Les Aventures en Nantes

Ce que j'aime a Nantes (what I love about Nantes)

2009-11-29T23:00:00.002+01:00

As I was sitting hear in my cheerful yellow bedroom, thinking about catching up on all of my blog posts, I realize that for the here and now, it is important for me to write about the present rather than the past. Alas, I write about the things I love here in Nantes and the things I shall miss when I leave this wonderful place. I love the fact that it rains all the time. I always hated rain, as I was the ultimate Florida girl who soaked up the sun swimming up and down a chlorine-filled pool on a daily basis. But now, I feel a sense of okayness when I step outside to the rain-filled mornings in Nantes. No longer a sense of annoyance for the silent misty rain that falls on a daily basis, I now enjoy walking down the street with a bit of a damp numbness on my face. I love how my host father never wastes any food at the table. He thoroughly cleans jars, plates, cans, all to make sure he has not wasted one drop of any sort of food. I will always have the perfect image of him in my mind, scraping out a jar of mustard with a sense of determination. I love how Maylis is so beautiful and yet so unaware of the fact of how beautiful she is. Maylis is a gorgeous thirteen year old girl with a heart yearning to help and love other people. She is an old soul, and yet the perfect teenage girl who sits with me on my bed every night showing me the youtube videos she loves watching. I love how I can cross the street at any time I want, without pushing a button or waiting for a signal. The Nantais are famous for crossing really whenever they feel it necessary to cross. It has been quite the easy habit to pick up. I love that I can go to my favorite boulangerie and get a huge baguette, a coke, and a pain-au-chocolat and eat it while walking on my way to class. I love the little babies in all of the strollers that look so comfortable and yet uncomfortable in their comfortableness. They look all packed in and comfy, while at the same time looking like they might actually like to be able to move around a little bit. I love when the heel of my boot gets a little caught in the cobblestone streets, making me the tiniest bit uneasy with my footing. I love walking up the four flights of stairs to get to the main floor of IES. I love waking up on weekend mornings to the sound of my host brothers having their profound wrestling sessions in the room next door. Paul's laughter combined with Alexis' obvious annoyance... I love when Paul, Clo, Alexis, or Maylis run down the stairs and scream "a table." I love exploring the city, and just walking to see what one may find or where each stride may take you. I love standing outside of the cathedral, simply breathing in all of its magnificence. I love missing my family and friends back in the U.S., mainly because it feels amazing to know that I love the people in my life so much that sometimes it hurts to be so far away. I have already found love and been loved: by my family and my friends. I love going on dates with Guillaume and not really understanding some slang French term he has used. If I don't understand (which is surprisingly not THAT often)I usually just respond with a "oui," to which he always laughs. I may want to shrug off the fact I did not quite understand, but my face must be a walking target for my unsureness. I love all of the noises at the train station: lips touching cheeks during a loving embrace, the clacking of boots against the ground, the rolling of suitcase wheels at different speeds depending on how early or late each traveler is, and the ultimate combination of a high-pitched beep and a pseudo hole-puncher created after each traveler "composts" their ticket. I love the sound of Paul's laugh, because when he laughs, it can fill anyone's soul with joy. I love that when my host mom does laundry, my bedroom is immediately filled with a refreshing breeze with the smell of our detergent, wafting in from the laundry room across the hall. I love the pitter-patter or sometimes thumping of little feet from happy, fighting, angry, or uncontrollably excited children running down the staircase right next to my room. I love trying to explain French words that sound the same in English but mean something different when speaking with actually French People (i.e. the bars "Hangar a Bananes" and "Le Shaft"). I love skyping with my family and friends: seeing different rooms and classrooms with friends and seeing the doggies and grandparents with my parents. I love that my host mother is so diligent in knowing exactly what each of her children has to study and for when. When she decides the kids must study, there is no other decision to be made. I love laying in my bed, looking at all of the pictures I have put up on the shelves that frame two of the walls of my room. I love that my host father is the epitome of a self-less man, who did not even remember his birthday. I love punching in the code to enter IES and having the door make a certain "beeeeeep and errrrrr" sound at the same time, while you have to push the door in with your shoulder in order to ensure that you will actually succeed in getting in. I love that the Nantais have started getting ready for Christmas by decorating the city, even though Christmas is at least two months away. I love when I encounter new kids in my English classes who show an intense desire to learn. Simply, I love my life: in Nantes, in Palm Beach, in Granville. After a week of feeling a bit down and out, I have discovered a sort of rejuvenation, filling me with love and gratitude for all that I have and will have encountered. Three weeks remain, and I expect to fill them with enough love, studying, chatting, and fun as I possibly can.

Blake Family in Paris

2009-11-23T21:45:00.001+01:00

After having seen Jean in Vienna, I left very early on a Saturday morning in order to take two planes to get to Paris in time to meet my family. It was truly an interesting travelling experience, because I truly had no idea where I was going or what I was doing once I got to Paris. I knew I had to take the Paris city trains in order to get to Courbevoie where we were staying, but I had really only had one experience with Paris trains before, and I was not the one leading myself. Alas, I found myself on the RER trying to figure out what direction I wanted to go in. All ended up going well, except for a quick journey in the wrong direction, which I somehow realized. It could have ended quite badly had I not realized what direction I was going in. Things truly started going downhill when I finally made it to Courbevoie, which is an epic city-center outside of Paris. There are skyscrapers and signs and tourists, and I was so confused once I made it to the earth’s surface after having been underground in the metro. I had my cell phone, so I called the hotel, which was not helpful at all in telling me to walk towards the direction of the Arc de Triomphe. How was I supposed to see it from where I was standing? Of course, after the fact, it became very easy to see the Arc de Triomphe, but again that was after having walked around for an hour and a half trying to find a hotel. Finally, I was saved, after having asked a bunch of people on the city streets, because I ran straight into an information desk. The women there gave me some good directions, but I was still unable to find the hotel because it was in and around some corner. I finally gave up and went to ask a taxi driver to drive me. I got in his cab only to be kicked out because he said the hotel was right around the corner. Turns out, all of my being lost was typical for the day. As I was walking into the hotel, I ran into Mom and Scott who were coming back from a pseudo food search. They led me up to their room, which were some of the nicest accommodations I have had in France, and I was finally reunited with my family! After months of skyping with Mom and Dad, it was fantastic to actually see them. I have not been able to speak with Scott much, since he does not have internet at home, so it was amazing to catch up with him as well. After taking a bit of a nap in our hotel room, the family and I ventured off to find somewhere to eat. I thought it would be a good idea to take them down near the Eiffel Tower so they could see it twinkling at night. I was the navigator of the metro, which made me learn a lot, but also led to some familial disagreements with those who were without maps. We bought metro tickets, and we were off to find ourselves a place to eat. I decided to get us off the metro near the Louvre on the Seine, which was a perfect place for the rest of the family to see their first glimpses of Paris. Seeing everyone’s reactions made me realize how much I have become a bit numb to seeing things such as a chateaux or an incredibly famous museum. We made our way across the Seine, which was the perfect place to kind of see a bunch of the Paris sights from far away, all lit up. We then decided to walk along the Seine a bit in order to find some place to eat. We ended up choosing a very classy restaurant called “La Fregata” where Mom and I ate the most amazing boeuf bourgignon. It was a bit chilly that day, so it really hit the spot. I think everyone was happy to eat, finally, to be together, and to be in Paris. It was a superb night out! The next day, I was again the navigator, much to the pleasure of Scott’s humor. He decided to make many jokes about me making wrong turns and such, but definitely not in a mean way. I guess the twenty-two year old man will always be my big brother, who puts my scarves on top of my head and makes fun of me for taking wrong turns. On Sunday, we went to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, where we ended up arriving at the end of a mass at the basilica. Sacre Coeur and Montmartre are absolutely beautiful, and it was one of my dreams to go there. I am so glad I got to experience that with my family, even if the weather was definitely not amazing. After gallivanting around Monmartre and getting my boots soaked through, we set off to see Notre-Dame and Saint-Chapel. Again, at Notre Dame, we had a lot of luck and ended up arriving during an organ concert. We happened to be incredibly lucky, because along with all of the amazing things we saw, we were also able to hear many amazing sounds. It was a total sensory experience! Later that night, we set off to see the Eiffel Tower. Luckily, my parents were there, so they could afford the fee to take the elevator up to the top. We were not able to go all the way to the top, but we did get half way. The weather was so bad, that I think we were lucky to not have had the option to go to the top. It was cold and rainy, but also very beautiful to see the construction of such a masterpiece. Monday was my last day with my family in Paris. We went to the Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, and we also took a boat tour on the Seine. It was a day filled with joy and laughter, but it was cut way too short because I had to return to Nantes in order to be a student. It really gets in the way!

