Oopla...as the French say.

My sincerest apologies for my lack of response and posting in the past two weeks -- I haven't stopped running until now. A lot has happened since my last post. I traveled to Southern France (Provence) and Venice, Italy.




Provence was a 5 day "vacation" from classes with my program. Though sick, it was a fabulous weekend. I had no idea how much influence the Romans had on southern France until I was there. I saw the biggest Roman aqueduct (Pont du Gard), Roman amphitheater, and chariot race circus ruins in Arles. The country side in Provence was breath-taking. Olive trees and lavender even though the lavender wasn't in season. Lavender and santans are the big things there. Santans are little (or big) hand-painted china/ceramic-ish dolls. You can google image them -- I didn't take a photo. I just bought some for my family's santan nativity scene for Christmas. I had some great regional food and one restaurant I went to twice. The second time I was there, they gave my friend and I free drinks. Overall, I think the most astonishing difference was the weather and roman influence.





This past weekend I went to Venise with my sister. It was absolutely wonderful and my first time in Italy. To throw it out there -- I cannot speak Italian. My sister taught me words but when it came time to talk, French words would come out. Liesl and I speak French when we travel so that didn't help. I'll preempt the question and tell you what I found different there. First, most restaurants charge a bread or service charge even if they don't serve you bread. And they don't eat butter on their bread. Venise is ridiculously tourist -- in the really touristy places of the city a Coke would cost 5 euro (about $7). If you stay to eat somewhere you have to pay even more than you do in the states because space is so limited. There are a lot of great food places -- Liesl and I ate at a place with an appetizer, 2 main dishes, a pre-dessert, dessert, and post-dessert. Delicious food and not too bad of a price.



We went on a gondola ride through the canals as well. The gondoliers wear dark pants and a white and blue horizontal striped shirt and a little straw-like hat with a blue or red ribbon. The gondolas are traditional and made in Vense and have secret production so that they will not be copied or will not leave Venise. We learned a lot from the gondolier. Gondoliers are typically jobs kept in the family -- our gondolier was the son and grandson of a gondolier. They must go to school to learn languages and the history of Venice. One must take swimming lessons because gondoliers can easily fall off the boat. Finally, one must pass a driver's test with 6 people on the gondolier. The city is sinking 1mm every year which seems like not a lot but it makes a difference. No one can live on the first floor because water just comes into the house. The sea rises at night and water is in huge puddles all over the streets. The city sets up tables like bridges to cross the water. You have to use the gondola and canals to get around because there are not many sidewalks but quite a few bridges.





To cover some other random facts, Venice is known for its carnival masks. (By the way, I wrote this and you know it's good when you write "its" and cross it out to write the French word) They are numerous and gorgeous! THere were tons of people and it wasn't even high season. I can't imagine. There were a lot of tourist kiosks -- a ton selling the same thing. And I've never seen so many people selling fake purses and sunglasses in my life, all who say things like "nice lady" or "you know how much?" Liesl and I pretended like we only spoke French. Oh and you know you can speak quite a lot of a language when you can argue in the language. :) There are no cars in Venice and no pollution. We took a water bus to the island from the airport. We also had a waiter who called us "America" and I just loved us and talked about Obama. (Normal) But it was cute.

We've been discussing a lot more things about cultures in the past few weeks in my class. First, divorce in France is very common. In the Paris region, every 1 of 2 marriage ends in divorce. Elsewhere is every 1 of 3. Also, taxation is different here. Some money comes directly from the salary -- money for health insurance, for the unemployed, and for those who are widows or widowers. They have two main tax days like we do -- the first in May which is the income tax and the second in November when they pay money to the region in which they live.

Today in class we learned about organizations and retirement. The French consider 35 hours a week full-time and they have 5 weeks of vacation. One can retire after 40 years total of work and used to not be allowed to work after this. However, one can now work after with restrictions. For a woman who has children, a child counts for 2 years (each) for the 40 years. In terms of money and retirement, the French have not lost that much with the current crisis. And the French is suffering from a baby boom generation as we are. Their population is overall much older than ours.

I found the organization structure very interesting. They group small enterprises in one group and big ones in another. However, they are organized as a bureaucracy triangle -- nothing else. My prof had never heard of a circular org, virtual org, etc. I kept thinking of Lead 103. This knowledge makes me realize as I thought, leadership here is very different. It seems more uniform here than in the states. I kind of like it.

The last thing for today is the huge problems with the FAC (university) here. One of the FACs is still blocked by students. The grad students from my program don't even have classes. Saturday night, though I wasn't here, a riot broke out in the main evening square. A "Facebook Party" was hosted and things got out of hand. Students started a bonfire in the middle of the square which is not allowed (interdit) so the firemen and police came. The police had the large shields, were arresting people, and even dropping tear gas. The head of the university is considering calling in the military to open the FAC and clear the entrances. However, this will cause more problems. Schools here originated with religion and since the state could not and cannot mix with religion, the state did not enter the school. Although the school is now separate from religion, the tradition is still that the state cannot enter the school. (since 1912) I doubt the problem will be solved before I leave here.

