Ok, so it might seem a little early for Spring Break yet, but I am off tonight for Italy. My plane leaves in like 3 hours. I am going to spend tonight and tomorrow, and tomorrow night in Milan. Then on Saturday I will jump on a train to Venice and on Sunday I will jump on a plane to Florence and Monday morning I will go to Rome and spend the rest of the week in Rome... so look for some cool pictures and fun updates next week! I have never been to Italy, so this is going to be a whirlwind weekend, and then I will explore Rome more closely. I can't wait to see Alana and celebrate Christine's birthday with her... But Alana and I are going to meet up with each other at the Trevi Fountain in Rome... O my gosh I am going to actually be there. Right where all the action took place in Angels and Demons! (Ok so I am a little bit of a nerd for thinking of it like that, but I don't care. I am just so excited!) I have ten days of fun and exploring ahead. Bought a French guide book to Italy today so hopefully that will be helpful!
This morning was our last day of official classes, which actually meant we had a test. I think it went pretty well actually, but we shall see! Then I went and met with my director of my internship again to set up some details and things like that... and she seems so nice! I will have my own desk and keys and badge (it is all very official!) and I start on Monday March 1 at 9:30am! She thinks that the first major project that I will be working on will be to start translating some brochures that are currently only in French and Arabic into English so that they can have tri-lingual brochures instead of just bilingual ones. Then she said I might get to design them too which would bring back my mad skills for design that I learned in DOME! I can't wait. There is also a big person (dignitary or someone, I didn't recognize his name but apparently he is important) coming to visit the institute at the end of March and she said I could help plan all of that as well, and participate fully which is really cool! The other cool thing she is going to do for me this week is try to find a beginning Arabic class for me to get integrated into so that I can also begin to learn a little bit of Arabic while I am here, which I just don't have time in my schedule to do at DePauw. Cheira will be pleased I am sure! So I am excited, and nervous still, but much less nervous for my internship to start after today.
So now I am about to throw the last of my things into my suitcase, and head off to the airport, which actually takes a while to get to with the metro and all that stuff involved, but I can't wait! Tomorrow at this time I will be exploring Milan and eating Italian food and Gelato! I hope all is well in the states, and no one who might be reading this is trapped under too much snow! I can't believe that I have been here for 5 weeks already, it is just flying by! But when I come back there are so many fun things and visits from people I love... Life really is so good.
Bisou!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Just want to show off a bit...
So for dinner Matt and I made mashed potatoes and the most beautiful lamb shish kababs the world has ever seen. They were amazing. And I took some beautiful pics so please indulge me, and let me post them here.
Other Goings On
So now I have written about two big things that happened in the past week... my trip to Josselin, and my birthday, so I thought I might write one more entry just to talk about some of the smaller things going on in my life, and to record some of my thoughts and ideas and things... perhaps more like a journal entry than a blog, but that is ok. Especially since I haven't updated in over a week, which is really bad I know. But if you are reading this out there, then keep on me to update it and I will. This is much better for me than a journal since I have officially 13 people following it, which helps to keep me accountable for updating (and my mom keeps on me all the time too.) I know that as Mac talked about, a blog has a different feel to it than a journal might since I am writing this knowing that someone somewhere might read it, and generally a journal is written for one's self presumably to be read by one in the future. But this seems to be working for me now, and I am sure when I get home from all of this, I will be glad that I kept some sort of a record of what I did as I went. So I will do this entry by themes I think, if that is ok, and I don't really have any pics for this one... but I probably will by the next one.
Food
So I have definitely been eating well. I sort of thought when I got here that I might not eat too terribly much since I am trying to live on a dime, and the city is very expensive. But as it turns out, I am doing a relatively good job of being a creative cook, and trying to find new things to cook on a dime. So far I have made several things involving rice and noodles, and grilled chicken and spinach (including barbeque chicken since I found barbeque sauce in the kosher section at the grocery store). But I am getting more adventurous as well, and tonight I am making shish kebabs and mashed potatoes! It is nice to have some time to try to learn how to do some of this on my own... the sish kebabs for tonight are marinating as I write in a wine and olive oil marinade with lime juice and onions and some other spices... So I am feeling very proud of myself indeed. Today I also bought this thing that makes coffee... essentially it is a funnel that you put a filter in and some coffee and you dump hot water in it and presto you have coffee. I may have mentioned this before on this blog, but for a country that prides itself on wine cheese and coffee... the majority of people drink instant coffee in their homes, and espresso in cafes. I like the espresso, but it is expensive. But I just can't stomach nescafe. I don't care if that makes me a coffee snob, I can't do it. So I made some coffee this afternoon with my new contraption... and it tasted amazing thank you very much. I know I have said it before, but if anyone has any ideas for good recipes I should try shoot me an email at halliemoberg_2011@depauw.edu and I will try them! So yeah, that is how the food front is going.
