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Lately I have withdrawn into my room, and stopped doing anything social.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!

Just a quick update

Hi everyone,
I just got some feedback from my dad about my blog. Apparently it is pretty hard to access my flickr account. I have added an app to the left hand upper corner of my blog. It is a link to my account, so you can see all of my pictures (my residence's firewall does not allow me to post pictures to my blog, so I set up the flickr account instead) So just click on that and keep up with my adventures!

Nous sommes ensemble, et je suis contente.

So, I got the greatest Christmas present ever yesterday. After an insane trip for all of us, my dad finally arrived in Amsterdam, and we had dinner together. Everything that could go wrong with this trip, has. Flights have been delayed several times, passports have not been up to date, suitcases have been lost. It doesn't matter thought. My family is together for the first time in about 6 months. It might not seem like a long time, but being together is a rarity. I live in France/England/Boston, and my brother has settled near Philadelphia. Being in Amsterdam together is truly magical. Our family has our share of problems, but we have put them aside to enjoy being together. It is wonderful.

Finally with the Fam!

My Christmas plans have not gone according to my plans, however I am overjoyed today! I am sitting here in Amsterdam, in the hotel, with my mom and my brother. They are both sleeping (jet lag of course...) It has definitely been an interesting, and exhausting, few days.

I started out early Monday morning, checking the bus website repeatedly, waiting to see if the buses would be running. Sadly, due the 3 feet of snow outside, the buses could not. However, the trains were still moving. I was determined to get to the train station in time for my train to Brussels. So I walked. I live 3 miles away from the train station. Let me say this just one more time for clarity. I walked 3 miles in snow that came up to my knees. With my suitcases. That is dedication to travel!

I got to the train station in one piece, got on my train to Lille, and hopped on a train to Brussels. Well, that last part isn't quite true. I attempted to hop onto the train, but it was so crowded due to the late trains, that I squeezed on. I stood in the corridor for the hour long train ride....but finally...I made it!

I got to my hotel, and received a phone call from my parents. Apparently the snow had cancelled their flight. Dommage. I would have to be alone for another day. I decided that I would spend the day scoping out the city and I could be prepared for my mom and brother's arrival for the next day.

The next day started off with me slipping into a giant puddle of muddy street water. I had to walk back to the hotel, take a shower, and change. Afterwards, I made my second venture out into the city. Basically, it consisted of me walking in the general direction of the Grand Place and seeing what there was to see. It took me about four hours to walk there, because of the icy roads and my complete lack of directional sense. I ended up stumbling upon the Manneken Pis, a fountain of a little boy, well, having a wee. It is hugely famous in Brussels, and they dress him up in costumes all the time. Given the holiday period, right now he is dressed as Santa Claus.

I made my way to the Grand Place, and enjoyed the sights. I bought some chocolates for my family, since they were going to be arriving in the morning. When I headed back to the hotel, I expected to call my dad, and hear that my mom and brother were on their way.

That wasn't the call I got.

I got a quick call from my dad saying 'can I call you back? I am making some travel changes'. I switched to stress mode, realising that my family's travel plans had been canceled again, and dove into the box of chocolates I had bought for them. However things weren't as bad as they seem...my mom and brother would be taking a flight to Amsterdam...the second stop on our whistle stop tour of Europe.

I got up early this morning to catch a train to Amsterdam. After walking into the completely wrong address(seriously, why was it on our hotel's contact us page? It was ANOTHER HOTEL!), I made it to my room and saw my family. It was really really great. It is a rarity for us to be together nowadays, so I am very thankful for this trip, even if it has gone a bit wrong!!

I'll post pictures on my flickr account soon!!

Reflections

So here I am, at the brink of Christmas vacation, staring out my window at the pillowy white snow that has blanketed the ground here in Amiens. Today seemed like the perfect day to reflect on my accomplishments this semester.

After a tumultuous exam period, that resulted in me feeling not so well, I emailed my professor asking for advice. He thought that at this point, it would be a good time to look back and see how far I have come in such a short amount of time.

