Hiiiiiiiiiii guys. So, I know, it's been two months. What was I doing in those two months, you ask? Well, lots of stuff. Unfortunately, blogging was not one of them. But I hope that if you are reading this I have talked to you in the last two months, and if not, let's fix that!!
Tomorrow I'm leaving for two months of traveling in Europe. I would like to say I will keep up the trog, but to be honest it doesn't seem likely--I don't even know if I'll have internet where I'm going. However, I do have an email address, and since I'm traveling all alone I would love to get emails (when I have internet of course). Sooo if you somehow happen across this (I don't know why you would after two months, but ya neva know!), shoot me a message at alycia.kravitz@gmail.com. I promise I will respond and tell you all my stories!! But for now I will have to officially retire le trog.
Hope wherever you are, whoever you are, you are well. And I hope to talk to you soon.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Amsterdaaaaaam
Heya!
Last week at exactly this time I was sitting on a train, next to a nice Dutch guy named Sjors, speeding through Holland on our way to...Amsterdam! (Next week at exactly this time I will be in Geneva, Switzerland, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. At exactly this time I'm in Paris, just so we're all well situated in time and space).
It was somewhat of a whirlwind weekend, so I'll give you guys a few highlights. I went with my friend Olivia, who's in my exchange program, and we couchsurfed with a super sweet girl named Anna, who's a music student at the conservatory of Amsterdam. She spent most of the weekend playing her violin, so we set off be ourselves into this world of bicycles and canals. And this is what we found...
Bloemenmarket! A huge flower market in the center of the city. Dutch people really love their flowers--they're everywhere, and in full bloom right now. If you don't know about Tulip Mania during the Dutch Golden Age (in the 17th century), I would suggest you take a moment and educate yourself, because it's quite interesting.
The Anne Frank House--this was a really moving museum experience for me. I had just read her diary last summer, and it was really humbling to be in the (tiny!) room where she spent all that time, and see her actual handwriting filling page after page.
Rijksmuseum--not as moving, but still a cool museum experience. I learned lots of interesting things about the Dutch--for example, they've got quite a colonial history (like so many other European countries). They have particularly strong ties with Indonesia and China, which explains their beautiful porcelain "china" that was originally imported, then copied by Dutch manufacturers taking over the market.
Speaking of colonial history, we had a traditional Dutch meal called an rijsttafel (an Indonesian rice table). It didn't seem very Dutch to me--you get a big bowl of rice and then a bunch of smaller bowls full of meat and vegetables and tofu, flavored with curry and peanut sauce. It was delicious!!!
Bikers rule in Amsterdam. It's unbelievable how many there are--I think I saw more bikes than people. They rule the roads, and pedestrians better watch out. Sunday was a beautiful day, all blue skies and sunshine, so we rented a couple bikes and rode through Vondelpark, their version of Central Park. It was like riding through a postcard of Holland--flowers blooming, people relaxing under trees, little fountains and statues everywhere. We also rode up the East side of the city over the canals and checked out the architecture. Fun fact: Amsterdam has some of the narrowest houses in the world, because at the time they were being built there was a tax on the width of the houses. As a consequent, they're all tall and skinny, and sqeeeeeezed together along the canals.
Speaking of canals, we also took a canal cruise! Amsterdam started as a port on the Amstel river, and grew into the most important commerce city in the Netherlands, so canals were their bread and butter. Today they're still a defining characteristic of the city, and so beautiful!
We also checked out FOAM (a photography museum), the Albert Cuyp market (another thing Dutch people love are markets, and this one is their biggest and best--it's got EVERYTHING), and Zeedjik straat--their China Town. We also did a lot of walking through the little streets and different neighborhoods.
Amsterdam is very interesting because there are a lot of clashing elements. There is a rich Dutch history and architectural beauty, but there is also a big drug and sex scene, because marijuana and prostitution are both legal. Almost everywhere you go in the city you can smell marijuana, wafting out of a coffeeshop or floating through a park. We walked through the Red Light District once, and that was enough for me!!
Well, that's about it for now. I'll try to keep you guys up to date in the coming weeks, but no promises because I don't know if I'll have internet. Thursday night I'm flying to Switzerland, and after that comes Berlin, Budapest and Vienna. Ohhhhh boy.
