I know it's been over a week since my last post, but I've gotta say, I haven't felt the urge to write. To explain the title... I'm not in Morocco anymore but I'm certainly not in the US. It sounds obvious, but let me tell you, it's something I have to constantly remind myself. It's been kind of a stressful week as I didn't test well on the placement test for classes so now I have to take a class lower than I wanted, but just for a week until i can convince them that I should be in a higher level. I don't know why I'm so stressed about it, but I can't help it. If I don't get into the higher level I just wasted a very expensive semester. Although I LOVE my host family (my host mom wrote a thank you note to the program director for placing me here) and the people I've met have been great, it's weird because there isn't that constant action that was Morocco as a whole. Jason impressed me the other day with a great analogy. I was cranky and trying to figure out why and he said that expecting the same excitement from France that I had in Morocco is crazy and is like sky diving and expecting the same thrill while on the ground. Not to say that great things can't happen, but it's not the same exhilaration. He's so right!
But while France is not Morocco, it's also certainly not the United States. I have to constantly remind myself that though because there are so many similarities. There aren't the stark differences (like lack of hot water, turkish toilets, the call to prayer, etc) that were in morocco and each time the TV turns on, I see the same shows and movies (I'm watching meet joe black as i type this and I've already seen Avatar, House, CSI, Grey's and NCIS) as in the US, but am always surprised when it's in French! They have a dog, Easy, and sometimes when I'm talking to her it's more difficult to speak in French. Each day I realize that there is so much vocabulary that I've never had any need to know, but now i find I need to know how to say words like brain, shark, and scuba diving. I like it because i feel like talking with my host parents alone makes me that much better at understanding and speaking french.
other times i feel completely lost! it takes all of my attention to follow their conversations and a lot of the time after classes i just don't have the focus. My host mom doesn't speak any english (only a few choice words) and my host dad speaks a little but only tries in English when my mom's not around (he knows i should speak in French but he likes to practice and when I correct his english). They're really great people but I forget that they don't speak english. It became really clear when I was talking to my sister on skype and my host mom came in to ask me if I wanted to have some tea. She met Tricia, but had me translate for her. she was so cute telling me to let my sister know that I am well loved here and that I'm being taken care of. afterwards she said it was remarkable how fast i spoke with my sister. But I don't think they realized how fast they talk sometimes.
I'm at the end of my preprogram french class. tomorrow is the last day (finally!) and I can't wait to start real classes and have a real schedule. I haven't had a set, unchanging schedule since last may, so I'm ready for some structure. The preprogram wasn't bad but it would have been better if I liked my professor. He's just not a very good teacher unfortunately. But tomorrow is the last day! I really hope that my professors at the university are better.
Aside from that, I've been busy enough having fun with the people (mostly girls) I've met. Every morning I take the bus into Rennes (I live just outside of the city) with a couple other girls and I usually take it back with at least one. We eat lunch every day at the university dining hall, which is usually CRAZY busy. The food's pretty good for dining hall food (of course it is, I'm in France!) but there are random things that I decide to try... like today. I had a sandwich (the line was shorter) but I had no idea what was on it. Correction: even after eating it, I still have NO idea what was on it. There were hard boiled eggs, lettuce, tomato, mustard and... some kind of meat. Neither I nor my friends could figure out what it was, but it didn't taste like anything! Aside from that, the food has been incredible. SO MUCH CHEESE AND WINE!! Each time I eat cheese or bread or drink wine I decide that I'm definitely in the right country. Gotta love it! Ok it's time for bed but I'll keep you updated on how the next few days go! I need to start taking more pictures... I'll get on that. =)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Rennes and host family life =)
My life in Rennes... c'est comme ca. I LOVE IT HERE! I mean, I've been a little stressed, but for the most part, it's been incredible. I live in a town right next to rennes and I can get into the city in about 20 minutes on a bus that stops around the corner from my house. The city of rennes itself isn't that big, but with the towns that surround it, it's huge. I live in a neighborhood where all of the houses look the same, cute and small from the outside but pretty large inside. I have my own room which has a HUGE bed, a desk, a closet and a few shelves for my stuff along with a bathroom (without a toilet) attached. The WC (bathroom with just a toilet) is just outside my room. It's on the first floor right next to the door. As you enter the house, the living room is right there, and the dining room table is in the same room. They have a cute backyard and an amaryllis and an orchid along with a really cute kitchen. The upstairs is the study and their bedrooms.
The family... is incredible! I live with my host mom and dad who are just so cute. They have been together almost 30 years and are both the same age as my mom at home. They insist that I use the tu form of you (the less formal) and refer to them by their first names because they are truly young. =) I understand them for the most part but I'm actually concerned that as I become more comfortable, I'm understanding them less because I'm not listening as closely. They speak VERY little english which is perfect for me. I need the challenge. lol. Actually, staci said that they requested someone who was outgoing and spoke french well so that they could truly have conversations and get to know them and that's why they put me here. That made me really really happy because that means that they think I speak french well! Anyway, they have 3 kids, one son who is 27 who lives in Quebec with his wife and kids, a daughter who is 24 and lives in Rennes but not here and another daughter who is 20 and goes to school about half an hour away so she came back for the weekend. Oh yeah and they have a golden retriever named easy and 3 cats... one black, one gray and one is the puffiest and fluffiest cat i've ever seen in my entire life. I swear it must have gotten it's tail stuck in an electical outlet or something because this is one huge puffball. he's HUGE.
