So, here I am. I finally made it. I'm sitting in Charles de Gaulle airport with my excess amount of luggage, debating whether or not I'm ready for what's about to happen. I know that I've been homesick for a large portion of my stay in France, but the thought of it all being over is quite saddening.
Yesterday, I put the final touches on packing up my room, and after the grouch of a French man checked my room, I was officially homeless in France. It was quite sad to close the door of the apartment, which was most times my safe haven and the closest thing to a home that I've had in almost half a year. After the solemn moment, I went upstairs to enjoy a Finnish dinner prepared by Anna where all of my closest friends were present. After that, we moved to a bar in the center of town, where everyone came out to spend a few minutes with me and have a beer. It was truly astonishing that amongst finals week, everyone took a few hours out of their hectic schedule to see me off. After a few "Let me know when you're in the US"'s and "It was great meeting you"'s, I realized that I had spent the past 5 months with the same group of people day in and day out. What I never knew before coming here, was how much I'd learn about myself through other people. Truly beautiful.
After a few tears and a few beers (quite the poet, I know), the group dispersed. It's really hard to say goodbye to someone never really knowing if you'll see them again. Sure, it's easy to say, but the reality of seeing everyone is sadly farfetched. I cried the most saying goodbye to Zuzy, of course. She was so sick, but she stayed out the entire night until I went home. What a true friend. She already committed to buying a blackberry so that we can chat whenever :) My Brazilian friends saw me off with lots of hugs, chocolate, brazilian money (to make sure I actually visit), and a beautiful locket with a picture of my two girlfriends from Brazil. Daniele, my Italian friend, bought me an odd turban/hat that matches headbands of my closest friends. That way, we're all a group. I didn't really get it, but the thought was certainly understood.
This morning, I woke up numb. Anna brought me to the train, and as we waited, friends showed up one by one. I told them not to come, but they helped me get my luggage on the train and waved goodbye. So dramatic. Luckily, a nice Canadian comrade of mine was going to the airport to get her mother, so she helped me with my bags until we parted ways.
A few hours I'll be on the plane, and although this journey in France is over, it only has started something new for me. What will be next? To be continued...
xoxo,
Amanda
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
The Home Stretch
Hey all. So, here we are, the home stretch. I have really been feeling mixed emotions these past few days concerning going home. I'm completely stressed with schoolwork, but aside from that, I've realized just how far I've really come here in France. Granted, I can't speak fluently and don't really feel integrated with the French, I can say that I have done a lot more than I expected. There is something truly amazing about being out of your comfort zone for the first time in one's life. I'm not just talking about the first semester away at college, although at the time, it felt like that was as bad as it would ever get. Boy, was that a walk in the park comparing to this.
I spent this past weekend in Compiègne after a pretty jam packed week of schoolwork. Friday, Zuzana and I went to Paris to shop. We both decided that we needed retail therapy and decided to take the day off. Well, looking at my receipts, I guess I really needed it (haha). It's nice that Zuzy and I were able to take the day to walk around, shop, get some coffee (STARBUCKS OF COURSE) and talk about how much we've changed since we arrived here. After that, we met up with Anna and her brother who was visiting from Finland for a late lunch.
The rest of the weekend was spent in Compiègne. My friend Luca from Italy had a lunch at his apartment to celebrate his birthday. Delicious Italian food, yum. Gotta love authentic cuisine from every corner of the world. I am so spoiled. My Mexican friend is cooking tomorrow night, yes! Saturday night I fell down the stairs in my apartment and limped out to a party. Sunday, feeling like a granny, I hung around all day and Hansen came over to work on our dreaded philosophy project. We've definitely built it up a lot, my poor roommate has heard me complain about it for 3 months, and she keeps asking me if I've had the presentation yet. That's how you know you've been worrying too much about something! Well, I'm also blogging about it so I guess it's pretty obvious that we're scared. It'll all be over on Wednesday by lunchtime (wake up time for you guys), so I'll let you know the outcome.
Last night, during one of my procrastination pauses, I looked through my written journal and found a list of things that I have realized or have paid more attention to since I've been here. They're pretty interesting and all correspond to different experiences that I've had here, so I figured I'd share:
-French is really hard
-This is a once in a lifetime kind of thing
-Time heals everything
-It's probably better to sleep on it than to act on it
-I'm blessed
-Food shopping is hard
-Love is an amazing thing
-Give the best of yourself, get the best of others (sometimes exhausting, but worth it...so do it!)
-Weather and cleanliness, or lack there of, can really affect my mood
-I'm really proud to be an American
-I made the right choice
-Time goes by fast, even faster when you don't want it to go by
-You can make a home for yourself anywhere. Whether or not it's better than your real home is debatable
-It's possible to feel distance
-If you let things in, they will come in
-People impact every experience (doesn't matter what you do, it's who you're with)
-You can't judge a book by its over, really
-I miss iced coffee or any coffee that is larger than the size of a shot for that matter
Just some things to think about. I know when I think about some of these things, it helps me make sense of what's going on!
Miss and love,
Amanda
I spent this past weekend in Compiègne after a pretty jam packed week of schoolwork. Friday, Zuzana and I went to Paris to shop. We both decided that we needed retail therapy and decided to take the day off. Well, looking at my receipts, I guess I really needed it (haha). It's nice that Zuzy and I were able to take the day to walk around, shop, get some coffee (STARBUCKS OF COURSE) and talk about how much we've changed since we arrived here. After that, we met up with Anna and her brother who was visiting from Finland for a late lunch.
The rest of the weekend was spent in Compiègne. My friend Luca from Italy had a lunch at his apartment to celebrate his birthday. Delicious Italian food, yum. Gotta love authentic cuisine from every corner of the world. I am so spoiled. My Mexican friend is cooking tomorrow night, yes! Saturday night I fell down the stairs in my apartment and limped out to a party. Sunday, feeling like a granny, I hung around all day and Hansen came over to work on our dreaded philosophy project. We've definitely built it up a lot, my poor roommate has heard me complain about it for 3 months, and she keeps asking me if I've had the presentation yet. That's how you know you've been worrying too much about something! Well, I'm also blogging about it so I guess it's pretty obvious that we're scared. It'll all be over on Wednesday by lunchtime (wake up time for you guys), so I'll let you know the outcome.
Last night, during one of my procrastination pauses, I looked through my written journal and found a list of things that I have realized or have paid more attention to since I've been here. They're pretty interesting and all correspond to different experiences that I've had here, so I figured I'd share:
-French is really hard
-This is a once in a lifetime kind of thing
-Time heals everything
-It's probably better to sleep on it than to act on it
-I'm blessed
-Food shopping is hard
-Love is an amazing thing
-Give the best of yourself, get the best of others (sometimes exhausting, but worth it...so do it!)
-Weather and cleanliness, or lack there of, can really affect my mood
-I'm really proud to be an American
-I made the right choice
-Time goes by fast, even faster when you don't want it to go by
-You can make a home for yourself anywhere. Whether or not it's better than your real home is debatable
-It's possible to feel distance
-If you let things in, they will come in
-People impact every experience (doesn't matter what you do, it's who you're with)
-You can't judge a book by its over, really
-I miss iced coffee or any coffee that is larger than the size of a shot for that matter
Just some things to think about. I know when I think about some of these things, it helps me make sense of what's going on!
Miss and love,
Amanda
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Here, there & everywhere
Hi all. So yeah, there's really no excuse for me not writing for this long of a time. On the other hand, a lot has gone on in the past month and a half, so I'm going to go easy on myself.
So the last time I wrote, it was right after Kelsey came! After that lovely week, it was back to reality. School is really hard and stressful. It's easy to get discouraged and flustered by the end of the week here, and I already have the tendency to do that as is. It was a hard two and a half weeks to get through, and I think that that had to do with the fact that I knew my parents were coming, so I got even more excited.
My parents arrived on the 21st and we had a great voyage to Swizterland, Amsterdam, and Paris. My Dad then had to leave us on the 1st, when my Mom and I continued on to London, Barcelona, then Compiègne and Paris again. A great time was had by all, but I would be lying if I said I felt like I when on vacation after all was done. I am still exhausted, and I bet my mom will tell you the same thing!
My Mom left on the 9th of May after spending Mother's Day in Paris. Such a dramatic exit, Mom. I left her at the airport and was in a very off mood for about two days after that. It was probably the fact that I was exhausted, sad, and still in shock that I had seen my family in the first place. It was really nice to see my family, and at that point when my Mom left me, we said "see you in 5 weeks" and that felt nice.
Then, I went back to reality, once again. This past week, I did so much work for my classes. A few conflicts arose, like uh, I don't know, the fact that my professor changed my final to the day after I leave. Note, he changed the date after three months of it being on the syllabus. Now, I am uncertain that I will be accommodated, but I have decided that I will not change my plane ticket. Whatsoever. I'm also getting anxiety about my upcoming presentations, but when those are done, I have a nice week left here in Compiègne to hang out with friends and get ready to go home.
This past weekend, I went to Lyon to visit Caitlin. She is currently living there doing an internship. I was weary about going at first, because I was still so tired, but I had such a great time. I went there Thursday night, and then spent the day in Starbucks doing my research project while Cait worked. I was there for 5.5 hours, wrote 10 pages, and was asked "parlez-vous anglais" 3 times by tourists during that time period. I don't know if there is a sign on my forehead that says "AMERICAN" or what, maybe it was the fact that I was sitting in a Starbucks, but I ended up having my own tourism desk where I helped people look up things on my computer. Haha. After that fun time (note: any time spent in Starbucks is a fun time), I walked around Lyon, did some shopping and then met up with Cait. Later that night, we went to drinks and dinner with her FRENCH boyfriend and his friend. It was a really nice time, and it was nice to see how nice of a life Cait has made for herself there. After dinner, we met up with the other URI chicka, Raena, and other French girls.
Saturday, we went to Geneva. It was definitely a good idea to do a day trip and see another city/country for 24E round trip. Only thing, it rained. So, we saw the sights, ate lunch, and passed some time in stores. Geneva is a very pretty city, I'm sure a lot prettier without rain, but definitely a one-dayer. Cait and I were glad that we didn't spend more than the day there.
After that, we went back to Lyon and had dinner, drinks and dancing with Raena and another girl from UTC that had come down to visit, Maria. The four of us had a great time, some laughs, and ended the night at a place called "Boston Club," modeled after a typical irish bar, very similar to Mulcahy's, which wasn't anything but amazing. So funny.