Class
My classes are going very well... I can't believe I have been here for more than a month! I have now been through three morning professors, and I have really enjoyed my classes, especially the most recent one which was along the lines of a mix between art history and art politics which was right up my ally. I learned a lot from Jerome, my silly and shiny headed prof. On this past Thursday I started my last class which is a modern history sort of deal focusing on France's international policies since the 1800's. I like it too, but my new prof talks really fast and is really intense which will be good for me in the long run I am sure, but makes for a challenging 3.5 hours. I have 3 more homework assignments to finish (one essay, one presentation, and one essay/presentation book report mix) and then an in class test on Thursday, and the first part of my program will be finished. I simply can't believe it! Then my internship starts March 1st, and goes until May 21st. During that time I will also have one class, several home works and a large 30 page paper project to finish, which will be hard, but when I am finished I am sure it will be rewarding to know that I did it all.
The next few weeks
Since class ends on Thursday, that means that my break will be starting thrusday night. I will then promptly be on a plane to Milan Italy. Next weekend will be spent traveling from Milan to Venice to Florence, and I will end up in Rome on Monday... where I will spend the next week exploring and spending time with one of my best friends in the entire world, Alana DeWitt. I simply cannot wait! If anyone has any suggestions or ideas of things that I simply shouldn't miss in Italy please also send me an email and I will do my best to see everything there is to see and I will keep the pics coming! I also hope to do a few more trips over the course of my internship... One to Normandy, one to Amsterdam, one to Berlin, and one to London. I can't wait to plan it all... but I have to take it one thing at a time.
Other Musings
So I have been thinking a lot about a lot of things lately, as I spend my time doing lots of fun and exciting things. One thing I think that I have definitely realized is that I really like living in the city. I know that it is busy, and there are always people around, and I fall asleep to the sound of passing cars... but I really like it. I like to feel the grass under my feet too, and Greencastle is good for that, but for now I am loving running to catch buses and metro trains, and trying not to get run over by cars and people on velib bikes. I really like it. There is always somewhere to go, and things to see and do. I have been taking full advantage of the Pariscope which Anne introduced us to, and it is awesome. Last night I sat in a small restaurant and listed to jazz music, enjoyed a glass of wine with some of my favorite people, in a place that we would have never found without the most awesome Pariscope. There is everything in there I could ever even dream of doing, it is so awesome.
Also, I find myself loving it here, and my friends... and then I always can think of someone from home that I would love to share something with... which is a strange feeling, since it sort of feels like homesickness, but not quite. I don't really know what to make of it. I miss people from home... Mirandy and Josh and Daryl and the CSL and everyone. It is just a strange feeling I guess.
Ok so yeah, now I am going to go and work on my hours of homework, and I will keep updating over the next week, and while I am in Italy I hope! Post a comment or shoot me an email if you have any ideas for me, and I hope to update again soon!
Bizoux! (kisses, something along the lines of XOXO!)
Food
So I have definitely been eating well. I sort of thought when I got here that I might not eat too terribly much since I am trying to live on a dime, and the city is very expensive. But as it turns out, I am doing a relatively good job of being a creative cook, and trying to find new things to cook on a dime. So far I have made several things involving rice and noodles, and grilled chicken and spinach (including barbeque chicken since I found barbeque sauce in the kosher section at the grocery store). But I am getting more adventurous as well, and tonight I am making shish kebabs and mashed potatoes! It is nice to have some time to try to learn how to do some of this on my own... the sish kebabs for tonight are marinating as I write in a wine and olive oil marinade with lime juice and onions and some other spices... So I am feeling very proud of myself indeed. Today I also bought this thing that makes coffee... essentially it is a funnel that you put a filter in and some coffee and you dump hot water in it and presto you have coffee. I may have mentioned this before on this blog, but for a country that prides itself on wine cheese and coffee... the majority of people drink instant coffee in their homes, and espresso in cafes. I like the espresso, but it is expensive. But I just can't stomach nescafe. I don't care if that makes me a coffee snob, I can't do it. So I made some coffee this afternoon with my new contraption... and it tasted amazing thank you very much. I know I have said it before, but if anyone has any ideas for good recipes I should try shoot me an email at halliemoberg_2011@depauw.edu and I will try them! So yeah, that is how the food front is going.