Hope you all are well, and enjoying the birth of Spring. A plus, mes amis !
Last week at exactly this time I was sitting on a train, next to a nice Dutch guy named Sjors, speeding through Holland on our way to...Amsterdam! (Next week at exactly this time I will be in Geneva, Switzerland, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. At exactly this time I'm in Paris, just so we're all well situated in time and space).
It was somewhat of a whirlwind weekend, so I'll give you guys a few highlights. I went with my friend Olivia, who's in my exchange program, and we couchsurfed with a super sweet girl named Anna, who's a music student at the conservatory of Amsterdam. She spent most of the weekend playing her violin, so we set off be ourselves into this world of bicycles and canals. And this is what we found...
Bloemenmarket! A huge flower market in the center of the city. Dutch people really love their flowers--they're everywhere, and in full bloom right now. If you don't know about Tulip Mania during the Dutch Golden Age (in the 17th century), I would suggest you take a moment and educate yourself, because it's quite interesting.
Rijksmuseum--not as moving, but still a cool museum experience. I learned lots of interesting things about the Dutch--for example, they've got quite a colonial history (like so many other European countries). They have particularly strong ties with Indonesia and China, which explains their beautiful porcelain "china" that was originally imported, then copied by Dutch manufacturers taking over the market.
Speaking of colonial history, we had a traditional Dutch meal called an rijsttafel (an Indonesian rice table). It didn't seem very Dutch to me--you get a big bowl of rice and then a bunch of smaller bowls full of meat and vegetables and tofu, flavored with curry and peanut sauce. It was delicious!!!
Bikers rule in Amsterdam. It's unbelievable how many there are--I think I saw more bikes than people. They rule the roads, and pedestrians better watch out. Sunday was a beautiful day, all blue skies and sunshine, so we rented a couple bikes and rode through Vondelpark, their version of Central Park. It was like riding through a postcard of Holland--flowers blooming, people relaxing under trees, little fountains and statues everywhere. We also rode up the East side of the city over the canals and checked out the architecture. Fun fact: Amsterdam has some of the narrowest houses in the world, because at the time they were being built there was a tax on the width of the houses. As a consequent, they're all tall and skinny, and sqeeeeeezed together along the canals.
Speaking of canals, we also took a canal cruise! Amsterdam started as a port on the Amstel river, and grew into the most important commerce city in the Netherlands, so canals were their bread and butter. Today they're still a defining characteristic of the city, and so beautiful!
Amsterdam is very interesting because there are a lot of clashing elements. There is a rich Dutch history and architectural beauty, but there is also a big drug and sex scene, because marijuana and prostitution are both legal. Almost everywhere you go in the city you can smell marijuana, wafting out of a coffeeshop or floating through a park. We walked through the Red Light District once, and that was enough for me!!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Belgium is Random
Bonsoir mes amis ! This weekend I went to Belgium and have I got some good stories for you. I was in Brussels for the most part, although I did spend a night in Hasselt (more on that later....)
Brussels is so cool! It's very small, and has a much chiller vibe than Paris (my host brother is trying to read over my shoulder and I just had to try to explain "chill" in French. I said a mix between "cold" and "cool.") If I had to pick one word to describe the city I'd say "eclectic," because there's definitely a lot of interesting things brought together in one place. For example, they play music in their metro stations. I was waiting for a train at 8 am on a Sunday morning, and I was listening to Britney Spears. (Side note: there's nothing to check your ticket for the metro, you just buy it and then go in the open door. At least that's how it seemed to us.) Another interesting thing is that they have two official languages, French and Dutch, and everything--I mean everything--is in both. Even the names of the streets! Which is quite confusing if you're an unsuspecting tourist trying to find Rue du Moulin and you're lost on Molenstraat (why? because it's the same street!). For a small place there are a lot of great things to do.
Despite all that, we actually went to Belgium for a concert. But not just any concert, my friends, for Sensation WHITE (thus named because everyone that goes has to wear white). It's a concert that takes place in different locations around Europe a few times a year, and it brings together Europe's biggest House music DJs for one night of pure madness.