Today, I made my way back, slowly but surely. I missed my train from Paris to Compiègne by 3 minutes, so I had to wait for 2 hours. But, I got some more work done and planned some things, so it was productive.
Next weekend, I'm going to the Baie de Somme, on the beach on the northern coast with Esperanto (exchange student group). I missed the first one, so I'm excited to go to this one. It's a great way for everyone to get to travel together and it's really well planned. Plus, I'll be putting my feet in the sand, something I haven't done in a while! Well, I have to go get so much work done; I have a presentation on images of technology in cinema tomorrow, which I have yet to start. PLUS, I want to finish all of my work before the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!
Hope all is well with you!
Love,
Amanda
So the last time I wrote, it was right after Kelsey came! After that lovely week, it was back to reality. School is really hard and stressful. It's easy to get discouraged and flustered by the end of the week here, and I already have the tendency to do that as is. It was a hard two and a half weeks to get through, and I think that that had to do with the fact that I knew my parents were coming, so I got even more excited.
My parents arrived on the 21st and we had a great voyage to Swizterland, Amsterdam, and Paris. My Dad then had to leave us on the 1st, when my Mom and I continued on to London, Barcelona, then Compiègne and Paris again. A great time was had by all, but I would be lying if I said I felt like I when on vacation after all was done. I am still exhausted, and I bet my mom will tell you the same thing!
 |
| Luzern, Switzerland |
My Mom left on the 9th of May after spending Mother's Day in Paris. Such a dramatic exit, Mom. I left her at the airport and was in a very off mood for about two days after that. It was probably the fact that I was exhausted, sad, and still in shock that I had seen my family in the first place. It was really nice to see my family, and at that point when my Mom left me, we said "see you in 5 weeks" and that felt nice.
Then, I went back to reality, once again. This past week, I did so much work for my classes. A few conflicts arose, like uh, I don't know, the fact that my professor changed my final to the day after I leave. Note, he changed the date after three months of it being on the syllabus. Now, I am uncertain that I will be accommodated, but I have decided that I will not change my plane ticket. Whatsoever. I'm also getting anxiety about my upcoming presentations, but when those are done, I have a nice week left here in Compiègne to hang out with friends and get ready to go home.
This past weekend, I went to Lyon to visit Caitlin. She is currently living there doing an internship. I was weary about going at first, because I was still so tired, but I had such a great time. I went there Thursday night, and then spent the day in Starbucks doing my research project while Cait worked. I was there for 5.5 hours, wrote 10 pages, and was asked "parlez-vous anglais" 3 times by tourists during that time period. I don't know if there is a sign on my forehead that says "AMERICAN" or what, maybe it was the fact that I was sitting in a Starbucks, but I ended up having my own tourism desk where I helped people look up things on my computer. Haha. After that fun time (note: any time spent in Starbucks is a fun time), I walked around Lyon, did some shopping and then met up with Cait. Later that night, we went to drinks and dinner with her FRENCH boyfriend and his friend. It was a really nice time, and it was nice to see how nice of a life Cait has made for herself there. After dinner, we met up with the other URI chicka, Raena, and other French girls.
Saturday, we went to Geneva. It was definitely a good idea to do a day trip and see another city/country for 24E round trip. Only thing, it rained. So, we saw the sights, ate lunch, and passed some time in stores. Geneva is a very pretty city, I'm sure a lot prettier without rain, but definitely a one-dayer. Cait and I were glad that we didn't spend more than the day there.
 |
| Cait and I! |
 |
| Le jet d'eau à Genève |
After that, we went back to Lyon and had dinner, drinks and dancing with Raena and another girl from UTC that had come down to visit, Maria. The four of us had a great time, some laughs, and ended the night at a place called "Boston Club," modeled after a typical irish bar, very similar to Mulcahy's, which wasn't anything but amazing. So funny.
Today, I made my way back, slowly but surely. I missed my train from Paris to Compiègne by 3 minutes, so I had to wait for 2 hours. But, I got some more work done and planned some things, so it was productive.
Next weekend, I'm going to the Baie de Somme, on the beach on the northern coast with Esperanto (exchange student group). I missed the first one, so I'm excited to go to this one. It's a great way for everyone to get to travel together and it's really well planned. Plus, I'll be putting my feet in the sand, something I haven't done in a while! Well, I have to go get so much work done; I have a presentation on images of technology in cinema tomorrow, which I have yet to start. PLUS, I want to finish all of my work before the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!
Hope all is well with you!
Love,
Amanda
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Une Visite Américaine!
Hey everyone! It's been quite some time since I've checked in! A lot has happened in the past two weeks or so; good things...
Kelsey came for a visit from the 26th of March to April 3rd! It was amazing. Although the two days before she got here I had a violent stomach virus that manifested itself for the first time in a nightclub in Paris. Not very fun. Kelsey proceeded to get some sort of stomach thing, as well. I'm not sure if we had the same thing, but the voyage got off to a rough start. Saturday I got up to get her and I was so excited. I took the train to Paris, then another train, then a bus to get her, because of train track construction. I was afraid I'd be late, but I was able to get there on time and hold up my "TWINNIE" sign at the airport. I couldn't help but tear up (with joy, of course) when I saw her and hugged her. It was definitely refreshing to have her here. My two lives came together for the first time in almost three months, so it was good to have a good friend to bitch with about whatever is going on, and I got to share what I've been experiencing with someone, finally. Plus she brought me a water bottle, allergy medicine, lipton soup mix, and arnold palmer :)
We stayed two nights in Compiègne and then moved on to Paris on Monday after my mandatory x-ray for my immigration papers here, odd right? We saw all of the sights in Paris, did some shopping, and before I knew it, it was already Thursday and time to go to London! We took the train there, which took about 2.5 hours, not bad. We got to our less than desirable hostel, and then went back into downtown London. It was about a 30 minute subway ride to the center of London, which was kind of annoying, but wasn't bad. We did the bus sightseeing tour and killed some time before Cait came to meet us. The highlight of the trip, if I can even say it, was on our way back from downtown on the tube. We were so tired and worn out, sitting on the tube and some guy was listening to Rihanna's "Unfaithful" so loud on his ipod and lipsyncing the words and looking at himself in the reflection of the door. After holding back laughter for ten minutes, the guy finally gets up to leave the subway, but before he was fully out, he turned back into the car, gagged himself, threw up, and left. Kelsey and I haven't stopped talking about it/ acting it out. Gosh, people are weird.
Anyway, the rest of the trip was great. Cait got to us later that evening and we braved the horrible conditions of the hostel all together for that weekend. We got all around London: the London and Tower Bridges, Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road, Trafaglar Square, the National Gallery, and much more.
It was so sad to leave the both of them, but the next time I see Kelsey, I'll be home for summer and I'll be seeing Cait in about a month or so when I go to visit her in Lyon! Being back in Compiègne was truly rough after a week of vacation and having a visitor, and now it's time to work work work. I have a lot of projects and reading to do before my parents come...in TWO weeks. I can't believe I'm going to be seeing them so soon. I feel like I haven't seen them in years :(
Kelsey came for a visit from the 26th of March to April 3rd! It was amazing. Although the two days before she got here I had a violent stomach virus that manifested itself for the first time in a nightclub in Paris. Not very fun. Kelsey proceeded to get some sort of stomach thing, as well. I'm not sure if we had the same thing, but the voyage got off to a rough start. Saturday I got up to get her and I was so excited. I took the train to Paris, then another train, then a bus to get her, because of train track construction. I was afraid I'd be late, but I was able to get there on time and hold up my "TWINNIE" sign at the airport. I couldn't help but tear up (with joy, of course) when I saw her and hugged her. It was definitely refreshing to have her here. My two lives came together for the first time in almost three months, so it was good to have a good friend to bitch with about whatever is going on, and I got to share what I've been experiencing with someone, finally. Plus she brought me a water bottle, allergy medicine, lipton soup mix, and arnold palmer :)
We stayed two nights in Compiègne and then moved on to Paris on Monday after my mandatory x-ray for my immigration papers here, odd right? We saw all of the sights in Paris, did some shopping, and before I knew it, it was already Thursday and time to go to London! We took the train there, which took about 2.5 hours, not bad. We got to our less than desirable hostel, and then went back into downtown London. It was about a 30 minute subway ride to the center of London, which was kind of annoying, but wasn't bad. We did the bus sightseeing tour and killed some time before Cait came to meet us. The highlight of the trip, if I can even say it, was on our way back from downtown on the tube. We were so tired and worn out, sitting on the tube and some guy was listening to Rihanna's "Unfaithful" so loud on his ipod and lipsyncing the words and looking at himself in the reflection of the door. After holding back laughter for ten minutes, the guy finally gets up to leave the subway, but before he was fully out, he turned back into the car, gagged himself, threw up, and left. Kelsey and I haven't stopped talking about it/ acting it out. Gosh, people are weird.
Anyway, the rest of the trip was great. Cait got to us later that evening and we braved the horrible conditions of the hostel all together for that weekend. We got all around London: the London and Tower Bridges, Buckingham Palace, Abbey Road, Trafaglar Square, the National Gallery, and much more.
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| Myself, Kelsey, and Cait |
With upcoming visits and such, I realized that not only do I need to get a lot of work done, but I need to plan out the rest of my time here; part of that being when I'm going home. My mom and I talked the other day and booked a flight for June 16th! I can't believe I know when I'm coming home. That's been bothering me for a while. It's a little early in relation to when I finish school and whatnot, but I think it's best. It's going to come so quickly, too.
Everything is good here, though. My French has gotten so much better (thank God) and the weather is nice. Can't complain! I hope that everyone is doing well at home. I hear it's still pretty cold. I'll send some good weather vibes your way.
XO,
A
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Le Printemps
Hello everyone! Feels like forever since I've written, so I figured it was about time that I checked in. I have to write an essay before I go class today, but in true Amanda fashion, I decided to focus on other things. Since Rome, I've been kickin' it in Compiègne, which is something I can honestly say that I'm happy about.