Class
My classes are going very well... I can't believe I have been here for more than a month! I have now been through three morning professors, and I have really enjoyed my classes, especially the most recent one which was along the lines of a mix between art history and art politics which was right up my ally. I learned a lot from Jerome, my silly and shiny headed prof. On this past Thursday I started my last class which is a modern history sort of deal focusing on France's international policies since the 1800's. I like it too, but my new prof talks really fast and is really intense which will be good for me in the long run I am sure, but makes for a challenging 3.5 hours. I have 3 more homework assignments to finish (one essay, one presentation, and one essay/presentation book report mix) and then an in class test on Thursday, and the first part of my program will be finished. I simply can't believe it! Then my internship starts March 1st, and goes until May 21st. During that time I will also have one class, several home works and a large 30 page paper project to finish, which will be hard, but when I am finished I am sure it will be rewarding to know that I did it all.
The next few weeks
Since class ends on Thursday, that means that my break will be starting thrusday night. I will then promptly be on a plane to Milan Italy. Next weekend will be spent traveling from Milan to Venice to Florence, and I will end up in Rome on Monday... where I will spend the next week exploring and spending time with one of my best friends in the entire world, Alana DeWitt. I simply cannot wait! If anyone has any suggestions or ideas of things that I simply shouldn't miss in Italy please also send me an email and I will do my best to see everything there is to see and I will keep the pics coming! I also hope to do a few more trips over the course of my internship... One to Normandy, one to Amsterdam, one to Berlin, and one to London. I can't wait to plan it all... but I have to take it one thing at a time.
Other Musings
So I have been thinking a lot about a lot of things lately, as I spend my time doing lots of fun and exciting things. One thing I think that I have definitely realized is that I really like living in the city. I know that it is busy, and there are always people around, and I fall asleep to the sound of passing cars... but I really like it. I like to feel the grass under my feet too, and Greencastle is good for that, but for now I am loving running to catch buses and metro trains, and trying not to get run over by cars and people on velib bikes. I really like it. There is always somewhere to go, and things to see and do. I have been taking full advantage of the Pariscope which Anne introduced us to, and it is awesome. Last night I sat in a small restaurant and listed to jazz music, enjoyed a glass of wine with some of my favorite people, in a place that we would have never found without the most awesome Pariscope. There is everything in there I could ever even dream of doing, it is so awesome.
Also, I find myself loving it here, and my friends... and then I always can think of someone from home that I would love to share something with... which is a strange feeling, since it sort of feels like homesickness, but not quite. I don't really know what to make of it. I miss people from home... Mirandy and Josh and Daryl and the CSL and everyone. It is just a strange feeling I guess.
Ok so yeah, now I am going to go and work on my hours of homework, and I will keep updating over the next week, and while I am in Italy I hope! Post a comment or shoot me an email if you have any ideas for me, and I hope to update again soon!
Bizoux! (kisses, something along the lines of XOXO!)
Birthday Fun!
So like I said... I woke up on Monday after a wonderful weekend in the country feeling rather homesick for DePauw, and for my mom and grandma and sister, and really everyone that I wish could be here sharing some of these experiences with me. And it didn't really help my homesickness when I realized that on Wednesday I was turning 21 thousands of miles away from the one person I like to be with one my birthday: Mirandy. Maybe it is a twin thing, I don't know, but I like for us to be together on our birthday, or at least around out birthday. So I was feeling homesick, but then I was surprised on Tuesday by a mailbox full of cards from home, one from Mamaw, Mom, and Aunt Marita and Uncle Denny, and one from the Brauer family too! I know Mirandy tried to send me one too... but I understand also that getting the postage right can be a challenge if you are her (but I love you any way sissy.) And I also got to skype with my mom and Mirandy on the computer, and talk to Mamaw on the phone, which really made my homesickness much better.
I woke up on Wednesday morning, to realize that I was 21, an entire six hours before Mirandy. This was quite the discovery, considering that she is one minute older than I am, and she is always bragging about how she turns a year older first. Well this year, on the one birthday where it might matter a little bit, I got to turn 21 five hours and 59 minutes before her, thank you very much for the time difference! So there you go. It may not seem all that exciting, but I liked it... and she was just a little jealous I think!
