Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
So i'm really bad at this blogging thing...
Yeah, it's been awhile. Sorry guys. I am a fulltime student after all. Anyways, I am writing you from rainy London! After I visited in 2008, I told myself I would get my butt back here asap. And here I am. I've been doing all the things I didn't do last time. I went to the Tate Modern, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, Hyde Park, and Kensington Palace. Not quite sure what I am doing tomorrow. I saw the movie Easy A today as it is not playing in France. Not bad but nothing spectacular. I also battled the crowds at Primark. I didn't buy any clothes but I did come out of it with a very stylish shoulder bag for my schoolbooks and a lint roller. I had a sweater in the washer that decided to shed so my entire wardrobe is covered in lint. Probably the best pound I have spent.
I also went back and visited the outside of the Tower of London. It was by far my favorite thing I saw in London last tim. If it wasn't so expensive I would have toured it again in a heartbeat. Good thing the family went when we did though and not now. A couple of the towers are covered up for construction work. I went back (in the pouring rain) to visit the Tower Shop. Why? Well, if you truly know me, you know I am obsessed with Henry VIII. Last time I was here I bought Henry VIII and Anne Bolyen Christmas ornaments. I went to buy another to add to my collection.The other Queen I bought has something in common with Anne. Brownie points to whoever guesses it (I assume my Grandma Diane will be the first to know).
I'm staying at a hostel for the first time. I quite like it. It's kinda like a dignified frat house. My room looks like something out of Harry Potter. There are curtains on my bed and a reading lamp. Not bad for how little I am paying. It is right by the Tube too which is nice.
I leave Thursday morning. Or, I hope I leave Thursday morning. The French have called for yet another strike on Thursday. I wish they would just give up. The Senate has already passed the bill to raise the retirement age (from 60 to 62, poor things). Get over it and get back to work! But that is just my opinion...
I also went back and visited the outside of the Tower of London. It was by far my favorite thing I saw in London last tim. If it wasn't so expensive I would have toured it again in a heartbeat. Good thing the family went when we did though and not now. A couple of the towers are covered up for construction work. I went back (in the pouring rain) to visit the Tower Shop. Why? Well, if you truly know me, you know I am obsessed with Henry VIII. Last time I was here I bought Henry VIII and Anne Bolyen Christmas ornaments. I went to buy another to add to my collection.The other Queen I bought has something in common with Anne. Brownie points to whoever guesses it (I assume my Grandma Diane will be the first to know).
I'm staying at a hostel for the first time. I quite like it. It's kinda like a dignified frat house. My room looks like something out of Harry Potter. There are curtains on my bed and a reading lamp. Not bad for how little I am paying. It is right by the Tube too which is nice.
I leave Thursday morning. Or, I hope I leave Thursday morning. The French have called for yet another strike on Thursday. I wish they would just give up. The Senate has already passed the bill to raise the retirement age (from 60 to 62, poor things). Get over it and get back to work! But that is just my opinion...
Monday, October 4, 2010
Heights and French High Schools, Otherwise Known as Things I'm Afraid of
So 2-3 weekends ago was Les journees du patrimoine. Once a year, most museums in France are free for this weekend. There are a lot of cultural activities and its a big event. My friend Sasha and I decided to take advantage and go to Le Palais Rohan in town, which has 3 museums inside. There is the Musee des Beaux-Arts, the Musee des Arts Decoratifs, and the Musee Archeologique. The archeological museum has got to be one of the worst museums I've ever seen. There was really crappy insignificant pottery and skelletons laying in coffins inlaid in the floor. Good thing I didn't waste my money on that.
After, we decided to head over to the cathedral. Strasbourg is famous for its cathedral. We thought we would climb to the top. Well I'm not exactly the biggest fan of heights. I got about a third of the way up before I really started to freak out. I made it to this part of the climb where you had to shimmy across a ledge to get to the rest of the staircase. The ledge was probably 15-20 feet long and 2 feet wide. You overlook the little park next to the cathedral. At this point in time I am hyperventilating and there is a German dude laughing at me. Thanks man. Karma's coming for you. I tried to look for the staircase going down. There was no other staircase but the one I came up. So what did I do? I promptly got my butt down that same staircase. There were some people who stopped and asked me "Ferme?" which means "closed" in French. I was like "Non, je n'aime pas le..." and I made a hand gesture that indicated heights. They nodded their head and smiled and let me down the staircase. When I finally made it back to the ground, the lady at the ticket desk just smiled and showed me where the door was. I didn't care what people thought of me at that point in time. I was ready to kiss the ground.
