Thursday, January 28, 2010

Random Things

Packing to come and live in another country for a year is quite difficult. There is first the fact that I knew I would be here for all four seasons, and then I didn't know exactly what the weather would be like when we got here. Strangely enough, from all reports we are here during the coldest period in years. We keep hearing "it usually isn't this cold here" and other such phrases. Today we went to Vichy and walked around and saw the city. It snowed almost the whole time we were there and the temp on the board was -1 degree C. Coming back to the apartment, all I could think about was how much I wanted my fleece pants...that are in my closet at home...like home in Kansas. But, at least I did have other lounge-wear that sufficed. There are many things that I find myself thinking I should have brought with me, (but as my bags were 49.5 and 47 lbs, they would not have fit) but there are other things that are completely random that I am certainly happy I brought. Here's a short list:
1. Swiss Army knife - we don't have scissors in our apt, some things are quite difficult to get into i.e. plastic encased power cord for computer
2. Grand Canyon hiking boots - great for said snow they keep my feet dry and semi-warm and they are taller than my normal shoes so they keep my pant legs from dragging in the snow too much
3. a flashlight - walking over to use the internet at night can be quite scary
4. my Nalgene bottle - I feel like a complete idiot everytime I drink out of it becuase the French drink water out of 6 oz. plastic cups, but I love the thing. It is like a neon sign that I'm American though.
5. Market bags - as reported before, you either pay for them or try and carry things home in all of your pockets. I brough two, we use them all the time
6. alarm clock - I was real happy I brought this nifty device that changes time automatically depending on what country I was in...until I promptly lost it on day 3. oops.
7. lock - I thought it would be used for my luggage (which it will) but it will also be used for the gym locker. perfect.

I'm sure in a few short months my wardrobe will become quite bland to me, but at least these things should retain their luster...

Last Names

This is going to be a random post that my roommates will make fun of me about, but here's another thing I have been wondering about over here. 1. Why do they always list their last names before their first names and 2. Why do they capitalize every letter in the last name? Here are my thoughts. On the last name first, I suppose it is very similar as to in the US where there are so many of a certain name that it is just easier to use the last name. I found it interesting though, that when a French team got up to present in class, all of their names were listed on their opening powerpoint slide last name first, then first name. I mean I know it is called "Nom" and "Prenom", so shouldn't the "Prenom" come first? Just askin.
Also, with the whole last name capitalized thing, I guess some of the first names here are pretty interesting. Not your normal Sarah, Tom, Kate, etc..so to make sure people know which name is the first name and which is the last, they capitalize all the letters of the last name? I'm sure it is just the way it is and no one really knows why they do it, but sometimes things like this make me wonder...

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Bathrooms

Now I know things are quite a bit different here, but one of the things that takes the most getting used to is the fact that the bathrooms are often times for both men and women. Not like there is one bathroom and one person uses it at a time. More like, there is a common hand- washing area and then there are two separate rooms, one for the women, one for the men. In a bar we were in a few days ago, there were barroom like doors for the men's side. So here I am washing my hands while I can see the guys talking on the other side of the doors. Thankfully the girls side had a door that closed, but it was still just a weird experience. I'm sure I'll get used to it at some point, but everytime I go into a bathroom where the stalls are right next to each other I think of that lawsuit in the US where a guy was sued for sexual harassment for going into the womens' bathroom. Guess that isn't a problem here. Now to be correct, not all bathrooms are like this. Sometimes there really are two different rooms, just depends on how old the building is I guess.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Pencil Pouches

I have been asked what some of the differences are between the school here and the school at home. There are of course a whole bunch of differences, some I have mentioned already, some will be mentioned later in the year ahead, but one really random difference is the number of students that have pencil pouches. They look like this:


Random huh? There are all different colors, sizes, patterns, etc..., the guys and girls have them, and even some teachers have them. Everyone has them, except the Americans of course. Of course they make perfect sense, keep your things together, have your eraser and stapler, etc... but I'm not sure I can see them becoming normal in the States...something about it just doesn't fit. Here, it seems weird we don't have them! In fact, I'm thinking about making a purchase...

