So this evening, instead of going to conversation club, Brianna, Vanessa and I performed a little sociology experiment. Near the opera house, there is a roundabout - essentially there version of a four way stop, except that it joins 6 streets, is a heck of a lot more confusing, and has this little grassy circle in the middle. actually, it's a pretty big grassy circle. Since it was a nice, sunny, warm evening, we decided, for lack of anything else to do, to sit in the middle of this roundabout center. So for a good hour, we sat around talking - and people watching from the middle of Place Graslin.
After a few minutes, we turned it into a game. French people can be very...stubborn about showing emotion in public. They live in their own little bubbles - getting a smile on the street from a stranger is UNHEARD of, believe you me. I'm personally convinced that they WANT to smile - they just don't. So we started trying to MAKE them smile. We started by just waiting to make eye contact with people in the cars and smiling. Sometimes they smiled back...and then we started waving. The idiotic, overexcited little kid wave. And trust me, we got more than one laugh out of people!! The best ones were the people that saw us...and then we saw their facial muscles twitch, trying not to laugh. And sometimes, they even waved back! The best ones were the buses that drove by...we got some of the BEST reactions out of the passengers. You could practically see them thinking "what on EARTH are they doing?!"
and it was one of the best spent hours in a long time =)
(a couple more pictures, by the way!)
à+!
27 April 2008
down the homestretch
It's difficult for me to believe that this semester is almost over. I've been here since september, and now it's almost may. I'll be in Paris with my parents in less than three weeks! While I'm uber excited to see them and go on our whirlwind tour of France and excited to see everyone back home and spend another summer at Whitman and go back to Wooster...I'm not ready to leave France. As frustrating as things have been sometimes (I can't wait to go back to the American education system) and tiring (speaking in my maternal language will be a plus as well) and overwhelming, I've come to love this country so much.
Fortunately, there are still a few more weeks to profite bien (enjoy well)! and I plan on doing just that...as well as finishing my IS, of course =D
the second round of break pictures are up! I didn't take as many pictures as I had thought in egypt, simply because Bri and I were already conspicuous enough, taking pictures of random things probably wouldn't have helped our cases. ergo, it's essentially the tourist areas that we have pictures of...but that's okay! and the album is titled SPF 100 because I did, indeed, wear SPF 100 sunscreen. good thing I did, too...cause even still I got a little pink!
SPF 100
back to IS...à+!
Fortunately, there are still a few more weeks to profite bien (enjoy well)! and I plan on doing just that...as well as finishing my IS, of course =D
the second round of break pictures are up! I didn't take as many pictures as I had thought in egypt, simply because Bri and I were already conspicuous enough, taking pictures of random things probably wouldn't have helped our cases. ergo, it's essentially the tourist areas that we have pictures of...but that's okay! and the album is titled SPF 100 because I did, indeed, wear SPF 100 sunscreen. good thing I did, too...cause even still I got a little pink!
SPF 100
back to IS...à+!
26 April 2008
vive le beau temps!
so it's currently about 75 and sunny here, so I'm going to profite (enjoy) the good weather by doing some work out in the garden instead of cooped up in my room. but first...
pictures!
la dolce vita -easter weekend in Italy with Pete and Andrea
athenian adventures - the grecian portion of spring break with Bri...egypt should be coming tomorrow!
and now I'm gonna go (try to) be productive for a bit before dinner
à+!
pictures!
la dolce vita -easter weekend in Italy with Pete and Andrea
athenian adventures - the grecian portion of spring break with Bri...egypt should be coming tomorrow!
and now I'm gonna go (try to) be productive for a bit before dinner
à+!
23 April 2008
don't forget the sunscreen!
Where to begin?
The adventure to Greece and Egypt was, essentially, amazing. Though I'm going to need to do a cliffnotes version for my own sanity...I haven't even finished journalling it all, and it's already at a dozen pages!
Grecian highlights (we were only there for a couple days, so there arent quite as many as Egypt. that's not at all to say I didn't absolutely love it, though!!):
-hanging out at the Acropolis for a good four hours. Bri and I were sitting in the remnants of the for a couple of hours, just chilling and talking and basking in the sun before we even made it up to the acropolis...and then when we did, we lingered for a couple more hours! It really was amazing to see the things I studied in 6th grade social studies classes literally in front of me...its a shame transatlantic field trips are too expensive!