My battle with heights doesn't end there though. The weekend after, my school group had a trip through Alsace, the region of France that I live in. We went to Mt. Saint Odile, which as you can determine is a mountain. Let's just say I ended up holding my French professor's hand so I wouldn't freak out.
Now, to switch gears, I started my internship at a local lycee (high school) last week. I am teaching English to 16-17 year olds. I get my own classroom (!) and everything. Last week and today (I have 2 different classes) were just days where the students asked me questions about myself. One of the questions made me laugh. Someone asked me how tall I was. It was quite weird. Also, in each class I had some of the boys ask me if I had a boyfriend. I have 16 year old French boys hitting on me...great. Anyways, starting Wednesday the teacher is giving me half the class to do whatever I want. It's a lot of responsibility but I am very excited. Some of the students have started to Facebook message and friend me because I want to take them to see an American movie one weekend.
Anyways, French schools are totally different than American schools. They go to class from 8am-6pm, with 2 hours for lunch (I think). They also go to school on Saturday mornings. I nearly choked when I heard this. It must be horrible to be a French teenager! Also, the school is in horrible shape. Besides the one new building that they have, which is pretty nice, the rest of the school is bad. It looks like what I imagine an inner city school to look like. Dim lighting, peeling paint, only chalkboards. I really feel like they could film a horror film there. Not a place to hang out after dark, that's for sure. Apparently though, they have state of the art science laboratories. Science is one of the specialties of this school. People keep telling me to take a tour of the labs. I don't really want to, but there is a cute chemistry teacher that if I see him again, I might ask him for a tour. But that is another story.
I spent this past weekend in Burgundy with the group. I can't do anymore group tours. There are way too many people in our group (38) and we end up staying at really podunk (had to get that word it. It makes me feel American lol) places with bugs and bunk beds and stuff. I do not do hostels. Do I seem like the kind of person who likes roughing it? Uh no. Wait, let me rephrase that. HELL no. I like air conditioning and clean sheets and places that aren't situated next to a bunch of cows.
I tasted wine this weekend. I hate wine. It was horrible. I also climbed a mountain. Not kidding. We took an ancient pilgrammage route to this big basillica in Vezelay. The climb was killer. I'm never freaking hiking again. At least the church was pretty. I'm sure I will post pictures at some point in time, but right now I have a large paper that I haven't started yet it is due in exactly one week. Smart planning Amanda...smart.
After, we decided to head over to the cathedral. Strasbourg is famous for its cathedral. We thought we would climb to the top. Well I'm not exactly the biggest fan of heights. I got about a third of the way up before I really started to freak out. I made it to this part of the climb where you had to shimmy across a ledge to get to the rest of the staircase. The ledge was probably 15-20 feet long and 2 feet wide. You overlook the little park next to the cathedral. At this point in time I am hyperventilating and there is a German dude laughing at me. Thanks man. Karma's coming for you. I tried to look for the staircase going down. There was no other staircase but the one I came up. So what did I do? I promptly got my butt down that same staircase. There were some people who stopped and asked me "Ferme?" which means "closed" in French. I was like "Non, je n'aime pas le..." and I made a hand gesture that indicated heights. They nodded their head and smiled and let me down the staircase. When I finally made it back to the ground, the lady at the ticket desk just smiled and showed me where the door was. I didn't care what people thought of me at that point in time. I was ready to kiss the ground.
My battle with heights doesn't end there though. The weekend after, my school group had a trip through Alsace, the region of France that I live in. We went to Mt. Saint Odile, which as you can determine is a mountain. Let's just say I ended up holding my French professor's hand so I wouldn't freak out.
Now, to switch gears, I started my internship at a local lycee (high school) last week. I am teaching English to 16-17 year olds. I get my own classroom (!) and everything. Last week and today (I have 2 different classes) were just days where the students asked me questions about myself. One of the questions made me laugh. Someone asked me how tall I was. It was quite weird. Also, in each class I had some of the boys ask me if I had a boyfriend. I have 16 year old French boys hitting on me...great. Anyways, starting Wednesday the teacher is giving me half the class to do whatever I want. It's a lot of responsibility but I am very excited. Some of the students have started to Facebook message and friend me because I want to take them to see an American movie one weekend.
