends with the guy who sold it to me, who was extremely nice and spoke very slowly once he found out it was my first day in Paris. I'll definitely be going back there.
I'm starting to get sleepy again, so i'm off to read some Paris guides and hopefully sleep some more.
So far, everything has gone well. The flight went by quickly. I sat next to a couple from Cameroon who had been in the US for a month visiting their children. They were charming and I spent a while talking to each of them (in English...I started speaking French but they switched to English about 2 minutes into the conversation). We didn't take off from JFK until almost 9 p.m., but the flight was short so we were only about half an hour late arriving in France. The lady from the car company was not pleased about this, plus my luggage was the last off the plane (so it took me another half hour to get to the car), but after a gentle scolding from the driver about him having to wait, things were fine. The driver was Sri Lankan...I note this b/c the first thing my host mom asked was if a black drove me. The ride into Paris was very short, no traffic at all.
M. Beguin met me when we first arrived at the appartment. He asked if I spoke French, then spoke to me in English the whole way up. They live on the seventh floor (top) of a beautiful building. Mme. Beguin's father built it and the one next-door in 1964, and at least half the appartments are filled with family members. I imagine that is in part how they afford to live in such a nice location, directly across the street from the park. The appartment is spread out length-wise, starting with my room, then a small sitting area, a kitchenette/bathroom, Mme. Beguin's workshop, their bedroom, then the kitchen/living/dining rooms. So if I want to get to the kitchen or living area from my room, I have to go through their bedroom. Luckily their is also a terrace that runs along the entire appartment on both sides, so I can use that to get to the main area. That terrace looks out on Luxembourg Gardens, and on the other side of my room is a terrace that looks out at the Eiffel Tower. The views are amazing.
My room is very nice. My bed is very comfortable, though very low to the ground (I cannot fit my suitcases under the bed). I have plenty of room for all my clothes and supplies, and there is a bookshelf filled with all the books previous American students have left behind (every guide to Paris you could imagine). I have my own sink in the room, and I think my own bathroom next to the kitchenette. The area of the appartment that Laure (the daughter) and I share has its own entrance.
The Beguin family is great. They are all very, very artsy. The appartment is decorated with tons of artsy things, including stuff that Mme. made. She makes jewelry (for a hobby I guess, but she sells it) and knits and sews and seems extremely crafty. M. Beguin likes to work on old cars and he's building a new door for my room. The daughter is studying design at a Parisien art school and our shared living space is basically her studio. Mme. Beguin is extremely nice, very vibrant and energetic. She took me on a tour of the neighborhood in her car, which is ancient and adorable and would fit in the trunk of my car. I'll take a picture of it soon. M. Beguin is more reserved and speaks to me in a combination of French and English (which is great b/c I have more trouble understanding him). Mme. Beguin speaks nice, slow French, and won't speak English but will translate words for me if I don't understand. They had dinner plans with family for last night, but I'll be eating with them tomorrow. She offered to cook me dinner, but I said I'd find something. I went walking to explore the neighborhood and wandered for about an hour, then found a little panini both and got a baguette for dinner. I made friends with the guy who sold it to me, who was extremely nice and spoke very slowly once he found out it was my first day in Paris. I'll definitely be going back there.
I'm starting to get sleepy again, so i'm off to read some Paris guides and hopefully sleep some more.
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