So Friday we had our placement tests and let me tell you I was buggin out I was so nervous. The night before I had the weirdest dreams and I woke up at 2:30am thinking I overslept and was going to miss the test. but my host mom came in at 8am to wake me up. I got ready and had breakfast with them. They keep asking me what i like to eat and i think they are really trying to make it as like home as possible, but I really want to tell them that I just want to eat what they normally eat. I told my host mom the first day that I will try almost anything. So for breakfast I had tea (which they like tea as much as I do! It's awesome.) and toast with butter and jam that my host mom makes. It was great! My host dad drove me so that i could figure out the bus over the weekend. The night before though they went over the bus schedule and route with me and my host mom even walked me to the bus stop to show me how to get back. It was so sweet!
So my host dad dropped me off and I found the building just fine. I met up with the others and we sat and just waited. Then we were led into a room for the test... except there wasn't enough room for all of us so ashley s and I had to take it in another room with students from all over. I felt so bad for this one girl who is from Spain I think because she doesn't speak any french. She asked if she could answer the questions in spanish and when they said no, i thought she was going to cry. she spoke very good english... but i guess not so much french. I felt so bad!! We were given the test and it really wasn't that bad. I mean, we were given a picture prompt, a conversation prompt, we had to make an argument (does true love still exist? or should we travel less to save the planet?), and there was a page of fill-ins on the back. The fill-in where pretty difficult and I keep thinking about what I should have written but I guess it went ok. I don't find out how I did until Wednesday so there's no point in worrying about it now I guess. After the test we got lunch at the university restaurant (which is like a 5 minute walk from the building) with les moniteurs, which we'll be doing for the rest of the semester. It was hilarious because I felt like a freshman again... we're like little lost puppies all the time because we have no idea what's going on. we went back to the same building after lunch and a woman came in and walked us through the paperwork we need to do for our student i.d.s and for the visas. A bunch of people went on a tour of the campus, but I was ready to go back to the house so I left with Ashley S and another friend who both live in the same town as me. I got back to the house and had a few minutes to myself, so I took some pictures of my room and everything. I thought about taking a nap, but instead I decided to hang out. Soon enough my host sister came home, then my host mom. My host mom and I had tea and chatted, then she made dinner and my host dad put in the code for the internet and told me I could use any of the books they have upstairs and put a huge dictionary in the downstairs closet for me. I showed them the pictures of my family and jason and friends. They ask so many questions!! I love it =) they want to know what everyone's doing and how many pets I have and do I eat this in the United states and what do I like to do and what is my sister studying? it's great! and it's not just like those questions that people ask to be polite, but they truly listen and try to help me when I try to explain something and I don't have the vocabulary. not once have they said forget it, but they really want to know what I have to say. it's so nice! after dinner we watched NCIS until both me and my host mom were falling asleep.
Saturday morning I had breakfast with my host mom after she woke me up. I woke up soooo confused because I had dreamt in english, but I woke up speaking french. Anyway, we went into Rennes where there is a huge open market every saturday morning. it's mostly fresh fruits, veggies and meat, but there were books too, which were pretty cool and fairly cheap. They showed us where our french class would be on monday, and where the bars are. Ashley S and I wandered around for a while, then met up with the others for lunch at a creperie. I guess rennes is known for les galettes, like a crepe, and it's alcoholic cider. it was incredible! Then we got our cell phones for here (i unfortunately left my phone from morocco in the hostel in dublin) so now i have a phone and it's actually nicer and less expensive than my phone at home! it has a keyboard, but of course, it's a french keyboard which is different than an american keyboard. afterwards we went to look for a converter for ashley, but they really didn't have any so we looked around a few stores (like H&M and Mim) and took the bus back. It's the first weekend of the semi annual sales so there were HUNDREDS of people there. It was like black friday. CRAZY. But my host mom assured me that this is the only day that it's really that bad. I came back to the house and went online. I had heard about the coup d'etat in tunisia and my friend Chandra had been there just days before. I didn't know she had already left so i was pretty worried for a lot of the day. luckily when i got back i found out she was already safe and sound in the US. I talked to her for a while, then talked to jason until my host mom and sister got back. I had more tea, and brought my computer into the living room where i started looking for classes i can take or audit (if I don't test high enough i can always audit) and i found a class on breton history and another on french contemporary society. I think i want to audit the class on Breton, the language also... we'll see. i want to talk to daniel and find out what would be the best to take.I gave my host parents the gifts I brought (hershey's chocolate, the change purse in the shape of a shoe from morocco made from leather, and a yankee candle. They loved them and i think they were perfect for them because my host dad LOVES chocolate and my host mom already claimed the shoe so she put her lipstick in it (thanks again Mom for getting the chocolate!). I have to say I did bring 2 bars of chocolate for them but i'm a terrible person and saved one for when i have a bad day.
So they whipped out maps and a photo book of the Britanny region of france so we could look at where I go to school and where I live with my family. They've actually been to eastern jersey before because they stayed there a night before going into NYC with their son who lives in Quebec. They've actually traveled quite a bit i think. My host mom was telling me that she and her husband went to thailand when their kids were young and marine, the 20 year old, has been to indonesia for some reason. They're really the coolest people ever! I'm having such a good time trying to figure out what they say and telling them about my life. It really makes me not want to travel and just spend my time here while I can! Oh and it doesn't hurt that my host mom is an awesome cook. we had quiche for dinner on saturday night and it was incredible!
Sunday I slept until 11am! I haven't found a church yet and I wanted to see what sundays are like here. and let me tell you, they know how to do sundays. I had breakfast when i got up and watched Brothers in french, then wrote in my room until lunch. Lunch was foie something and duck. I ate duck! and some type of liver! and chestnuts! It was sooo good too! I had more tea after and we watched Monk in French. i am loving sundays here. They cleaned while i typed in my room and my host mom keeps telling me that if i need to clean or if i want anything cleaned just to tell her and she showed me where things are so i can clean. Later I came out and met my host mom's daughter and her partner. They were really nice but it made dinner really intersesting. All 4 women had very strong opinions, so it was funny to hear them all talk sooo fast and argue. My host dad kept getting involved but a lot of the time he would just smile and eat. We had pizza, which was soo different because it had egg and creme fraiche and different things on it. I liked it a lot, but it was REALLY different. =) We watched a movie after dinner, then I went to bed because i had a very early monday morning for class.
