Its been a while since I've posted on here. I've been kinda busy. I've got updates on school and more on French culture and the differences I've encountered. Therefore, this may be a little long, sorry.
Good news first, I finally got my "carte de sejour" which is my residence permit, which means I'm officially legal in France and I can work part time with my student visa. It was a long, annoying process (like most processes here) and it was the last of all the official things I had to do!
School:
After 2 months I can finally notice a difference in my french skills. Not as much my speaking but my oral comprehension has increased huge amounts. I've learned tons of new vocab. I'm glad I didn't ask to drop my course level. I'm comfortably challenged now. My speaking is getting better too, though. Since all my new friends are from all over the world the common language among us is French so that's what we speak when we're together. Sometimes English, because of course everyone knows some English, but we only use that for complex conversations. I still wish I had more opportunity in class to speak it. Adam and I are supposed to speak it together on the weekends but we get lazy.
So my courses are month-long intensive courses. Not all students are there every month, so each month you get put in a new level, you have new, and some of the same, classmates and sometimes a new teacher too. This month the students are: 5 Chinese, 4 Korean, 1 Japanese, 1 German, 1 Irish, 1 Canadian, 1 Qatari, 1 Chilean, 1 Belarus and me, the only American. But its cool because I like learning about different cultures.
Here's a funny story for my nurse friends:
There are 2 teachers for my class that switch days during the week. One I like, the other, not so much. She's very old school, very French, very serious, and not always very nice. We were learning about medical terminology, which I happen to be familiar with since I worked in clinics in Madagascar (they speak french there). Also since medical words are Latin based, they're similar in all Latin based languages. The word was "asculte." My nurse friends will know that "ascultate" in English means to listen, you ascultate lung sounds. She asked if anyone knew what it meant and I replied "ecouter" which means to listen. She said "no, it means regarder" (to look). There is a dentist in the class too and we both replied "non, c'est ecouter" she said "no it means to look, you asculte someones eyes, or throat" after a few minutes of us saying no and her completely refusing to believe us we gave up. A few minutes later she asked what are the different ways to take a temperature. She said, armpit, forhead, ear. I said "under the tongue" she said "really? I've never heard of that before" I said "well that's how I always take my patients' temperatures" she says "what are you a doctor?" I said "no I'm a nurse" and she says "oh you're a nurse?! well then maybe you are right about asculte meaning to listen, I mean I'm no medical professional you probably know more than me" She completely recanted all she said about "asculte" and then referred to me for answers for the rest of the class.
Living in France
Apartment hunting
So before I even got here Adam and I decided to put in our 3 (yes 3) month notice to move out of his apartment. Its only 300 sq feet and the internet and phone service have absolutely horrible reception. Once the notice is given you can't change your mind, you have to be out in 3 months. We're looking on LeBonCoin, its similar to CraigsList but not nearly as good, not nearly as many options. We've been warned that landlords never give you back your security deposit, so to deal with this, the French just don't pay their last month's rent.
A major difference and difficulty we've run into is finding an equipped kitchen. In France, when you move, you take EVERYTHING with you. This includes the stove/oven, refrigerator, microwave. Some apartments we see online only have a kitchen sink. Luckily, the newly renovated apartments have the oven/stove built into the cabinetry/walls. So that's what we need to look for.
Another random thing about apartments in general, since the French are very into energy conservation and since energy use is cheaper at night, water heaters are only turned on at night, at 11pm. If you run out of hot water at noon you don't get hot water again until the next morning. Our water tank in this studio is only built for 1 person use and there's now 2 people in this apartment. On occasion, if we both take morning showers, I'll run out of hot water while doing the dishes later in the day. I take shorter showers and keep the water pressure low to avoid running out.
Doing Laundry:
The laundromat we use has 10 washing machines and 5 dryers. For some unknown reason only about 5 of them are turned on on any given day. So I have to go down the line to see which ones are turned on that I can use. Also, French people, and I think non-Americans in general, don't really use dryers for their clothes. Clothes lines strung outside of windows are very common. I've seen it in Italy too. Most people I see in the laundromat take all their clothes straight from the washing machine and leave. Our Brazilian friend had a special drying rack installed in her laundry room, she doesn't own a dryer. Neither do our French friends. Its also very expensive to use the dryers at the laundromat. 1 euro for each 10 mins. So Adam and I just do 10 minutes in the dryer and then bring it home and put it on our drying rack to dry the rest of the way.
Public Restrooms:
Most of the public restrooms I've used in France are teeny tiny. Sometimes they're kind of gross but not always. But what I've noticed the most is that there are rarely toilet seats on the toilets. You can tell there used to be one at some point. I asked 2 non French people why this is and they both told me they heard they get stolen. Why in the world someone would steal a toilet seat is ridiculous to me, I'll have to ask a French person.
Flying:
So in the past year I've been on a few planes that are mostly full of French people. Something funny I noticed, they clap when the plane lands. My guess is they're applauding the pilot for not crashing. Not everyone does it, of course, but I was pretty confused the first time I heard it.