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| Bonjour Bruxelles ! |
Despite all that, we actually went to Belgium for a concert. But not just any concert, my friends, for Sensation WHITE (thus named because everyone that goes has to wear white). It's a concert that takes place in different locations around Europe a few times a year, and it brings together Europe's biggest House music DJs for one night of pure madness.
You know how I said Belgium is really random? Well it's also not very organized, and the train schedule was not so clear, which meant that Diana and I arrived a the station at 10:50, approximately 20 minutes after the last train had left for Hasselt. It's about an hour drive from Brussels, and with no trains we were pretty much out of luck. Fortunately for us, there are always people willing to help out (read: prey upon) poor stranded girls in a foreign country, so a guy offered us a taxi for the low price of 50 euros a person. He brought us over to three other girls who had also missed the last train, and I asked them if they were going to take the taxi. They looked at me with panic in their eyes and said "engleesh?"
And that, mes amis, is how I found myself hurtling through the Belgian countryside with a Venezuelan girl on my lap. Two of the girls were visiting the third, who is studying abroad in London, and they were in Brussels for Sensation. They didn't speak any French, and our taxi driver, Farid, didn't speak any English, so it was an interesting ride to say the least. We finally made it to the concert and danced four sparkly, bass-filled hours away with 10,000 other people dressed in white. I didn't bring my camera, but I googled imaged it so you could get an idea--
More ridiculous adventures ensued trying to get back to the train station, but we finally made it and took the 6 am train to Brussels, along with a few thousand others. We must have been quite the scene--kids in all sorts of crazy white get-ups sleeping on the floor of the train, strewn across the seats and plastered against the windows. Needless to say we slept most of the day away, but we did manage to get out and see the sights the next evening. We made it to the Musée des Beaux Arts, Musée de Belvue (a museum of the history of Belgium), Neuhaus (chocolatier), and Delerium (one of the most famous beer places in Belgium). The chocolate was some of the best I've ever had, and although I'm not the world's biggest beer fan I have to say that the beer was pretty good itself.
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| Grand Place |
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| Musée des Beaux Arts |
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| Musée Belvue |
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| Yummmmmm |
Monday morning we headed to the Atomium, which was built for the World Expo '58, which was hosted by Belgium. In fitting with the rest of Belgium, it's really random, but also really cool--
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| The Atomium |
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| View from the inside |
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| Can you find us? |
We checked out the expositions in the different orbs and the view of Brussels from the top, which was pretty cool. The rest of the day we wandered around, stumbling upon a few cool things and ending up at the Koekelberg Basilica, the 11th largest church in the world.
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| Koekelberg Basilique |
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| Don't forget you can click on these pictures to make them bigger : ) |
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And that pretty much does it for Belgium! Minus the taxi part it was a great success, and even that was actually pretty fun. Now I'm back in Paris, and this weekend I am going on a private midnight tour of the forbidden sections of the catacombs! Don't worry, I'll tell you guys everything. Hope you're taking care and enjoying the little things. À la prochaine fois, mes amis !
Friday, March 11, 2011
Snapshots
Salut ! I know I've been MIA, but for une bonne raison--I had to give an exposé (oral presentation) yesterday. In French. In front of a class of French people. On a 5 page (1.5 spaced really wide margins) paper that I had to write on a book that I had to read. In French. Soooo that took up most of the time the last week.
But actually I can't complain, because it was "facultatif"--optional. You may think I'm folle (crazy) for doing that, but I thought it would be a good experience. Only 5 people out of my class of 25 did it, so the professor was really nice and encouraging, and it actually went pretty well. I presented for 10 whole minutes, and man I was nervous--I wore a charcoal gray romper and a blue and black checkered flannel shirt to offset the glowing crimson of my skin. Ended up not being the best choice ever--charcoal gray really shows sweat!! But anyways, c'est fini and I did it, so phew!
So many fantastique and fun things have been happening. J'ai pas le temps to tell you guys all of them, so I'm just going to do a few snapshots of my life to give you une idée. Here we go--
I'm at a huge protest with my Mexican friend, Flavia. We're at the Eiffel tower, surrounded by groups carrying signs and instruments and pamphlets. March 8th is Le Jour des Femmes (a day celebrating women) and we're here showing solidarity for the struggle for women's rights in the Middle East and North Africa. We lose ourselves in the crowd, chanting in Arabic and yelling in French. Flavia and I dance to a marching band, photograph women wearing colorful headscarves, converse in French. We arrive at the Egyptian Embassy and the speeches begin.
