Rain and Bordeaux

From the 26th-28th I went to Bordeaux in South-West France with another assistant, Emily. We had a great time and really enjoyed each others company. Traveling is always ten times better when you go with someone you enjoy and who travels in the same style as you. We walked absolutely everywhere we went. Who needs public transportation when you have two working feet? Unfortunately, it rained quite a bit so we had two wet feet but that's okay. Pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Famous theater in center city.


Beautiful, posh hotel across from the theater.



The Garonne runs through the city. They have a boardwalk along the river and also workout equipment so you can workout in front of all the runners and walkers. Weird.

Emily in front of a statue that is proudly displayed at the Musee Des Beaux Arts. I don't think they should be so proud of that one....


Inside of Andre's Cathedral. The stained glass is absolutely magnificent. Unlike Nantes, there wasn't bombing in Bordeaux during the war so the majority of the windows are still intact. Unfortunately, this was the only church we got to see. The rest of the churches that Bordeaux is famous for, were closed. On Sunday. I thought churches were supposed to be open all day every day? We were quite disappointed.


Part of the outside of the cathedral. The bells are in a separate tower because they found that ringing the bells loudly caused cracks in the church's walls.


A typical street. Bordeaux has lots of random medieval structures like the one at the end of the street.


Place de la Bourse. Not sure why the picture is blue/green.

The Roman Amphitheater we visited right before heading back to Nantes. Unfortunately, they tore down quite a bit of it at the beginning of the 20th century to build more houses.


And just a random example of how French people like to use English words but they don't get advice from native speakers. I don't think Wizz Club is the best name ever....I wonder if they only serve lemon lime drinks and everyone has to wear yellow?

And yes, of course, I enjoyed a glass of Bordeaux while I was there :). I thought wine would be a huge deal but it's actually just like the rest of France.

Overall opinion: It was a fun change but nothing beats Nantes!

For more information on Bordeaux, here is the Wiki site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux

***Christmas In France*** Take 2

Marco, Hugo, and Uncle Patrick having fun with Papy Henri's hats (Papy is what grandfathers are normally called - Marco calls him Papiri though).

Camille torturing poor Grisette. She had that green garlande around her neck for quite awhile. Eventually she went outside and was able to shake it loose.

The 'aperitif' (before dinner appetizers and drinks). We had foie gras (you can see the plate is empty - quite good!), champagne, and jello! (L-R: Jacinthe, Papy Henri, Aunt Framboise, Alexis)

The big meal is on Christmas Eve. We had Tajine, a Moroccan plate, which was DELICIOUS. (L-R: Jacinthe, Camille, Simon, Me, Marco, Uncle Patrick, Aunt Framboise, Alexis, Aunt Burge)


There were a lot of firsts for this Christmas. Add escargot and oysters to the list. Simon and I had to countdown together because we were a little skeptical..... (L-R: Camille, Simon, me)On Christmas morning. Evidently they put their gifts on their shoes!

I was surprised with gifts from everyone which I was not expecting at all. It was so nice and made me feel special (and spoiled!).

Looking at the collection of pictures from the past few days before everyone left (Front: Hugo, Alexis, Patrick, Jacinthe, Framboise 2nd Row: Simon, Marco, Burge, Papy Henri, me Missing: Camille and Pascale - she did a good job of avoiding most pictures!)

Well, there are some Christmas pictures so you can see how I spent. my Noel a la francaise :).

*Also a huge thank you to all of you who sent me letters, packages, emails etc. It wasn't the easiest being away from home for Christmas but all of you made it very special for me and everything was appreciated so much. I hope all of you had a blessed Christmas!*

***Christmas In France***

I spent Christmas with Marco's family in 'La Lande.' It is a little (I mean LITTLE) village an hour south of Nantes. All of the 'Bescher' side of the family got together at his grandfather's. We went on Wednesday and left late on Christmas day. It was a great opportunity for me to get to know Marco's family better and of course also to practice my French! I hardly spoke any English in that 60hr. time frame. Marco's one aunt is an English teacher so I was able to learn a lot of little tricks from her in order to improve my French. Well, as usual, I am going to share my Christmas via pictures because I think that is always better than reading a book.


Aunt Donna surprised me with this awesome package! I got it right before leaving for La Lande. I already read the book (it was awesome!), the Andes, the popcorn, and the goldfish are already gone and I'm working on the delicious cinnamon sugar pecans! Don't worry, I had a lot of help from Marco's family. I've never seen food eaten so fast in my life!


