I just finished a dinner with my host family that was easily the best yet. They had company over, a timid girl from next door so they were out to impress. They opened the night by giving Jun and I whiskey, but unfortunately for Jun he had never had it before. He took one sip and spent about five minutes reeling in agony before just finishing the rest out of politeness. He turned dark red and my host dad couldn't stop laughing. ''I asked you what you wanted, you said WHISKEY!''
So then they brought out the wine and the American politic talk and everything else you can imagine (big portions in America, movies only about money etc) and for once I was carrying a real conversation in French. My host Dad knows a few words in English and most of them are animals of some sort and they sort of appear from nowhere. We will be watching the news and it's a story on bees, there are several pictures of bees and he will mutter 'Bees.' Tonight he asked me a question while my mouth full and said, 'Hampster.'
After dinner they brought out Cointreau because it is made in France and I had inferred about it earlier. At this point Jun is swaying, silent and dark red. He very openly refuses the Cointreau but Mr. Palomba insists it is less strong than the whiskey. Jun takes a sip, reels in discomfort again and then Monsieur reads the label and says, ''Oh wait, it IS the same amount of alcohol as the whiskey.'' I thought Jun would fall asleep on the table but he somehow managed his way up the stairs. I would love to read Jun's diary on French and American culture at this point. He is probably praying for his departure date to arrive at this rate.
Monday, February 25, 2008
le weekend
This weekend I ventured off to a few quaint towns with the C.I.D.E.F. (International Students). We went to St. Malo which is an old fisherman town on the beach and after that we went to Mont St. Michel which is an Abbey and little village on an island. The trip was okay, at first they plopped us down into the town of St. Malo and it really just seemed like they wanted us to purchase something. I can do without a pink and white "St. Malo" airbrushed sweatshirt or dragon sword so my friend Josh, Lauren and I made our way to the beach for the whole time. Some of it was truly great. We stumbled upon an old swimming pool perched up on the beach and numerous little islands surrounding the town.
I think the best moment of the entire day came when we were all walking quietly looking at the rocks. I was looking for a heart shaped rock to add to the collection my brother and I have going for our Mom (Boulder, CO and the Virgin Islands). That was the most sincere moment of the day because the rest of it felt so contrived it was basically unenjoyable. Earlier I said, "Well this is a quaint town." Josh responds, "It is...and they know it is." I think that's a great way to sum it up. They turned a fantastic place into a shell of a fantastic place. As soon as you begin talking about the beauty of something you start "framing it" so that you are no longer taking it in but instead rationalizing it and trying to capture it. As for Mt. St Michel, a grand tower and town on and island almost have to be taken in by yourself to be truly enjoyed I think. Nonetheless it was very amazing to see and I have never witnessed anything like it.
What does Kansas have to compare to these ancient, ascetic places? Us Kansas kids asked that question as we were all marvelling at the castles and giant walls. Kansas is sort of like anything in the sense that if you had never seen anything like it before it is pretty amazing (except for Manhattan/Topeka/Wichita). How beautifully open is Kansas on the whole? How neat is it to witness nearly every weather phenomenon in the course of a year? It is conversely interesting to see a "new" place like Kansas in a strange comparison to Europe. The beauty of a place can vary greatly and I love to see the various versions. It is difficult not to compare the new things I find to what I know as familiar. I don't think I am necessarily going to be spoiled by the beauty of Europe when I return, instead I will be looking for it with my eyes open wide.
For Sunday I went jogging with my roommate Jun who is getting the hang of being here (he actually just came back from the wine caves and is full of slurred things to say!) and our communication has switched over to a form of French/English and telepathy. Well it is either telepathy or apathy from me I haven't decided! He is a nice guy to have around and he has made his own friends very quickly. My vintage velo is finally fixed up and ready to go and I feel like the cool kid in class who has a car before turning 16. It feels too easy to get around town not having to rely on the bus and I now that the bike is working it has been the best 50 Euros I have ever spent.
When I bought the bike the older gentleman insisted my host mom and I come in for drinks, snacks and conversation. It wasn't like purchasing a used item in America where it's a handshake, a quick monetary exchange and you're off. This was a process to be sure. Fortunately the minute the pedal broke my host mom called him back and he offered to come out on his day off to fix it! I am basically covered with a warranty on this bike during my stay because of the friendliness of the seller. He threw in a 12 euro lock as well.