I'm sitting in le Jardin de Luxembourg on a beautiful sunny day. We were going to go to a café but it was too nice out to stay inside, so we got tea and brought it in to the garden. Next to me is Joanna, a Catalan from Barcelona, and across from me is Gabor, a Hungarian exchange student. The conversation flows from French to Spanish, Spanish to Catalan, Catalan to Hungarian, Hungarian to English as we teach each other words and phrases. We agree to meet at the Louvre the next day.
I'm squeezed at a tiny table with 8 other people, in a crowded reggae bar in the 19th arrondissement. Diane, a 24 year-old from my music class, has invited me to go out with her and her friends, and we're all laughing and talking over the sound of the reggae band playing on stage. They're all older than me and speaking very fast, so it's a little intimidating, but they're all super nice and after a few minutes my nervousness disappears and I'm talking and laughing with everyone else. Diane and I get up to go dance.
There are a billion more moments, but that's all I have time for right now. I'll leave you with an extremely flattering picture of me before I saw a spectacle de danse at Trocadéro the other night--
Well that's about that pour maintenant. Oh, I'm going to Belgium tomorrow! I'll be in Brussels for 2 days and Bruges for a day, so I'll try to keep you guys posted about that. Hope you're all well and enjoying everything you're doing. À la prochaine fois, mes amis !
But actually I can't complain, because it was "facultatif"--optional. You may think I'm folle (crazy) for doing that, but I thought it would be a good experience. Only 5 people out of my class of 25 did it, so the professor was really nice and encouraging, and it actually went pretty well. I presented for 10 whole minutes, and man I was nervous--I wore a charcoal gray romper and a blue and black checkered flannel shirt to offset the glowing crimson of my skin. Ended up not being the best choice ever--charcoal gray really shows sweat!! But anyways, c'est fini and I did it, so phew!
So many fantastique and fun things have been happening. J'ai pas le temps to tell you guys all of them, so I'm just going to do a few snapshots of my life to give you une idée. Here we go--
I'm at a huge protest with my Mexican friend, Flavia. We're at the Eiffel tower, surrounded by groups carrying signs and instruments and pamphlets. March 8th is Le Jour des Femmes (a day celebrating women) and we're here showing solidarity for the struggle for women's rights in the Middle East and North Africa. We lose ourselves in the crowd, chanting in Arabic and yelling in French. Flavia and I dance to a marching band, photograph women wearing colorful headscarves, converse in French. We arrive at the Egyptian Embassy and the speeches begin.
I'm sitting in le Jardin de Luxembourg on a beautiful sunny day. We were going to go to a café but it was too nice out to stay inside, so we got tea and brought it in to the garden. Next to me is Joanna, a Catalan from Barcelona, and across from me is Gabor, a Hungarian exchange student. The conversation flows from French to Spanish, Spanish to Catalan, Catalan to Hungarian, Hungarian to English as we teach each other words and phrases. We agree to meet at the Louvre the next day.
I'm squeezed at a tiny table with 8 other people, in a crowded reggae bar in the 19th arrondissement. Diane, a 24 year-old from my music class, has invited me to go out with her and her friends, and we're all laughing and talking over the sound of the reggae band playing on stage. They're all older than me and speaking very fast, so it's a little intimidating, but they're all super nice and after a few minutes my nervousness disappears and I'm talking and laughing with everyone else. Diane and I get up to go dance.
There are a billion more moments, but that's all I have time for right now. I'll leave you with an extremely flattering picture of me before I saw a spectacle de danse at Trocadéro the other night--
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Well that's about that pour maintenant. Oh, I'm going to Belgium tomorrow! I'll be in Brussels for 2 days and Bruges for a day, so I'll try to keep you guys posted about that. Hope you're all well and enjoying everything you're doing. À la prochaine fois, mes amis !
Thursday, February 24, 2011
A Few of My Favorite Things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that fall on your nose and eyelashes...Sound of Music reference too lame here? I think not!!