It's finally spring here; we've had about a week and a half of consecutively beautiful days. Since I'm so accustomed to Rhode Island weather, I am still not fully convinced that the weather will be like this from here on out. I guess I'm holding a bit of a grudge against mother nature, but I heard that there's snow in NY today, so no hard feelings :)
This past week was good. I'm still lost in some classes, but all is going well and there is nothing major to complain about. Towards the end of the week, I went to a soirée in Compiègne for St. Patrick's Day with a few of my friends, which was fun. The next day, the other American, Liam, and myself had an "American" party for some friends. Liam had it at his place, and we took the day on Friday to go and get supplies. Some of which were: American beer, chips, dip, ingredients for PB&J, ingredients for jungle juice, a funnel, solo cup-like cups, ping pong balls, and more. Everyone really had a blast, and I felt like I was home for the first time since I've been here, which was nice. I spent Saturday and Sunday pretty worn down; a mixture of a hangover and my allergies. Sunday, I rolled out of bed and went to the park by the Château with some friends for a picnic, which was a good time. It helped me to get some fresh air and tired me out a bit.
Then began another week at UTC. I figured that with the Mon-Wed class schedule, that weeks would seem long, but they all really are blending together. This week sparked the realization that I need to study more French in my free time. With a sore throat and congestion, French has been hard to speak, but I need to put in a more conscious effort to learn and stop expecting it to fall into my lap. I especially need to put in the effort here, because when I go home my French will only deteriorate, let's be real. Anyway, now I'm finished for the week! Kelsey is coming on Saturday!
Can you believe it? She's arriving Saturday morning, so we will spend the weekend in Compi and go to Paris on Monday until Thursday. Thursday afternoon, we are going to London to meet up with our friend, Cait, and will stay here until Sunday and Kels will fly out of London. Crazy!! After that it's only back to the grind for 2.5 weeks until my parents come. I knew that once the semester hit this point, it would start flying, and it certainly has.
Almost everything here has become habitual, and another thing that I've noticed, is my will and automatic reaction to speak French in certain situations. I've raised my hand in class a few times. Yeah that's right. OH and I can't believe I forgot to mention that my bank card works!!!!! SUCK IT FRENCH BANK. I'm now official. Finally, and I have to close my account in like, what, 10 weeks? Haha, still feels good at any rate.
Hope that you are all well and that spring comes and STAYS for you guys! Lots of love!
-Amanda
It's finally spring here; we've had about a week and a half of consecutively beautiful days. Since I'm so accustomed to Rhode Island weather, I am still not fully convinced that the weather will be like this from here on out. I guess I'm holding a bit of a grudge against mother nature, but I heard that there's snow in NY today, so no hard feelings :)
This past week was good. I'm still lost in some classes, but all is going well and there is nothing major to complain about. Towards the end of the week, I went to a soirée in Compiègne for St. Patrick's Day with a few of my friends, which was fun. The next day, the other American, Liam, and myself had an "American" party for some friends. Liam had it at his place, and we took the day on Friday to go and get supplies. Some of which were: American beer, chips, dip, ingredients for PB&J, ingredients for jungle juice, a funnel, solo cup-like cups, ping pong balls, and more. Everyone really had a blast, and I felt like I was home for the first time since I've been here, which was nice. I spent Saturday and Sunday pretty worn down; a mixture of a hangover and my allergies. Sunday, I rolled out of bed and went to the park by the Château with some friends for a picnic, which was a good time. It helped me to get some fresh air and tired me out a bit.
 |
| Jungle juice! |
Then began another week at UTC. I figured that with the Mon-Wed class schedule, that weeks would seem long, but they all really are blending together. This week sparked the realization that I need to study more French in my free time. With a sore throat and congestion, French has been hard to speak, but I need to put in a more conscious effort to learn and stop expecting it to fall into my lap. I especially need to put in the effort here, because when I go home my French will only deteriorate, let's be real. Anyway, now I'm finished for the week! Kelsey is coming on Saturday!
 |
| TWINNIE SOON! EUROPE=soon to be backdrop! |
Can you believe it? She's arriving Saturday morning, so we will spend the weekend in Compi and go to Paris on Monday until Thursday. Thursday afternoon, we are going to London to meet up with our friend, Cait, and will stay here until Sunday and Kels will fly out of London. Crazy!! After that it's only back to the grind for 2.5 weeks until my parents come. I knew that once the semester hit this point, it would start flying, and it certainly has.
Almost everything here has become habitual, and another thing that I've noticed, is my will and automatic reaction to speak French in certain situations. I've raised my hand in class a few times. Yeah that's right. OH and I can't believe I forgot to mention that my bank card works!!!!! SUCK IT FRENCH BANK. I'm now official. Finally, and I have to close my account in like, what, 10 weeks? Haha, still feels good at any rate.
Hope that you are all well and that spring comes and STAYS for you guys! Lots of love!
-Amanda
Monday, March 14, 2011
Un "Petit" Voyage
Hello all! Today is my first full day back in France after my lovely long weekend in Rome. I had been one time before, but man, do I love it even more now. It was a great trip, but I'm really happy to be back in Compiègne! I've been in Europe for 2 months as of yesterday! Can't believe it.
This past week of class was a little stressful. The first three days of the school week are the only days that I have class, so all of the stress is compacted into the first part of the week. Like I have amnesia, I forget about it until late Saturday, then begin to worry again. I have to start making some decisions and taking some action. By the way, I'm conducting a research project for the construction of an eco friendly neighborhood in Barcelona. Did I sign up for that? Nope, don't think so. Anyway, the week was fine, and then the perfect end to a week by relaxing a bit in Italy ;)
We got to Rome at around lunch time on Thursday after an early morning walk to the Compiègne station, followed by an hour long bus ride to the airport, followed by a two hour flight, then another bus ride to the station in Rome. Despite all of the little legs of the trip, we were ready go upon arrival! We saw the Trevi fountain (including a gelato stop), Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and more. Friday, we spent all day at the Colosseum and the surrounding Forum and Palatine Hill. BEAUTIFUL.
Throughout the trip, I had noticed a couple of bites on my hands and arms. I immediately thought of spider bites, until I was proven wrong by some bed bugs in the hostel. Horrible, couldn't sleep, but we realized it on Saturday (late) and were leaving Sunday morning. Not much we could do. Sunday, in between scratching our bodies, we were able to get to the Vatican to see St. Peter's and stroll around before coming back to Compi. We did so much in such a short amount of time, it was amazing.
Now, back in good 'ol Compiègne. Had a great day today; ran around and got some things done, and am heading to bed early because I have class tomorrow at 10:15, but am going to the bank tomorrow to get my card (ROUND 2). This weekend, I will probably hang around here in Compiègne, because the weekend after, Kels will be here. What??? I can't wait! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you.
xAmanda
This past week of class was a little stressful. The first three days of the school week are the only days that I have class, so all of the stress is compacted into the first part of the week. Like I have amnesia, I forget about it until late Saturday, then begin to worry again. I have to start making some decisions and taking some action. By the way, I'm conducting a research project for the construction of an eco friendly neighborhood in Barcelona. Did I sign up for that? Nope, don't think so. Anyway, the week was fine, and then the perfect end to a week by relaxing a bit in Italy ;)
We got to Rome at around lunch time on Thursday after an early morning walk to the Compiègne station, followed by an hour long bus ride to the airport, followed by a two hour flight, then another bus ride to the station in Rome. Despite all of the little legs of the trip, we were ready go upon arrival! We saw the Trevi fountain (including a gelato stop), Piazza Navona, Pantheon, and more. Friday, we spent all day at the Colosseum and the surrounding Forum and Palatine Hill. BEAUTIFUL.
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| Gelato time! |
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| Trevi Fountain |
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| Chillin' at the Pantheon |
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| Colosseum with friends |
That night, Anna's friend that lives in Rome took us to the original Peroni brewery, where there is now a restaurant in its place; super cheap and super good. And Saturday, after much thought and consideration, we made a voyage to Naples followed by a metro ride to Pompei. Want to see something absolutely amazing? GO THERE. One of the most amazing places I have ever been in my life. Wow. We didn't do a tour or anything, and the loose train schedule gave us the whole day there to soak up the sun and take our time walking around. I even had time for a little nap in the middle of the "town square" where tourists asked my friends if I was alive. Narcoleptic much?
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| Dinner at the Peroni restaurant |
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| Pompei |
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| Quick snooze |
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| Before leaving |
Now, back in good 'ol Compiègne. Had a great day today; ran around and got some things done, and am heading to bed early because I have class tomorrow at 10:15, but am going to the bank tomorrow to get my card (ROUND 2). This weekend, I will probably hang around here in Compiègne, because the weekend after, Kels will be here. What??? I can't wait! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and I miss you.
xAmanda
Monday, March 7, 2011
La Vie Quotidien
Bonjour à tous! So, here we are in the month of March. Can you believe it? I know I can't. I know I keep saying it, but everything is really starting to blur here. I thought I was in a routine a few weeks ago, but now I have a true routine; feels great.
Class is good here, although it is very different from the USA, as expected. Besides the fact that everything is taught in French, I spend a lot of time in class per week, but I have like no homework. Maybe there is something that I'm missing, I don't know. I'll probably get slapped in the face come first exam. All of that aside, I like class, although I'm a little intimidated. I will also say that four hours of philosophy in one day, regardless of what language it's being taught in, is a little much. Integrating with French students is a little rough, but it is just as I anticipated. Everyone is nice, it is just about being outgoing and not being afraid to make mistakes.
SO, after my lovely, short week of classes, I decided to join my group of friends at a club in Paris, where Thursday nights are dedicated to ERASMUS (exchange) students. I knew before going that the last train from Compiègne was at 8:50 pm, and the first one to come back in the morning was at 6:37 am. Being as I am in France, and my experience is all about trying new things (right?), I decided to go because I would be the first person to say "no thanks" in the US. The night was fun, I even got an American flag sticker to wear, which made me extremely happy.
Although, after a few hours, the fun started to die down. Let's be honest, no one wants to spend 6-7 hours in a discotheque, especially with aching feet. Haha. Anyway, I DID IT! And I slept until 3pm the next day. So not Amanda. I don't know if and/or when I may be going again, but that was certainly an event for the scrapbook.
Tomorrow, I have class the entire day, then I'm going to the UTC professor's house to talk in English with his daughters, finally! They are so cute and I'm so excited to be doing some sort of "extracurricular." After that, there is a Carnaval celebration for Mardi Gras at a bar in Compiègne, so Tuesday is certainly full.