Top Ten this week: Top Ten things people ask/say to me as an American
1. Obama! Yes we can!
2. Do Americans like Obama?
3. What is the stereotype for the French in America?
4. Do Americans eat the good food the French do? (when answer no, they are shocked!)
5. WHat sports are the most popular in the states?
6. We love American accents!
7. Where is Ohio? Close to NY? Texas?
8. Why do most Americans here only speak English and hang out with other Americans?
9. What's the hardest part of the French language?
10. Do you miss the US or is France better?

Questions tomorrow. It's late and I just wanted to get this posted. :)

Pictures: Castle ruins at Baux (Provence) looking out at olive tree fields, in front of the filed in Gordes (Provence), Amphitheatre in Arles (Provence), Me in front of the Rhone (Provence), view of some of Venice from the Tour, Liesl and me with our Gondolier, view of the sea from the Tour, me on one the Grand Canal.

Lots to Write!!!

I want to start writing before I forget everything I want to put in my post today so I"ll get to your questions after dinner. :)

A lot has happened in the past week! Some things I'll talk about: excursion to Bourges, food, typical French with the English language, tendencies of school and university, the notion of traveling, problems with the bus, and a bit of TV.



To start off, I went to the city of Bourges this past weekend with my program. There is a "palais" (really really nice house) and a huge cathedral there. Cathedrals mean so much more to me than they used to because I know what I am looking at. The cathedral has windows so low to the ground that one could almost reach up and touch them. This is unlike most other cathedrals. With this, one can easily read the stories portrayed on the windows. Every sculpture and window has a purpose to either use fear or hope to boost Christians' faith. Also in Bourges is the Palais de Jacques-Coeur. The palais is hard to explain but my favorite part was the sculptures. They were sculptures of animals - frogs, snails, and monkeys. I didn't get the monkeys but they were cute. Also, there was a secret passage way from Jacques-Coeur's room to his wife's room. It was a really long day but I really enjoy my program director. He knows everything you could ever want to know about France and its history and art history and religion. It's absolutely amazing. He doesn't believe in religion but he knows than most other Christians I know.





I had a good conversation with my host dad the other night -- we stayed at the table about an hour and a half after dinner had finished. We were talking about French dishes and traveling. At that dinner, I ate a sausage made of blood of pork and some oignons and bread all mixed together. It was really soft and it really didn't taste that horrible. Had my French mom not answered, "I'll tell you after you eat it." when I asked her what it was, I might have eaten the whole thing. I asked what it was after I ate some and my host dad and brother tried to tell me it was red ants from Africa smooshed up. I didn't believe them but found out that it was blood of pork instead. Yum. We started talking about how the French eat tongue, brain, etc. My host dad said he thought that Americans wasted a lot of the meat (mind you, he studied abroad in Iowa in the late 70s) and the French do not. The French use every part of their cows, pigs, etc. And they are hormone-free. I think they even taste better. ANyways, he said that his grandparents and parents used to eat brain of a donkey at least once a week. And tongue as well. Everything of that sort is very well cooked but it takes a long time. THis is why a lot of the French do not eat this type of food anymore because the demands of life are starting to build.

We also talked about travel. His host parents in America had never seen the ocean. That is definitely not the case. My host dad knows a lot of stats -- I never know if they're true or not -- but he said 40% of Americans have never been on an airplane and 80% have never seen the ocean. I know a lot of people have not but I don't know if the stats are that high. Here in France, everyone travels because of its ease. Although I like the trains here, they are definitely not perfect.

I went to Raclette party at my French friend's house last week. Raclette is a special dish in France made with Raclette cheese, bread, steamed potatoes, and all sorts of cut meat. In French classes previously, I had always had it with Roast Beef but that's not how they eat it here. They have tons of different types of ham and bacon and they have machines that you melt the cheese in. You pour the melted cheese over the potatoes and cut the meet and eat it with the potatoes and cheese. It is delicious! Anyways, I found out some things about the FAC aka university here. One of my good friends here just quit the FAC because she was so tired of the greves. They didn't have class but still had the scheduled exams. She was fed up with it so she is going to a private school now. Yeah, speaking of greves, we had two more set days last week so transportation was no fun and lots of manifestations occured. Further, my friends were talking about a 23 year old who had just started at the FAC. APparently, it is NOT normal to go to school that late. If you do not go immediately after high school, you don't go at all. It also seems to me that the people who are in your "major" and class are your friends and that's it. The group of people I hang out with are all in the same class except for one who lives with one in the class. I also asked one of my friends there if typical French people spoke English because a lot of them do not know that much. They said that typically, at least in this region, people do not speak fluent or close to fluent English.

Also random thought, the French don't use "lol." THey use "mdr." It means mourir de rire : dying of laughter.

Also at the party, I talked about TV and music. I found out that the French watch Little House on the Prairie -- in French. I got a huge kick out of this. Also, they have Disney here but it's all translated, including the songs, into French. So it's universal, but not completely.

I went bowling the other night and I have never seen such an impressive alley. To play three games we only paid around 8 Euro -- a steal in the states! And the alley had a nice sit down area to eat. Also, every night is glow bowling. It was a lot of fun.