Vienna

2009-11-22T22:37:00.000+01:00

As a disclaimer, I am truly sorry for not having updated everyone in quite a while. The past few weeks have been terribly busy: Vienna with Aunt Jean, family here for two weeks, friends in town the next weekend, London the next weekend. Now that things in my life have calmed down a bit, I am ready to continue writing and sharing all of my truly amazing experiences. Here it goes! After a train ride, two flights, and walking through customs easily without having anything to actually came, I finally arrived in Vienna. I walked out of passport control to see Jean Blake and my friend Tiana kindly waiting for me to arrive. TIana and I were in town for two and a half days, and Jean was nice enough to let us stay with her throughout our stay. My friend Tiana, who is from Texas and goes to the University of Texas, happened to arrive in Vienna before me, but Jean was nice enough to go and pick her up from the airport so she would not have to wait. Picking her up included me sending a picture and a description of what Tiana looked like, which came to haunt me throughout our stay in Vienna. It was classic to hear among the first few sentences of Jean’s greeting, “you told me she had long hair! That’s not long hair.” It was the perfect amount of “Blake” right off the bat! Jean had borrowed her neighbor of twenty years, Theresa’s, car in order to pick me up from the airport. It must be said that she does not drive ever, as Vienna has multiple forms of public transportation. For Tiana and I, it was weird to be in a car also, since we have taken public transportation for four months while living in Nantes. Jean’s driving skills were as adequate as they could have been for not having driven in years, although at the end of our journey, we realized she may have left the parking brake on throughout the ten minute commute. Jean’s apartment is the most beautiful building ever. She may not think so, but it is the perfect building and city apartment that one could ever ask for. There are two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a nice hallway. When all three of the Vienna Blake’s were living under the same roof, I can see how there would be a lot of traffic in and around the house. For Jean alone, it seems like a perfect place. In the apartment, we met her nice old doggie named Shadow, who received tons of attention from her two visitors. It made me miss the boys so very much. Our first night in Vienna was spent reminiscing, laughing, and eating crepes. We went to bed way too late, but we were able to plan out some of the sites we wished to see the next day. Most memorable parts of the night include Jean continuously saying, “You are such a Blake.” Apparently, I laugh just like my Dad, which is great because when my Dad really does laugh, his laugh is amazing! It was fun to hear a member of our family tell me how much I resembled and had characteristics and mannerisms that were like the Blake family. I am sure I would have felt the same way had I been in Scotland with the Peace and Cunningham relatives! (That is next on the life agenda) The next day, Jean, Tiana and I set off fairly early in the morning so we could get our bearings around Vienna. Before leaving, we had a typical Viennese breakfast, brought to us by Jean via the bakery downstairs. Once we arrived in the city, we had to try to understand the idea of “rings” since this is how the different parts of Vienna are situated. We took a street car inside the first ring to get to the center of Vienna. Jean walked with us a ways so we could comprehend where some things were and she left us before lunch time at the Albertina museum. We had decided to visit one museum, mainly because they were having a highly advertised exposition dealing with impressionism. It was something that interested the two of us, so we decided to give it a go. Ultimately, the Albertina was a great museum to spend money on! We saw so many famous works and also how consumerism touches all tourists in a museum gift shop. How do they come up with some of the items they sell? It is insane! After returning to Jean’s for a quick lunch break, we then went back into the first ring. It was nice outside so we decided to walk and get a bit lost in the city. We ended up getting lost in a great way, so we saw St. Stephen’s cathedral, the palaces, and the hotel de ville. It was great to just wander and try to understand the history of the city. The highlight of both of our days was partaking in one of Vienna’s most popular past times: the coffee house. Jean had told us we should try a “sachetorte” which is a sort of chocolate cake with a jelly type filling. We found a cute coffee house to go to, although our choice was mainly based on the combination prices we could see in the window. I ended up ordering a sachetorte and Viennese coffee, which was absolutely amazing. Such a great cultural experience…eating our way through Vienna. That night, we also did a bit of eating when Jean made us a typical Austria dinner. It was a type of goulash-type noodle, meat, and gravy dish. We had such a great time sitting in her tiny kitchen, talking and eating. It was a perfect night! The next day, we were off early again. We went to the Belvedere which is a famous castle turned museum, the market (which I am forgetting the name of right now), Schonbrun, and another coffee house. At the market, we did some scarf shopping, since there were definitely many to purchase, and we also indulged in some Persian flat bread and hummus which had been recommended by Jean. It was amazing to eat on the side of the road, perfectly content. Schonbrun was the most memorable part of the trip, mainly because of the profoundness of its size and its views. We hiked up to the top of the “Gloria” where we saw an amazing view of the entire city of Vienna. Absolutely perfect to see the tops of St. Stephen’s cathedral! After going to another Viennese coffee house (ordering a strudel instead of a sachetorte), Tiana and I went to meet Jean at her work. Jean wanted to show Tiana and I (Tiana is interested in medicine) her work in the pediatric neonatology unit. It was incredibly to see Jean switch fluidly from German to English, speaking to us and her coworkers. She has a very difficult job, but it seems she leaves everyday with a smile on her face, hoping to make the world a better place. That night, after returning home, we had Schnitzel from the Turkish restaurant below Jean’s apartment. We sat up late at night, talking about our families and our lives. It was so easy to chat and have an ongoing conversation that it grew very difficult to cut things off and go to bed. Tiana and I both had incredibly early flights that next morning, so Jean took us to the bus stop where we would be taken directly to the airport. In the cold of the early morning, I was forced to say goodbye to a lovely family member and a wonderful city. The only thing that made it somewhat easy to leave was knowing I was off to meet my “real” family.

Pictures from Nantes

2009-10-26T21:26:00.002+01:00

Kebabs…not just meat on a stick

2009-10-26T21:25:00.000+01:00

Here in Nantes, there are signs everywhere for “Kebabs.” I was a skeptic at first, and I was not really sure if I was ever going to try one. I did not want to get sucked into the “Chinatown” of Nantes, or something to that effect. Well, I finally tried a kebab the other night! I have to describe what a kebab is to all of you Americans, because it is not a bunch of meat and vegetables shoved onto a skewer and thrown on the barbecue. That is what I think of when I hear kebab. Nantes kebabs are more of a gyro type of sandwich, and I think that they originate as a sort of Algerian specialty. I really should be more of a food historian here in Nantes. So, a kebab is a sort of pita bread/shell stuffed with cured lamb or pork, lettuce, and tomatoes. In actuality, I have no idea what I am eating when I eat a kebab. Luckily, I am not allergic to anything. No matter what makes up a kebab, they are absolutely delicious. It is the perfect combination of fast-foodiness and authentic Moroccan spices making you feel you are actually eating a legitimate meal. In addition, kebabs are not incredibly expensive. They are not cheap, as nothing is cheap in Europe, but they are not an expensive four-course meal. This is why I am assuming I will be eating more than one kebab throughout my time in Nantes.