Thursday, I am going to Rome with Anna and Hansen. I can't believe it is happening already. That means, after this weekend, there is only one weekend until Kelsey comes! WHAT? I cannot believe that. It is going to be amazing! It'd be even better if I had a French card to pay for things. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that the second passcode didn't work, so now they are giving me an entirely new card and code altogether. Should be ready in about 10 days. Not cool. Anyway, another great week here in Compiègne, no complaints.
I hope everyone is nice and warm at home. Spring seems to be arriving quickly here in Compi City. Miss and love you all.
-Amanda
Class is good here, although it is very different from the USA, as expected. Besides the fact that everything is taught in French, I spend a lot of time in class per week, but I have like no homework. Maybe there is something that I'm missing, I don't know. I'll probably get slapped in the face come first exam. All of that aside, I like class, although I'm a little intimidated. I will also say that four hours of philosophy in one day, regardless of what language it's being taught in, is a little much. Integrating with French students is a little rough, but it is just as I anticipated. Everyone is nice, it is just about being outgoing and not being afraid to make mistakes.
SO, after my lovely, short week of classes, I decided to join my group of friends at a club in Paris, where Thursday nights are dedicated to ERASMUS (exchange) students. I knew before going that the last train from Compiègne was at 8:50 pm, and the first one to come back in the morning was at 6:37 am. Being as I am in France, and my experience is all about trying new things (right?), I decided to go because I would be the first person to say "no thanks" in the US. The night was fun, I even got an American flag sticker to wear, which made me extremely happy.
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| La Groupe |
Tomorrow, I have class the entire day, then I'm going to the UTC professor's house to talk in English with his daughters, finally! They are so cute and I'm so excited to be doing some sort of "extracurricular." After that, there is a Carnaval celebration for Mardi Gras at a bar in Compiègne, so Tuesday is certainly full.
Thursday, I am going to Rome with Anna and Hansen. I can't believe it is happening already. That means, after this weekend, there is only one weekend until Kelsey comes! WHAT? I cannot believe that. It is going to be amazing! It'd be even better if I had a French card to pay for things. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that the second passcode didn't work, so now they are giving me an entirely new card and code altogether. Should be ready in about 10 days. Not cool. Anyway, another great week here in Compiègne, no complaints.
I hope everyone is nice and warm at home. Spring seems to be arriving quickly here in Compi City. Miss and love you all.
-Amanda
Monday, February 28, 2011
La Rentrée
So, another week has gone by here. Definitely becoming harder and harder to believe. Last week was all about finalizing courses and beginning the semester, which is called "La Rentrée" here in France. I got into all of the classes that I wanted to register in, so if all goes well, my French degree will be completed when I finish my last exam and get on a plane to come home to the states. That is definitely surreal.
I unfortunately had the wrong class schedule for the week, so I was going to school at the wrong times when there was really no class at all. Obviously something I would do...I finally got the right schedule, luckily not too late in the week. Because I am taking human science courses here, all of them were on the same day last week, Friday, and they all overlapped. I was forced to swallow my pride and talk to each professor about the predicament. It was fine with each of them, but now I have a concrete schedule with no overlaps. AND, I don't have classes on Thursday or Friday (score).
This week, the UTC group for exchange students, Esperanto, held an event where we met the members of the group as well as our "godparent," a student at UTC that is willing to take you under their wing. Let's just say that my godfather is out of his mind. He loves to speak in English, but when he does, it's in a British accent and it is SO hard not to laugh because it just seems fake. Anyway, he is very nice and has gone out of his way to be my friend. After the meeting, all of the students went to the bar. Of course, I was asked multiple times about "How I Met Your Mother," which made me ecstatic :) It is so funny how popular that show is here.
Thursday night, I went to a masquerade disco party at a nearby club that was being held by a student organization. I think that they only happen a few seldom times throughout the semester, which relieved me, because it really wasn't my scene. TOO many people! All of my friends went, which made it fun, by I definitely hit a wall at some point in the night, haha.
Friday was my first day of real classes. All went well, but it was nice to come home and relax a bit because I felt really overwhelmed. I had some trouble following one of the professors, but the rest were fine. I am lucky enough to know at least one person in each of my classes, so that will make it a lot easier! Friday night, my friend, Hansen, had Anna and I over for some dinner and chit chat. It is nice to have mellow nights like those where someone just makes some food and we all talk. Saturday was a lazy day here in Compiègne. By the time I actually got up and going it was 1pm, and I went to Anna's for some coffee. Then we went food shopping and that was a 2 hour process. I bought my first baguette here in France, only to have some guy knock into it getting off the bus, breaking it in half. So, half of my baguette is on Rue St. Germain. If anyone finds it, please return it, haha. Later that evening, Anna and her roommate had a little soirée at their place, so I just went up for a little. I met some more exchange students and had nice conversations, nothing too crazy.
Sunday was mellow as well. Anna and I went walking and running throughout a part of Compiègne that we had never been to before. The sun was out for a while, and it was nice to get some fresh air. Later that night, Anna and Hansen came over to plan our trip to Rome. We booked our hostel and we have a rough itinerary of what we want to do. We also planned to possibly go to Normandy this weekend, and Dijon the weekend after Rome. Looks like my March is completely booked. After Rome, we will either go to Dijon or stay here in Compiègne, then after that, KELSEY IS COMING! I am beyond excited to see her and go to Paris and London with her and Cait. Should be amazing! This month is going to fly!
Today is even flying. I had some business to take care of this morning for my health insurance here, then I had some lunch with Zuzana and Anna. I was supposed to receive my bank code today, finally, and guess what? I GOT IT! WOOHOO! I'm finally legit here. Thank goodness, because my rent is due tomorrow. Phew.
Hope all is going well at home. I miss everyone more and more each day.
--Amanda
I unfortunately had the wrong class schedule for the week, so I was going to school at the wrong times when there was really no class at all. Obviously something I would do...I finally got the right schedule, luckily not too late in the week. Because I am taking human science courses here, all of them were on the same day last week, Friday, and they all overlapped. I was forced to swallow my pride and talk to each professor about the predicament. It was fine with each of them, but now I have a concrete schedule with no overlaps. AND, I don't have classes on Thursday or Friday (score).
This week, the UTC group for exchange students, Esperanto, held an event where we met the members of the group as well as our "godparent," a student at UTC that is willing to take you under their wing. Let's just say that my godfather is out of his mind. He loves to speak in English, but when he does, it's in a British accent and it is SO hard not to laugh because it just seems fake. Anyway, he is very nice and has gone out of his way to be my friend. After the meeting, all of the students went to the bar. Of course, I was asked multiple times about "How I Met Your Mother," which made me ecstatic :) It is so funny how popular that show is here.
Thursday night, I went to a masquerade disco party at a nearby club that was being held by a student organization. I think that they only happen a few seldom times throughout the semester, which relieved me, because it really wasn't my scene. TOO many people! All of my friends went, which made it fun, by I definitely hit a wall at some point in the night, haha.
Friday was my first day of real classes. All went well, but it was nice to come home and relax a bit because I felt really overwhelmed. I had some trouble following one of the professors, but the rest were fine. I am lucky enough to know at least one person in each of my classes, so that will make it a lot easier! Friday night, my friend, Hansen, had Anna and I over for some dinner and chit chat. It is nice to have mellow nights like those where someone just makes some food and we all talk. Saturday was a lazy day here in Compiègne. By the time I actually got up and going it was 1pm, and I went to Anna's for some coffee. Then we went food shopping and that was a 2 hour process. I bought my first baguette here in France, only to have some guy knock into it getting off the bus, breaking it in half. So, half of my baguette is on Rue St. Germain. If anyone finds it, please return it, haha. Later that evening, Anna and her roommate had a little soirée at their place, so I just went up for a little. I met some more exchange students and had nice conversations, nothing too crazy.
Sunday was mellow as well. Anna and I went walking and running throughout a part of Compiègne that we had never been to before. The sun was out for a while, and it was nice to get some fresh air. Later that night, Anna and Hansen came over to plan our trip to Rome. We booked our hostel and we have a rough itinerary of what we want to do. We also planned to possibly go to Normandy this weekend, and Dijon the weekend after Rome. Looks like my March is completely booked. After Rome, we will either go to Dijon or stay here in Compiègne, then after that, KELSEY IS COMING! I am beyond excited to see her and go to Paris and London with her and Cait. Should be amazing! This month is going to fly!
Today is even flying. I had some business to take care of this morning for my health insurance here, then I had some lunch with Zuzana and Anna. I was supposed to receive my bank code today, finally, and guess what? I GOT IT! WOOHOO! I'm finally legit here. Thank goodness, because my rent is due tomorrow. Phew.
Everything here is becoming more habitual and routine. In a good way, of course. Language is becoming less and less of a barrier (an almost non-existant barrier), which is making me so happy! I couldn't sleep last night because I had so many ideas for curriculum, as well as pure good energy keeping me awake, gotta love it! Well, I have to go to French class in a little bit, then I think I'm going to my godparent's house for a "traditional French meal" with Anna. We shall see!
Hope all is going well at home. I miss everyone more and more each day.
--Amanda
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Acceptance
Hello all! So I think that this is the first time that I've sat down to write something without knowing what I wanted to say. This past week has FLOWN. I can't even pick apart the days, it's just sort of a clump of time. I do have events to discuss, of course.
This week was orientation week at UTC. Basically, it was a week of paperwork, therefore testing my proficiency in French. We sat in on various presentations, had to choose medical insurance, pay for a lot of random things, and take our school picture! But, what would be an average week in France without some sort of fiasco? I have still yet to use my bank account here, although I opened up the account a month ago. Apparently the French don't find it necessary to give you a passcode with your bank card that would allow you to USE it. I spent about an hour and a half in the bank last week, and upon reviewing what happened during that span of time, I have decided that it was not me being a foreigner that made the situation difficult. It truly was the French woman's fault. My ego has taken a few hits here, so I'm not sparing myself, I'm being truthful. Haha.
Anyway, this week overall was all about accepting that I am here. I think that I have developed the sense of semi-permanence that I have been searching for this past month. I am now excited to acclimate and to be a student at the university. One of my French roommates moved in for good, so that has helped me get even more of a routine. Plus, she is super helpful and goes out of her way constantly to give me tips and cool stuff. She rocks.
