Sunday, January 30, 2011
Hello! Here we go again...another week has passed and I'm missing you all terribly - but having a blast too! This week was filled with lots of excitement so here goes ---
SUNDAY NIGHT FOLK MUSIC
So this past Sunday I went to a 5 HOUR folk music festival way out in the country with my host family! The average age was 60, but don't let that fool you - these people were playing traditional folk music from around the world and dancing and singing and drinking until after 1 am! I was soooo tired, but it was really fun. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to imagine lots of French people from the countryside dancing to accordions, guitars, and harps! A very cultural experience!
CLASS
The first day of official class was this Thursday and I already like it so much better than the preprogram. I have no class on Fridays, but hopefully I can use this day to do a teaching internship at a local high school! The campus is really wonderful and small (with only ten buildings!) so it's almost impossible to get lost. It's a nice break compared to the thirty minute walk between classes at Madison!! Each day we get lunch at the cafeteria and it's really good! I love the food! Lots of pizza and fish and rice and pudding! Delicious!
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES THAT SURPRISE ME
Here are some cultural differences that I have run into that I wasn't expecting...
- No smiling at people, that is considered flirtatious
- People here are very concerned about saving energy and water - this means military showers are common (or cold ones), no having more than one light on at a time, smaller cars, smaller houses, closing doors to rooms you're not in (every room has a door) and minimal toilet flushing. Not bad, just different.
- Ironically, recycling paper and aluminum and plastic is almost non-existent here.
- Composting is common.
- Windows don't have screens, instead, when its time for bed, you pull out this lever that cranks a mini garage door over the window - like a heavy-duty metal shutter...
- Doors lock on both sides. For example, to get out of the house, I need a key. At first I thought this was a major fire hazard, but then I realized that all the windows have no screens...
- Outside doors on businesses open INWARD. This is also a fire hazard because what if everyone was rushing to get out? I can't tell you the number of times I've just walked into doors expecting them to push outward.
- The skin comes off ALL fruits and vegetables unless they were grown in your own garden. Even apples and pears! Everyone is very afraid of the chemical products on the skin.
- Bread doesn't go on your plate, it goes on the table next to your plate.
- Contact cases have to be bought in an optometrist's office.
- No dryers. It's an energy thing. Very few houses have dryers, which is why I'm glad I didn't bring too many clothes!
That's about it. Nothing good or bad about them, it's just different stuff that I noticed.
WINE TASTING
We had a wine tasting class for our whole group on Wednesday and it was really cool! I used to think I hated wine, but after this guy's lecture, I think I understand better the way you're supposed to drink it, and how it's made, and with what foods it is supposed to be eaten...I feel culturally more enlightened - I posted some pictures of it below!
That's all I've got this week. I really am loving it here and getting to learn about every nook and cranny. I'm still working out with my friends what we're doing for our first week-long break, which is now less than a month away!! I'll let you know all the deets soon!
Miss and love you all and hope you are well! Always wanting to hear what's going on with you - so definitely drop me a line or a post or an email or something!!
Love,
Ashley
SUNDAY NIGHT FOLK MUSIC
So this past Sunday I went to a 5 HOUR folk music festival way out in the country with my host family! The average age was 60, but don't let that fool you - these people were playing traditional folk music from around the world and dancing and singing and drinking until after 1 am! I was soooo tired, but it was really fun. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to imagine lots of French people from the countryside dancing to accordions, guitars, and harps! A very cultural experience!
CLASS
The first day of official class was this Thursday and I already like it so much better than the preprogram. I have no class on Fridays, but hopefully I can use this day to do a teaching internship at a local high school! The campus is really wonderful and small (with only ten buildings!) so it's almost impossible to get lost. It's a nice break compared to the thirty minute walk between classes at Madison!! Each day we get lunch at the cafeteria and it's really good! I love the food! Lots of pizza and fish and rice and pudding! Delicious!
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES THAT SURPRISE ME
Here are some cultural differences that I have run into that I wasn't expecting...