Rennes

2009-10-26T21:18:00.001+01:00

Sorry for the lateness of my postings! I have been sort of dead to the world for quite a while after having weeks full of exams and also having been sick. Alas, I start again, and I am back to the world of blogging. Three of my lovely American friends and I went to Rennes two weekends ago. Peter, Hannah, Emily, and I ventured off on an approximately eight hour journey to Rennes, France, which a city an hour to north of Nantes. Rennes is in the Brittany region of France, meaning the north-west. Rennes is the capital of the region, known famously for crepes and architecture. We started our day off meeting at the Nantes train station. I had had quite the morning, due to the fact that I accidentally surprised my host mother early in the morning when she was walking around in her little nightgown. Although I have lived here for two months, things are still quite proper, in terms of dress, in this house. Needless to say, this was the first time I had seen my host mother in anything other than capris pants and cardigans. She was obviously embarrassed, and I felt really bad. Although I must point out, I had told her the night before that I would be leaving quite early. Our train ride was absolutely spectacular. Peter, being the obsessive-compulsive wonder that he is, truly thought we had gotten on the wrong train do to the direction the sun was in, in relation to Rennes’ direction from Nantes. It was quite a shambles. The train ride was also filled with fabulous quotes coming out of our mouths. So many funny things were being said that we had to start writing some of them down. They are definitely not as funny now, but some quotes include “French people are ninjas, obviously” and “He is like Jesus. He was meant to live.” Where these things came from, no one can ever know. When we arrived in Rennes, we honestly had no idea where we were going. We had printed small maps off the internet, but they were not very helpful, so our first task was to find the local office of tourism so we could find ourselves a map. Right off the bat, Rennes was an absolutely beautiful city. It is a smaller city than Nantes, but still big enough. The architecture is kind of a mix of things, but there is a lot of old architecture with the outside of buildings having been painted in really pretty colors. Rennes looks like the perfect European village that you would see at Epcot, in Disney. While in Rennes for only a few hours, we had a few sites we wanted to accomplish seeing. The Parliament of Brittany is in Rennes, so we definitely wanted to see that. Also, Peter wanted to go to the Virgin Megastore because he is the proud owner of a discman (not a walkman) meaning he has to have CDs in order to listen to music. We also wanted to get to visit the Saturday market, as well as a huge plant garden with an accompanying church. After tracking down a few maps, I began our navigation to find the Saturday market. It was impossible to miss, as we were suddenly met by beautiful flowers and tons of produce in every direction. All of the food looked amazing, and you feel as if you want to buy everything because it looks so beautiful. In another area, the market had all of the cheese vendors, the meat vendors, and the bread vendors. Emily and I wanted to buy some cheese and a baguette for later in the day for a snack. We ended up going to a cheese vendor and just pointing to types of cheeses that looked yummy, because we had no idea what the names of all of the different types of cheeses were. Luckily, the normal French people next to us used the exact same pointing method. After we had bought our cheese, I went off in search of some bread. I found the most delicious whole grain bread, while Emily turned up with a gorgeous baguette. I threw everything in my backpack, and we were set for the afternoon. After the market, it was lunchtime, and the four of us head to a creperie for some lunch. We ate galettes and crepes, and drank some cider. The restaurant was on a perfect little street, and although it was a little chilly, we decided to sit outside. It was one of those days where the weather was changing and people were choosing to either be really warm or to brave the cold. We four braved the cold. It ended up working in our favor because at the restaurant across the street, there were a group of young people who took out their guitars after they had eaten, and they started entertaining the entire street. The music was amazing, and it added such ambiance to our meal. Also, while eating, we saw a couple pass who were riding unicycles. Never seen that before! Next on the list was the Parliament. We weren’t able to go in, but we were able to see the outside of the building and the courtyards that surrounded it. Turning to a much different subject, we headed off to the Virgin megastore. I got to jam out to some cool music on those in-store headphones they have there that feature different artists’ music. I was listening to some great music, until I realized that the headphones I was wearing had probably been worn by thousands of people before me. Not the most sanitary thing in the world! Bad decision! We then went on a long walk to find the huge plant garden and the church. After passing multiple sites and stopping at many, we found the church and the garden. The church was beautiful, and it was the typical 14th century catholic church. The only reason I can say that is due to my studies in art history! I studied really hard for that midterm! The stained-glass windows in the church were delightful and incredibly colorful. They were some of the most vibrant colors I had seen. From the church, we went into the garden. The gardens in Europe are more like gigantic parks that happen to feature beautiful flowers. We happened to stumble upon a graduation of some sort in one area of the garden, so we stood in the back and helped in the process of clapping. We then continued walking and found a couple in the midst of quite the acts of public displays of affection, which is normal for the French, but incredibly weird for us Americans. Further in the gardens, we found all of the beautiful flowers. We also found this house far off in the garden that is the house that I want to live in. It is a red brick house that happens to be covered in these green vines that cascade up and around the two towers of the house. It is gorgeous! The four of us also took a break to eat some of our bread and cheese. This little rest made for quite the hysteria fest. It seems the only thing the four of us can do together is laugh, which in all honesty, is an amazing thing. After the gardens, which took quite a bit of time, we headed back into the heart of the city. We walked around a bit, but we wanted to be sure that we were back near the train station at a good time. When taking trains in Europe, you do not need to arrive super early. You only need to be there 20 minutes before the train leaves, because this is when the big sign lights up telling you where to go to get your train. So, having found our way back to the train station, we decided we had enough time to have a drink. We grabbed a few beers, and passed the time chatting about the day and saying goodbye to Rennes. A few minutes later, we got back on our train and headed back to Nantes. It was a whirlwind of a day filled with happiness, tears from laughter, and absolute joy!

Saturday's Happenings

2009-10-13T23:48:00.000+02:00

This past Saturday, my friend Peter and I ventured off into the great abyss that is Nantes on a Saturday. There were many things we had set out to accomplish, including the Mediatheque market and the Solidarite du Chocolat. After meeting at the IES building, we were sucked into the amazing thing called the Internet for a few moments. Poor Peter is living without any kind of Internet at his host family’s house, so he had a desperate need to check his email. Although technology engulfed us for some minutes, we shifted ourselves back into everyday-life mode in order to go to the Mediatheque market. I had no presuppositions as to what a Saturday market in Nantes would entail. Not far from the IES building, there is an area called Mediatheque, right near the Loire River. Peter and I walked a few blocks down to where we had heard the market would be, and I think we were both expecting to see something small. Instead, we were met with a scene of red and white tents, thousands of people, fresh fish, and different types of underwear. The market was full of anything and everything, including meet, produce, breads, and fresh pastas as well as low-budget clothing, shoes, and 40 packs of batteries. Seeing the market was an immediate attack on all of my senses, as there was too much to see. I felt the need to slowly look at every piece of merchandise as well clutch my bag and run out from amongst the tents as fast as possible. The market was quite an experience, and although I am glad I went, I will probably not go again just for the experience. The smell of fish on busy city roads mixed with roast chicken, bread, and the smell of cheap fabric does not need to meet my nose again. Next on the agenda for the day was a chocolate festival Nantes was hosting. It is called “La solidarite de chocolat” which translates into “chocolate solidarity.” The point of this festival is to bring people and cultures together through chocolate. The majority of the funds from the two-week festival go to a big boat race that will be happening in order to raise money for world hunger non-profit programs. The boats are all parked in the Loire River right now, and at the end of this week, they will all sail away to St. Nazaire, a port city on the Atlantic Ocean. The chocolate festival was held on Ile-de-Nantes, which is an island that sits in the middle of the Loire River. The island is still considered Nantes, but you just have to cross a bridge to get there. It was one of my first times going to this area of Ile-de-Nantes, and I amused myself greatly with chocolate and with seeing all of the sites. My friends and I walked half of the length of the island, seeing many of the old industrial sites that are a part of Nantes history. While walking, we were fascinated by a boat that was carrying people from one side of the Loire to another. After crossing back over the Loire, we tracked down where we could take this boat from. It just so happens that the boat is part of the “Tan” or the public transportation system here in Nantes. Since all of us students have monthly passes to use any “Tan” transportation, we decided to take the boat to the other side of the Loire. We truly had no idea where this adventure would take us, but about five minutes later, we discovered the answer. The boat docked in an area called Reze which is just another city across from Nantes. Reze has a great deal of history in its architecture, as it is home to many small doors and shuttered windows. Not finding that much to see and with food on our mind, my three friends and I found ourselves a nice creperie in which we ate our lunch. A bottle of cidre, a crepe, and a galette later, the three of us got back on the “Tan” boat and back to our lives as Nantais.

