Hey everyone! First off, thanks to everyone for the wonderful birthday cards and presents and messages!! It was so great to come back from my first break and have all that waiting for me! Please let me know right away if you didnt receive a thank you card or postcard because those should have gotten to you by now and i dont want them floating in the mailroom abyss somewhere...
Secondly, this blog might not be that interesting because I think I've reached the point in my semester where things are settling down into a bit of a routine. It's really nice actually to go to school, eat lunch, head back to school, go for a nice coffee or hot chocolate after school, and then finish off the day with dinner and homework. The pace has sped up recently due to the fact that I had FOUR midterms this week! The midterms themselves,I found very difficult, but the grading in all my classes has no real rubric - its 100 percent subjective - and from the results Ive gotten back, most of my professors seem very lenient. Its interesting though, its like the test will be 50 questions, the final grade will be out of 20 and each question has no real set point value...So basically the professor looks at all your errors in the end and sort of sums up where you fall on an invisible grade spectrum in their head and gives you a score out of 20. Different, but working in my benefit for the most part...
Aside from that crazy midterm week, stuff has been rather slow here. I'll be taking a day trip to Versailles next weekend, then the weekend after that to the Loire Valley with my program to see all the castles! It was gorgeous here this past week - in the 60's every day! Most afternoons we would sit in the grass and eat baguette sanwiches for lunch. It was all very French. Now its back to raining, but still warm, so I'll take it.
After I finished my midterms I went and got a library card at the public library here and got lots of French books. I feel its really boosted my reading comprehension, and its so much fun to just lounge in the park reading a good book! Also, I have a friend here who has a 10 year old host brother who heard that I loved comics and has been nice enough to share his manga collection with me. It's so funny to learn phrases like, "Where you think you're going, Bub" and "Today's your unlucky day, Mister" in French. Who knows, maybe I'll need them?
So all and all things have been great, the weeks are flying by and parents have started visiting Rennes from the states, and other friends in Europe have programs that are ending in less than a month, and its just two easy to look at the few weekends we have left here and feel a little panicked! Theres still so much to do and see and learn!! Hopefully we'll get it all in!!
Alright well thats all I have for you! Missing you all lots and can't wait to see you again.
Lots of Love
~Ashley
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Winter Vacation Pictures!!
New Pink Shoes from Prague
Napping on the green in front of the Louvre
Opera House in Paris
Cemetiere Pere Lachaise - I couldnt find anyone famous...
Some dancers performing the "seduction" canival dance = super cool!
Winter Vacation Pictures!!
Charles bridge in Prague
Castle in Prague
Me sitting on the Charles bridge in Prague
A newlywed couple putting their lock on a bridge in Prague
Huge famous church that I don't know the name of in Munich
Winter Vacation Pictures!!
Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Car on the wall in the Toyota store in Paris
Where I spent my birthday lounging in the Tuileries outside the Louvre
Some pretty gross Weinblatter that I ate in Vienna
Monday, March 7, 2011
First Vacation!!!
Alright, so here it is - the long-awaited talk of my travels....lets start at the beginning...
RENNES
My vacation started with four days in Rennes in which I bummed around watching "Sicko" and "Knight and Day". Sicko made me equally sad and furious, and Knight and Day was a cute, fun romp - though I still believe that Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz lack chemistry and are incompatible as a movie couple. This was about as exciting as those four days got...
PARIS
I went to Paris on my birthday and had about a ten hour lay-over before my night train to Vienna. So I did what I had been planning for a month - I went to the Louvre to spend my day gazing at and analyzing msterpeices...but it was closed. Apparently, every Tuesday is "every museum in the city is closed day." I should've read the guide book more carefully. So I went to the next best thing - The Champs Disney Store. I spent two hours in this two story disney merchandise castle, picking up things I thought about buying (like this awesome Marvel Superheroes backpack) and then putting them back down. I think the employees thought I was a little touched. Then I went to McDonalds. Call me a big spender, but there's nothing wrong with living the high life on your birthday. Then I went to the train station for about 4 hours, and spent all my money on food, an Xmen comic, and the bathroom.