But on Wednesday we also didn't have any official class which was nice, and we had a visit to the Ile de France Conseil Regional (see the pics I will put here) and I was greeted by Severine (one of the directors of the program) with a wonderful kiss, a big "Bonne Aniversaire" (Happy Birthday) and a little present, which was a book by Albert Camus. It was wonderful! We also got to have coffee and cookies inside the Conseil Regional which was a yummy birthday breakfast! When we finished our visit, we came outside to discover that the city was covered in a lovely little blanket of snow which was absolutely wonderful. We then tromped around and found an Indian restaurant for lunch (my favorite!) which had a lovely view of the Efiel Tower in the background! It was awesome. I then spent the afternoon with my class at the Centre Pompidou and with my favorite professor so far (Jerome) learning about the history of the building and seeing works of art from their permanent collection in from 1905-1960. It was a lovely afternoon, I couldn't have thought up a better way to have spent my birthday. Then after we were done with class or really our visit, several of my friends took me out to a bar/restaurant for a drink during happy hour, where I had a glass of wine, and felt very grown up thank you very much!
After our happy hour adventure, Matt and I went and found a Moroccan place for dinner on Rue Monsieur le Prince. This was where I wanted to come for dinner because Anne told us several stories last weekend about how this street was where she and Mac would go for dinner, and where she would spend a lot of time in Paris when she was in college. So we wandered around in the cold, up and down this little street, and I pretended for just a minute that I was there with Anne when she was in school... and I felt kind of silly, but it was nice to imagine it and dream of it too. (So thanks Anne for the great recommendation! You are wonderful!)
The place where we had dinner was so good, and I had couscous just like in Tunisia last year! Except even Alana could have handled this couscous since it wasn't spicy at all... which I would have liked, but it made for a wonderful birthday dinner anyway! Then I made my way home... a little tipsy on wine (which is OK since I am 21 now) and feeling wonderfully happy to have spent such a wonderful day with wonderful people in one of the most amazing cities in the world, which I have loved exploring, and look forward to exploring more in the next few months. Even though I missed Mirandy very much on our birthday, I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful day in Paris.
So while turning 21 is rather anti-climactic (as I imagine it is in the states too) I had some great wine, and a great day.
last weekend
So clearly I have gotten behind again... which is so easy to do since I am so busy and at night I am so tired, and all I want to do is fall asleep! So I will write three posts now I think... one about last weekend when I was in Josselin with Mac and Anne (some pics below if you saw them already) and then I will write one about my birthday, and finally another one about some goings ons... and some more thematic things I guess. I will intersperse pics through out just so everyone can see the awesome pics I take with the wonderful little blue camera my mom gave me for christmas!
So yes, last weekend. Matt came too to see our two profs Mac and Anne (who are married, and spending their semester sabbatical in the French country side about three hours outside of Paris with their three wonderful and adorable children Oliver (7) Iris (6) and Eleanor (3). It was a weekend I will not soon forget. We left on Thursday directly from IFE and we went to to the Train station, where we took the TGV out of the city to Rennes. The train went super fast (as they are intended to do) and we were in Rennes in about 2hours 10 minutes. Over the course of the train ride, I befriended the man sitting next to me, and he helped me with some of the vocabulary in my book that I am reading for school, and he made sure I got off the train at the right stop. Also, he probably thought I was kind of crazy because when they came by to check my ticket I dropped my sandwich on the floor and proceeded to pick it up, put it back together, and eat it for dinner. There is a TGV five second rule right? Anyway the train was quick, and Anne was eagerly awaiting our arrival in Rennes when we got there with large Bizous and a wonderful welcome!
We then jumped into their car (which came with the house they are renting for 6 months and were off on the road to get to their home out in the country side. And in five minutes of driving, it felt like I was home. I am sure I will say this through out this post several times, but DePauw University is one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life. Only at a small liberal arts school in Indiana could you find professors who are so deeply invested in your life and your success that they would invite you to visit in the first place, but not only that, they listen and talk with you like you are intelligent and your opinions are interesting and relevant. We talked about our classes, and French politics and Anne's studies in Paris when she was in school. It was wonderful, and then we arrived at their 17th century house in rural France in the town of Josselin with a population of 2,500 people. And Mac was awaiting our arrival with a wonderful dessert, and more wonderful conversation. And once again, thousands of miles away from Greencastle, IN I was home. (I count Greencastle as my home away from home for 9 months of the year, so it really felt like home.) And it also wasn't long before we heard the pitter patter of little feet (of small children who were supposed to be sleeping...) and we got to say good night to the little ones too! Even though they were very grumpy the next morning, we had such a wonderful welcome, and fell into bed dreaming of the weekend to come.