Another one of my very favorite things...la musique !! The French music scene is interesting in that it is, well, pretty much American. Everywhere I go I hear American music--my host siblings are obsessed with Taio Cruz (they know ALL the words to "Dynamite." I don't even know all the words to "Dynamite") Their very favorite? Michael Jackson. French people can't get enough of that guy. If you want to make a French person feel at home, all you need to do is pour the wine, slice the bread and cheese, and turn up "Thriller"--it'll work every time.
I've been asking everyone I talk to why American music is so big here. I've gotten several different answers, but one that I find very interesting is that French is not a good language to sing in. A few different people have mentioned that the French style of speech is much choppier when set to music--English just flows better. I don't know how much merit the choppy argument holds, but it is definitely true that French is harder to sing in. I think it's because they don't pronounce the ends of their words when they speak (père = pèhh) but when they sing they elongate them (père = pèrrehh).
Another interesting tidbit is that the music education here is completely different than in the United States. Music is not compulsory in any level of school here--in fact elementary schools, middle schools and high schools don't have music departments. Each arrondissement has its own conservatory, and if a child wants to study music he or she has to register at the conservatory (for a considerable fee) and take lessons on top the rest of their schooling (the schools here go until 4 or 5 pm).
On a side note, people keep trying to tell me that pre-university education is way better here than in the U.S. because they go until 5 pm. But they start at 9, an hour later than most schools in the U.S., and they go home for lunch, which takes a good hour and a half out of the afternoon. Something in their math is fishy, that's all I'm saying.
Anyways, the result of all of this is a very underdeveloped music education system. I spoke with my host uncle about it, and he said that literature replaces music in many schools because it is considered to be more "intellectual" by the government. The French government is very concerned with maintaining a cultivated and intellectual population (L'Académie Française anyone?), and music (according to my host uncle) is too sentimental to be considered necessary for a proper formation. He went as far as to say that that's why French people can't make "le rock," but I had to stop him there--that's just ridiculous.
I'm going to have to keep exploring this issue, so I'll keep you guys posted on other discoveries I make. I'll leave you with a sampling of French music that I've been listening to so far--it's no Michael Jackson, but it's not bad.
Sexion d'Assaut is a rap group made up of 8 Parisians. They rap about a lot of political stuff--very interesting. This is probably their best known song, "Désolé" ("Sorry")
Mylène Farmer is a French pop artist who gets mixed reviews. From what I can tell, French people either love her or really hate her. More of the latter. Interesting none the less (heads up, the video is a liiiiiittle weird)
Noir Désir tries to prove that French people can indeed rock. They're one of the best known French rock groups, and I kinda like 'em
And last but not least, the illustrious Carla Bruni. For those of you who don't know her, she is an Italian-French singer/model/current wife of Nicholas Sarkozy. My feelings on her are mixed, but I really like this song
Bon écoute, mes amis !
Another one of my very favorite things...la musique !! The French music scene is interesting in that it is, well, pretty much American. Everywhere I go I hear American music--my host siblings are obsessed with Taio Cruz (they know ALL the words to "Dynamite." I don't even know all the words to "Dynamite") Their very favorite? Michael Jackson. French people can't get enough of that guy. If you want to make a French person feel at home, all you need to do is pour the wine, slice the bread and cheese, and turn up "Thriller"--it'll work every time.
I've been asking everyone I talk to why American music is so big here. I've gotten several different answers, but one that I find very interesting is that French is not a good language to sing in. A few different people have mentioned that the French style of speech is much choppier when set to music--English just flows better. I don't know how much merit the choppy argument holds, but it is definitely true that French is harder to sing in. I think it's because they don't pronounce the ends of their words when they speak (père = pèhh) but when they sing they elongate them (père = pèrrehh).
Another interesting tidbit is that the music education here is completely different than in the United States. Music is not compulsory in any level of school here--in fact elementary schools, middle schools and high schools don't have music departments. Each arrondissement has its own conservatory, and if a child wants to study music he or she has to register at the conservatory (for a considerable fee) and take lessons on top the rest of their schooling (the schools here go until 4 or 5 pm).
