Mont St. Michel/St. Malo

What a weekend!

Friday evening was my first class in "Escalade," or Rock Climbing. A friend and I signed up since its something that I have always wanted to do and as a student of the University of Nantes, I can choose from number of sports/dance/conditioning classes for about 7 Euros. Not bad. However, the biggest challenge of the evening was simply finding the gym. After taking the bus to the outskirts of Nantes, we got off at our stop and looked around, only to be surrounded by a few small buildings, fields, and some grazing horses. We were already late for our class but after setting of in the wrong direction, asking for directions, backtracking, and wandering around some more, we almost gave up. We both were also carring around huge backpacks stuffed with a change of clothes from school, lunch supplies to pack a lunch for the following day, computer, digital camera, and our walet..so we decided that (even though we wern't actually lost), we pretty much were carring our most important possesions and everything we needed to survive and could easily become hitchhikers or hobos. Thankfully, we were spared from that fate by finally coming across a sign that pointed us in the right direction and we arrived 45 minutes late. Nevertheless, the teacher was very kind to us, and within 15 minutes we had both been taught how to tie the knots, use the equiptment, belay another person and now we can come whenever we want with eachother or another student who knows how and just climb the wall until we are tired of it. So thats really exciting :) I don't really have armstrength, coordination, or experience tieing complex knots, but if I stick with this every week (which I plan on) hopefully Ill be a lot better by the end of the semester!

Saturday was an all day excursion with IES. I think these trips are SOO cool because we get transportation and ticket included in our tuition and all we need to pay for it lunch. The morning's destination was Mont St. Michel which is the most visited monument in France(...supposedly, I find that hard to believe next to the Eiffel Tour). But anyways, Mont St. Michel is an island monestary that has been built up continually for centuries so it is very fun to explore because there are lots of layers and each is built in a different style. We received a guided tour, but unlike our other tours, no one informed this guide that 90% of the group was in the process of learning the language and he spoke fast even for native speakers. Still, it was interesting and he even demonstrated the acoustics of some of the rooms by belting out a low monk-like note. Outside the abbey, as the streets wind down toward the base, it gets extremly touristy with famous restaurants where an omelette is 40 Euros. We were pre-warned though so we enjoyed our picnic lunch in the beautiful sun that came out that day! It was also incredible looking out of the water. A causeway was actually build some years ago to connect tourists to the island but because of that, water hasn't been able to circulate well and sand is starting to build up. So I hear that "they" are going to tear down the causeway so they can return the island to the way it is supposed to look. Bravo for "them" :) Still, the swirls of sand were unique to see as well.

For the afternoon, we drove over to St. Malo, a city fortified with ramparts famous for its beaches which overlook the English Channel. It also is the home of Chateaubriand. So a few girls and I set out to explore and hopefully in the end go and explore the castle. It wasn't until an hour later as we were relaxing looking out over the water that we were told that Chateaubriand is not in fact a castle, but the name of a famous French writer who was buried about 20 meters (ahh! Im going metric!)from where we were sitting. Oops :/ It was beautiful and relaxing to see the sea but as it started to get colder we headed back early. On the way back to the bus, I decided to pay .30 cents to use the bathroom in the wall of the old rampart since we had a 3 hour trip ahead of us. Probably one of my weirdest experiences yet. When I entered, everthing in the bathroom was drenched. Completely soaking wet. As I closed the door, a toilet seat came down from the wall. It was then that I realized that this was a self-cleaning bathroom. After closing the door to leave, I stood and listened to the gush of water as something in the ceiling sprayed the entire bathroom down! Whoa. I know that I just spent more time talking about the bathroom, than the city, but whoa.It just showered itself! Is that really neccessary after every use? It was crazy. and totally worth 30 cents :)

It had been a long tiring day, so instead of going to a restaurant, a few girls who live near me came to my house and we enjoyed a night watching Sense and Sensability (yes..in English because we're horrible students :P ) accompanied by some store-bought pizzas and some deliciously-American Chips and Salsa (and it was American...Doritos brand). It was fun just to relax and to make some use of my huge room!