In the morning Mac had made his usual trip to the Boulangerie and retrieved delicious goodies for us for breakfast, and after convincing Anne that her beautiful lovelies would be fine at school for just a few hours without us being super close by, we headed out into the French country side to see some megaliths (rocks like those that make up Stone Henge) from 5,000 B.C.E. We saw the rocks, and hiked around and found a wonderful little hamlet in the middle of the country, and once again enjoyed several hours of outstanding conversation with profs who care not only about our success and education in the world, but also care about genuinely as people, and as potentially blooming academics like themselves. So wonderful... and a picnic lunch in a little bit of rain to top it all off! Then we went back to the town to collect the little ones and have coffee (which is way less expensive if you are not in Paris FYI). The really brave people in this adventure are Oliver, Iris and Eleanor, who picked up and moved around the world, and now go to school in French all day everyday. Especially Oliver who doesn't always understand what is going on, but gives school his best everyday... and Iris who is learning french faster than anyone probably know, and Eleanor who could actually forget all of her English and start again with French if she was given the opportunity... which is weird to think about!
But we collected the little ones from school... and rivers of English poured out of their little mouths as they were so excited to be understood again... and we went home and had a wonderful evening, a wonderful dinner and then more wonderful conversation with Mac and Anne after the little loves had gone off to sleep. In the morning... little footsteps on the stairs woke us up... and soon I found three little children in bed... eager to start the day! Iris accompanied Anne and us to the market... where she also showed us the catholic church in the town, and she showed us how to pray and use the holy water and everything, good job Iris! The market of the little town was amazing, with every kind of fresh fare you could want from Bretange... Cheese and bread and mussels which we had for lunch. The best quote of the day then came out of Oliver's mouth after our delicious lunch of mussels (cooked by the fabulous Anne) "If there is more to life than this, I don't know what it is." No one could have said it better than Oliver.
And we spent another wonderful day exploring their town (which has an awesome castle which you can see in the pics) and all kinds of other wonderful things from the 16th and 17th centuries. The kids took us to some of their favorite places... including the lovely little bamboo grove thing that is randomly in their town, and it made me think of China. The kids were full of tireless energy, and we could have explored everything endlessly. They are never afraid to try anything, or go anywhere or do anything! When we returned home, unfortunately Mac wasn't feeling so hot because of a little allergy to shell fish (the mussels didn't go over so hot...) and Anne cooked a lovely dinner of crepes for us and the kids while Mac tried to sleep off his unpleasantness... and we watched one of my all time favorite movies "The Princess Bride." I had Eleanor curled up in my lap, and the other kids loved the movie which is perfect since it is a classic. Another wonderful day... it all seemed so much like a dream, as we were treated like royalty, and a little piece of DePauw and home were so wonderful to have for a weekend.
Sunday then flew by, as we went exploring even more in the town, and the two little girls let us off to the boulangerie to get breakfast so that Mac could stay in bed and rest. And Iris kept us all in line, reminding us several times, "Shhhh the french are a quiet people" whether we were talking or not! And we adventured more with the kids, and enjoyed the sunshine that peaked through the winter clouds for the rest of the day, until we jumped on the bus back to Rennes and took a train back to Paris which got in around midnight.
I can't even express here, and the pics do not do it just either, the wonderful weekend we shared with Mac and Anne. Like I said before, they are amazing professors, who treat us with the utmost respect and listen to our ideas about life, and french culture and politics, and provide invaluable insight and advice. They treat us like grown ups (even if we aren't quite there yet) and make us feel like we have good ideas which are worthwhile to listen to. Nothing could be more wonderful than that... so an infinite thank you to mac and anne for a wonderful weekend, and to the kids for welcoming us into their home and showing us all around... it was a wonderful weekend get away... and it made me a little homesick when I woke up Monday morning and had to go back to class...