-swimming in the Mediterranean Sea! We went to Aegea (...or something like that...) which is an island near Athens and sorta just...chilled on the beach! and despite the fact that the water was QUITE chilly, we decided we couldn't NOT go swimming =D then we spent an hour or so talking in broken english -since we're french, of course - with a couple of Grecian boys who came over =D it was utterly random but highly entertaining!
-the yogurt. I'm already a fan of yogurt, but I had the most incredibly yogurt there...it's the consistency of frozen yogurt and when you drench it in honey, it's amazing!
Egyptian highlights:
-the Khan al-Kahlili: Brianna is a MASTER at haggling, so we got a ton of cool stuff for very little money =D including some lotus flower perfume and some gorgeous papyrus paintings
-the Citadel...the mosques are beautiful...and ornate. and very peaceful, actually, once the tourist crowds disperse a little. There was something about one of the smaller ones that reminded me very much of the ashram described in Eat, Pray, Love.
-the various politically-incorrect catcalls Bri and I got: Chocolate and Milk, Chocolate and Cream, Chocolate and Mayonnaise (thanks, Reda...), Brown and White Sugar, and (my favorite) Nefertiti and Cleopatra
-going to Alexandria with a group of students from Algeria and Iraq. Interesting experience for me as an American, but it just reinforced the fact that the conflict between our countries is NOT the people's conflict - we all just want to live our lives in peace. plus the dance party on the beach was uber fun as well =D
-tea. everywhere you go, you get offered tea as part of the Egyptian hospitality. We drank a lot of very sweet tea
-the various misspellings of english words...things like narkin, looby and caffee
-of course I saved the best for last...and this will be more than a bulleted item, since it deserves a proper telling of a story!
One of the other quotes that Kim sent me reads "I rather like my stumblings. Sometimes they lead me to some pretty great places." This quote essentially epitomized our first day in Egypt. We left our youth hostel with the intent of finding (eventually) a tourism office so that we could get a map. Our stumblings led us instead to the Four Seasons hotel where we asked if they had a map. Not only did they give us a map, but they also gave us free water (quite the blessing in Egypt!) and asked where we were headed. When we said Giza, they offered to call a cab for us! Said cabdriver was so nice...when he saw us oohing and ahhing over the view of the Nile, he actually stopped and pulled over to take a picture of us! We got to Giza and he took us to the tour guide that I have to assume the Four Seasons sends all of their clientèle! The man in charge described the tour to us, told us how long it would be, that sort of thing. We agreed (after getting the price, he didn't want to volunteer THAT information up front! it wasnt bad, though) and next thing I know there are two horses standing in front of us!! We toured the Pyramids on horseback!! What pleased me was that when the tour guide saw that I was actually riding and holding the reins and everything, he told the handler to take the lead rope off =D The Pyramids are absolutely breathtaking to see...I can't imagine how something like that was accomplished...and how they're still standing today! As we were wandering around, drinking in the sights and baking in the desert sun, we saw a couple of people literally race by on their horses. I looked over at Bri and said "you have NO idea how much I want to do that!!" Our tour guide heard me and told me with a sly grin "We can. Once we get to softer sand...we'll race." and race we did! The tour guide latched onto Bri's arm (who isn't a rider in the same way I am), spurred our horses into action...and we literally galloped across the Sahara Desert on horses next to the Great Pyramids! It was unbelievably exhilarating...I've never in my life been given the chance to just...run like that. It's always been in a ring, an arena...and this was nothing but empty desert. and we ran.
and it was amazing.
à+!
The adventure to Greece and Egypt was, essentially, amazing. Though I'm going to need to do a cliffnotes version for my own sanity...I haven't even finished journalling it all, and it's already at a dozen pages!
Grecian highlights (we were only there for a couple days, so there arent quite as many as Egypt. that's not at all to say I didn't absolutely love it, though!!):
-hanging out at the Acropolis for a good four hours. Bri and I were sitting in the remnants of the for a couple of hours, just chilling and talking and basking in the sun before we even made it up to the acropolis...and then when we did, we lingered for a couple more hours! It really was amazing to see the things I studied in 6th grade social studies classes literally in front of me...its a shame transatlantic field trips are too expensive!