On a side note, people keep trying to tell me that pre-university education is way better here than in the U.S. because they go until 5 pm. But they start at 9, an hour later than most schools in the U.S., and they go home for lunch, which takes a good hour and a half out of the afternoon. Something in their math is fishy, that's all I'm saying.
Anyways, the result of all of this is a very underdeveloped music education system. I spoke with my host uncle about it, and he said that literature replaces music in many schools because it is considered to be more "intellectual" by the government. The French government is very concerned with maintaining a cultivated and intellectual population (L'Académie Française anyone?), and music (according to my host uncle) is too sentimental to be considered necessary for a proper formation. He went as far as to say that that's why French people can't make "le rock," but I had to stop him there--that's just ridiculous.
I'm going to have to keep exploring this issue, so I'll keep you guys posted on other discoveries I make. I'll leave you with a sampling of French music that I've been listening to so far--it's no Michael Jackson, but it's not bad.
Sexion d'Assaut is a rap group made up of 8 Parisians. They rap about a lot of political stuff--very interesting. This is probably their best known song, "Désolé" ("Sorry")
Mylène Farmer is a French pop artist who gets mixed reviews. From what I can tell, French people either love her or really hate her. More of the latter. Interesting none the less (heads up, the video is a liiiiiittle weird)
Noir Désir tries to prove that French people can indeed rock. They're one of the best known French rock groups, and I kinda like 'em
And last but not least, the illustrious Carla Bruni. For those of you who don't know her, she is an Italian-French singer/model/current wife of Nicholas Sarkozy. My feelings on her are mixed, but I really like this song
Bon écoute, mes amis !
Sunday, February 20, 2011
One month anniversary!
First things first--a big bonne anniversaire to my dearest Dad, the Dr. Toby Kravitz. Hope you had a really great birthday, Dad!! Virtual hugs from Paris!
Coincidentally, it is also the one month anniversary of me and Paris. And what a month it's been--things are really going swimmingly between us! There's so much to tell you guys, where to start...
How about with classes! Because it's the least fun topic so let's get them out of the way early. I started two of my courses this week at Paris IV--the Sorbonne (there are actually several branches of the Sorbonne that have different centers throughout the city, and they're all numbered). I'm taking "Environnement, une approche intégrée" ("An Integrated Approach to the Environment), et "Géographie de l'alimentation" (Geography of Food). The French university system is SO different than that of the U.S. For example, students follow something called a "cursus," in which they specialize immediately upon entering university. There's no concept of a liberal education--you're going to be an architect or a biologist and you're going to take a specific sequence of courses exclusively in that subject from the day you start until the day you finish.
Another big difference is the degree of autonomy afforded to the students. There is also no such thing as a syllabus in France--there is a "programme," which is usually one page giving a very rough sketch of topic areas that will be covered. There's no office hours or contact information for the professor. Why, you ask? Because the students and the professors have very little direct interaction, and, from what I can tell, they like it that way. There's also no list of homework or required texts--there is only "une bibliographie," a long list of books that are pertinent to the subjects studied, and it's pretty much up to you to decide what you're going to read and when. Oh, and grades? You generally have one "fiche de lecture," (essentially much a book report), and one "devoir sur table," (an end of the year test covering everything). Bam.
Umm, does that idea make anyone else start to break out in a nervous sweat? Because I'm un petit peu nerveuse over here! Not to mention the fact that my professors speak French for three hours straight (students are NOT encouraged to participate in class) and then peace out. Chouette.
Before I forget, I would like to give a shout-out to my dear friend Sean Cantwell. Not because he asked me to or anything like that, just because I love him so much : )
Ok quelquechose d'autre--I went to the ballet Tuesday night. It was the same place I had seen the opera (it's actually the "ballet de l'opéra," go figure), but this time we were sitting in our own box. And I had one of the first two seats! Needless to say, it was a bonne soirée.
Oh, btw, saw Justin Bieber Thursday night. No, not in concert, don't be crazy. I mean I actually saw him. My friend Olivia called and said "hey whatcha doing, wanna go see screaming girls freak out over Justin Bieber?" Naturally I said absolument pas, but one thing led to another, and I found myself ten feet from Justin Bieber as he was arriving for the premier of his movie. Apparently there is now a whole movie about the life of Justin Bieber! The world we live in. Anyways, I couldn't help myself from screaming "Justin! How old are you? 12 or 13?!?" but my voice got lost in the madness that is hundreds of screaming pre-teen girls. It was truly hilarious.