Marco and I matched in our blue Ralph Lauren shirts.

Putting together the Christmas tree and starting to get decorations out. We decorated on Wednesday and tore it down on Friday. (Me, Marco, Camille, the legs of Hugo, and the back of Alexis).

Camille and Alexis playing a game at the table while Marco made Jello - one regular one for the kids and one that had vodka mixed in for the adults. Alexis couldn't resist but smell the vodka jello.

Playing Petit Bac (aka Scatergories) with almost all the cousins (L to R: Me, Marco, Hugo, Camille). Marco and I won :).

JOYEUX NOEL!

Merry Christmas everyone! I took lots of pictures to share with you. I am heading to Bordeaux tomorrow for a quick 2 night trip, so I promise pictures from Christmas and Bordeaux when I'm back.

Blessings to you all!

McDonald's is very faggy.

Tonight I went to dinner with Marco, Pascale, and Camille, Marco's brother. Marco treated us to the same Moroccan restaurant that he took me to for my birthday, which is really delicious. We loved the food and had some good franco-american conversation. During this time, I was explaining the difference between greasy and fatty (they use one word, 'gras,' for both). Camille misheard me and thought I said 'faggy' and not 'fatty.' You probably already know what happened because of the title. Camille is always good for a laugh! He is quite unlike Marco so it's fun to see the difference. Here are some photos from tonight.

Goofy Camille!

Camille and Pascale - I think they look very similar just Camille has darker coloring.

Me: French smiles!!!

Marco: NO! We need to do American smiles.
Me: Why?
Marco: Because you look better.
Me: So you think I'm ugly with a French smile????
Marco: No comment.

Pascale did a good job of catching the exchange.

The re-take with American smiles (American smiles = with teeth showing, French smiles = without).

CHRISTMAS IS HERE!

Well, I thought I still had one more day to go before break but I was wrong! Nantes almost never gets snow and I woke up this morning to a light dusting (about a centimeter) on the ground. It may be cold but it's very pretty! I went to the bus stop to go to school when someone passed me and informed me that public transportation had be canceled. I called the school to see if I needed to figure out a way to get there and they said nope - no one was really there. FIESTA! I did have to laugh that so many things are currently canceled because of such a minute amount of snow. I guess it's worse in France when your cars are the size of go-carts....

I also had my last French class for the semester on Wednesday. It was a Christmas party with the other classes that met at the same time. It was fun but sad to say goodbye too - I know I won't see most of those people ever again since they're only in France for the semester. Here's a picture of 1/4 of the class from Wednesday:


My prof is the girl in the middle with a blue sweater on (Priscilla). Countries that are represented in this picture: The US, England, Mexico, Romania, Italy, Germany, China, France and Spain. There were also students in my class from Poland, the Czech Republic, Taiwan, Iceland, Russia, Whales and probably others that I currently can't remember....

Well, Happy Friday!

I Wish I Had Had My Camera....

So, my Monday morning started off the usual way - reading, a little Tony Horton p90x to keep my muscles going, breakfast, grocery store etc. I don't have to leave until 12 so it really gives me time to get some stuff done.

So I get to work after my lazy morning, to see students milling about as usual outside the lycee. But sitting. With blankets. What IS this? I thought to myself. I walked down the path to the high school to see lots of little baby trees blocking the entrance of the high school along with along with big wooden skids. Super. Just how was I supposed to get inside? And where is my camera when I need it? Thankfully some of my star students were kind enough to show me where I could go in.

All of this to stay the students were on strike. I think there might have been 50/1,100 students present today. I had a big fat ZERO number of students. There is currently a reform trying to be passed by the government which would make their already complicated school system even more so. In order to show their disgust, what do French people do? They strike. Always. You don't think you're getting paid enough? You strike. You think the room you work in is ugly? Strike. You don't want to pay 400 euro instead of 300 euro a year for college? You strike (universities were shut down for months in some cities last year for this reason). You get the picture. The French know how to strike, and they pass along this OHHHH-so-wonderful tradition to their children. Yes, hopefully you more than sense the exaggeration in that statement.

Fortunately, me going wasn't all in vain, I got to talk to teachers, helped correct some tests and just hung out. I was required to be there, otherwise I wouldn't get paid. It was a good experience. Just lucky for those students that I'm not their real teacher or else they'd get a 0% on their homework for that day. French teachers are too nice. Maybe that's the answer. Or maybe just because they're French.

