CHARTRES

This weekend was amazing. On Friday night I met up with Uncle Todd and we had a great dinner at a small restaurant near his hotel. It was so good seeing him, catching up, and swapping stories. It really raised my spirits :)

On Saturday morning, Uncle Todd and I decided to go to Chartres for the day. I woke up early and it was POURING/SNOWING. This was slightly funny because I had told Uncle Todd the night before that it never snows here. Luckily by the time we left the station the weather had cleared. It is partially a miracle that we found each other - the train station was huge and I could not find the left luggage place anywhere.

I had never traveled long distances by train before and I must say that I really enjoyed it. It was great to see the French countryside. I think that I am going to travel by train as much as I can - just to see the sights.

We finally arrived in Chartres around 10:45 AM. We headed straight to the Cathedral . The Notre Dame Cathedral Chartres is absolutely spectacular and has such a rich history. The first record of the church is from the 800's but many people speculate that the church could be older. We toured the crypts of the church which was a lot of fun in a freaky kind of way. There was a well that must have been 30 ft deep and dates back to Gaelic times. After, we took a tour of the cathedral led by Malcolm Miller - an expert of the cathedral who has written numerous books and has led tours of the Cathedral for over 50 years. Miller did an amazing job - I learned a lot about the cathedral and had a great time listening to all of his stories.

Uncle Todd and I decided to have lunch after Miller's tour and walked around the town searching for a place to eat. I was following Todd and he was following me so needless to say it took us a while to realize this and find a place for lunch. We finally settled on a restaurant that had an 11 euro formula (entree and main dish or entree and dessert). The food was excellent and our waiter was quite amusing.

After lunch we went back to the Cathedral for a bit, and watched a choir that was having a dress rehearsal there. The church is known for its' relic- a piece of cloth from the clothes the Virgin Mary wore while giving birth to Christ. The fabric has been dated back to the first century which helps support the claim.

Todd and I finally took the train back to Paris around 5PM. We had a wonderful time together and I hope that I get to see him again soon!!


Some pictures from our trip (before my camera died):

The stained-glass windows

Uncle Todd outside of Chartres Cathedral

The outside of the Chartres Cathedral

Pictures Part 1

Here are some pictures from the top of the Ferris Wheel:

La Tour Eiffel in Lights!

The Giant Ferris Wheel!!!!

Here are some pictures from the Winter Circus:

The Circus!!

White Stallions!

A Circus Performer: Wearing High Heels!!!

The Lion Tamer

The Big Top :)

I apologize for not writing lately, things have been super crazy!

We ended up going to Breakfast in America for dinner and it was AMAZING! I had chicken nuggets and french fries and new york style cheesecake for desert. My friend Mary had real pancakes which looked heavenly, and Christine and TJ both had burgers. It was nice being in a diner -like setting and having a menu that was in English and a waiter who spoke to us in English (the fact that he was a very handsome British man helped too)! The restaurant itself is quite small and we were lucky enough to get the last open table - apparently there is a larger version of the restaurant elsewhere in Paris but the one we went to (on metro stop St. Paul) was very cozy.

Last week we went to the Cirque d'hiver Bouglione, a very popular- and one of the most famous- French circuses. We had a great time! There were acrobats, clowns, dancers, a lion trainer (the lions were HUGE), llamas (which made me think of Erica so I took a bazillion pictures of them), and even two young children who are part of the family that owns the circus who had trained pet goats. There was also a segment with white horses that entered the arena in dim lighting and with smoke/fog - it was really enchanting! Everyone had a wonderful time, including Lidia- Anne-Marie's two year old daughter- who was almost as entertaining as the circus itself!!

After the circus Evie, TJ, their friend Claire, Mary, TJ's friend Lauren, and I went to by far the most amazing restaurant in the entire world. It is a small, traditional french restaurant located off of the Port d'Italie metro stop. We had to wait over two hours to get a table (and there is no place to wait inside the restaurant so we were outside in the cold) but it was totally worth it! I had a veal dish that was layered with melted cheese, fried-like potatoes, bacon, and a mushroom sauce (served with bread of course). Absolutely amazing - my description does not do it justice! The best part is that the restaurant itself is not expensive for what you are getting, around 13 euro for the best food that you will ever put in your mouth. When my family comes in April I am defiantly taking them!!

The last few weekends my friends and I have been going to the Latin Quarter where there is a great bar called l'Antidote. There is no cover charge to get in and in the basement there is a dance floor. The bar plays great music - a lot of old school American pop classics which is priceless- and the drinks are good but expensive. We tend to go here after we have had a few drinks at the Hideout or another bar with good happy hour prices. I am currently trying to convince myself that I like beer (as beer is cheap and cocktails are very expensive) but I am not having a lot of luck.

The last two weeks have been very interesting with school...

I decided to drop my 20th century history class, it was a hard decision but I think in the long run I will be a lot less stressed which at this point in my life is an important thing. I am still taking my socio-histoire class which has proved to be interesting- in a this is a difficult and bizarre class kind of way- thus far. The only good thing is that it is a six week class and tomorrow is the halfway point.