The family... is incredible! I live with my host mom and dad who are just so cute. They have been together almost 30 years and are both the same age as my mom at home. They insist that I use the tu form of you (the less formal) and refer to them by their first names because they are truly young. =) I understand them for the most part but I'm actually concerned that as I become more comfortable, I'm understanding them less because I'm not listening as closely. They speak VERY little english which is perfect for me. I need the challenge. lol. Actually, staci said that they requested someone who was outgoing and spoke french well so that they could truly have conversations and get to know them and that's why they put me here. That made me really really happy because that means that they think I speak french well! Anyway, they have 3 kids, one son who is 27 who lives in Quebec with his wife and kids, a daughter who is 24 and lives in Rennes but not here and another daughter who is 20 and goes to school about half an hour away so she came back for the weekend. Oh yeah and they have a golden retriever named easy and 3 cats... one black, one gray and one is the puffiest and fluffiest cat i've ever seen in my entire life. I swear it must have gotten it's tail stuck in an electical outlet or something because this is one huge puffball. he's HUGE.
So Friday we had our placement tests and let me tell you I was buggin out I was so nervous. The night before I had the weirdest dreams and I woke up at 2:30am thinking I overslept and was going to miss the test. but my host mom came in at 8am to wake me up. I got ready and had breakfast with them. They keep asking me what i like to eat and i think they are really trying to make it as like home as possible, but I really want to tell them that I just want to eat what they normally eat. I told my host mom the first day that I will try almost anything. So for breakfast I had tea (which they like tea as much as I do! It's awesome.) and toast with butter and jam that my host mom makes. It was great! My host dad drove me so that i could figure out the bus over the weekend. The night before though they went over the bus schedule and route with me and my host mom even walked me to the bus stop to show me how to get back. It was so sweet!
So my host dad dropped me off and I found the building just fine. I met up with the others and we sat and just waited. Then we were led into a room for the test... except there wasn't enough room for all of us so ashley s and I had to take it in another room with students from all over. I felt so bad for this one girl who is from Spain I think because she doesn't speak any french. She asked if she could answer the questions in spanish and when they said no, i thought she was going to cry. she spoke very good english... but i guess not so much french. I felt so bad!! We were given the test and it really wasn't that bad. I mean, we were given a picture prompt, a conversation prompt, we had to make an argument (does true love still exist? or should we travel less to save the planet?), and there was a page of fill-ins on the back. The fill-in where pretty difficult and I keep thinking about what I should have written but I guess it went ok. I don't find out how I did until Wednesday so there's no point in worrying about it now I guess. After the test we got lunch at the university restaurant (which is like a 5 minute walk from the building) with les moniteurs, which we'll be doing for the rest of the semester. It was hilarious because I felt like a freshman again... we're like little lost puppies all the time because we have no idea what's going on. we went back to the same building after lunch and a woman came in and walked us through the paperwork we need to do for our student i.d.s and for the visas. A bunch of people went on a tour of the campus, but I was ready to go back to the house so I left with Ashley S and another friend who both live in the same town as me. I got back to the house and had a few minutes to myself, so I took some pictures of my room and everything. I thought about taking a nap, but instead I decided to hang out. Soon enough my host sister came home, then my host mom. My host mom and I had tea and chatted, then she made dinner and my host dad put in the code for the internet and told me I could use any of the books they have upstairs and put a huge dictionary in the downstairs closet for me. I showed them the pictures of my family and jason and friends. They ask so many questions!! I love it =) they want to know what everyone's doing and how many pets I have and do I eat this in the United states and what do I like to do and what is my sister studying? it's great! and it's not just like those questions that people ask to be polite, but they truly listen and try to help me when I try to explain something and I don't have the vocabulary. not once have they said forget it, but they really want to know what I have to say. it's so nice! after dinner we watched NCIS until both me and my host mom were falling asleep.
Saturday morning I had breakfast with my host mom after she woke me up. I woke up soooo confused because I had dreamt in english, but I woke up speaking french. Anyway, we went into Rennes where there is a huge open market every saturday morning. it's mostly fresh fruits, veggies and meat, but there were books too, which were pretty cool and fairly cheap. They showed us where our french class would be on monday, and where the bars are. Ashley S and I wandered around for a while, then met up with the others for lunch at a creperie. I guess rennes is known for les galettes, like a crepe, and it's alcoholic cider. it was incredible! Then we got our cell phones for here (i unfortunately left my phone from morocco in the hostel in dublin) so now i have a phone and it's actually nicer and less expensive than my phone at home! it has a keyboard, but of course, it's a french keyboard which is different than an american keyboard. afterwards we went to look for a converter for ashley, but they really didn't have any so we looked around a few stores (like H&M and Mim) and took the bus back. It's the first weekend of the semi annual sales so there were HUNDREDS of people there. It was like black friday. CRAZY. But my host mom assured me that this is the only day that it's really that bad. I came back to the house and went online. I had heard about the coup d'etat in tunisia and my friend Chandra had been there just days before. I didn't know she had already left so i was pretty worried for a lot of the day. luckily when i got back i found out she was already safe and sound in the US. I talked to her for a while, then talked to jason until my host mom and sister got back. I had more tea, and brought my computer into the living room where i started looking for classes i can take or audit (if I don't test high enough i can always audit) and i found a class on breton history and another on french contemporary society. I think i want to audit the class on Breton, the language also... we'll see. i want to talk to daniel and find out what would be the best to take.I gave my host parents the gifts I brought (hershey's chocolate, the change purse in the shape of a shoe from morocco made from leather, and a yankee candle. They loved them and i think they were perfect for them because my host dad LOVES chocolate and my host mom already claimed the shoe so she put her lipstick in it (thanks again Mom for getting the chocolate!). I have to say I did bring 2 bars of chocolate for them but i'm a terrible person and saved one for when i have a bad day.