THE NIGHT TRAIN
Finally the train came and aboard I went! Oh man were they the smallest bed compartments I have ever seen!! I have no idea how they fit six beds in an area smaller than my closet and then expect six people to manoeuvre themselves into them and sleep. But as long as I remained laying down, it really wasn't that bad. I slept pretty well despite the rocking of the train and the worry that the two very large men in the bunks above me might crush me in the event of a sudden stop. But not a worry, I arrived safe and sound for my transfer in Munich 10 hours later. I also arrived late, which meant I misssed my connection on to Vienna and had to find the ticket counter and get a reservation on the next one out. The staff was very helpful and so was a starbucks coffee. While I was sitting there reading all the signs, I decided that the German language looks a lot like English if you smush like three words at a time together and then scramble them. I think this was the first time I had had to communicate in a country by only using hand gestures. Its hard to talk much when you only know how to say "please", "thank you", and "two" - at least I think it was two...
VIENNA
So my friends met me at the train station in Vienna and it was so great from the get-go! I dropped my luggage off at this hostel where we were staying with 16 (!) other people, then headed out to see the Hapsburg Palace and this outdoor market that went a ways. We ate dinner at this great restaurant where we all split fried potatoes, fried chicken, fried onions, and sausage wrapped in bacon. You dont find this kind of meal everyday in France!! Unfortunately, that was all I had time for in Vienna because our bus left right after our morning pancakes.
THE BUS
The thing about getting to the bus is - it took a lot longer than we thought to get to the station. In fact, we got off the metro with about 5 minutes before our bus (which is known for leaving early and is the only one of the day) was going to depart. So our friend Carter is practically sprinting ahead of us, while our friend Margaret is leisurely pulling her suitcase a good distance behind us. It was only when we came to a large set of stairs that this became an issue. Carter was almost to the top of the stairs, me and Cate were about half way up, and Margaret decided to go around the stairs to find an escalator. That's when, with five minutes to get to the bus, we realize that Margaret is completely gone behind us and Carter has disappeared ahead of us and me and Cate have no way to contact Margaret (because her phone is out of minutes) and we have four minutes and counting to find her and sprint to the bus. We handled it with an efficiency and collectedness our mothers would be proud of. We called Carter and told him to hold the bus, we split up for sixty seconds, one upstairs - one downstairs to search and reconvened without Margaret sixty seconds later at the donutshop. We ran to the bus to see if she had made it there, and alas, nothing! She was just gone! Her escalator, whichever one she had found, had taken her somewhere else completely. Now at the bus with 3/4 of our party, the bus driver was indicating that he had to go and we were all pretty resigned to the fact that we would be spending another night in Vienna. In one last effort Carter ran to the end of the street to see if he could see anything - and there was Margaret!! Sprinting down the street across from the station! We couldnt believe it! We all just collapsed into laughter for about twenty minutes once we were all seated. And the bus only left ten minutes late. What a way to leave in style!
PRAGUE
I loved Prague. It is my favorite big city that I have visited in all of Europe. The hostel was cheap, the food was delicious, the architecture was incredible, the weather was warm and sunny, the art vendors had some amazing crafts, the stores were huge and awesome, the castle was amazing. It was like being in a fairy tale. We ate pizza the first night that was sooo good, and then the second night I had this incredible pasta that was delivered on a bike and it only cost $3!! I couldn't believe it! Then in the morning we went to this incredible bagel breakfast place (which are nearly impossible to find in France) and had bagels and bottomless coffee! So fantastic! I honestly tried to change my ticket to Munich in order to spend just a few more hours there - but it was not to be! I really hope I get back there some day and highly recommend it to anyone who will be visiting Europe!!