This past weekend, I met up with my friend from URI, Andrew, in Paris. He is studying in Marseille, but he came up to Paris for the tail end of his winter break. Let's just take a moment to recognize that he is well into his semester and I am starting mine in two days, haha. I had no orientation on Friday, so I took it upon myself to relax and plan out my train times carefully to avoid a disaster. Of course, the more I plan, the more things go wrong, so I should have known right then and there that I was up to no good. I got on the bus and went to the train station, no problem. I then saw that no ticket counters were open, so I had to beg a French man to pay for my ticket on his debit card in exchange for cash. That frustrated me, and then I reverted back to my bank fiasco just a few days prior. I bet you're frustrated reading this. If you aren't, have some sympathy, will ya? I then hopped on the WRONG train which was coincidentally going to Creil, the train station that I had my horrid 3 hour layover in on my very first day in France. I don't know if you remember, but Creil and I are not friends. I got off of the train in Creil, and karma came back around, because I was able to get on a train ten minutes later after the lady at the ticket counter told me that I spoke great French and wished me a happy semester. KARMA! Thanks Creil, we're okay now.
In Paris, I was able to meet a few of Andrew's friends from school who had not yet been to Paris. I tagged along on all of the tourist attractions, happily of course, because I am not yet sick of Paris. Quite frankly, I'm not sure I ever will be. We went to the Louvre...
This week was orientation week at UTC. Basically, it was a week of paperwork, therefore testing my proficiency in French. We sat in on various presentations, had to choose medical insurance, pay for a lot of random things, and take our school picture! But, what would be an average week in France without some sort of fiasco? I have still yet to use my bank account here, although I opened up the account a month ago. Apparently the French don't find it necessary to give you a passcode with your bank card that would allow you to USE it. I spent about an hour and a half in the bank last week, and upon reviewing what happened during that span of time, I have decided that it was not me being a foreigner that made the situation difficult. It truly was the French woman's fault. My ego has taken a few hits here, so I'm not sparing myself, I'm being truthful. Haha.
Anyway, this week overall was all about accepting that I am here. I think that I have developed the sense of semi-permanence that I have been searching for this past month. I am now excited to acclimate and to be a student at the university. One of my French roommates moved in for good, so that has helped me get even more of a routine. Plus, she is super helpful and goes out of her way constantly to give me tips and cool stuff. She rocks.
This past weekend, I met up with my friend from URI, Andrew, in Paris. He is studying in Marseille, but he came up to Paris for the tail end of his winter break. Let's just take a moment to recognize that he is well into his semester and I am starting mine in two days, haha. I had no orientation on Friday, so I took it upon myself to relax and plan out my train times carefully to avoid a disaster. Of course, the more I plan, the more things go wrong, so I should have known right then and there that I was up to no good. I got on the bus and went to the train station, no problem. I then saw that no ticket counters were open, so I had to beg a French man to pay for my ticket on his debit card in exchange for cash. That frustrated me, and then I reverted back to my bank fiasco just a few days prior. I bet you're frustrated reading this. If you aren't, have some sympathy, will ya? I then hopped on the WRONG train which was coincidentally going to Creil, the train station that I had my horrid 3 hour layover in on my very first day in France. I don't know if you remember, but Creil and I are not friends. I got off of the train in Creil, and karma came back around, because I was able to get on a train ten minutes later after the lady at the ticket counter told me that I spoke great French and wished me a happy semester. KARMA! Thanks Creil, we're okay now.
In Paris, I was able to meet a few of Andrew's friends from school who had not yet been to Paris. I tagged along on all of the tourist attractions, happily of course, because I am not yet sick of Paris. Quite frankly, I'm not sure I ever will be. We went to the Louvre...
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| Mona Lisa! |
We also went to Monmartre, Sacré Coeur, la Tour Eiffel...
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| Still my favorite... And, Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, the Moulin Rouge, and more. It was a great weekend! I got back to Compiègne today a little beat, but was able to relax and talk to my family and Kelsey. Tomorrow I find out whether or not I got into all of the classes that I signed up for. If so, I only have class Monday-Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed for me! I'm going to get going! The next time I write, I will be an official student at UTC, weird! Hope all is well. Bisous, Amanda |
Sunday, February 13, 2011
ONE Month
Bonjour everyone! So, today marks one month that I've spent here in France. I can't believe it has been a month, but I feel like I have been here much longer. Christmas and New Years feel like they were years ago. This week was good! We finished the intensive stage and had a show to celebrate everyone's countries and cultures. It was a lot of fun. I don't want to start real school, bleh.
This week, my friends Anna, Hansen and myself purchased tickets to go to Rome this weekend, but after much debate, we changed the flights to the second weekend in March. We weren't aware that we have orientation starting Monday and it would have truly been a mess. Yesterday, Anna, Zuzana, and I went shopping and walking around in Compiègne. It was nice to walk around and not really have an agenda. After that we decided to go back to Anna's (upstairs from me) and cook a late lunch. On the way back, we ran into some other exchange students that are from Spain and Mexico. A few of them live in my building, so we all walked to the supermarket and then to our apartments. Zuzana bought a 24 pack of Stella which was hysterical, so we had one of the Mexican guys escort us to my apartment with the Stella in hand. Want to talk about horrible timing? As soon as we walk into my apartment and put the beer down, I hear a key turning in the door. One of my roommates was arriving to move things in. Upon first sight and first meeting each other, poor Lydie (that's her name) witnessed a Mexican, a tall goth Slovakian girl, and the short American handling a case of Stella. Good first impression I'd say.
Lydie and her friend moved in all of her things. I feel like she is here to stay. I thought I was bad with moving back and forth to URI; scratch that. She filled the kitchen with her own pots, pans, spices, huge refrigerator, you name it. She is extremely nice. We talked in French and I had no problem understanding her, so hopefully I'll learn a lot from her and Clemence, my other roommate. Lydie told me that they know each other, so I think it will be a good experience. Lydie left this morning and will return on Wednesday. I've unexpectedly become a little territorial over the apartment; I've definitely gotten used to being here on my own, so with everyone and their belongings arriving, I have had to adjust. Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about my first month here and have decided to create a list of things that I've learned...
What I have learned after a month in France:
1) They really eat baguettes, constantly.
2) Showering without a shower curtain or suspended shower head is difficult.
3) Postal workers ride bicycles.
4) Be careful that no one steals your bike seat.
5) DO NOT fill a diesel tank with gasoline.
6) Everybody loves New York.
7) There is no iced coffee here.
8) There is nothing cuter than a child speaking French. Seriously.
9) Stamps are not in sticker form, you have to lick them. What?
10) It's necessary to appreciate the differences.
Hope everyone has/had a great weekend! Talk soon!
Bisous,
Amanda
This week, my friends Anna, Hansen and myself purchased tickets to go to Rome this weekend, but after much debate, we changed the flights to the second weekend in March. We weren't aware that we have orientation starting Monday and it would have truly been a mess. Yesterday, Anna, Zuzana, and I went shopping and walking around in Compiègne. It was nice to walk around and not really have an agenda. After that we decided to go back to Anna's (upstairs from me) and cook a late lunch. On the way back, we ran into some other exchange students that are from Spain and Mexico. A few of them live in my building, so we all walked to the supermarket and then to our apartments. Zuzana bought a 24 pack of Stella which was hysterical, so we had one of the Mexican guys escort us to my apartment with the Stella in hand. Want to talk about horrible timing? As soon as we walk into my apartment and put the beer down, I hear a key turning in the door. One of my roommates was arriving to move things in. Upon first sight and first meeting each other, poor Lydie (that's her name) witnessed a Mexican, a tall goth Slovakian girl, and the short American handling a case of Stella. Good first impression I'd say.
Lydie and her friend moved in all of her things. I feel like she is here to stay. I thought I was bad with moving back and forth to URI; scratch that. She filled the kitchen with her own pots, pans, spices, huge refrigerator, you name it. She is extremely nice. We talked in French and I had no problem understanding her, so hopefully I'll learn a lot from her and Clemence, my other roommate. Lydie told me that they know each other, so I think it will be a good experience. Lydie left this morning and will return on Wednesday. I've unexpectedly become a little territorial over the apartment; I've definitely gotten used to being here on my own, so with everyone and their belongings arriving, I have had to adjust. Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about my first month here and have decided to create a list of things that I've learned...
What I have learned after a month in France:
1) They really eat baguettes, constantly.
2) Showering without a shower curtain or suspended shower head is difficult.
3) Postal workers ride bicycles.
4) Be careful that no one steals your bike seat.
5) DO NOT fill a diesel tank with gasoline.
6) Everybody loves New York.
7) There is no iced coffee here.
8) There is nothing cuter than a child speaking French. Seriously.
9) Stamps are not in sticker form, you have to lick them. What?
10) It's necessary to appreciate the differences.
Hope everyone has/had a great weekend! Talk soon!
Bisous,
Amanda
Monday, February 7, 2011
Roadtrip
Hello all! So, I have been living in the Mare Gaudry, my apartment complex, for officially one week. The whole concept of time here is still unknown to me, because I really cannot decide if it is going fast or slow. I really like my apartment. My first night in here was interesting because the pipes are very loud which wasn't very comforting. I also live right above a daycare, so all of the little kids laughing, crying, running around, and screaming definitely caught me off guard as well. Now, I kind of like it because I know where the noise is coming from, so I don't feel as crazy.
After my move, culture shock definitely manifested itself in another way. I was blinded by my frustration my first few days here. I woke up after my first, not so sleep-filled night here to the sound of men talking and hammering in my apartment. I woke up in a jolt and used my groggy French to see what they were doing. They laughed at me and then told me that they were repairing the walls in one of the bedrooms. I wasn't too happy about it, but I really couldn't do anything. They were really nice, aside from the fact that one of them left the toilet seat up. Not cool. Oh well, they're gone now. My showering experience was definitely another interesting endeavor as well. I don't have a shower head that is attached to the wall, so I basically need to hold it over my head to wash myself. It was something out of a comedy the first time I showered here. I had no shower curtain either so I basically flooded the entire room. It was definitely funny, but I didn't think so at the time.