One last thing for today -- every Friday there is a bus that comes near my house which is a bus that people go to to give blood. It just parks there all day. I took a picture.



Pictures: Patisserie, Me in front of Bourges Cathedral, front of Bourges Cathedral, Palais Jacques Coeur (best I could do), blood donor bus

Top Ten Things that are Impolite in French culture and not in American culture

1. When someone sneezes, you’re not supposed to say bless you ; you ignore them
2. Don’t cut your lettuce; it's really impolite, instead you fold your lettuce and push it onto a piece of bread if necessary.
3. Looking away during a toast when "dinging" (can't think of the real English word) glasses in horribly rude
4. You don’t smile at people on the street: unless it’s a dog or a little child
5. Bare feet -- I've talked about this before...no running around the house without shoes!
6. Hugging -- kissing on the lips is less affectionate and "crossing the line" than a hug is. The order: Bisous (kissing each cheek, starting with the right), Kissing in the lips, Hugging
7. It is impolite to go into a small, private, non-chain store and paw around in the items and then leave without buying anything.
8. Hands under the table -- this is incredibly rude. Etiquette dictates that one should put their hands next to their plate and rest the elbows at the edge of the table.
9. Technically speaking -- it is impolite for a man to open a door for a woman. He is supposed to enter a restaurant or building first.
10. Use a bill (rather than coins) when something you are buying costs less than 5 Euro. The Euro has a 2 piece and a 1 piece. Perfect change is preferred here. They use coins SO much more than in the states.

I look forward to your quesitons!

I'm out of creative titles...

This post may be a short one -- we'll see when I get started.



Last week on Monday night, the mayor of the city invited all the international students to the town hall (I posted a picture of that the first post) for champagne and snacks. He gave a speech about how important international culture is and how excited he was to have all of us in the city of Tours. We got a lot of free posters and information about the city and it gave us a chance to meet other students both at my school and at the public university. I think that it's neat that the city welcomes us so much -- everyone here is so patient, especially at the train station.

I don't know if I've mentioned this but it excites me so I"m going to say it again -- I keep getting mistaken for either a French person or someone not American. That's a big compliment because it means I"m losing my American accent.

My exams were Thursday and I got the results today. Blech, I didn't do that bad, I just thought they were SO much harder than my other tests. I'm still working my butt off so I guess I'll just have to keep working.

I'm going to raclette (French specialty) party on Wednesday night with my friends so I'm getting excited for that. And this weekend I"m going to another cathedral and a famous castle.






I went to London this past weekend with my sister. I was horribly ill Friday but I was able to go places Saturday and Sunday. I LOOVED it. It was nice to be able to understand more than one conversation at a time and to see another culture. I saw Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's (and sang Feed the Birds from Mary Poppins for those who are a fan), Big Ben, Eye of London, Tower of London (including the crown jewels), Marble Arch, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, and a lot more!! My sister and I stayed at a hotel near Oxford Circus. I had a really good time and won't forget to "Mind the Gap" in the London Underground!!





I'll do a different Top Ten and call it a day for now. Sorry for the belated post and for the shortness of this message. I have too much to say and no time! My host sister is coming home in a bit and it's the first time I'm meeting her!

Top Fifteen Things You will Find in a French House that you Won't Find in an Average American Homes:
1. A crepe pan
2. Nutella
3. Fresh Baguette
4. A Canal tv guide -- Canal is the big TV station here
5. HOUSE SLIPPERS (my host father almost died when I was bare footed the first day --it is NOT acceptable to have bare feet)
6. Separate toilets from the shower (Water Closet rooms)
7. The smell of a mix of at least four cheeses
8. Books in the water closet rooms
9. A lot of clothes lines -- no one puts things in a dryer here.
10. Heated towel racks -- they are the BEST.
11. Outdoor blinds on the first floor -- the French are very protective of their homes so on the first floor they have shudders that one can close at night time. My host parents close them religiously as soon as it starts to get dark.
12. Spotless floors - its not ok to be messy here...yeah I have problems.
13. Schedules for the buses and train tickets.
14. No garage -- you park on the street (I guess this is something you don't find in a French home but you do find in an American home!)
15. Wood floors in EVERY room. No carpet to be found!

(Maybe I should have turned that into a top 15 types of foods that are different here...haha)

Pictures:
My sister, Liesl, and me in Trafalgar Square
Rosetta Stone
Liesl and me in front of Big Ben
Me in the Town Hall in Tours, France
Sad in Trafalgar Square (I saw Mary Poppin’s St. Paul the day before)
Liesl and me in front of Buckingham palace
Underground
London Bridge

Responses to Questions...

I just got back from London last night and I have the plague now so I’m answering questions rather than being in class. I’ve been sleeping on and off all day.

Kyle, I would argue that in no way is culture becoming less important in France. In schools, as well as businesses, the French are much more blunt than in the United States or other places in the world. People will verbally critique you and do so in front of others. There really isn't a concept of positive reinforcement here. It can be discouraging to those with an American mindset but here people see it as a way to motivate others to work harder. Religion is strictly separated from business and state. In public schools, Muslim women cannot wear headscarves and Christians can not wear crosses. However, religion in everyday life is still important as I mentioned with the relics and people praying at the altars.