That just leaves today, Sunday! This morning I attended a protestant church which has a very international crowd, contemporary music (a rarity in France), and an American pastor who speaks just a little slower french than natives. So it was very fun to sing songs like "How Great Thou Art" in French, and I will definitly be going back and hopefully can start to get involved in the Thursday night Agape group for students as well. Then, this afternoon was beautiful weather and a friend and I went for a long jog exploring a creek and trail that runs for miles right next to my house so its a great place to run :) I even found a track by my house in case I want to start doing speed work in a bit. But we'll see about that. So tonight I just plan to relax, read, and get some homework done.

So now that you know what I've been doing, what are you up to? no, seriously. I want to know! So whether its commenting or emailing, keep in touch!

University

Today, I am finishing out my first week of classes. It has been a long, and somewhat frustrating at times, week! The way my program works is that IES gives students the choice of about 15 classes to choose between, but at the same time allows students to enroll in courses at the University of Nantes (aka. La Fac) if they wish. Their advice was to simply attend all classes that you think you might be interested in, and choose which ones to stick with at the end of the week-a bit different from what I am used to (choosing my courses months ahead of time.) So, trying to fit in as much as possible and obtain the idea schedule, I quickly became frustrated realizing there were schedule conflicts between a lot of the courses I was interested in at the "Fac" and my IES courses. However, it is thankfully almost all worked out now, and I can start concentrating on book buying, homework, etc. My final class list is:
1.) Advanced Topics in Grammer
2.) US and France in the Middle east since 1948
3.) The European Union
4.) Religion, Society, and State in Modern France (maybe)
5.) Translation-at the Fac
6.) Microbiology-at the Fac

Although I am excited for having courses at a real french University with real french students, after attending courses at the University, I am SO much more thankful for my small, private college education. Firstly, in France, the students only pay a 200-300 enrollment fee each year for school, tuition is paid for by the government. You also don't have to apply or get accepted, but are automatically assigned a University that fits your future goals. So therefore, it seems to me so far that many (not all) don't take it seriously. For example, in both of my classes, (60ppl in 1st and 150 in 2nd) the students talked through the entire lecture, to such a point that I couldn't hear the proffesor! I was waiting for the proffesor in either class to get angry, but they seemed used to it! To me, it seemed so disrespectful, not to mention that it was interupting my notetaking... I think at Alma, the professor would have started kicking people out. The other thing about French University professors is that they often don't have Office Hours because they don't feel it is their job to help struggling students. They are paid to lecture for so many a week, and thats it. Someone explained that they aren't being mean, its just the way it is. So perhaps if I attended a larger college back home I wouldn't be so shocked! But I am constantly going to professors at Alma with questions and have taken it for granted that they know me by name and are always willing to help.

That all sounded very negative toward the University, but the classes I am taking are really all very interesting so far and I am very excited about this semester because 5 of my 6 courses aren't offered at Alma. The IES courses are refreshing because, as its only Americans, the proffesor speaks a bit slower to accomodate us. But I think in general, the experience of the two types of classroom enviroments is going to be great to have in the long-run.

3 Other bits of news: Firstly, as I'm sure you are all dying to know... I finally went out and bought some boots :) Only 17.50 Euros, so that justified it for me. I feel so much more European now. I am including a picture of me modeling them , which I feel kind of ridiculous posting, but whatev. Secondly, I enrolled in a climbing class at the University with some friends so that should be fun to try :) and Thirdly,this weekend, I am visiting Mont-St.-Michel with the other students from IES! I am so excited!!! I have wanted to see this for almost as long as I've been studying french, so when I get back, I will be sure to post some pics! Until then, Bon Weekend!