Moving on; this past weekend was great. On Friday, one of the Chilean guys had a party in my building and everyone went. Super convenient and super fun. I really have a lot of fun with everyone here. Sidenote: Single ladies is playing in the daycare as we speak. Anyway, I left the party pretty early, because we had planned to roadtrip it to Luxembourg at like 5 am. I came back and was able to get a good amount of sleep. I woke up and waited for the Brazilians for like 2 hours, but I totally expected that. They came and got me, eventually, and we hit the road. Twelve of us went on the trip, so we had two cars: a van and a little hatchback. We left for Reims, which is a town in the champagne district of France...without a map. So European and so not my style. It took us about 3 hours to get there. We walked around, went to a church, and explored. It was exactly like Amiens which was really interesting as well. After walking around, we decided to call and go on a tour of a champagne cave. We went to the Pommery factory, which was extremely cool!
The champagne was absolutely amazing! After that, we headed out and onward towards Luxembourg. We got lost, and then Pedro, who was driving, went to the side of the road to look at the map that we had purchased. Little did we know, he pulled into the mud and we got stuck. That was a 25 minute detour which seemed horrible at the time, but it was fun compared to what would happen to us the next night. We got out of that situation and headed back on the road. We finally got to Luxembourg and my first reaction was: HOGWARTS. I don't know, it just was SO Harry Potter. We went to the hostel, which was extremely awesome and we ate dinner. We got to our rooms, had a few drinks and walked to the bars. We had an awesome night out, it was beautiful, clean, and people were nice. The next day, we had to be out of the hostel by 10:30, so that basically killed us all. Hungover, but excited to see the city, we ventured out on the town. It was so beautiful, although many things were closed.
After my move, culture shock definitely manifested itself in another way. I was blinded by my frustration my first few days here. I woke up after my first, not so sleep-filled night here to the sound of men talking and hammering in my apartment. I woke up in a jolt and used my groggy French to see what they were doing. They laughed at me and then told me that they were repairing the walls in one of the bedrooms. I wasn't too happy about it, but I really couldn't do anything. They were really nice, aside from the fact that one of them left the toilet seat up. Not cool. Oh well, they're gone now. My showering experience was definitely another interesting endeavor as well. I don't have a shower head that is attached to the wall, so I basically need to hold it over my head to wash myself. It was something out of a comedy the first time I showered here. I had no shower curtain either so I basically flooded the entire room. It was definitely funny, but I didn't think so at the time.
Moving on; this past weekend was great. On Friday, one of the Chilean guys had a party in my building and everyone went. Super convenient and super fun. I really have a lot of fun with everyone here. Sidenote: Single ladies is playing in the daycare as we speak. Anyway, I left the party pretty early, because we had planned to roadtrip it to Luxembourg at like 5 am. I came back and was able to get a good amount of sleep. I woke up and waited for the Brazilians for like 2 hours, but I totally expected that. They came and got me, eventually, and we hit the road. Twelve of us went on the trip, so we had two cars: a van and a little hatchback. We left for Reims, which is a town in the champagne district of France...without a map. So European and so not my style. It took us about 3 hours to get there. We walked around, went to a church, and explored. It was exactly like Amiens which was really interesting as well. After walking around, we decided to call and go on a tour of a champagne cave. We went to the Pommery factory, which was extremely cool!
Public Park
We went around, ate, took pictures, and then after moving at a glacial pace for approximately 4 hours, we finally got on the road. We stopped for gas quickly, and continued. About five minutes later, the engine in the car was going crazy and a light came up on the dash. A lot of things went through my mind, but my friend Liz and I looked at each other happily because we were definitely thinking the same thing: practical French use. That giddy feeling definitely didn't last long because we were waiting in the cold for about an hour for help. Liz and I figured out that the person that filled the car up, cough Bruno cough, filled it up with gasoline and not diesel. Incase you were wondering, this causes a chemical reaction in the gas tank and also causes engine damage if you continue to drive. NOT GOOD. After help came, we were towed and we rode in the car that was attached to the truck. Let's just say going on an amusement park ride was not on the weekend's to-do list, but it was certainly an adventure. The guy had to go on back roads, so it was dark and we were all convinced that we were in a horror movie. We then got brought to a deserted town where we had to wait for about 2 hours for someone to drain the tank and reconfigure some sensors in the car. After all of that mess, we got back on the road and didn't get back to Compiègne until 3:15 am. I can honestly say I have never been so tired in my life, but it was totally something I will always remember.
Back here on the "homefront," one of my roommates moved some things into her room while I was away and she left me a note. Looks like I probably won't have roommates for another 10 days or so. The note was extremely nice. I think everything is going to work out great here in the apartment! I played hooky today because I didn't wake up until 1pm, and it just so happens that I have class at 1:30pm. Totally was NOT in the cards. I'm okay with it. This is the last week of the stage intensif, so I need to study up and kick things into gear for the start of the semester. This blog entry was extremely long, as I am just realizing that now. If you made it this far, congrats, and thank you for being a true friend. HA. Miss everyone! Lots of love!
-Amanda
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Move
Hi everyone. It's been a while, I know. I have been extremely busy since the last time I checked in. Last week I had school, a field trip to a château in a cute little French town, went to Paris again, and I moved on Monday. Phew...
Last week flew by and it is truly a shame that I didn't write here, even if it was something short, because the days all blend together. Last week started off good, just went to school and did the regular routine to recover from my tiring trip to Paris. On Wednesday, we went to the Château Pierrefonds. It was a beautiful castle located on the top of a hill in a small town not too far from Compiègne. I had an ear infection and definitely had a fever, but was still able to enjoy the day!
After we walked around the church, we got a bite to eat and then headed back. It was WAY too cold to do anything else. When we got back from Amiens, I checked my email, only to find out that our class for Saturday (to make up for no Friday class) was cancelled. Could have done a cool weekend trip!! Oh well. In celebration, Luiza, Duda and I decided to go to Paris to shop for the day. I'd say that makes up for it. There, we shopped and walked around the Quartier Latin. Although we left Compiègne at 1pm, we got in at around 2 and were able to do a lot before coming back at about 8pm. Exactly like going into NYC from home, love it.
After the glorious weekend, which included a lazy Sunday (success), I needed to move out of good 'ol Cap'Affaires. It was truly horrifying. Experts on studying abroad say that students will go through a "honeymoon phase," where everything is new and exciting, and they are sort of numb to the fact that they are in a foreign country. I don't think I fully had that, but anyway, after that they say it is possible for students to go through a "resentment phase," where they become angry easily, or certain things that are different from home annoy them. On Monday, I was definitely experiencing the resentment. We had to be out of where we were living by 10:30am, so I needed to make two trips to my apartment, find somewhere to leave my bike, and get to class by 1:30. The lady from Cap'Affaires inspected our room. She counted the glasses, forks, knives, and then to top it all, she made my roommates and I clean the bathroom until it was "acceptable." Truly something.
The move wasn't too bad, looking back on it, but I certainly wasn't a happy camper. I like my apartment so far. I don't really like living alone in a large space, especially when there are people coming in and out to fix things before my two French roommates get here, but what can you do? Compared to the other apartments and dorms, this is definitely the top notch, so I'm happy with what I have. I just think that it was hard to uproot again, only 2.5 weeks into the experience, but I don't have to do it again, so that's good.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I went on a field trip with my school to Paris. They took us all around the city by bus and then we went on a boat ride up and down the river. The sun came out just in time for the cruise and it was unbelievable. Gotta love that that was a school day.
The château
The view
On Friday, we didn't have class, so we decided to plan a day trip to Amiens, which is an hour north of Compiègne by train. It was so unbearably cold, but beautiful. It is a lot bigger than Compiègne, and it doesn't have the same quaint feeling. But, Amiens is home to the biggest church in France, so I was able to see that while I was there too.
After the glorious weekend, which included a lazy Sunday (success), I needed to move out of good 'ol Cap'Affaires. It was truly horrifying. Experts on studying abroad say that students will go through a "honeymoon phase," where everything is new and exciting, and they are sort of numb to the fact that they are in a foreign country. I don't think I fully had that, but anyway, after that they say it is possible for students to go through a "resentment phase," where they become angry easily, or certain things that are different from home annoy them. On Monday, I was definitely experiencing the resentment. We had to be out of where we were living by 10:30am, so I needed to make two trips to my apartment, find somewhere to leave my bike, and get to class by 1:30. The lady from Cap'Affaires inspected our room. She counted the glasses, forks, knives, and then to top it all, she made my roommates and I clean the bathroom until it was "acceptable." Truly something.
The move wasn't too bad, looking back on it, but I certainly wasn't a happy camper. I like my apartment so far. I don't really like living alone in a large space, especially when there are people coming in and out to fix things before my two French roommates get here, but what can you do? Compared to the other apartments and dorms, this is definitely the top notch, so I'm happy with what I have. I just think that it was hard to uproot again, only 2.5 weeks into the experience, but I don't have to do it again, so that's good.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I went on a field trip with my school to Paris. They took us all around the city by bus and then we went on a boat ride up and down the river. The sun came out just in time for the cruise and it was unbelievable. Gotta love that that was a school day.
The next two days should be pretty heavy with class and errands, but I think I am going on a roadtrip this weekend to an unknown location! I'll let you know when I know. Hope everyone at home is doing well, really miss you all.
Love,
Amanda
Monday, January 24, 2011
La Ville des Lumières
Hi all! So it's been a few days, but I have certainly been busy. Friday I had class and then rested up for my voyage to Paris! I was extremely excited to go to Paris. I had been nearly 6 years ago with my parents. I can't believe it's been that long! Crazy.
Saturday morning we all woke up. Although I had slept the whole night through, I was still exhausted. Is it still okay to blame jet lag? We grabbed our backpacks and ran out the door because the boys were getting impatient. Twelve of us walked to the train station, then waited for our train. Wantagh to Penn Station much? It certainly felt that way; slightly different scenery, of course. When we got into Paris, I was certainly not in Kansas anymore. The Gare du Nord is about 5 or 6 times the six of Penn Station, no exaggeration. With 12 people, it certainly wasn't easy to move around. Everything moved slower. I actually found myself getting quite frustrated at various times throughout the weekend, being as I was raised in one of the busiest areas in the world where fast paced life is the norm, and anything else is just ridiculous. People were walking at a glacial pace and I found myself yearning for the New Yorkers that push you out of their way.