Alison, I'm not sure about the free university-- I'll have to ask my host nephew. I know that my host brother gets paid to go to school. How amazing is that? The protests right now are more about hours and pay (as always) but also about changing the system. They want to make the schools more mixed so that you have varying levels of intelligence and talents at each university. It's really controversial. I would say that technology speaking, France is on par or a tiny bit behind the United States. They are very concerned with maintaining history but not so much that they don't look into technology. If the two come into conflict, my guess would be history would take precedence because that's what the country prides itself on -- not being the most technologically advanced.

On a side note, I don't know who asked this (I think Celia) but France is outsourcing. I bought a purse the other day and was talking to the woman about a brand of French purses that I used to like. She told me that the company had been outsourced to China and was no longer popular in France because it could no longer claim the Paris name.

Carly, the people here do not go into English. I think they are used to Institute students and are patient. Your experience may be a result of how large your city was. I do have French friends here who want to practice English but we mostly speak French. One of my girl friends in particular, has me write down English idioms and we compare in French. It's a good exchange because we both are learning something about the other language. And signs here are all in French.

Justin, I think I would find an art history class in the US boring too. I am in love with the class here because everywhere you look is art history. For example, my art history class last week was at the cathedral in Tours to learn about gothic architecture. You can't do that kind of thing in the US. And when I visit cathedrals or other historic places in France, they are more meaningful because I know what I am looking at. What's the point of looking at architecture or paintings if you don't know what it is you're looking at? I love being able to look at a tympan and know exactly what's going on in it. As for museums, I've been to a few but I much prefer architecture to paintings. If you want some good universities with France, let me know, there are quite a few good ones!

Patrick, I watch a lot of TV here with my host family but I do not know a whole lot about it. I do know however, that TV is state sponsored and thus is subject to a lot of regulations. The most specific regulation is that after 8 PM, stations can only have 15 or 20 minutes (I don’t remember the exact number) for 2 hours. That is significantly less than the time in the United States. As for Sarkozy, they do treat him a lot like we treated Bush. Almost no one here likes him or respects him. It’s still a little hard for me to pick up subtle biases in newspapers but some papers do outwardly bash the president. And handball – same rules. It’s a great sport!

Anastasia – the idea of openness in France is a really interesting thing to think about. For example, a lot of French here love to talk about America and how things are different there. However, although they like to learn or talk about other cultures – that does not make them want to change their culture. Things here are very slow to change when it comes to culture. For example, my host dad has very strict notions about what food is acceptable to eat and it would be VERY difficult to convince him otherwise.

Heather – I hope my experiences here will make me more marketable! I definitely love learning about new cultures and seem to adjust pretty well. I just found out today that I shouldn’t be cutting my lettuce! It’s impolite. Oops. I absolutely LOVE the culture here. I love that people here are in a hurry but not too much to enjoy what is around them and to stop to say hello to people. I feel that people in the states are ALWAYS in a hurry. I also really like the concept of eating together as a family at certain times each night. The one culture thing that irks me is that everything (and I do mean everything) but the cinemas are closed on Sundays. I know I’m supposed to rest Sunday but it makes wanting to travel to nearby places difficult. And often times it’s the only day I have time to actually go shopping.

Sarah- My art history class is so interesting because I am surrounded by the material. Last week, I had class at the town cathedral. I think that Sarkozy was a charismatic leader in so far as he got elected. I have not met anyone who likes him now. I think he has lost a lot of the characteristics that go into the type of leadership. My host family tries to be neutral when I ask them questions but it’s not hard to pick up that they are not in favor of him either. No one can tell me why – I think they are just unhappy with the “world crisis” as they call it and want something different. But right now, different doesn’t necessarily mean better. And the greve…oh goodness. My trip to Chartres was not the best because of the greve. The city was great but getting there was a pain. Because of the greve, my train was cancelled. In the same manner, some of the greve protests are dangerous (not compared to some other countries but still dangerous the same) so I have to take different routes to school and other places. Overall, it hasn’t interfered too much which is a good thing.


Stephanie – You are more than welcome to ask about religion. Religion here is a very private matter (refer to my response to Kyle’s question). As far as prejudices go, I feel that the culture is very welcoming to all religions. I have yet to see a mosque but I don’t think any religion makes the French dislike a person any more.

Sarah- make sure you check out the answers to Kyle and Stephanie’s questions as well. Churches here are treated as both historical landmarks and areas to practice religion. A lot of people visit cathedrals to see the amazing architecture but others go there to pray and practice religion. It depends on the individual. But in no way is there an assumption that people are Christian or is religion forced. It is a very private matter.

Julie – like I said to Kyle, Stephanie, and Sarah, religion here is very private. Prejudice doesn’t exist because the state mandates a strict separation. I can’t speak for every city, but most cities surround a cathedral or at least the cathedral is in the old part of the city. (A lot of European cities have an old city and a new city) The French could care less about football. My host dad knew about the Superbowl and asked me about it but they care much more about Rugby and Handball which are two sports not as popular in the states. I think the bonds between European states are interesting – it’s very competitive here in terms of sports. I feel like the US needs to catch on already!!

