Everyone thinks evil thoughts at some point. It's just a matter of whether or not you act on them that makes the person him/herself actually evil.
In that case, my 2 TGRH1 classes are about to think I am on par with the devil in terms of my evilness (is "evilness" even a word?).
On the one hand, I want to give the kids some slack: the first Monday back from vacation is rough on everyone. But they have been giving me a rough time since the get-go and lately it has gotten really out of hand. But I feel just handing them back to their teacher would be too easy (plus, heaven forbid, if I gave up those classes I put myself at risk of being stuck with some 8AM classes or something instead). Basically, save for 2 or 3 semi-decent kids, I have decided I pretty much hate them. I am over trying to get them to like me. I swear the little bastards just want to make my life hell during those two hours. Here goes, my open rant to my first two classes of the week:
OK, TGRH1, you've asked for it. You think my English class is synonymous with wandering in whenever you feel like it, taking 10 minute bathroom breaks, and catching up with your semi-wretched friends about the last episode of Nouvelle Star (which totally off-topic, I just read on the assistants' website that an assistant in Burgundy was on the show-- tres chouette!)... Don't get me started on the fact that your collective English skills is hands-down the worst of ANY of my classes. You think I ask about your interests and work hard making lesson plans & activities that will be fun and educational for you for my frickin' health?! Do you come to my class drunk and/or stoned?! Maybe you should lie and say yes, because then at least you would have an understandable excuse for forgetting EVERY BIT OF ENGLISH you have EVER learned.
Alas, TGRH1, I am stuck with you for another 7 class meetings. And my goal is to have your little derrieres whipped into shape by the time I leave. I just spent a good hour creating the most vile, mind-numbingly boring, so very unfun grammar/essay "quiz," and it is just for you. Past tense and future tense, synonyms and antonyms, and lastly, an open-ended essay question on the following topic:
"Do you think it is acceptable that you and your classmates do not listen to the assistant? Why do the students refuse to participate in her activities? Do you prefer to do grammar exercises instead?"
I saved it for the end, and hopefully if they are not crying of boredom by that point, they will be ridden with guilt by the time they are through. I feel bad having to give the punishing quiz to all the students, even the 2-3 decent ones, but I just can't handle it anymore. I am torn between going in on Monday with my original lesson plan and as soon as they act up, hand it out, or just make this my lesson plan and hope they learn their lesson by the next class. I'm leaning towards the latter; that way, I will go in with my heart-of-stone mentality and just not care. You don't understand? Poor you-- maybe you should have paid attention during the last 4 months of class instead of text-messaging your friends. C'est quoi? Pardon? No, I seem to have forgotten all 10 years of my French, just like you can't remember any of your 10 years of English. And for all intents and purposes, these quizzes will be "graded."
Gosh, re-reading this post I am beginning to think I AM on par with the devil. Overall I don't think they are bad kids: just rude, obnoxious and ungrateful. But I am polite, and quite gracious, and can only handle those who aren't for so long. I am, in fact, acting on my evil thoughts. But that doesn't REALLY make me an evil person... right?
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Travels
I suddenly felt inclined to make a list of all the cities/states/countries I've visited... Forgive me, I do random stuff when it is too yucky outside to be productive.
- USA: California (everywhere), Oregon (Ashland), Washington (Seattle), Hawaii (Big Island, Kauai), Nevada (Tahoe, Reno, Virgina City, Las Vegas), Arizona (Tucson), Texas (Midland), Louisiana (Monroe), Georgia (Atlanta), Michigan (Detroit), Massachusetts (Nantucket Island). Driven thru: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona. Layovers in: Pennsylvania, New York & Colorado.
- Mexico: Tijuana, Ensenada, San Felipe
- France: Le Mans, Troyes, Paris, Nice, Cannes, Antibes, St. Raphael, Tours, Chambord, Amboise, Blois, Chenonceau, Lille, Reims.
- Monaco: Monte Carlo
- Luxeumbourg: Luxembourg Ville, Vianden
- England: London, Oxford
- Spain: Barcelona
- Portugal: Porto
- Switzerland: Zurich
- Italy: Venice, Rome, Florence
- Germany: Trier, Bitburg, Saarbrucken, Munich, Dusseldorf
- The Netherlands: Amsterdam
- Belgium: Brussells, Antwerp
Coming up: The Netherlands (Rotterdam, maybe), Austria (Vienna, maybe), Czech Republic (Prague), Bulgaria (Sofia), St Lucia.
I'm feeling quite well-travelled all of a sudden!
Minivans & Miscellany
It was soooo nice and warm and sunny on Sunday. What happened?! It has been cold and gray and rainy here since then. Blech.
Last night was the first time I'd gotten a decent night's sleep in awhile. So ironic that this morning I had a morning class and had to drag myself out of my cozy bed, trek 20 minutes to class, and less than an hour later, trek 20 minutes back. But it's a really nice BTS class, and I don't actually teach it myself (my responsable teaches, I sit and chip in when he asks. Easy enough). I see this class twice a week, and during yesterday's class they were all excited because of an upcoming mock oral exam. They asked for a practice for their practice exam, which I found kind of amusing. But amusement went to flattery when they asked Patrick if I would be there to help. Sure, I'll be there, I said. Not like I have anything else to do for 5 hours on a Wednesday afternoon...
I still can't help but reflect on the fact that Jess should be arriving here in less than 48 hours. But what can ya do? At least, as he pointed out, the gap between seeing each other this visit and the next time will be a week shorter. Such an optimist. Why the hell is he marrying ME?! ;) Luckily everyone is able to still go to Epernay for Champagne tasting next week-- in fact, MORE of us are. Jess called Hertz yesterday to book a minivan, as we have 6 people going. It will be about 25E per person for the car, gas, tolls, etc.- a bit pricey, but a lot cheaper (and quicker!) than the train/bus combo you'd need to take coming from Troyes. That Jess is a brave man; driving in France is one thing, driving a minivan in France... yikes. But he has to drive-- he and I are the only ones old enough, and Princess here doesn't know how to drive a manual transmission (which, upon discovery, always yields a laugh from my students).
I just emailed Jess, Brad and my brother officially asking them if they'd be willing to serve as my pack mules. I had such a difficult time getting all my bags to the train station and through CDG last time I left France that I am trying to plan ahead (especially since, unlike Le Mans, Troyes not only doesn't have a direct train to CDG but you have to change train stations in Paris. Ugh.). Yeah there is always the option of shipping but A) it is expensive, and B) last time it took over THREE MONTHS for my stuff to get from Le Mans to California. No thank you. Whether it's just a bit of space in a suitcase or a willingness to take an entire extra bag, any little bit helps!