TV

I was thinking the other day, when a friend from home asked me what is going on in French politics and in the news, that I really have no idea. Sad huh? Living in a country and not really knowing what is going on in the world around me. Well, here's my story and I'm sticking to it. We don't have tv. The only tv I have watched since leaving the States on Jan 5 is broadcasts of rugby games. Those don't provide much info on political situations or what is going on around the country. I check CNN.com every once in a while, but I use the International edition, so none of that is specifically France. I pick up the paper every morning at school because it is free, but surprise surprise, it is written in French. We all know where that is going...
I have though, been lucky enough to watch a few games of my beloved Jayhawks due to online streaming. I really didn't know this fancy thing was available, but boy am I glad it is. Most of the time. Except that Tennessee game I had to watch. And getting up at 3am to watch Missouri/KU and only getting 4 hours of sleep, but it was worth it. I'm surprised at how little, but also how much I miss just watching sports. Like with the news, I check ESPN.com every couple of days, but everything is over by the time I check scores. I guess it is a good thing we're not sitting in front of tvs here in this wonderful country we are living in, and I never really did at home either, the difference here is that I don't even have the option.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Trees

One of the things I noticed immediately when I got here was that the trees are cut very strangely. Here's what they look like:

Now why do you think they do this? Is it so the trees don't get too big? Is it a special kind of tree that doesn't grow without being trimmed this way? I'm not sure really, all I know is that it is very different seeing trees that are cut off at the base of the branches like this. There are also some really funky looking trees in the park, but I haven't taken pictures of those yet, so they'll be a later post.

While in class the other day though, I google mapped home and was showing the French students Lawrence and Overland Park, their comment? Wow, you have a lot of trees. I think it just looks that way because all of ours are big!

Loyalty Programs

Friday night some friends went out to one of our favorite Creperies in Clermont. We got there a bit early and they hadn't opened yet, so we went to a wine bar to have a drink. We walk in and the owner of a restaurant we ate at last week was there. He bought us a bottle of wine to start the night.
We made it to the Creperie, and after buying two pitchers ourselves (there were 9 of us, don't worry), the owner brought us over a half pitcher on the house.
Finally, we went to a bar we got to quite often and the owner there gave us beers half off.
It might sound like we get out a lot, which we do, but the amazing thing about people here is that they genuinely remember us. It is a small town and sure there aren't that many Americans, but the people here are super nice. In some way I guess it is kind of like a loyalty program to get us to keep coming back to their places. I'd say it is a program I quite like, but I keep telling myself not to get used to it. To boot, our landlord gave us some beignets (yummy donut like things) the other day, just for being around using the internet. I like these people...now if I could only talk to them...

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Doors

While sitting outside on Friday afternoon drinking a beer after classes ended for the week, I was talking with some American students and one of them was telling a story about how he was having issues with the doors in Europe. See the thing is here, that a lot of doors are push to enter and pull to exit. Couter-intuitive for those of us in the US. You may have never thought about it before, but when you do, you'll realize that it is natural for us to pull to enter and push to exit. Why? Fire codes. Here? Buildings are too old for fire codes. The thing is, we don't usually sit back and think before we are entering and exiting places.Thus, sometimes we look like total idiots when we are trying to leave a bar, for instance. Here we are, pushing on the door to leave, and it just won't open.

Another interesting door tid-bit is that many times the doors here have buttons that you need to push to unlock them. To exit the computer lab at school, there is a button on the right of the door that you have to push to be able to get out of the lab. At the laundromat, there is a button on the outside that you have to push as you enter the place or the door won't open. Once you know it is there, no problem. If you don't know it is there you once again look a little strange standing there staring at the people inside wondering how the heck they got in.

Finally, doors here lots of times lack hinges to make the door close automatically when you enter or leave. Similar situations at homes in the US, but much harder to remember when you are entering and leaving restaurants and bars. I just expect to have the door close behind me.

Laundry

One of the things I'm not so fond of is our lack of a washing machine. It isn't a big deal, right now we are sitting at the laundromat waiting for our laundry to get finished, but I just paid 5.90 euro for a big load of laundry. That's like $9. It is ok because I haven't done laundry since I arrived, and really didn't need to do it yet, but it takes a lot more planning than normal laundry does at home. At home you can wash stuff while you are watching tv, or in class or whatever. Here, I have to sit in the laundromat, which is ok because they have internet. I have also done a pretty good job of washing the big stuff, like my jeans, and sweaters, in the sink at home and hanging them to dry. I only brought 4 pairs of jeans, so I have been rotating them. I don't wash my jeans every time I wear them anyway, and I usually don't dry them, so it is working out just fine. In short, just takes a bit more planning of what I'm going to wear every day and a little extra money to have clean clothes. I'm sure it is worth it.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Grocery Store Curiousities

Just got back from Carrefour, which is, for those who don't know, like a Target. Huge, has lots of variety and decent prices. Here's a few observations from the past two weeks of shopping here.