Ok, saved the best part for last (sorry, Justin). Last night I went to a French party. In a French house. WITH FRENCH PEOPLE! Well duh, you say, you're in France. C'est vrai, but it's much harder to break into French social circles than American (for a multitude of reasons I will enumerate in a later post--I like to create a little bit of suspense before I reveal all things French). There's a 26 year-old named Ludovic who babysits for my host siblings, and he asked me to sortir (go out) with him last night (I suspect my host mom may have had something to do with that, but hey I'm not complaining). We went to a house party in the coolest place! It had a loft with all these black lights and crazy plants and goldfish on shelves as you went up the stairs! (Evidémment the three guys that lived there came from well-off Parisian families). It was pretty much a regular party, except that EVERYONE there (sauf moi, like usual) was smoking cigarettes the ENTIRE time. I don't even understand how French people do that. Sure, people smoke in the U.S., but not like this. That may have to be a subject of a whole post. Despite all the fumers (smokers), it was still fantastic and I spoke so much French!
Ok, well I'm not doing so great with my resolution to post more, but I'm working on it. However, my use of the conditional tense is much improved, so all is not lost. (You would have to read my last post to get that reference, I'm just making sure you're on your toes!) I hope everyone has a great week and discovers something new! A tout, mes amis !
Coincidentally, it is also the one month anniversary of me and Paris. And what a month it's been--things are really going swimmingly between us! There's so much to tell you guys, where to start...
How about with classes! Because it's the least fun topic so let's get them out of the way early. I started two of my courses this week at Paris IV--the Sorbonne (there are actually several branches of the Sorbonne that have different centers throughout the city, and they're all numbered). I'm taking "Environnement, une approche intégrée" ("An Integrated Approach to the Environment), et "Géographie de l'alimentation" (Geography of Food). The French university system is SO different than that of the U.S. For example, students follow something called a "cursus," in which they specialize immediately upon entering university. There's no concept of a liberal education--you're going to be an architect or a biologist and you're going to take a specific sequence of courses exclusively in that subject from the day you start until the day you finish.
Another big difference is the degree of autonomy afforded to the students. There is also no such thing as a syllabus in France--there is a "programme," which is usually one page giving a very rough sketch of topic areas that will be covered. There's no office hours or contact information for the professor. Why, you ask? Because the students and the professors have very little direct interaction, and, from what I can tell, they like it that way. There's also no list of homework or required texts--there is only "une bibliographie," a long list of books that are pertinent to the subjects studied, and it's pretty much up to you to decide what you're going to read and when. Oh, and grades? You generally have one "fiche de lecture," (essentially much a book report), and one "devoir sur table," (an end of the year test covering everything). Bam.
Umm, does that idea make anyone else start to break out in a nervous sweat? Because I'm un petit peu nerveuse over here! Not to mention the fact that my professors speak French for three hours straight (students are NOT encouraged to participate in class) and then peace out. Chouette.
Before I forget, I would like to give a shout-out to my dear friend Sean Cantwell. Not because he asked me to or anything like that, just because I love him so much : )
Ok quelquechose d'autre--I went to the ballet Tuesday night. It was the same place I had seen the opera (it's actually the "ballet de l'opéra," go figure), but this time we were sitting in our own box. And I had one of the first two seats! Needless to say, it was a bonne soirée.
Oh, btw, saw Justin Bieber Thursday night. No, not in concert, don't be crazy. I mean I actually saw him. My friend Olivia called and said "hey whatcha doing, wanna go see screaming girls freak out over Justin Bieber?" Naturally I said absolument pas, but one thing led to another, and I found myself ten feet from Justin Bieber as he was arriving for the premier of his movie. Apparently there is now a whole movie about the life of Justin Bieber! The world we live in. Anyways, I couldn't help myself from screaming "Justin! How old are you? 12 or 13?!?" but my voice got lost in the madness that is hundreds of screaming pre-teen girls. It was truly hilarious.