So they whipped out maps and a photo book of the Britanny region of france so we could look at where I go to school and where I live with my family. They've actually been to eastern jersey before because they stayed there a night before going into NYC with their son who lives in Quebec. They've actually traveled quite a bit i think. My host mom was telling me that she and her husband went to thailand when their kids were young and marine, the 20 year old, has been to indonesia for some reason. They're really the coolest people ever! I'm having such a good time trying to figure out what they say and telling them about my life. It really makes me not want to travel and just spend my time here while I can! Oh and it doesn't hurt that my host mom is an awesome cook. we had quiche for dinner on saturday night and it was incredible!
Sunday I slept until 11am! I haven't found a church yet and I wanted to see what sundays are like here. and let me tell you, they know how to do sundays. I had breakfast when i got up and watched Brothers in french, then wrote in my room until lunch. Lunch was foie something and duck. I ate duck! and some type of liver! and chestnuts! It was sooo good too! I had more tea after and we watched Monk in French. i am loving sundays here. They cleaned while i typed in my room and my host mom keeps telling me that if i need to clean or if i want anything cleaned just to tell her and she showed me where things are so i can clean. Later I came out and met my host mom's daughter and her partner. They were really nice but it made dinner really intersesting. All 4 women had very strong opinions, so it was funny to hear them all talk sooo fast and argue. My host dad kept getting involved but a lot of the time he would just smile and eat. We had pizza, which was soo different because it had egg and creme fraiche and different things on it. I liked it a lot, but it was REALLY different. =) We watched a movie after dinner, then I went to bed because i had a very early monday morning for class.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
J'adore Paris et Rennes!
Ok sorry it took me soooo long to write... it's been an insane past couple of days. nothing too too crazy, just really long. So I think i left off when i was on my way to paris from lille after i couldn't land in beauvais. so 2 hours later I arrived at beauvais where I had to take another bus into paris. luckily i figured it out and got onto the bus pretty quickly, but by that time it didn't even matter. I was already late for the pick up from charles de gaulle so i figured i'd just get there as fast as i could without stressing too much. so i got into port maillot and took a cab to the hotel. I walked in the door, and was welcomed by my program director and the assistant who organized the host families, Daniel and Staci. As soon as I walked in they were like, "oh are you erin??" (but of course in french. from the beginning, everything is in french. it takes a little getting used to but i LOVE it). I explained everything that happened and they reassured me that i didn't miss too much. One of les moniteurs (students at the university in Rennes who came to Paris for orientation and help us get around and answer our day to day questions throughout the semester), Pierre-Yves, helped me bring my stuff up to my room, where I met my roommates both named Ashley. I just dropped off my stuff to go right back downstairs to meet with Staci and Daniel so they could fill me in on what I missed. They're sooo nice! Staci is from Milwaulkee, and although she's lived in France for something like 11 years, she still has a mid-west accent with her French, making it a little easier to understand. Also, I've found that I understand women much better than men which is strange. i'm still trying to figure that out. lol.
Anyway, I got the low down on the schedule for the week and they gave me tickets for the metro, some spending money (which was spent solely on food) and a time for my meeting with them so that they can place me with a host family. I went back to my room, a little overwhelmed, and began to organize my stuff. The Ashley's were wandering around the city, so I had some time to myself to change and relax and stuff. I had internet for like 5 minutes before it decided not to work, so I went downstairs and decided to walk around a bit before meeting the group for dinner. Our hotel was right across the bridge from Notre Dame, so I walked to the bridge and just stayed there for a bit to collect my thoughts. The whole day was so overwhelming, I think I just needed a moment.
I went back to the hotel and realized that I had left my key in my other jeans, so I was soooo happy when I knocked and my roommates were both there. We got ready for dinner and headed down a little late. Everyone had left already except Daniel and Staci and a few students in a different program through ciee. So we took the metro and went to dinner with them. I learned there are 4 Ashleys on the trip and 3 Katherines along with a Katie and 2 Rachels. Luckily I'm the only Erin (Thanks Mom for not giving me a super popular name!) because I can't imagine how confusing it must be for them. Anyway, we got to dinner a little late, but we were the first to get there. After a few minutes though, it was a little overwhelming having the entire 42 person group at dinner. We had this awesome fish dish (yes I ate and enjoyed fish... look what morocco and traveling has done to me!) and for dessert... creme brulee! It was a great meal, but more importantly, it was so much fun. Of course it was in French (for the most part) but we had a pretty good time. By the time we were done, i was done for the day. I just wanted to go back to the hotel and go to sleep. So I went back and got ready for bed, read a little (which btw I already finished the Kite Runner) and went to sleep.
