Well it's been a week since my last update, so I thought it would be a good time to catch y'all up on what's going on in my life. I have had quite an exciting week! Last week classes started at the uni but since only two of my classes started last week, I have had a lot of free time! Last Wednesday I ended up hanging out with my girls, Paula and Dijana, and we went out to a bar with some other friends and we met up with a French guy who we had met at a club the weekend before. He was really nice and we had a great time! Thursday I had my second class, Modern History. The lecture was HUGE, probably a couple hundred people at least and every single French person took notes meticulously! They even use RULERS here to take their notes, I kid you not! So then that afternoon we went to the discussion section which is with one of the professors. It was my scariest class experience yet! The professor is about 30 minutes late for whatever reason, so he comes in and starts taking attendance. After he finishes the names, me and my two friends from the program haven't had our names called, along with numerous other French people. The French students raise their hands and tell him that he didn't call their names to which he responds (translation): "ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE REGISTERED!? WELL, YOU MUST BE MISTAKEN! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY CLASSROOM, NOW! GO, GET OUT!! THIS IS RIDICULOUS! WE SHOULDN'T HAVE 40 PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM WHILE OTHER SECTIONS ONLY HAVE 20. GO ON, GET OUT!!" I was TERRIFIED and I didn't know if we should go or stay, but then my roommate gets the courage to ask whether or not the APA students are allowed to stay, to which he responds "YES!". It was very terrifying and Im not so sure about this class now, but it is too late to change...
Thursday night I went out again. My friends at Sciences Po (the political science school) invited me to go with them to their "soirée d'intégration", which is where the school rents out a club for the night for all the students of the school and we just party and have a good time. Beforehand we went to Lorrenz's apartment. Lorrenz is this really cool guy from Germany who is studying at Sciences Po for the year and we hung out with him and his two French roommates. They were all really awesome. Then we walked to the club around 1am, where we arrived at the biggest shitshow I'd ever seen. Im pretty sure we were the only sober ones in the bunch. On the side of the building there was a group snorting cocaine and at the entrance we find a girl with her face in the bushes, puking her guts out. Lovely. Inside the club the shitshow continues but we end up having a lot of fun. They played some kuduro (although I was the only one who knew how to dance to it) and then towards the end of the night, they started playing weird American 80s songs and then they played Cotton Eyed Joe, which I just don't understand why it's so popular here. That would have cleared the dance floor if they played that in the States...
Friday night I met with my French family with whom I am doing an exchange. I am going to be working with their kids on English and then they will feed me dinner and we will speak only in French. My mom, Véronique and her daughter Dorine picked me up at the Rotonde. We greeted each other with the bise and then they drove me to their lovely home which is about 30 minutes from downtown Aix (45 in the traffic we had). They have the most beautiful home on a hill with a view of the other side of the mountain and the countryside surrounding it. They have a beautiful garden, pool, and just a beautiful home in general. Everyone was so welcoming to me and it really felt nice to be in a family environment since I am so far from home. We didn't even speak one word of English. Instead, me, Véronique, Dorine, and her other daughter Camille ended up watching a classic French film, Les Visiteurs, and then we had this amazing dinner and finished the movie afterwards. I spent 5 and a half hours with them and they drove me home around 10:30pm. I was so unbelievably grateful for their hospitality! I can't wait to meet up with them again this week! After that, I ended up meeting up with some friends for "tequila Friday". We drank tequila at my friends place and then went to a bar where there was dancing. We stayed until close and then decided to go home afterwards instead of going clubbing because we were too tired.
Saturday I helped my friend Emma prepare for our friend Ashley's birthday. We got some wine, cheese, bread, and a delicious "tarte aux framboises" (strawberry tart) which I ended up dropping on the way home, but luckily it was in a box and we just had to put a bunch of the strawberries back on top. A bunch of friends, new and old, came over to celebrate. We ended up chilling outside (literally, it was freezing) with a bunch of friends. Even Emma's proprietor joined in the celebration. Then we moved inside to play "la bataille corse" aka Egyptian Ratscrew. It was so much fun and so intense that David, our French/Belgium friend, ended up breaking the table! haha. Afterwords we went out for a little drink and then we all turned in early.
Sunday I spent the day with my roomie and another friend. We had a nice leisurely lunch and then we went to this big "vide-grenier" (garage sale) thing on the Cours Sextius. I bought Ashley a German-French dictionary for her bday and I bought two classic French books. Monday I had my creole class again, which I love, and then I got some books for my history class. That night a few of us went out to dinner with Ashley for her bday and we spent at least 3 hours at the restaurant. Im starting to love this slower pace of life here. It is nice to be able to just spend hours around a table eating food and spending time with friends.
This evening I am heading to the Fac d'éco to meet my boss so she can show me how to use the equipment in the room since I START TEACHING NEXT WEEK! WOO! I will be teaching 3 English classes all on Tuesdays. One from 9-10am, then 10-11, and then an afternoon one from 1-2. I am so excited! I think this will be a great opportunity for me and it will technically be my first real job in the career area that I am studying for! I am so excited! Plus, it'll be nice to be at least getting a little income while I'm here. Well, Im off for now. Finish some laundry and then I have to go out and get a baguette for my lunch and dinner.
Paix,
Doog
<3
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Crazy Sunday.
