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Thursday, March 27, 2008
Ireland
I'm finally back from my Ireland excursion and somewhat settled in again. I must say it was one of my favorite places I have ever been in my life. Katherine and I stayed in Cork City down south and got to stay in a nice bed and breakfast the whole time. The room reminded me of the "Red Room" at my (former) house in the Ozarks and each breakfast rivaled the Schaumburg Royales' that we ate every morning there. The owner's were an unlikely couple: A friendly old Irish man with a thick accent and his talkative wife with a dramatic sense about her (Bringing up how "treacherously laaaaaazy her kids were and cultural genocide in the first conversation). The house was on the top, and I mean the very top, of a gigantic hill overlooking the city.
We explored the city and found some very nice and helpful people along the way. The college there looked like a work of art and we later found out that people all over the world come there to master the art of brewing beer. We found some great restaurants around the town and a great Easter beer festival with a ton of microbrewers showing off their beer.
To finish up we stayed in Dublin (the popular Temple Bar area) and we toured the Guiness Factory. I thought it may be a little touristy but it turned out to be great, I had never been to a brewery that big. The city was pretty cool but didn't have half the charm of a city like Cork. It's funny because it is the biggest city in Ireland and it is about 1/4 the size of Kansas City as far as population goes. There was a lot going on and next weekend I start my nearly three weeks traveling so I definitely need to rest up and organize this week before I get ready.
We explored the city and found some very nice and helpful people along the way. The college there looked like a work of art and we later found out that people all over the world come there to master the art of brewing beer. We found some great restaurants around the town and a great Easter beer festival with a ton of microbrewers showing off their beer.
To finish up we stayed in Dublin (the popular Temple Bar area) and we toured the Guiness Factory. I thought it may be a little touristy but it turned out to be great, I had never been to a brewery that big. The city was pretty cool but didn't have half the charm of a city like Cork. It's funny because it is the biggest city in Ireland and it is about 1/4 the size of Kansas City as far as population goes. There was a lot going on and next weekend I start my nearly three weeks traveling so I definitely need to rest up and organize this week before I get ready.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Let the vacation begin
I've just about made it to the day I have had circled on my calendar since I got here. This weekend I am going to Ireland with Katherine for 5 days. After that, I have a quick week of class and then in early April I start my two week Spring Break. I've been booking and planning like crazy when I can, and if it all goes to plan it should be great. Basically, it's looking like:
Bruges Belgium for Katherine's B-day and the Tour Of Flanders cycling race
Brussels Belgium by myself for 2 days
Cologne Germany with Owen
Prague for 3 days
A night in Munich
Strasbourg for 2 days
Down to Grenoble (capital of the Alps)
and back to Angers
Bruges Belgium for Katherine's B-day and the Tour Of Flanders cycling race
Brussels Belgium by myself for 2 days
Cologne Germany with Owen
Prague for 3 days
A night in Munich
Strasbourg for 2 days
Down to Grenoble (capital of the Alps)
and back to Angers
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Street Toughs
Ha so last night I walked into yet another new situation. In Angers, there are several groups of teenagers of slightly middle eastern descent (North Africans) who basically travel around in gangs. They grease their hair, move in really quick and jerky motions, yell at girls and hold down some areas not letting people into them.
I took the night bus and they all got on, trying to cheat the driver by sneaking on but he caught them. So they got on and decided to start spitting spit wads at everyone on the bus. They were going in people's hair and nobody did anything so I turned around and yelled 'Knock it OFF!'
This set em' off pretty well as they all started insulting me and spitting more at me. I just got up and moved seats to ignore them. One of them smacked my head right before getting off the bus and then ran off. They caught up to the bus at a stop light to taunt me some more and bang on the glass pounding on their chests.
It reminded me of that disturbing movie 'Kids' or 'City of God', just some bored messed up kids full of hate.
My advisor for this program has traveled France and she specifically said to us, 'Don' even talk to North Africans, especially you girls.' Pretty bold thing to say as an academic advisor, so obviously the stereotypes of them ring true in person. Nobody even tries to discipline them because they will all just rally around and protest it.
Kids in France...they need jobs. Nobody in high school works here, they just travel in packs to the McDo or go to the bars. There is either a profession or someone who does nothing. The kind of jobs we may work in high school and college seem below them, so they just don't do it.
I took the night bus and they all got on, trying to cheat the driver by sneaking on but he caught them. So they got on and decided to start spitting spit wads at everyone on the bus. They were going in people's hair and nobody did anything so I turned around and yelled 'Knock it OFF!'
This set em' off pretty well as they all started insulting me and spitting more at me. I just got up and moved seats to ignore them. One of them smacked my head right before getting off the bus and then ran off. They caught up to the bus at a stop light to taunt me some more and bang on the glass pounding on their chests.
It reminded me of that disturbing movie 'Kids' or 'City of God', just some bored messed up kids full of hate.
My advisor for this program has traveled France and she specifically said to us, 'Don' even talk to North Africans, especially you girls.' Pretty bold thing to say as an academic advisor, so obviously the stereotypes of them ring true in person. Nobody even tries to discipline them because they will all just rally around and protest it.