The next morning we were up pretty early for breakfast at the hotel, then we went to Montmartre. I LOVE MONTMARTRE! I had been there my first time in France, just after high school and it was just as I remember. It was a little strange seeing it again because the first time is like a distant dream now. I was with completely different people and it was such a different time. But this time we visited Moulin Rouge. It was pretty cool to just be there, but it made me want to watch the movie soooo badly. haha. we went to a cafe not far, then we went back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch we went to the Hotel de Ville, or the old city hall. I'd never been there and apparently it's pretty hard to get a tour. There's a hall that looks VERY similar to the Hall of Mirrors in the palace of Versaille, except on the walls, near the ceiling, there are paintings of women from each part of france. It was pretty neat. I liked the tour a lot, but it was a little long and towards the end we were all just soooo tired. But we quickly regained our excitement after when we left for the Eiffel Tower. I decided not to go up this time, but it was so cool to see it all lit up and beautiful. While some went up, we went to a cafe (my 2nd for the day) and sat and chatted. We had way too much fun just chatting and getting to know each other, then we regrouped and went back to the hotel. We were left on our own for dinner, and one of the Ashleys I guess had made plans with one of the other girls to get dinner right after we got back. The other Ashley and I were like, oh ok well we can get ready fast and go down. But I guess it wasn't an invitation because when Ashley S went to the bathroom, Ashley Z said good bye and that she was going to dinner. I was a little surprised, but Ashley S and I chatted for a while, then decided to go down when we were ready and see if anyone else was going to dinner. We ended up going to dinner with les moniteurs, Clemence, Adeline, Pierre-Yves and Viktor, and a few other students. We went to a greek restaurant for dinner, then to a bar not far for a few drinks. It was hilarious. we ended up at this piano bar -type place and ordered drinks that we had never heard of before. I had only one, but let me tell you that was enough. after not drinking very often in morocco and at home and adding that to my already low tolerance, one was more than enough. My friends though had 2 and were less silly than I was! But it was fun and it was a good night. Ashley and I went back to the room and talked for a long time, until the other ashley came back and talked with us. By the end of the night, we were all exhausted.
The next morning all three of us had our meetings with Staci and Daniel so we had breakfast, then went back to the room to sleep.Ashley S had her appointment first, so I got ready after she left, then I went down a little after she got back. It was the first time I'd showered since... the day I left. Which was Saturday. and it was now Wednesday... Definitely a product of Morocco! My meeting didn't take too long. They asked me whether it mattered if the family smoked, had kids, had pets, etc. They asked what my interests are and asked what my experience in Morocco was like and how my host family was there. I told them how much I loved my host family in Rabat and that nothing really matters, kids, no kids it doesn't matter to me.
When I got back to the room I slept for a while, then I woke up the Ashleys and we went to Notre Dame to see the inside. They had never been inside and I told them it was important. It's sooo beautiful! So we went and came back, a little late for lunch at the hotel again. After lunch we went to le musee carnivalet which was kind of cool, but ultimately I was sooo tired of tours and walking at that point and our tour guide just kept talking. and talking. and talking. as usual, en francais tous les temps. it was a little too much for me, but when we were done we went back to the hotel and hung out until 6, when we walked/ran to our bateau mouche (a boat tour on the Seine). It was so nice! We went down the seine past the small statue of liberty and we passed the eiffel tower just as it lit up (it's always lit at night, but every hour on the hour, they put on lights that make it truly sparkle). It is impossible to describe, but en francais, c'est magnifique!
After the boat tour, we went to dinner with everyone again at a restaurant just across the bridge from Notre Dame. It was a really cute place and the food was great! Some people went out afterwards, but I really didn't have the energy for it. So Ashley S and I went back to the hotel so she could pack and I could sleep, but neither of those things happened. We ended up talking and didn't go to sleep until well after the other Ashley returned from the bar
The next morning we got up far too early because we had to be at breakfast by 7:30am. We left on the bus at 8:30 and arrived in Chartres at around 10 I think. We had another tour of the cathedral, but it was awesome! We walked into the church and stood for a few moments before our guide came. He came over and as soon as he opened his mouth Ashley and I turned to each other and were like "yes!" He was an old english man who reminded me more and more of Bilbo Baggins the more he spoke. He was such a cute old man! and oh man did he know a lot about the cathedral. we sat in the middle while he told us the history and the explained the story on one of the stained glass windows. It was the coolest thing ever. We had lunch in Chartres, then left for Rennes. On the bus Staci called us up to her seat one by one to tell us who was in our host family and where it was. I was so happy I was sitting near the front! We got into Rennes around 6:30 and met our host families at the university. It was so funny because the first meeting is soooo awkward and some were clearly less comfortable than others, but it was pretty clear that everyone was pretty excited. It was actually kind of like a 7th grade dance, girls on one side boys on the other. Except this time it was excited families on one side and anxious students on the other. My host mom met me when they called our names and we talked for a while, then left for her house.
Anyway, I got the low down on the schedule for the week and they gave me tickets for the metro, some spending money (which was spent solely on food) and a time for my meeting with them so that they can place me with a host family. I went back to my room, a little overwhelmed, and began to organize my stuff. The Ashley's were wandering around the city, so I had some time to myself to change and relax and stuff. I had internet for like 5 minutes before it decided not to work, so I went downstairs and decided to walk around a bit before meeting the group for dinner. Our hotel was right across the bridge from Notre Dame, so I walked to the bridge and just stayed there for a bit to collect my thoughts. The whole day was so overwhelming, I think I just needed a moment.
I went back to the hotel and realized that I had left my key in my other jeans, so I was soooo happy when I knocked and my roommates were both there. We got ready for dinner and headed down a little late. Everyone had left already except Daniel and Staci and a few students in a different program through ciee. So we took the metro and went to dinner with them. I learned there are 4 Ashleys on the trip and 3 Katherines along with a Katie and 2 Rachels. Luckily I'm the only Erin (Thanks Mom for not giving me a super popular name!) because I can't imagine how confusing it must be for them. Anyway, we got to dinner a little late, but we were the first to get there. After a few minutes though, it was a little overwhelming having the entire 42 person group at dinner. We had this awesome fish dish (yes I ate and enjoyed fish... look what morocco and traveling has done to me!) and for dessert... creme brulee! It was a great meal, but more importantly, it was so much fun. Of course it was in French (for the most part) but we had a pretty good time. By the time we were done, i was done for the day. I just wanted to go back to the hotel and go to sleep. So I went back and got ready for bed, read a little (which btw I already finished the Kite Runner) and went to sleep.