Time Flies in Europe

Apologies for not posting last Sunday -- I have had an incredibly busy last two weeks. I don't even know where to start...

Skip back to the week before this past week. I learned a couple of interesting cultural things...First of all is the idea of the "greve" and "manifestations." Greve is a strike in French and the manifestations are the protests and parades in relation to the strikes. The protests are very historical here as they stem back to the French Revolution and the storming of the Bastille. Anyways, there was this huge protests (25,000 people) in Tours walking down the main street. It was kind of like a party -- music and singing. But there were a lot of different signs for different reasons: different education system, better pay for the train workers, and the impeachment of Sarkozy among others. I watched the manifestation with some of my friends from other countries and got a lot of their opinions on the protests and how they work in their respective countries. 40% of the workforce was in the protests. And now, the universities here are having a really hard time with the greve. Professors here are government workers because education is nationalized. The professors are on strike thus, students to not have classes. They also don't know when classes will start up again. The strikes here can put life on pause for many individuals. Speaking of, many train and bus employees are on strike, making it harder to travel. February 18th is an important date because it is the day Sarkozy sits down to talk to the union leaders. If the talks do not go well, a bigger strike could literally put the entire country on hold. This country relies on its public transportation.





The past two weeks I've done quite a bit of traveling. Last weekend, I went to Chartres. It is a huge cathedral about 30 minutes outside of Paris by train. Historically, it has the biggest crypts in France and is larger than Notre Dame de Paris. I took a train up to Chartres...it was horrible. There is no direct line from Tours to Chartres so I went through Le Mans. Once in Le Mans, my train to Chartres had been cancelled. I had to wait around 2 hours (thus missing the time to go down into the crypts) for the next train. Once in Chartres, I realized I had no memory card (I bought one later in the afternoon) to take pictures. I just enjoyed myself in the cathedral not worrying about taking pictures. It was actually relaxing. I went up the tower (climbed 600 steps) to see an amazing view of the city. Overall, the trip was very enjoyable. I am in an Art History class here and knowing what I"m looking at in these massive cathedrals really makes things ten times better.



My sister came to visit this week so I had a great time getting to see her and speak French with her more. :) I'm meeting more French people and not hanging out with the English speakers as much now, and I'm a lot happier.



Yesterday, my program traveled to St. Savin (an abbey) and the city of Poitiers. We saw a lot of sculptures in two cathedrals in Poitiers and had our packed lunches there. My host dad sent me 3 sandwiches and a huge pot of taboule. He thinks I eat so much when I don't. lol We all share our lunches between the group -- its funny. I LOVED St. Savin. It's a completely painted church. The ceiling has paintings that date to the 11th century. The detail and the story line of the paintings fascinate me. The paint was painted on wet plaster as they made the church so the painters had to work quickly. I wish I could explain the detail of the paintings but I'll post some pics to give you an idea.



I find it interesting how people here practice religion. My host dad was telling me that there are 70% Catholics, 20% Protestant, and 10% agnostic. Most individuals here are agnostic rather than atheist. My father (in the US) told me he read an article saying that more than 90% of people have not been to church (I don't know what time frame). I don't find this the case, however. When I visit churches there are always people there praying at the altar with the relics. I just find it interesting how the churches are the center of the old towns and how everything is built around them. It shows how involved religion was in people's lives.

Last Sunday was the Superbowl in the states. However, no one in Europe cared. Instead, we were too busy (especially in France) getting excited and watching the World Championship Team Handball match between France and Croatia. For those of you who don't know handball, it's like a mix of soccer, hockey, and basketball mixed with a tiny bit of football. The US just started playing and had their first team in the Olypmics last summer. The game is fun to watch and it was an really intense final match. And of course, the French won!! :)

Top Ten for the Week: What I love about France
1. Nutella for breakfast...mmm chocalately goodness.
2. Carte 12-25: Get train tickets for cheap!!
3. Art History (even though Kevin always goes at least a half hour longer)
4. Studio Movies: Original movies in English with French subtitles
5. Taboo Junior in French
6. Meeting actual French people and being friends with them
7. Talking on the phone in French
8. Soldes!!
9. Cathedrals
10. Wine tastings

Have a good week everyone!! Leave me comments/questions...I'll be better about getting back to them this week! (I have midterms Thursday and Friday so I won't be on Wednesday or Thursday)

Pictures: My friends and me in front of my school, manifestation, tower of Chartres, Chartres cathedral, me in a town outside of Poitiers, St. Savin Painted Church

Questions

Response to questions from the last post:

Carly, I couldn't really tell you about the welfare. My family doesn't ever talk about it and it's not something that they would use. However, there are TONS of homeless people who roam the city here. And they all have dogs. Rumors (don't know if they are fact) tell me that its because if the homeless person has a dog, he cannot be kicked off the street. The same is true in other cities. Yesterday I was in Chartres and there were men outside the cathedral singing and asking for money. As far as unemployment goes, I don't necessarily think it is that high. (I don't know where you got the statistic) There were protests here on Thursday and over 25,000 people showed up to protest. They aren't unemployed, the simply want more from their jobs and education. In my city, unemployment certainly doesn't seem that high. At least in my area of the city. I do not really understand your last question -- France isn't isolated. It is a huge member of the EU and reaches out to Africa and further East.