**This is in no way meant to be bragging, just a way to review my successes.

1. I have settled in here. I have even started calling Amiens 'my city'. I came into this year assuming that I would stay here for a year, learn the language, and leave. I didn't think that I would end up having such an emotional connection, and pride for such a small city in the north of France.

2. I have really pushed my boundries to speak French. In England, I would speak French with a few of my friends, but it was only with a select few. I definitely wasn't comfortable speaking French with strangers. Now I have conversations with the chemists, the lady at the till, the doctor, and my French friends. I honestly didn't think that I would be as 'fluent' (and I still use this term a bit loosely...) as I am now. It is pretty easy to speak French without thinking 'conjugate this -er verb in the correct tense, use the correct article, then add the noun.' It is much more like 'j'ai mangé du pain hier.' (I ate some bread yesterday...which is true.) While I am not fluent, sentences come out much more fluidly.

3. I have a bit of a 'wellness' routine. While things here can be pretty crazy, with the strikes, and the differences between UK and French universities...It can be pretty stressful. However I have learned a few things that make me feel a bit more relaxed. For example, I pick up my 'Courrier Picard', a few times a week, and I attempt to read it. If I am super stressed I will walk through the city, taking time to pass the cathedral. It is a little bit of a reminder of the beauty here, and it always makes me feel better.

4. I have traveled until my arms have nearly fallen off from carrying suitcases. I really feel lucky to have had the opportunity to see parts of France that I never would have seen if I hadn't decided to do French as my degree. I got to experience the arrival of St. Nicolas in a tiny town in the Vosges, and I have seen every type of Christmas market out there. This has all been done while improving my language skill, because I have stayed in France. I actually counted today the number of cities I have visited in France, and the grand total is 17! That is more than the amount of cities I have visited in the UK, and I have lived there for two years! I feel like I have truly been given such a wonderful opportunity to see a country and all its different cultures.

5. I have developed a taste for wine. This might not seem like a big deal, but the French are so proud of their wine and cheese, and I often joked that I would be the worst Frenchwoman ever...because I detested wine, cheese, and charcuterie. Still, I have been trying to expand my palate and try new things that I wouldn't have chance to if I were in the States or in England.

6. I have learned to decode some French 'argot' or slang. I now understand what people mean when they say 'mon pote' or 'ma puce'. These little things I can sometimes sprinkle into familiar conversation so I do not always sound like I am giving a formal speech!

7. I kept myself from making friends with just English speakers. Sure, a lot of my friends do speak English, but I have definitely made an effort to speak more French than English in daily life.

8. Just in general, I have made some amazing friends from all around the world, and I feel so lucky to have found them! This wouldn't have been an accomplishment, usually....but I had to do it all in French! That is a big deal. Nonetheless, I am so happy I have gotten to know these people, and they have enriched my life.

So I leave you with those thoughts of mine. Hopefully it didn't come off as bragging, as that was not my intention. I guess I just wanted to make the point, that just as little as 4 months in another country can really mould a person, and make them grow.

Joyeuses Fêtes!

I don't look like a hippie anymore!

I have been here nearly four months now. You would think that I would be able to speak rather fluently, right? Well, this is true, some of the time, for example, I can get myself through any situation at the train station, or ask teachers about exams...but there was one scenario I had not encountered until today, and honestly, I was DREADING it.

The day finally came where I needed a haircut. My hair was getting so long and scraggly that it could knot itself without being touched. I avoided getting a haircut for so long, I even decided to cut my own fringe. That was a complete and total fail. It just looked like I took a pair of scissors and blindly chopped away...which, essentially, is what I did.

The reason I was so afraid of going to the hairdresser was that I do not have the vocabulary to describe exactly what I want. One wrong word and I could have been sporting a very unflattering flapper's bob. However, today I took the step, and made an appointment.

I went into the center of town to a place that has reasonable prices, and seemed pretty reputable. When I got inside, it was almost as if I forgot the entirety of the French language. The woman seemed to sense my nervousness and handed me some books with hairstyles in them. I leafed through them, and when I was ready, I pointed to a picture, tried to explain that I wanted it a bit longer than the photo, and mimed and pointed to my hair quite a bit. I also attempted to apologise for the scraggliness, but I think that got lost in translation. I also completely lied and said 'a friend' cut my hair because I was super embarrassed about it.