Bonding

Firstly, I need to begin with a story that should have gone in my first blog had I not forgotten. The first day that I arrived, my host mother gave me the classic tour of the house....the living room, the dining room, the garage where they keep the bunny.....that's right, my french family has a little white pet rabbit named "carrotte." "Just make sure you close the door tight", my host mother warned, "or he'll escape and we'll never be able to catch him." Easy enough. So later that day I was packing for my orientation trip and looking around the house for some clothes that my host mother had washed for me...Not in the laudry room, not in the garage..ah hah, in the guest bedroom. So I wandered back upstairs to do my packing. About an hour later, I heard some movement on the first floor. Thinking it was my host mom getting home from work, I went down to greet her. As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, a white blur zoomed past me...and I followed the noise into the dining room. There, protected by the web of dining room chairs surrounding it, was Carotte, snuggled right below the dining table, with the ability to run in any direction if threatened. Great, My first day here, my host mom will be home any minute and I let the bunny loose!! I got down on my hands and knees and called to it, moved closer and closer and....it sped off to hide under the coffee table...attempt #2....it sped off to hide under another bureau. I got down on my hands and knees muttering to myself and to the rabbit, that this was the most ridiculous situation, and only I would get into this kind of trouble. I could see it hiding in the corner, nibbling on the dust and dirt it found there. "Ahh! No! Carrotte, seriously, if you get sick because of me!! Don't Eat the Dust Bunnies!!....hmm..that's kinda ironic." For about a 20 minutes, I chased this rabbit back and forth, getting ever so close, just for it to slip through my fingers. So long story short...I finally got the brillant idea (about 10 mins before my host mom got home) to put some food in my hands so that it would come to me. I made a little trail leading up to my hands, and Carrotte fell for it. I snatched it up as it flailed about and deposited it back in the garage where it belonged. That's right. Joye-1 Carrotte-0.

However, aside from getting to know the family rabbit and its coniving ways, I have also gotten to know my family a bit better. Dinners are always very relaxing with good conversation, like What you would do if you won "Le Lotto", etc. And I've also had some fun moments with Claire, my host sister, as well. The other night I walked into the her room while she was practicing a song called "Humpty Dumpty" on the guitar. When she said she hadn't hear of it before, I tried to explain to her the classic story. Well, I said, (all in french of course) First there was Humpty Dumpty who is a sort of egg man and he's sitting on wall....then he falls off. Why? I have no clue. Then the King comes with his entire pack of horses and men and tries to put him back together...I don't know why I never thought about it before, but Wow!!! we have completely ridiculous nursury rhymes! So after that we moved into tongue twisters and she taught me a couple that correspond with "How much wood could a woodchuck chuck..." She really is so energetic and I'm so glad that I was placed in a family with siblings:)

Finally, after a long week of orientation classes, I left this weekend to visit Marion, a french student that has visited 3 summers in a row, and her family. They were SO welcoming and it was fun to try out my French on Marion, who had always spoken English during her stays with us. It was also neat to experience another real french family, since sometimes its difficult to tell what is a French tradition or simply a family tradition. I got to taste a lot of homecooked cuisine like quiche, galletes, camanbear cheese, celery soupe...and even fresh Oysters from the sea! A little too salty and slimy for regular consumption, but it was fun to try! On Saturday, Marion's mother took me into Rennes, the capital of Brittany, and showed me around the markets, the old neighborhoods, and the designer shops. A lot of the homes there date back hundreds of years, and the atmosphere was very neat. Marion and I finished out the day with a meal at MacDo and the french version of Atonement (a bit hard to understand all of the words, but I was proud of myself!). Sunday was a day to relax. After cheering on Marion's father in a local race, I spent the early afternoon making a few phone calls, reading, and touring a bit more before heading back to Nantes.

In conclusion, I hope everyone's classes/lives [ :) ] are going well! I am having lots of fun but I do miss you all! Secondly, I would just like to wish a Happy 2 year Anniversary to my boyfriend Jim! I love you so much! Thirdly, Goodnight!

First Impressions

Today is my 10th day in Nantes. So much has happened in that small amount of time so it truly has flown by. However, I think its always neccessary to record your first thoughts so that when you look back to can see how much you've learned and/or changed. Therefore, the rest of this post will be just that.