P.S. Can you imagine parents in the US letting their kids skip school to go on strike. I can just hear the laughs of my parents as they shove me out the door to the school bus.....

C'est Noel, Joie Sur la Terre

Inside view of one of the markets.


Un 'Tete au Chocolat et Coco' = homemade marshmallow covered in chocolate and coconut = DIVINE!


A human statue which always attracts crowds. This isn't very common in France - go to Italy and you'll see them everywhere!

Cauldrons of vin chaud (hot wine). Shaun and I can attest to its grossness but most French people think it's delicious.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Noel.....

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure!

One of the three main 'Marche de Noel' aka Christmas Market.


I think this is pretty with the fountain and the carousel/church in the background.


There are Christmas lights like this all over the center part of the city. There are also currently lots of people out doing shopping or taking strolls, which is reflective of the season.


Marco's mom and I stopped by his apartment for a bit. This is the view from his apartment. It's very pretty at night.



The restaurant we went to for his birthday last weekend. Shows more of the Christmas spirit in Nantes.

Tengo Problems Maintenant

Well, from what I have learned from @JonTennent's blog, the shorter the post, the better. Not exactly sure if I totally agree with the philosophy but here is one to stick with that viewpoint.

Topic at hand: multiple languages. My brain is becoming more and more confused by the day. When speaking in English, I will accidentally say things in French (i.e. Ohh, I can't buy that, it's trop cher - ummm, I mean expensive.) But then there are cases where I am speaking in English and the French expression or word just seems so much better so I purposefully throw that in there instead (i.e. 'Ca c'est fait..' which means 'That's done' but in a much more universal manner.). Or, the random times I'm speaking in French and a Spanish or English word slips out. Thanks goodness the words are normally similar.

Oh, and my SPELLING. Atrocious. I have resorted to typing things in Word and seeing if it is underlined in dotted red OR just using abbreviations. Does apartment have one p or two? Apartment, appartement, apartamento. Who knows. Apt. it is.

And lastly, sentence structure. Talking to Marco a few weeks ago, I said "Oh yea, I go often to the store." After it spilled out of my mouth, I was in shock. A native English speaker starting to speak like a Frenchie, putting the adverb right after the verb (go figure).

So warning to you all, if I come back to the US and you think I sound like a skipping disk, just put up with me for a few months until I get me Broca's area straightened out in my brain.

A la prochaine!

French Education

The French education system is known world wide for being rigorous and very challenging at all ages. I seriously call into question this reputation. But before I go into that, I am going to start with some basic differences between the US and France in regard to education.

The French start school at the age of 3. I am not sure if this is 'preschool' in the eyes of Americans, but it is required. They end school at the same age as Americans, 18. The break up of grades is different as well: Maternelle (3-6ish), Primaire (aka Elementary School -6-11ish), College (aka Midde School -11-15ish, so there are 4 grades), and Lycee (aka High School 15-18ish, so three grades). I am going to focus on 'lycee' since that is where I am and what I know best.

The average day for a student looks like this (Except Wednesdays, they always have a half day on Wednesday):
Start class at 8 or 9
Break from 9:55-10:10
More class
2 hour lunch break
Class again
Break from 3h55-4h10
Class until 5 (6 at the very latest)

Why I say that is the 'average' day, it is because this schedule changes everyday for the students, and for the teachers. Students and teachers come and go according to when they have classes. For students it normally adds up to about 7ish hours of classes a day and teachers normally have about 16 classes a week (so about 3/day - not bad, huh?).

So now I am going to start my criticism. Not only are teachers rarely at school but they don't have office hours either, so it's impossible for students to get help outside of class. If a student is struggling, they either have to hire a tutor outside of class or just flounder for the rest of the year. I can't even count how many times I saw teachers during office hours during middle school and high school. That time was so valuable to me in order for me to be the best student I could possibly be. If teachers did NOT have office hours in the US, there would be an uproar since it obviously hinders education. Not only this, but teachers AND students switch classrooms every class, so it's not like the teachers have their 'room' where students can always find you for a quick 2 second question. I also think it makes teaching much more difficult when you have to spend all that time packing up, moving to the next class etc. This also means that your teaching materials must be very portable, limiting your activities. There aren't computers in every room either.

The teachers have a 'teacher lounge' plus some other smaller rooms where they stay between classes. In the main room there are little lockers for all the teachers to keep their things. If the students have something they need to give to a teacher they knock on the door and ask whomever answers to put it in their cubby. Unfortunately, the teachers find this INCREDIBLY annoying and half the time no one answers the door. Whenever I hear it, I answer it, even if it's harder for me to understand French than the French teachers....