So yes, last weekend. Matt came too to see our two profs Mac and Anne (who are married, and spending their semester sabbatical in the French country side about three hours outside of Paris with their three wonderful and adorable children Oliver (7) Iris (6) and Eleanor (3). It was a weekend I will not soon forget. We left on Thursday directly from IFE and we went to to the Train station, where we took the TGV out of the city to Rennes. The train went super fast (as they are intended to do) and we were in Rennes in about 2hours 10 minutes. Over the course of the train ride, I befriended the man sitting next to me, and he helped me with some of the vocabulary in my book that I am reading for school, and he made sure I got off the train at the right stop. Also, he probably thought I was kind of crazy because when they came by to check my ticket I dropped my sandwich on the floor and proceeded to pick it up, put it back together, and eat it for dinner. There is a TGV five second rule right? Anyway the train was quick, and Anne was eagerly awaiting our arrival in Rennes when we got there with large Bizous and a wonderful welcome!
We then jumped into their car (which came with the house they are renting for 6 months and were off on the road to get to their home out in the country side. And in five minutes of driving, it felt like I was home. I am sure I will say this through out this post several times, but DePauw University is one of the best things that has ever happened to me in my life. Only at a small liberal arts school in Indiana could you find professors who are so deeply invested in your life and your success that they would invite you to visit in the first place, but not only that, they listen and talk with you like you are intelligent and your opinions are interesting and relevant. We talked about our classes, and French politics and Anne's studies in Paris when she was in school. It was wonderful, and then we arrived at their 17th century house in rural France in the town of Josselin with a population of 2,500 people. And Mac was awaiting our arrival with a wonderful dessert, and more wonderful conversation. And once again, thousands of miles away from Greencastle, IN I was home. (I count Greencastle as my home away from home for 9 months of the year, so it really felt like home.) And it also wasn't long before we heard the pitter patter of little feet (of small children who were supposed to be sleeping...) and we got to say good night to the little ones too! Even though they were very grumpy the next morning, we had such a wonderful welcome, and fell into bed dreaming of the weekend to come.
In the morning Mac had made his usual trip to the Boulangerie and retrieved delicious goodies for us for breakfast, and after convincing Anne that her beautiful lovelies would be fine at school for just a few hours without us being super close by, we headed out into the French country side to see some megaliths (rocks like those that make up Stone Henge) from 5,000 B.C.E. We saw the rocks, and hiked around and found a wonderful little hamlet in the middle of the country, and once again enjoyed several hours of outstanding conversation with profs who care not only about our success and education in the world, but also care about genuinely as people, and as potentially blooming academics like themselves. So wonderful... and a picnic lunch in a little bit of rain to top it all off! Then we went back to the town to collect the little ones and have coffee (which is way less expensive if you are not in Paris FYI). The really brave people in this adventure are Oliver, Iris and Eleanor, who picked up and moved around the world, and now go to school in French all day everyday. Especially Oliver who doesn't always understand what is going on, but gives school his best everyday... and Iris who is learning french faster than anyone probably know, and Eleanor who could actually forget all of her English and start again with French if she was given the opportunity... which is weird to think about!
But we collected the little ones from school... and rivers of English poured out of their little mouths as they were so excited to be understood again... and we went home and had a wonderful evening, a wonderful dinner and then more wonderful conversation with Mac and Anne after the little loves had gone off to sleep. In the morning... little footsteps on the stairs woke us up... and soon I found three little children in bed... eager to start the day! Iris accompanied Anne and us to the market... where she also showed us the catholic church in the town, and she showed us how to pray and use the holy water and everything, good job Iris! The market of the little town was amazing, with every kind of fresh fare you could want from Bretange... Cheese and bread and mussels which we had for lunch. The best quote of the day then came out of Oliver's mouth after our delicious lunch of mussels (cooked by the fabulous Anne) "If there is more to life than this, I don't know what it is." No one could have said it better than Oliver.
And we spent another wonderful day exploring their town (which has an awesome castle which you can see in the pics) and all kinds of other wonderful things from the 16th and 17th centuries. The kids took us to some of their favorite places... including the lovely little bamboo grove thing that is randomly in their town, and it made me think of China. The kids were full of tireless energy, and we could have explored everything endlessly. They are never afraid to try anything, or go anywhere or do anything! When we returned home, unfortunately Mac wasn't feeling so hot because of a little allergy to shell fish (the mussels didn't go over so hot...) and Anne cooked a lovely dinner of crepes for us and the kids while Mac tried to sleep off his unpleasantness... and we watched one of my all time favorite movies "The Princess Bride." I had Eleanor curled up in my lap, and the other kids loved the movie which is perfect since it is a classic. Another wonderful day... it all seemed so much like a dream, as we were treated like royalty, and a little piece of DePauw and home were so wonderful to have for a weekend.