Anyways, French schools are totally different than American schools. They go to class from 8am-6pm, with 2 hours for lunch (I think). They also go to school on Saturday mornings. I nearly choked when I heard this. It must be horrible to be a French teenager! Also, the school is in horrible shape. Besides the one new building that they have, which is pretty nice, the rest of the school is bad. It looks like what I imagine an inner city school to look like. Dim lighting, peeling paint, only chalkboards. I really feel like they could film a horror film there. Not a place to hang out after dark, that's for sure. Apparently though, they have state of the art science laboratories. Science is one of the specialties of this school. People keep telling me to take a tour of the labs. I don't really want to, but there is a cute chemistry teacher that if I see him again, I might ask him for a tour. But that is another story.
I spent this past weekend in Burgundy with the group. I can't do anymore group tours. There are way too many people in our group (38) and we end up staying at really podunk (had to get that word it. It makes me feel American lol) places with bugs and bunk beds and stuff. I do not do hostels. Do I seem like the kind of person who likes roughing it? Uh no. Wait, let me rephrase that. HELL no. I like air conditioning and clean sheets and places that aren't situated next to a bunch of cows.
I tasted wine this weekend. I hate wine. It was horrible. I also climbed a mountain. Not kidding. We took an ancient pilgrammage route to this big basillica in Vezelay. The climb was killer. I'm never freaking hiking again. At least the church was pretty. I'm sure I will post pictures at some point in time, but right now I have a large paper that I haven't started yet it is due in exactly one week. Smart planning Amanda...smart.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Classes (and other boring things)
I'm taking 5 classes this semester. I have no idea why. Everyone else here is taking 4. But no, during my French "vacation" I decide to take 5 classes and teach English at the local lycee (a school that teaches ages 18-20).
My classes:
Junior Language Usage (French)
Europe and International Security Issues
Policy Seminar on Contemporary Europe
International Communications in European Media
Economic Policies of the European Union
My French class scares the crap out of me. Speaking French is terrifying, especially in a classroom setting. Also, everyone seems so much more advanced than me. My security class is pretty interesting. Lots of talking about wars and bombs and other pleasant topics. Policy Seminar is interesting because we have a lot of guest lectures, but some of it is a bit boring to me because I took a class on European Integration at GW. Communications is less of a class and more like tea time. There are 9 of us girls and our British professor. She makes tea, we sit in a circle, and write quite a bit on various post-it notes. It's quite bizarre, yet very refreshing. The last class on my list is my least favorite. I hate economics. Now, you might ask, why did I decide to take an Econ course if I hate the subject? I blame my father. He was like, "Oh but it will be so interesting and important for you to know. I don't think it will be that bad." After I emailed him telling him I hated the class he responded with "Well, odds are one of your classes was going to suck. Econ seemed to be the best bet." Thanks for that Dad. I'm never listening to you again.
I don't have too much homework (yet), but I do have this stupid paper to write for my European Identity Seminar. It was the class we "took" while exploring central and eastern Europe. There aren't even topics for this paper, just general themes! Do I have any clue what I am writing on? No. Do I have any motivation to think about it? Of course not. Why they insist on making us do this is beyond me. I don't need the 2 credits you want to give me for this class, let me skip the damn paper!
Today is my friend Sasha's 23rd birthday. I bought her a cake, which is a lot harder than it sounds. France doesn't exactly have cakes like the US does. They have prepackaged cakes that need to be thawed out before consumed. I had to go to the little Jewish grocery store just to find a normal chocolate one (and kosher!). It better taste good, that's all I'm saying.
In other random news, the Times of London released its top 100 universities in the world list. Guess who is #95?! GDUBBB! Apparently we beat out Georgetown. Love it!
My classes:
Junior Language Usage (French)
Europe and International Security Issues
Policy Seminar on Contemporary Europe
International Communications in European Media
Economic Policies of the European Union
My French class scares the crap out of me. Speaking French is terrifying, especially in a classroom setting. Also, everyone seems so much more advanced than me. My security class is pretty interesting. Lots of talking about wars and bombs and other pleasant topics. Policy Seminar is interesting because we have a lot of guest lectures, but some of it is a bit boring to me because I took a class on European Integration at GW. Communications is less of a class and more like tea time. There are 9 of us girls and our British professor. She makes tea, we sit in a circle, and write quite a bit on various post-it notes. It's quite bizarre, yet very refreshing. The last class on my list is my least favorite. I hate economics. Now, you might ask, why did I decide to take an Econ course if I hate the subject? I blame my father. He was like, "Oh but it will be so interesting and important for you to know. I don't think it will be that bad." After I emailed him telling him I hated the class he responded with "Well, odds are one of your classes was going to suck. Econ seemed to be the best bet." Thanks for that Dad. I'm never listening to you again.