This week I have a much better idea of what to expect out of classes and my schedule so I look forward to being alert and ready for them. I was caught off guard nearly all of last week because it was my first full load and I wasn't ready for classes taught ENTIRELY in French. It is tough because when I need to know the meaning of a word I can't just be told it in English, it usually entails some charades and confusion. Foreign language has the potential to be very frustrating so I am working overtime to keep from getting worked up. I have this obscure but clear visual of two sort of test tubes connected to my ears when I am in class. As soon as I get lost in a sentence or frustrated at all they begin to fill with blue liquid. If I get completely frustrated the liquid rises rapidly. So basically I have to keep my mind open and the tubes empty (or at the least keep it from rising) if I am going to learn anything. As soon as they fill up I stop taking things in.
I think the best moment of the entire day came when we were all walking quietly looking at the rocks. I was looking for a heart shaped rock to add to the collection my brother and I have going for our Mom (Boulder, CO and the Virgin Islands). That was the most sincere moment of the day because the rest of it felt so contrived it was basically unenjoyable. Earlier I said, "Well this is a quaint town." Josh responds, "It is...and they know it is." I think that's a great way to sum it up. They turned a fantastic place into a shell of a fantastic place. As soon as you begin talking about the beauty of something you start "framing it" so that you are no longer taking it in but instead rationalizing it and trying to capture it. As for Mt. St Michel, a grand tower and town on and island almost have to be taken in by yourself to be truly enjoyed I think. Nonetheless it was very amazing to see and I have never witnessed anything like it.
What does Kansas have to compare to these ancient, ascetic places? Us Kansas kids asked that question as we were all marvelling at the castles and giant walls. Kansas is sort of like anything in the sense that if you had never seen anything like it before it is pretty amazing (except for Manhattan/Topeka/Wichita). How beautifully open is Kansas on the whole? How neat is it to witness nearly every weather phenomenon in the course of a year? It is conversely interesting to see a "new" place like Kansas in a strange comparison to Europe. The beauty of a place can vary greatly and I love to see the various versions. It is difficult not to compare the new things I find to what I know as familiar. I don't think I am necessarily going to be spoiled by the beauty of Europe when I return, instead I will be looking for it with my eyes open wide.
For Sunday I went jogging with my roommate Jun who is getting the hang of being here (he actually just came back from the wine caves and is full of slurred things to say!) and our communication has switched over to a form of French/English and telepathy. Well it is either telepathy or apathy from me I haven't decided! He is a nice guy to have around and he has made his own friends very quickly. My vintage velo is finally fixed up and ready to go and I feel like the cool kid in class who has a car before turning 16. It feels too easy to get around town not having to rely on the bus and I now that the bike is working it has been the best 50 Euros I have ever spent.
When I bought the bike the older gentleman insisted my host mom and I come in for drinks, snacks and conversation. It wasn't like purchasing a used item in America where it's a handshake, a quick monetary exchange and you're off. This was a process to be sure. Fortunately the minute the pedal broke my host mom called him back and he offered to come out on his day off to fix it! I am basically covered with a warranty on this bike during my stay because of the friendliness of the seller. He threw in a 12 euro lock as well.
This week I have a much better idea of what to expect out of classes and my schedule so I look forward to being alert and ready for them. I was caught off guard nearly all of last week because it was my first full load and I wasn't ready for classes taught ENTIRELY in French. It is tough because when I need to know the meaning of a word I can't just be told it in English, it usually entails some charades and confusion. Foreign language has the potential to be very frustrating so I am working overtime to keep from getting worked up. I have this obscure but clear visual of two sort of test tubes connected to my ears when I am in class. As soon as I get lost in a sentence or frustrated at all they begin to fill with blue liquid. If I get completely frustrated the liquid rises rapidly. So basically I have to keep my mind open and the tubes empty (or at the least keep it from rising) if I am going to learn anything. As soon as they fill up I stop taking things in.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Dream
At the point in the morning when you are just slightly aware you are awake I realized I was thinking in French this morning. What an encouraging way to begin the day because now I feel ready to take more risks with it. Yesterday we talked with a professional French handball player (yeah I didn't really know what it is either) at lunch and I hunkered down and ate muttering about two words. Today I feel ready to take on the next challenge: trying to get my broken phone repaired with the fast speaking French salesman.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
My Host Family
I really couldn't picture having a better host family. They are a couple of the most amusing people I have ever seen in real life. my host Dad talks about an inch from your face when he is excited about something and is actually half Italian half French. My host Mom squaks from the phone at all hours of the day. She talks so loud I always think something is seriously wrong and then see she's just discussing the day. The are animated to say the least.
Luckily the food is always good. It's all pretty French too like lamb, baguettes, soups, cheeses, etc. The other night they tried to serve me some silvery fish creature for an appetizer and I sort of pushed it away. My host Dad laughed and put up one finger, "Dernier fois!" (Last time!) When he asks if I am going out at night he just acts it out. He just points to me and then acts like he's suavely combing his hair and putting cologne on.
