French Food Friday

This is a dessert called something like "La Maison ___" because it's all stacked up like a house. The pastries are like chocolate mousse filled eclairs, with hard meringue in between and chocolate sauce on the top. It was served cold which for me, made it not really taste as good as it could have, I think. It was a really good, spur of the moment buy that was soooo worth it. 

Going Out, Staying Out

Tonight I'm going out for really the first time since I've been in France with a bunch of USAC kids. It was initially just a small group that ended up snowballing into many many people meeting up. The good (and bad?) part about knowing the other people in my program so well is that pretty much wherever you go, you're bound to run into other Americans. 

Why did we decide to go out on a Thursday? In America, Thursdays are for those hardcore party-ers, right? WRONG. Well, maybe in the good old USA but in France, Thursday is student night. Student night is THE French Friday night, which doesn't really make sense for those of us with early classes on Friday morning, but hey, what's life if you don't sacrifice sleep for friends? The bars are always really packed until 2 AM when they close and all of the clubs open. 

I'm a big believer in the concept that you have to experience pain in order to feel joy and when applied to this situation, you know you enjoyed yourself if you were willing to pay for the consequences during classes the next day. Thus, student night is actually a philosophical creation of the culture here, to emphasize the good times you have at university by your level of exhaustion on Friday mornings. Or something. 

Foreign IDs

La belle Forrest et moi à Bayonne, France

We (the USAC kids) have been anxiously awaiting our cartes d'identité for about three weeks now. We need these cards to get through the cafeteria at the student price without having to be all technical about it with the cashier, but more importantly we need these cards for discounts. Big, fat, European student discounts. See, France (and I think Europe in general) has a lot of discounts for young people and old people. Especially when you're 18-25. You're eligible for all sorts of special cards for train tickets and stuff. But they give even MORE discounts if you're from the EU and you're 18-25. What better way to seem like you're European than to have an ID from a French university? No better way.

So, we have been waiting for these ID cards since we've gotten here. They were supposed to be here two weeks ago, but there was a problem with them and they all had to get re-done. Today, they all came in, finally. And what happens? They misspelled my name so they had to re-re-make it and I can't pick it up yet.

Fail. 

Vlog #3- Midterm results and French classes

Weekend Trip

This past weekend we went on our USAC group trip to Bayonne, France; San Sebastian, Spain; and St.-Jean-de-Luz, France. This trip was different than Paris because it was all 50 of us, rather than just the initial 30. It was absolutely tons of fun. I found the bag I have been searching for in Bayonne, which is French Basque Country (actually Forrest found it for me in a store while I was in a museum for my class, THANKS FORREST!!!). I got some sweet, very French clothes in Spain (ironic?) including this type of pant that I've been dying to have and I got some espadrilles for 7.50 euro, a steal! We all went to the beach in San Sebastian but it wasn't sunny out so it wasn't the best ever. Then a few of us took a bus to dinner which was very interesting and involved me speaking much more Spanish than I intended on, ha! The waiter absolutely detested Matt.

So anyway the following day we traversed San Sebastian on foot doing tons of shopping and went to an aquarium, then headed to Saint-Jean-de-Luz where Matt, Ryan, Forrest and I decided to stay an extra night and take the train back on Sunday... which was probably the best idea ever. We went to the beach which was awesome and sunny and warm and refreshing, walked around speaking French and English and we bought macarons, had hot chocolate and ate Chinese food. Plus the train ride back was way cool and we had our own compartment just like in Harry Potter. I mean, perfect ending or what? This is a very very short description of all we did this weekend but you get the picture!!

French classes finally start tomorrow so we will see how that goes! It feels good to actually know what my schedule is because everything has been completely up in the air almost since we got here. Miss you all!!!

French Food Friday

This is a tartelette fraise I got from a boulangerie/patisserie in Paris from the Quartier Marais. It was super good, as you can probably tell from the photo. Glazed strawberries, custard, and yummy pastry. It was a steal at 1.40 euro, I think. Anything under 3 is a steal and I know I didn't pay that much. So good though!

Espagne demain!

This is just a random photo of the Fountain of Neptune at Versailles, scary fish, right? I had a mid-term in my European politics class. Intensive electives blow because you have a mid-term after a week and a half of classes. I am pretty sure I taught that test a lesson though, so don't worry, it didn't get off scot-free. I had dinner at my friend's house tonight, we ate hot dogs and gorged on Snickers barres glacées (ice cream bars!).