Les Campagnes de Normandie

2009-10-08T22:52:00.001+02:00

This past weekend, I was invited to go with my host family to their house in the southern parts of the Normandy region. I have seen pictures of their house, and it looked absolutely beautiful. Of course, I decided to say “yes” because it was such an amazing opportunity. Not all of my host brothers and sisters joined the family on the trip. Clotilde (16) and Paul (15) joined their parents and I for the two and a half hour drive. Filled with windy roads, many round-a-abouts, and lots of manual shifting, the drive passed pretty quickly. I shared headphones with my ten year old host brother. I am super-cool! When we got to the house, the drive along the gravel entrance was absolutely amazing. The house and the land are owned by my host mother’s family. The land has been passed down through the generations, and the house was built in the 13th century. Her father lived there while he was growing up, and she spent summers at the house. Her parents then gave the house to her, so she and her family could enjoy. Her parents live in another (smaller) house on the property. The house is huge, and of course, heatless. We arrived late on Friday night, so the house was super cold. I got to stay in the guest room, complete with a four-poster bed (never slept in one of those before). The house is very old (obviously), and it takes quite a bit of upkeep. That was the reason for my family’s visit over the weekend—to do some upkeep. I spent Saturday walking the grounds with my family. We chopped wood (which I had never done before), and lots of wood to be precise. My host father can really chop wood with many different types of tools. It was pretty cool to watch! They have a trampoline at the house, so Paul and I jumped for a while. He also showed me all of the views on the property, which are absolutely breathtaking. The French countryside is gorgeous, although very desolate. Later on Saturday, I went with my host mother to La Trappe. La Trappe is an abbey where monks live and work. They have their own land and their own animals, and they also have a store where they sell the items they have made. We went to the store just before it was closing, and I was able to look around a bit. My host mother had the goal of finding and buying “la jellie royale” which is a secret remedy the monks make to help boost your immune system. She did succeed in finding it. On Sunday, we did not do much of anything. I played cards with Paul and also a game called “Rumnikub” which was hard to learn but fun to play. We left in the mid-afternoon to get back to Nantes for dinner. On the way there, I had my first experience with “la gendarmerie” which is the French police. My host father got stopped on our way back for speeding—not just speeding, but going 40 kilometers over the speed limit. Slow down Monsieur de Champs! Staying in 13th century family-owned houses can now be checked off of my bucket-list!

Contentment

2009-10-08T22:18:00.001+02:00

I haven’t written in longer than a week! I am slacking on my blogging task, and I do apologize. I think the reason I have not blogged in rests in the fact that I am settled, happy, and having a great time. I have been settling into a splendid routine as of late. I go to class. I go to teach. I study. I eat. I sleep. That is pretty much the routine. All of my classes are going well, but I am finding the French educational system is much more of a “make it or break it” ambiance. At Denison, it seems the professors are much more organized and have a more precise way of teaching. That precision does not really exist here in Nantes. The teachers are much more lax about where they happen to be in a lecture. Also, the syllabi are much less precise, and you have exams whenever a professor may want them without really much notice. I think I might like the precision of the U.S. more, or maybe I am just more accustomed to that type of guided education. I don’t need a professor to hold my hand, but I at least want to know when my final will be, so I can sort of make a plan for the semester! As for the teaching internship, all is going well. I am working 7 or 8 hours a week, every week. These hours are all with different classes. I have two classes with students in their last year of high school, two classes with students in their second to last year of high school, two classes with DEES (which is sort of a junior college education) and one class with the equivalent of eight graders in middle school. The high school students that I am teaching belong to different sections of the school (those with higher levels of intelligence and those with lower). I am teaching with a lot of different levels, and I love every level that I am teaching. I am sure I will come to decide what level I like best. Today, I think I put the fear of God in one of my classes. It was my first day teaching all alone with one group of my classes with kids in their second to last grade of high school. They were a little restless as I was beginning our discussion on the educational system in the United States, but all was going well. One student decided it would be a great idea to throw a rolled up paper ball up to the board. Needless to say, I was not thrilled. Who he was trying to impress, I will never know. I wasn’t sure exactly which student had thrown it, but I knew the general corner—a corner filled with boys. I used the old tactic of asking “who threw this?” As I expected, no one responded, so I then proceeded to use the “well, then the whole class will get a zero for participation, and we will sit in silence for the next 45 minutes.” Apparently, these kids had never been threatened with this one before (although I believe it is a staple in the United States). (Also, remember all of this is being said in English and then in French). Immediately, I found out who had thrown the paper ball. Sad to say, there was not even a cute little not written on the paper ball. I was so disappointed there was no note. Although I hated having to reprimand students, I actually felt a bit of empowerment after the situation had resolved itself. Maybe that is what the rest of my teachers felt like when I was in school. As for now, I love teaching the DEES section. All of these students are my age or older, which is fantastic because I do not really have to sensor anything that I say. I have been incredibly creative with my lesson planning—we have had a discussion on the Kanye West/Taylor Swift on MTV incident, a discussion involving two political cartoons regarding Obama’s healthcare plan for the U.S. and how the U.S. system is different from the French system, and a discussion on Inside the Actor’s Studio and James Lipton’s famous last ten questions on the program. Anything I encounter in my everyday life, I prepare a lesson and take it to that class. In fact, I am really enjoying lesson planning. I love the creativity, and although it takes some time to come up with an appropriate lesson for each level, I am really enjoying the task. Also on the checklist for this week was my first experience with grading. The students in one of my high school classes (one of the higher levels) had received an essay test back from their teacher (the test was a sample for their Baccalaureate –or the test they have to take in order to graduate from high school). Two of the girls in my class came up to me at the end of the hour to ask me if I could look over their papers and give them some comments on how they could do better. Of course, I was more than happy to do this. I was thrilled actually. I graded papers for the first time, and I had an amazing time doing it. I think I just like being right and knowing how to do something. I have confidence in my ability to speak English (obviously) and my grammar usage in English. (We are still working on the French part of it all). On the agenda for the weekend is some wandering around Nantes. I am going to go out with some of my DEES students (and yes this is allowed) to a club on Saturday night. I also organized an event where some of my students are going to meet up with my American friends and speak some English. The Americans will enjoy speaking a bit of English, and the French will enjoy continuing their learning!

“Remember when we jumped off that make-shift diving tower into the English Channel?”