Steph, as far as technology goes, I think there has been quite a demand for technology within the last 5 years or so. My sister studied here and almost no family had wireless. THat is completely the opposite now --it is strange not to have wireless. In my father's job here, he works from home, so he has the highest form of technology with scanners and fax machines, etc. And the train technology here of TGV (really fast trains) is something that everyone here depends on to get from point A to point B. I hope this answers your question.

France is absolutely fabulous Justin. I have my ups and downs -- but I am absolutely in love with the country and the people. I am well aware of the stereotypes -- and they are too. My family is incredibly nice and I have made some really incredible French friends. None of them are rude. It's just a difference of attitude. French people don't go around smiling all the time or smiling at strangers like we do in the United States. You can smile at dogs or little children. Otherwise, people are just interested in getting to where they need to be. But on a personal level or in stores, French people are very very kind. I think it also depends on the type of attitude you have when you are interacting with them. I have a desire to learn about the culture and not cling to my American culture. It's not that I am ashamed, I just want to learn new things. Others in my program or at my school are not like that. Thus, they think that the French or cold but in reality it's because they aren't trying to see something new.

Sarah -- life here is busy but not like in the United States. People don't book three things at once but they put value in every plan they make. I'm not sure about the work environment, I think it depends on what area you work in. However, the French put more emphasis on personal values like getting to know an individual than to just get what they want out of someone and that's it. It's funny because "customer service" is not a word over here but they value it all the same. Yes, the school environment is more laid back but I think that the grades definitely make up for this. It is incredibly difficult to get good notes here so you HAVE to be productive.

Kyle -- I find the "soldes" really interesting too. I don't know anyone here who works in marketing here to ask how much money is made during the two soldes season versus the normal season. All I know is that Friday and Saturdays here are complete zoos because of all the people shopping. A lot of the things on sale in terms of clothes go for 2 or 3 euros...but I wouldn't say they are the highest quality clothing. I am waiting to see how the stores compare after the soldes end (this Wednesday). The soldes are very similar to those in the department stores in the states because they have some items on sale and others not. (it's always the ones not on sale that you want!!) I hope this answers your question.

Brittany, internet here is absolutely imperative for many jobs and communication for younger adults. Like I mentioned to Stephanie, my host dad uses Internet at least 3 days of the week. He sits at his computer and emails all day while he makes phone calls. SImilarly, students our age use the Internet for communication -- Facebook!!! When my sister was here three years ago, Internet wasn't used much and Facebook didn't exist here. It definitely exists here -- my French friends and I communicate through Facebook.

Julie, the history does intimidate me sometimes. I feel so humbled when I am at a castle or other piece of history and touch it. I can't even believe how many years the building has been there. It's a feeling that is inexplicable. Yes, the French now are concerned with preserving history and cathedrals and things like that, but this was not always the case. Until the 19th century, people did not care much for the history and, like with the tapistries, used art for personal use or would tear down buidlings for roads. This is not the case now, which is a good thing. As far as the sales, it's interesting to think about. I learned last semester in marketing that teaching individuals to wait for sales is not a good way to make profit. People won't buy at other times because they wait for the sales. However, I think France has taken this danger and profited from it. The items they sell at soldes are different than the items they sell normally. This makes people buy at *both* times. This is my impression at least.

Celia, feel free to ask as many questions as possible! Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you!! As far as box retailers go -- France isn't big on the Walmart company or Target. Instead, they have Carrefour. It's just like Walmart but it sells higher quality items (for example they sell Lacoste towels and bathroom supplies). I've only been once because I have to take a 20 minute bus to get there. I honestly don't know if they have a strategic alliance or whatever you are talking about with Walmart or anything like that. My guess would be no. People here don't know that much about Walmart. Your question about outsourcing is a good one -- I'm going to ask my host dad tonight at dinner. :) I'll get back to you.

Alison, interesting question about college studies. I would say the majority of my French friends here are *not* humanities majors. I have one friend studying international studies and the other is studying English but the rest are in the technology and business area. It's interesting here because people are placed into the schools based on the BAC. It's a test, similar to the ACT or SAT, that all graduating students must take. THere are many different types of the test and you have to take one "general" and one "technical" test. If you do well on both you can choose which you prefer (most choose technology) or you pick the one on which you did better. If I didn't explain that well, ask again and I"ll try again. But yes, most students here study technology and commerce and things like that. I'm not sure how it relates to outsourcing but I'll ask my host dad tonight when we talk about it.

Is Week Three Already Over??

Sunday morning right now so it's about 5 AM in Marietta...trying to think about the time change is strange because I'm so used to it here now. This week was fairly slow and full of ups and downs. I had my first pang of homesickness on Wednesday and it wasn't so much that I wanted to be home as I was frustrated with my situation here. It's really strange coming to a place where you know no one and then have to make friendships based on that. Who can you trust or talk to? People don't know your story here because you've known them for less than a month. It's frustrating when I actually think about it so I really try not to. I'm a fairly trusting person but here it seems hard to build trusting relationships because of differences in culture.