1. There are bird noises playing in the produce department. ????
2. You have to price your own produce on the scale and print out a little bar code, without such code you make everyone behind you in line give you the evil eye while the cashier calls a person to come get the produce and take it to the scale and get a code. Or, you just decide you really didn't want those apples anyway and move on.
3. It takes us forever every time we are in Carrefour, not because we don't know what we want, but because we can't find what we are used to. Like cream cheese. Does this exist in France? There are 3 aisles of cheese, but any cream cheese? We didn't find it.
4. They don't keep milk cold. or eggs.
5. The aisle for yogurt is enormous, as is the selection. I'm in awe.
6. Don't bring your own shopping bags with you? You get to pay for bags to sack your own groceries in (whew, glad I brought two market bags with me, one of the best random things from home I brought)
7. Cereal isn't a big thing in France, but they do have these little nuggets that are chocolate with chocolate cream inside. scrumptious.
8. Big shopping carts don't exist.
9. Avocados are super cheap.
10. Tortilla chips are not a hot commodity, which is probably good because I won't eat tons of them.
11. There is almost no orange cheese. All white.

ok that's enough for now... still love grocery shopping, just adjusting to the differences!

Friday, January 22, 2010

Vodka and WATER

So last night we went to this party. It was 16 euro for "open bar". As an American, we hear open bar, we think anything we want with whatever we want. Or at least that's what I think. Anyhoo, we get to the party and find out that open bar really means we can have vodka, rum or whiskey with orange juice, apple juice or tonic water. So, as I don't like like any of those alcohols particularly I picked the best of the worst and chose a vodka with apple juice. Oh, and the ice? One cube. After I decided that vodka and apple juice was too sweet and had too much sugar, which would probably give me a bad hangover, I decided to get vodka with water. I proceeded to try and order a vodka and water at the bar. Impossible. I told the bartender what I wanted (in French) he looked at my like I had 32 eyes. So, I repeated in English. He then asked me 5 times if I was sure I wanted VODKA with WATER. Each time I told him I did. Finally he was like, ok fine. Got me my drink and I move on to the dance party.
Then I started wondering...why did he keep asking me like that? Was the water bad? Was I going to get sick? Then I decided it was due to the fact that it was bad vodka and he thought the drink would taste bad. So, I drank it. And two more. Who knew bartenders were so concerned with their clients' happiness?

Cars

I'm not sure if I'm more cognizant of this because I am American, or if it really is true, but there are a lot of Ford cars here in Clermont. They are not the Ford cars we see at home. They are certainly smaller and usually two door, but it seems as if there are quite a few of them. I guess I knew that they sold cars over here, but I thought they were going to be more an exception than a rule.

I did see a Volvo XC90 the other day, which was also weird because it looks so huge over here. At home it just blends in on the road, but here it seems like a moving vehicle. I drove a brand-spanking new Volkswagon Passat from Paris to Clermont on our way here, and whoa was it a nice ride, but figuring out where the clutch needed to be let out to was a little tricky.

Speaking of clutches, I had a random thought the other day. You know how in the states knees become a problem for older people? Not a problem so much if you are driving an automatic car, but could be quite a problem if you have to drive a manual vehicle. Which led me to two random thoughts, 1. are people who drive manual cars left legs stronger than their right leg and 2. is there a point where old Europeans can't drive because their legs physically aren't able to operate a manual vehicle? Random, I know. The things that come to mind.

Windows

My roommates incessantly make fun of me for an observation I made a few days after we moved into our apartment. As I was drinking a glass of wine and looking out the window of our dining room I noticed that the building across the alley has a lot of windows, and that they are all different sizes. Here's a picture of it.