2009-09-27T22:35:00.001+02:00

I must first point out that there are many stories to recount before coming to an explanation for the title of this blog. Yesterday, IES Nantes took a day trip to Mont Saint Michel and Saint Malo, two areas in Normandy, which is located in the north of France. Both areas are on the coast, so they are near the south-western parts of the English Channel. Mont Saint Michel is an iconic landmark that was built before the year one thousand at the request of Archangel Michel, when he asked the Bishop of Avranches to build and consecrate a church. The church was built on what was at one time a huge rock, and throughout many years, people settled, protected, and developed the abbey. When driving up to Mont Saint Michel, it seemed we were in the middle of nowhere. All that surrounded the buses was a gray sort of mud that extended for miles and miles. Suddenly, Mont Saint Michel appeared, as if from out of the clouds. The sight is absolutely amazing, and I so hope that everyone will get to experience this at one point in their lives. In the middle of marshland, there is a huge abbey, a huge church, with a tiny village surrounding it. There is so much history at Mont Saint Michel. At the request of an Archangel, the abbey was built, and it was protected throughout the Hundred Years War by the people who inhabited it. At one point in its history, Mont Saint Michel served as a prison to house prisoners of the French Revolution. When our huge group of ninety finally convened at the same place, we were able to enter the abbey and venture around inside. There are no words to describe it. The light in the Abbey is fantastic. The windows and the ceilings are so high, and light passes at perfect angles through the stained glass windows. There is moss covering the thousand-year old stones that engulf the abbey, and the gardens surrounding the abbey are overgrown with perfection. The chapel rooms are full of history and love, and I felt the need to pray and dance all at the same time. After spending about two hours at Mont Saint Michel, the group headed off to Saint Malo, which is a port city to the west of Mont Saint Michel, located right on the coast of Normandy. Saint Malo is the perfect beach village, surrounded by huge stone walls that once served as protection. At one point during World War II, the majority of Saint Malo was destroyed as England and Germany fought across the English Channel. They have rebuilt the buildings, and they continue to look the perfect amount of old and new. The walls that served as protected surround the entirety of the village, and you can walk around the walls to obtain views from every angle. Saint Malo is filled with boats, islands, beaches, and perfect small streets and plenty of places to sit and relax. While walking the “wall” of Saint Malo, I saw the one thing that could have possibly saved my swimming career. Saint Malo is home to a pool in the English Channel. Probably many, many years prior to my arrival, Saint Malo constructed an ocean pool by placing walls around a section of the beach. Water stays in and flows over the walls by its own accord, but none of the ocean’s waves can get into this little pool. On one of the walls that make up the pool sits a small diving tower, with three different levels, off which one can jump. The levels were note excessively high, with the highest standing at only about three meters. For some odd reason, this was the most beautiful pool I have ever seen. In my lifetime, I have seen my fair share of pools, but this make-shift pool and diving tower was the most beautiful I have ever seen. Upon seeing the diving tower, I immediately knew I had to find some way to jump off of it. My one big obstacle: not having a bathing suit. This would not have been such a big obstacle if I had been wearing the appropriate underwear for such an adventure. Boys have it much easier than us girls. After making sure the water was indeed deep enough to withstand someone flinging themselves off of the tower, I was determined to have this adventure. With innovation on my mind, I finally found a way to be able to go swim and jump off of the tower. After my two friends Peter and Ryan had swam and jumped off the tower, I borrowed Peter’s bathing suit. I tied his swim trunks way above my waist so I knew they would not fall off, and I ran towards the beach. My first jump was absolutely liberating, because of the jump and because of the cold water. After multiple jumps and a few swims up and down the beach, I finally returned to my waiting friends. The only remnants of my adventure were a huge smile on my face, wet hair, and a partially wet shirt from my wet bra. In exchange for an amazing experience, I looked as if I had been nursing a child for a few hours. Our day trip to Saint-Malo and Mont Saint-Michel ended with an Indian restaurant back in Nantes. Sitting on the streets of Nantes, lit by the lights of the Opera House, I sat and chatted with my friends saying “Remember that time I jumped off of the makeshift diving tower into the English Channel?” I can and will own that quote for the rest of my life!

Perfection

2009-09-25T23:52:00.001+02:00

Today was an absolutely amazing day. I cannot describe what exactly made it so special, because it was “nothing,” and at the same time, it was “everything.” Today was filled with realization; realization of friendship, of happiness, of appreciation, of acceptance. After only having one class, I spent the day having the perfect amount of social time and alone time. I lunched with three friends who I spend a great deal of time with, and after eating with them and sharing our stories, I realized how much I really love them. I think I have found some friends that will share with me in the joy of life for quite some time. I have already had such defining experiences with these people, and yet we have only known each other for a little less than a month. Because this week has been full of excitement in the form of my teaching internship, today was the first day I had some time to spend alone. Toute seule as we say in French. After lunch, I was excited to return home, log-in to itunes, buy the Grey’s Anatomy season premiere, and revel in all of its drama. I sat in my bed, drinking a coke and eating a chocolate croissant eagerly watching as the drama unfolded. Not only was the show premiere amazing, but the time I was able to spend by myself was exactly what I needed. I got a good amount of homework done before I went out for the night. I donned the boots and dress look tonight, which signifies I am moving into the more European, eclectic way of dressing. After a traffic-filled bus ride, I arrived at my stop and started walking towards the cathedral (our meeting point) and some sort of happiness/appreciation/acceptance/joy hit me. It was a very sudden onset of emotion, but as I walked through the streets of Nantes, my boots clanking on the cobblestone roads and the wind blowing through my hair, I felt overwhelmed with happiness. I often have these moments; when multiple days and weeks of experiences all kind of add up into one huge collection of emotional reflection. I wonder why God gives us (or maybe just me) these moments. Does He somehow believe that by reflecting on a collection of positive things, then the negative will be less apparent? Whatever the plan may be, I love these moments, where emotion sweeps through my body suddenly and for no reason, whatsoever.

La decision...Paris

2009-09-22T21:48:00.001+02:00

After tossing and turning about making a spontaneous decision, I ended up traveling via TGV to Paris on Friday to visit my friend Demi. Demi is a friend of mine from college, and she is studying abroad in Paris with a program called Arcadia. Her program is much different than the one I am a part of here in Nantes. Demi takes most of her courses in English with one organization, and then she takes French courses with an organization called Alliance Francaise with a mix of people from different nationalities. She has met people from so many various walks of life in her French class, and it is pretty amazing to hear Demi speaking of her “Finish” friend. From rural Ohio to Paris France, it is really quite a change for the both of us! After a comfortable, sleep-filled, and incredibly efficient train ride, I met Demi at the Montparnasse train station. My friend Sean here in Nantes gave me some tips on what to watch out for when I arrived in Montparnasse. Firstly, he relayed to me how incredibly huge Montparnasse is, and he was absolutely right. There are so many different numbers of lines and different platforms to wait on, and it is pretty hard to get your bearings once arriving. Secondly, he told me to watch out for the multitude of people standing in groups with their heads pointed to the sky looking for their train platform. It is hilarious to see hundreds of people standing together, heads tilted up, just waiting for one little number to appear on a gigantic black information board. After a bit of phone navigation in order to find Demi, we were reunited at last in a foreign country. I then set off for my first experience on the Paris metro. Although I use public transportation on a daily basis here in Nantes, none of it is actually underground. Being underground, it is more difficult to navigate, and Demi did an amazing job. Just like a local! We took the metro to Vanves, which is the suburb of Paris where Demi lives in a residential apartment. Though her apartment is not what she expected it to be, she is staying positive about her “janky” (Demi’s word) apartment and her less than normal roommate. I took the floor for the weekend, and I successfully stole myself a towel from the cleaning ladies. (P.S. the cleaning people in French hotel apartments use real, natural ammonia for cleaning which does not leave an apartment with a great smell.) Friday night, I discovered the awfulness of the Paris metro when going out. Everyone shoves onto the metro all at once, and you have the disconcerting feeling you are being robbed while at the same time being grossed out by the man/woman standing in front of you with really bad body odor. Public transportation is busy in Nantes, because it is a big city too, but something about the metro brings more worry and more body odor. After going out to a few bars on Friday night, we woke up early on Saturday morning to go to the Louvre. We successfully navigated our way into Paris’ first “arrondissement,” and we found Demi’s friend Jessica, who was going to spend the day with us. The metro lets you off right outside of the Louvre, and I do not think I will ever forget that sight. The Louvre is so immense. It is completely sensory overload from the inside, out. Taking only one break for lunch in the middle of the day, we saw all three different sections of the Louvre, including the Denon, the Sully, and the Richelieu. Although we went to all three and walked as much as we could, I am sure we did not see it all. There is so much to take in and so many hallways to walk down. I got to see all of the staples, such as Adonis, the Mona Lisa, and the Venus di Milo. One of my favorite parts was the exhibition on the history of the Louvre, because they had these 3-D images of what the Louvre looked like throughout the different centuries. After the Louvre, Demi and Jessica were kind enough to let me choose our next adventure. I really want to see the Seine, and after looking at a map, we found out it was on the other side of the Louvre. We walked the Seine for a bit, and the views are absolutely incredible. You can see the Grand Palais, Notre Dame, the Tour Eiffel, and the Louvre. All at the same time! Demi and I continued on by ourselves for a romantic evening to see the Eiffel Tower. We ended up getting dinner at a cheap Chinese restaurant that we found during our walk to the Eiffel Tower. After dinner, we grabbed a drink and a dessert, and we took our snacks with us. There are no words to describe the Eiffel Tower. It is unlike anything I have ever seen, and I am sure I will be amazed by it every time I see it throughout my lifetime. Demi and I found a nice spot on the lawn, with hundreds of other people, and we sat and watched until it became dark. Seeing the Eiffel Tower light up is absolutely gorgeous, but seeing the light show is an even bigger highlight. I definitely took some great pictures that night. On Sunday morning, Demi showed me her school, which is right next to the Luxembourg Gardens. We saw the Senate house and walked through the Gardens, where we somehow stumbled upon a Sunday morning concert in the park. It was a free concert, and anyone and everyone could pull up a chair. As classical music lovers, Demi and I sat for a few minutes listening to the performance. We also made a friend in a maybe 18-month old little girl who was discovering how fun walking and running is. After a quick breakfast at a French café, we had to head back to Montparnasse for me to catch my train. I became one of the people with their head tilted toward the sky, looking up at the big black board, just waiting for the platform number to appear. Although I had an amazing time with Demi, I was incredibly happy to come back to Nantes…this city that I can now call home.

