HOME
Hello all! Sorry my blogs have been so few and far between. I was crazy busy my last week in France. Not only did I go to Amsterdam (which I will post a blog for) for the last week, I also had to pack and check-out, and the WiFi was down at the library. No internet time for me, unfortunately.
Well, in big news, I am home. I rolled into Denver last night after being en route for over 24 hours. I had to wake up at 6:30am in Tours and finish packing. I had been up late the night before and really had a hard time of it. After a hectic trip to Charles de Gaulle in which I almost missed my flight, I was safely on my way back. I had a long layover in Washington and took the opportunity to get a Starbucks coffee with Jess (we had the same flight back) and talk about everything. The first thing I noticed about coming home was that one, everyone speaks English (I kept asking for things in French on the plane before I caught myself), two, there are lots of fat people, and three, everyone is really friendly. I got so used to the French and their default rudeness and it was so cool to just chat nicely with people.
I was sad to leave France. I got very used to it there. I know I will miss the food, the people, the challenges. I cried on the plane and looked back at my journal. It is hard to close the book on any chapter of your life, especially such an influential one. I have come so far. Iwent from someone who never went anywhere by themselves and had always lived in the same place to someone much more responsible, indendent and worldly. I was feeling really down until I realized I had a cell phone. After five months without one, it was kind of weird to start using it again. After talking to Steve and Cait especially, it made me really excited to come home. Of all the incredibly interesting people I met in France, they pale in comparison to my true friends here.
It will take a little re-adjusting, but it is very nice to be back where I belong. I have gone to hell and back, as well as had some of the best experiences of my life. I have missed you all so very much, and hope to see you as soon as possible!!!
Americaine
Bonjour!
I hope you are all doing well in the States. Since I recieved no comments on my last blog, I really feel like you don't deserve this....but I'll tell you about my life anyways.
Things are almost starting to feel over here, which is a bizarre feeling. It felt like I would never get used to France and living on my own, but I have. I have a tendency to get all existential and analytical on my time in France these days. I wish I had really been speaking French from the beginning. My reading and writing skills are great, but I am still relatively slow in a conversation. I was talking to my friend Catriona (a cool chick from Scotland) about this the other night, and she said that it is supposed to take living in a new country for at least 6 months before you even get comfortable in trying to speak it. In my short 5 months, I have improved beaucoup, and do more everyday. So there’s that…
I have a bizarre social life too. French boy Bruno has made a habit of asking me out every couple of days even though I have been refusing him. I also have been talking to a Dutch guy I really like, even though he knows I’m leaving in a week. Geez, I have to go and get popular that I’m leaving. The other Americans left, and it is now just me and Trice. We have been hanging out with a Canadian guy who is pretty cool, too.
Everyone here is defined by where they are from. My name is officially “one of the Americans.” People have trouble pronouncing my name, and most people seem to think I am saying “Marley.” Also, I just say I’m American because so few people know where Wyoming actually is, but that’s ok. I am used to describing it. I have had the following conversation approximately 2 jillion times:
Random French Person- “Are you English?”
Me-“No, American.”
RFP-“Where do you live in America?”
Me-“Wyoming.”
RFP- “What state is that in?”
Me-“Wyoming is a state…”
RFP-“No, what state is Wyoming in? Where is it?”
Me-“Wyoming itself is a state! It’s in the West.”
RFP-(confused and skeptical look)
Me- “Do you know the Rocky Mountains? How about Yellowstone Park? Cowboys and Indians? No…ok, have you seen Brokeback Mountain?”
RFP-“Yes! The gay cowboys!”
Me-“Well, that’s Wyoming.”
That movie has done wonders…
It is cool to be special and different. And there really is something different that comes with being American. Trice and I keep getting invited to parties just because we’re Americans and therefore interesting. People across the world try to be “cool” like us, and it is insane to watch foreign kids trying to dress, dance, act, etc. like us. We also never have to learn other languages, go to other countries for jobs or education, etc. Seriously, all of you, take a minute to realize what it is to be American and be thankful for it!!
And I really haven't taken any pictures since my last blog...so here is a picture of some flamingos! Its hard to be unhappy while looking at flamingos.
Au revoir....
Bonjour all!