So I know I just updated like 3 days ago, but so much has happened since Saturday that I just needed to update. So Saturday night I had a great time. Ashley and I walked around all afternoon doing some of the Journée du Patrimoine things and then that night, we met another one of our friends who wanted to introduce us to some of her new friends at IEP. We met her friend Ceren from Turkey, David from Belgium, and Céline, who is French. We all had a nice drink outside at a café but then since it was getting cold, David suggested we go back to his place to smoke some hookah and chill. It was awesome. David is a very nice guy and a wonderful host. We ended up staying til about 2am before we all decided it was best we leave since we wanted to get up early and do more Patrimoine stuff the next day.
So Sunday morning, Ashley and I met so we could walk around, take pictures, and visit some museums and things. We ended up walking about 30-40 minutes to Paul Cézanne's studio, which has been preserved as a little museum. I couldn't take pictures inside, but I took one of the sign outside.
The inside was cool, but it was just one room so Im glad that we went during the Patrimoine and didn't have to pay to get in. Afterwards we walked back into town and took some cool pictures and things. We ended up stumbling upon an old ruin from the 14th century. It's called La Tourreluque, and it is an old tower and part of the wall that used to surround the city of Aix when it was the capital of the Kingdom of Provence. Only in Aix!
After our walk, I decided to get a sandwich for lunch and we sat down around the big fountain at the Rotonde. I was chatting with Ashley when suddenly, across the street, I see an older man stumble, fall back, hit his shoulder against this billboard poster, and then fall back to the ground. I move into emergency mode and I'm like oh my god, we need to help this guy. Ashley and I rush over to help him. The man is just laying there on the ground attempting (unsuccessfully) to raise himself off the ground and asking people for help, but everyone just keeps walking past. My heart broke. I run over and ask if he needs help and he asks if Id be able to help him up. I grab his hand and begin to lift him, but he is unstable and begins to fall again. Another young guy runs over to help me and another girl walks up to help. We order the man to sit down on the ground since he clearly can't stand, and the girl sees an ambulance across the street so she runs over to get some medics. Meanwhile, Im trying my best to understand everything that's being said. The medics rush over, and a long series of questions begin, blood pressures taken, and the man gets upset when the medics suggest that he needs to go to the hospital. Meanwhile, the girl is trying to keep the man calm by conversing with him and asking him to please go to the hospital. The medics help the man stand up to see if he can walk. He can barely walk so we all sit him back down and the girl practically begs him to go to the hospital and get help and has to turn around to hide her tears when he refuses. The medics ask him to sign a paper saying that he refused to go to the hospital and they ask us to sign on as witnesses, to which the girl refuses because she thinks that he should go to the hospital. The medics say there is nothing they can do so they end up leaving and we are left alone with the man, not wanting to leave him by himself in case he collapses or falls again. After telling us there is no one there that could pick him up and take him home, we manage to get him back up and walk him over to the bus stop across the street where he says he can take one of the buses home. We sit with him for almost 3 hours talking about numerous things from politics to travels in Africa. The man, even though at this point we can tell he is homeless, is actually very intelligent. We try to convince him to let us take him home on the bus and we'll take the bus back, but he refuses, most likely because he is too proud to admit to us that he is homeless. After a while, we finally find what he says is the right bus and we help him get on and get a seat and I pay for his voyage. The 3 of us got off the bus and waved to him as it pulled away. We stand there silent for a minute before we all realize we are crying. After a minute, we begin talking to each other and the girl tells us her name is Aseuma. She is a French girl of Moroccan origin and it turns out she goes to the same university as me. We ask her if she'd like to take a walk with us and get some food and sit in the park. We end up talking for about an hour or so. Aseuma is probably one of the kindest hearted people I've met. It broke all of our hearts to see this man suffer and it broke our hearts that we were the only ones that did anything to help him. In fact, we probably gave him what he needed most: a friend to talk to.
Good things did come of it though. I made a new friend at the university and probably experienced one of those life-changing moments. We were talking afterwards about how much it puts our lives in perspective. Aseuma was telling us that she works as a housekeeper at one of the hotels in Aix as well as being a full time student who is starting the first year of her masters degree. She said even though sometimes she thinks she has it rough, things like this just remind you how lucky you are, which is so true! Aseuma and I are now facebook friends and we are going to try and get together during the week to get lunch. Im not very religious but I do believe in God and I definitely think this was one of those defining moments where God is trying to show you something. This experience has really opened my eyes to the good and the bad in this world. Bad things like the sad situations that some people are in and good things like people like Aseuma, who are there to help lift people up when they fall (both literally and figuratively). Couldn't be more grateful for the life I have and the great people in it. There has just been such a whirlwind of extremes of emotions on this trip. To be honest though, I am having the time of my life. I love it here! This morning I finally, for the first time, took my breakfast and coffee out onto the balcony and looked out onto the mountains as I ate. It was absolutely gorgeous. Life is good...
So Sunday morning, Ashley and I met so we could walk around, take pictures, and visit some museums and things. We ended up walking about 30-40 minutes to Paul Cézanne's studio, which has been preserved as a little museum. I couldn't take pictures inside, but I took one of the sign outside.