Ever since getting back from Barcelona & Porto I have been trying to watch my diet. I need a perfect beach wedding body (well, close enough) so even though the healthier food costs a bit more it isn't terrible. Veggies are always cheap when bought at the marche, and when it was warmer last week I got into eating salads again. Stirfries, soups, whatever I could think of to combine lots of veggies and not so many carbs. But in this crap weather, I finally caved and bought a baguette, and have been nibbling at baguette & pate for the last hour. Hey, I'm only human...
Note to self: Don't forget to...
-Start writing letters to cancel utilities & get out of lease.
-Go to BN flippin' P Paribas, drop off a copy of my CdS, and set up a RDV to figure out how/when to close my account. God I hate them,
-Ask one of my profs if I can have March 27 off to go to Prague with my brother. Well, ask, but more like say I already have my ticket and I am going. She's a dear though, and I doubt it will be a problem (knock on wood).
-Figure out what all I can pawn off onto my aforementioned pack mules.
-Talk to two of the other assistants here who may want to come to Amsterdam with me & Brad. Yay!
-Clean apt before Jess gets here, as this is my last weekend that I will be chez moi for a month!
Last night was the first time I'd gotten a decent night's sleep in awhile. So ironic that this morning I had a morning class and had to drag myself out of my cozy bed, trek 20 minutes to class, and less than an hour later, trek 20 minutes back. But it's a really nice BTS class, and I don't actually teach it myself (my responsable teaches, I sit and chip in when he asks. Easy enough). I see this class twice a week, and during yesterday's class they were all excited because of an upcoming mock oral exam. They asked for a practice for their practice exam, which I found kind of amusing. But amusement went to flattery when they asked Patrick if I would be there to help. Sure, I'll be there, I said. Not like I have anything else to do for 5 hours on a Wednesday afternoon...
I still can't help but reflect on the fact that Jess should be arriving here in less than 48 hours. But what can ya do? At least, as he pointed out, the gap between seeing each other this visit and the next time will be a week shorter. Such an optimist. Why the hell is he marrying ME?! ;) Luckily everyone is able to still go to Epernay for Champagne tasting next week-- in fact, MORE of us are. Jess called Hertz yesterday to book a minivan, as we have 6 people going. It will be about 25E per person for the car, gas, tolls, etc.- a bit pricey, but a lot cheaper (and quicker!) than the train/bus combo you'd need to take coming from Troyes. That Jess is a brave man; driving in France is one thing, driving a minivan in France... yikes. But he has to drive-- he and I are the only ones old enough, and Princess here doesn't know how to drive a manual transmission (which, upon discovery, always yields a laugh from my students).
I just emailed Jess, Brad and my brother officially asking them if they'd be willing to serve as my pack mules. I had such a difficult time getting all my bags to the train station and through CDG last time I left France that I am trying to plan ahead (especially since, unlike Le Mans, Troyes not only doesn't have a direct train to CDG but you have to change train stations in Paris. Ugh.). Yeah there is always the option of shipping but A) it is expensive, and B) last time it took over THREE MONTHS for my stuff to get from Le Mans to California. No thank you. Whether it's just a bit of space in a suitcase or a willingness to take an entire extra bag, any little bit helps!
Ever since getting back from Barcelona & Porto I have been trying to watch my diet. I need a perfect beach wedding body (well, close enough) so even though the healthier food costs a bit more it isn't terrible. Veggies are always cheap when bought at the marche, and when it was warmer last week I got into eating salads again. Stirfries, soups, whatever I could think of to combine lots of veggies and not so many carbs. But in this crap weather, I finally caved and bought a baguette, and have been nibbling at baguette & pate for the last hour. Hey, I'm only human...
Note to self: Don't forget to...
-Start writing letters to cancel utilities & get out of lease.
-Go to BN flippin' P Paribas, drop off a copy of my CdS, and set up a RDV to figure out how/when to close my account. God I hate them,
-Ask one of my profs if I can have March 27 off to go to Prague with my brother. Well, ask, but more like say I already have my ticket and I am going. She's a dear though, and I doubt it will be a problem (knock on wood).
-Figure out what all I can pawn off onto my aforementioned pack mules.
-Talk to two of the other assistants here who may want to come to Amsterdam with me & Brad. Yay!
-Clean apt before Jess gets here, as this is my last weekend that I will be chez moi for a month!
Monday, February 25, 2008
Comment Dit-On LAMECORE En Francais?
Flus suck no matter what. But when your fiance comes down with one days before he is to board a transatlantic flight and has to push his trip back a week, they suck even more.
My poor boy ended up having to go to urgent care yesterday. He is doing better today though, but definitely not in any shape to get on a 12 hour flight. So he will fly out next week, and will come visit me next weekend instead of this coming one. Sucks, but what can ya do...
Going back to class today was rough. It's always nice to see my colleagues after a vacation, but man the kids are just a pain. They clearly don't want to be back (can't blame them, I was the same way once upon a time), but my weeks always start off on a crap note anyway because of my wretched TGRH1s. Today was just the final straw. I am SO SICK of thinking up interesting, fun lessons (at least what I think are interesting/fun, based on what my classes told me they want to study at the start of the year), only to be met with blank stares. Most of my classes are a pretty decent level of English; these classes still cannot even say what they did for vacation. Not just, "I did XYZ," but even formulating, "During the vacation I..." Nope. Can't do it. And when I passed out my printouts for the activity, with directions written both on the sheet and on the board, in English AND French, nothing. I walked around the room to see how they were doing-- NOTHING. Every single group of them had NOTHING finished. By the end of the second class I finally said f-- it, and just sat up front and ignored them for 15 minutes. I have a note written to their professor to see if she has any advice. If not (and believe me, I have tried the whole separating chatty friends, giving boring grammar, etc), then I am just going to refuse to teach them. Ugh.
It was a long day. By my last class (a group of terminales I have to prepare for the bac-- whole other source of frustration right there considering I have never taken a bac, and therefore don't know what exactly to teach them, and their prof just tells me, "Do whatever you want."), I was done. I see half the group for the first half-hour then switch.When the second group came in (who clearly shared my "I am so over this," sentiment) I half-heartedly attempted to get ANYTHING out of them, gave up, and let them out a few minutes early. Ugh.
Is it April yet?
My poor boy ended up having to go to urgent care yesterday. He is doing better today though, but definitely not in any shape to get on a 12 hour flight. So he will fly out next week, and will come visit me next weekend instead of this coming one. Sucks, but what can ya do...
