Las Aventuras en España

So currently, I am in Alicante, Spain. I decided to take this holiday to clear my head and recharge my batteries. I needed some of the 'three s's'....Sun, Sand, and Surf. The last few days I have been sight-seeing, basking in the sun, and generally enjoying my time here.
It is a little bit difficult travelling alone, but I have managed. The downsides generally are eating alone at restaurants, and having to take only 'myspace' photos of yourself because you do not have a friend to take them for you. However, there are a lot of reasons I have enjoyed travelling alone as well. For instance, I can decide what I want to do everyday, (which generally is lay out on the beach and read...)and I really feel a sense of accomplishment in that I came to a completely new country by myself, and managed.
My Spanish is...well...basic. I have taken two years at university, but of course it is difficult because it is not my main focus. Still, I have gotten on surprisingly well. The odd thing is that I have a hankering to speak French, because for me it is easier! Maybe this will make it easier to go back to France on Wednesday.
I came to Spain at the perfect time. Last week was 'Semana Santa' or Holy Week. I was able to see the 'pasos' or giant floats depicting saints and Jesus's life. Spain is incredibly rich in culture, and I am happy to have had the opportunity to witness a part of it.
I have two more months in France coming up, and I feel confident that I can do it! I hopefully travel a bit more now that classes are finishing up. I am starting to look forward to these few months!

A Rough Patch

So, I apologise for not writing for awhile. I am exhausted. I am going through a little bit of a hard time in France. Culture shock has seemed to hit me extremely late in the game. I think France is just wearing me out. I'll be honest here...I am super homesick.

Lately I have withdrawn into my room, and stopped doing anything social. I just don't have the energy or the drive. It is like some apathetic zombie. I know that this is just the situation I am in currently, living on a noisy hall in a 9x9 meter square room, and I will cheer up when I get back to the US. It has been almost 9 months in this country. Anyone who has lived abroad will tell you that life is difficult. An unknown culture and unknown language....its really hard!

Anyway, I am headed to Spain for my holidays. I hope that this time away from Amiens will help me recharge my batteries, and enjoy the rest of my time in France!

Hello to all my loyal followers! I apologise for not posting in such a long time. My computer exploded. Literally. It burst into flames. For some reason it started making an odd sound, then it started smoking and poof! Up in flames.

Anyway, life in and out of Amiens has been pretty exciting. Since the French love themselves some vacation time, I had a three week random February holiday. During this time I traveled to Preston to see friends and professors. It was very odd being in a town where I have lived, and sleeping on the floor of friend's flats. I felt like I should have been unlocking the door to my house and going back to my room!

It was really interesting to see some of my friends after nearly a year of living in France. Strangely enough, things have not changed much between us...in spite of some of them working, some of them being in their final year of uni, and others coming from their respective parts of France. We are still the 'French girls'.

I'll write another post as soon as I think of one, but for now I just wanted to provide a quick insight into what I have been doing lately!

Things I Miss

While I am really enjoying being here, I do have my days where I think about things that I miss at home...both in the US and the UK. Today is one of those days. I was thinking about the things that I miss most today. Things that are not necessarily available in France.
1. My family
2. My friends
3. My neighbourhoods, both in England and in the States.
4. Sushi
5. Being able to take the T anywhere in Boston
6. Skippy's Peanut Butter (They have it here, but it is soooo expensive)
7. The waterfront in Rhode Island
8. My yoga studio
9. Not living in a closet sized room
10. English Tea

As you can see, I get pretty homesick sometimes. However, there are so many things I appreciate about living in France as well. Anyone have any coping skills for homesickness?

Thoughts on Stereotypes

So obviously we know 'our' stereotype of the Frenchman...a dark-haired man, wearing a beret and striped shirt, fresh out of the boulangerie, and riding his bicycle home. We also know 'our' stereotypes as Americans...gravy-guzzling icons of stupidity. However, as Americans, we know that this isn't at all true about us...so why does this idea of the 'typical Frenchman' persist?

One thought I had was that, to Americans, France can represent this romanticized country where things haven't changed for awhile. I can vouch that this isn't at all true. The French people I know are as different as all of the Americans I know...and all of the English people I know. With globalization occuring, perhaps none of us are all that different. I know berets are popular with woman this winter in the US...and I know there are French kids out there who sing along to the Glee soundtrack. Maybe we really are just the same with different languages.

This doesn't mean that the variations in culture do not exist, bien sur que oui! (of course they do!) I have a hard time, as an American, adjusting to the fact that 2 hour lunch breaks are still popular, and EVERYTHING shuts between 12 and 2. However I think a French person would have trouble adapting to bits of our culture as well.

My point is, while we emphasize the differences in culture, maybe the truth is that we are actually quite similar. But to be honest, I have seen French men with berets, carrying baguettes...So maybe our stereotypes are based in a tiny bit of fact :P

Un Petit Emploi

For those of you who don't speak French, the title means 'A Little Job'. You heard right, kids, I have managed to obtain employment in France...I have done the IMPOSSIBLE!! To be fair, I am not sure if I am paid or not, and it is only a few hours a week, but I am more excited about the experience.