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| Sign at entrance to Paul Cézanne's studio |
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| La Tourreluque, from the 14th century |
Good things did come of it though. I made a new friend at the university and probably experienced one of those life-changing moments. We were talking afterwards about how much it puts our lives in perspective. Aseuma was telling us that she works as a housekeeper at one of the hotels in Aix as well as being a full time student who is starting the first year of her masters degree. She said even though sometimes she thinks she has it rough, things like this just remind you how lucky you are, which is so true! Aseuma and I are now facebook friends and we are going to try and get together during the week to get lunch. Im not very religious but I do believe in God and I definitely think this was one of those defining moments where God is trying to show you something. This experience has really opened my eyes to the good and the bad in this world. Bad things like the sad situations that some people are in and good things like people like Aseuma, who are there to help lift people up when they fall (both literally and figuratively). Couldn't be more grateful for the life I have and the great people in it. There has just been such a whirlwind of extremes of emotions on this trip. To be honest though, I am having the time of my life. I love it here! This morning I finally, for the first time, took my breakfast and coffee out onto the balcony and looked out onto the mountains as I ate. It was absolutely gorgeous. Life is good...
Saturday, September 18, 2010
"Excuse me? Do you have a fire?"
I have officially made it through the last week of intensive courses, and I am still alive! I am so happy to be done with those. This week, however, we enter the real world of university life in France.
I think I spent an overall good last week though. On Wednesday I went with my friend Lyndsy to the local Aix couchsurfers weekly meeting. For those of you who don't know what couchsurfing is, in short, it's an online organization/community of travelers around the world. Couchsurfing connects travelers around the world with each other so that they can meet local people who can show them around the city and/or put them up in their homes for a few days. I joined CS this summer and so far, it's been great! The CS meeting was at Woohoo's, a cool little bar that has a downstairs that looks like a cave. I met tons of awesome people. We met Christopher, one of the main guys who runs the local Aix CS group and organizes the weekly meetings. We also met a bunch of other local French people from Aix, a girl from South Africa named Ruby, Brigitta from Germany, and some guy (didn't catch his name) from Turkey. We all chilled for a couple of hours and just drank and talked. It was awesome. And of course I got to speak French all night, which was great! Brigitta ended up walking home with me and we talked about tons of things, from politics to just things like what it feels like to live in a foreign country. Brigitta is German and she is living in Aix working as a German assistant at one of the local high schools. It was really cool to meet people from all over the world and I can't wait until next week's meeting!
For our last day of class on Friday, our teachers had us watch the movie "Le premier jour du reste de ta vie" (The first day of the rest of your life). It was SUCH a good movie and I would recommend everyone see it, even if you can only get it with English subtitles. So good! There were so many really hilarious parts but at the end, we were pretty much all crying...
Then, during our "petite pause", the guys that run the cafeteria, an old Provençal man who we all wished could be our grandfather and his son brought us out a special surprise of pastries, coffee, fruits, and juice to celebrate the American's last day! It was so cute and so nice of them to do that! We all said "merci" like a million times and then chowed down on the food. Mmm, so good!
Last night we all decided to have a party and go out to celebrate the end of our intensive courses and to celebrate our last weekend before the university starts. I brought my speakers (these really nice, awesome speakers that I won from the program office) with and a special playlist on my ipod and we partied it up at my friends' apartment. After a couple hours we were, well, a little tipsy, and then headed up to their French neighbors' apartment to party it up with some French people. Everyone was really nice (except for the guy who kept wanting to talk to us about American stereotypes, which was kind of annoying) but we met this cute little French girl named Pascaline, who is, I must say, just beyond adorable! After a couple hours there, we all decided to head out to a club. We ended up walking around the streets for a while as Pascaline ran into like 100 people she knew. Then we somehow ended up talking to these 3 REALLY cute French boys who told me and my friend that we spoke French like natives. I was so proud of myself! Then we ended up running into another French friend and we all talked for a while and finally around 2am, we ended up at the club. We danced for about 2 hours. Everytime an American song came on we were just so excited! French people really like American music though, we hear it a lot. And of course, Paula and I heard our song "We No Speak Americano", which is probably one of the most popular club songs here right now, along with "Alors on danse", which I recommend you all listen to on youtube!
After dancing for a couple of hours, we decided to step outside and think about heading home (since it was now 4am). Instead, we ended up meeting two other French guys who introduced us to their friends and we all talked for a while. They were really cool. Then Dijana and I got cravings for "un coca", so we walked over to a small food stand next door. I walked up to the guy and asked for "un coca, s'il vous plaît" and in the process of getting my money out, I dropped my American ID. This super cute French boy next to me picked it up and handed it to me and then looked at me and asked (in French) if I was French. I replied no that I wasn't, and then after a couple of awkward seconds the guy looked at me and was like "mais si!!" ("but yes!!") and I was like, no really, Im not French. He smiled at me and then my friend Dijana walked up and started talking to me in English. It took him a minute but he finally was like "ahh, américain?" and I was like "oui". And we preceded to have an entire conversation in French of him insisting that I spoke like I was French (which made me so happy!!) and then him flirting with me and asking me all sorts of cutsy questions about where Im from and pretending to have heard of "Wisconsin" before. It was one of the highlights of my night. I got mistaken for a French person twice in one night and also had several other French people tell me I spoke really well! I was so unbelievably proud of myself! Even Ingy boo tells me (since now I have a cell phone and we call each other every day) that my French has already improved since my being here. I am just so unbelievably happy, I swear I could cry! This week has been such a turnaround from the last, very stressful couple of weeks. I know that next week is going to be just as tough, if not tougher though.
