Riquiqui

This week has been very relaxed, and filled with new French experiences. I have discovered my new favorite French word, riquiqui. Don't worry about what it means. I love it for the sounds alone. It has replaced concombre which I also liked due to its sound only.

Last Sunday was Elsa's birthday, and Tuesday night she had some friends over to celebrate. I tried a few interesting, but delicious appetizers, and also came to the realization that my professors must be speaking incredibly slow French to us in class. I was a little bit in awe about how few words I could understand from their rapid speech. However, it was kind of fun to guess what they were saying solely based off of their facial expressions and body language. I spoke a little English and Spanish, and very timidly some French. I will say it is always a confidence boost when you say something and people actually understand you. I was really glad I got to meet more French people, especially such friendly ones, and it motivates me to work hard to improve my French so that maybe at the end of the semester I will be able to understand it spoken at a normal pace.

I have been eating a lot of Kabobs lately, which are not of French origin, but the restaurants are everywhere. They are cheap and delectable. Especially now that I have been introduced to Samurai sauce. I really hope Louisville or Bowling Green has something to offer in the way of Kabobs, because they have become my replacement burrito while in France.

Moving on through the week, Thursday the University hosted a dinner of traditional Normandy food for students and their host-families. I accidentally left the house without my host family, because I thought I was meeting them there....Oops! The food was unsurprisingly delicious. I ate quiche, teurgoule, apple tartes, cheese, etc. Hurrah for Normandy!

Friday we got chinese. They served my dumplings in this cute little basket, so I am basically officially in love with that restaurant. Afterwards we went to the movies to see Gangster Squad. We were supposed to be going to one in English with French subtitles, but that was apparently a lie. Besides the names of American cities, the entire movie was in French. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun though. The movie is action packed, so even my friend Jessica, who started French this semester, could follow the story. It was a really great movie from what I could understand in French, so I can't imagine how good it would be in English where I would understand more of the dialogue.

Then on Saturday, we went to the World War II museum. It is really interesting and with our student IDs we got in for only 5 euro. We spent several hours there going through the museum, and then getting some coffee in the café. We went to our friend Grace's apartment for a raclette dinner which is basically the greatest way to eat meat, cheese and potatoes ever. You put the cheese underneath the burner to melt it, and then put all sorts of sliced meet to cook on top of it, like ham and salami. It's serve yourself, and awesome.

Today we got crepes at the crêperie where I think we are officially regulars since we have gone the past three weekends. I always order something different, and it is always delicious. I had a cheese and sausage one today with a side salad, and café au lait. Later, I played more card games with Marine and had another lesson in French pronunciation, concentrating on making that noise that sounds like you're hocking a loogie :) Then we went upstairs to watch the Bachelor in France (I can't believe Livia got to stay,) and to eat dinner.

Street in Caen on the way to the crêperie.

Tomorrow it is back to class, and hopefully the grocery!

Crushing it in Caen

The past two weeks have been filled with classes and trying to make travel plans. Classes have been good. I actually offer up answers without being forced to now! The first week of class I lived in fear of the teacher calling on me, and always tried to look busy or confused and never make eye contact. Friday was a personal triumph, because of the handful of French knowledge that I know, I was able to answer two questions. I think my teachers were impressed that I knew who wrote Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert) and that I had seen the movie L'elegance du hèrisson. Class is always interesting with all the different first languages and cultures of my peers. The other day I had to explain to my Japanese classmate that, in English, guys call pretty girls “hot chicks” and not “hot chickens.”  We range from the US and England to Mongolia and Ghana. I can only imagine how hilarious it must be to all out teachers to listen to our awful accents.

The professors here are all engaging and helpful. When I have big breaks in between classes, I like to hide in a corner of the international building on the top floor and read. One of the first days I did that, I met a professor named, Emma. I was in the bathroom pretending to understand what she was saying to me in French, and when I turned around to walk out she asked me in English if I was American. Apparently, an LL Bean backpack is a dead give-away. I’m not actually sure what she teaches at the university, but she has been so nice. She always asks about how I like my host-family, and if I am making friends. She also gave me a website to look at to find stuff to do in France. I keep waiting to meet those stereotypically rude French people, but it just has not happened yet. Maybe I am in the wrong France J

In other news, I think my friends and I have finally figured out how to order train tickets online, which is good, because I think the people at the train station are sick of us trying to buy tickets from them, and then deciding not to go… Other than realizing that traveling to London for a weekend was more expensive that my poor college-student-self could afford, and Fifth Third thinking I was not in France and putting a hold on my card, things have still been going really well.

I went out with the girls from my program on Valentine’s to a restaurant on the road we have deemed “the cute cobblestone road.” I tried duck for the first time, and it was delicious! The only way I could think to describe it to my friends was if a cow and a chicken had a baby, but it was different. They didn’t understand. We had champagne with dinner, and then walked to a gelato shop. Not a very romantic Valentine’s Day, but at least our waiter was cute! We have also found this little crêperie that we have gone to two Saturdays in a row. We went to a karaoke bar with a bunch of people from school this weekend. No one from our group actually got to sing though, because the wait was so long. It was really funny to hear people sing songs in English with thick accents though.

Today I had lunch with my host-family, and came back up to have a crêpe snack. I also got a French reading and pronunciation lesson with the eldest daughter (she is eight). It was actually really helpful, and I think we are going to try to do it several more times. When my lesson was over, we played the French version of the game of “Life.” It was an edition from when the parents were children, and used francs instead of the euro. I also played (and lost) several rounds of Uno. Then I met up with some friends for Kabobs in town.