The next morning we were up pretty early for breakfast at the hotel, then we went to Montmartre. I LOVE MONTMARTRE! I had been there my first time in France, just after high school and it was just as I remember. It was a little strange seeing it again because the first time is like a distant dream now. I was with completely different people and it was such a different time. But this time we visited Moulin Rouge. It was pretty cool to just be there, but it made me want to watch the movie soooo badly. haha. we went to a cafe not far, then we went back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch we went to the Hotel de Ville, or the old city hall. I'd never been there and apparently it's pretty hard to get a tour. There's a hall that looks VERY similar to the Hall of Mirrors in the palace of Versaille, except on the walls, near the ceiling, there are paintings of women from each part of france. It was pretty neat. I liked the tour a lot, but it was a little long and towards the end we were all just soooo tired. But we quickly regained our excitement after when we left for the Eiffel Tower. I decided not to go up this time, but it was so cool to see it all lit up and beautiful. While some went up, we went to a cafe (my 2nd for the day) and sat and chatted. We had way too much fun just chatting and getting to know each other, then we regrouped and went back to the hotel. We were left on our own for dinner, and one of the Ashleys I guess had made plans with one of the other girls to get dinner right after we got back. The other Ashley and I were like, oh ok well we can get ready fast and go down. But I guess it wasn't an invitation because when Ashley S went to the bathroom, Ashley Z said good bye and that she was going to dinner. I was a little surprised, but Ashley S and I chatted for a while, then decided to go down when we were ready and see if anyone else was going to dinner. We ended up going to dinner with les moniteurs, Clemence, Adeline, Pierre-Yves and Viktor, and a few other students. We went to a greek restaurant for dinner, then to a bar not far for a few drinks. It was hilarious. we ended up at this piano bar -type place and ordered drinks that we had never heard of before. I had only one, but let me tell you that was enough. after not drinking very often in morocco and at home and adding that to my already low tolerance, one was more than enough. My friends though had 2 and were less silly than I was! But it was fun and it was a good night. Ashley and I went back to the room and talked for a long time, until the other ashley came back and talked with us. By the end of the night, we were all exhausted.
The next morning all three of us had our meetings with Staci and Daniel so we had breakfast, then went back to the room to sleep.Ashley S had her appointment first, so I got ready after she left, then I went down a little after she got back. It was the first time I'd showered since... the day I left. Which was Saturday. and it was now Wednesday... Definitely a product of Morocco! My meeting didn't take too long. They asked me whether it mattered if the family smoked, had kids, had pets, etc. They asked what my interests are and asked what my experience in Morocco was like and how my host family was there. I told them how much I loved my host family in Rabat and that nothing really matters, kids, no kids it doesn't matter to me.
When I got back to the room I slept for a while, then I woke up the Ashleys and we went to Notre Dame to see the inside. They had never been inside and I told them it was important. It's sooo beautiful! So we went and came back, a little late for lunch at the hotel again. After lunch we went to le musee carnivalet which was kind of cool, but ultimately I was sooo tired of tours and walking at that point and our tour guide just kept talking. and talking. and talking. as usual, en francais tous les temps. it was a little too much for me, but when we were done we went back to the hotel and hung out until 6, when we walked/ran to our bateau mouche (a boat tour on the Seine). It was so nice! We went down the seine past the small statue of liberty and we passed the eiffel tower just as it lit up (it's always lit at night, but every hour on the hour, they put on lights that make it truly sparkle). It is impossible to describe, but en francais, c'est magnifique!
After the boat tour, we went to dinner with everyone again at a restaurant just across the bridge from Notre Dame. It was a really cute place and the food was great! Some people went out afterwards, but I really didn't have the energy for it. So Ashley S and I went back to the hotel so she could pack and I could sleep, but neither of those things happened. We ended up talking and didn't go to sleep until well after the other Ashley returned from the bar
The next morning we got up far too early because we had to be at breakfast by 7:30am. We left on the bus at 8:30 and arrived in Chartres at around 10 I think. We had another tour of the cathedral, but it was awesome! We walked into the church and stood for a few moments before our guide came. He came over and as soon as he opened his mouth Ashley and I turned to each other and were like "yes!" He was an old english man who reminded me more and more of Bilbo Baggins the more he spoke. He was such a cute old man! and oh man did he know a lot about the cathedral. we sat in the middle while he told us the history and the explained the story on one of the stained glass windows. It was the coolest thing ever. We had lunch in Chartres, then left for Rennes. On the bus Staci called us up to her seat one by one to tell us who was in our host family and where it was. I was so happy I was sitting near the front! We got into Rennes around 6:30 and met our host families at the university. It was so funny because the first meeting is soooo awkward and some were clearly less comfortable than others, but it was pretty clear that everyone was pretty excited. It was actually kind of like a 7th grade dance, girls on one side boys on the other. Except this time it was excited families on one side and anxious students on the other. My host mom met me when they called our names and we talked for a while, then left for her house.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Oh boy... what have i gotten myself into?!
Sunday
So I got through security with no issues (they let me through with hand sanitizer in my purse... clearly recognizing how much i need given my recent lack of hygiene after Morocco) and sat with plenty of time. There was the CUTEST irish family sitting next to me, the youngest boy racing a car under the waiting area seats. As we were in line to get on the plane I overheard the girl behind me trying to figure out how to get an aisle seat as she had just gotten food poisoning and was concerned about how fast she could get to the bathroom. so I switched with her and actually got a seat near the wing with extra leg room. The flight was pretty boring, thank God. I watched the social network which made me happy because i had missed it when it came out and I slept the rest of the trip. It was very dark when we landed in Dublin.