- No smiling at people, that is considered flirtatious
- People here are very concerned about saving energy and water - this means military showers are common (or cold ones), no having more than one light on at a time, smaller cars, smaller houses, closing doors to rooms you're not in (every room has a door) and minimal toilet flushing. Not bad, just different.
- Ironically, recycling paper and aluminum and plastic is almost non-existent here.
- Composting is common.
- Windows don't have screens, instead, when its time for bed, you pull out this lever that cranks a mini garage door over the window - like a heavy-duty metal shutter...
- Doors lock on both sides. For example, to get out of the house, I need a key. At first I thought this was a major fire hazard, but then I realized that all the windows have no screens...
- Outside doors on businesses open INWARD. This is also a fire hazard because what if everyone was rushing to get out? I can't tell you the number of times I've just walked into doors expecting them to push outward.
- The skin comes off ALL fruits and vegetables unless they were grown in your own garden. Even apples and pears! Everyone is very afraid of the chemical products on the skin.
- Bread doesn't go on your plate, it goes on the table next to your plate.
- Contact cases have to be bought in an optometrist's office.
- No dryers. It's an energy thing. Very few houses have dryers, which is why I'm glad I didn't bring too many clothes!
That's about it. Nothing good or bad about them, it's just different stuff that I noticed.
WINE TASTING
We had a wine tasting class for our whole group on Wednesday and it was really cool! I used to think I hated wine, but after this guy's lecture, I think I understand better the way you're supposed to drink it, and how it's made, and with what foods it is supposed to be eaten...I feel culturally more enlightened - I posted some pictures of it below!
That's all I've got this week. I really am loving it here and getting to learn about every nook and cranny. I'm still working out with my friends what we're doing for our first week-long break, which is now less than a month away!! I'll let you know all the deets soon!
Miss and love you all and hope you are well! Always wanting to hear what's going on with you - so definitely drop me a line or a post or an email or something!!
Love,
Ashley
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Another week of Rennes
This week was really awesome - once again I've broken it down for your convenience...
St.Malo:
On Sunday I went to St. Malo with my host family, which is this old port town located on the ocean. It's like a fortress, all walled in and the streets all wind together through these medieval buildings! It's absolutely magnificent, the monuments in the pictures that AREN'T the Eiffel Tower are from St. Malo. It was very cold and windy but very beautiful too! I can't wait to go back there in February on a field trip with my program! I definitely would love to get more pictures on a Sunnier day.
Gallette:
My new favorite food here is Gallette. It like a crepe, but made with a different, darker kind of flour and filled with savory (as opposed to sweet) fillings. My favorites are the "Gallette complete" - filled with ham, cheese, and a fried egg, or the "Gallette saucisson" - rolled up hot dog style around a huge sausage. We have them every Sunday night for dinner at the house or Saturday mornings at the market you can get them whipped up right in front of you for 2 euro. DELICIOUS!!
Fashion:
No one can come to France and not notice the fashion - so here are the do's and don'ts that I've learned thus far....
DO - Wear a scarf 24/7. Everyone wears a scarf to decorate any kind of outfit. What a sad day it was when I forgot my scarf and had to walk around with a bare neck! Quel Horror!
DONT - Wear sweatpants EVER! They don't even have a word for sweatpants here!! I was trying to describe them to the French student monitor and the closest we could get was "jogging pants". I miss them so much.
DO - Wear shoes with a wide heel. Thin stilettos are basically non-existent because the cobblestone streets would snap them off before you could say "OH LA LA". But you'll see many girls sporting the thick, sturdy, wooden heel look.
DONT - Wear a backpack. Everyone in our group can spot a fellow American by the gigantic backpacks we lug about. French people sport satchels, tote bags, shoulder bags, breifcases, pretty much anything but a backpack.
DO - Where a beret...or any kind of hat. Hats are pretty popular here and worn more for style than to keep warm. But props to you if your hat does both!