Going back to class today was rough. It's always nice to see my colleagues after a vacation, but man the kids are just a pain. They clearly don't want to be back (can't blame them, I was the same way once upon a time), but my weeks always start off on a crap note anyway because of my wretched TGRH1s. Today was just the final straw. I am SO SICK of thinking up interesting, fun lessons (at least what I think are interesting/fun, based on what my classes told me they want to study at the start of the year), only to be met with blank stares. Most of my classes are a pretty decent level of English; these classes still cannot even say what they did for vacation. Not just, "I did XYZ," but even formulating, "During the vacation I..." Nope. Can't do it. And when I passed out my printouts for the activity, with directions written both on the sheet and on the board, in English AND French, nothing. I walked around the room to see how they were doing-- NOTHING. Every single group of them had NOTHING finished. By the end of the second class I finally said f-- it, and just sat up front and ignored them for 15 minutes. I have a note written to their professor to see if she has any advice. If not (and believe me, I have tried the whole separating chatty friends, giving boring grammar, etc), then I am just going to refuse to teach them. Ugh.
It was a long day. By my last class (a group of terminales I have to prepare for the bac-- whole other source of frustration right there considering I have never taken a bac, and therefore don't know what exactly to teach them, and their prof just tells me, "Do whatever you want."), I was done. I see half the group for the first half-hour then switch.When the second group came in (who clearly shared my "I am so over this," sentiment) I half-heartedly attempted to get ANYTHING out of them, gave up, and let them out a few minutes early. Ugh.
Is it April yet?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Sunshine!
Today was probably the nicest day I have experienced yet in Troyes. 18 degrees! And sunny! Too bad my stupid ass was too hungover most of the day to really enjoy it. But, I did eventually force myself to go for a little stroll. Every outdoor seat at the cafes were taken. So many people were walking around. I mentally kicked myself in the ass repeatedly for not being in good enough condition to make the most of it. Having a book or magazine to take to a park and read would have helped too, but I am totally out of stuff to read.
Despite being bored, I am so not ready to go back to work tomorrow! I hate starting off my week with my two most obnoxious classes. But then it definitely makes the rest of the week easier in comparison. I had hoped to get more of my lesson plans finished this weekend but didn't. I just don't want to have to worry about them while Jess is here next weekend, when I go to Amsterdam with Brad next month, and when my brother comes to visit. Bah. I hate feeling like I have so much to do and not having any motivation whatsoever to do it. I need to clean my apartment before Jess comes on Friday. I need to start figuring out what all I need to do in terms of ending my lease/internet/electricity/bank account. I need to not spend any more money like, ever. Does anyone want to take over my life for me? :) Just kidding. All in all, it's not such a bad life. Not at all :)
Despite being bored, I am so not ready to go back to work tomorrow! I hate starting off my week with my two most obnoxious classes. But then it definitely makes the rest of the week easier in comparison. I had hoped to get more of my lesson plans finished this weekend but didn't. I just don't want to have to worry about them while Jess is here next weekend, when I go to Amsterdam with Brad next month, and when my brother comes to visit. Bah. I hate feeling like I have so much to do and not having any motivation whatsoever to do it. I need to clean my apartment before Jess comes on Friday. I need to start figuring out what all I need to do in terms of ending my lease/internet/electricity/bank account. I need to not spend any more money like, ever. Does anyone want to take over my life for me? :) Just kidding. All in all, it's not such a bad life. Not at all :)
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Ah, La Vie...
Today started out rough: My American bank decided to withdraw some money for a random transaction which left me panicking that my payment for my plane ticket wouldn't go through. Ahhh!!! I should know by now how much Bank of America sucks at life, but what can ya do. Overall, the crisis is resolved, and I will deal with their waste of a life selves when I am back.
Secondly, I had to go to the cathedral today. It is 2 years since my beloved cat Homey passed away. I still remember the day I left for France (the first time) and his big roly-poly kitty self, despite being sick, managed to waddle over to say good-bye. I looked at him and said, "I know you have to go someday. Either go now, or wait until I come back." But since when did a cat ever listen to humans...
When I learned he had passed on, it was through a text my brother had sent me at 4AM France time. "Call me. I don't care what time." I remember the panic: either something was wrong with Dad, or something was wrong with the cat. So I threw on clothes, ran down to the payphone and called, only to learn that Ho had left us. It was the first time I got homesick. He had lived a good life, and we knew it was coming, and I just have to give him props for not requiring us to make that horrible decision whether or not to put him down. At 16, he lived a good kitty life.
My friend Anne took me to the cathedral in Le Mans to light a candle in memory of him. I am not religious whatsoever, but I took solace in it. And a year later, while living in San Francisco, I randomly read my journal.... and saw the entry for this date, last year. Such a coincidence. And such a coincidence that the North Beach cathedral bells went off just then. I went down and lit yet another candle to mark the one year we had been without the Big Kitty.
And today, just like I did 2 years ago, I lit another French candle in his honor. I had some other words with the spiritual powers that (may) be. Although I am not religious, I did find some comfort in it, especially considering the pissy way my day had started. If Ho is an angel, Bank of America surely is satan.
I got on with my day-- attempted some lesson planning (by the way, if ANYONE has ideas for a good Saint Patrick's day lesson for lyceens, TELL ME!), watched TV shows on Fanpop, called my mom, chatted to my poor, sick fiance. But eventually I had to wander out to find something for dinner.
I ran into another prof from my school, Antoine, who had invited me to his home for lunch when I first got here. He was walking down the main street of Troyes with his kids (I forgot their names but they are SO cute!) We chatted for a bit, he is really nice. His wife teaches English at another school, and I remember telling her to please call me if she ever wanted to speak English, get ideas for lessons, etc. His kids even faired la bise with me!!! Seeing them all, so happy, so family-like, really cheered me up.
It isn't warm, but nice out nonetheless. I could have gone without a coat. I popped into Marche Plus, found some random items for dinner, and walked back thinking, "Bank of America can kiss my ass. I've got the Big One watching over me!!!"
Secondly, I had to go to the cathedral today. It is 2 years since my beloved cat Homey passed away. I still remember the day I left for France (the first time) and his big roly-poly kitty self, despite being sick, managed to waddle over to say good-bye. I looked at him and said, "I know you have to go someday. Either go now, or wait until I come back." But since when did a cat ever listen to humans...
When I learned he had passed on, it was through a text my brother had sent me at 4AM France time. "Call me. I don't care what time." I remember the panic: either something was wrong with Dad, or something was wrong with the cat. So I threw on clothes, ran down to the payphone and called, only to learn that Ho had left us. It was the first time I got homesick. He had lived a good life, and we knew it was coming, and I just have to give him props for not requiring us to make that horrible decision whether or not to put him down. At 16, he lived a good kitty life.