-swimming in the Mediterranean Sea! We went to Aegea (...or something like that...) which is an island near Athens and sorta just...chilled on the beach! and despite the fact that the water was QUITE chilly, we decided we couldn't NOT go swimming =D then we spent an hour or so talking in broken english -since we're french, of course - with a couple of Grecian boys who came over =D it was utterly random but highly entertaining!
-the yogurt. I'm already a fan of yogurt, but I had the most incredibly yogurt there...it's the consistency of frozen yogurt and when you drench it in honey, it's amazing!
Egyptian highlights:
-the Khan al-Kahlili: Brianna is a MASTER at haggling, so we got a ton of cool stuff for very little money =D including some lotus flower perfume and some gorgeous papyrus paintings
-the Citadel...the mosques are beautiful...and ornate. and very peaceful, actually, once the tourist crowds disperse a little. There was something about one of the smaller ones that reminded me very much of the ashram described in Eat, Pray, Love.
-the various politically-incorrect catcalls Bri and I got: Chocolate and Milk, Chocolate and Cream, Chocolate and Mayonnaise (thanks, Reda...), Brown and White Sugar, and (my favorite) Nefertiti and Cleopatra
-going to Alexandria with a group of students from Algeria and Iraq. Interesting experience for me as an American, but it just reinforced the fact that the conflict between our countries is NOT the people's conflict - we all just want to live our lives in peace. plus the dance party on the beach was uber fun as well =D
-tea. everywhere you go, you get offered tea as part of the Egyptian hospitality. We drank a lot of very sweet tea
-the various misspellings of english words...things like narkin, looby and caffee
-of course I saved the best for last...and this will be more than a bulleted item, since it deserves a proper telling of a story!
One of the other quotes that Kim sent me reads "I rather like my stumblings. Sometimes they lead me to some pretty great places." This quote essentially epitomized our first day in Egypt. We left our youth hostel with the intent of finding (eventually) a tourism office so that we could get a map. Our stumblings led us instead to the Four Seasons hotel where we asked if they had a map. Not only did they give us a map, but they also gave us free water (quite the blessing in Egypt!) and asked where we were headed. When we said Giza, they offered to call a cab for us! Said cabdriver was so nice...when he saw us oohing and ahhing over the view of the Nile, he actually stopped and pulled over to take a picture of us! We got to Giza and he took us to the tour guide that I have to assume the Four Seasons sends all of their clientèle! The man in charge described the tour to us, told us how long it would be, that sort of thing. We agreed (after getting the price, he didn't want to volunteer THAT information up front! it wasnt bad, though) and next thing I know there are two horses standing in front of us!! We toured the Pyramids on horseback!! What pleased me was that when the tour guide saw that I was actually riding and holding the reins and everything, he told the handler to take the lead rope off =D The Pyramids are absolutely breathtaking to see...I can't imagine how something like that was accomplished...and how they're still standing today! As we were wandering around, drinking in the sights and baking in the desert sun, we saw a couple of people literally race by on their horses. I looked over at Bri and said "you have NO idea how much I want to do that!!" Our tour guide heard me and told me with a sly grin "We can. Once we get to softer sand...we'll race." and race we did! The tour guide latched onto Bri's arm (who isn't a rider in the same way I am), spurred our horses into action...and we literally galloped across the Sahara Desert on horses next to the Great Pyramids! It was unbelievably exhilarating...I've never in my life been given the chance to just...run like that. It's always been in a ring, an arena...and this was nothing but empty desert. and we ran.
and it was amazing.
à+!
10 April 2008
A picture's worth a thousand words
I'm failing at the updating this blog thing...it's been an IS week, so my writing capacities have been exhausted by writing about Merteuil and feminism and libertinage and Les Liaisons Dangereuses...but hey, it's at 8 pages already! so instead, you get pictures! Corsica, Monaco, a little bit of Paris and Normandy.
Day trippin'!