DONT - Show skin!!!! Modest is so a la mode! Cleavage, tank tops, shorts, sandals, bare backs, bare bellies, they're all distasteful...so covering up with cardigans, turtle necks, long sleeves, tights and panty-hose is a must.
DO - Wear black. They just love it here.
This is not to say that I follow any of these rules. In fact, I love my backpack and tote it to school each day, I love my men's winter hat that I got on sale at Kohl's and I don't wear any heels - wide or not. But these are the trends I've noticed here and they're definitely interesting.
Pre-program and School:
School is hard here. Teachers and parents are very keen on the "I'm right, you're wrong" or "I'm the master, you're the apprentice" method. The idea is to eliminate error by focusing on the negative of whatever you present. It is almost impossible to get a perfect score here, because that is reserved for God. It is nearly impossible to get a good score, because that would mean you are as good as the teacher. It is hard to get a decent score, but at this point, it's what I'm shooting for. What I don't understand, out of all the culturally different teaching methods they have, is why they even have a score just for God. I find it quite doubtful that God will attend a school in France at some point, but who knows? There's no disagreeing with the teacher and all your grades are said out loud in front of everybody. Which actually makes for less competition in the classroom than in America - which is a plus I guess.
Funny Story - My Resident Director, who was explaining the teaching differences here, is a Frenchman who went to teach in America. He knew of the classroom differences and was very excited to start teaching American students in the way they were used to - an encouraging, supportive atmosphere where creativity is encouraged. He thought everything was going great in his first couple of weeks and when it got time to hand back the tests, he went to each person and called out their grade - OUT LOUD, like in France. People were red with embarrassment and a couple people started crying and the teacher couldn't figure out what he had done. Can you imagine!!? The privatization of grades is such a culture difference!
In any rate, my classes at the pre-program are much like this. For the first half of the morning I have a HORRIBLE teacher who is VERY French in her teaching style and always interrupts us when we're trying to talk because we're wrong or not using the words she would have used. She also loves giving pop quizzes on stuff we haven't reviewed yet. We had one pop quiz where I got a 7 out of 20 and I said it out loud when she asked, like I knew I'd have to, but then she looked all shocked and asked me three times "like 7"?!?! And I was like...yeah, 7. But besides her, all my other teachers are WONDERFUL! We get to watch movies and they are very good at teaching international students. Tomorrow we register for our real classes and I hope all my teachers are like the nice ones in the pre-program.
Well that's about all I have at the moment....I think I'll take a nap now, because I don't have any homework for tomorrow. I'm having a super great time, and even though its hard - it's a good kind of hard and I'll be all the better for it!! I miss and love you all and hope to get more pictures up soon. I have this thing about hating to take pictures when it's grey out, so once we hit a sunny day here, I'll have tons more pictures for you!! All my love!
~Ashley
St.Malo:
On Sunday I went to St. Malo with my host family, which is this old port town located on the ocean. It's like a fortress, all walled in and the streets all wind together through these medieval buildings! It's absolutely magnificent, the monuments in the pictures that AREN'T the Eiffel Tower are from St. Malo. It was very cold and windy but very beautiful too! I can't wait to go back there in February on a field trip with my program! I definitely would love to get more pictures on a Sunnier day.
Gallette:
My new favorite food here is Gallette. It like a crepe, but made with a different, darker kind of flour and filled with savory (as opposed to sweet) fillings. My favorites are the "Gallette complete" - filled with ham, cheese, and a fried egg, or the "Gallette saucisson" - rolled up hot dog style around a huge sausage. We have them every Sunday night for dinner at the house or Saturday mornings at the market you can get them whipped up right in front of you for 2 euro. DELICIOUS!!
Fashion:
No one can come to France and not notice the fashion - so here are the do's and don'ts that I've learned thus far....
DO - Wear a scarf 24/7. Everyone wears a scarf to decorate any kind of outfit. What a sad day it was when I forgot my scarf and had to walk around with a bare neck! Quel Horror!