To go to Paris or to not go to Paris...that is the question!

2009-09-16T22:36:00.001+02:00

After typing this title, I feel like an absolute spoiled brat. Who would have ever thought I would be trying to decide whether or not to go to Paris for the weekend! This weekend, France is celebrating its patriotism holiday. For the holiday, all of the museums are open for free. Since I am cheap and the museums are expensive to get into, I have decided that a trip to Paris might be just what I need. Seeing the Louvre for free? Pretty priceless.

Back to being a student...

2009-09-16T22:05:00.001+02:00

My second official week in Nantes, and I am back to being a university student. After hours of boring and monotonous orientations last week, classes have commenced here in Nantes. I have to provide a bit of an explanation of the ins and outs of my abroad program in order to describe the classes I am taking. The city of Nantes is home to an incredibly large public, French university named l’Universite de Nantes. There are about 31,000 students who attend the university, and there are only 1,700 professors. In France, the college educational system is divided into two parts; the Grandes Ecoles and les Universites. If you know what career field you want to follow, you go to a Grandes Ecoles. For example, if I knew I wanted to be an engineer, I would find a Grandes Ecoles that specialized in engineering. Universites, on the other hand, offer a broader variety of subjects which is the equivalent to the United States’ liberal arts education. At the universities, you can choose what subjects you most interest you, and then you continue to study them. The best, and the worst, part of the French college system is that all public universities are practically free. Students have to pay about 250 euros a year, which is absolutely nothing compared to Denison’s $45,000 a year education. France also has private universities that you must pay for, but those are mainly colleges affiliated with religion. Apparently, the Catholics need money. With a little explanation provided, I can now begin to describe the classes I am taking and how I am taking them. IES, which is the name of my abroad organization, is divided into two parts in terms of academics. The program is affiliated with the University of Nantes, so all of the professors that teach at IES are University of Nantes professors. IES, the program itself, offers a variety of courses, that all of us students can sign up for. There are 91 students in the IES Nantes program, and we all chose to be in specific courses. If you take a course with IES, then there will only be American students in the course. Although there are American students, all of the IES courses are taught in French. In addition to the courses IES offers, there are also the hundreds of course at the University of Nantes to choose from. With IES’s partnership with the university, all of us American students become students at the university. We get a handy student identity card as well! So, as a student at the university, we can choose to take some courses exclusively at the university with other French students. Some of the classes are incredibly large amphitheatre lectures, and other classes are smaller. There are also different levels of classes that are signified by L1, L2, and L3. This is the equivalent to the U.S. courses that have numbers. L1 classes are the least advanced. As for choosing the classes I wanted to take, it was incredibly difficult. (The French have a weird trait about them, because they love to do things very last minute. Let me put the disclaimer out there that last minute does not work for me.) None of the university students receive a list of classes to be offered each semester until the Friday before classes start. In other words, you have about a day to decide what you would like to study. They do have a longer “shopping for classes” period, but I hate doing the class shopping thing. In my four semesters as a college student, I have changed one class. It was a religion class, and the only reason I switched was because I had been accepted to another Honors’ class. It really was not that hard to choose courses, once I actually had the information. I knew what I wanted to take before, and my plan only changed slightly. I am taking five courses: a French Grammar course, a literature course entitled “French Writers in Foreign Nations,” a French to English and English to French translation course, an art history course focusing on “French classicism,” and a teaching internship. Of these classes, four are offered at IES, and the translation course is offered through the university. My schedule is well spread out, so I have time to eat and travel around the city if need be. What am I most excited about? I am most excited about the teaching internship. I am going to be placed in a French high school or middle school. After meeting with our professor, we filled out an information paper asking us what our preferences were. Although I absolutely love children of all ages, I thought it would be the most meaningful to work with kids who are actually beginning to study the English language. Less babysitting and more actual teaching! I am so interested and have great anticipation for this internship, because it will definitely help me decide if I want to change the direction of my career path. Psychology is my passion, but teaching involves a great deal of psychology as well. It will be interesting to try something new and out of the ordinary to see if I may enjoy teaching! I had quite the experience teaching AIDS/HIV education this summer, so maybe I can combine the two!

Ma Première Soirée

2009-09-14T12:22:00.000+02:00

Saturday night, my host sister had her soiree. I don’t believe we really have an equivalent to a soiree in the U.S. A soiree is not a party for a birthday. It is not a “coming out” party, and it is not a dance part. The only thing the U.S. has that is close to a soiree is cotillion. I had some friends who did cotillion, but from what I remember, we were much younger. The majority of my friends did cotillion when they were about twelve or thirteen, and it was just a class where they learned how to eat politely and how to dance. A soiree is a bit like cotillion because the kids take a class when they are fifteen. The class is more of a social gathering each week, and the kids get to know each other. Throughout the class, the kids learn how to dance, and we are not talking learning the waltz. The dance is very French, and my host father told me that I will not see the dance anywhere but in France. The dance looks a bit like swing dancing, but there are still multiple differences. It is couples dancing, so only a guy and a girl can partake together. After the kids take the class when they are fifteen and they have gotten to know each other, the next year is the year when all of the soirees occur. I think the main idea of the soirees is to have a safe place for kids to socialize and to enable your kids to have a broad social group. Two families host the soiree, and each month or so, two other families take on the task of hosting. The job of hosting includes decorating one of the families’ houses and hiring a DJ. The other family takes on the task of preparing all of the food for about sixty hungry teenagers. My host family prepared all of the food, while the other family decorated their house. My host mother made thousands of tartlettes, for dessert and for hors d’oeuvres. They also bought tons of types of drinks, as well as made sangria. In addition to all of the food preparation, my host mother made a dress for Clotilde (the host sister), and the dress was absolutely gorgeous. I was invited to go along with my host family to the soriee, and I tried to help out as much as I could, so the family could actually enjoy themselves. It was truly an experience to see all of the kids dancing together, to see that sixteen year old boys are the same despite a difference in country, to see the awkward, nerdy, sixteen year old girl standing in the corner. I think the idea of the soirees is a great idea, because having an immediate social group for your kids and having supervised parties is better than having your kids go out to clubs and bars to make friends. I do have one disagreement with the idea of the soirees. The soirees are very patriarchal, and that really annoyed me. It was a bit like stepping back in time, when only the man can ask the woman to dance. It is absolutely unheard of for a girl to go ask a guy to dance. In my opinion, that needs to be changed, because the young girls will continue to be submissive and shy if it doesn’t change. I think my host family appreciated having me there. They kept telling me not to help, but I didn’t want to stand there and do nothing. It made me happy to be able to help out my host family on an occasion when they were obviously full of pride.