I wish I had more to report. I have just been trying to wrap up things as best as possible in Tours. I have the rest of this week, one more week, 4 days in Amsterdam, then I leave as soon as I get back. I’ll be here for my birthday, but I’ll have gotten home very late the night before and will be leaving for Paris early the next morning so I don’t know what all I’ll have time to do.
Last night we all went and saw the Da Vinci Code. It came out here before the US. It was very good, but unfortunately was dubbed rather than using sub-titles so I missed out on a lot of subtleties in the dialogue. I could follow it all right since I’ve read the book, but some parts were really hard to understand. One thing that is weird about Tours…their French has no accent. They speak really clear French, and I can really tell the difference now when I hear Parisian or southern accents, just like we have in the US. There were a few of those in the movie, which made it kinda difficult. Oh well, it was still pretty good. I recommend it when it comes out there.
My emotions have been haywire lately. I want to come home, but I think I am greatly anticipating reverse-culture shock, as are the other people I hang out with. We get randomly sad or excited to get home, but we are all scared of what it will be like,
if that makes sense. Its like we all had this amazing, stressful, difficult, wonderful 5 months, and soon it will all be over. No more castles, cathedrals, discotheques, meeting people from all over the world, new foods, French, etc. We go back to our normal lives as different people. We want to share and talk about our experience but know it will drive everyone crazy. I don’t want to be obnoxious, but I want to tell the world about what I’ve gone through and learned. Plus, I hate the idea of never seeing people again, or being able to do things again. It’s like graduating from high school, only about 10 times worse.
Two of the other Americans, Jess and Tija, just left today. I just really started hanging out with them about a month ago, but I am really sad about them leaving. They made the last month wonderful, and I had lots of fun with them. I hope I could visit them in North Carolina or they could come visit me. Its really hard to keep saying goodbye to people. I only wish I could have known them longer here.
So that’s life in Tours. See you all in two weeks!
Lisez!!
Bonjour tout le monde!
I hope all is well there…and good luck to my little Rammies on their finals. I have something resembling finals next week, but it is mostly just scraping together a few grades. My responsable here is so lazy that I must track down all my professors, some of which have given no contact information and that I haven’t seen for months, and get them to give me some type of grade and make sure they email it to her. But I don’t mind too much, because for every thing I track down and send, that is one less thing I have to worry about.
Things are totally winding down here! It is starting to feel like summer, which always makes me anxious. The park I live in is just gorgeous right now.
I have decided to stay here until June 1st. There are several reasons for this, but the best two are that Trice and me are going to go to Amsterdam and that my new friends here said we can have a party for my birthday. I mean c’mon, who gets to go out to bars for their 20th and 21st birthdays? I am getting really excited about going to Amsterdam, especially. In some ways it kind of sucks to keep extending my stay here, but one of my life dreams has been to see the Van Gogh museum. As any one who knows me can tell you, I LOVE Van Gogh and am a walking textbook on the different periods and works of his life. I have always wanted to go to this museum, and who knows when I will have another opportunity like this? I am just knocking out life goals left and right…and by the time I get home I will have been in three counties all that speak different languages. Not to mention that I am having a blast with the other Americans and Momo.
Things are continuing to go swimmingly. I am falling into a routine of staying up late and sleeping in until noon though. I follow the same schedule everyday by not really having one. I sleep late, lay in bed and play on my computer, get up and ride the bus into town and go to class, renew my bus pass, go to the post office, etc. check my email, dink around and eat pastries, go to other classes, come home in the evening, eat dinner, and go to Batiment E (E Building) to hang out with Trice, Tija, and Jess. I stay there until 1 or 2 in the morning and then get Momo to walk me home. He whines every time, but I feel much safer with him than walking alone. Funny story about him…I was on the phone with Becky and I saw Momo walking by, so I thought it would be cool for her to say hi to him. I waved him over and handed the phone to him and he was very polite and said “Hi, how are you?” in English. I heard Becky say something, and then he handed the phone back to me saying she hung up. I didn’t believe him, but sure enough, she hung up on him. Now he tells everyone that my sister hates him and hung up on him. At first I defended her, now I just agree. Seriously, who hangs up on an international phone call?
Ah, I feel like a college student again, but in a weird, foreign way.
Oh, and there are emus in Tours. Here is me with one.
Mes amies!
Bonjour all!