Just two days ago a new housemate moved in from Japan for me to babysit..er hang out with. I feel bad because the guy doesn't speak much English OR French at all and that's being polite about it. We have very caveman-esque conversations and I always see him wandering the lonely streets lost. The conversations can be such a headache I saw him walking around campus and I put a newspaper in front of my face. We have a three hour trip to Mt. St Michel this weekend and he wants to sit by me. I'm thinking of just buying a costume and mask and sitting in the back of the bus so he doesn't spot me.
Luckily the food is always good. It's all pretty French too like lamb, baguettes, soups, cheeses, etc. The other night they tried to serve me some silvery fish creature for an appetizer and I sort of pushed it away. My host Dad laughed and put up one finger, "Dernier fois!" (Last time!) When he asks if I am going out at night he just acts it out. He just points to me and then acts like he's suavely combing his hair and putting cologne on.
Just two days ago a new housemate moved in from Japan for me to babysit..er hang out with. I feel bad because the guy doesn't speak much English OR French at all and that's being polite about it. We have very caveman-esque conversations and I always see him wandering the lonely streets lost. The conversations can be such a headache I saw him walking around campus and I put a newspaper in front of my face. We have a three hour trip to Mt. St Michel this weekend and he wants to sit by me. I'm thinking of just buying a costume and mask and sitting in the back of the bus so he doesn't spot me.
premiere post
Finally, I am on an American keyboard and I am able to get some of my thoughts about the first two and a half weeks down. Luckily I would say about one day of growth here is the equivalent to one week of being on 'autopilot' in my daily routine in Lawrence. It's funny though because this feels so much like a vacation at times. I had a cup of coffee at a cafe and a pain au chocolate and felt like, "Ok well I've done that." I felt that vacation mindset that you want to do cultural things once or twice and that will do it, but I forget sometimes that these things will become my habits because I am actually living here. All the natives in Angers is on their 'autopilot' and are certainly not viewing everything with new eyes. I feel like E.T.
The first day was strange because I was left in my new room and my family left to go do errands while I just sat in there with no internet access and nothing to do but think about what was on the horizon. It was definitely a sense of panic..not being able to communicate or having a question that you don't know how to ask. I just sat in my room and listened to The Beatles probably for comfort because they've been around my whole life. Culture shock is definitely something else, but I feel even more sorry for someone coming from an Asian country into this setting. France is different but not that much more than America really.
The shock for me really just lies in seeing tons of dog poop on the sidewalk and watching old people ride bikes in the heart of a city carrying baguettes and groceries everywhere. Their are also very fashionable people here but that requires an asterisk* They are fashionable and especially would be in America but EVERYONE wears the same thing. Darker colors, pea-coats, scarves and the women wear some form of boot. So they're fashionable here but they are also clones.
Speaking French is the biggest high or low. After successfully doing something new with the language I feel confident and happy and ready to risk it again. There are way too many times though when I feel like I have it down and then I get reprimanded and have to basically just throw a conversation out the window because it goes nowhere. I had the bus driver tell me I was going the right direction only to take me in literally the farthest place from where I could go. Sometimes at the end of the day I want to just hide from my host family to avoid the chatter but they always find me, it's a small house. It is completely beneficial to practice speaking though and it's the only reason I am making strides to this point.
The first day was strange because I was left in my new room and my family left to go do errands while I just sat in there with no internet access and nothing to do but think about what was on the horizon. It was definitely a sense of panic..not being able to communicate or having a question that you don't know how to ask. I just sat in my room and listened to The Beatles probably for comfort because they've been around my whole life. Culture shock is definitely something else, but I feel even more sorry for someone coming from an Asian country into this setting. France is different but not that much more than America really.
The shock for me really just lies in seeing tons of dog poop on the sidewalk and watching old people ride bikes in the heart of a city carrying baguettes and groceries everywhere. Their are also very fashionable people here but that requires an asterisk* They are fashionable and especially would be in America but EVERYONE wears the same thing. Darker colors, pea-coats, scarves and the women wear some form of boot. So they're fashionable here but they are also clones.
Speaking French is the biggest high or low. After successfully doing something new with the language I feel confident and happy and ready to risk it again. There are way too many times though when I feel like I have it down and then I get reprimanded and have to basically just throw a conversation out the window because it goes nowhere. I had the bus driver tell me I was going the right direction only to take me in literally the farthest place from where I could go. Sometimes at the end of the day I want to just hide from my host family to avoid the chatter but they always find me, it's a small house. It is completely beneficial to practice speaking though and it's the only reason I am making strides to this point.
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