MUNICH
So I parted ways with my friends once again and headed to Munich where I would spend 8 or so hours waiting for my next overnight train back to Paris. I got in and stored my bag in the locker at the train station that decided to take 6 of my euros and not lock in the end! I was so mad! So then I got another one to work but never got my money back. Then I went to the bathroom - which costs 80 cents - almost twice as much as anywhere else, and I put my money in, walked in and this old man walks out of the stall. And Im like - oh man - I totally paid to go into the mens bathroom. So I have to leave and go over to the women's, and pay another 80 cents! Sheesh. By this point I was getting rather weary of putting my money into machines I didnt really understand, so when I came to the metro ticket machine - which was filled with all these German/English hybrid instructions about how you can buy 1 ticket for four stops, but only in one zone, and how you can only get off at stations labeled S or U in a certain 5 stop zone, I decided to just walk. In this case, it turned out surprisingly well. I walked until I ran into this huge square with this enormous statue of a woman with a lion - I think she was called "Bavaria" or something, but I couldnt find any plaque telling me who she was! So I sat there for a while before walking some more. I ran into a five story furniture store with FREE bathrooms before moving on to the three story Toys R Us next to that. I found this lovely cathedral named St Paul and then walked back to the train station. I found it very odd that the place I had walked through was so very residential and quiet and concluded that I must have been walking away from downtown. So after lunch, I took the opposite direction and sure enough, it was like Time Square! There were people everywhere, getting off work, trying to catch the bus or metro or whatever. But I made it to the Glockenspeil (which I cant spell) and it was soooooooooooooooo very beautiful! It just took my breath away! The whole Karlsplatz area was so lively and architecturally stunning! I really all in all had a wonderful afternoon in Munich.
THE NIGHT TRAIN
On the way back, my night train was filled with a family of five. There were three younger kids and all the hubbub, though it was in German, completely reminded me of family trips at my house. There were toys falling from the top bunk, someone was hungry, someone else had to pee, someone else was getting mad the mom wasn't listening to their story. It made me miss my sisters even more than I already do!!! I was thinking, though, before bed, that if this was one of our family vacations, someone would probably throw up in the most inconvenient place possible. Sure enough, about 1am there was a silence-breaking, "I'm going to be sick!" It was the weirdest thing, cause even though the girl said it in German, it was like I knew the tone and sat bolt upright and started scrambling for this plastic bag I had with me. The mom was faster though and got the bag and the daughter out in the hallway in one swift motion, avoiding an in-the-compartment catastrophe. It was just one of those familiar night-time scrambles that are horrible at the time, but that you laugh about later, I mean we can talk for hours in my family about puking mishaps. In the end, they were all very nice and the kids liked saying "Bonjour" to me and offering me candy. I just couldn't believe how similar the family dynamic was to my own, it made me feel so comfortable and like I could even understand them.
PARIS AGAIN
This time I was headed for an all day trip to the Louvre and nothing was going to stop me!! Except a 5 and a half hour line. DRAT! Stopped again! Apparently, the first Sunday of every month, the Louvre is free for everyone. That would explain the exceptionally long line. So off I went to Musée d'Orsay, which I had never seen before. It was wonderful, but it certainly didn't take all day, so I had a little nap in the park outside the Louvre and then took the metro to the cemetary of Pere Lachaise. It was really pretty with gorgeous, grand headstones that just went for miles!! While I was walking back to the train station, I ran smack into a Carnivale parade! I took sooo many pictures, more than all the other cities combined! But there were so many different costumes and dancers and musicians! It was fabulous!! After that, I made my way back into the center of town to meet with my old friend and tutee, Seungyoo, for dinner. It was a wonderful way to end the vacation.
RENNES AGAIN
But it wasnt over. Sorry folks. I got on the last train to Rennes, but what shouldve been a nice, restful journey back home turned into a fiasco. The train in front of us hit a cow. Apparently cows are rare, 20-car-train-destroying machines, because their train was totally out of commission. So we had to wait an extra hour while they emptied that train, cleared it off the tracks, and then gave us the ok to swing through that stop and load all those stranded people onto our train. An hour doesn't seem so bad, except for that now I had missed the last bus home and I live about an hour walk away from the station. Luckily, the station provided busses for us that went all around town, dropping people off near normal bus and metro stops. So the bus dropped me off at 2:30 am about a fifteen minute walk from my house. Its a completely safe, suburban area - boasting a nursing home, a sports center and an elementary school - but it was just an awful long walk after two days of near continuous travel. But I made it home with just enough time to throw down my bags before I fell asleep.