So I took a deep breath, and let her snip away. At the end, she dried my hair, and I was incredibly surprised. My miming/basic French seemed to actually work! My new French hair cut is super cute!

Now, I have a new set of vocabulary from my trip to the hairdressers: Degrader--to layer, bayalage--highlights, frange--bangs. I'll be ready to go for the next time!

Check out my new look on my flickr account!

I am officially sick of trains.

Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted anything, this month has been incredibly hectic! I cannot believe that the holidays are nearly here, and I will have been in France for 4 months...that is definitely a scary thought. There are days here that just seem to drag on and on, and then there are days where I realise that 4 months have gone by incredibly quickly. The good news is, I am really enjoying being here, and I don't want the time to go by any quicker!

So anyway, onto news. I have been travelling a lot this month. I counted, and I have been on 18 trains in the last month. That is just RIDICULOUS. I have become really good at entertaining myself in train stations by people watching, or just going for walks around the towns when I find myself stuck somewhere for hours.

I went down south to visit my friend Jemma in Lyon for a weekend. It was lovely. Lyon is a beautiful town with so much to do. It was a bit daunting for a two day stay, so mainly we just focused on being together and catching up. It had been 6 months since I'd seen her, so even if I was in Lyon, we definitely needed a girly film night. We did, however get out, and see the Lumière Museum, as well as a nice walk around the centre part of the city. When we went out for a drink, I was surprised at how many Irish or English pubs there were in Vieux Lyon. Everyone there spoke English! I guess the English caught wind of how beautiful Lyon is, and decided to move. Of course, the one weekend I was there, it decided to downpour in Lyon, and be sunny in Amiens...figures...I had a wonderful time anyway.

This weekend was when the majority of my train rides happened. I took three trains to get to Raon L'Etape to see Emily, as well as three trains back. However, on Saturday, we went to Strasbourg for the infamous Christmas Market (This was four trains, two there, two back...) Strasbourg was absolutely gorgeous. It is the perfect mixture of French and German culture, and there is so much to do. Of course, I felt a little bit of pride when I went, because the city of Strasbourg is twinned with Boston. Both cities have similar winters...absolutely FREEZING. I looked at the weather forecast the night before, and Strasbourg was the coldest place in France at -5 degrees (celsius...I don't know the conversion). However, we bundled up, and met with two of Emily's friends when we got there. The cold did hit me like a ton of bricks, but after awhile, and a few sips of mulled wine, I felt considerably warmer.

The market itself was enormous, spanning the entire city. There was so much to see, it is a bit of a blur in my head. Hundreds of stalls selling traditional fare, as well as plenty of gift ideas for family and friends. It was just mindblowing how many people were there. Needless to say, I have had my fill of mulled wine, crepes, and sauerkraut for awhile.

My trip home took close to twelve hours. We got an early start, so Emily could get to the airport on time. In Nancy, one of our stopovers, it started snowing. Her train was delayed, and while I boarded my train on time, it ran late because it couldn't go full speed. I had no intention of missing my train to Amiens and spending an extra few hours in Gare du Nord, so as soon as the train stopped, I legged it! I somehow made it in the metro, one stop from Gare de l'Est to Gare du Nord, through the corridors, and up the steps in less than 10 minutes. I literally sprinted towards my platform. Not an easy feat, considering I had a rolling suitcase with me! I would like to apologise if I accidentally hit any old people on my way to the train station...I am pretty sure I did. Not exactly a proud moment, but I was running late!

Anyway, this week is super hectic, I've been trying to prepare for exams and finish reports and projects that are due in next week. It is a bit overwhelming, but I will get through it. Then I will be rewarded with several train rides to go visit the family in Brussels, and spend Christmas in Amsterdam!

I've uploaded photos from Lyon, the Amienois Christmas Market, as well as my trip to Strasbourg...check them out!

C'est Thanksgiving Charlie Brown!