I was told today that Time magazine wrote an article about Nantes in 2004 titled "The Last Best Place in Europe." However, when I first arrived, that wasn't exactly the impression I got. Arriving 3 days early, I was immediatly introduced to the rainy climate here. On non-rainy days, the winter is great! 45-50 degrees Farenheit so all you need is a light jacket, however, the torrents of rain, the wind, and the gutterless streets can make the other half of the time a bit of a challenge. Anyways, I spent 3 days exploring Nantes famous Castle, its cathedrals, its downtown, and my favorite..the local Subway. I also read a book and a half and watched a lot of French "Friends" and "Smallville." All in all, although it was difficult at first being alone, I truly can't complain about anything.

On Wednesday morning, my host mother, Madame Jagueneau, generously picked me up from my hotel and took me to my new home. I have a huge room on the 3rd floor all to myself, with a desk, coach/living area, and bed! I also met my host-sister Claire who is the most energetic 12 year old I have ever met. But she's adorable. She does a dance every time we are having something for dinner that she likes. Later that night I met my host father who is very kind as well. Still, it is a bit nerve-racking(is that a word?) at first to be in a complete strangers house. You just don't know what to do with yourself. Do you stay in your room? or just go hang out in one of the family rooms, hoping to have a very difficult conversation? Its even more difficult now that in Orientation we have learned the rules of french manners like "Never sit in the prescense of the mistress of the house unless she sits first" or "Don't be the first at the table", etc. However, they have really made an effort to make me feel welcome and to include me in dinner table conversation, and I'm sure it will become easier as time goes on.

On Thursday afternoon, I was dropped off at the IES center for my orientation trip to Tours. It was a bit intimidating to just start walking up to random people and starting to try to get to know them, a situation which is always a bit awkward..but in french was even more difficult. However, everyone was equally as eager to make friends, and although I still don't know the names of all 40 students, it was interesting to meet SO many French majors! since I think I am currenctly the only Major in my class at Alma. But anyways, with each bus ride, people shuffled around so that they could get to know people they hadnt talked to before. Upon arrival, we were informed that over the next few days, we would have 2 days of touring and a 3rd day of placement tests, oh, and that we were to be speaking french at all times, of course. We visited Amboise, Chenonceau, Cheverny, and Chambord. They were all beautiful in their own way and it was incredible to go exploring in their vast gardens, terraces, etc. I took SO many pictures, but, like anything REALLY worth seeing, a picture couldn't quite capture it. As for speaking french, I truly tried to speak it most of the day, but it was incredibly exhausting, so very often, our dinner conversations were in english. Its a very weird feeling to be constantly using a foreign language. I was describing it to someone as being an echo in your head. Because each time you same something in english, you begin to immediatly translate whether you need to or not. And That, my friends, is exhausting.

All in all, the weekend was very fun and relaxing, except perhaps for the tests, which went well for me, but were not fun at the time. So now this week we have class from 9-6pm in different subjects like Conversation, Grammer Reveiw, French Language, Course Conselling, etc. It is all very useful, but at the same time, it is difficult to get all the small errands done in between and still make home in time for dinner (which in France isnt until 8 or 9...now thats just craziness!) But I am sure that after this week, even with classes starting next Monday, that Ill have more inbetween time in my days.

As for other first impressions, most of the stereotypes are true. The french wear all black, they dont smile when you pass them on the sidewalk, many people smoke(although smoking was banned in pubic places Jan 1st), etc. The food is very good as well. However, Europeans dont seem to pack their food with flavor like Americans, who dump spices and sauce on everything! They prefer more subtle flavors. However, for me, the food hasn't been a problem, although, the Kallgren that I am, I must admit that I miss the occasional Hamburger, Taco, or Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich...mmmmh. The other big sterotype here is fashion. Which is true. Every female has a pair of very stylish boots, which come in very handy when it rains. Also, January is the month of huge sales everywhere in France, so although I dont want to spend a lot of money at the beginning, I am trying to decide whether it would be worth 30 euros to get a new pair of boots and blend in a little more for the next 4 months.

Aside from that, I'll be able to give more info once my classes start. Until then, I miss everyone and hope that everyone who is reading this is doing great! and don't forget to email/facebook me and let me know how you are doing!