Classes are turning out well. First grades came out and I am where I should be in terms of my level and the grades I'm receiving. Different from the US, you really can't guess what kinds of grades people are getting unless they give the information willingly. Grades are SO unpredictable but it really makes you strive to do your best every single time.

Random culture notes: Salsa dancing is a HUGE thing here. Salsa nights are every Thursday. I thought this was interesting. Also, universities and high schools here do not have extra curricular activities. THey offer classes alone and that's it. It's up to the students to find opportunities to get involved. That is SO different from the US. One of the biggest sports here is Handball: France is doing really well in the World CHampionship. I watch it with my host father here.

Yesterday I had an excursion to the city of Angers. It is by far my favorite place in France so far : even better than Tours. There is an enormous castle there that has magnificent tapestries of the Apocalypse. It is the oldest and biggest tapestry in the world. I can't even explain how amazing the tapestries are. They are absolutely enormous. It is missing over 1/3 of the pieces because after it was made, people would cut up pieces to make rugs or horse blankets. It makes me cringe to think about it. Back in the day, art really didn't mean that much so they had no respect for it. THe biggest basillica every created doesnt' exist anymore because the government of the city decided to tear it down to build a road. (This was in Southern France). The tapestry is a double sided one so all the knots are on the inside and both sides have well preserved colors (there are SO many colors). It's hard to believe that it is made of wool. Looking at pictures online just doesn't do it justice. We did a tour of the tapestries in French and later used the English audioguides that they offer. It was interesting because both guides had different aspects of the illustrations to point out.

Angers the town is wonderful too. THere is better shopping there than in Tours so of course I had to go shopping. RIght now are the "soldes" which I don't think I've explained yet. They are 5 week sales and there are 2 soldes throughotu the course of the year. Other than that, items in stores do not go on sale. I could have stayed in Angers a lot longer : perhaps for a weekend!!

The Paris trip fell through next weekend so instead I'm going up to Reims with a friend on Saturday to see the cathedral there. It is said to be twice the size of Notre Dame in Paris so I'm excited. :)

And I was also thinking about Carly's comment the other day when I was reading the newspaper. In more response to the comment, even when the news here reports on the American issues, it always links the issues to how it relates to Europe. I read an article yesterday about Obama closing the CIA secret camps and it related the news to how it effects Europe.

I thought I'd do a top ten (in no particular order) of what I really love about France:
1. Kebab :) Here's a pic but imagine the fries ON the sandwhich. :)
2. No classes Wednesday or Friday afternoons
3. Being able to travel somewhere really neat in just a day
4. HISTORY: there is virtually no history in the US. The conflict over Alsace area between now Germany and now France stems back to 864!!!!
5. Crepes: So delicious :)
6. Walking everywhere: I thought I walked a lot in Marietta...that's a joke.
7. International Friends
8. Pastries and chocolate: There is nothing like it in the US
9. Galette de Rois: How cool is it that there is a prize in the cake?? :)
10. Fashion Sense: My fashion fits in here really well :) And I LOVE scarves/foulards. One of my friends said yesterday that I always look like I'm going to a fashion show in France...funny comment since I was wearing jeans and boots to be warm...:)

That should do it for now. I love comments and questions so leave me some! :)

Pictures: Most of my group (minus 3!) at Angers, the castle and gardens at Angers (You can't possibly get a picture of all the castle in one because it is too big!), Me on top of the tower at Angers, Kebab.

Sunday = Update Day

So it's 6:30 here in Tours and I am doing my weekly blog/online check-in. Sundays here are very laid back so it's the best day to write even though I should probably be talking with my family. :) Oh well. I'm up in my room smelling the scent of chocolate cake that my host father is making. He manages/works with a chocolate company in France and its his homemade cake. I can't wait for dinner. :)

A lot has happened since my last check-in. First, I visited two chateaux (sorry, castles!!) last weekend with my program. We visited Langeais and Azay le Rideau. Langeais is an old castle that was built for protection and war. Azay is the opposite, built for pleasure and comfort. (As comfortable as you can get with stone walls and freezing temperatures!) Azay sits on a lake so it is really gorgeous. We also went to a little dessert shop (for lack of better translation) and got cakes and hot chocolate. Delicious! I love how France is so intrested in their food and making sure every little detail is covered: Desserts here are not only amazing but gorgeous at the same time! One of the most significant details I learned about the castles (stuff I didn't already know) had to do with the kitchens. In Azay, part of the kitchen has a low floor (original floor) and the other part has the higher, newer floor. The reason for the low floor is because there were windows in the kitchen and the owners of the castle did not want people on the outside looking in to see the "lowly peasants and servants" while they worked or chatted. I thought it was really interesting how concerned people were.

I've successfully been through two weeks of classes. My head hurts (my host dad says this is normal and a good thing!) because I am constantly thinking in French. It's actually kind of hard to switch back now. :) It's a little frustrating because even my international friends all want to speak English. My closest friends here are from Netherlands, England, Spain, and one from Miami University. We do a lot of different things together (celebrated my birthday and such!) My friend from the Netherlands speaks English as if she was from the US. The group of us will be going to Paris in a couple weekends : Yay!