The end.
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes and gifts! It was so nice to hear from you and see your emails when I got back from my travels. As always, I would love to hear what you've been up to and what is new, so feel free to message me! Im very tired tonight so sorry about the typing errors. Pictures will be up by Wednesday!!
All my love -
~Ashley
RENNES
My vacation started with four days in Rennes in which I bummed around watching "Sicko" and "Knight and Day". Sicko made me equally sad and furious, and Knight and Day was a cute, fun romp - though I still believe that Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz lack chemistry and are incompatible as a movie couple. This was about as exciting as those four days got...
PARIS
I went to Paris on my birthday and had about a ten hour lay-over before my night train to Vienna. So I did what I had been planning for a month - I went to the Louvre to spend my day gazing at and analyzing msterpeices...but it was closed. Apparently, every Tuesday is "every museum in the city is closed day." I should've read the guide book more carefully. So I went to the next best thing - The Champs Disney Store. I spent two hours in this two story disney merchandise castle, picking up things I thought about buying (like this awesome Marvel Superheroes backpack) and then putting them back down. I think the employees thought I was a little touched. Then I went to McDonalds. Call me a big spender, but there's nothing wrong with living the high life on your birthday. Then I went to the train station for about 4 hours, and spent all my money on food, an Xmen comic, and the bathroom.
THE NIGHT TRAIN
Finally the train came and aboard I went! Oh man were they the smallest bed compartments I have ever seen!! I have no idea how they fit six beds in an area smaller than my closet and then expect six people to manoeuvre themselves into them and sleep. But as long as I remained laying down, it really wasn't that bad. I slept pretty well despite the rocking of the train and the worry that the two very large men in the bunks above me might crush me in the event of a sudden stop. But not a worry, I arrived safe and sound for my transfer in Munich 10 hours later. I also arrived late, which meant I misssed my connection on to Vienna and had to find the ticket counter and get a reservation on the next one out. The staff was very helpful and so was a starbucks coffee. While I was sitting there reading all the signs, I decided that the German language looks a lot like English if you smush like three words at a time together and then scramble them. I think this was the first time I had had to communicate in a country by only using hand gestures. Its hard to talk much when you only know how to say "please", "thank you", and "two" - at least I think it was two...
VIENNA
So my friends met me at the train station in Vienna and it was so great from the get-go! I dropped my luggage off at this hostel where we were staying with 16 (!) other people, then headed out to see the Hapsburg Palace and this outdoor market that went a ways. We ate dinner at this great restaurant where we all split fried potatoes, fried chicken, fried onions, and sausage wrapped in bacon. You dont find this kind of meal everyday in France!! Unfortunately, that was all I had time for in Vienna because our bus left right after our morning pancakes.
THE BUS
The thing about getting to the bus is - it took a lot longer than we thought to get to the station. In fact, we got off the metro with about 5 minutes before our bus (which is known for leaving early and is the only one of the day) was going to depart. So our friend Carter is practically sprinting ahead of us, while our friend Margaret is leisurely pulling her suitcase a good distance behind us. It was only when we came to a large set of stairs that this became an issue. Carter was almost to the top of the stairs, me and Cate were about half way up, and Margaret decided to go around the stairs to find an escalator. That's when, with five minutes to get to the bus, we realize that Margaret is completely gone behind us and Carter has disappeared ahead of us and me and Cate have no way to contact Margaret (because her phone is out of minutes) and we have four minutes and counting to find her and sprint to the bus. We handled it with an efficiency and collectedness our mothers would be proud of. We called Carter and told him to hold the bus, we split up for sixty seconds, one upstairs - one downstairs to search and reconvened without Margaret sixty seconds later at the donutshop. We ran to the bus to see if she had made it there, and alas, nothing! She was just gone! Her escalator, whichever one she had found, had taken her somewhere else completely. Now at the bus with 3/4 of our party, the bus driver was indicating that he had to go and we were all pretty resigned to the fact that we would be spending another night in Vienna. In one last effort Carter ran to the end of the street to see if he could see anything - and there was Margaret!! Sprinting down the street across from the station! We couldnt believe it! We all just collapsed into laughter for about twenty minutes once we were all seated. And the bus only left ten minutes late. What a way to leave in style!