So since I didn't get home until 5 am this morning, I ended up sleeping until 1pm and then I met my friend Ashley so we could walk around the city for the "Journées du Patrimonie" (Days of Patirmony) which is like a national holiday type thing where all sorts of places such as the town halls, cathedrals, etc, are all open to the public to come in and see. We went to two cathedrals, inside one of which we sat and watched a baptism, and then we went to one of the local art museums which was having an exhibit on Matisse's jazz collection. It was pretty cool. Then we ended up finding this really nice little café that had, get this, BAGELS! And not just bagels, but GOOD bagels, and they had all sorts of yummy bagel sandwichs. Everything was New York themed, so I ordered a "Chinatown" bagel sandwich and a smoothie. So delicious! Then we decided to get some food shopping done (since you have to food shop here like every couple of days) and we found this amazing little "jardinerie" (fruit/veggie shop thingy) where we got tons of really amazing fresh fruits and veggies for suuuper cheap. I got a quarter of a watermelon, an avocado, some roma lettuce, some "reines de" something little fruit thingys, and some nectarines all for only about 4 euros. It was great! Tomorrow we are going to the "Musée Granet" which is having an exhibit of Alechinsky, a Belgian abstract expressionism artist who is displaying his art in the museum as well as putting on an exhibit where people are allowed to watch him at work in a studio there. I am very excited!
Well I am off for now. I am catching drinks with my friend who is going to introduce me to one of the French guys she met at her school, who wants to meet some American students! Im excited to get to practice my French again with more native speakers!
I will be updating again this week about how my classes go! Im sure that post won't be quite as happy as this one though...
a bientôt,
Doogie
I think I spent an overall good last week though. On Wednesday I went with my friend Lyndsy to the local Aix couchsurfers weekly meeting. For those of you who don't know what couchsurfing is, in short, it's an online organization/community of travelers around the world. Couchsurfing connects travelers around the world with each other so that they can meet local people who can show them around the city and/or put them up in their homes for a few days. I joined CS this summer and so far, it's been great! The CS meeting was at Woohoo's, a cool little bar that has a downstairs that looks like a cave. I met tons of awesome people. We met Christopher, one of the main guys who runs the local Aix CS group and organizes the weekly meetings. We also met a bunch of other local French people from Aix, a girl from South Africa named Ruby, Brigitta from Germany, and some guy (didn't catch his name) from Turkey. We all chilled for a couple of hours and just drank and talked. It was awesome. And of course I got to speak French all night, which was great! Brigitta ended up walking home with me and we talked about tons of things, from politics to just things like what it feels like to live in a foreign country. Brigitta is German and she is living in Aix working as a German assistant at one of the local high schools. It was really cool to meet people from all over the world and I can't wait until next week's meeting!
For our last day of class on Friday, our teachers had us watch the movie "Le premier jour du reste de ta vie" (The first day of the rest of your life). It was SUCH a good movie and I would recommend everyone see it, even if you can only get it with English subtitles. So good! There were so many really hilarious parts but at the end, we were pretty much all crying...
Then, during our "petite pause", the guys that run the cafeteria, an old Provençal man who we all wished could be our grandfather and his son brought us out a special surprise of pastries, coffee, fruits, and juice to celebrate the American's last day! It was so cute and so nice of them to do that! We all said "merci" like a million times and then chowed down on the food. Mmm, so good!
Last night we all decided to have a party and go out to celebrate the end of our intensive courses and to celebrate our last weekend before the university starts. I brought my speakers (these really nice, awesome speakers that I won from the program office) with and a special playlist on my ipod and we partied it up at my friends' apartment. After a couple hours we were, well, a little tipsy, and then headed up to their French neighbors' apartment to party it up with some French people. Everyone was really nice (except for the guy who kept wanting to talk to us about American stereotypes, which was kind of annoying) but we met this cute little French girl named Pascaline, who is, I must say, just beyond adorable! After a couple hours there, we all decided to head out to a club. We ended up walking around the streets for a while as Pascaline ran into like 100 people she knew. Then we somehow ended up talking to these 3 REALLY cute French boys who told me and my friend that we spoke French like natives. I was so proud of myself! Then we ended up running into another French friend and we all talked for a while and finally around 2am, we ended up at the club. We danced for about 2 hours. Everytime an American song came on we were just so excited! French people really like American music though, we hear it a lot. And of course, Paula and I heard our song "We No Speak Americano", which is probably one of the most popular club songs here right now, along with "Alors on danse", which I recommend you all listen to on youtube!
After dancing for a couple of hours, we decided to step outside and think about heading home (since it was now 4am). Instead, we ended up meeting two other French guys who introduced us to their friends and we all talked for a while. They were really cool. Then Dijana and I got cravings for "un coca", so we walked over to a small food stand next door. I walked up to the guy and asked for "un coca, s'il vous plaît" and in the process of getting my money out, I dropped my American ID. This super cute French boy next to me picked it up and handed it to me and then looked at me and asked (in French) if I was French. I replied no that I wasn't, and then after a couple of awkward seconds the guy looked at me and was like "mais si!!" ("but yes!!") and I was like, no really, Im not French. He smiled at me and then my friend Dijana walked up and started talking to me in English. It took him a minute but he finally was like "ahh, américain?" and I was like "oui". And we preceded to have an entire conversation in French of him insisting that I spoke like I was French (which made me so happy!!) and then him flirting with me and asking me all sorts of cutsy questions about where Im from and pretending to have heard of "Wisconsin" before. It was one of the highlights of my night. I got mistaken for a French person twice in one night and also had several other French people tell me I spoke really well! I was so unbelievably proud of myself! Even Ingy boo tells me (since now I have a cell phone and we call each other every day) that my French has already improved since my being here. I am just so unbelievably happy, I swear I could cry! This week has been such a turnaround from the last, very stressful couple of weeks. I know that next week is going to be just as tough, if not tougher though.