I will take off my iron-clad exterior, just for a moment, and show you all a side of my vulnerability, haha. I will admit, that on Thanksgiving this year, I was incredibly homesick. It hit me when I was eating alone in my room, in silence. At least I had prepared a nice meal for myself, but nonetheless, it was lonely, and it felt slightly pathetic. I longed to be with my family, eating turkey and reminiscing. Instead, I was stuck in a prison sized room, thinking about the French exam I had earlier...which seemed to be an extra kick in the knees.

While the actual Thanksgiving day sucked, I did have something to look forward to. Yesterday, I held a French version of Thanksgiving in my hall's kitchen. Luckily, it was potluck, so I didn't have to cook too much, but I did spend Friday baking pies with my Turkish friend Gulay. We made an apple pie and a sweet potato pie. Surprisingly, both came out really well! (Considering I didn't use recipes and guessed with the metric measurements)

Anyway, my French Thanksgiving turned out to be a blast. It totally cheered me up from the humdrum holiday I had on Thursday. I really should call it an Internation Thanksgiving, because all of my friends from around the world showed up. I had friends from Turkey, Germany, Latvia, Finland, China, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Poland! It is amazing when we are speaking French together, because we all sort of forget that we are from completely different parts of the world, and just enjoy ourselves. Last night we ate and drank and danced, and just had a really great time. I am thankful that I have this opportunity to meet new people from all over the world and have this experience in France!

Check my flikr for pics of Lyon and Thanksgiving!

The Question Everyone is Asking....

How is the food????

The answer is, well, delicious. There is more to it than that, however. When one thinks of French cuisine, thoughts of aging cheeses, foie gras, and garlicky snails still in their shells. While this is indeed a part of French cuisine, there are many different regional specialties that I have only recently learned about.

Starting in Picardy, well, to be honest, we aren't known for much in the culinary world. We have a few dishes of our own. First, we have ficelles picards, which are crêpes, filled with ham and gruyère and mushrooms, and finally covered with Bechamel. I have yet to try these, but they do sound tasty. We also claim to have invented the infamous 'French Macaron', however, I am not sure this is plausible, because we have a macaron here, and it is completely different to those that one sees in patisserie windows. The ones here are made with almond paste and are little golden mounds, rather than the sandwich macarons everywhere else.

In my French civiisation course we have gone over important foods region by region...so I have just decided to copy my notes here, just to make it easier.

Regions and their Cuisine (Starting from the North)
Nord-Pas-de-Calais----Moules Frites (Mussels and Fries)
Normandy----Apples, Pork, Oysters and Calvados
Brittany---Crêpes, Seafood
Paris--Mushrooms, and Brie
Bordeaux---Wine, of course!
Savoie---Tartiflettes and fondue
Alsace---Sauerkraut
Bourgogne or Burgundy---Escargot Dijon mustard,and foie gras (arguably the most stereotypically 'French' of all regions!)
Provence---Seafood, ratatouille, bouillabaisse

As you can see, France has such a vast array of different types of cuisines. Don't even get me started on cheeses and their regions! There are too many to count!

While there are so many different types of food in this country, there are stereotypes that are based in fact. Fact: French people love baguettes, and yes, they carry them under their arm on the way home. Fact: French people love cheese. Seriously, there are two aisles in my enormous supermarket dedicated to cheese. It makes my head spin whenever I walk through there...I don't know where to start! Fact: French people eat 'strange' things like horse, and pigs intestines. The French are much more hesitant to let things go to waste than we are, and aren't squeamish when it comes to eating something that would make an American cringe. I feel as thought because I am here, I should probably taste some of these things, even if I don't end up liking it. But yes, it is not surprising to see fully skinned rabbits, or sausages made from pigs intestines here. The one thing that makes me cringe a bit is 'Boudin Noir' or blood sausage. No thank you. I say no thank you to that in England, too.

So, I have learned how to correctly choose my baguette at the shop and I have tasted rabbit (kidney's intact) in a dijon mustard sauce. In the weeks coming up I would like to taste raclette (a cheese that is grilled fireside, and the melted bit is slowly scraped onto potatos and sausage...its name comes from the French verb for scrape, racler) I would also like to try andouillettes. In spite of all of the Anglophone people I have ever spoken to saying they taste horrible, I feel I should give it a go. Andouillettes are pigs intestines sausages, and in fact they are really popular around here and sold at all the street fairs.