PRAGUE
I loved Prague. It is my favorite big city that I have visited in all of Europe. The hostel was cheap, the food was delicious, the architecture was incredible, the weather was warm and sunny, the art vendors had some amazing crafts, the stores were huge and awesome, the castle was amazing. It was like being in a fairy tale. We ate pizza the first night that was sooo good, and then the second night I had this incredible pasta that was delivered on a bike and it only cost $3!! I couldn't believe it! Then in the morning we went to this incredible bagel breakfast place (which are nearly impossible to find in France) and had bagels and bottomless coffee! So fantastic! I honestly tried to change my ticket to Munich in order to spend just a few more hours there - but it was not to be! I really hope I get back there some day and highly recommend it to anyone who will be visiting Europe!!
MUNICH
So I parted ways with my friends once again and headed to Munich where I would spend 8 or so hours waiting for my next overnight train back to Paris. I got in and stored my bag in the locker at the train station that decided to take 6 of my euros and not lock in the end! I was so mad! So then I got another one to work but never got my money back. Then I went to the bathroom - which costs 80 cents - almost twice as much as anywhere else, and I put my money in, walked in and this old man walks out of the stall. And Im like - oh man - I totally paid to go into the mens bathroom. So I have to leave and go over to the women's, and pay another 80 cents! Sheesh. By this point I was getting rather weary of putting my money into machines I didnt really understand, so when I came to the metro ticket machine - which was filled with all these German/English hybrid instructions about how you can buy 1 ticket for four stops, but only in one zone, and how you can only get off at stations labeled S or U in a certain 5 stop zone, I decided to just walk. In this case, it turned out surprisingly well. I walked until I ran into this huge square with this enormous statue of a woman with a lion - I think she was called "Bavaria" or something, but I couldnt find any plaque telling me who she was! So I sat there for a while before walking some more. I ran into a five story furniture store with FREE bathrooms before moving on to the three story Toys R Us next to that. I found this lovely cathedral named St Paul and then walked back to the train station. I found it very odd that the place I had walked through was so very residential and quiet and concluded that I must have been walking away from downtown. So after lunch, I took the opposite direction and sure enough, it was like Time Square! There were people everywhere, getting off work, trying to catch the bus or metro or whatever. But I made it to the Glockenspeil (which I cant spell) and it was soooooooooooooooo very beautiful! It just took my breath away! The whole Karlsplatz area was so lively and architecturally stunning! I really all in all had a wonderful afternoon in Munich.
THE NIGHT TRAIN
On the way back, my night train was filled with a family of five. There were three younger kids and all the hubbub, though it was in German, completely reminded me of family trips at my house. There were toys falling from the top bunk, someone was hungry, someone else had to pee, someone else was getting mad the mom wasn't listening to their story. It made me miss my sisters even more than I already do!!! I was thinking, though, before bed, that if this was one of our family vacations, someone would probably throw up in the most inconvenient place possible. Sure enough, about 1am there was a silence-breaking, "I'm going to be sick!" It was the weirdest thing, cause even though the girl said it in German, it was like I knew the tone and sat bolt upright and started scrambling for this plastic bag I had with me. The mom was faster though and got the bag and the daughter out in the hallway in one swift motion, avoiding an in-the-compartment catastrophe. It was just one of those familiar night-time scrambles that are horrible at the time, but that you laugh about later, I mean we can talk for hours in my family about puking mishaps. In the end, they were all very nice and the kids liked saying "Bonjour" to me and offering me candy. I just couldn't believe how similar the family dynamic was to my own, it made me feel so comfortable and like I could even understand them.