So since I didn't get home until 5 am this morning, I ended up sleeping until 1pm and then I met my friend Ashley so we could walk around the city for the "Journées du Patrimonie" (Days of Patirmony) which is like a national holiday type thing where all sorts of places such as the town halls, cathedrals, etc, are all open to the public to come in and see. We went to two cathedrals, inside one of which we sat and watched a baptism, and then we went to one of the local art museums which was having an exhibit on Matisse's jazz collection. It was pretty cool. Then we ended up finding this really nice little café that had, get this, BAGELS! And not just bagels, but GOOD bagels, and they had all sorts of yummy bagel sandwichs. Everything was New York themed, so I ordered a "Chinatown" bagel sandwich and a smoothie. So delicious! Then we decided to get some food shopping done (since you have to food shop here like every couple of days) and we found this amazing little "jardinerie" (fruit/veggie shop thingy) where we got tons of really amazing fresh fruits and veggies for suuuper cheap. I got a quarter of a watermelon, an avocado, some roma lettuce, some "reines de" something little fruit thingys, and some nectarines all for only about 4 euros. It was great! Tomorrow we are going to the "Musée Granet" which is having an exhibit of Alechinsky, a Belgian abstract expressionism artist who is displaying his art in the museum as well as putting on an exhibit where people are allowed to watch him at work in a studio there. I am very excited!
Well I am off for now. I am catching drinks with my friend who is going to introduce me to one of the French guys she met at her school, who wants to meet some American students! Im excited to get to practice my French again with more native speakers!
I will be updating again this week about how my classes go! Im sure that post won't be quite as happy as this one though...
a bientôt,
Doogie
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Reflections/Growth
I'm sitting outside at this nice café (that has wifi!) and I've realized that this is the first time I've had time to sit and reflect on, well, I suppose life in general. This morning I stumbled upon some saved conversations (that I didn't know were saved on the computer) with some people during my freshman year at college. Needless to say, these weren't exactly conversations (nor people for that matter) that I particularly wanted to be reminded of. But unfortunately, that's how life works. So I stumbled upon them and against my better judgment began reading them. It brought back a lot of pain and hurtful memories for me. Even though I really thought I had worked through a lot of the problems I had in my freshman year, it just reminded me how close these cuts are beneath the surface. What it also did however, was to remind me how far I've made it since then. I've made a great life for myself in Madison. I've met lots of amazing people. And with the support of everyone, I've finally made it all the way to my life dream in France! How incredible my day turned around since reading those conversations this morning...
Things here are going well. We have one more week of intensive courses with the program and then on the 20th, our classes at the university start. I am a little bit nervous about starting classes, especially since they will be all in French with French students. It's a little bit overwhelming but I definitely think I'm ready for it. My attitude since I've been here has been very much "BRING IT ON!" I can take whatever gets thrown at me!
It's funny how little things here make you so proud of yourself! Yesterday I went with some friends to the IKEA in Vitrolles, which is a suburb of Marseille about 30 minutes south of here. We managed to find out which bus to take to Vitrolles from the main bus station, and then the guy at the station told us we'd just have to take another bus once we got to downtown Vitrolles. As soon as we got to the Vitrolles bus station, I went inside with a friend and asked which bus to take to IKEA. I was so proud of us! I just wanted to shout to the world "I TOOK A BUS IN FRANCE AND FIGURED OUT MY WAY AROUND!" But then I realized how silly it sounded...
Sometimes it's funny here the little cultural differences there are. Such as the bise. For those who don't know what the bise is, the bise is the way way French people greet each other by kissing on the cheek. The operation is a lot more complex than it seems though. The number of times you kiss on the cheek depends on the region and often the age of the person you are with. If you are in the south, where I am, it is usually 3 times and you start on the right cheek. But with people of my age, it's only two. With old people it's sometimes 3 or 4. In northern regions, it's often only two and you start on the left. It's just confusing. I've had a few awkward moments with people where I go to shake their hand but then it turns into a half awkward handshake/kissing on the cheek at the same time thing. I'll get the hang of it eventually...
I also love the mindset of people here. People seem to be much more open-minded about things. Or at least, I should say, they have more of a "let-live" attitude. People in general don't care if you're gay. Even if they don't like it or it makes them uncomfortable, they still believe that gay people are allowed to live their lives as they want to. Everyone has the right to their own personal life and make their own personal choices, regardless of whether or not you are against it. As long as it's not hurting anyone, who cares? I wish America was more like this. Instead, I feel like America is stuck behind an un-progressive, religious, puritanical view point. I hate that religion controls so much of our politics. Religion should have nothing to do with it. In fact, I think that the constitution should read instead of "freedom of religion", it should read "freedom of and FROM religion". You can practice whatever religion you want, I really don't care. As long as you're not hurting anyone or suppressing the rights of groups of people such as women or homosexuals, it shouldn't matter. But just because you picked that life for yourself doesn't mean you have the right to force your points on other people. These are some of the political viewpoints that I am starting to understand about France and to be honest, I think it's a much better attitude than most people have in the US. The right to live your own life, that's all I want.
Well ok, now that I've sort of ranted a bit, I think it's time for me to go on. I have moved from having café to a "pression" of beer. Mmm. :) I've been at this café all afternoon, I love it.
à la prochain, (until next time)
Doog
Things here are going well. We have one more week of intensive courses with the program and then on the 20th, our classes at the university start. I am a little bit nervous about starting classes, especially since they will be all in French with French students. It's a little bit overwhelming but I definitely think I'm ready for it. My attitude since I've been here has been very much "BRING IT ON!" I can take whatever gets thrown at me!