The inconsistency of this makes me curious. Why did they use all different sizes and types of windows? Were some used for specific things? I don't need to know the answers specifically to the question, but I just found it to be an interesting aspect of the beautiful view from our apartment. We'd never see something like this in the States with all the standards and codes, etc... Some of the windows that are even right under the other ones are different. They might be the same style, but shorter or taller. Hmmm...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Backpacks

To really stick out here in France, all I needed was my good old North Face backpack. While backpacks are quite different across the board, and the students here carry laptop bags and big purses, if a student is carrying a back pack, it is basically old school Eastpak one. The bags with no excess pockets, just a big pocket and a little pocket. No extra straps, hooks or little compartments. Just as basic as it gets.



Only this one is gray and that doesn't really happen here. Mostly it is just as basic and black. I'm definitely intrigued though, these backpacks are small and don't carry much stuff, which I guess works here because we only have one class each day or one class each half day. No carrying around 3 different books, with 2 different notebooks. For being so progressive in most areas of fashion, seems to me that the area of backpacks is in some need of an update.

Brooms

The othe day I was walking home for lunch and the city maintenance people were out cleaning up the streets (you know, all those doggie droppings I talked about? apparently someone does pick them up). I can imagine if the street cleaners (and these are people with shovels and brooms) weren't out cleaning up the street there would be a big pillow of all the discarded cigarette butts and cars wouldn't be able to drive. The streets also have quite a bit of discarded gum on them. Random observations I know, just trying to give you an idea. The point is though, that these workers were cleaning the streets, as they must do quite often and as I approached them I noticed the broom they were using. Here's what it looks like:

Now why I ask, do Europeans still use brooms like this? I'm not a frequent broom user, but I'm quite certain there have been developments in the broom industry from the kind that were made in the 1500s. It isn't just the French either. When I visited Italy, the men cleaning up St. Mark's Square used brooms like this too. Maybe they are cheaper? What could possibly be the other advantages over modern brooms? Ah the conundrums of living in a foreign place.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Green Space

Right around the corner from our apartment is a park. It is a pretty big park, with walking paths and a pond that had frozen over. There were ducks and geese and moms and dads with kids all roaming through this park. Remember that there isn't much green space in the city, and people are used to seeing streets and buildings while confined to the city limits. To keep the place nice, the French have devised a way to control the use of this park.

At 5:45pm each day, this alarm goes off, like a blaring fire truck, for 15 minutes warning people to get out of the park or be locked in by the automatically-closing iron gates at 6pm. My first thought when I saw the park was, oh how it would be to live facing the park (as our landlords do), but after I found out that everyday at 5:45 a screeching alarm goes off for 15 minutes I'm not so sure.

I guess there is something to be said about keeping the scarce green space in the city free of the miscreants that come out at night.

Black Boots

If you are a female, to be in fashion in France, apparently the necessary item of apparel is black boots. Take 100 females walking around the streets of Clermont. These people are going to class, work, play, etc...Mostly class, I'm sure, because we live in a very student-populated area, but approxmiately 94 of these 100 females are wearing black boots of some kind. Usually outside of their jeans, with the jean pants tucked in. Of the 6 not wearing black boots, probably 3 of those 6 are wearing brown ones. The other three? Probably foreigners who are wearing sneakers, slide on flats or a random other assortment of foot coverings.

Now don't get me wrong, these black boots are nowhere close to all being the same. Some of them are flats, some heels, some slouch, some tight. Some have buckles, some have designs. Look in the stores and there are so many to choose from it is amazing.

You might ask why I make this observation. Before I left the states, I was in search of black boots. I went to every store in the area and couldn't find ones I liked. There didn't seem to be that big of a selection. Here? Not the problem. The problem here is the price.

UPDATE: As I walked home for lunch I realized I might have exaggerated the percentages just a bit. But you get the point.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Work Ethic

This week I am taking a super work-intensive class. It is all day for 5 days, and by all day I mean it starts at 8:30, goes til 10, when we have a break til 10:30. We then go from 10:30 to noon. The afternoon session starts at 1:30 and goes til 3, then from 3:30 til 5. So yes, if you calculate we have 2 1/2 hours of a break throughout the day. I guess it is nice, but seems like a lof of time hangin out to me. Mostly it is because I don't need a smoke break and don't drink expresso. I do love being able to walk home (a 7-minute walk) for lunch. I learned in this super-intensive class though, where I am grouped with some French students, that the concept of sustained hard work is a bit foreign. To be fair, some are really good workers and contribute, but a direct quote after talking about how much work needed to be put in this week was "I'm French, we have 35-hour work weeks." Another example would be that the teacher put us in groups to answer 2 questions. We had been working for 35 minutes on a case we had already read and written a write-up on, and the teacher asked us to wrap up the answers in approx 2 minutes. We were already finished and a French student says..."That's the problem with Americans, they are always in a hurry."
Ok sure, something to be said for the leisurely, but I'd rather have an hour at the end of class off than an hour in the middle. But alas, I am American. I'm pretty sure I'm just on a different time schedule.