Gambling and Island hopping
you all should expect a flood of pictures in about 3 weeks, though...on Monday I'm leaving with Brianna for our epic spring break adventure - Athens and Cairo!! I'm SO excited it's not even funny! so you'll get all those pictures, as well as the pictures from Rome and Florence =D
quick anecdote before I head back to the IS:
apparently France has brought out my chatty side. I was talking with Tim before our religion class started about the book I borrowed from him, A Thousand Shining Suns (AMAZING, by the way). I was talking about how good it was, how it made me cry, etc etc etc. all of a sudden the cahier d'appelle (roll call notebook) is waving in front of my face...my prof was trying to get my attention. I apologize for talking, saying I didn't realize class had "started." before he starts the roll call, he looks and me and says "nous l'appelons une perrouche dans une cage. est-ce que vous êtes familier avec la perrouche?" when I respond that I don't, not knowing this particular vocab word, he informs me that a perrouche is "un oiseau qui fait beacoup de bruit!" (we call that a female parrot in a cage. are you familiar with the female parrot?...a bird that makes a lot of noise!)
essentially, I got burned by my 60 year old professor...cassée!, as they say here!
à+!
Day trippin'!
Gambling and Island hopping
you all should expect a flood of pictures in about 3 weeks, though...on Monday I'm leaving with Brianna for our epic spring break adventure - Athens and Cairo!! I'm SO excited it's not even funny! so you'll get all those pictures, as well as the pictures from Rome and Florence =D
quick anecdote before I head back to the IS:
apparently France has brought out my chatty side. I was talking with Tim before our religion class started about the book I borrowed from him, A Thousand Shining Suns (AMAZING, by the way). I was talking about how good it was, how it made me cry, etc etc etc. all of a sudden the cahier d'appelle (roll call notebook) is waving in front of my face...my prof was trying to get my attention. I apologize for talking, saying I didn't realize class had "started." before he starts the roll call, he looks and me and says "nous l'appelons une perrouche dans une cage. est-ce que vous êtes familier avec la perrouche?" when I respond that I don't, not knowing this particular vocab word, he informs me that a perrouche is "un oiseau qui fait beacoup de bruit!" (we call that a female parrot in a cage. are you familiar with the female parrot?...a bird that makes a lot of noise!)
essentially, I got burned by my 60 year old professor...cassée!, as they say here!
à+!
04 April 2008
La vie n'est pas toujours belle...
(life isn't always beautiful)
This past week has been...hard. While I can't say too much (it isnt my story to tell) I've been spending the past week with a friend here who is going through one of the hardest times of her life. I'd go over to her house in the afternoons and stay with her during the nights so that she wouldn't be alone. And it was hard. It was hard to see a friend I care so much about hurting so horribly...and it would bring back to the surfaces my own feelings when I went through similar situations -she and I are a lot alike, so I could understand why she was feeling the way she was. and since she went back to the States today, it was also hard to say goodbye. So this was a very difficult week for me and all my Nantais girls.
Last week, I received an Easter card from my wonderful adopted mommy Kim and y compris là-dédans (included in it) were a bunch of days from her page a day calendar of words of wisdom from women. I immediately put them up on my bulletin board next to all the photos of my friends, and upon coming home yesterday after saying goodbye (until I go visit her in NC, of course!), I noticed one of them in particular: "Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage." - Maya Angelou. It's going to take a lot of courage for my friend to pull herself through this. But she is one of the most courageous women I know, so I know she'll survive.
and this week to come for me is all about courageously plunging completely and totally into work!
à +
PS: in my wanderings in Nantes to and from the fac (I decided that since it's beautifully warm and sunny not to bother with the tram) that au bord de l'Erdre (on the banks of the Erdre) there are THINKING TREES! for those of you who don't know the history of Thinking Trees, they're called Cherry Trees in real life. but when I lived in Princeton, I used to spend hours upon hours climbing in a particular cherry tree, which I called my Thinking Tree. My favorite part was during the spring pulling at the branches to make the pink petals fall off and shower down. As I was walking back today, I noticed those iconic pink clusters. and I'm hoping that tomorrow will be a nice day too, so that I can go back and take pictures =D
This past week has been...hard. While I can't say too much (it isnt my story to tell) I've been spending the past week with a friend here who is going through one of the hardest times of her life. I'd go over to her house in the afternoons and stay with her during the nights so that she wouldn't be alone. And it was hard. It was hard to see a friend I care so much about hurting so horribly...and it would bring back to the surfaces my own feelings when I went through similar situations -she and I are a lot alike, so I could understand why she was feeling the way she was. and since she went back to the States today, it was also hard to say goodbye. So this was a very difficult week for me and all my Nantais girls.