Adventures with a gigantic water bottle in hand

2009-09-12T12:11:00.001+02:00

Last night was my first night out in a big city. Not just any big city, but a city in a different country where everyone is speaking a different language. I went out with two friends around six last night to go grab some dinner. To inform you all some more of French habits, it is absolutely unheard of for the French to eat dinner at six o’clock. My two friends and I are of course privy to French dining times by now, but we didn’t want to go out super late because we still are getting to know the city. After meeting up at Nantes’ largest cathedral, the three of us set out to find a creperie. We had a recommendation from one of our host mother’s, but this recommendation did not include the actual name of the restaurant. We searched and searched, and finally found ourselves a nice little creperie in the Quartier Bouffay. This area of Nantes has multiple great restaurants and lots of bars, and if you are going out, then you are probably going to Quartier Bouffay. The creperie we found was absolutely adorable, although there were only two other people eating there when we arrived. We decided to sit outside because the weather was gorgeous, but sitting outside turned out to be not so great a choice. Although we were speaking French, it must have been obvious to the waiters and the locals that were walking by, that we were Americans. No matter how good my accent might me and no matter how much vocabulary I may have, the French still immediately know I am American. It might be the clothes, or it might just be the genetics, because I am pretty much the picture-perfect “All-American” looking woman. Our first official French dining experience was absolutely amazing. The creperie had a great ten euro deal, and all three of us decided to stick with that due to our small budgets. After leaving the restaurant, we set off to find ourselves a bar to grab a drink. We were walking around trying to find this Irish Pub we had seen before and had heard was popular. In the midst of our wandering, we encountered a very interesting, and obviously very drunk, French couple who wanted to invite us up to their apartment for a drink. In these situations, I just look down and walk away. Unfortunately, one of my comrades did not do the same, and he was caught in the midst of attempting to talk to the drunk folk about their bar recommendation. Their recommendation for a bar was “La Maison,” which they explained served troughs of alcohol that you could just go over and drink from. NO THANK YOU! Once we ditched the drunken locals, we found ourselves trying to decide between bars. After finding a nice Irish Pub, my two friends decided to kindly inform me that I should put the gigantic water bottle I had with me away. This recount of a story would not be complete if I do not mention the gigantic water bottle I had been carrying the entire time. As a bit of a disclaimer, I need to mention that the French do not drink a lot of fluid. Everything is in small amounts. For me, I need my water! The day before, I had bought this huge water bottle with my friend Ryan because we were so thirsty after our historical tour of Nantes. Well, my humongous water bottle purchase from the day before came with me the next day. What is the funny part of carrying a huge water bottle with you throughout a popular neighborhood in a foreign city? Apparently, carrying a huge water bottle is the equivalent to having a big sticker taped to your forehead that says “Look at me. I am an American.” After laughing hysterically and being incredibly embarrassed, I put the huge water bottle in my bag, and my two friends and I went on to have a great night filled with a few drinks. After my second week in Nantes, I am finding I am still obviously an American. I speak the language well, but not well enough. More than anything, I want to start blending in with the culture of this city, and I think it is going to take a few weeks and months to do so. I learned my lesson with the water bottle, but I don’t know if I can change my All-American look! I will continue on with my attempt to blend in!

The Ins and Outs of living with a French Family

2009-09-08T22:36:00.000+02:00

The de Champs family is pretty much picture-perfect from the outside in. The family is atypical in that all the kids have their little spats. Clotilde, who is sixteen and the oldest, takes on responsibility incredibly well for someone so young. She knows her role in being the oldest sister, and she gets after her little brothers for everything. She is the typical teenage girl who is moody, loves texting, and gets excited when she finds out when the next dance with her friends will be. For the most part, Clotilde gets along with her brothers and sisters, but I think right now she really desires to have alone time away from the kids. Alexis, her younger brother, is still a little bit immature. Although he is fifteen and only a year younger, he is way far behind Clotilde in the whole maturity process. He is responsible and very assertive, but he is much more moody. He definitely does not notice all of the social stuff that Clotilde does. Alexis is amazing with his younger brother Paul, who is ten. They share a bedroom, which you would think would be difficult, but they really get along well. The only problem is that Paul is the one who knows best how to push Alexis’ buttons. If he wants to play with Alexis’ emotions, he can so very easily. Paul is the most adorable ten year old every, and you can tell how much he looks up to his brother. He is super smart, and I think he is pretty socially mature for his age because he has so many brothers and sisters. Paul has the best laugh ever, and you cannot help but smile when you hear him laugh. Paul and his sister Maylis, who is thirteen, get along very well. Since they are the youngest, I think they sort of have a special bond that Alexis and Clotilde do not seem to have. Maylis is adorable too, and she works so hard in school. Her friends call her on the telephone, and it makes me so happy to see her face light up when she picks up the phone to see who it is. As for me, I am trying to be the best host sister I can be. Maylis is interested in everything I do, so I have tried to share a lot with her. Clotilde has a dance to go to this weekend, and her mom has made her the most gorgeous dress to wear. I think I am going to see if she might want me to do her make-up or something like that. I cannot wait to see her leave the house all excited for the dance. I’m only twenty, but for some reason, sixteen seems like it was forever ago. As for the boys, they are super easy to please. They love playing cards, so we do that a lot. When I am with Paul, we look at maps of the United States to see where I live and where things are. He is super interested in maps, and he has a map of the world that he made into a ball with puzzle pieces. Paul also has a bunny, named Ragibuss which is a type of candy in France. The rabbit is so cute, and Paul and I play with the bunny while playing cards. With Alexis, he and I usually talk about music and look at songs on itunes. Right now, his favorite song is “I Will Survive,” and I have to say that it is absolutely hilarious to hear him walking around the house singing with his incredibly thick French accent. Alexis also likes to try out the English he learns at school with me. He speaks to me in English, and then I respond in French. It works for both of us! Living with a French family is a bit different from my family back home. I do not live with a very formal French family, but things like dining together are much more important here than they are back in the United States. The Blake family always eats together, but it is super important to be together here. My host mother has the difficult task of pleasing a large family and feeding them on a budget, and she is an amazing chef. My host family is also very religious. They have many pictures of the Pope throughout the house, and many catholic things that I do not understand. They pray together every night, and it is different for me to hear prayers that are sung. I have not yet taken part in this part of the family’s life, and it is definitely not necessary or required. I do think it is wonderful that my family has such a strong faith in God. Hopefully I will go to mass with them one Sunday. The French also have some different habits that I have been noticing such as wearing the same clothes two days in a row. Not all of the Nantais do this, but there are a lot of French people who wear the same clothes two days in a row. I am way too much of a germaphobe to wear the same thing the next day. I remember that when I swam, I hated putting on the clothes I had worn during the day if I had to go somewhere after practice. Thank you Blake family for always doing laundry! Also, the French definitely do not take many showers. Why am I sharing this? Well, because I think it is an important part of French life to notice all of the different habits. Day by day, I am learning more and more. I really love writing this blog every night, because it is the only time I have a little bit of English in my head. A demain!

C’est ce qu’elle a dit…Des vacances en Vannes et des autres petits villages.