Kids in France...they need jobs. Nobody in high school works here, they just travel in packs to the McDo or go to the bars. There is either a profession or someone who does nothing. The kind of jobs we may work in high school and college seem below them, so they just don't do it.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Elementary School
As I go through this process of stripping down all that I know and rebuilding it I can't help but notice I am in 'elementary school mode' again. The other day there we got a nice, sunny, warm day and there was a slight air conditioning like draft in the computer lab. I got that overwhelming exciting feeling that school is almost out, it is almost summer. It wasn't just almost summer though, this was that sort of excitement you only get (often) when you are little. In class minutes later, I was drawing one of my deer to pass the time and I notice the table shaking a bit. I look left and notice Akihisa, my Japanese friend, shaking with laughter and his eyes were watering. I lost it...but when the teacher came over to see what was so funny she lost it too. It was classic, but I thought haven't I had this happen before? Mr. Pete's 6th grade class?
Everyone touts studying abroad as one of those 'magnificent wonderful amazing' (insert another overused adjective here) type experiences. The whole first month I sat there waiting for it to kick in. Okay this building is old and that one is pretty, but magnificent? It begun last weekend as I took a slow train to a nearby town to rendez-vous with Katherine. I was listening to a Neil young CD my friend made me and I was able to feel what everyone talks about. Finally, yesterday, as I had a long conversation with some friendly people from Venezuela and Vietnam that feeling came rushing in. As I sat in class comprehending everything like it was my own language and watching how quickly my brain is taking in the littlest details I realized I am living the life I imagined.
Sometimes I try to pose new interesting questions to people to switch up the "How's it going?" phrases that are too vague to get a good answer. The other day I brought up what is one of the best feelings you can think of quickly? I thought: That feeling when you have either had an idea or plan and it is in fruition, happening at that moment. Accompany that with having it be something you picture your life as in the most detailed of your imaginative sketches and there you have a very good feeling.
Right now, I am really enjoying myself here. Sure I am no longer looking at things in Angers with new eyes or trying to wrap my head around what people are saying on the bus next to me. I am in the groove I need to be in and it seems like I've laid the blueprints for adapting anywhere else I go to in my life and for now, and for now a little extra recess.
Everyone touts studying abroad as one of those 'magnificent wonderful amazing' (insert another overused adjective here) type experiences. The whole first month I sat there waiting for it to kick in. Okay this building is old and that one is pretty, but magnificent? It begun last weekend as I took a slow train to a nearby town to rendez-vous with Katherine. I was listening to a Neil young CD my friend made me and I was able to feel what everyone talks about. Finally, yesterday, as I had a long conversation with some friendly people from Venezuela and Vietnam that feeling came rushing in. As I sat in class comprehending everything like it was my own language and watching how quickly my brain is taking in the littlest details I realized I am living the life I imagined.
Sometimes I try to pose new interesting questions to people to switch up the "How's it going?" phrases that are too vague to get a good answer. The other day I brought up what is one of the best feelings you can think of quickly? I thought: That feeling when you have either had an idea or plan and it is in fruition, happening at that moment. Accompany that with having it be something you picture your life as in the most detailed of your imaginative sketches and there you have a very good feeling.
Right now, I am really enjoying myself here. Sure I am no longer looking at things in Angers with new eyes or trying to wrap my head around what people are saying on the bus next to me. I am in the groove I need to be in and it seems like I've laid the blueprints for adapting anywhere else I go to in my life and for now, and for now a little extra recess.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
One month of French life down..
This weekend Katherine came and visited me. What is weird is that for whatever knowledge I have of living in a French world was knocked down over this weekend so that I may start again. Over two days I: Crashed my bike (totaling it) when I realized I was going down the wrong part of the road and attempted to get up a curb, accidentally ordered slices of raw beef for dinner, asked for the check and ended up with two beers (?) and collided with countless French natives on the sidewalks as the aimlessly wander about. Oh and then the bike was stolen the next morning.
The frustration I sometimes feel is beyond what I am used to because it's not even easy to just grab a tylenol for a headache over here. Everything is carefully plotted and, as expected, entirely different than the daily errands and routines I am used to. There are always going to be growing pains when adapting to something...I have adapted to my all-French classes so the daily street life is the next thing to get after.
Instead of getting upset that things are different I am deciding to just get quiet, get focused and start adapting even better than I previously thought I could. This week is a challenge because it's full of tests, nasty and drizzly weather and the financial challenge keeps widening with the weakening dollar. I am staying positive, meditating, and trying to embrace the culture instead of compare it as I did in the early phases of the trip.
The frustration I sometimes feel is beyond what I am used to because it's not even easy to just grab a tylenol for a headache over here. Everything is carefully plotted and, as expected, entirely different than the daily errands and routines I am used to. There are always going to be growing pains when adapting to something...I have adapted to my all-French classes so the daily street life is the next thing to get after.
Instead of getting upset that things are different I am deciding to just get quiet, get focused and start adapting even better than I previously thought I could. This week is a challenge because it's full of tests, nasty and drizzly weather and the financial challenge keeps widening with the weakening dollar. I am staying positive, meditating, and trying to embrace the culture instead of compare it as I did in the early phases of the trip.
Monday, March 3, 2008
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