That all went away when we broke out of the train station and I was able to see the quaint streets of Paris. Although it was extremely crowded, there is really nothing like it. We first went to the church of Sacré Coeur, which is located in the neighborhood of Montmartre. The church is located on a hill and overlooks the entire city. It wasn't too nice of a day, but I was able to see a lot. I definitely want to return on a nicer day. After that, we all grabbed a sandwich from a stand and contemplated the next move of the day. That little break was probably about an hour long. So slow. We then decided to go to Notre Dame. Everyone was in agreement with that plan. Such a beautiful church. Outside, it was so interesting to see all of the people that the church attracted; people taking wedding photos, the bulk of tourists, people offering free hugs, etc. Such a hub of diversity. Truly interesting. After seeing the inside of the church, a few of us ducked into a café to get out of the cold and rain, and soon everyone joined. We then decided that we would do some shopping and browsing to be inside for longer periods of time. With plans made, we left the café and began walking. About fifteen minutes later, we realized that we were missing a person, Bruno! We immediately went back to the café and looked for him. After an hour without success, we decided to split up. Some went to the shops, some looked around Notre Dame, some went to the Gare du Nord to see if he was going to try to go back to Compiègne. NOTHING. We all just then went to the hostel, although Bruno didn't know the address, but we were tired and were not accomplishing anything.
After checking in and recuperating for some time, we decided to get a bottle of wine and chill out for a few. We walked out onto the street and guess who we saw walking towards us? BRUNO! Thank goodness. No one knows how he found it, but I'm not asking questions. Apparently he didn't think to go back to the café or anything, so he just went around Paris by himself and saw some more things. How nice...
After another head count, we decided to go to La Tour Eiffel! Totally my idea. It was already nighttime, so what could be more beautiful at night? I was also extremely hungry and wanted to get moving. We took our wine and our tickets for the metro and got moving. We got out at the Trocadéro, which is right across the river from the tower (great photo op). I walked up the stairs of the metro and I saw the light in the sky that radiates from the tower in circles to alert. I was SO excited. I then hustled to get in front of the buildings that were blocking the view. I turned the corner, and there it was, twinkling for me! I jumped up and down like a 5 year old, but I don't regret it for a second. After taking it all in for a few minutes, I got a sandwich, and enjoyed my favorite moment in France thus far. That was probably one of the best moments of my life as well. Words can't really describe. All I can say is that was way more than just looking at a monument.
After staying at the tower for about an hour, we decided to get going. The plan was to go to a boat club on the river, so we tried to find where it left from. Upon arriving there, I found out that it was 25 euro to go, and the boat didn't move. Sooooo, yeah I opted out and went back to the hostel with a few people and got some shuteye. The next day, we had our 2 euro breakfast of bread and coffee at the hostel. Très bon. We then checked out of the hostel and went to a Louis Vuitton exhibit in a museum nearby. It was extremely cool to see all of the old trunks and such that expanded into an empire. After that we went to the Champs Élysées and l'Arc du Triomphe. Classic. We then realized that our bodies couldn't take any more, so we trekked back to good 'ol Compiègne. It was really nice to return, which made me realize that I have made something for myself here in just this short amount of time. Plus, it's a lot more mellow than Paris, which I actually appreciate.
After a hot shower and a little bit of homework, I went to bed. This morning I woke up early to go sign my contract for my apartment. I have to pay for the month of July, which is extremely frustrating, but other than that, all looks good. This week I don't have class Tuesday or Friday, but I do have class Saturday morning. Totally cramping my style. BUT, we are going to the Château Pierrefonds on Wednesday, which makes it all better. Hope everyone at home is doing well, and happy first day of school to all of the ZTA/URI buds. Miss you all!
Love,
Amanda
Saturday morning we all woke up. Although I had slept the whole night through, I was still exhausted. Is it still okay to blame jet lag? We grabbed our backpacks and ran out the door because the boys were getting impatient. Twelve of us walked to the train station, then waited for our train. Wantagh to Penn Station much? It certainly felt that way; slightly different scenery, of course. When we got into Paris, I was certainly not in Kansas anymore. The Gare du Nord is about 5 or 6 times the six of Penn Station, no exaggeration. With 12 people, it certainly wasn't easy to move around. Everything moved slower. I actually found myself getting quite frustrated at various times throughout the weekend, being as I was raised in one of the busiest areas in the world where fast paced life is the norm, and anything else is just ridiculous. People were walking at a glacial pace and I found myself yearning for the New Yorkers that push you out of their way.
That all went away when we broke out of the train station and I was able to see the quaint streets of Paris. Although it was extremely crowded, there is really nothing like it. We first went to the church of Sacré Coeur, which is located in the neighborhood of Montmartre. The church is located on a hill and overlooks the entire city. It wasn't too nice of a day, but I was able to see a lot. I definitely want to return on a nicer day. After that, we all grabbed a sandwich from a stand and contemplated the next move of the day. That little break was probably about an hour long. So slow. We then decided to go to Notre Dame. Everyone was in agreement with that plan. Such a beautiful church. Outside, it was so interesting to see all of the people that the church attracted; people taking wedding photos, the bulk of tourists, people offering free hugs, etc. Such a hub of diversity. Truly interesting. After seeing the inside of the church, a few of us ducked into a café to get out of the cold and rain, and soon everyone joined. We then decided that we would do some shopping and browsing to be inside for longer periods of time. With plans made, we left the café and began walking. About fifteen minutes later, we realized that we were missing a person, Bruno! We immediately went back to the café and looked for him. After an hour without success, we decided to split up. Some went to the shops, some looked around Notre Dame, some went to the Gare du Nord to see if he was going to try to go back to Compiègne. NOTHING. We all just then went to the hostel, although Bruno didn't know the address, but we were tired and were not accomplishing anything.
After checking in and recuperating for some time, we decided to get a bottle of wine and chill out for a few. We walked out onto the street and guess who we saw walking towards us? BRUNO! Thank goodness. No one knows how he found it, but I'm not asking questions. Apparently he didn't think to go back to the café or anything, so he just went around Paris by himself and saw some more things. How nice...
After another head count, we decided to go to La Tour Eiffel! Totally my idea. It was already nighttime, so what could be more beautiful at night? I was also extremely hungry and wanted to get moving. We took our wine and our tickets for the metro and got moving. We got out at the Trocadéro, which is right across the river from the tower (great photo op). I walked up the stairs of the metro and I saw the light in the sky that radiates from the tower in circles to alert. I was SO excited. I then hustled to get in front of the buildings that were blocking the view. I turned the corner, and there it was, twinkling for me! I jumped up and down like a 5 year old, but I don't regret it for a second. After taking it all in for a few minutes, I got a sandwich, and enjoyed my favorite moment in France thus far. That was probably one of the best moments of my life as well. Words can't really describe. All I can say is that was way more than just looking at a monument.
After staying at the tower for about an hour, we decided to get going. The plan was to go to a boat club on the river, so we tried to find where it left from. Upon arriving there, I found out that it was 25 euro to go, and the boat didn't move. Sooooo, yeah I opted out and went back to the hostel with a few people and got some shuteye. The next day, we had our 2 euro breakfast of bread and coffee at the hostel. Très bon. We then checked out of the hostel and went to a Louis Vuitton exhibit in a museum nearby. It was extremely cool to see all of the old trunks and such that expanded into an empire. After that we went to the Champs Élysées and l'Arc du Triomphe. Classic. We then realized that our bodies couldn't take any more, so we trekked back to good 'ol Compiègne. It was really nice to return, which made me realize that I have made something for myself here in just this short amount of time. Plus, it's a lot more mellow than Paris, which I actually appreciate.
After a hot shower and a little bit of homework, I went to bed. This morning I woke up early to go sign my contract for my apartment. I have to pay for the month of July, which is extremely frustrating, but other than that, all looks good. This week I don't have class Tuesday or Friday, but I do have class Saturday morning. Totally cramping my style. BUT, we are going to the Château Pierrefonds on Wednesday, which makes it all better. Hope everyone at home is doing well, and happy first day of school to all of the ZTA/URI buds. Miss you all!
Love,
Amanda
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Une Semaine!
Mon Dieu! I have been here for exactly one week! I can honestly say that I am not sure whether it went fast or slow. I feel completely removed from myself, which is probably a sign of culture shock, but it isn't bad at all. I have gotten to the place where I am beginning to know what I want to buy at the market, where the market actually is, the best way to get to the market, what time I have to go to school, etc. I'm beginning to know what works for me, and what doesn't. A routine is forming, and that comforts me...a lot.
School is going well. It is a little slow, but there is a lot to be done during the first week, which is understandable. There is certainly a lot of work to be done on my behalf the next few weeks before the semester starts.
Today we had a Rallye de Compiègne, which was a sort of scavenger hunt around the city. I was teamed up with some people from Mexico and Spain. I obviously tried to put my little bit of Spanish to use, which did not work out well. We had lunch after the hunt and then we all met up at the Chateâu de Compiègne. There, we toured the huge palace, and it was breathtaking. I may even dare to say that it is a mini Château de Versailles. Just maybe. The horrible internet in this hostel/slum that I'm living in will not let me upload any pictures, but I took a lot and will get around to that when I move.
Speaking of this hostel/slum; all of the exchange students received a hilarious letter from the management about noise control. It has the "threats" in French, then a horrible English translation on the bottom half of the paper. The noise level is probably a bit elevated, but then again, there are about 40 students living in the same hallway, constantly interacting. The crazy French manager lady came to the hallway yesterday at 1pm to yell at all of us and tell us that she has our credit card numbers and isn't afraid to use them. Gotta love it.
This weekend, I am going to Paris for a night with a bunch of the other students. We rented rooms in a hostel to avoid having to rush back to Compiègne at night, plus we want to go out and have Sunday to explore. Well, I have to go do some homework and get some stuff together!
xoxo,
Amanda
School is going well. It is a little slow, but there is a lot to be done during the first week, which is understandable. There is certainly a lot of work to be done on my behalf the next few weeks before the semester starts.
Today we had a Rallye de Compiègne, which was a sort of scavenger hunt around the city. I was teamed up with some people from Mexico and Spain. I obviously tried to put my little bit of Spanish to use, which did not work out well. We had lunch after the hunt and then we all met up at the Chateâu de Compiègne. There, we toured the huge palace, and it was breathtaking. I may even dare to say that it is a mini Château de Versailles. Just maybe. The horrible internet in this hostel/slum that I'm living in will not let me upload any pictures, but I took a lot and will get around to that when I move.