It's funny how little things here make you so proud of yourself! Yesterday I went with some friends to the IKEA in Vitrolles, which is a suburb of Marseille about 30 minutes south of here. We managed to find out which bus to take to Vitrolles from the main bus station, and then the guy at the station told us we'd just have to take another bus once we got to downtown Vitrolles. As soon as we got to the Vitrolles bus station, I went inside with a friend and asked which bus to take to IKEA. I was so proud of us! I just wanted to shout to the world "I TOOK A BUS IN FRANCE AND FIGURED OUT MY WAY AROUND!" But then I realized how silly it sounded...
Sometimes it's funny here the little cultural differences there are. Such as the bise. For those who don't know what the bise is, the bise is the way way French people greet each other by kissing on the cheek. The operation is a lot more complex than it seems though. The number of times you kiss on the cheek depends on the region and often the age of the person you are with. If you are in the south, where I am, it is usually 3 times and you start on the right cheek. But with people of my age, it's only two. With old people it's sometimes 3 or 4. In northern regions, it's often only two and you start on the left. It's just confusing. I've had a few awkward moments with people where I go to shake their hand but then it turns into a half awkward handshake/kissing on the cheek at the same time thing. I'll get the hang of it eventually...
I also love the mindset of people here. People seem to be much more open-minded about things. Or at least, I should say, they have more of a "let-live" attitude. People in general don't care if you're gay. Even if they don't like it or it makes them uncomfortable, they still believe that gay people are allowed to live their lives as they want to. Everyone has the right to their own personal life and make their own personal choices, regardless of whether or not you are against it. As long as it's not hurting anyone, who cares? I wish America was more like this. Instead, I feel like America is stuck behind an un-progressive, religious, puritanical view point. I hate that religion controls so much of our politics. Religion should have nothing to do with it. In fact, I think that the constitution should read instead of "freedom of religion", it should read "freedom of and FROM religion". You can practice whatever religion you want, I really don't care. As long as you're not hurting anyone or suppressing the rights of groups of people such as women or homosexuals, it shouldn't matter. But just because you picked that life for yourself doesn't mean you have the right to force your points on other people. These are some of the political viewpoints that I am starting to understand about France and to be honest, I think it's a much better attitude than most people have in the US. The right to live your own life, that's all I want.
Well ok, now that I've sort of ranted a bit, I think it's time for me to go on. I have moved from having café to a "pression" of beer. Mmm. :) I've been at this café all afternoon, I love it.
à la prochain, (until next time)
Doog
Monday, September 6, 2010
Aix, the city of beggars...
So last time I posted, it was more a just "this is what's going on" kind of post, but I thought that since I have been in Aix a little over a week now, I have had sufficient time to start remarking some of the cultural differences that exist between France and the US.
First off, I think it must be duly noted that French pigeons do NOT like Americans! I have been pooped on TWICE already within the first week. Also, avoid walking/sitting under trees. Pigeons are bound to be lurking and waiting for the American tourist so they can quick take aim and fire! THIS IS NOT A JOKE!
Okay, so, other than the French pigeons hating on Americans, there really hasn't been any SHOCKING cultural differences. I mean, I just think back to our study abroad orientation where they talk about how to deal with culture shock, etc, but I just kept feeling like I hadn't really felt any. But it's really not necessarily things that hit you full on. Culture shock has been a lot more subtle...
Anything you try to get done here takes at least twice as long as it does in the US. Why is that?? To be honest, I really don't know. But it could have something to do with the fact that 1) French people strike all the time, 2) the fact that French is not my first language so sometimes I don't fully understand things, and 3) some things here just work differently in general. For example, last week I went with some friends for what seemed to be a rather simple visit to La Poste (the post office) to make some copies and buy some stamps. It turned into a half-hour+ affair, with us having to wait in line for 20 minutes just so one friend could get change for a 20 cent piece. Seeing as how she wasn't sure how to say "I need change for this please" she ended up having to explain (in French of course) that "I have a 20 coin. I need 2 coins of 10." only to have the woman say to her that oh darn, I don't think I have anymore 10 cent pieces... Then my other friend attempted to buy a "carnet de timbre" (book of stamps) but accidentally hit 10 carnets, not knowing that "carnet" meant booklet. Then, of course, the post office closed and we were the last ones in there. The shut and locked all the doors and then we couldn't figure out how to get through the back door where they told us we could get out. It was just ridiculous.
Other cultural things just make me laugh... Like, for example, the fact that everyone here buys baguettes once every other day and they carry them in their hands on the way home from the bakery. It just makes me laugh. So stereotypically French...
Other things have been a little bit harder to catch on to. For example, our French professor explained to us that people don't usually smile at each other in the streets and if you do, you could be hinting at something else, which could be slightly inappropriate. Also, something I discovered today: French people don't sit or lay outside. During our "petite pause" in class today, I went outside of the classroom and laid on the concrete because my back was hurting me. Five minutes later, a French guy came running out to me asking if I was hurt and needed an ambulance. I then had to explain that I have back problems and that it feels good to lay down on a hard surface to stretch out my back. He still didn't seem to understand, though, and he asked me one more time if I was sure that I was ok and then told me to let him know if I needed anything. Right after, one of our French teachers came walking out of the classroom with a big smile on her face and goes "ahh, les différences culturelles!" ("Ohh, the cultural differences!") and then explained that French students don't usually sit or lay down outside in the grass. It was pretty hilarious...