PARIS AGAIN
This time I was headed for an all day trip to the Louvre and nothing was going to stop me!! Except a 5 and a half hour line. DRAT! Stopped again! Apparently, the first Sunday of every month, the Louvre is free for everyone. That would explain the exceptionally long line. So off I went to Musée d'Orsay, which I had never seen before. It was wonderful, but it certainly didn't take all day, so I had a little nap in the park outside the Louvre and then took the metro to the cemetary of Pere Lachaise. It was really pretty with gorgeous, grand headstones that just went for miles!! While I was walking back to the train station, I ran smack into a Carnivale parade! I took sooo many pictures, more than all the other cities combined! But there were so many different costumes and dancers and musicians! It was fabulous!! After that, I made my way back into the center of town to meet with my old friend and tutee, Seungyoo, for dinner. It was a wonderful way to end the vacation.
RENNES AGAIN
But it wasnt over. Sorry folks. I got on the last train to Rennes, but what shouldve been a nice, restful journey back home turned into a fiasco. The train in front of us hit a cow. Apparently cows are rare, 20-car-train-destroying machines, because their train was totally out of commission. So we had to wait an extra hour while they emptied that train, cleared it off the tracks, and then gave us the ok to swing through that stop and load all those stranded people onto our train. An hour doesn't seem so bad, except for that now I had missed the last bus home and I live about an hour walk away from the station. Luckily, the station provided busses for us that went all around town, dropping people off near normal bus and metro stops. So the bus dropped me off at 2:30 am about a fifteen minute walk from my house. Its a completely safe, suburban area - boasting a nursing home, a sports center and an elementary school - but it was just an awful long walk after two days of near continuous travel. But I made it home with just enough time to throw down my bags before I fell asleep.
The end.
Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes and gifts! It was so nice to hear from you and see your emails when I got back from my travels. As always, I would love to hear what you've been up to and what is new, so feel free to message me! Im very tired tonight so sorry about the typing errors. Pictures will be up by Wednesday!!
All my love -
~Ashley
Sunday, February 20, 2011
More Pictures
Mont St Michel! Incredible!
Courtyard way in the air at Mont St Michel!
Top of Mt St Michel!
Garden near my house! Remember it February, but there's so many flowers in bloom!
Me, Margaret, and Cate posing with two orchestra members after the symphony!
Pictures!!
This is my metro stop where I get on and off to go to and from home each day!
This is the Opera House downtown where we saw the symphony of Bretagne play
This is St Malo again where we went for a day trip!
This is a picture of a small town we visited on our way to Mont St Michel.
This is the metro stop where I get off to go downtown each day!
Hello Again!!
Sorry its been so long folks, but there's been a whirlwind of activity going on here in Rennes - so lets get to it!!
Computer -
First of all, me and my computer got these really horrible viruses at the same time right after my last post. Mine was in the form of this crazy cough and fever mixture and the computer had this virus called "System Tool", which is this fake anti-virus that totally blocks you from accessing everything from internet to solitaire to your own antivirus on you computer. My cough went away after awhile but, unfortunately, my computer is still not functional - due to the fact that I called this computer technician to come fix it, waited a week for him to be available, and then he never showed up or answered his phone. So the next day I went out and bought a netbook (which was only a little more than I would've paid the technician), and I absolutely love it!!! It is really small and light and it can go with me pretty much everywhere. I can do everything on it - like Skype and watch movies! The only drawback is that there is no Microsoft Word and the keyboard is European - which is sooo weird!! The "A" is where the "Q" should be, the W and Z are mixed up and dont even start me on the characters - they're all over the place!!
But all and all God really provided and helped me learn lots of new French terminology along the way (I bought everything I needed at the store in French and even asked questions like - Should I get extra memory to run my programs?) I also learned a lot about computers and viruses along the way too, since I did pretty much nothing but research it for a week, so if you have any basic questions about different netbook programs and downloads and stuff, you can test my knowledge! Ok well thats enough about technology...on to the French stuff.
Smelly Stuff
As one might have heard, the French do seem to shower less than Americans, or at the very least, use much much less water, seeing as most showers are set up to use in military fashion and most toilets can flush half-way or all the way depending what button you use. But I don't know if it's the lack of showering or the weird spray-can deodorant here or the cheese, but there is this certain repetitive odor in the air that can range from mild to overwhelming that is decidedly different than the odors in America. As for the overwhelming bit, I'm going to blame this on the lack of ventilation - windows don't have screens, so they often stay shut at businesses, and I've noticed that there are no vents in any room - not even the bathroom...therefore it is my smell-theory that this is why the odor can hover in a classroom for two or three days and on the bus indefinitely. I will have to do more research before I make any more gross assumptions, but these are my up to date odor findings. (Question!! Isn't France like famous for making perfume? Isn't this contradictory?)