Sunday then flew by, as we went exploring even more in the town, and the two little girls let us off to the boulangerie to get breakfast so that Mac could stay in bed and rest. And Iris kept us all in line, reminding us several times, "Shhhh the french are a quiet people" whether we were talking or not! And we adventured more with the kids, and enjoyed the sunshine that peaked through the winter clouds for the rest of the day, until we jumped on the bus back to Rennes and took a train back to Paris which got in around midnight.
I can't even express here, and the pics do not do it just either, the wonderful weekend we shared with Mac and Anne. Like I said before, they are amazing professors, who treat us with the utmost respect and listen to our ideas about life, and french culture and politics, and provide invaluable insight and advice. They treat us like grown ups (even if we aren't quite there yet) and make us feel like we have good ideas which are worthwhile to listen to. Nothing could be more wonderful than that... so an infinite thank you to mac and anne for a wonderful weekend, and to the kids for welcoming us into their home and showing us all around... it was a wonderful weekend get away... and it made me a little homesick when I woke up Monday morning and had to go back to class...
Monday, February 8, 2010
wonderful weekend
I am so tired now... too tired to write... but here are some of my fav pics from the weekend! I'll write tonmorrow and ad some pics then too!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tuesday, nous n'avons pas un nom pour mardi
Salut!
So the title of this says... "Tuesday, we don't have a name for Tuesday" which is a reference to when I tried to explain 'hump day' to my professor in the afternoon last wednesday... and did just didn't translate. Did I already write about that? I can't remember.
So not too much has happened since Sunday when I last updated, my blog but I did finish my essay on Sunday night (or rather Monday morning around 2am... which is an early night if I were at DPU but not here where I sleep a wonderful 7:30hours a night usually! But it is done, and I hope that I get an ok grade on it... they tend to grade harder here in France than in the USA and the grading scale is harder too... so we shall see.
But now I have a new professor in the mornings whose name is Dominque (but don't be confused he is a man... not sure why he has a girls name) and he is a professor of Sociology at a university in Paris. This is his first time teaching with IFE but he seems good, even though his had writing is illegible. Mac always used to apologize for having bad writing, but this guy is just absurd. You have to listen closely because anything he writes on the board is useless. But that is OK, it is good for my listening comprehension. Because he is a sociology prof we have spent the last two days talking about the history of a lot of the demographic issues and their origins in France. Which means we have spent a lot of time talking about the issues France faces currently in regards to immigration issues, which are also related to post-colonial issues which is exactly what I am interested in studying. We have talked about the struggles that France faces in democratizing higher education, and the issues generally of immigration in the past 30 years. A lot of the problems with immigration that France faces are similar to ones that we face in the United States. My prof said that there are only two countries in the world who have never really experienced large periods of emigration and only faced immigration: France and the USA. This is very interesting to me, since often our response in the US (until recently with the influx of Mexicans) has been to call the USA a "melting pot" of cultures blending together... where as the French response has often been to become over protective of their specifically French Culture. I am not sure what to think of this... and in my afternoon class we have been talking about the issue of the "le grand debat sur l'identite national" which has also been very interesting. I imagined this debate initiated by the president after his election in 2007 would serve to open up the discussion about the diversity in France, an how many people from many cultures have come together to live in France, and to be French to everyone means something a little different. But in fact this large debate inspired a lot of racism and hatred... which sadly didn't actually surprise me when I heard it... there is a lot of Xenophobia here... even though most of the people that the people of European decent fear are really French by 2 or 3 generations... it is really a fascinating quandary, which I have enjoyed hearing about, and am still not sure what to think about it all. And there are so many paralells to the fears that people have in the united states... It is all a lot to take in and process, but I am going to ask Anne this weekend what she thinks... maybe she can help me process some of the post-colonial stuff.