My friend Anne took me to the cathedral in Le Mans to light a candle in memory of him. I am not religious whatsoever, but I took solace in it. And a year later, while living in San Francisco, I randomly read my journal.... and saw the entry for this date, last year. Such a coincidence. And such a coincidence that the North Beach cathedral bells went off just then. I went down and lit yet another candle to mark the one year we had been without the Big Kitty.
And today, just like I did 2 years ago, I lit another French candle in his honor. I had some other words with the spiritual powers that (may) be. Although I am not religious, I did find some comfort in it, especially considering the pissy way my day had started. If Ho is an angel, Bank of America surely is satan.
I got on with my day-- attempted some lesson planning (by the way, if ANYONE has ideas for a good Saint Patrick's day lesson for lyceens, TELL ME!), watched TV shows on Fanpop, called my mom, chatted to my poor, sick fiance. But eventually I had to wander out to find something for dinner.
I ran into another prof from my school, Antoine, who had invited me to his home for lunch when I first got here. He was walking down the main street of Troyes with his kids (I forgot their names but they are SO cute!) We chatted for a bit, he is really nice. His wife teaches English at another school, and I remember telling her to please call me if she ever wanted to speak English, get ideas for lessons, etc. His kids even faired la bise with me!!! Seeing them all, so happy, so family-like, really cheered me up.
It isn't warm, but nice out nonetheless. I could have gone without a coat. I popped into Marche Plus, found some random items for dinner, and walked back thinking, "Bank of America can kiss my ass. I've got the Big One watching over me!!!"
Friday, February 22, 2008
Porto
Day 4 (Feb. 16) cont.: We finally found the bus to take us to Girona airport. Girona is way on the outskirts of... well I can't even say Barcelona, because it is nowhere near the city itself. For those of you familiar with California, it's like flying from San Francisco out of San Jose airport, or from LA out of Orange County. Only these dinky airports are so old-school you still have to walk out on the tarmac & everything. But anyway, we got there, and were in Porto by 8PM. Good thing we had randomly discovered that Porto is in the same time zone as London, not France & Spain!
So anyway, we braved the Portugeuse metro system and finally got to where we were supposed to be. Our hostel turned out to be gorgeous, but man was it tricky to find! First we had to walk up a cobbled hill (not easy for tiny Mere & her huge backpack, nor for my rolling suitcase which, having cost $30 in Chinatown, could potentially break any day now). Luckily every Portugeuse person we asked for directions was so forgiving of our lack of Portugeuse language abilities, and helped us out.
We finally found the hostel, and MAN! Probably the nicest hostel I have ever seen! Nice, clean rooms & bathrooms, HUGE kitchen and common area, rockin' TV/stereo system and a garden to die for (I imagine this place is very popular come summer time!). It was quiet that Saturday night, but we randomly met 2 other Americans (a couple from Seattle) who had just gotten in, and we instantly became a crew of American travellers. The reception lady, Maria, was so nice; at around 10 she locked up the reception area and she and her friend (from France, go figure) joined us Americans in the common area and shared some port wine. I am not a fan of port wine personally (it's like drinking syrup!) but we had fun sitting and chatting. I didn't last long though, after all the travelling and luggage-hauling and hills, and went to bed around midnight.
Day 5 (Feb. 17): We woke up to a sunny day and a beautiful view from our hostel window.
And here is the room we stayed in...
It was a Sunday, and just like France, almost everything was closed. But we Americans amused ourselves by walking around, admiring the architecture, and making our way down the hill to the river Duoro (Duono? I'll have to check). We saw one of the huge bridges that crosses the river (I guess there are 3 total), but our happy demeanors changed once we noticed a disturbing scene across the river. I won't go into details out of respect but I, being 26 years old and never having seen a dead body... well I will leave it at that. Rivers can be dangerous, I suppose. :-( I was a bit shaken up. To take our mind off things, we decided to check out the Museo do Vinho do Porto (Porto Wine Museum). Something we soon learned about Porto: almost everything museum-wise is FREE!!! We decided we would go port tasting the next day (despite my distaste for the stuff, I am a wine-lover, and when in Rom-- er, Porto...)
We headed back to the hostel just as some raindrops started to fall. We Americans joined forces and made dinner, and spent the evening hanging out with other hostelers.
Day 6 (Feb. 18): Off to a semi-slow start, the crew opted to lounge about and watch a movie on the hostel's rockin' media set-up. I, being restless, wandered around on my own to find a mailbox for my postcards. I also picked up a loaf of Portugeuse bread-- very interesting texture, not bad, but spongy. When I got back, the rest of the gang was just about ready to taste some port. We headed down the hill, across the river, taking pics along the way of the port-carrying gondola-esque boats
Like the museum, the port tour & tasting were free. We went to Croft, which is, according to our tour guide, the oldest port maker. The tour itself was like almost every other winery tour I've been on: lots of barrels, the smell of oak & fermentation, etc. But still, this was PORT, and therefore, cool. Here's the American crew...
I bought a bottle of white port, which my wine-connosieur fiance had never seen before (despite his protests of, "There is nothing you can get there that I can't get in the US." HA!!!!) :) I also bought an assortment of mini-ports, a gift for whoever I know that likes port (I am leaning towards giving it to Jess' friend Steve in Bulgaria, who I may visit during April vacation). And a final souvenier, Mere and I repeated our thievery that had first manifested during our stage in Reims at the champagne tasting: we stole a couple of tasting glasses! Shh, don't tell! ;)
Next stop: the market! Erin and Jared were intrigued by my & Mere's recent lesson in Spanish cooking, so we decided to try it out. We made enough paella to feed an army! As we were all leaving the next day, we left it in the fridge for the other hostel guests to help themselves to. We stayed up a bit longer, but ultimately called it an early night, as we were heading back to France the next day.
Last day (Feb. 19): Erin & Jared had to head out on an early flight, but we still managed to swap contact info. Sadly, I can't find the lil piece of paper with their email addresses on it, but I found Erin on Facebook and hopefully that will work! As Jess & I will be in Seattle sometime soon, I'd love to see them again!
Mere and I showered, packed, checked out and headed to the airport. Something amazing happened on the flight: it got in 15 minutes early! However, even more shocked than us were the airport people at Charles de Gaulle, who I am sure have never encountered a phenomenon as unheard of as an EARLY flight (or early ANYTHING for that matter!). Alas, we had to sit on the runway-- so much for the benefits of an early arrival! We got our bags and headed to Gare du Nord, realizing that we were not going to catch the 7:00 train to Troyes and would have to wait another hour.