Pets

You know what I would love for the French people to utilize more than they do? Pooper Scoopers. People had warned me before I came here that there was a lot of doggie doo doo on the ground, but it really is unbelievable how much there is, and apparently it is a whole lot better than it used to be. I just don't get it. It isn't like it is in the grasss or something, which really there isn't much of here, unless you look in the parks, but there are just mounds of it on the streets right where people are walking. Sometimes you can see it has been avoided, sometimes not so much. The real difficulty comes when it is dark outside. We take our shoes off before going up the stairs into our apartment just in case.
Why though, is it such a foreign concept to pick up said droppings? I mean it isn't like it is a revolutionary idea. The little baggies aren't that big of a deal, at least pick it up and move it out of the way of foot traffic or something. No wonder people here always walk with their heads down!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Potato Salad

So yesterday my roommates and I went to a party where a bunch of students were meeting up for a potluck. We were supposed to bring a dish to share, and wanted it to be "American". So, after some debate (and let me remind you we don't have an oven or you all know what would have been the contribution of our apartment) we decided on potato salad. My dad makes awesome potato salad, but it is much more difficult to find the goods here. Take shopping for pickles for example. We had to go to the local market because we didn't have time before the big one closed and nothing is open on Sunday. So, of the two choices available I picked the ones that looked most like sweet pickles to me. Hmmm...not so much. They were usable, but they weren't sweet pickles.
Now we'll move to celery. Apparently not readily available here, and I even went to the vegetable stand. I did see it today at the big store, but a little tougher to find, so we bought celery salt instead.
Anyhoo, the real point of the post is that I made the salad and we took it to the party and put it on the table next to the chips and crepes and fajitas that the Mexicans made. My roomie came to report a few minutes later that people were eating the potato salad with chips, like a dip. She tried to tell them to put it on plates and eat it with a fork, but some insisted that they were eating it correctly. (Now don't start thinking my potato salad presentation was all horrible or anything, it looked like potato salad) Ah, the random observations from a life such as mine.

The things I miss

So I have randomly missed certain things throughout this trip of course, but here are a few that came to mind today. 1. A dishwasher. 2. A garbage disposal. 3. Ice 4. M & M's 5. Peanut Butter. Quite an assortment huh? I'm sure you can decipher at what point I missed the first two. The third was after I went for a run (!), the fourth I miss all the time, even when I'm at home and here's the story on the fifth.

We were at the store today trying to buy a large jar of peanut butter. I guess that it doesn't exist in France, which spurred the debate as to why the French don't eat as much peanut butter. I know they have refined palates, but peanut butter! So good. And with nutella too. I mean come on.

I know there will be many more random things to miss as this adventure continues. I'll keep you updated.

Also, random food fact. Did you know the recipe for Coca-cola in France is different than in the US? They use real sugar. I only know because my roommates consume Coca-Cola like true Americans. I haven't had it since I got here.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Smoking

So the stereotype exists that the French smoke a lot. Well, they do. I mean like chimneys, but, did you know that you can't smoke in restaurants and bars in France? I sure didn't, but boy am I glad it is the case. I was standing outside at the game yesterday though and kept having to hold my breath due to all the smoke. My body really wanted fresh air and was confused as to why being outside wasn't helping. The French haven't quite made it to the no smoking in stadiums yet, or if they have, the people at the top of the seats, and in the standing room only secions, ignore it, but I'd say the no smoking inside rule quite a stance for a country that supposedly smokes so much. The only problem with this said rule, which is the same problem that we have in the States, is that everytime we leave a bar or a restaurant, or want to go into one, there is a wall of smoke. Thankfully due to the fact that we have to walk everywhere, by the time we get home we have de-smokified, which is nice because I still haven't done laundry yet and it isn't cheap, so I'm holding off as long as possible. Don't worry, I'm not taking it to the extreme and wearing the same thing everyday, I just brought a lot of clothes.

more rugby...