Then today, we only had class for an hour this afternoon, and we went to the Cite de l'Immigration. It was rather an interesting place. It is a museum about immigration in France for the past 200 years... but there is also an aquarium in the basement (random) and ironically it is located in a former colonial palace in the 13th arrondisment. There is no museum in Paris, or anywhere in Franc which documents colonialism... which I find to be very strange since that has been such a huge part of their history, and even this immigration museum was not very large considering the role it has played in developing France as a nation, and the place it is today. I find all of this to be rather taboo as well to ask about... I have asked all three of my profs, and they all sort of say the same thing. That colonization and it's history is a touchy subject because it is sort of a source of shame, but also a strange source of nostalgia...which I find to be even more interesting. I hope that in the 30 page paper I am going to write at some point while I am here I can incorporate some of these things and these strange cultural and societal phenomenons. I am just so pleased to be here and studying what I am studying now since it will all come together for me in the future I am sure... maybe even while I am here. I will try to work through some of these ideas here, and in my own mind as well.
But I am so excited for this weekend, and even though I don't have any new pics, when I update next I will probably have some from this weekend... anyway. Lots to think about and mull over. I like being challenged in this way...
Bizou!
So the title of this says... "Tuesday, we don't have a name for Tuesday" which is a reference to when I tried to explain 'hump day' to my professor in the afternoon last wednesday... and did just didn't translate. Did I already write about that? I can't remember.
So not too much has happened since Sunday when I last updated, my blog but I did finish my essay on Sunday night (or rather Monday morning around 2am... which is an early night if I were at DPU but not here where I sleep a wonderful 7:30hours a night usually! But it is done, and I hope that I get an ok grade on it... they tend to grade harder here in France than in the USA and the grading scale is harder too... so we shall see.
But now I have a new professor in the mornings whose name is Dominque (but don't be confused he is a man... not sure why he has a girls name) and he is a professor of Sociology at a university in Paris. This is his first time teaching with IFE but he seems good, even though his had writing is illegible. Mac always used to apologize for having bad writing, but this guy is just absurd. You have to listen closely because anything he writes on the board is useless. But that is OK, it is good for my listening comprehension. Because he is a sociology prof we have spent the last two days talking about the history of a lot of the demographic issues and their origins in France. Which means we have spent a lot of time talking about the issues France faces currently in regards to immigration issues, which are also related to post-colonial issues which is exactly what I am interested in studying. We have talked about the struggles that France faces in democratizing higher education, and the issues generally of immigration in the past 30 years. A lot of the problems with immigration that France faces are similar to ones that we face in the United States. My prof said that there are only two countries in the world who have never really experienced large periods of emigration and only faced immigration: France and the USA. This is very interesting to me, since often our response in the US (until recently with the influx of Mexicans) has been to call the USA a "melting pot" of cultures blending together... where as the French response has often been to become over protective of their specifically French Culture. I am not sure what to think of this... and in my afternoon class we have been talking about the issue of the "le grand debat sur l'identite national" which has also been very interesting. I imagined this debate initiated by the president after his election in 2007 would serve to open up the discussion about the diversity in France, an how many people from many cultures have come together to live in France, and to be French to everyone means something a little different. But in fact this large debate inspired a lot of racism and hatred... which sadly didn't actually surprise me when I heard it... there is a lot of Xenophobia here... even though most of the people that the people of European decent fear are really French by 2 or 3 generations... it is really a fascinating quandary, which I have enjoyed hearing about, and am still not sure what to think about it all. And there are so many paralells to the fears that people have in the united states... It is all a lot to take in and process, but I am going to ask Anne this weekend what she thinks... maybe she can help me process some of the post-colonial stuff.
Then today, we only had class for an hour this afternoon, and we went to the Cite de l'Immigration. It was rather an interesting place. It is a museum about immigration in France for the past 200 years... but there is also an aquarium in the basement (random) and ironically it is located in a former colonial palace in the 13th arrondisment. There is no museum in Paris, or anywhere in Franc which documents colonialism... which I find to be very strange since that has been such a huge part of their history, and even this immigration museum was not very large considering the role it has played in developing France as a nation, and the place it is today. I find all of this to be rather taboo as well to ask about... I have asked all three of my profs, and they all sort of say the same thing. That colonization and it's history is a touchy subject because it is sort of a source of shame, but also a strange source of nostalgia...which I find to be even more interesting. I hope that in the 30 page paper I am going to write at some point while I am here I can incorporate some of these things and these strange cultural and societal phenomenons. I am just so pleased to be here and studying what I am studying now since it will all come together for me in the future I am sure... maybe even while I am here. I will try to work through some of these ideas here, and in my own mind as well.
But I am so excited for this weekend, and even though I don't have any new pics, when I update next I will probably have some from this weekend... anyway. Lots to think about and mull over. I like being challenged in this way...
Bizou!
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