Upcoming Vacation -
So I received my awesome rail pass thanks to Grandma Nan and Grandpa J (thanks guys!!!) and I've made all my rail reservations for the first vacation - which is next week!!! I cant believe its here already!! I will be going with three of my friends (Margaret, Carter, and Cate)to Prague, Vienna, and Munich!! We booked hostels in all the cities for really cheap and I can't wait to see what the overnight train experience is like!! I'm sure it will be amazing!! If anyone has any suggestions what to visit, please let us know right away because we still are sort of flying by the seat of our pants! I'll be leaving for the first day of vacation on my birthday (March 1) and going to spend the day in Paris before my overnight train for Vienna that night...so hopefully it'll be a fabulous whirlwind birthday at the Louvre!! I actually get in free because I'm a student in Europe now, and I can easily spend the whole day there - I'm so excited!!
Rennes -
Every day I'm getting to love Rennes more and more! There is so much to do here, and yet its small enough that I pass an American I know on the street at least once a day. There is this AMAZING hot cocoa shop called Les Haricots Rouge that has beome almost an obsession. I went there three times this week to do homework and have some Macadamia nut hot chocolate with three layers of whipped cream on top and a huge slice of melted, gooey brownie-cake. Anyone jealous??? It's so incredible! They have every type of hot chocolate you can imagine - from strawberry to coconut to almond and praline. Its sooo amazing!
We also found a cool club in Rennes a couple weeks ago thats for dancing, called l'Espace, but as fun as it was, it was way overpriced (15 € to get in the door!!), and they turned some people away because they had the wrong shoes (? whats that about, they just lost 15€ ?) and NO ONE was there when we arrived, which was none too early by American standards. But the music was really great and they had lots of cool lights and it was fun to just "profiter de la jeunesse" as our host mothers keep reminding us! But then when we left for the night, there were at least 100 people at the door clamoring to get it...it was way late, and everyone was just arriving! These French youth sure have more party stamina than us it seems...one French girl at my school looked surprised when I asked her how she got home if she went out so late because the buses stop running at 1am. And she said "Well that's why we stay out until the buses start again" - Only the busses don't start again until 7 am!!! Thats wild!! I might be a party pooper, but I'm surely happy to catch the last bus home at night and get some sleep. So now we've been sticking to less expensive outings, like last night, we went to this café where this jazz band was playing and they were amazing!! The lead singer sung in French, German, Spanish, and English!! Then we found out afterwards that she's studying history at our university!! How cool is that?! There's always some neat group playing at the local cafés and last night there was even a poetry slam. We never get bored here, thats for sure!
I'm missing you all so much and I'm sure I left some things out, but hopefully I'll be updating this again sooner! I hope everyone is well! Please drop me a line because I love to know what you're all up to!! All my love!!
~Ashley
Computer -
First of all, me and my computer got these really horrible viruses at the same time right after my last post. Mine was in the form of this crazy cough and fever mixture and the computer had this virus called "System Tool", which is this fake anti-virus that totally blocks you from accessing everything from internet to solitaire to your own antivirus on you computer. My cough went away after awhile but, unfortunately, my computer is still not functional - due to the fact that I called this computer technician to come fix it, waited a week for him to be available, and then he never showed up or answered his phone. So the next day I went out and bought a netbook (which was only a little more than I would've paid the technician), and I absolutely love it!!! It is really small and light and it can go with me pretty much everywhere. I can do everything on it - like Skype and watch movies! The only drawback is that there is no Microsoft Word and the keyboard is European - which is sooo weird!! The "A" is where the "Q" should be, the W and Z are mixed up and dont even start me on the characters - they're all over the place!!