By 8PM we were on the train, got to Troyes around 9:30, got to my place by 10. Mere had to endure another night on my cold, drafty floor as there were no more trains to Romilly until the next day. We slept in (aside from being awakened at 8AM by my dad, who said he had been trying to call for days and no answer... glad to know he's up to date on my overseas life!!!), got some take-out pizza, and Mere & her enormous backpack headed back to Romilly.
And now, I am in Troyes alone again, until the other assistants get back on Sunday. At least the weather was nice today!!!
So anyway, we braved the Portugeuse metro system and finally got to where we were supposed to be. Our hostel turned out to be gorgeous, but man was it tricky to find! First we had to walk up a cobbled hill (not easy for tiny Mere & her huge backpack, nor for my rolling suitcase which, having cost $30 in Chinatown, could potentially break any day now). Luckily every Portugeuse person we asked for directions was so forgiving of our lack of Portugeuse language abilities, and helped us out.
We finally found the hostel, and MAN! Probably the nicest hostel I have ever seen! Nice, clean rooms & bathrooms, HUGE kitchen and common area, rockin' TV/stereo system and a garden to die for (I imagine this place is very popular come summer time!). It was quiet that Saturday night, but we randomly met 2 other Americans (a couple from Seattle) who had just gotten in, and we instantly became a crew of American travellers. The reception lady, Maria, was so nice; at around 10 she locked up the reception area and she and her friend (from France, go figure) joined us Americans in the common area and shared some port wine. I am not a fan of port wine personally (it's like drinking syrup!) but we had fun sitting and chatting. I didn't last long though, after all the travelling and luggage-hauling and hills, and went to bed around midnight.
Day 5 (Feb. 17): We woke up to a sunny day and a beautiful view from our hostel window.
And here is the room we stayed in...
It was a Sunday, and just like France, almost everything was closed. But we Americans amused ourselves by walking around, admiring the architecture, and making our way down the hill to the river Duoro (Duono? I'll have to check). We saw one of the huge bridges that crosses the river (I guess there are 3 total), but our happy demeanors changed once we noticed a disturbing scene across the river. I won't go into details out of respect but I, being 26 years old and never having seen a dead body... well I will leave it at that. Rivers can be dangerous, I suppose. :-( I was a bit shaken up. To take our mind off things, we decided to check out the Museo do Vinho do Porto (Porto Wine Museum). Something we soon learned about Porto: almost everything museum-wise is FREE!!! We decided we would go port tasting the next day (despite my distaste for the stuff, I am a wine-lover, and when in Rom-- er, Porto...)
We headed back to the hostel just as some raindrops started to fall. We Americans joined forces and made dinner, and spent the evening hanging out with other hostelers.
Day 6 (Feb. 18): Off to a semi-slow start, the crew opted to lounge about and watch a movie on the hostel's rockin' media set-up. I, being restless, wandered around on my own to find a mailbox for my postcards. I also picked up a loaf of Portugeuse bread-- very interesting texture, not bad, but spongy. When I got back, the rest of the gang was just about ready to taste some port. We headed down the hill, across the river, taking pics along the way of the port-carrying gondola-esque boats
Like the museum, the port tour & tasting were free. We went to Croft, which is, according to our tour guide, the oldest port maker. The tour itself was like almost every other winery tour I've been on: lots of barrels, the smell of oak & fermentation, etc. But still, this was PORT, and therefore, cool. Here's the American crew...
Next stop: the market! Erin and Jared were intrigued by my & Mere's recent lesson in Spanish cooking, so we decided to try it out. We made enough paella to feed an army! As we were all leaving the next day, we left it in the fridge for the other hostel guests to help themselves to. We stayed up a bit longer, but ultimately called it an early night, as we were heading back to France the next day.
Last day (Feb. 19): Erin & Jared had to head out on an early flight, but we still managed to swap contact info. Sadly, I can't find the lil piece of paper with their email addresses on it, but I found Erin on Facebook and hopefully that will work! As Jess & I will be in Seattle sometime soon, I'd love to see them again!
Mere and I showered, packed, checked out and headed to the airport. Something amazing happened on the flight: it got in 15 minutes early! However, even more shocked than us were the airport people at Charles de Gaulle, who I am sure have never encountered a phenomenon as unheard of as an EARLY flight (or early ANYTHING for that matter!). Alas, we had to sit on the runway-- so much for the benefits of an early arrival! We got our bags and headed to Gare du Nord, realizing that we were not going to catch the 7:00 train to Troyes and would have to wait another hour.
By 8PM we were on the train, got to Troyes around 9:30, got to my place by 10. Mere had to endure another night on my cold, drafty floor as there were no more trains to Romilly until the next day. We slept in (aside from being awakened at 8AM by my dad, who said he had been trying to call for days and no answer... glad to know he's up to date on my overseas life!!!), got some take-out pizza, and Mere & her enormous backpack headed back to Romilly.
And now, I am in Troyes alone again, until the other assistants get back on Sunday. At least the weather was nice today!!!
Barcelona, Part 2
Day 3 (Feb 15): We soon realized that just because we COULD make our sangria as strong as we wanted, that it wasn't necessarily a great idea. Mere and I got off to a slow start, but eventually got our acts together and headed out for another day in Barcelona. We wandered the Gothic quarter some more, and headed for the Picasso museum. I enjoyed the Barcelona Picasso museum more than the one in Paris. It had several works from his private collection on display, as well as a lot of his earlier works & sketches. We randomly met an Australian guy who was travelling around on his own, and we went for a coffee together. We had hoped to go to another cathedral in Barcelona (forgot the name, ahh!) but it was closed for renovations. Mere and I headed back to the hostel for a nap and to regroup for dinner plans.We ended up back on Las Ramblas later that night, had some dinner, and stumbled upon Barcelona's huge marketplace. Ohhh the fruit looked so good! EVERYTHING looked good. But we called it an early night and went to bed fairly early.
Day 4 (Feb. 16): Our last day in Barcelona. Our flight wasn't unti late afternoon, so that gave us some time to explore the Park Guell. Way up on a hill, it wasn't like anything I had expected. Luckily there was an escalator going up, and what a view of the city!
We continued our wandering, and came upon the big plaza/courtyard type thing with a Gaudi'd out bench and a nice view of the Gaudi museum.
Below this courtyard thing was an open area full of pillars & tiles on ceiling. Perfect for a photo op!
After exploring the park for a few hours, we headed back to the hostel to get our things, say good-bye to our new friends, and figure out just how in the heck to get to Girona airport!