DONT - Wear sweatpants EVER! They don't even have a word for sweatpants here!! I was trying to describe them to the French student monitor and the closest we could get was "jogging pants". I miss them so much.
DO - Wear shoes with a wide heel. Thin stilettos are basically non-existent because the cobblestone streets would snap them off before you could say "OH LA LA". But you'll see many girls sporting the thick, sturdy, wooden heel look.
DONT - Wear a backpack. Everyone in our group can spot a fellow American by the gigantic backpacks we lug about. French people sport satchels, tote bags, shoulder bags, breifcases, pretty much anything but a backpack.
DO - Where a beret...or any kind of hat. Hats are pretty popular here and worn more for style than to keep warm. But props to you if your hat does both!
DONT - Show skin!!!! Modest is so a la mode! Cleavage, tank tops, shorts, sandals, bare backs, bare bellies, they're all distasteful...so covering up with cardigans, turtle necks, long sleeves, tights and panty-hose is a must.
DO - Wear black. They just love it here.
This is not to say that I follow any of these rules. In fact, I love my backpack and tote it to school each day, I love my men's winter hat that I got on sale at Kohl's and I don't wear any heels - wide or not. But these are the trends I've noticed here and they're definitely interesting.
Pre-program and School:
School is hard here. Teachers and parents are very keen on the "I'm right, you're wrong" or "I'm the master, you're the apprentice" method. The idea is to eliminate error by focusing on the negative of whatever you present. It is almost impossible to get a perfect score here, because that is reserved for God. It is nearly impossible to get a good score, because that would mean you are as good as the teacher. It is hard to get a decent score, but at this point, it's what I'm shooting for. What I don't understand, out of all the culturally different teaching methods they have, is why they even have a score just for God. I find it quite doubtful that God will attend a school in France at some point, but who knows? There's no disagreeing with the teacher and all your grades are said out loud in front of everybody. Which actually makes for less competition in the classroom than in America - which is a plus I guess.
Funny Story - My Resident Director, who was explaining the teaching differences here, is a Frenchman who went to teach in America. He knew of the classroom differences and was very excited to start teaching American students in the way they were used to - an encouraging, supportive atmosphere where creativity is encouraged. He thought everything was going great in his first couple of weeks and when it got time to hand back the tests, he went to each person and called out their grade - OUT LOUD, like in France. People were red with embarrassment and a couple people started crying and the teacher couldn't figure out what he had done. Can you imagine!!? The privatization of grades is such a culture difference!
In any rate, my classes at the pre-program are much like this. For the first half of the morning I have a HORRIBLE teacher who is VERY French in her teaching style and always interrupts us when we're trying to talk because we're wrong or not using the words she would have used. She also loves giving pop quizzes on stuff we haven't reviewed yet. We had one pop quiz where I got a 7 out of 20 and I said it out loud when she asked, like I knew I'd have to, but then she looked all shocked and asked me three times "like 7"?!?! And I was like...yeah, 7. But besides her, all my other teachers are WONDERFUL! We get to watch movies and they are very good at teaching international students. Tomorrow we register for our real classes and I hope all my teachers are like the nice ones in the pre-program.
Well that's about all I have at the moment....I think I'll take a nap now, because I don't have any homework for tomorrow. I'm having a super great time, and even though its hard - it's a good kind of hard and I'll be all the better for it!! I miss and love you all and hope to get more pictures up soon. I have this thing about hating to take pictures when it's grey out, so once we hit a sunny day here, I'll have tons more pictures for you!! All my love!
~Ashley
Monday, January 17, 2011
In France!
Hello Everyone!!! So here I am, all settled in to Rennes with my internet and phone ready to communicate finally!! Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and help over some frantic emails! I hope you are all well! I miss you all so much!! I have so much to share, so below I divided what I've been up to into some subcategories so that you don't have to read about the weather if all you care about is Paris or something -- So here goes!