Speaking of this hostel/slum; all of the exchange students received a hilarious letter from the management about noise control. It has the "threats" in French, then a horrible English translation on the bottom half of the paper. The noise level is probably a bit elevated, but then again, there are about 40 students living in the same hallway, constantly interacting. The crazy French manager lady came to the hallway yesterday at 1pm to yell at all of us and tell us that she has our credit card numbers and isn't afraid to use them. Gotta love it.
This weekend, I am going to Paris for a night with a bunch of the other students. We rented rooms in a hostel to avoid having to rush back to Compiègne at night, plus we want to go out and have Sunday to explore. Well, I have to go do some homework and get some stuff together!
xoxo,
Amanda
Monday, January 17, 2011
Le Stage Intensif
Bonjour! Today begin the stage intensif here in France for me. This is a class that lasts for 4 weeks that is a language immersion course. My roommates and I woke up this morning, groggy as ever. The sun seems to take longer to rise here; I don't know why. We took the bus to school with a bunch of our hall mates and proceeded to UTC to try and find our building. After much confusion between three languages (French, English, and Portuguese), we finally found our classroom. There, the French professors took roll of every exchange student. Let's just say that I'm a minority. The bulk of students here are Brazilian and Chilean. Other countries that are represented are: Germany, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, S. Korea, Slovakia, and the good ol' USA! There is one other American here with me, Liam, who is from Illinois.
After hearing all of the places that are being represented, we were given bags with folders inside that had a ton of information about Compiègne; bus schedules and good places to go eat and shop. We also received a packet of the schedule for the next few weeks of the course and I am super excited. We are going to the Château Pierrefonds, Paris (on a boat cruise!), and around Compiègne! We were then broken up into ability level with a short oral interview and review of our online test scores. I was bumped up to the highest level, luckily, and I am with my roommate Luiza. I really like our class. There are 9 people in it. Three people are from Brazil, two from the USA:), three from Chile, and one from Mexico. A really nice group of people and the instructor is one like I would find in Rhody, but she definitely speaks faster.
After class, I felt like I was in 6th grade again, walking home from school and feeling like I could do anything I wanted. A few of us walked together and stopped in the cell phone shop to ask some questions, although I am well-equipped with a phone thanks to Cait. We then went to the cutest little bookstore to get our workbook for the course. After that, two of the girls and I decided to be spontaneous and take the bus to the centre commercial, which is the area with big department stores and such. I went to the French version of Best Buy; definitely not as good, but it held its own. We then went to Carre Four, which is like a Target, Walmart, Stop & Shop, and Best Buy put together. Very easy to get lost there, but it is a super fun place to browse around and read all of the labels. What can I say? I'm a nerd.
Anyway, I'm going to take it easy tonight. I did a lot of walking and rushing around today! Talk soon!
-Amanda
After hearing all of the places that are being represented, we were given bags with folders inside that had a ton of information about Compiègne; bus schedules and good places to go eat and shop. We also received a packet of the schedule for the next few weeks of the course and I am super excited. We are going to the Château Pierrefonds, Paris (on a boat cruise!), and around Compiègne! We were then broken up into ability level with a short oral interview and review of our online test scores. I was bumped up to the highest level, luckily, and I am with my roommate Luiza. I really like our class. There are 9 people in it. Three people are from Brazil, two from the USA:), three from Chile, and one from Mexico. A really nice group of people and the instructor is one like I would find in Rhody, but she definitely speaks faster.
After class, I felt like I was in 6th grade again, walking home from school and feeling like I could do anything I wanted. A few of us walked together and stopped in the cell phone shop to ask some questions, although I am well-equipped with a phone thanks to Cait. We then went to the cutest little bookstore to get our workbook for the course. After that, two of the girls and I decided to be spontaneous and take the bus to the centre commercial, which is the area with big department stores and such. I went to the French version of Best Buy; definitely not as good, but it held its own. We then went to Carre Four, which is like a Target, Walmart, Stop & Shop, and Best Buy put together. Very easy to get lost there, but it is a super fun place to browse around and read all of the labels. What can I say? I'm a nerd.
Anyway, I'm going to take it easy tonight. I did a lot of walking and rushing around today! Talk soon!
-Amanda
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Je suis arrivée!
I am here in France! After a long and quite tiring trip, I have arrived. Lots to tell!
I left NY in style; I saw Lauren Conrad on line at security and then proceeded to bawl my eyes out when leaving my parents at the scanners. This is definitely the hardest thing I have done thus far in my life. After my parents were out of sight, I knew that my journey had started and I was alone. I was sad, but a little bit excited for the trip. On board the plane, I met an extremely nice guy, Liman, who had left his life in the states to search for a photography career in either Paris or London. He had packed his bags without knowing if and when he would return home. That made me admire him and the journeys that he and I were both beginning. After reaching Paris and saying goodbye to my new friend, I was really by myself.
I purchased a bus ticket to the train station, Creil. From Creil, I would then take the train to Compiègne. Buying the ticket was no problem, although my two suitcases and huge backpack had trouble fitting through the door. That was the first moment that I used my French and it worked! YAY! After purchasing the ticket, I had to wait an hour for the bus. During that hour I saw many people doing their daily hustle and bustle to and from their work. I even saw the doppelgänger of Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) of How I Met Your Mother. Yes, my obsession of that show has made its way overseas. I then had my next hurdle: getting my luggage on the coach bus. Luckily, a very nice French man helped me and we were on our way.
I got off the bus in Creil and a very nice French lady that was on the same bus as me saw me looking around and decided to talk to me. She showed me where to go and asked me about where I was from, once again, very nice. We said our goodbyes and I bought my ticket to Compiègne. Only problem? It was three hours from the time I bought the ticket. I had two suitcases and nowhere to sit, so I stood. For three hours. After the train track was announced I had to lift my luggage up and down stairs where another French man helped me. I was almost there!! The train came and before I knew it I was in Compiègne, my long awaited destination. The lovely Caitlin Hurley retrieved me and helped me find my lodging. We rolled my suitcases all over town before we found a very well hidden Cap'affaire, the name of the hostel-type place.
I checked in, and left immediately with Cait. We went to UTC and then to a party for all of the exchange students to celebrate the end of their semester. I met a few very nice people and despite the jetlag and extreme hunger, was able to have conversations in French with them. It was nice to see how well they spoke. I'm excited to see what I will learn here. After that, I knew I had to go to bed, so Cait brought me home and I finally got some sleep!
The next day (Friday), Cait took me around Compiègne with one of my roommates, Zuzanna, who had arrived that day. I went to the bank to open an account, put minutes on the cell phone that Cait gave me, and walked around the town. So pretty! Later that night, I ate with Cait and some of her friends then stayed for a little soirée to celebrate their end of the semester.
Today I didn't do very much. Zuzanna and I walked around the city and bought some pasta and other groceries to make lunch and dinner. My other roommate, Luisa, is in Paris with her mom and sister, so she hasn't been around much. Tomorrow should be the first day that we are all together in this pretty tight space. We shall see. Anyway, I'm going to go to sleep!
-AM
I left NY in style; I saw Lauren Conrad on line at security and then proceeded to bawl my eyes out when leaving my parents at the scanners. This is definitely the hardest thing I have done thus far in my life. After my parents were out of sight, I knew that my journey had started and I was alone. I was sad, but a little bit excited for the trip. On board the plane, I met an extremely nice guy, Liman, who had left his life in the states to search for a photography career in either Paris or London. He had packed his bags without knowing if and when he would return home. That made me admire him and the journeys that he and I were both beginning. After reaching Paris and saying goodbye to my new friend, I was really by myself.
I purchased a bus ticket to the train station, Creil. From Creil, I would then take the train to Compiègne. Buying the ticket was no problem, although my two suitcases and huge backpack had trouble fitting through the door. That was the first moment that I used my French and it worked! YAY! After purchasing the ticket, I had to wait an hour for the bus. During that hour I saw many people doing their daily hustle and bustle to and from their work. I even saw the doppelgänger of Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) of How I Met Your Mother. Yes, my obsession of that show has made its way overseas. I then had my next hurdle: getting my luggage on the coach bus. Luckily, a very nice French man helped me and we were on our way.
I got off the bus in Creil and a very nice French lady that was on the same bus as me saw me looking around and decided to talk to me. She showed me where to go and asked me about where I was from, once again, very nice. We said our goodbyes and I bought my ticket to Compiègne. Only problem? It was three hours from the time I bought the ticket. I had two suitcases and nowhere to sit, so I stood. For three hours. After the train track was announced I had to lift my luggage up and down stairs where another French man helped me. I was almost there!! The train came and before I knew it I was in Compiègne, my long awaited destination. The lovely Caitlin Hurley retrieved me and helped me find my lodging. We rolled my suitcases all over town before we found a very well hidden Cap'affaire, the name of the hostel-type place.
I checked in, and left immediately with Cait. We went to UTC and then to a party for all of the exchange students to celebrate the end of their semester. I met a few very nice people and despite the jetlag and extreme hunger, was able to have conversations in French with them. It was nice to see how well they spoke. I'm excited to see what I will learn here. After that, I knew I had to go to bed, so Cait brought me home and I finally got some sleep!
The next day (Friday), Cait took me around Compiègne with one of my roommates, Zuzanna, who had arrived that day. I went to the bank to open an account, put minutes on the cell phone that Cait gave me, and walked around the town. So pretty! Later that night, I ate with Cait and some of her friends then stayed for a little soirée to celebrate their end of the semester.
Today I didn't do very much. Zuzanna and I walked around the city and bought some pasta and other groceries to make lunch and dinner. My other roommate, Luisa, is in Paris with her mom and sister, so she hasn't been around much. Tomorrow should be the first day that we are all together in this pretty tight space. We shall see. Anyway, I'm going to go to sleep!
-AM
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A few more days in the USA
| I have decided to start a blog. Shocking, I know. I never was quite comfortable with the whole scene, and I still don't think that I really am, but since I am about to embark on a quite memorable journey, it seems appropriate. I am leaving for France this Wednesday and will be there for 5 1/2 months! I am staying in Compiègne, which is about an hour northeast of the city of lights. So now I am in the midst of packing and consolidating. It's kind of difficult to compress your life into a bag or two. I am going to go enjoy being home for a couple more days, but will certainly be writing upon my arrival. |
XO,
AM
PS: Can you find Compiègne?
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