Anyways, got off subject: Classes. I have a long long day of classes. Monday and Tuesday I go to school from 9 to 17h30. Wednesday is nice; I only have classes from 9 to 12 and the afternoon is free. Thursday I go from 9 to 15h30. And Friday I go from 9-12 break then from 1400-1600. My classes are taught completely in French which is challenging but it keeps me awake. I had my first test last week so I'll have to see how different the grading system is than at home. One thing about France is time means nothing. Class is supposed to start at 9 and my professor normally shows up at 905 or 910. It's actually normal to show up to class at 905 or 910. Breaks are supposed to last for 10 minutes and sometimes they go for as long as 20 minutes. My family is the same way: If I say I have to leave at 930, I won't be out of the house til 940. It's definitely something to get used to.

I celebrated my birthday this past week as well. I went to hockey game (they have cheerleaders for hockey teams here!) and went to a cafe with some of my friends. It was a lot of fun. :) My birthday was on Wednesday and my professors brought in cake to celebrate. Galette de Rois is the name of the cake: It's quite possibly the best cake I've ever eaten.

As far as this weekend goes, I went to see Twilight (in French) last night: It's a big of a fad here as it is in the US. And I saw Slumdog Millionaire today with my family. Cinema here is different: No one talks, laughs, or practially moves both before the movie starts and during the movie. And the popcorn is like kettle corn. :) ANd movies aren't horribly expensive here.

It takes two days for US news to get over here. My mom (real mom) told me about the airplane landing on the Hudson and it showed up in the French papers two days later. My host family talked a bit about it but they're more excited about the inuaguration. It's completely normal to talk about politics here and to talk about who you voted for. My host mom asked me today who I voted for. Also, the Israeli-Palestine situation is in France as well. I don't know how it is in the US, but in many cities in France there have been protests: including in Tours, where I am. There was one on the main street yesterday (protest parade) and all week there have been people trying to get you to stop and talk to them.

Well I think that's a lot to digest for now. This week I have two more exams and am visiting Angers on Saturday. My host father told me that part of Angers burned down (?) so we may be changing our excursion. Hope the first week of Marietta classes went well! Can't wait to hear all your comments/questions. :)

Pictures: Langeais, Azay le Rideau, International Friends, Professors, the Loire River
*Pictures won't work on this internet..I'll post tomorrow. :)

JE SUIS EN FRANCE!!!!!

Bonjour!!! Je suis en France maintenant! For those who don't speak French: hello! I am in France now!! Today is Wednesday, January 7th and it is about 9:30 here. I've just finished dinner and am tired of working on homework so I thought I'd take a little break. A lot has happened in the past few days so I'd like to fill you in on a bit.

I won't bore you with all the details of my trip and all my encounters because I could sit here for days typing all the things I have done here in the past three days and all the things I have seen. First of all, I wish I could describe the different smells. Every morning I wake up and have breakfast with my host father. Breakfast is normally cereal, croissant and jelly, fruit, tarts, or other fresh pastries that may be in the house. This morning, my host father went to work before I was up for breakfast so I served myself breakfast. When I opened the fridge, I was overwhelmed with new smells. I assume the smells of different meats and cheeses. In just three days I have eaten things I never thought I would eat, things I couldn't even tell you what they were. Last night, I ate a vegetable that has no English equivalent in the dictionary. It definitely wasn't my favorite but coming from a picky eater, I have truly surprised myself.

I love my host family. I live in an adorable house and my family is so welcoming. My host father talks with me about many things and he helps me with my pronunciation and french grammar. It is truly helpful. Last night, I had dinner with just him. He told me that he thought the French were getting lazy. For example, it snowed the other night, and there was no school yesterday. He said when he was in school, they were expected to walk in the snow. It reminded me of how my father talks. Things really aren't all that different here after all.

As far as school goes, I am in level four intermediate. It is the level in which I wanted to place. The professors here are not like the professors in the United States. Grading is much harder and professors are very critical in class. I experienced this in class today. You have to have thick skin to survive in an environment at the Institute.

I have made many different types of friends here. I even met another girl named Blakely!! She is in my small class of 15! I have friends from Columbia, Mexico, Spain, Venezuela (lots of Spanish!), Britain, Austrailia, the United States of course, Korea, and France too. My host nephew (he is a student in Tours and lives at the house) is so nice to me and I talk with him very often. He likes to practice his English with me and he lets me practice French with him. Making friends here can be difficult because no one speaks the same language and it seems easier ot make friends with someone from your native country but I am trying hard not to do this. I have made a close friendship with a girl who lives around the corner from me who goes to Miami. We speak French with each other however.

There is snow here right now. It is very strange for Tours to have snow! It's the first time in over 10 years my host father tells me! I will post a picture of the town hall with snow. I took it on Monday night when I went out to a cafe called Cafe des Langue (cafe of lanugages) where students go to meet other international students.

That's all for now. This weekend I will travel to the castle called L'Azay le Rideau. Questions? Comments? Let me know! I'll answer!

Hope all is well in the states!

It was hard to write this without switching to French...I think that's a good sign!