I don't have too much homework (yet), but I do have this stupid paper to write for my European Identity Seminar. It was the class we "took" while exploring central and eastern Europe. There aren't even topics for this paper, just general themes! Do I have any clue what I am writing on? No. Do I have any motivation to think about it? Of course not. Why they insist on making us do this is beyond me. I don't need the 2 credits you want to give me for this class, let me skip the damn paper!
Today is my friend Sasha's 23rd birthday. I bought her a cake, which is a lot harder than it sounds. France doesn't exactly have cakes like the US does. They have prepackaged cakes that need to be thawed out before consumed. I had to go to the little Jewish grocery store just to find a normal chocolate one (and kosher!). It better taste good, that's all I'm saying.
In other random news, the Times of London released its top 100 universities in the world list. Guess who is #95?! GDUBBB! Apparently we beat out Georgetown. Love it!
Strasbourg!
Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I've been super busy and am having internet issues at my house. Anyways, I'm here! Strasbourg is the most amazing city. Honestly it is the prettiest place I have ever seen. Disneyworld ain't go nothing on Strasbourg. This truly is the happiest place on Earth.
My host mother, Rosette, is the funniest woman. She lives in this gorgeous 3 story row house that I think was built around 1900. I live on the third floor in a huge room, bigger than my parents room! My windows open up to the street and its a wondeful view. I would post pictures (which are on facebook), but I'm on my school's computer and don't have access to them. My first night I told my host mother that I don't exactly eat fruits or veggies. She looked at me in disbelief, then laughed. Now, every night, she feeds me a new vegetable or fruit. It is getting easier to eat, although she laughs everytime I make a funny face.
When I first moved in, there were 2 girls already living in the house, Blanca and Yi. Blanca is from Mexico and Yi is from China. Then, Daniella from Germany moved in. They all moved out this past weekend, which was kinda sad. On Tuesday, I got a new housemate, Nick. It's the first time my host mother has taken a boy into her house. He's from Georgetown and it's nice to have a fellow Washingtonian to talk to (in English!). We also got 2 Italian students yesterday. They will be here for 10 days learning German. The dinner table is now a mix of French, German, and English (and occasionally some Italian).
The centre-ville (downtown) is easy to get to by tram or bus. I live 2 blocks from a tram station and it takes me 15 minutes to get into town. Quite frankly, I could walk, but that really doesn't sound like something I would do now does it? Downtown is this crazy eclectic mix of old buildings, numerous bridges, super expensive stores (like Louis Vuitton and Hermes), and lots of restaurants and bars. The French take their drinking seriously. I have yet to see a place that did not have at least beer or wine on the menu, even at McDonalds! It's crazy.
Anyways, I have class in a bit, but I promise to write about my classes and stuff a little later. Also, I might tell you about crazy French men. I haven't decided yet, lol.
My host mother, Rosette, is the funniest woman. She lives in this gorgeous 3 story row house that I think was built around 1900. I live on the third floor in a huge room, bigger than my parents room! My windows open up to the street and its a wondeful view. I would post pictures (which are on facebook), but I'm on my school's computer and don't have access to them. My first night I told my host mother that I don't exactly eat fruits or veggies. She looked at me in disbelief, then laughed. Now, every night, she feeds me a new vegetable or fruit. It is getting easier to eat, although she laughs everytime I make a funny face.
When I first moved in, there were 2 girls already living in the house, Blanca and Yi. Blanca is from Mexico and Yi is from China. Then, Daniella from Germany moved in. They all moved out this past weekend, which was kinda sad. On Tuesday, I got a new housemate, Nick. It's the first time my host mother has taken a boy into her house. He's from Georgetown and it's nice to have a fellow Washingtonian to talk to (in English!). We also got 2 Italian students yesterday. They will be here for 10 days learning German. The dinner table is now a mix of French, German, and English (and occasionally some Italian).
The centre-ville (downtown) is easy to get to by tram or bus. I live 2 blocks from a tram station and it takes me 15 minutes to get into town. Quite frankly, I could walk, but that really doesn't sound like something I would do now does it? Downtown is this crazy eclectic mix of old buildings, numerous bridges, super expensive stores (like Louis Vuitton and Hermes), and lots of restaurants and bars. The French take their drinking seriously. I have yet to see a place that did not have at least beer or wine on the menu, even at McDonalds! It's crazy.