The Plane:
The plane ride was suuuuuper long, or at least it seemed that way because I changed flights twice! Once in Chicago and once in Montreal. The fun fact that I forgot was the Canada is ANOTHER COUNTRY! I had to go through more customs at the airport in Canada then when I actually got to France 10 hours later! I slept a little during the flight and even practiced some French - but unfortunately the in-flight USB plug-in fried my Ipod and it hasn't rebooted yet, but I will keep trying. The flight was delayed an hour due to de-icing and my bags were seriously the very last off the carousel in France but God had my back the whole way because I made it just in time to meet up with my group in Paris before we took a bus ride to downtown where we stayed in a hostel for a few days to get to know eachother!
Paris!
Paris was really fun. And loud. And busy. It was so much fun taking outings to the Chatelet and the Hotel de Ville and various cafes around town! I made some really good friends and everyone in the program is super nice. We have four French student companions that help us around town and are really nice, but I think they're a bit overwhelmed by our loudness and un-proper-ness. But who knows? They are very nice and accompany us everywhere. They helped us navigate the Paris metro with lots of patience. After three days at a nice hostel in Paris, we were on to Rennes with a quick stop at Chartres (a really huge and magnificent medieval church outside Paris) where this very old and funny British man gave us a very specialized tour of the cathedral. And the best part was that it was in English!!
Rennes!
Rennes is wonderful! There is a metro that is only comprised of one line and can get you anywhere you want to go! I live right near the very last stop and it's about a thirty minute ride to school, but its totally worth it! I love it so much better than walking or bus riding in Madison! It goes so fast! The center of Rennes is BEAUTIFUL with old old medieval buildings and cathedrals. There are numerous malls and cafes and dance halls and so much to do! All the alleys and streets look like they came right out of a fairy tale! I haven't had nearly enough time to see it all, but from where I've traversed, it's just magnificent. Plus, the life style in general is much more laid back and calm than in Paris or the US.
Host Family!!
My host family is truly wonderful! It is comprised of two older parents with grown kids - the youngest being my age. They have three girls and the youngest goes to school in the south of France but is visiting at the moment for the week and is SUPER nice! A very VERY interesting thing about this house is that it is very bilingual! The mother...Mme Phelippe, is Peruvian, so she speaks fluent Spanish, as does her French-born husband. And though they usually speak French around me, this week they have friends from Puno, Peru in town who speak only Spanish and a little tiny bit of English. So we have me trying to speak to them with words like "pollo" and "buenos noches" and them speaking to me with "you" and "I" and "like" and then the daughter understanding Spanish but not speaking any because she speaks only French and English and German and me trying to speak French with the Mother and Father and Daughter. Quel desastre!! It was so crazy. But I'm having lots of fun and actually learning some Spanish along the way! My mother and sister would be so proud! Now I wish I had listened to you better Morgan when you were teaching me Spanish!! But many of your words came in handy! They cook fabulous meals and last night I had my first Gallette which is like a traditional Bretagne crepe filled with sausage or cheese or egg or ham or all the above! I'm quite addicted to them! And all the fresh fruits and vegetables and yogurt too! But in general the food is very strong. That is to say - if it's creamy, its veeery creamy and if it's crunchy, its almost unchewable. But I'm getting used to it and my McDonalds cravings are lessening.
Weather
It's cold and wet. It's not like Madison freezing, but it is an unpleasant experience. Rather like an old stone church. It is always that cold, drafty moisture that clings to your hair and seeps under all your coats. But when the sun comes out, it's practically spring time! So I really can't wait for March and April!
I think that's about it....tomorrow I'll get some pictures up, but tonight it's late and I have my second day of pre-program intensive classes tomorrow! Boy oh boy are they hard - I think perhaps I'm in the wrong level, but hopefully once I register for my real courses, I can choose from a variety of levels!! I'll try to keep you all as updated as possible! I miss you all! Feel free to email me or facebook me any time and, if you give me some notice, we can plan a skype date or call or something!! Missing you all!