Day 4 (Feb. 16): Our last day in Barcelona. Our flight wasn't unti late afternoon, so that gave us some time to explore the Park Guell. Way up on a hill, it wasn't like anything I had expected. Luckily there was an escalator going up, and what a view of the city!
We continued our wandering, and came upon the big plaza/courtyard type thing with a Gaudi'd out bench and a nice view of the Gaudi museum.
Below this courtyard thing was an open area full of pillars & tiles on ceiling. Perfect for a photo op!
After exploring the park for a few hours, we headed back to the hostel to get our things, say good-bye to our new friends, and figure out just how in the heck to get to Girona airport!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Barcelona, Part 1
So, the details of our mini Euro-adventure... Mere had stayed chez moi the two nights before we took off. There wasn't much to do in Troyes, and even less in Romilly, so we joined bored forces and hung out, made dinner, utilised my free long distance calling, etc. The girl is a trooper for agreeing to sleep on my 2 square feet for floor space with only a few blankets/sleeping bags, thisclose to my drafty door (Mere, if you get pneumonia, I'M SORRY!!!). But then the day finally came...
Day 1 (Feb. 13): Mere and I got up extra early to get to the train station. We got into Paris just before 10, then had to navigate our way to Paris Orly (I'd been there once, Mere had never been). But we got there sans probleme... until we saw boodles of cancellations on the screens, and a 2.5 hour delay for our own flight. Turned out the air traffic controllers were on strike. But we couldn't complain about our delay, as several flights were being full-on cancelled (memorable moment: the lady on the cancelled flight to Nice who started threatening the staff with lawyers). But eventually, we got on the plane and were on our way to Barcelona. We got into Barcelona around sunset. First off, we got on what is possibily the slowest Metro ever from the airport. We found our hostel easily, just around the corner from the Gaudi house.
The staff could not have been more friendly and welcoming-- they introduced us to every other hosteler by name, impressive! Mere and I searched for some dinner and found it in the form of a noodle bar (random, I know). Memorable moment: Mere's moving noodle dish. We got back to the hostel and chatted with 2 girls who had gone to the Dali museum and said it was so awesome, the biggest piece of surrealist art or something like that (note to self: go next time I am in Barcelona!).
Day 2 (Feb. 14): Valentine's day in Barcelona, and Mere and I had romantic plans with... each other. We started off walking: through the Gothic quarter, where we found an awesome store with lots of knick knacks like these ceramic cats
We passed the Colombus Memorial and finally made it to the beach. Was this California girl happy!!! OK, so was the Ohio girl, as she was brave enough to wade ankle-deep in the water. We had some fun writing beach-y Valentine's for our boys
On our way back to the hostel, we stopped for lunch at one of the many tourist trap restaurants on the way to the water. 11E for a 2 course meal, plus sangria? Count us in. The server seated us, and I have no idea how the topic even came up, but he soon learned we spoke French. Oh la la! He kept popping over to our table every 10 minutes to chat us up-- 2 "single" girls, I'm sure he thought he had an ace in the hole. Eventually one of the universal single rose salesmen guys walked into the patio, offering a rose to every couple (mind you, not to Mere & I). A few minutes later, Overly Amourous Waiter returned to our table, rose in hand. "Today is the day of love!" he proclaimed. Yeah, thanks buddy. He then asked if we wanted to join him at a discotheque that evening. "Sure," Mere & I replied half-heartedly, knowing damn well we would never show up. "Do you mind if I bring my friend?" Great, we were being set up on a double date. As far as I know, Mere still has his phone number in her notebook, sans name, which we never learned.
After lunch, we walked through the Citadel Park and saw the Arc de Triomf.
And Valentine's night, we made dinner: Yes, Mere and I took a Spanish cooking course! 18E and got to make & enjoy our own sangria, tapas and paella. Yummy! I definitely recommend this to anyone going to Barcelona! We had a fun crew of about 10 of us. Our side of the table made about 3 batches of sangria, and each batch had more brandy than the previous ones.
After the sangria, tapas and paella, the staff welcomed us into the bar for free shots and drink specials. A drunken good time. Mere and I stumbled back to the hostel and, in lieu of hitting up the bars, ended up chatting with the other hostelers over some wine.
OK, more to come later!
Day 1 (Feb. 13): Mere and I got up extra early to get to the train station. We got into Paris just before 10, then had to navigate our way to Paris Orly (I'd been there once, Mere had never been). But we got there sans probleme... until we saw boodles of cancellations on the screens, and a 2.5 hour delay for our own flight. Turned out the air traffic controllers were on strike. But we couldn't complain about our delay, as several flights were being full-on cancelled (memorable moment: the lady on the cancelled flight to Nice who started threatening the staff with lawyers). But eventually, we got on the plane and were on our way to Barcelona. We got into Barcelona around sunset. First off, we got on what is possibily the slowest Metro ever from the airport. We found our hostel easily, just around the corner from the Gaudi house.
The staff could not have been more friendly and welcoming-- they introduced us to every other hosteler by name, impressive! Mere and I searched for some dinner and found it in the form of a noodle bar (random, I know). Memorable moment: Mere's moving noodle dish. We got back to the hostel and chatted with 2 girls who had gone to the Dali museum and said it was so awesome, the biggest piece of surrealist art or something like that (note to self: go next time I am in Barcelona!).
Day 2 (Feb. 14): Valentine's day in Barcelona, and Mere and I had romantic plans with... each other. We started off walking: through the Gothic quarter, where we found an awesome store with lots of knick knacks like these ceramic cats
We passed the Colombus Memorial and finally made it to the beach. Was this California girl happy!!! OK, so was the Ohio girl, as she was brave enough to wade ankle-deep in the water. We had some fun writing beach-y Valentine's for our boys
On our way back to the hostel, we stopped for lunch at one of the many tourist trap restaurants on the way to the water. 11E for a 2 course meal, plus sangria? Count us in. The server seated us, and I have no idea how the topic even came up, but he soon learned we spoke French. Oh la la! He kept popping over to our table every 10 minutes to chat us up-- 2 "single" girls, I'm sure he thought he had an ace in the hole. Eventually one of the universal single rose salesmen guys walked into the patio, offering a rose to every couple (mind you, not to Mere & I). A few minutes later, Overly Amourous Waiter returned to our table, rose in hand. "Today is the day of love!" he proclaimed. Yeah, thanks buddy. He then asked if we wanted to join him at a discotheque that evening. "Sure," Mere & I replied half-heartedly, knowing damn well we would never show up. "Do you mind if I bring my friend?" Great, we were being set up on a double date. As far as I know, Mere still has his phone number in her notebook, sans name, which we never learned.
After lunch, we walked through the Citadel Park and saw the Arc de Triomf.