So I thought of two more rugby notes from yesterday's game. First off, who decided that the home team of a rugby game should wear white? I mean the team's colors are blue and yellow. Why can't the team wear yellow? I'm telling you what, I feel sorry for the person who has to clean those jerseys. The rain made the field all muddy anyway, but even if it hadn't rained, rugby players spend lots of time on the ground being smashed in the grass and dirt. Also, sometimes they get gashes and bleed. White doesn't seem like the best option.

Secondly, I love the wave. I know, it is random, but I do. It has always been one of my favorite parts of sporting events, and the rugby crowd did it exceptionally well. Good times. I have further decided I love being a Jayhawk even more because I get to wave the wheat lots. Good fun.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

"real" french food

So today I ate a real French meal, and I'm glad I did. Once. Yup, that was enough for me. We started the meal with a plate of sausage type meats cut up. What was in the sausage you ask? Pig brains, intestines and livers. We found out before hand what we were eating and I'm not sure that helped me eat it, but I did it. I drank wine and ate bread at the same time, but I did it.

For the entree, there were two different ones ordered, thankfully I got the plate with the duck confit, which was pretty good actually. I did try though, the other other meal that was served, which was cow stomach. Slimy and chewy. I know, you're grossed out. You weren't there. You're lucky.

Then we had a plate of cheese and most were pretty good, but one, as my roommate put it, tasted like feet. Our landlord told us that the crust of the cheese had little "animals" crawling in the rind of the cheese. Well, we didn't eat the rind cause he said it'd be too strong. Uh huh.

Finally, my favorite part of the meal by far, was the almond galette. Super yummy. Perfect ending to a meal that I'm glad I experienced. Once.

Harry Potter Moments

So today I have had twice had the feeling that I am living in the world of Harry Potter. Let me explain. I live in the apartment over the old stable in the back yard of our landlord's house. This morning I finally paid my deposit and first month's rent for the aprtment I'm living in. Yeah, it has been 8 days, apparently getting paid wasn't a top priority. Anyhoo, while meeting with our landlord, I asked her what our address would be. She told me, and then said just to put my name, care of her, etc... It made me think, I'll just have to tell people to address my mail to the apartment over the stable at such address. Kind of like in Harry Potter where his mail is addressed to the cupboard under the stairs.


Secondly, I went to a rugby match today. It reminded me of quidditch. A lot. Take a look at this picture and see if it doesn't fit exactly like the Harry Potter movies.


I'm telling you, scarves, bright colors, songs, goal posts, etc... I'm sure she got her ideas for quidditch from rugby, but whoa. I was in the book! Super fun though. Glad we went. Now I just need to watch about 50 more hours of the game to really know what the heck is going on.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Energy

Yesterday we had a presentation about being responsible in the area of conservation, energy and recycling. There is an organization on campus that gave a little talk about how the school conserves our resources and how we should all strive to be managers that are cognizant of our world and its health.

Being here, I'm reminded how far Europe seems to be in front of the States when it comes to recycling and energy conservation. There are recycling posts on every corner for glass, which makes sense because they drink so much wine, and wine comes in glass bottles. Our apartment already has about 10 empty glass bottles to deposit. The drop off is minutes from our place. We recycle paper and plastic at our apartment, in two different containers, and at some gas stations, if you take back the bottles, they give you money. Like California a bit I suppose.

Now about the lights. It takes some getting used to walking in hallways here because I will be walking and all of a sudden the lights go out. They have the lights on timers, so you push the button to make them go on, and if you linger too long without pushing the button again, the lights go off. Makes sense really, because they have so many big windows here with natural light that most of the time I don't need the lights to see anyway.