We have also learned that French people like to provoke. Provoke as in the French sense, like the verb provoquer, which in case I think I mean more like push your buttons. They LOVE to talk politics! Especially to foreigners! I ended up talking politics with our tour guide on our trip to Marseille on Saturday for more than an hour. He was very eager to share his opinion about Bush, the oil spill, Obama, etc... It almost throws you off because I feel like in the States, it's kind of a faux-pas to talk about politics with anyone, especially with someone you barely know. But here, EVERYONE talks politics, regardless of whether or not your opinions match theirs.
But alas, I must get going since I have to get up early tomorrow. The national transportation system is on strike, which means I may or may not be able to catch the bus to class, in which case I would have to walk about 45 min to an hour just to get to school... Just another one of those cultural differences (French people go on strike fairly often...).
Well, bonne nuit! (good night!)
Paix,
Doog
P.S. They really do call me Doog here. Today at the burrito stand, when I gave the lady my name and said it like I would normally say it, she didn't understand, so then I spelled it to her and she goes "ahh, Doog!" Then she understood... lol
First off, I think it must be duly noted that French pigeons do NOT like Americans! I have been pooped on TWICE already within the first week. Also, avoid walking/sitting under trees. Pigeons are bound to be lurking and waiting for the American tourist so they can quick take aim and fire! THIS IS NOT A JOKE!
Okay, so, other than the French pigeons hating on Americans, there really hasn't been any SHOCKING cultural differences. I mean, I just think back to our study abroad orientation where they talk about how to deal with culture shock, etc, but I just kept feeling like I hadn't really felt any. But it's really not necessarily things that hit you full on. Culture shock has been a lot more subtle...
Anything you try to get done here takes at least twice as long as it does in the US. Why is that?? To be honest, I really don't know. But it could have something to do with the fact that 1) French people strike all the time, 2) the fact that French is not my first language so sometimes I don't fully understand things, and 3) some things here just work differently in general. For example, last week I went with some friends for what seemed to be a rather simple visit to La Poste (the post office) to make some copies and buy some stamps. It turned into a half-hour+ affair, with us having to wait in line for 20 minutes just so one friend could get change for a 20 cent piece. Seeing as how she wasn't sure how to say "I need change for this please" she ended up having to explain (in French of course) that "I have a 20 coin. I need 2 coins of 10." only to have the woman say to her that oh darn, I don't think I have anymore 10 cent pieces... Then my other friend attempted to buy a "carnet de timbre" (book of stamps) but accidentally hit 10 carnets, not knowing that "carnet" meant booklet. Then, of course, the post office closed and we were the last ones in there. The shut and locked all the doors and then we couldn't figure out how to get through the back door where they told us we could get out. It was just ridiculous.
Other cultural things just make me laugh... Like, for example, the fact that everyone here buys baguettes once every other day and they carry them in their hands on the way home from the bakery. It just makes me laugh. So stereotypically French...
Other things have been a little bit harder to catch on to. For example, our French professor explained to us that people don't usually smile at each other in the streets and if you do, you could be hinting at something else, which could be slightly inappropriate. Also, something I discovered today: French people don't sit or lay outside. During our "petite pause" in class today, I went outside of the classroom and laid on the concrete because my back was hurting me. Five minutes later, a French guy came running out to me asking if I was hurt and needed an ambulance. I then had to explain that I have back problems and that it feels good to lay down on a hard surface to stretch out my back. He still didn't seem to understand, though, and he asked me one more time if I was sure that I was ok and then told me to let him know if I needed anything. Right after, one of our French teachers came walking out of the classroom with a big smile on her face and goes "ahh, les différences culturelles!" ("Ohh, the cultural differences!") and then explained that French students don't usually sit or lay down outside in the grass. It was pretty hilarious...
We have also learned that French people like to provoke. Provoke as in the French sense, like the verb provoquer, which in case I think I mean more like push your buttons. They LOVE to talk politics! Especially to foreigners! I ended up talking politics with our tour guide on our trip to Marseille on Saturday for more than an hour. He was very eager to share his opinion about Bush, the oil spill, Obama, etc... It almost throws you off because I feel like in the States, it's kind of a faux-pas to talk about politics with anyone, especially with someone you barely know. But here, EVERYONE talks politics, regardless of whether or not your opinions match theirs.
But alas, I must get going since I have to get up early tomorrow. The national transportation system is on strike, which means I may or may not be able to catch the bus to class, in which case I would have to walk about 45 min to an hour just to get to school... Just another one of those cultural differences (French people go on strike fairly often...).
Well, bonne nuit! (good night!)
Paix,
Doog
P.S. They really do call me Doog here. Today at the burrito stand, when I gave the lady my name and said it like I would normally say it, she didn't understand, so then I spelled it to her and she goes "ahh, Doog!" Then she understood... lol
Friday, September 3, 2010
Aix-citing and overwhelming...
I would first like to start this post by thanking the two AMAZING Asian ladies who I met at the Aix TGV Train Station who not only helped me carry my heavy ass luggage, but who also walked me to the bus stop AND got me a taxi once I got to downtown Aix. It seriously made my day!
The first night in Aix, we had a sort of "welcome" meeting, where we were handed out schedules, talked about a couple details of things, and then got fed. After that we were all pretty tired and went to bed not long after.