And Valentine's night, we made dinner: Yes, Mere and I took a Spanish cooking course! 18E and got to make & enjoy our own sangria, tapas and paella. Yummy! I definitely recommend this to anyone going to Barcelona! We had a fun crew of about 10 of us. Our side of the table made about 3 batches of sangria, and each batch had more brandy than the previous ones.
After the sangria, tapas and paella, the staff welcomed us into the bar for free shots and drink specials. A drunken good time. Mere and I stumbled back to the hostel and, in lieu of hitting up the bars, ended up chatting with the other hostelers over some wine.
OK, more to come later!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Spain & Portugal
I am not going to get into too much detail about the trip, since I plan to make detailed posts about each day complete with pictures & all. But we (we being Mere & myself) are back in France after a fantastic trip to Barcelona & Porto. We left last Wednesday and got back to Troyes late last night. It was tough to come back to gray, rainy Troyes after almost a week in the warm sunny southern part of Europe. Anyway, time for a webcam with my honey. More later!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Here I Sit...
I stayed up entirely too late last night, doing who knows what. Chatting with Jess, watching TV online, basically anything. I just wasn't sleepy, but decided to finally call it a night when Jess left work (and hence signed offline) at 4AM France time. I think I subconsciously did that in the hopes that the later I stayed up, the later I would sleep in, and hence have fewer hours of boredom today.
I know it's ridiculous to be in France and be bored. But since I am low on funds & trying to save every last centime I have for Spain & Portugal, I am trying not to spend money, which severely limits my options. I could go to the museum here (which is free with my carte professionelle), but I think Mere & I are going to do that when she comes down on Monday. I did decide I had to get a dose of sunshine & fresh air and took the one thing I have splurged on recently, a British Cosmo-- a real bargain at 5E... not-- and walked down to the river, sat on a bench in the sun and read/watched the ducks for an hour. If I had been feeling motivated I'd have gotten a French Cosmo, but it feels like lately my brain is mush when it comes to speaking/understanding French. Not like it's ever exactly easy for me, but lately it's just like, "Duhh..." which now that I think about it may be because I'm NOT doing things like reading French magazines. Anyway, it managed to kill about an hour and a half of my day, and I always love any excuse to get sunshine. Sadly it's not really warm out yet, otherwise I'd likely have gone to the park and just sat on the grass daydreaming. Hours always fly by when I do that.
All the Brit assistants took off today, and I think Mike's mom is in town so he's not around, and Mere's school shuts off her internet during weekends/vacances so even though she is nearby she isn't online to ease my boredom. I've got some stuff to do-- heavy-duty cleaning, laundry, packing-- but I am trying to space everything out over the next few days. I'm saving laundry until the last possible moment so I have an empty laundry bag when I get back from travelling, I can't pack until I do laundry... yeah you see the cycle. Anyway I doubt anyone reading this really cares about when I do my laundry.
I talked to my sister yesterday, which was nice. I owe the other two (and the brother as well I suppose) a phone call in the near future. She wanted to tell me she's getting married at San Francisco city hall on March 28. Way to go, Cass, picking a date when neither I nor our brother will be in the country (since he'll be here with me, woo hoo!). But she assured me that they will hold off on any kind of reception until I'm back. First my little sister gets engaged before I do, now she's getting married before me. Of course my first reaction to all this news is happiness for her, but... c'mon, it was supposed to be ME first!!! :D She emailed me the dress she picked out, it's pretty-- simple, like the one I chose for my own upcoming beachside nuptials. Oh yeah if anyone is interested, here's what it looks like:
I am so excited for our wedding, more excited than I am for a beach/warm weather in general! I've decided I'm gonna make welcome baskets to put in our guests' rooms with a beach theme: flip-flops, sunblock, etc. So much fun, this wedding planning!
YAY! My honey is online to save me from death by boredom! :D
I know it's ridiculous to be in France and be bored. But since I am low on funds & trying to save every last centime I have for Spain & Portugal, I am trying not to spend money, which severely limits my options. I could go to the museum here (which is free with my carte professionelle), but I think Mere & I are going to do that when she comes down on Monday. I did decide I had to get a dose of sunshine & fresh air and took the one thing I have splurged on recently, a British Cosmo-- a real bargain at 5E... not-- and walked down to the river, sat on a bench in the sun and read/watched the ducks for an hour. If I had been feeling motivated I'd have gotten a French Cosmo, but it feels like lately my brain is mush when it comes to speaking/understanding French. Not like it's ever exactly easy for me, but lately it's just like, "Duhh..." which now that I think about it may be because I'm NOT doing things like reading French magazines. Anyway, it managed to kill about an hour and a half of my day, and I always love any excuse to get sunshine. Sadly it's not really warm out yet, otherwise I'd likely have gone to the park and just sat on the grass daydreaming. Hours always fly by when I do that.
All the Brit assistants took off today, and I think Mike's mom is in town so he's not around, and Mere's school shuts off her internet during weekends/vacances so even though she is nearby she isn't online to ease my boredom. I've got some stuff to do-- heavy-duty cleaning, laundry, packing-- but I am trying to space everything out over the next few days. I'm saving laundry until the last possible moment so I have an empty laundry bag when I get back from travelling, I can't pack until I do laundry... yeah you see the cycle. Anyway I doubt anyone reading this really cares about when I do my laundry.
I talked to my sister yesterday, which was nice. I owe the other two (and the brother as well I suppose) a phone call in the near future. She wanted to tell me she's getting married at San Francisco city hall on March 28. Way to go, Cass, picking a date when neither I nor our brother will be in the country (since he'll be here with me, woo hoo!). But she assured me that they will hold off on any kind of reception until I'm back. First my little sister gets engaged before I do, now she's getting married before me. Of course my first reaction to all this news is happiness for her, but... c'mon, it was supposed to be ME first!!! :D She emailed me the dress she picked out, it's pretty-- simple, like the one I chose for my own upcoming beachside nuptials. Oh yeah if anyone is interested, here's what it looks like:
I am so excited for our wedding, more excited than I am for a beach/warm weather in general! I've decided I'm gonna make welcome baskets to put in our guests' rooms with a beach theme: flip-flops, sunblock, etc. So much fun, this wedding planning!
YAY! My honey is online to save me from death by boredom! :D
Thursday, February 7, 2008
France & Beyond
It is officially le vacances for me! So now I am sitting at home... without much to do. Hmm...
Anyway, for the sake of doing something, I made a photo slideshow with pics from my two stays in France (my semester abroad in Le Mans in spring 2006, and my assistantship in Troyes 2007-2008). Obviously I've gotten in a fair share of travelling, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love showing off my pictures.