Anyway, since students have this 'very hard, long days' they get very little homework - maybe an hour maximum a night. And also, from what I've seen in classes, not very much is demanded from the students. They work in trimesters and maybe there are 4 grades maximum for the students per trimester which include tests and quizzes. Homework is never checked and if they don't do it, the teachers might even give them time in class to complete it. Can you imagine that in the US? Yea, right!

During their junior/senior year they take the 'bac' which is like the SAT in the US. This is in order to graduate and depending on your score, determines if you can go to an upper level university. It is different than the SAT in that almost every subject is covered. I might hand it to them that this one is a little more difficult.

Overall, I am unimpressed. I think my schooling was much more vigorous than what I see. Granted I went to a somewhat elite high school and this is a very average one, but even so, if the French educational system is supposed to be that amazing, shouldn't they be at least equal?

Footnote: I don't want to give you the impression that I am unhappy where I am. It's quite the contrary! I love it and am lucky to be at my lycee. This was only to further discuss France vs US and to also vent a little bit :)

What I'm Thankful For: Public Transportation

I don't know why I find public transportation so interesting here...maybe because it's terrible in the US so it's something novel to me. Public transportation is encouraged in France because it is better for the environment (there's a reason why France has one of the lowest carbon emission rates in the world) and thus they make it economical as well. For example, for people between the age of 20-26, a pass costs 30 euro for one month (for ALL forms). BUT, not only that, if you use public transportation to go to and from work, your job must reimburse you half. So in the end, I pay 15 euro a month for transportation. Not bad, eh? It isn't even comparable with the cost of having a vehicle for maintenance and gas. Personally, I use public transportation at least twice a day, but normally more. Here are the different kinds of public transportation:



There are 3 tram lines in Nantes. I have to take this to get to my French classes 2/week.

The Navibus: there are 2 rivers in Nantes so this is practical for those that must cross it to get to work. I took it once just for a little tour of the river :).

The Busway is similar to the tram line in that it stops at every single 'stop' and has it's own personal path, like a tram would have. I use this very often because it's right next door to Marco's (his building is the one shown on the left). This line goes to a bus depot in St. Sebastian (where I live).

This is a typical bus. The one I take is actually twice as long (kinda like the busways shown above). You must push a button for the driver to stop at certain places. I think that's how they work in Lancaster as well. I take this to and from work everyday, and also when there isn't a TER at the time I want. What's a TER you ask? Well, you're about to find out!



The TER is a regional train. It makes stops in cities that are on the outskirts of Nantes, like St. Sebastian. Quite conveniently the TER stop is literally a 3 minute walk from where I live and it only takes 5 minutes to get into the heart of the city via this kind of transportation.

Unfortunately, there are some downfalls to 'le transport public' as well:
1) Sometimes the buses they are early or late - if they are early, you might miss your bus, if they are late, good luck with getting to where you need to be on time!

2) During the day, the frequency of public transportation is pretty good, but at night, you have to plan around when your tram/busway etc. is leaving because otherwise you will be standing at the stop for a long time....

3) the TER stops at 9pm so this means, to get back to St. Seb, I must take a tram to a bus depot and then take the bus back. It takes 2 or 3 times longer.

4) It takes longer in general. For example, a car ride to where the Grove City house is would take 15 minutes. On public transportation, it takes closer to an hour. This isn't always the case, it just so happens that it's like that. At other times, it's faster to take public transportation. It all depends.

5) And lastly, and most importantly, STRIKES. French people LOOOVEEEE to strike. Well, news flash for them, I don't like it. When they are on strike, this means either there is no public transportation at all, or there is only one every few hours. Since I've been here I think there have been close to 5 strikes (with only one being major and over a few days). They are ridiculously annoying and disrupt the lives of everyone. And, let's say you have a great trip planned to Greece and you need to take the train to Paris, to fly out of Paris. Good luck during a strike. Consider that trip canceled.

So, there are obviously the pros and the cons for public transportation, but in the end, I'm a big fan. It's cheaper, more ecological, and quite practical.

But, I still miss my car.

Pink, It's the Color of Passion.