But now I am in the midst of packing for our overnight trip to Spain and debating on whether to bring a small suitcase or just my backpack. The problem is that my snacks and water bottle don't fit in my backpack with my clothes and towel and stuff so I would have to carry it separately and plastic Wal-mart bags don't exist here. I think I'm gonna go ahead and take the suitcase, just in case I decide to buy stuff while I'm there. You never know when you'll come across something awesome... Thank you for deciding that with me.

Lately I have felt like I have too many things to do and not enough time at all! And never enough sleep. But I'm in France so if it's a choice between hanging out with my host family for three hours or studying for a test, obviously I've got to pick the first one! Haha, oh France, how you encourage my irresponsibility. 

Kangaroo for Lunch

Today I took the exam I spoke of so much yesterday (and it was easier than I expected, although that probably means I tanked to beginner level), met a conversation partner, watched part of "Out of Africa" that was playing at my school and ate kangaroo. YEAH KANGAROO. We spent the entire lunch discussing what people thought sounded like "kangaroo" as the answer to "what type of meat is that?" We were unsure until I got home and discovered that everyone else in my program was under the same impression. Crazy. It was good though, sort of like beef but softer. I feel kind of bad about it, poor little kangaroo, your powerful legs weren't fast enough.. 

Vlogging: French Placement Exam

"Un jour de canicule, sur un véhicule où je circule, gesticule un funambule au bulbe miniscule, à la mandibule en virgule et au capitule ridicule. Un somnambule l'accule et l'annule, l'autre articule; "crapule", mais dissimule ses scrupules, recule, capitule."

It's Official.

Coke in France IS different than US Coke. I compared product information online about US coke to a French can I am currently drinking. You have no idea how satisfied I am with knowing this information. The sizes are roughly the same, US cans are 12 fl oz. or 340 milliliters and French cans are 330 mL.

• US cans have slightly more calories, probably due to size difference. 
• BUT French Coke has no sodium (0 mg vs. 45 mg) 
• and less sugar (35 g v. 39 g) 
• and it's sweetened with sugar and not high fructose corn syrup like US Coke. 

I win. And apparently don't like sodium in my sodas. 

Can you say... investigative journalism?!

French Food Friday

This post is a work in progress... meaning that I am writing this after the traumatic experience that was ordering pizza over the phone in France in French but before getting my pizza and bbq chicken wings, which hopefully is what I ordered. Then I will take photos and tell you all about how delicious it is... I hope. Essentially the first thing this girl said to me was so fast that I did not understand, she was putting me on hold though, which I figured out after I said "Allo?" a few times and no one responded. I'm not going to go into all the gruesome details that the ensuing conversation included but I had to pass the phone off three or four times to my host mom so she could translate for me. My host mom and dad were both really nice about it afterward and told me that I did really well and that ordering a pizza over the phone is complicated for them, let alone someone learning a language.

Word of advice to all pizza-purveyors: Make ordering more simple.

Tongue Twister

This is what I have to read tomorrow in my group phonetics class, and it is, as you can probably guess, a tongue-twister of epic proportions. So far I've been doing good at the other ones I've gotten but this might be the beginning of the end! I promise to read this to y'all in my next vlog if you promise to read it to yourself and tell me how you did. Eh? Eh?!
Bonne nuit! I'm auditing an 8 AM class tomorrow so I need my don't-kill-anyone rest.

Sent from my iPhone

Karaoke

Today (it is almost 3 PM) has been the second day of elective classes for us. Sort of boring, to be honest. I have a professor that tends to take ten minutes to explain something that should have been said in thirty seconds and includes all sorts of frivolous information that anyone in college should already know about. Oh well, on the bright side of that, I am going to try to audit some French classes! And not French language classes, I'm talking real-life, university classes on political science, European law and other ones like that. I'm really excited for that because I think it would be good to listen to people speak French normally (not the way they do when they know you're American) and hopefully learn a thing or two from the French perspective. And meet some French people? Holler!

Aside from that, I have met my first French college student who is not paid by USAC. AWESOME. We are going karaoke-ing tonight and we invited him to come and bring some friends so we can start getting into the heart of what we're here for... making French friends to practice with.

I am going off to class in about fifteen minutes so I'm wrapping this up. But first, there is a spider living on the ceiling of my room and I have named him Mathieu. He's gotta have a French name, right?

La-dee-da Hey Ohhhh

Today was the first day of elective classes and I have to say, they seem kind of easy. Like introduction, freshman gen ed easy. But they're supposed to be upper divs? I dunno maybe it was just the way the teacher introduced the syllabus or that there are lots of non-poli sci people in the classes which makes it seem less advanced, but either way I am kind of saddened by it. On the bright side, I am probably going to a movie and then karaoke-ing with some people from my group tomorrow, so EXCELLENT. I hope they only have songs in French, for the hilarity of it. 