I have this idea, that I will try any sort of new French food, and review it on here, if somebody suggests it. So, I would love to hear from you either in the comment box or send me an email!!

Also, keep an eye out at www.flickr.com/photos/ebamiens for photos from my upcoming trip to the so called 'Gastronomic capital of the World', Lyon.

Je fais 'Le Pont'

So, as it seems around the world, today is Armistice Day or Veteran's Day. While this day gives us a day to think about those who fought in battle or those who are serving today, it also gives us time to do....well...nothing. No school, no classes, what is a girl to do? Stay in her room all day watching reruns of 'Top Chef'? While I have selected that option before, I decided that today I would make a day trip up to Lille, the capital city of the northernmost region, Nord-Pas-de-Calais. This was especially fitting considering that Lille is the birthplace of France's former President and founder of the 'Cinquième Republique', or 'Fifth Republic'. Not to mention he was a powerful general in the fight against the Nazis in World War II. So...I hopped on a train, and headed up north. (Even more North than I am now!)

To be honest, I do not think the weather did this city justice. I think I spoke too soon in my last post, when complaining about the weather here. The rain and wind in Nord-Pas-de-Calais is nothing short of violent. There were several times I was slapped in the face with someone's runaway umbrella. I would really like to go back when the weather clears up, so that I can take a walking tour around the city, and see everything up close.

Luckily, the tourism office was open, and my friends and I went to find something to do on a 'jour férié', or national holiday. We assumed pretty much everything would be closed. However, we got lucky and found out that the tourist office runs bus tours every hour. Normally, riding around a city in a minibus isn't my thing, but it was cold and rainy and it seemed like a pretty great option. So, I saw most of Lille's most interesting sites (including Charles de Gaulle's birthplace) in a comfy warm 50 minute bus ride. The bus also had an audiovisual tour (which I listened to in French, of course) and I got to learn a bit about the city.

Although I was only there for 6 hours, I really enjoyed my daytrip, and I think it has whet my appetite to go back and see more. On my to do list are 'La Piscine', an art museum that is housed in an 1900's bath house, and a walking tour around Vieux Lille, the old city. I also feel as though I should give the regional dish, 'Moules Frites' 'Mussels and French Fries' a try, even if I am not particularly fond of shellfish.

I should mention that I have an EXTREMELY long weekend, this week. To be honest, my weekend has been the majority of the week. I do not have classes Wednesdays or Fridays, and by some freak act of nature, this national holiday, and my Spanish teacher's absence Monday, all fall into the same time frame. So I shouldn't really call it a 'weekend'. I should probably just call it a vacation. The French, however, have a name for this type of weekend. It is called 'Faire le Pont' or 'To make the bridge'. Usually what this means is that if there is a national holiday on a Thursday, someone will 'fait le pont', and make it a long weekend. In my case this was unintentional, but it did not stop my French friend Alicia from teasing me and saying 'tu vraiment fais le pont cette semaine!' or 'You truly are taking some time off this week, aren't you?'

I also want to add that my network here seems to block me from putting up any sort of photos in my blog. I have a flickr account, where you are all free to look at the pictures I have put up from my days here in Amiens, to my other travelling adventures! Enjoy! The website is http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebamiens/

à plus mes amis!

The England of France

As I write this, I am sitting in my tiny room, wrapped from head to toe in whatever blankets, sweatshirts, scarves and hats I could find. To be honest, I've got a scarf wrapped around my face, and a hat pulled down so far over my forehead, it is a bit hard to see the computer. So please excuse the typo's!
As my friend Naoma (catch her blog here )and I have been discussing, Picardie is truly the 'England of France'. ie. That it is cold, wet and windy most of the time. However, today is truly special.

Today is the first day I feel like my fingers are going to freeze off the second I go outside. I can truly tell that winter is coming.
It seems a bit strange, it feels like only yesterday I was dealing with suffocating heat of Boston during the summer, and now I am shivering indoors, while I watch the sky absolutly chuck it down outdoors. Not much of a transition. The last time I was this cold I was in Raon L'Etape, huddling under all of Emily's blankets for warmth.