Oh Dublin. I love it here and can't wait to come back, but it's been suuuch a random day. I took a cab (the dricer was the cutest old irish guy who loved telling me all about Ireland and Dublin and where everything is) to the hostel I had picked out, just to find out that I had made a reservation for the night of the 9th... while I was in the air. Luckily there was room, but I couldn't get into the room until 2. it was 8am. So I left my bags and realized that if I had booked the hostel for the wrong day, I probably booked my flight for the wrong day. I checked and there it was. I hadn't even landed in Dublin when I was supposed to be boarding a flight on the way to Paris. But since it's a Sunday morning, nothing's open so I can't do anything about it anyway. So I walked. I walked and walked and walked all around the city just taking it in. The sun rose well after 9, right before I found a Catholic church that had mass at 9:30. It was a beautiful cathedral and a very short but sweet mass. I was walking around after just looking at the statues and stained glass when a young man approached me asking me if he'd seen me before and whether I wanted to talk. He seemed nice and I had nothing else to do (and besides I was still in the church surrounded by old Irish people) so I figured, why not? It turns out he's from Nigeria and is studying engineering. He gave me his facebook info and email, then asked me if he could take me to breakfast. So I went with him (i figured it was money i wouldn't have to spend later when I was actually hungry) to a nice little restaurant that played rihanna the entire time we talked about nigeria, morocco and the USA. It was a pretty cool breakfast. Afterwards he showed me where i could take the bus the next morning to get to the airport. He invited me to his apartment but don't worry mom, I didn't go. Instead we said good bye and I went to the internet cafe so I could let everyone know that i was safe and buy my ticket for france for the right day.
I headed back towards the hostel, but it wasn't 2pm yet soo I decided to go to Trinity College which btw is only a 2 minute walk from the hostel. I walked through campus, went and saw the Book of Kells which was cool and interesting but definitely not worth the 9euro to look at a book behind glass that you can't take pictures of. But I thought my mom would kill me if I didn't at the very least see it. I sat on a bench and read my book for a while, then stopped to watch a men's rugby practice (i think it only interests me because no matter how many times i watch it i still don't get it... kind of like football) then continued wandering around dublin. I stumbled on the national wax museum which sounded cool but in actuality was pretty damn creepy. I mean, i think it could have been fun but I was also alone, and nothing is as much fun alone as it is with friends. By that time it was almost 3 so I went to the hostel and got my baggage from the luggage room and went to the room I was sharing with 3 other girls. No one was there so I decided i was in desperate need of a nap. I put the sheets they gave me on my bed and slept for at least 2 hours. I woke up and had no drive to get out of bed, but I knew if i didn't i wouldn't sleep well at night and I had a very early morning the next day. So I got up and remembered that i hadn't brushed my teeth, washed my face, or taken my thyroid pills in about a day. to be honest with you i still don't have the energy to figure out how long it had been. lol.
so as i was getting ready, the girls i was sharing a room with got back. they are sooo nice! They're from germany, but they're studying in manchester and just visiting ireland before they go back to school. they slept while i read, then they asked me if i wanted to order food with them. sorry mom, but i didn't get fish and chips like you insisted, but i did get chips... with my chinese food. I couldn't get over the fact that I am American on my way to France eating Chinese food with German friends in Ireland and the last meal i'd had was with a nigerian. let's add a few more countries in there, shall we? it blew my mind.
I have to say, the hostel i was in was AWESOME. It has WiFi downstairs, was really clean and had free coffee and tea. It was minutes from the Temple BAr (which i was too exhausted to see) and Trinity College. Oh and did I mention that it was 10 euro a night? or that it had a bus come and pick me up for the airport at 4:30am for 7 euro? it was perfect. So if you're going to dublin... Ashfield House fo sho.
Monday
Thank God I woke up in time (I even woke up at 2:30 thinking i was already late) and was able to get all my stuff together. One of the girls in the room was also leaving in the morning so we left together on the bus. When I got to the airport I found out that I'd made a mistake and bought luggage space for one 15kg bag instead of 20kg. wasn't going to happen. So I had to buy a second bag to add to it and just checked my carry on (I wasn't positive it was going to make the size restriction cut anyway). Unfortunately, after checkin both bags I realized that my computer was still in the bag that was going to be my checked bag. I started to get nervous, but at this point there was nothing I could do so I said a prayer and went through security, no problem. I got to my gate with half an hour til my flight and they were still boarding for the last flight that was leaving from that gate. Again, I got on with no issues. After a while though I was nervous because it was nearing 9am and we weren't descending. A woman came on the loudspeaker and told us that Beauvais was closed and that we were landing in Lille. Awesome. Once we landed they assured us that there would be a bus going to Beauvais. So we all rushed to get through and put our baggage on the bus, but only a few made it onto the first one. So I took my luggage off that bus and waited for the next. Althought it looked like it was filling up, I got onto the next bus, but it's going to take about 2 hours... great. a shuttle was supposed to pick me up at 9:30 from the airport to take me to charles de gaulle in time to meet with my program director for orientation. not going to happen. i'm hoping that the shuttle at least is there though because regardless of the time, I need to make it into Paris to take the metro and find the hotel i'll be staying in with my program.
So I got through security with no issues (they let me through with hand sanitizer in my purse... clearly recognizing how much i need given my recent lack of hygiene after Morocco) and sat with plenty of time. There was the CUTEST irish family sitting next to me, the youngest boy racing a car under the waiting area seats. As we were in line to get on the plane I overheard the girl behind me trying to figure out how to get an aisle seat as she had just gotten food poisoning and was concerned about how fast she could get to the bathroom. so I switched with her and actually got a seat near the wing with extra leg room. The flight was pretty boring, thank God. I watched the social network which made me happy because i had missed it when it came out and I slept the rest of the trip. It was very dark when we landed in Dublin.