I was hoping to figure out how to get Aerosmith's song 'Pink' to play while posting, but I don't know how. So you'll just have to open it on YouTube and listen to it at the same time. WARNING: the music video is REALLY weird and slightly inappropriate, so I suggest just using it for background noise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLRLhV9U0kQ&feature=related

So, this past Saturday, Marco and I went to his friend, Fred's house for an 'apartment warming party.' Unfortunately for Fred, the girl who was in the apartment before as given the freedom to paint it whatever color she wanted. Guess what color she picked? You got it. Pink. He calls it 'raspberry' so it seems a little more masculine.

He does have a good sense of humor though and his apt. warming party had a pink theme to go with the pink walls: pink drinks, pink plates, pink food, pink clothes etc. Unfortunately, I have NO pink so I was the only one that didn't have pink on. Marco's friends really lived it up and made their outfits as ridiculously pink as they possibly could. Enjoy the plethora of pink :).


Louis, the pink pirate.

Pauline was totally decked out in pink and was nice enough to lend me something, Jerome had awesome pink pants, Anna's hat was the hit of the night, and then of course the pirate. You can only see part of her but Celine used pink toilet paper as her jewelry.

Delphine bought those stockings just for this night and I think Benji was trying to cover his face because he was ashamed of his pink.

Another group shot where you can see the toilet paper jewelry a little better.

Showing off our goods. Marco sported his pink Ralph Lauren clothes and made pink jello to share as well. They don't have jello in France. I made rice krispie treats but obviously they aren't pink.....



P.S. Guess what color his bathroom is painted?

Les Maisons Francaises (French Houses)

In this picture you can see a few things that are different than in the US, all having to do with the window. First, you can see that the window doesn't lift up like in the US, rather it opens inward with 2 doors. Second, you can see that there is no screen. In my opinion, this is SO annoying. You wouldn't believe the number of mosquito bites Marco had earlier in the school year, just because there are no screens (and he still argues that it's a good thing!). I partially lowered the 'vollets' or the shutters, for you to be able to see. When it's fully closed, the room becomes pitch black. You can raise and lower it with the bar that is on the left of the window. It is supposed to give privacy and safety. I understand safety but I still don't see how blinds are that much different! And lastly, you can see the curtains. These are typical French. They permit you to see out of your window, but it is very difficult to look into someone's home when they have this kind of curtain. You can also see the cat on the left playing with my post-it notes :).



Differences with the bed: Yes, I made my bed this morning, Mom! I just pulled it back to show you that something is missing, no worries. What is missing, you ask? The sheet. There are no sheets! You have the bottom sheet to cover the mattress and your comforter and that's it. Every comforter is covered with a duvet which they change as often as we change our sheets. You will also notice that the square is pillow. I have yet to see a rectangular pillow 'a la americaine.' This doesn't have to do with the bed, but you can see that there is an oriental carpet on my floor. I have not seen carpet in anyone's house. The floor is either linoleum, wood, or tile with rugs covering different parts.


Another exciting picture :). Here you can see that the door handles are different as well as the light switches. I am not sure if it was Marco or Ronan who said this to me (I'm thinking Ronan...), but when he came to the US he was surprised to see our door handles and light switches because they are considered to be out-of-date in France. You will also notice here how white it is, which you can also see in other pictures. There's lots of white here. Lots.Also, you might have to click on the picture to see this more clearly, but if you look closely at the wall it is textured. The French cover their walls in this special kind of wallpaper and then paint the wall paper. Some of the textures are HIDEOUS and others are quite pleasant like this one. Supposedly they think it hides marks etc. I think it's just as noticeable but we'll keep that a secret between you and me.


Here you also see the whiteness but you also see the oven. It looks like an American toaster oven but it's actually a small oven. I have not yet see a 'normal' oven. They don't understand why we need a huge oven. It is only necessary to cook enough food for the family for one night, which this oven sufficiently does. Their stove tops are electric and built into their counter-tops (with 4 burners). I have eaten so much wonderful French food from this oven!


The bathroom. No, it's not the most pleasant picture ever but it's just to demonstrate the differences. So, what's missing? Good job for those of you who said sink. You are obviously the ones who wash your hands. Everyone else, never touch me please (jk! kinda...) So, the sink is in the 'salle de bain' (bath room - literally) and the toilet is in the 'toilette' room. I am not sure why they keep them separate but they do. You can't see this in the picture, but there are also two buttons on the top of the toilet. I don't think I need to explain the reasoning for that one.....


Well, there is a quick tour of some things you might see that are different in French homes, if you are ever blessed with the opportunity to come!