Saint Pierre Church in
Downtown Caen.

I still have the nasty little habit of pretending I understand what people are saying in French, when in fact I don’t have a clue. I tend to smile a lot and repeat oui, and hope I didn’t miss anything important. Sadly, or luckily depending on how you look at it, my host-mom has caught on and now asks me questions to ensure I actually understood and wasn’t just lying. However, I know my comprehension is getting better even if only a little, and I am starting to gain more confidence to admit defeat and to ask clarifying questions when I am confused. It is also lucky that I can talk to my roommate in Spanish, when I am at a loss for words in French (which is most of the time).  It does feel a little bit like cheating though when I do. I figure it’s okay to though, because:

                    A.     It isn’t English.

                    B.     Practicing Spanish will help me not fail all my Spanish classes next semester.

All in all, France is a huge success. Especially now that I have discovered these little caramel custard cups at the grocery. They taste like little flans, and I have become officially obsessed. But I do miss Mexican/TexMex food. My friends and I had a Taco Night, but it just isn’t the same. The seasoning of food here is much milder than at home, and nothing is very spicy. Plus there is no queso here. I still can’t figure out how people here are living without it.

So...Paris

After a whirlwind weekend in Paris, I am happy to be back in Caen. It is really beginning to feel like home. Orientation week classes start tomorrow, and the following week is the final class schedule. I can’t believe we are just now starting class!

So… Paris. This weekend was filled with many firsts: my first train, first time in Paris, first hostel, first mulled wine etc. Everything seemed to fall perfectly into place for us this weekend. We easily stumbled onto every place we had planned on visiting. We got off the train and set off to find the Galleries Lafayette. I had no idea what this was so I just trotted along after Patricia and Jessica into the center of an upscale shopping center where there is an incredible ceiling at the center. We stood there like typical tourists staring up at the ceiling and taking pictures.

Ceiling at the Lafayette

We did not have a strict plan of where we were going to go or when, but we thought we were close to the Palias Garnier. We walked outside and there it was! The Opera house is the setting for The Phantom of the Opera, and is just generally amazing. In middle school, Miss Haley Gray and I saw the movie in theaters several times, and had the habit of locking the door to her room and belting out the soundtrack. A little part of my soul is at rest now after walking around in the fictional footsteps of Christine Daae. I couldn’t help but hum some of the music while we walked around.

Entry of le Palais Garnier.

Being fabulous in the midst of fabulousness.

Chandelier surrounded by Chagall painting in the theater.

We also visited the Madeleine on our way to the Jardin de Tuileries, where we ate lunch, and tried to keep all the seagulls and pigeons at bay. We went to San Chapelle for free! It is crazy beautiful there. You walk up this twisted stone stair and then, BOOM. It is lined with stained glass windows everywhere, my favorite of which is the rose window. The girls and I already put it on the list to revisit when we return.

Rose window of San Chapelle

We also popped inside Notre Dame. We were really confused as to what was going on. There were people EVERYWHERE. There was some sort of ceremony going on, but of course we couldn’t understand what the priest was saying, because it was all in French. We could barely move it was so crowded, and the center was lined with bells. We stayed for a little while, but decided to head out, and return on another trip. I looked it up when we got back, and apparently it was the 850^th anniversary of Notre Dame, and they had just gotten new bells. So I guess it is kind of cool we were unknowingly there for that, but I mostly just felt like too many people were breathing my air.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/02/notre-dame-bells-850th-anniversary_n_2606375.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Notre Dame

We went to a small café after for dinner, drank hot wine, and prepared for the hike to the Eiffel tower. The walk to the Eiffel Tower was long and cold, but the Seine River is picturesque at night. We also got to see the Lover’s Bridge on the way. The Tower looked so cool lit up at night. I think it was the perfect time to go too, because it was way less crowded than I expected. After the Eiffel tower we ate crepes at a café to warm up before walking back to our hostel. I had the best night’s sleep so far at that hostel. It was probably, because I was so worn out, but even the itchy wool blanket seemed gloriously comfortable. The hostel was also convenient, because it was right by the Louvre, which is where we went the next morning.

Thankfully we decided to hit up the Louvre as soon as it opened, because by the time we left it was packed, and again too many people breathing my air J Another convenient tip, from one traveler to another, is that museums in France are free the first Sunday of every month. Cheap traveler score! The Louvre is overwhelming. It is huge, gorgeous, confusing, etc. I can check off seeing the Mona Lisa from my bucket list, but honestly that isn’t why you should go to the Louvre. Luckily one of the girls on the trip, Patricia, is an art history major, and could tell me why certain things should impress me, and what to pay attention to. I love the building of the Louvre almost more than the art inside. As the Louvre website says, it went “from Château to Museum,” and some of the rooms are just jaw dropping fantastic.  The paintings on some of the ceilings and structures made me stop in my steps and think how insane it is that someone used to live there. I think just walking around in there just made me soak up a little more intelligence.

Patricia showing me how to keep classy around classy art.

Today also brought back flashbacks for Skylar and I of Dr. Egloff’s class. We realized after we had to pay 8.20 euro for a bottle of water, that we should have asked for a carafe d’eau (which is free), instead of just flat water (which came in a sealed bottle). It is an expensive lesson we will not forget again. Despite that, Paris was a huge success, even just walking around and taking pictures of random beautiful buildings and sculptures was fun. I am happy to be back in Caen and ready for classes, but I dream of when I can return to Paris!