On a completely random, somewhat unrelated note, the standard paper size (like copy paper) is about an inch longer than in the States. So I think the paper is 8 1/2 by 12. Random observation.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Kisses

So the greetings here are much different than they are at home. At home, I say hey to some one as I enter the room or the party. Here, there is a big production of having to kiss someone on each cheek once. I'm not saying it is annoying, but, ok it isn't convenient most of the time. Sometimes people's faces are cold and I'm warm. The other day I was with someone who wasn't feeling well and he had to wave people off from getting close to his face. Awkward a bit, I'd say.
Then there is the line about how well do you have to know someone to do this, bissous, thing. I mean is this a first time we meet thing, or a after we've met a few times thing? I just don't get it. Also, when a bunch of people greet each other at the same time it is like a big game of ring around the rosey. Sometimes it is quite amusing to see all these people trying to maneuver so that everyone can get their kisses in. Seems kind of like an ordeal, but I'll get used to it. Such are the customs to which I must adjust.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Language Skills

My roomies and I have started a new activity for our time here in France. We're going to keep a running list of our new words of each day. The first few days we had only a few words because they were ones that we picked up in coversation or had to ask about while we were trying to explain something. But, in the past few days we have accumulated an abundance of words. We've gotten them from reading the paper, from trying to decipher syllabi and from attempting to understand what our teachers are saying in class. We now each have extensive lists, but we are going to have to cut the lists down significantly to be able to remember what these words mean.

On another note, the percpetion that the French speak fast is certainly true, but I'm not sure that English speakers are much better. I did learn the biggest problem people have with the way Americans speak English and it is that we use contractions. Who knew? It completely makes sense. Mushing all the words together would definitely make them harder to understand. As does abbreviating the words. My strategy teacher wrote on the chalkboard, pretty much completely in abbreviations. Not helpful when I don't even know what the word is she's abbreviating! Alas, the language education continues...

Classes

Classes began today and I've made some observations:


Everyone wears dark colors. I don't really know why there is adversion to color here, but everyone has black coats, boots and dark jeans. At least it looks that way in class. I have lots of color in my wardrobe, so I'm sure I'll stick out even more than I already do.


I'm not sure whether it is part of the perception that the French are rude, but everyone here talks in class. I don't mean that in a good way. I mean, they talk when the teacher is talking. A lot. Just as if they are having normal conversations. I never really realized how annoying it is until you can't understand the teacher anyway because she is speaking in another language, augmented by the fact that there is background noise makes understanding what is going on very complicated.

People here like to sit really close together. I guess they don't have the problem of everyone being really overweight, so the don't have to make seats for much bigger people, but the girl next to me was falling asleep in class today (you know, with her head on her hand and nodding off). Well I was so scared she was going to fall into my lap that I had to keep sitting straight up in my seat so that she would fall on the table in front of me, rather than on me. I also think there were about 104 students in a room for 105. Add the clothing for the 40 degree weather outside and things got a little toasty after 2 hours.

About that two hours also. So the thing about French students is that if the class starts at 2 pm, they will enter the room at 1:59. We spent 40 minutes on one slide, and while I confess I don't know what we were talking about, I'm sure it wasn't the slide...I think we diverted on some pretty significant tangents. Also, in the States, if the class is supposed to be over at 4pm, people officially shut up and stop asking questions around the 3:50 mark. Not here, there were questions up until 3:59. That student would have gotten a look of death in the States.

I'm sure there will be more observations in the days to come...but those are the initial thoughts.

Phone!

So yesterday I went and got a cell phone to have while I'm in Europe.It was really easy, much easier than expected. No contract, just a pay-as-you-go variety. Now I have to have people to call. I have two contacts at the moment. My two roommates. Hmm...
I got the cheap one, you know, the one that is only the basic functions. Thankfully, two of those functions are vitally important to me. One of them is the clock, and the other is the alarm clock.
I had an alarm clock that I brought with me from the States, but I promptly lost it on the second night we were here and haven't been able to find it since. For some reason I have a really hard time sleeping if I don't know what time it is in middle of the night. Also, I have had to use my wonderful roomie as an alarm clock for the past few nights. I'd rather not have to make her wake me up each morning. So, alas, I have a phone. That will be used mostly for the clock and the alarm clock. I'm so technologically advanced.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Snow