Last week, I received an Easter card from my wonderful adopted mommy Kim and y compris là-dédans (included in it) were a bunch of days from her page a day calendar of words of wisdom from women. I immediately put them up on my bulletin board next to all the photos of my friends, and upon coming home yesterday after saying goodbye (until I go visit her in NC, of course!), I noticed one of them in particular: "Courage is the most important of all virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage." - Maya Angelou. It's going to take a lot of courage for my friend to pull herself through this. But she is one of the most courageous women I know, so I know she'll survive.
and this week to come for me is all about courageously plunging completely and totally into work!
à +
PS: in my wanderings in Nantes to and from the fac (I decided that since it's beautifully warm and sunny not to bother with the tram) that au bord de l'Erdre (on the banks of the Erdre) there are THINKING TREES! for those of you who don't know the history of Thinking Trees, they're called Cherry Trees in real life. but when I lived in Princeton, I used to spend hours upon hours climbing in a particular cherry tree, which I called my Thinking Tree. My favorite part was during the spring pulling at the branches to make the pink petals fall off and shower down. As I was walking back today, I noticed those iconic pink clusters. and I'm hoping that tomorrow will be a nice day too, so that I can go back and take pictures =D
27 March 2008
The best way to get to know people?
Travel with them =D
I had an absolutely fabulous Easter weekend with Pete and Andrea in Italy. It was, in a word, overwhelming, but amazing all the same! Day one (Good Friday) was Rome...within 5 hours we managed to visit the Vatican City and St Peter's Basilica as well as the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum. The Vatican City was very...ornate. VERY elaborate. I didn't remember that St Peter's housed Michaelangelo's Pieta, which I studied in my art history class, so I was uber excited to see it in person!
The Sistine Chapel was impressive - it was SO neat to see the ceiling in person, though I was sad you couldn't take pictures. It's hard to imagine that one man painted that whole ceiling...and the walk through the Vatican Museum to get to the Sistine Chapel was impressive in and of itself. While we didn't linger very long in each room it was fun to wander through and see all these statues and paintings...I saw another statue I studied in art history, though I regrettably forget the name of it =(
The Trevi Fountain was one heck of an impressive fountain...though we got a little lost trying to find it. The map in the metro made it seem like it was a stone's throw to get there once you leave the metro...maybe if it's Hercules throwing the stone! I threw my coins in to ensure my return to Rome and the granting of my wish...though you'll sadly just have to imagine what wish I made, I'm not telling!
Our last stop before our train to Florence was the Colosseum. There's a REASON there's a linguistic link between Colosseum and colossal...because that's what it is. A colossal, overwhelming, incredibly ancient construction that takes your breath away. It's amazing to think of how they possibly could have managed to make something so big that has lasted through centuries of weather, wars and bloody history that is still standing millenia later.
Easter in Florence was...kind of horrible, simply because of the pouring rain and cold temperatures...so we won't go there. But Saturday? Saturday was PERFECT. the weather was amazing - we all got a little sunburned! - and the sights were breathtaking and the gelato was delicious (we got gelato 6 times...). I was proud to be a PK (pastor's kid) in Florence and Rome...knowing the stories from the Bible really made things like the Sistine Chapel and the Bapistery by the Duomo all the more meaningful. I could stand there for hours, never getting bored, always picking out a new story and scene. We exhausted ourselves in Florence, drinking in the sights of the impressive Duomo, the beautiful statues at the Piazza della Signoria (where the practically identical copy of David stands), the silly overpriced trinkets at the vendors stands. We ate a ton of gelato and pasta, enjoying every bite and stuffing ourselves silly. I gave the weary backpackers backrubs and we laughed over the stupidest had-to-be-there moments. and I loved every minute of it! Especially the part where I got to hang out with my big brother and practically-big-sister =)
as a side note...there's nothing like Italian men to boost your self confidence. I can't count the number of times I was stared at, winked at, hit on and "ciao bella"-ed!