I hope all is well in the States. Sorry I've been a bad blogger lately, I have been having a hard time getting on-line. The WiFi hasn't be up very much lately.
I have been having a blast as of late. I am wrapping up classes (or whats left of them) and making plans to do some more traveling. Trice and I are planning to go to Amsterdam before we leave. The Van Gogh museum is there, and it is one of my life dreams to see it. This means I won't be getting home until June 1st, but it will be a huge experience. Who knows when I'll be able to just run around Europe again, you know? I'll have my whole life to get back in the swing of things, but this experience is once in a lifetime.
I have been quite sociable lately. Through the other Americans, especially Trice, I have met some really cool
people who live all over the place. I have been hanging out with them as much as possible, and practically lived in Trice's room over the three day weekend. It has been very good for my French to be conversing in it all the time. Most of the people I know are either other exchange students or from French-speaking places like Morocco. It has been beyond amazing to talk to and meet people from places that I have only heard of. Out countries and religions may be different, but when you put us all together, we forget all our differences and are just a big group of college kids.
This here is Trice, Kevin and Momo being all sweet with each other. Its like one big, happy, bilingual family.
As you can tell, I am finally getting to be a silly college student in France. It has been really fun, and a good change of pace. The other morning we were out late and night, got up late, and made crepes for breakfast. I am enjoying my American/French life.
Finally...the London Blog
‘ello!
I hope you all have had a good week. I had a jolly good time in London! I wish I could have stayed longer, but the conversion rate from dollars to Euros to pounds was killing me.
I noticed two things right off as soon as I walked into downtown London. One, there was English everywhere (which was so cool for me) and that the traffic goes in opposite directions. Once I got a little more used to the sights and sounds and had checked into our hotel, Tchykita and I went out exploring. The first day we walked to Westminster Abbey and saw Big Ben and the houses of Parliament. We dinked around in the Old London telephone booths and laughed at the double-decker buses everywhere. We checked out the Thames, but retired for a big dinner and an early night of watching English-speaking TV (something that I have not seen in over 3 months).
The next day we went to Buckingham Palace and were disappointed to realize there was no changing of the guard that day. We went to the Imperial War Museum and saw the amazing section on WWII and their acclaimed Holocaust exhibition that left me speechless. After that, we went back across town to the British Museum, which I would describe as one of the biggest and coolest collections of random stuff I’ve ever seen. They had everything from Cleopatra’s mummy to the Rosetta Stone to books written during the Enlightenment.
After the British Museum closed, we grabbed some authentic fish and chips from a nearby restaurant and headed to about the coolest thing of all. We booked tickets the day before to see the play The Lion King. It is the Broadway version of the Disney movie, and has been very critically acclaimed. The costumes were very African-tribal looking and it was INCREDIBLE. As you can probably tell, Tchykita and I were beyond exhausted at this point and took the Tube back to our hotel.
The next day we went back to Buckingham and saw the changing of the guards. It was cool, but all the tourists squishing us up against the gate made for a less than enjoyable experience. When that was over, we went to Westminster Abbey and went
in. We saw all the old British royalty, as well as tombs for Charles Darwin, Issac Newton and many, many more. After that, we went to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, followed up by Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. It was so cool to actually see all these things in real life! Next came the only real disappointment…I got the hours to the Tate Modern (a modern art museum) mixed up, and it was closed before we got there. I was quite annoyed at this oversight, considering how everything else had gone like clockwork. But, Tchykita and I were dead on our feet after our grueling two days so we weren’t too sad to just slowly stroll back over Tower Bridge, and take in the sunset over the Thames.
Oh, and I got a bottle of holy water at Westminster Cathedral (they actually had signs saying you could do this) and I went around all day blessing things (they did not have a sign saying you could do this). I'm sure it was quite blasphemous, but I thought I was very funny. Tchykita and I nearly run ourselves into the ground on these vacations. We only eat about one real meal a day and spend the rest munching snacks on our feet. Both of us are voracious about seeing as many things as possible, but not rushing through. All in all, we saw tons of stuff and had a fabulous time. I greatly look forward to getting back to London someday!
Hey
Hello everyone!
This has been an insane couple of weeks for me and I am just getting back to Tours for the first time in awhile. I have a good blog I wrote about London, but my computer is having some issues and I will have to post it soon. I love you all!