Love,
Ashley
The Plane:
The plane ride was suuuuuper long, or at least it seemed that way because I changed flights twice! Once in Chicago and once in Montreal. The fun fact that I forgot was the Canada is ANOTHER COUNTRY! I had to go through more customs at the airport in Canada then when I actually got to France 10 hours later! I slept a little during the flight and even practiced some French - but unfortunately the in-flight USB plug-in fried my Ipod and it hasn't rebooted yet, but I will keep trying. The flight was delayed an hour due to de-icing and my bags were seriously the very last off the carousel in France but God had my back the whole way because I made it just in time to meet up with my group in Paris before we took a bus ride to downtown where we stayed in a hostel for a few days to get to know eachother!
Paris!
Paris was really fun. And loud. And busy. It was so much fun taking outings to the Chatelet and the Hotel de Ville and various cafes around town! I made some really good friends and everyone in the program is super nice. We have four French student companions that help us around town and are really nice, but I think they're a bit overwhelmed by our loudness and un-proper-ness. But who knows? They are very nice and accompany us everywhere. They helped us navigate the Paris metro with lots of patience. After three days at a nice hostel in Paris, we were on to Rennes with a quick stop at Chartres (a really huge and magnificent medieval church outside Paris) where this very old and funny British man gave us a very specialized tour of the cathedral. And the best part was that it was in English!!
Rennes!
Rennes is wonderful! There is a metro that is only comprised of one line and can get you anywhere you want to go! I live right near the very last stop and it's about a thirty minute ride to school, but its totally worth it! I love it so much better than walking or bus riding in Madison! It goes so fast! The center of Rennes is BEAUTIFUL with old old medieval buildings and cathedrals. There are numerous malls and cafes and dance halls and so much to do! All the alleys and streets look like they came right out of a fairy tale! I haven't had nearly enough time to see it all, but from where I've traversed, it's just magnificent. Plus, the life style in general is much more laid back and calm than in Paris or the US.
Host Family!!
My host family is truly wonderful! It is comprised of two older parents with grown kids - the youngest being my age. They have three girls and the youngest goes to school in the south of France but is visiting at the moment for the week and is SUPER nice! A very VERY interesting thing about this house is that it is very bilingual! The mother...Mme Phelippe, is Peruvian, so she speaks fluent Spanish, as does her French-born husband. And though they usually speak French around me, this week they have friends from Puno, Peru in town who speak only Spanish and a little tiny bit of English. So we have me trying to speak to them with words like "pollo" and "buenos noches" and them speaking to me with "you" and "I" and "like" and then the daughter understanding Spanish but not speaking any because she speaks only French and English and German and me trying to speak French with the Mother and Father and Daughter. Quel desastre!! It was so crazy. But I'm having lots of fun and actually learning some Spanish along the way! My mother and sister would be so proud! Now I wish I had listened to you better Morgan when you were teaching me Spanish!! But many of your words came in handy! They cook fabulous meals and last night I had my first Gallette which is like a traditional Bretagne crepe filled with sausage or cheese or egg or ham or all the above! I'm quite addicted to them! And all the fresh fruits and vegetables and yogurt too! But in general the food is very strong. That is to say - if it's creamy, its veeery creamy and if it's crunchy, its almost unchewable. But I'm getting used to it and my McDonalds cravings are lessening.
Weather
It's cold and wet. It's not like Madison freezing, but it is an unpleasant experience. Rather like an old stone church. It is always that cold, drafty moisture that clings to your hair and seeps under all your coats. But when the sun comes out, it's practically spring time! So I really can't wait for March and April!
I think that's about it....tomorrow I'll get some pictures up, but tonight it's late and I have my second day of pre-program intensive classes tomorrow! Boy oh boy are they hard - I think perhaps I'm in the wrong level, but hopefully once I register for my real courses, I can choose from a variety of levels!! I'll try to keep you all as updated as possible! I miss you all! Feel free to email me or facebook me any time and, if you give me some notice, we can plan a skype date or call or something!! Missing you all!
Love,
Ashley
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