I am having a really good time in my cinema class and I found out that it will count for French credit which is really exciting- now I am guaranteed to have a minor in French by the time I leave, and will have the option of finishing up a major- we'll see how that goes.

I have finally been assigned my teaching internship!! However, leading up to my initial meeting was extremely stressful! I first received a voice mail from the principal of the school on Monday morning when I was in the shower. After listening thoroughly to the message and practicing the anticipated phone discussion for a while ( I really did this) I finally got the nerve to call the school. A very unpleasant french man picked up the phone and started yelling so I hung up, assuming that I had dialed the wrong number. When I called back about an hour later - after I worked up more courage- another man answered the phone. We had trouble understanding each other but eventually he took down my name and phone number and told me that she (the principal) would call me back when she got in from lunch. The rest of the afternoon I was glued to my phone- but no one called. The next morning I had my RD cooking class and during the break tried calling back- this time I was passed on to a woman who told me that she had no idea who I was and asked me not to call back. Needless to say this made me panic and I went and talked to Melissa and she offered to help me out. She listened to the initial message and called the school and left a message on my behalf. The next morning I received a call from the school while on the metro -just my luck- so I had to wait to call back during my break for sociology. Finally I talked to the school secretary who was very pleasant and we set up a rendez-vous (meeting) with me and the principle (Madame Quelquejeu) for Friday. I was so nervous to go to the meeting- but Madame was so nice and very, very pleasant. She asked me some questions and explained why she liked having American students come and teach and we created my schedule for the semester. I will be working on Monday afternoons from 3:45 until 4:15, and then on Fridays from 10h-11 and then from 1 until 4 in the afternoon. I'm sad that I have to give up my four day weekends, but very excited about the internship! My first day was yesterday and the class I met with was great! The teacher was very nice and the students (who are from age 8-10) told me their names in English and anything else that they could say in English. One girl in the class is completely bi-lingual and helps when there is a mis- communication between myself and the teacher or if one of us has problems finding a word to describe something important. Next week the teacher asked me to bring in a poem or something to share with the class, any ideas? On Friday I will be working in small groups and I figure that I will talk to the students and see what they are interested in and go from there.

On Thursday night, Uncle Todd is coming! I am very excited to see him and to hang out with family from home. We want to go on a day trip to Chartres amongst other things. Whatever we do I know that we will have a lot of fun together! I feel badly that my internship is cutting into our time together but know that it will all work out in the end.

Missing you all,

Sarah

Yesterday was my one month anniversary in France! Sometimes I feel like I have been in France for years othertimes I feel like I have only been here for a few days. Anyways...


Yesterday I had my first Translations class with our actual teacher, and I think that the class will be harder than I first guessed. The teacher is a French woman who learned English in London, which causes problems for the American students because of the difference in syntax. For example, I would translate one thing as "she took a bath" where as the teacher would translate the same sentence as "she had a bath". It seems like it is the same thing, but for translation purposes it is completely different and my version is wrong. So in essence the American students have to translate the French into American English and then the American English into British English which I do not know. It will definitely be an interesting semester - at least I have friends in the class!

The other course that I had yesterday was the lecture component of Modern History of the XXth century. I really want to keep this course because it would go toward both my French and Political Science degrees- but the course is really kicking my but- hard core. Every time I leave this course I feel the need to hit up the nearest happy hour. This could be bad.

Today I went to the bagel shop near API for lunch, and I will soon be heading out to Diderot to actually register for classes. Tonight we might go to Breakfast in America - a restaurant that serves every kind of American food that is unavailable in France ( milkshakes, pancakes, burgers, chicken fingures, bacon, breakfast sausage, etc)

I realized that I have forgotten to mention some of the "little" things that I have done over the last few weeks, so I figured that I would catch up a bit before continuing to update.

1. On one of our free days, I went to the Georges Pompidou Museum with TJ and Ellen. This is the major modern art museum in Paris, and although I am not the biggest fan of modern art I had a good time. There was an interesting special exibit on Robert Soulanges, an artist who paints almost exclusively with shades of black. The design of the building is also really cool (lots of pipes and tunnel type things) and ultimetly looks like a half finished/really modern building. I took some pictures of the museum which I will post later.

2. After our trip to Notre Dame, our program tour guide took us to Berthillon, an extremely famous ice cream shop in Paris (and apparently known world wide). I had one scoop of Raspberry Rose Water and one scoop of Vanilla Chocolate Cake The ice cream was amazing, and the location on Ile-St-Louis is extremely pretty and very French looking. However, at the end of the day I think I am a cheap ice cream person - bring on Friendly's!


Today, I had to report to the OFII office (French customs) at 8h30 for my medical exam. It was a huge production and consisted of moving from one room to another to another to another and waiting for long periods at each step. Essentially, the exam was comparable to a physical with height and weight checks, vision tests, a test for diabetes because I am at risk (which consists of pricking your finger and having a blood sugar machine read the results), a chest x-ray (for which you have to walk around topless in the x-ray room which, as a girl, is really uncomfortable), and a meeting with an actual doctor who asks many questions and checks your heart and blood pressure. Luckily, I'm healthy as a horse and finally (after about 2.5 hours) I was given the final stamp for my visa. Now, I am a legal resident of France for the next 6 months (which is just really cool), and I can freely travel in and out of France during that time period (prior to this stamp I was not allowed to legally leave, and then come back, to France).