This makes me a bit jealous of all of my friends who are living towards the south of France, towards Lyon. One of my friends said 'Oh it was great, we were sitting by the river last night drinking wine until 5 in the morning, and no one had to wear a jacket.' Another friend said 'Oh, it is a bit coldish here'. First of all, if anyone in Amiens were to go by the river and drink wine this time of year, not only would you be covered from head to toe in some sort of warm fabric, you probably would not be drinking the wine, as it had probably frozen by the time you got to the riverside. Oh I long for the days of 'coldish'.

However, this weather reminds me that Christmas...and my family are on their way! I have quite a few adventures coming up...First, in a couple of weeks, I am taking a weekend break from the cold, and heading down to Lyon to see one of my other English besties, Jemma. A few girly nights and some sightseeing should be good fun. Then, a few weeks after that, I am headed to Raon L'Etape (to freeze my butt off again!)and to see Emily. We are going to Strasbourg to see the legendary Christmas market! Finally, when winter holidays roll around, I will make my way to Belgium, where I will be spending Christmas with the family. We will be making a bit of a tour of Bruges, Bruxelles, and coming back here to Amiens, so they can catch the spectacular light show at the cathedral, and see 'my town'.

So, long story short, as much as cold weather sucks, it reminds me that there are definitely good things to come!

HELLO!!!! FINALLY!!!!

Ok, So....Apologies for not writing in my blog for nearly 3 MONTHS. I have been having issues with Blogspot and the internet since I got here. However, it seems to be working now, so keep your fingers crossed!
So updates updates updates!

I arrived here the first of September, ready and eager to start speaking French. And yes, I started speaking French almost immediately! We had a two week 'stage intensif' or a two week intensive French course. It was very interesting, and I got to meet a lot of the international students that have now become my friends! Plus, at the end of the stage, I got a pretty cool certificate, and an 'ez reader' version of 'Around the World in 80 Days'...Only appropriate considering the university is named after world famous author, and Amienois, Jules Verne.

The most challenging thing I have encountered so far was trying to decide which classes I was going to take. This process is vastly different than the process in the UK, where it is pretty much 'These are the classes you will be taking next semester...' Here in France, you can test out classes and see if you like them before fully registering. This came in handy when I decided to check out an Ancient Art history course that turned out to be a total snooze. I substituted it with History of Cinema, and two classes of Contemporary Art History. I am pretty satisfied with my schedule now, which includes 1 Spanish class, 2 French as a Foreign Language classes (similar to ESL in the States) 1 Photography class, and the aforementioned art history classes. Oh, and I am also taking Argentinian Tango, which is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

Life in France has not been especially easy lately. The French have been 'en grève' (on strike) for about a month now. This has caused major disruptions in public transport, trains, and there have even been fuel shortages. Not to mention the demonstrations that block off the streets! This is all due to a reform that Nicolas Sarkozy has been trying to put into place where the retirement age will be raised from 60, to 62. It seems a bit ridiculous as an American, who doesn't actually have a real retirement age, but I respect why they are a bit upset, and I respect their right to strike. However, it is definitely getting in the way of me getting to classes in centre ville, and that definitely frustrates me. I guess this is just a lesson in French culture, and a lesson in how to roll with the punches.

I did, however, get to travel a bit, to see one of my best English friends, Emily. She is posted as a teaching assistant in the middle of nowhere, in a tiny village called Raon L'Etape. While it is picturesque and quiet, I can understand her frustration in not being able to make friends in such a tiny village. Still, we spent a wonderful day in Nancy (about 50 minutes away by train) and then explored the market in Raon L'Etape. It was wonderful to catch up (and hear a Northern accent!)

I can assure you my French is slowly but surely improving. My comprehension has skyrocketed, and I can understand almost anything if the speaker anunciates! The goal now is to get my responses down, and be able to conjugate more quickly in my head. I am sure this will come with time, but I have to remind myself not to speak in English with people who are fluent in it also! That isn't going to get me anywhere!

Anyway, now that Blogspot seems to be working, I will definitely attempt to update more often, and let you know of the goings on in Amiens!