Anyways, I have class in a bit, but I promise to write about my classes and stuff a little later. Also, I might tell you about crazy French men. I haven't decided yet, lol.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
A Little Over 24hrs to Go
I'm almost packed. It's a miracle. I keep freaking out over which clothes to bring. What if I need a nice dress for something or what if I leave these shoes at home and then I need them? These hypothetical unknowns are killing me. And then again, part of me thinks I'm overpacking. I should make up my mind already. I'm leaving early Sunday morning for Pete's sake. I really should have started taking my Xanax several days ago...
Sunday/Monday is going to be a really long travel day. Flight to JFK, sit around for about 8 hours, then get on a plane to Paris, then sit around for 4 hours, then fly to Berlin. I'm beside myself with joy over how much travelling I have to do...not. At least it gets better from there. I get to visit Berlin; Wroclaw, Poland; Brno, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; and Regensburg, Germany. My itinerary is pretty detailed and some of it sounds pretty cool. Others, not so much. A gypsy museum doesn't sound too exciting to me. Anyways, I'm traveling from August 22-September 3, so I will have limited internet access. Once I get to Strasbourg, I'm unsure if I'll have internet in my home.
A good sign about my internet chances though, is the fact that my host mother emailed me. I was super excited to hear from her, because we don't officially find out our host families until the 3rd, when we reach Strasbourg. Her name is Rosette and she is a grandmother. Her house is 8 minutes (!) on foot from the Syracuse Center, where I will take my classes. She said she hosts one or two other girls during the year from different programs/countries. Hopefully I'll make some new foreign friends!
This post is getting long-winded, so I'll wrap it up. I'm very excited/nervous for my trip. Hopefully everything is amazing and that I never want to leave (even though I have to). Everyone wish me "Bonne chance!" (Good luck).
Sunday/Monday is going to be a really long travel day. Flight to JFK, sit around for about 8 hours, then get on a plane to Paris, then sit around for 4 hours, then fly to Berlin. I'm beside myself with joy over how much travelling I have to do...not. At least it gets better from there. I get to visit Berlin; Wroclaw, Poland; Brno, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; and Regensburg, Germany. My itinerary is pretty detailed and some of it sounds pretty cool. Others, not so much. A gypsy museum doesn't sound too exciting to me. Anyways, I'm traveling from August 22-September 3, so I will have limited internet access. Once I get to Strasbourg, I'm unsure if I'll have internet in my home.
A good sign about my internet chances though, is the fact that my host mother emailed me. I was super excited to hear from her, because we don't officially find out our host families until the 3rd, when we reach Strasbourg. Her name is Rosette and she is a grandmother. Her house is 8 minutes (!) on foot from the Syracuse Center, where I will take my classes. She said she hosts one or two other girls during the year from different programs/countries. Hopefully I'll make some new foreign friends!
This post is getting long-winded, so I'll wrap it up. I'm very excited/nervous for my trip. Hopefully everything is amazing and that I never want to leave (even though I have to). Everyone wish me "Bonne chance!" (Good luck).
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Packing and Panic Attacks
So I'm sitting on my bed, surrounded by travel guides and packing lists, and all I can think about is how utterly unprepared I am for France (and the rest of Europe). I'm just so afraid I'm going to forget something back home or miss seeing something awesome in Europe because I have no clue what's going on when. In case you don't know me very well, I'm a planner. I like knowing what I'm doing and when, and I like to schedule things so I can maximize my experience. Well, on this trip, I have to go with the flow. I don't just go with the flow very easily. No plan= panic attacks. And trust me, the last thing anybody wants is me, a crazy American, freaking out in the middle of Europe. There is going to be a lot of serious adjustments I'm going to have to make.
Anyways, back to planning (or lack thereof). My main concern is what the heck I'm going to do with my free time in Berlin, Wroclaw, Brno, and Vienna during my two-week seminar. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I also need suggestions on where to visit in Europe during weekends when I want to explore and leave the fabulous city of Strasbourg. I'm pretty sure I'm making a visit to London, but other than that I'm pretty open.
This is my first blog post so please forgive me if it is boring/rambling/neurotic. Oh, and please leave me comments. Otherwise I'll feel like no one loves me and that I'm just talking to myself :)
Anyways, back to planning (or lack thereof). My main concern is what the heck I'm going to do with my free time in Berlin, Wroclaw, Brno, and Vienna during my two-week seminar. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I also need suggestions on where to visit in Europe during weekends when I want to explore and leave the fabulous city of Strasbourg. I'm pretty sure I'm making a visit to London, but other than that I'm pretty open.
This is my first blog post so please forgive me if it is boring/rambling/neurotic. Oh, and please leave me comments. Otherwise I'll feel like no one loves me and that I'm just talking to myself :)
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