But all and all God really provided and helped me learn lots of new French terminology along the way (I bought everything I needed at the store in French and even asked questions like - Should I get extra memory to run my programs?) I also learned a lot about computers and viruses along the way too, since I did pretty much nothing but research it for a week, so if you have any basic questions about different netbook programs and downloads and stuff, you can test my knowledge! Ok well thats enough about technology...on to the French stuff.
Smelly Stuff
As one might have heard, the French do seem to shower less than Americans, or at the very least, use much much less water, seeing as most showers are set up to use in military fashion and most toilets can flush half-way or all the way depending what button you use. But I don't know if it's the lack of showering or the weird spray-can deodorant here or the cheese, but there is this certain repetitive odor in the air that can range from mild to overwhelming that is decidedly different than the odors in America. As for the overwhelming bit, I'm going to blame this on the lack of ventilation - windows don't have screens, so they often stay shut at businesses, and I've noticed that there are no vents in any room - not even the bathroom...therefore it is my smell-theory that this is why the odor can hover in a classroom for two or three days and on the bus indefinitely. I will have to do more research before I make any more gross assumptions, but these are my up to date odor findings. (Question!! Isn't France like famous for making perfume? Isn't this contradictory?)
Upcoming Vacation -
So I received my awesome rail pass thanks to Grandma Nan and Grandpa J (thanks guys!!!) and I've made all my rail reservations for the first vacation - which is next week!!! I cant believe its here already!! I will be going with three of my friends (Margaret, Carter, and Cate)to Prague, Vienna, and Munich!! We booked hostels in all the cities for really cheap and I can't wait to see what the overnight train experience is like!! I'm sure it will be amazing!! If anyone has any suggestions what to visit, please let us know right away because we still are sort of flying by the seat of our pants! I'll be leaving for the first day of vacation on my birthday (March 1) and going to spend the day in Paris before my overnight train for Vienna that night...so hopefully it'll be a fabulous whirlwind birthday at the Louvre!! I actually get in free because I'm a student in Europe now, and I can easily spend the whole day there - I'm so excited!!
Rennes -
Every day I'm getting to love Rennes more and more! There is so much to do here, and yet its small enough that I pass an American I know on the street at least once a day. There is this AMAZING hot cocoa shop called Les Haricots Rouge that has beome almost an obsession. I went there three times this week to do homework and have some Macadamia nut hot chocolate with three layers of whipped cream on top and a huge slice of melted, gooey brownie-cake. Anyone jealous??? It's so incredible! They have every type of hot chocolate you can imagine - from strawberry to coconut to almond and praline. Its sooo amazing!
We also found a cool club in Rennes a couple weeks ago thats for dancing, called l'Espace, but as fun as it was, it was way overpriced (15 € to get in the door!!), and they turned some people away because they had the wrong shoes (? whats that about, they just lost 15€ ?) and NO ONE was there when we arrived, which was none too early by American standards. But the music was really great and they had lots of cool lights and it was fun to just "profiter de la jeunesse" as our host mothers keep reminding us! But then when we left for the night, there were at least 100 people at the door clamoring to get it...it was way late, and everyone was just arriving! These French youth sure have more party stamina than us it seems...one French girl at my school looked surprised when I asked her how she got home if she went out so late because the buses stop running at 1am. And she said "Well that's why we stay out until the buses start again" - Only the busses don't start again until 7 am!!! Thats wild!! I might be a party pooper, but I'm surely happy to catch the last bus home at night and get some sleep. So now we've been sticking to less expensive outings, like last night, we went to this café where this jazz band was playing and they were amazing!! The lead singer sung in French, German, Spanish, and English!! Then we found out afterwards that she's studying history at our university!! How cool is that?! There's always some neat group playing at the local cafés and last night there was even a poetry slam. We never get bored here, thats for sure!
I'm missing you all so much and I'm sure I left some things out, but hopefully I'll be updating this again sooner! I hope everyone is well! Please drop me a line because I love to know what you're all up to!! All my love!!
~Ashley
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
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Happy Birthday Mom!!
Hi everyone! SO I made this blog for my Mom's birthday...so HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! But everyone else in my family can follow it too as I travel around France next semester in Rennes!! I'll try my best to keep y'all up to date on my goings-ons and can't wait to see you again!!
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