now I have to come back down to earth...and stay put for a while! I realized that in the past 4 weeks I was in 10 different cities in 3 different countries! (Monaco is it's own country...) but now I'm focusing on the school work. Nose to the grindstone on my IS and...well, getting the IES work done, too. But I'm ready to stay firmly put for a while and live it up Nantais style =)
à+!
ps - the photo thing is going to be done in segments...voila part one!
...my friends take a lot of pictures!
for the benefit of non-facebook peoples
Rats, Bats and other Legendary Creatures
Nice was nice!
et la troisieme...
more to come: Paris, Normandy and Italy
I had an absolutely fabulous Easter weekend with Pete and Andrea in Italy. It was, in a word, overwhelming, but amazing all the same! Day one (Good Friday) was Rome...within 5 hours we managed to visit the Vatican City and St Peter's Basilica as well as the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum. The Vatican City was very...ornate. VERY elaborate. I didn't remember that St Peter's housed Michaelangelo's Pieta, which I studied in my art history class, so I was uber excited to see it in person!
The Sistine Chapel was impressive - it was SO neat to see the ceiling in person, though I was sad you couldn't take pictures. It's hard to imagine that one man painted that whole ceiling...and the walk through the Vatican Museum to get to the Sistine Chapel was impressive in and of itself. While we didn't linger very long in each room it was fun to wander through and see all these statues and paintings...I saw another statue I studied in art history, though I regrettably forget the name of it =(
The Trevi Fountain was one heck of an impressive fountain...though we got a little lost trying to find it. The map in the metro made it seem like it was a stone's throw to get there once you leave the metro...maybe if it's Hercules throwing the stone! I threw my coins in to ensure my return to Rome and the granting of my wish...though you'll sadly just have to imagine what wish I made, I'm not telling!
Our last stop before our train to Florence was the Colosseum. There's a REASON there's a linguistic link between Colosseum and colossal...because that's what it is. A colossal, overwhelming, incredibly ancient construction that takes your breath away. It's amazing to think of how they possibly could have managed to make something so big that has lasted through centuries of weather, wars and bloody history that is still standing millenia later.
Easter in Florence was...kind of horrible, simply because of the pouring rain and cold temperatures...so we won't go there. But Saturday? Saturday was PERFECT. the weather was amazing - we all got a little sunburned! - and the sights were breathtaking and the gelato was delicious (we got gelato 6 times...). I was proud to be a PK (pastor's kid) in Florence and Rome...knowing the stories from the Bible really made things like the Sistine Chapel and the Bapistery by the Duomo all the more meaningful. I could stand there for hours, never getting bored, always picking out a new story and scene. We exhausted ourselves in Florence, drinking in the sights of the impressive Duomo, the beautiful statues at the Piazza della Signoria (where the practically identical copy of David stands), the silly overpriced trinkets at the vendors stands. We ate a ton of gelato and pasta, enjoying every bite and stuffing ourselves silly. I gave the weary backpackers backrubs and we laughed over the stupidest had-to-be-there moments. and I loved every minute of it! Especially the part where I got to hang out with my big brother and practically-big-sister =)
as a side note...there's nothing like Italian men to boost your self confidence. I can't count the number of times I was stared at, winked at, hit on and "ciao bella"-ed!
now I have to come back down to earth...and stay put for a while! I realized that in the past 4 weeks I was in 10 different cities in 3 different countries! (Monaco is it's own country...) but now I'm focusing on the school work. Nose to the grindstone on my IS and...well, getting the IES work done, too. But I'm ready to stay firmly put for a while and live it up Nantais style =)
à+!
ps - the photo thing is going to be done in segments...voila part one!
...my friends take a lot of pictures!
for the benefit of non-facebook peoples
Rats, Bats and other Legendary Creatures
Nice was nice!
et la troisieme...
more to come: Paris, Normandy and Italy
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