Vlogging from Pau

French Food Friday (première édition)

Salade verte with avocados, palm hearts, tomato, and smoked salmon

Curry chicken and rice (SOOO GOOD)

French apple pie with ice cream, sort of like a tart (also delicious!)

This is the three-course meal from Paris that was my introduction to French cuisine and two-hour dinners that I discussed here.

Versailles

Yesterday on our way out from Paris, we went to Versailles! I am in Pau now and I got here at about 7:30, had dinner and talked to my host family and now I've showered and am going to sleep! We have orientation tomorrow morning at nine so I don't have time or energy for an update right now. But trust me when I say that a good few will be coming. And another one that talks about all the little things in France that are different than in the US, like tomato salads and the fact that you have to essentially put bars over your window every night. Bon nuit!!! 

A Quick Update

This is a cheese shop in Paris!

I am in Tours, France right now, after a day of bus driving and castle seeing. Yesterday was our last day in Paris and we went to La Place de la Bastille, La Maison de Victor Hugo, La Quartier Marais (the Jewish section) and city hall as a group. My friend and roommate Forrest and I then went to the crypt at Notre Dame and the Musée d'Orsay. For dinner, most of the group went down to the Seine river and sat on the side and picnicked in front of the Eiffel Tower (pictures to come soon). It was awesome. Today we went to Versailles, which was amazing, and then the Château de Chaumont. We are leaving for Pau tomorrow and stopping at another castle on the way. We should get to Pau around 7:30!

My first three-course meal

Last night we had our first real French dinner, which includes three courses and two hours to complete. Most restaurants here offer deals where you get a certain amount of courses and a drink for 12-40 Euros usually. The first course was a salad with smoked salmon, avocado, tomato, lemon and palm hearts and some dressing I've never had before. The second and main course was chicken delicious delicious curry and perfectly cooked rice. The dessert was a French apple pie with ice cream, except the pie was flat and round made of what looked like filo dough. The French also don't drink with their dinner except water, and then the water is served in tiny tiny glasses. Not enough, for sure. 

After that, we took a nighttime boat tour of the Seine and saw all the sights again we went to during the day lit up at night, including the Eiffel Tower. It was sooooo cold though! Tonight we are all going to have a picnic at the Eiffel Tower and possibly hang out at the Seine afterwards for our last night in Paris. Tomorrow we go to Versailles! 

(For photos of the three-course meal, stay tuned for the first French Food Friday!)

Sitting in a Park in Paris, France

This is my very first post in France! I've been here since Saturday and have gotten eight hours of sleep total thanks to being jetlagged. Last night I went to bed at 1 AM and woke up at 4 AM! The good part about that though is that I went and sat out on the balcony of my hotel room and watched the city wake up. We have been going non-stop essentially since we arrived and we have knocked out the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Élysées, the Louvre and Notre Dame among other things. Tomorrow is our last day in Paris before we head out on our two-day bus trip to Pau with stops on the way in Versailles and at other castles.

It is awesome being here and I am so grateful for the opportunity, even if I do miss all of my family and my friends terribly. I am just going to move here (sorry Brianne) because I just love hearing French people speak French. It's so much different than the classroom butchering I am used to for the most part and it gives me something to achieve! I have been working on my own French pretty much non-stop and trying to speak constantly in French as much as I can.

Notre Dame

Tonight we are going on our group dinner which is a three-course meal and it is followed by a nighttime boatride on the Seine (the river that runs through Paris). I am having a blast but I am excited to get to Pau, meet my host family, and get settled for the next four months. I already know this is going to fly by and I am going to take in as much of France and French culture as I can!

Oh and happy Labor Day you silly Americans!

Flashback Friday

My senior photo!

This is the last Flashback Friday until I get back to America in December. I had planned on putting enough Flashback photos on my computer from my hard drive before I left Amherst but one thing led to another and I did not get a chance to do that. So instead, every Friday while I am in France will be French Food Friday, which will feature dishes I've eaten in France that are either super French so they're exotic or super American so it's surprising they would have that. I want everyone to experience France with me in every way possible!

This post is also coming to you from the past, because it has been post-dated to show on Friday because I will be way too busy going to the airport/embarking on a 10.5 hour flight to Paris to blog. Wish me luck! I'm going to try and post M-F still with all sorts of interesting stuff but that really depends on how much internet access I'm going to have.

Oh Busy

Today has been a day of frantic running around, forgetting half the stuff I went out to get and stressful packing in lieu of sleep. But it's all going to be worth it! Please join with me in wishing that my suitcase doesn't weigh over 50 lbs so I don't have to do in-airport packing adjustments.