Oh Dublin. I love it here and can't wait to come back, but it's been suuuch a random day. I took a cab (the dricer was the cutest old irish guy who loved telling me all about Ireland and Dublin and where everything is) to the hostel I had picked out, just to find out that I had made a reservation for the night of the 9th... while I was in the air. Luckily there was room, but I couldn't get into the room until 2. it was 8am. So I left my bags and realized that if I had booked the hostel for the wrong day, I probably booked my flight for the wrong day. I checked and there it was. I hadn't even landed in Dublin when I was supposed to be boarding a flight on the way to Paris. But since it's a Sunday morning, nothing's open so I can't do anything about it anyway. So I walked. I walked and walked and walked all around the city just taking it in. The sun rose well after 9, right before I found a Catholic church that had mass at 9:30. It was a beautiful cathedral and a very short but sweet mass. I was walking around after just looking at the statues and stained glass when a young man approached me asking me if he'd seen me before and whether I wanted to talk. He seemed nice and I had nothing else to do (and besides I was still in the church surrounded by old Irish people) so I figured, why not? It turns out he's from Nigeria and is studying engineering. He gave me his facebook info and email, then asked me if he could take me to breakfast. So I went with him (i figured it was money i wouldn't have to spend later when I was actually hungry) to a nice little restaurant that played rihanna the entire time we talked about nigeria, morocco and the USA. It was a pretty cool breakfast. Afterwards he showed me where i could take the bus the next morning to get to the airport. He invited me to his apartment but don't worry mom, I didn't go. Instead we said good bye and I went to the internet cafe so I could let everyone know that i was safe and buy my ticket for france for the right day.
I headed back towards the hostel, but it wasn't 2pm yet soo I decided to go to Trinity College which btw is only a 2 minute walk from the hostel. I walked through campus, went and saw the Book of Kells which was cool and interesting but definitely not worth the 9euro to look at a book behind glass that you can't take pictures of. But I thought my mom would kill me if I didn't at the very least see it. I sat on a bench and read my book for a while, then stopped to watch a men's rugby practice (i think it only interests me because no matter how many times i watch it i still don't get it... kind of like football) then continued wandering around dublin. I stumbled on the national wax museum which sounded cool but in actuality was pretty damn creepy. I mean, i think it could have been fun but I was also alone, and nothing is as much fun alone as it is with friends. By that time it was almost 3 so I went to the hostel and got my baggage from the luggage room and went to the room I was sharing with 3 other girls. No one was there so I decided i was in desperate need of a nap. I put the sheets they gave me on my bed and slept for at least 2 hours. I woke up and had no drive to get out of bed, but I knew if i didn't i wouldn't sleep well at night and I had a very early morning the next day. So I got up and remembered that i hadn't brushed my teeth, washed my face, or taken my thyroid pills in about a day. to be honest with you i still don't have the energy to figure out how long it had been. lol.
so as i was getting ready, the girls i was sharing a room with got back. they are sooo nice! They're from germany, but they're studying in manchester and just visiting ireland before they go back to school. they slept while i read, then they asked me if i wanted to order food with them. sorry mom, but i didn't get fish and chips like you insisted, but i did get chips... with my chinese food. I couldn't get over the fact that I am American on my way to France eating Chinese food with German friends in Ireland and the last meal i'd had was with a nigerian. let's add a few more countries in there, shall we? it blew my mind.
I have to say, the hostel i was in was AWESOME. It has WiFi downstairs, was really clean and had free coffee and tea. It was minutes from the Temple BAr (which i was too exhausted to see) and Trinity College. Oh and did I mention that it was 10 euro a night? or that it had a bus come and pick me up for the airport at 4:30am for 7 euro? it was perfect. So if you're going to dublin... Ashfield House fo sho.
Monday
Thank God I woke up in time (I even woke up at 2:30 thinking i was already late) and was able to get all my stuff together. One of the girls in the room was also leaving in the morning so we left together on the bus. When I got to the airport I found out that I'd made a mistake and bought luggage space for one 15kg bag instead of 20kg. wasn't going to happen. So I had to buy a second bag to add to it and just checked my carry on (I wasn't positive it was going to make the size restriction cut anyway). Unfortunately, after checkin both bags I realized that my computer was still in the bag that was going to be my checked bag. I started to get nervous, but at this point there was nothing I could do so I said a prayer and went through security, no problem. I got to my gate with half an hour til my flight and they were still boarding for the last flight that was leaving from that gate. Again, I got on with no issues. After a while though I was nervous because it was nearing 9am and we weren't descending. A woman came on the loudspeaker and told us that Beauvais was closed and that we were landing in Lille. Awesome. Once we landed they assured us that there would be a bus going to Beauvais. So we all rushed to get through and put our baggage on the bus, but only a few made it onto the first one. So I took my luggage off that bus and waited for the next. Althought it looked like it was filling up, I got onto the next bus, but it's going to take about 2 hours... great. a shuttle was supposed to pick me up at 9:30 from the airport to take me to charles de gaulle in time to meet with my program director for orientation. not going to happen. i'm hoping that the shuttle at least is there though because regardless of the time, I need to make it into Paris to take the metro and find the hotel i'll be staying in with my program.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Peacin out again!
So I after spending waaaayyyyy too much energy trying to pack and far too much time in the Hampton Diner catching up with people I'm heading out again tonight. I'm actually really nervous. A lot has happened since I've been home and this break was much more difficult than I had anticipated. I don't feel ready, but then again I'm never ready to leave home. I love traveling but I am soooo awful at good byes. I'm off onto the next big adventure though! First stop: Dublin. A night in Dublin then an early morning in Paris. A couple days in Paris for orientation, then RENNES! I'm excited nervous and scared but I know/keep telling myself that I'm ready and will have an awesome time. Wish me luck again and pray for me!
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