France is notorious for being a difficult country to find employment as a non -EU foreigner. Most people resort to teaching English, on a TEFL or assistantship program. Even then, the stakes are really high, and getting a job is very competitive. Options for Americans seem to fall under 'au pair' or 'English assistant'

Luckily, because I am at university here, things are a little bit easier. Also, I am not blindly looking for a job that requires immigration status, which makes things A LOT easier. I volunteered when the DAI asked if anyone was interested in employment.

Let me explain. The DAI is the 'Direction des Affaires Internationales' at UPJV. This is basically the international office. What I am going to be doing is trying to entice people to go on a year abroad. I will be at a stand and will be able to answer any questions about ERASMUS or ISEP programs.

This could be a really big step for me. For one, I will be speaking in French to mostly French people. I have been here for seven months, but that does not mean that it is not nerve wracking to go out on a limb and speak to native speakers. Also, it is going to keep me occupied. While I go to classes almost daily (Wednesdays are free!) I find myself in my room (often blogging!) and trying to figure out something to do. This will get me out there, and might be a way to meet new people! Who knows what this has in store for me.

I am looking forward to gaining the experience, and practicing my French even more.

PS. Check my flickr account this week, I am headed to Paris for the day, and I want to take a lot of photos!

My Favourite French Words

I think it is pretty obvious that I love the French language. Today I thought it would be fun to post a few of my favourite words....I have no idea why I have a desire to do this. And it is my blog, so I will.
1. Parapluie--Umbrella (para plew eee)
2. Carrament--Tell it to me straight (carr ah mant, with the wonderful, gutteral French 'R')
3. Crêche--Nursery (cresh, I like the circumflex accent)
4. Incroyable--Incredible (en kroy ab leh)
5. Couette--Comforter (Coo ette)

Don't hesitate to post your very favourite French and English words...I'll be curious to find out!

Family Matters

I have had an interesting couple of weeks. After my ridiculous battle with 'la grippe' (the flu) I went almost directly to Metz to visit some 1st years and my French lecturer from UCLan. While it was wonderful to show my lecturer what I had learned in 6 short months here, the special thing about this trip was that I got to stay with a host family.

My 'host sister' was called Léonie, and she studies in Metz. I got to stay with her mother, father, brother and two cats. They could not have been more welcoming...and they did everything they could to help me experience 'French family life'. One evening we sat down and Léonie's father taught me about French wines and cheeses, and another afternoon we had a raclette lunch. I also watched French films, and walked around the city with my host mother. It was a lot of fun. Léonie and I are keeping in touch, so I hope we can see eachother soon!

Another awesome thing that happened this week...my father came to visit. It has been wonderful showing him the city that I call 'home' right now. The difficult thing has been translating! My father does not speak French, so of course I have been back and forth between French and English. An interesting moment was when I was speaking to two of my friends in the hall of my residence (in French), and I introduced my dad to them. I was speaking French, and turned to my father to translate what one of my friends had said, and just continued speaking in French! Oops!

We walked through the cathedral, ate delicious meals, and I even enlisted him to help me clean up my room (he is a master...it looks 1,000 times better!). He has been here for a week, and he heads home tomorrow. I am a bit sad, but this trip has been really fun, and really helpful for my homesickness. I am really thankful he was here, and I got the opportunity to show him Amiens. I feel like my support network here in Amiens is finally is growing a little bit!

Being Sick in France...A SAGA.

I could tell you about the wonderfully amazing time I had with my family in Amsterdam and Bruges for Christmas. Or I could tell you about getting horribly sick afterwards. I think I am going to go for the second, because I think the French medical system is pretty interesting, and I feel like the thousands of pictures I took in Amsterdam and Bruges pretty much tell that story.

So. I woke up the last day in Bruges, in a cold sweat, and I knew something was up. Shaky and feverish, I somehow made it back to Amiens, taking the Bruges--Brussels--Lille Europe--Lille Flandres--Amiens route. I have no idea how. I vaguely remember getting on and off trains, but that is about it.

Once back in Amiens, I crawled into my bed for about 3 days straight. I didn't think about eating, I just made my way through cartons of apple juice, and paracetomol. I think I also made it through an entire season of Intervention.

Finally, I couldn't take being in my room anymore, and I thought a trip to the pharmacist would be a good idea. Armed with pastilles, paracetomol and aspirin, I thought I was ready to combat my flu. While the endless consumption of pills helped, I still needed to go to the doctor, because I had gone 5 days without eating, and I was too weak to really even move.

The doctor gave me a million prescriptions (as they do in France), including a prescription for a protein milkshake to drink because I couldn't get any solids in. Yum. The people at the pharmacy now know me by face, which is a bit offputting! Still, I am feeling a lot better, and I am glad the doctors and pharmacists were so helpful. I am also glad that I can now communicate what is wrong with me in French...that is a big leap! Now all I have to do is sort out this whole insurance thing...uh oh!