The second day here was probably one of the most overwhelming days I've had so far. We woke up early so that Georges, a local tour guide, could give us a tour of the city of Aix. After our two hour tour, I got lunch with the guys, and then we headed back to the hotel for a 3 hour meeting on housing. The meeting was unbelievably stressful, filled with way too much information, and then at the end, they gave us a sheet of paper with a list of available apartments and rooms for rent, and then gave us 2 hours to go start looking for housing.
All of the prices were way over my budget, except for the rooms for rent, which, unfortunately, were for girls only. Emma, Ashley, and I decided to team up and go check out stuff together. Ashley took the first apartment she looked at. Then Emma and I went to check out this Catholic lady's room for rent. During Emma's interrogation, which included numerous questions on religion, I decided to go check out one of the studios. When I got there the landlord, Dr. Guigou, showed me the studio. I couldn't understand a word he was saying and when he showed me the studio, it looked like a mess! I took down his number and decided to head out. Discouraged, I walked around trying to find Emma again, but ended up getting lost down a bunch of side streets.
In the end, however, I ended up with the most AMAZING 12th story apartment. I have a view of the entire downtown Aix and also the famous Mont Sainte Victoire in the background. It is gorgeous! I only got it by chance though. Thankfully, we ran into our program director on the way to dinner that night and she told my friend Caitlyn to come check this place out. As the lady had two rooms for rent, my friend decided to ask if it was okay for a guy to live there, and the nice lady, Madame Chalvet, had no problem with it whatsoever (even though our program director told us it was only for girls). I absolutely LOVE the apartment (other than the fact that our bathroom smells like ass, in the words of my roommate).
After housing, I couldn't think there would be any more reason to be stressed. But I was quite wrong. On Monday we started our intensive courses. We are in class from 9-12, Monday through Friday, and then again from 1:30-3:30 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. It is quite intense. Then we had another assigned meeting the other day, which we all thought could not be any more stressful than the housing one. But, it was... We went through another session of throwing out tons and tons of information at us, followed by the numerous fees and things we have to pay still, and then we got to our immigration papers. Of course, there was a problem. When one of the directors goes to look at my papers, she realizes that my "motive for entry" into the country has been marked by the French consulate in Chicago as me being "conjoint du français". Aka, Im married to a French person. My friend and I could not stop laughing for about ten minutes. It was quite a great way to let out all of our stress.
So far, everything else has been good. Other than the fact that Ive been sick and had a really sore throat. Luckily I know how to say where Im hurting (I told the lady that "j'ai très très mal à la gorge") and she gave me a disinfectant throat spray and some lozenges.
Well tomorrow we are going on a program sponsored trip to Marseille, the big city about 30 minutes south of here that is on the Mediterranean. I am very excited!
Peace out,
"Doog"
The first night in Aix, we had a sort of "welcome" meeting, where we were handed out schedules, talked about a couple details of things, and then got fed. After that we were all pretty tired and went to bed not long after.
The second day here was probably one of the most overwhelming days I've had so far. We woke up early so that Georges, a local tour guide, could give us a tour of the city of Aix. After our two hour tour, I got lunch with the guys, and then we headed back to the hotel for a 3 hour meeting on housing. The meeting was unbelievably stressful, filled with way too much information, and then at the end, they gave us a sheet of paper with a list of available apartments and rooms for rent, and then gave us 2 hours to go start looking for housing.
All of the prices were way over my budget, except for the rooms for rent, which, unfortunately, were for girls only. Emma, Ashley, and I decided to team up and go check out stuff together. Ashley took the first apartment she looked at. Then Emma and I went to check out this Catholic lady's room for rent. During Emma's interrogation, which included numerous questions on religion, I decided to go check out one of the studios. When I got there the landlord, Dr. Guigou, showed me the studio. I couldn't understand a word he was saying and when he showed me the studio, it looked like a mess! I took down his number and decided to head out. Discouraged, I walked around trying to find Emma again, but ended up getting lost down a bunch of side streets.
In the end, however, I ended up with the most AMAZING 12th story apartment. I have a view of the entire downtown Aix and also the famous Mont Sainte Victoire in the background. It is gorgeous! I only got it by chance though. Thankfully, we ran into our program director on the way to dinner that night and she told my friend Caitlyn to come check this place out. As the lady had two rooms for rent, my friend decided to ask if it was okay for a guy to live there, and the nice lady, Madame Chalvet, had no problem with it whatsoever (even though our program director told us it was only for girls). I absolutely LOVE the apartment (other than the fact that our bathroom smells like ass, in the words of my roommate).
After housing, I couldn't think there would be any more reason to be stressed. But I was quite wrong. On Monday we started our intensive courses. We are in class from 9-12, Monday through Friday, and then again from 1:30-3:30 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. It is quite intense. Then we had another assigned meeting the other day, which we all thought could not be any more stressful than the housing one. But, it was... We went through another session of throwing out tons and tons of information at us, followed by the numerous fees and things we have to pay still, and then we got to our immigration papers. Of course, there was a problem. When one of the directors goes to look at my papers, she realizes that my "motive for entry" into the country has been marked by the French consulate in Chicago as me being "conjoint du français". Aka, Im married to a French person. My friend and I could not stop laughing for about ten minutes. It was quite a great way to let out all of our stress.
So far, everything else has been good. Other than the fact that Ive been sick and had a really sore throat. Luckily I know how to say where Im hurting (I told the lady that "j'ai très très mal à la gorge") and she gave me a disinfectant throat spray and some lozenges.
Well tomorrow we are going on a program sponsored trip to Marseille, the big city about 30 minutes south of here that is on the Mediterranean. I am very excited!
Peace out,
"Doog"
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