That's all for now!

I survived my first week of classes!

On Thursday I had my first class at Charles V - the English School of Diderot. It is called Themes, and is what the French call French to English translation (the reverse - English to French translation- is called Version). Our actual teacher was absent, but a student teacher (who was clearly American) filled in. We had to translate a page from L'Homme de Londres (or The Man from London in English). In theory, translation is easy, however in reality it can be difficult. It is not enough to understand the meaning of what is being said- you have to be able to word phrases exactly as the author intends. For example, saying "I killed Bill" instead of "I just came from killing Bill" is a huge difference (and will result in a failing grade), when in reality the meaning of the phrase similar. Luckily, we are able to use dictionaries which will be a huge help. My french will defiantly improve as a result of this class.

On Thursday afternoons I have the lecture component for my history of the 20th century class. The teacher is very intimidating - she speaks very quickly and has a no nonsense attitude (she also wears diamond rings on EVERY finger which is intimidating by itself). Luckily, the course focuses on post WWII- which is probably my favorite chapter of history- focusing mainly on WWII and the Cold War (or so it seems).

On Friday's I currently do not have any class. This is both good and bad. It will be great for traveling, but it is defiantly hard to motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning. On Friday night, TJ, Mary and I tried to get into an Opera at the Opera Bastille (they sell 25 euro tickets 30 minutes before the show starts to students and people over 65) but had no luck. So, we went back to Chatlet, and ultimately found ourselves at Planet Sushi- a small restaurant with a very classy feel, great music, pink accessories, and a television that showed fashion runway shows (need I say more?). We were given free fruit smoothie shots while we waited for our table, and we ordered a plate of different kinds of sushi. I had never had sushi before, but found that I actually enjoy it. The tuna and salmon rolls (wrapped in seaweed) were really good, and the California role wasn't bad either (considering that I don't like cucumber or avocado)- however after 4 or 5 pieces I was feeling done with sushi. I think it's the texture that gets to me. We plan on going back at some point because they have a good lunch menu - I'm pretty excited! Interesting fact - the French put cheese in almost all of their sushi which I am assured is not a common practice!

Saturday was a lazy day, but at night we went to TJ's apartment at the Vivaldi and watched youtube videos and Drop Dead Gorgeous over a bottle of cider. We all had a lot of fun.

On Sunday, TJ and I once again tried to get into the Opera. This time I arrived about an hour early to wait in line for our discounted 25 euro tickets. While in line, an old woman (who must of been at least 100 years old I kid you not) started yelling at me in French- saying that I could not appreciate opera because I was too young and that I was taking her spot! I really didn't know how to respond, other than to say "I really do like Opera", and all of a sudden the woman behind me started yelling at the old woman saying that I did like opera and that I had every right to be in line! Eventually, the old lady was escorted off of the premise and I was told (by the woman that defended me) that this is a weekly occurrence with this particular woman. After all of this, it turned out that there were no discounted seats for the opera that day. As a consolation prize, TJ and I decided to go to a Chinese restaurant near Charles V (which was very yummy) and then we walked up and down the Champs Elysee, stopping finally at the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top (all 300 narrow and winding stars) but it was totally worth it! Like the time I went with Pauline and Marie - the view was absolutely incredible! It was nice being able to see it during the daytime too, now I can see I have had the best view of Paris at night and during the day! Later, we met up with friends and went to the Banana Cafe (which is quickly becoming our evening hangout) for some cocktails.

On Monday, I finally received my Diderot student card!!!! I am now officially a French student (although I am not officially signed up for classes yet-haha). I ran some errands, had a CROUS (school cafeteria) dinner, and went home to prepare for Tuesday's classes.

Today (Tuesday) was the first day of the RD course taught by our Resident Director Anne-Marie. The class is called "The trick is in the sauce - a history of France through French Cuisine". The class does seem like it will be a lot of work (we have an oral presentation, a midterm, final, and final paper - which for a course in France is quite a bit). However, I think the class will be fun and interesting and I really like Anne-Marie. We even get to cook two full course meals during the course of the semester. After class, I grabbed a quick lunch and went to the TD (discussion) for 20th century history. Once again, this class freaked me out and left me feeling completely overwhelmed. It is not that the class is necessarily difficult - it is the attitude of the French students. Many people showed up again trying to enroll and they were not happy that we (the American students) had priority. I understand where they are coming from but I felt so attacked! At least my friend is also in the class, so we are able to tough it out together.

Tomorrow is my medical exam to complete my visa. Completing this step enables me to obtain a stamp that allows me to travel outside of France and re-enter into the country legally. I hear it is quite the ordeal- hopefully it will go well!

Missing you all something dreadful!