Ok, saved the best part for last (sorry, Justin). Last night I went to a French party. In a French house. WITH FRENCH PEOPLE! Well duh, you say, you're in France. C'est vrai, but it's much harder to break into French social circles than American (for a multitude of reasons I will enumerate in a later post--I like to create a little bit of suspense before I reveal all things French). There's a 26 year-old named Ludovic who babysits for my host siblings, and he asked me to sortir (go out) with him last night (I suspect my host mom may have had something to do with that, but hey I'm not complaining). We went to a house party in the coolest place! It had a loft with all these black lights and crazy plants and goldfish on shelves as you went up the stairs! (Evidémment the three guys that lived there came from well-off Parisian families). It was pretty much a regular party, except that EVERYONE there (sauf moi, like usual) was smoking cigarettes the ENTIRE time. I don't even understand how French people do that. Sure, people smoke in the U.S., but not like this. That may have to be a subject of a whole post. Despite all the fumers (smokers), it was still fantastic and I spoke so much French!
Ok, well I'm not doing so great with my resolution to post more, but I'm working on it. However, my use of the conditional tense is much improved, so all is not lost. (You would have to read my last post to get that reference, I'm just making sure you're on your toes!) I hope everyone has a great week and discovers something new! A tout, mes amis !
Monday, February 14, 2011
Je vis encore !
Bonjour ! I would like to begin this post by offering my sincerest apologies to you, my dear readers. Owing to circumstances beyond my control I have been indisposed as of late, which has resulted in my prolonged absence.
In layman’s terms, my exchange program has clobbered me with orientation stuff (8 hours a day could be considered excessive) and I haven’t had time to do much else! Quelle horreur! But I’m back and I’ve got a LOT to tell you guys, so without further ado, commençons.
Last weekend my program hosted a trip to Lyon, which is a 2-hour train ride south of Paris. And what a beautiful train ride it was--sprawling green fields dotted with grazing cattle and clusters of houses with red roofs. All of my expectations of the French countryside were fulfilled. Lyon itself is a quaint little city, infused with warm energy and cute buildings nestled along the banks of its two surrounding rivers, the Rhône and the Saône.
My program had arranged two days full of touristy activities, but I’ll skip to the highlights (the house of the brothers who invented cinema sounds cool, but after a two hour tour, pas vraiment). Lyon is all about food, so we spent the majority of our time in restaurants. Saturday night we dined in a restaurant perched on top of hill; the wall facing the city was one giant window, allowing diners to enjoy a spectacular view while passing two hours drinking wine and eating their way through four courses (the cheese gets its own course, naturally).
Lunch the next day was a little more chill, and, in my végétalienne opinion, a little more delicious (végétarien = vegetarian, végétalien = vegan. It's those subtle differences that'll getcha). Végétalienisme doesn't go over very well around here, but the chef was wonderfully accommodating and made me a tofu steak, which was great! The rest of the group got to sample the more traditional fare: fried pork fat, quenelles (dumplings made of butter, semolina and fish), saucisson (sausage), and, of course, fromage blanc (a soft cheese you eat with a spoon--I'm told it tastes like a combination of cottage cheese and yogurt. Yum).
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| oh yes my friends, that is tofu |
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| Is that Caesar? |
Well I think that just about wraps up the Lyon chapter.
But wait! There's more! I won't bore you with all the other stuff that's been going on (who are we kidding, it's not boring, I just don't want to make you feel bad about your own lives), but I do have one more petite histoire to tell. I'll call it: Thursday night: The Opera. Because I went to the Opera Thursday night--get it?
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| Opéra Garnier |
The building itself is magnifique, with a grand chandelier and painted ceiling. Everything is so ornate and so darn old around here! And oh-so-beautiful.
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| Oh just a room full of chandeliers I found |
Oh, and Happy Valentine's day to everyone! Hope you spent lots of money on big hearts and overpriced chocolates and silly Hallmark cards. Here it's called le jour de Saint-Valentin, and there are ads all over the metro saying "Pour le Saint-Valentin, donnez-lui America du Nord !" ("for Valentine's Day, give her North America!"). The ads have pictures of New York City and ridiculously happy French couples. I hope someone gifts me a continent one day. Alright enough of this sarcasm, I've gotta get out of here. A très bientôt, mes amis !
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