Enjoy!
Anyway, for the sake of doing something, I made a photo slideshow with pics from my two stays in France (my semester abroad in Le Mans in spring 2006, and my assistantship in Troyes 2007-2008). Obviously I've gotten in a fair share of travelling, and anyone who knows me knows how much I love showing off my pictures.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Quite Étrange Indeed...
Walking back from class today I got to thinking...
Isn't it kind of weird/funny/ironic that the French use the same word (étrange/étranger) for "strange" and "foreign"? In general, though I am "étrangère," most people don't give me a, "Oh, you're strange," vibe. Different yes, but at least in English "strange" can have a bit of a negative connotation. But my being "étrangère" doesn't usually affect how people treat me; if anything it actually helps. In general, in my little town of Troyes does not get American visitors/temporary residents every day, and people I randomly encounter A) first assume that I'm English (since it is much more likely that an anglophone in Troyes is from nearby Britain rather than far away America) and B) when they find out I'm American, they are enthralled. Far from the stereotypical Parisian attitude of, "Oh, another American slaughtering our language," Troyens are just amazed: WOW! A real American, right here in Troyes! Added bonus being from California (though said bonus reduces dramatically once they find out I'm not from LA, I'm not in a gang, I don't live next door to celebrities and I am not friends with Paris Hilton), it seems many French view California as a whole separate place from the rest of the US. I think I got this more in Le Mans, but the Troyens are definitely infatuated with the California dreamin' thing as well.
My first class tomorrow is cancelled due to an all-day volleyball tournament or something. My responsable offered to go watch for a bit with me. We'll see. So all I have is my BTS class, a group of four girls who meet me in a café and we chat for an hour over hot chocolates and gauffres. Last time I saw them (it's been a few weeks as they've had some kind of stage or something & missed my class), I brought an American Cosmo in and they LOVED it. Although it definitely made for some interesting vocab lessons ("What is, 'bloated'? 'arousal'?" yeah you get the point). But making fun of bad fashion and celebrity gossip is apparently the universal language between American and French 20-somethings.
My responsable asked me about my plans for the vacances. I'm leaving for Spain and Portugal on the 13th with the assistant from Romilly, I told him. He offered for me to spend this weekend with him & his family at his home about 50km (I think?) from here. A very sweet offer, but I don't know how I feel about going away for a weekend right before I go on a week-long vacation. Will I be bored? What will his family think of an American houseguest with mediocre French? Will they try to push andouillette on me?! Of course I'd never be rude & refuse to eat a homecooked meal while a guest in someone's home but... picky-eater me still hasn't quite grown to love ALL French delicacies. And as ridiculous as this sounds... I don't want to be away from the internet for 2-3 days knowing I won't have regular access for a week right afterwards. How will I talk to my honey?! How will I keep up with my obsessive-compulsive wedding planning?! I can be such a lametard sometimes, I know. Plus Mere and I have tenative plans for a museum day, either here in Troyes or a day trip to Paris. So I don't know yet.
It isn't uncommon to hear the air raid signals blast off at noon 3-4 times a week. But Rich was just over and we heard one (noon on the dot) that happened to be exceptionally loud. We got to talking about the whole, "boy who cried wolf," thing, and that if France ever were under attack (again) no one would know it b/c they've just kind of tuned out the air raid signals. But then it went off again at 12:10, just as loud as the first one. Weird. Maybe they're celebrating the good news of Super Tuesday? By the way: Go Hillary!
OK, it's cold and I'm hungry. Later, étrangers.
Isn't it kind of weird/funny/ironic that the French use the same word (étrange/étranger) for "strange" and "foreign"? In general, though I am "étrangère," most people don't give me a, "Oh, you're strange," vibe. Different yes, but at least in English "strange" can have a bit of a negative connotation. But my being "étrangère" doesn't usually affect how people treat me; if anything it actually helps. In general, in my little town of Troyes does not get American visitors/temporary residents every day, and people I randomly encounter A) first assume that I'm English (since it is much more likely that an anglophone in Troyes is from nearby Britain rather than far away America) and B) when they find out I'm American, they are enthralled. Far from the stereotypical Parisian attitude of, "Oh, another American slaughtering our language," Troyens are just amazed: WOW! A real American, right here in Troyes! Added bonus being from California (though said bonus reduces dramatically once they find out I'm not from LA, I'm not in a gang, I don't live next door to celebrities and I am not friends with Paris Hilton), it seems many French view California as a whole separate place from the rest of the US. I think I got this more in Le Mans, but the Troyens are definitely infatuated with the California dreamin' thing as well.
My first class tomorrow is cancelled due to an all-day volleyball tournament or something. My responsable offered to go watch for a bit with me. We'll see. So all I have is my BTS class, a group of four girls who meet me in a café and we chat for an hour over hot chocolates and gauffres. Last time I saw them (it's been a few weeks as they've had some kind of stage or something & missed my class), I brought an American Cosmo in and they LOVED it. Although it definitely made for some interesting vocab lessons ("What is, 'bloated'? 'arousal'?" yeah you get the point). But making fun of bad fashion and celebrity gossip is apparently the universal language between American and French 20-somethings.
My responsable asked me about my plans for the vacances. I'm leaving for Spain and Portugal on the 13th with the assistant from Romilly, I told him. He offered for me to spend this weekend with him & his family at his home about 50km (I think?) from here. A very sweet offer, but I don't know how I feel about going away for a weekend right before I go on a week-long vacation. Will I be bored? What will his family think of an American houseguest with mediocre French? Will they try to push andouillette on me?! Of course I'd never be rude & refuse to eat a homecooked meal while a guest in someone's home but... picky-eater me still hasn't quite grown to love ALL French delicacies. And as ridiculous as this sounds... I don't want to be away from the internet for 2-3 days knowing I won't have regular access for a week right afterwards. How will I talk to my honey?! How will I keep up with my obsessive-compulsive wedding planning?! I can be such a lametard sometimes, I know. Plus Mere and I have tenative plans for a museum day, either here in Troyes or a day trip to Paris. So I don't know yet.
It isn't uncommon to hear the air raid signals blast off at noon 3-4 times a week. But Rich was just over and we heard one (noon on the dot) that happened to be exceptionally loud. We got to talking about the whole, "boy who cried wolf," thing, and that if France ever were under attack (again) no one would know it b/c they've just kind of tuned out the air raid signals. But then it went off again at 12:10, just as loud as the first one. Weird. Maybe they're celebrating the good news of Super Tuesday? By the way: Go Hillary!
OK, it's cold and I'm hungry. Later, étrangers.
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