I'm over the snow. I have never really been adverse to the snow like some people are. I mean, I get it, sometimes it is annoying. I drive a vehicle with all-wheel drive though, so driving through it really isn't that bad. Yeah sure, it causes major delays, but I'm not important enough to have essential obligations that get me away from the cozy fire in the fireplace.
Here, though, snow is another story. Sure, it makes the landscape beautiful and when I am walking home at night with no cars on the road. The streets look pretty when they are draped with white. Then I wake up the next morning and put on the same boots I have been wearing since I got here (thank god I brought my Grand Canyon hiking boots) and fold up the bottom of my pants so they don't get all wet and gross, and I walk though the brown snow, waiting to cross streets where cars splash the muck up on the sidewalks. The snow on the sidewalks isn't shoveled so walking through it is like walking in sand. My calves are appreciating the workout.
Then there is the cold. Yeah, yeah, it is winter. As before, I get it. The good part is that I have enough layers on that nothing under my coat is cold. My poor little toes though. I have started wearing two pairs of socks, and the first day it helped quite a bit, but let's just say the heating systems here make room temperature about 10 degrees cooler than I'm used to. On a positive note, the shower in our apartment is super hot. So I've got that going for me. I just didn't expect it to be so cold, but I do have the benefit of knowing that the whole world is dealing with the cold and it isn't just me, so I'll think warm thoughts and picture myself basking in the sun on the beach. That should help, right?

Monday, January 11, 2010

My favorite topic

As anyone who is reading this blog knows. I love food. As yet, I can't say I've been disappointed by the culinary adventures so far. When we first got here, we decided to head to a restaurant that had been recommended, and while it was pretty good, it wasn't very French. Pizza is everywhere! I had it that night and then the next day, in between orientation sessions, we had Dominoes. Let me tell you it tasted exactly like the Dominoes at home. Strange experience though.
My favorite meal as yet though, has been the restaurant Pescajoux. We found it in the Let's Go France 2009 book. It definitely lived up to expectations. I had a galette, which is basically a crépe with a bunch of yumminess (mine had ham, cheese, spinach and creme) folded up. Then I had a dessert crépe with chocolate and chantilly. We chatted it up with the owner of the restaurant and promised to return. I'm sure we will but we'll be trying other créperies as well.
Wine has been a standard at every meal we've had. It seems like a travesty to not drink wine when it is so cheap and made so close.
We did learn the trick for getting free water though, which I am super excited about. We learned the hard way, after being charged 5 euro at a tavern for a bottle of water that we didn't really ask for. Now we know to ask for a carafe of water. Then it is free!
Cooking at home will commence quickly though, as eating out is going to add up, so we'll have to see how our culinary talents hold up with just a stove top. Soups, stirfry and pasta are in our future.

Rugby

So last night I was more thoroughly introduced to Rugby. Multiple people in multiple places have tried to teach me the game. I've seen diagrams, and heard passionate exaltations as to why the sport is greater than any other in the world. I have to admit, that after watching the Clermont vs. Toulouse game, for first place in the league (I think), in a jam-packed bar, with a Frenchman and American who love the game, and engaging myself in watching the nuances of the sport, I get it. Kind of. Maybe. Sorta. See the thing about learning new games, especially when I know so many others so well, is that it takes time to fully understand why the players make the choices they do and when the team is doing well or making mistakes.
I'm sure there will be much more Rugby watching in my future, as I am in Europe and college basketball games take place when I should be sleeping. Sad really, that I have to miss my beloved Jayhawks, but one of many parts of my life that will be modified this year.
On another note, I'm never going to play the game, as I covet my teeth and ability to walk without twinging and get dressed without worrying about covering bruises, but the guys (and gals) that play this game are troopers. While walking through town the other day in approximately -2 degree Celsius, trying to keep my balance in the snow and ice, a rugby player ran (!) by wearing shorts and a long-sleeve shirt. Just plain crazy, but I guess that's another aspect of the sport I'll learn to love.

Travel

So it amazes me that after 15 hours of flying across the world, I land in an airport to wait for my traveling companion and I don't feel like I'm in another country. Airports are generally all the same. While I understand just a smidgen of what is being said over the loud speaker, the rental car desks look the same, people are still bustling around with all the same objectives, and the gift shops are selling the same over-priced goods. Even driving from Charles de Gaulle to Clermont feels similar to road trips I have made across the U.S. Still countryside and still wide-open highways.
This trip is going to certainly be a journey. I hope this blog will let you into some of my adventures while I'm here in Clermont-Ferrand, France for 6 months, and who knows where for the six months after that. I thought at first that this would be a journal of my daily life, but realized that it would probably be more interesting to you if this blog consisted of random thoughts from my adventures, rather than a timeline of events. I can't promise it will be interesting, but I can promise it will be real. Let the adventures begin.