2009-09-07T22:27:00.000+02:00

C’est ce qu’elle a dit…Des vacances en Vannes et des autres petits villages. I have just returned from my first French voyage. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a cheap flight or the train. I traveled in style in a bus. The IES program took all of the ninety-one American students to Vannes for four days. Vannes is small port city on the Golfe du Morhiban, which is gulf on the West coast of France that connects to the Atlantic Ocean. All of the 91 students took a bus, which in French is called “un car.” Needless to say, all of the French words for transportation get a bit confusing. On our way to Vannes, we stopped at a Chateau called Suscinio. It was absolutely gorgeous, and we were super lucky that the weather was good. On the bus, I was my friendly self, and I met a lot of kids from other universities. Mind you, all of the communication we are having is in French! There are four other students in Nantes who are students at Denison. I know all four of them, but I am better friends with the two guys who are in Nantes. Their names are Ryan and Sean. All of the students are very nice, although there are some who think it is super cool to be rebellious and not speak French. For me, speaking English is not the point of me being here, so I am lucky that I have found some friends who desire to speak solely French. We stayed in a hotel called Le Mercure, which is a type of hotel chain in France that is a bit like a Holiday Inn. We all had one roommate, and it was really nice that we were not all squished into rooms with lots of roommates. Our first night in Vannes, we were allowed to go into the heart of the city. Vannes is not really a city, but it is more like a small port village with pubs, restaurants, and shops. It was a long walk (about 3km) to the heart of the city, but we all followed one another. Once in the city, all of us American students split up a bit, and we all found our own pubs to go to. I ordered my first beer (a Stella) at a French pub in Vannes. I went back for seconds, so it is safe to say I enjoyed it! Our next day “en vacances” we went to l’Ile aux Moines, which is an island in the Golfe du Morhiban. After taking a ten minute ferry ride to the island, we all rented bikes, and we had the entire day to ride around and discover different things. I rode around with three other students, and I had the most amazing time. The only downside was there were tons of hills, and when you go down a hill, you must come back up. Je n’aime pas remonter les collines. Our third day in Vannes, we had multiple things to do. We went to an old French fortress that had a dungeon and all kinds of different things. I almost broke my neck going up and down stairs with my friend Ryan. I love traveling around with Ryan, because he is super curious, and he likes to see it all. We took different hiking routes (wearing flipflops) that surrounded the fortress, and we found a lot of cool views of the castle. After the fortress, we went to a creperie, which had the most amazing view of the Brittany countryside. Full on crepes, the group then went to see les Alignements de Carnacs which are des dolmens et des menhirs (in French). You may be asking what these are, and it is really hard to explain. France is a bit like Stonehenge because she has these stone creations that have remained for thousands of years. Approximately 2,000 to 4,000 years before Jesus Christ, the earth’s first inhabitants but huge rocks all in a row to signify different things. It was amazing to look at a sight so incredibly ancient. After les Alignments, we went to an oyster festival in a port city called Saint Goustan d’Auray. There were little local choirs, doggy lifeguards, tons of boats, and tons of amazing cookies and other chocolate and pastries. I tasted my first oyster, and it is sad to say, but I am definitely not a fan. It kind of tasted a bit like snot due to the texture of it, and it was so incredibly salty. I had to buy myself a beer after I tasted the oysters to get the flavor out of my mouth, but at least I knew they were fresh after eating them! Our last day, we took a bunch of placement tests in the morning to help the IES professors figure out all of the different levels of French throughout the 91 students. I think I did well on the little tests, and I feel that through talking with other students I will be placed in suitable level. Hopefully I did well! My French has improved so much since I have been in France, and it has only been one week. Throughout writing this whole post, it has been hard for me to retrieve the words that I want to write in English, because I can only think of them in French. Ca marche pour moi!

J'ai fait la connaissance de ma famille

2009-09-03T11:59:00.003+02:00

J’ai fait la connaissance de ma famille! After spending a less than luxurious night in a youth hostel in a pseudo low-budget part of Nantes, I have finally met the family I will be staying with for the next 4 months. There last name is de Champs. The couple’s names are Veronique and Xavier, and they have four children; two boys and two girls. One of the boys is 16, and the other is 10. Their names are Alexis (Alex) and Paul. Paul is an absolutely adorable little boy, and little brothers seem to be just the same as they are in the U.S., as Paul is constantly following Alex. The two girls are in the middle at ages 15 and 12. Their names are Clotilde and Maylis. Teenage girls seem to be the same in France as well, because when I first met the family, Clautilde had a friend over. They were anxiously discussing pictures on Facebook. The de Champs’ house is beautiful. It has two stories, with four bedrooms and a playroom on the first floor. On the second floor, there is a more formal living room, a dining room, the master-bedroom, the kitchen and a breakfast nook. In a really big house, I am still trying to figure out where all the bathrooms are. Apparently, I have my own bathroom (at least if I understood Madame de Champs correctly). She said the boys will use the bathroom from time to time to brush their teeth and such. The other weird thing about French houses in general is that their bathrooms are separated. What I mean by this is that one room has a shower and bath tub along with a sink, while another room across the hall has the actual toilet. I kind of feel the French could have saved space by putting the toilet with the rest of the bathroom appliances! I have my own room with a bed, a small dresser, a desk, a little bookcase, and two big shelves that run all the way across the room. The bed is the most comfortable thing in the world. The room has yellow wallpaper with blue fish and suns. It oddly reminds me of the North Palm Pool. My room shares a wall with the two boys’ room, which is hilarious because I can hear them bickering every now and then. Only having been here an hour, the family seems incredibly nice, understanding, and patient. They are very busy with so many kids running around, so I feel it was kind of easy for them to just take one more in. The kids are really polite and very nice. They found it weird that I wanted to shake hands with them, and then they taught me to do the double-sided cheek kiss. Still getting used to that one! It is interesting what they know and they don’t know about the United States. When I told them I was from Florida, Alexis was the only one who assuredly new it was “the big state the sticks out from the south.” That I will forever remember. I am off to Vannes the next four days. Vannes is just north of Nantes, and all of the kids from IES will be travleing with me for a orientation. I looked up the hotel we are staying in, and it says it is a three star hotel. This will be luxury compared to the hostel. I will not have the chance to write for the next few days, but I am sure I will have tons to share when I get back.

Le Commencement de la Journee

2009-08-31T20:19:00.002+02:00

I have officially made it to….Atlanta. One, very small, leg of the journey is done, and I am sitting in a very American-looking Starbucks across from my gate waiting for my flight to Paris. One of the things I am happiest about is the flashing light by the ticket counter, informing me I will be flying AirFrance. Possibility of a midnight glass of champagne? The downside to a late-night drink excitement is that upon leaving my last plane, I somehow randomly realized that I forgot to put my extensive contact information on my “checked” duffle bag. Let’s hope the big light-blue duffle with an embroidered “TPB” on it does not get lost. Alas, I am trying to quickly forget about that misfortune and turn my anxious heart to something else. Airports are very interesting places…especially the Atlanta airport. One of the my favorite movies is Love Actually, and in the beginning and end of the movie, Hugh Grant narrates that airports are full of all different kinds of love. Although I agree with Hugh Grant’s sentiments, I think there is also a huge part of airports that are full of hate. The duality of the emotions of love and hate has been incredibly apparent just a few hours into my trip. Our plane was late departing from West Palm, so the entire cabin is ready to jump out of their seat s and retrieve their multitude of checked items from the “extended” overhead bins. What, you may ask, is my problem with this? If all of these people stand up with the seatbelt sign still on, the plane immediately stops, making all of us even more anxious and late. Not only do I have a problem with the “premature carry-on retrievers,” but I also have a problem with the seated passengers on the plane who decide to yell at the people who have stood up. This one woman in front of me began to loudly dialogue about how all of the “premature carry-on retrievers” were such idiots and how they really should learn how to fly. I hope others agree with my sentiments that airports are full of more emotions than simply love. There is love, sadness, relief, anxiety, anger, happiness, hatred. All of these emotions rolled into one makes for a, at times, lethal combination. With about an hour and a half before my Paris flight leaves, I am back to eating my boxed lunch (money saver!) and drinking out of my Palm Beach Turvis Tumbler (thanks family!). I have an absolutely amazing people watching window, and it is really interesting to be able to sit here and point out the Americans and the non-Americans. We Americans are truly a strange breed, and I say that with love, although this French couple across from me appears to be incredibly relaxed. Love from the ATL. -Tay

"After all it was a great big world..."

2009-08-31T20:17:00.001+02:00

Never have these lyrics from the wonderful Tom Petty rung more truly. As Monday, August 31, 2009 continues to get closer, I feel myself becoming more anxious and more skeptical about what life in a foreign country will actually be like. Will it really be that different culturally? Will everything be the same except for speaking another language? My mind keeps circling around the fact that I have never been out of the country. I am Tom Petty’s “American Girl,” and I have no idea what life is going to be like next week as I walk along the rivers of Nantes. Anxiety and excitement all rolled into one are very difficult emotions to come to terms with. I feel like one of those Gumby dolls or those stretchy G.I. Joe muscle men/action figures being torn in two wayward directions. I desperately want to leave Palm Beach and run through the airport, clicking my heels (although I would fall) in excitement that my European adventure is finally beginning. At the same time, I want to cuddle up in my bed with my Dubby and Wally and prolong my departure time for just a few more weeks. It all just feels so incredibly surreal. Completing all of the paperwork, correspondence, and travel plans seemed so difficult while going through the process, and now it feels like I just dreamed I completed it all. How cannot I not seem to realize that this is not, in fact, a dream? Throughout this next five month journey of my life, I will be transforming into more than just an “American Girl.” One of my favorite quotes states that how we deal with change creates the authenticity of any one life. No one can challenge me on whether or not living in France for 4 months is change. I am facing change head on, and how I deal with an immense amount of change is taking me steps closer to a life authentic, truth-filled life. Je t’embrasse…-Tay