Also, when a plane is delayed, they tell you why! Our first flight to Venice was delayed because the pilot was sick so a new pilot was en route to the airport. My flight back from Venice was delayed because there was an issue with a passenger on the earlier flight from Rome so it was late getting in from Rome. Its kinda nice. In the US you only know delay reasons if they have to do with weather.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
American Food in France
More food adventures. I seem to talk about food a lot. Since being here I've been in a state of constant hunger. Which isn't unusual for me but its never happened this often. I wake up in the middle of the night and munch on a baguette. I crave charcuterie, which is various kinds of ham, prosciutto and salami, every single day. At any given time we have no less than 3 different kinds of cheese in our refrigerator. If there's any country for a foodie like me, France is it.
Wednesday the school hosted a wine, cheese, and charcuterie tasting. I'm not a fan of wine, I went mainly for the cheese and charcuterie. Ever since I moved here I can't get enough of the stuff. But I ended up actually liking the wine, too. It was a diverse group, only 10 people, but representing Canada, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Iraq and Italy. I like meeting all these people of different cultures.
Speaking of different cultures, our teacher informed us that Thursday there was going to be a party for all the international students at the University. Everyone had to bring a traditional dish from their country. After saying this she looked at the 2 Americans in the class and said "USA, what do you have?" We looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.
I wracked my brain all week, everything American I thought of (fried chicken, BBQ, buffalo wings, ribs) was not possible to make. Either it doesn't exist here or I didn't have the capacity to make it at my apartment, or the money. Then I had the genius idea to make PB&J: easy, cheap and very American. I've heard from 2 french people that its the weirdest thing they've ever heard of. Stores here only just recently started selling peanut butter and if you search hard enough you can find it.
Well, Thursday comes and I proudly bring in my plate of PB&J cut into triangles only to find out that 2 other Americans had the exact same idea! It only then dawned on me that I could have made Mac N Cheese and then I could have stood out from the crowd. My teacher said that every year, it never fails, there's always at least 1 plate of PB&J at the party.
There was a lot of good food there. Lots of Chinese, various South American dishes, some Middle Eastern stuff. My favorite was something from Romania, which had ground meat, sauerkraut, rice, and cheese. I went back for seconds on that one. I need to find this Romanian person and get the recipe.
Speaking of American (ish) food in the France, when asked if there's any food he misses from the US, Adam says Mexican and spicy foods. There's a quesadilla place down the street but its more like crepes with stuff inside that's not exactly Mexican.
We had a sweet salsa-ish type thing at a French friends house once and asked what it was and he said it was Old El Paso salsa. Adam and I busted out laughing and the french people looked at us confused. We said it was nothing like actual Mexican salsa. It was still good though, so I went to buy some at the store, Adam and I like spicy, but the French seem to have an even wimpier taste than most Americans. The only salsa options were Mild and Extra Mild.
We were taking a walk one night and passed a store with nothing but foods from the US, Canada, and the UK. They had British teas and cookies and beers, Canadian maple syrup. For the US they had BBQ sauce, hot sauce, Lucky Charms, frozen onion rings, mozzarella sticks, mountain dew, root beer, campbell's soup, twizzlers and skittles, aunt jemima pancake mix, corn bread mix. It was pretty awesome. I left with a can of A&W rootbeer and some cream of mushroom soup to use in a recipe. I almost bought a box of Lucky Charms until I saw that it cost over 9 euros!
Besides all the cheese, the French are pretty healthy (oh and minus the smoking, that stereotype is very true. I HATE cigarette smoke. But you can't avoid it. Everyone smokes. All the time. Everywhere. Even if they only have 20 seconds to spare they'll light up and take just one puff. They roll up their homemade cigarette on the tram and have it in their mouth waiting, impatient to smoke it, then the moment they step off the tram they light up. As if waiting 5 seconds to step off to the side is too much). Anyways, I digress... And Grenoble is like Denver, next door to the mountains so everyone is really active. I love it. In 5 weeks I can count the number of overweight people I've seen on 1 hand. But an interesting thing I noticed on the food ads hung at bus/tram stops. At the bottom of every food ad it says one of 2 things: "for your health, avoid eating too much salt, fat and sugar" or "for your health, participate in physical activity regularly" ...random thought but just something i found interessante.
Wednesday the school hosted a wine, cheese, and charcuterie tasting. I'm not a fan of wine, I went mainly for the cheese and charcuterie. Ever since I moved here I can't get enough of the stuff. But I ended up actually liking the wine, too. It was a diverse group, only 10 people, but representing Canada, Germany, South Africa, Brazil and Iraq and Italy. I like meeting all these people of different cultures.
Speaking of different cultures, our teacher informed us that Thursday there was going to be a party for all the international students at the University. Everyone had to bring a traditional dish from their country. After saying this she looked at the 2 Americans in the class and said "USA, what do you have?" We looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.
I wracked my brain all week, everything American I thought of (fried chicken, BBQ, buffalo wings, ribs) was not possible to make. Either it doesn't exist here or I didn't have the capacity to make it at my apartment, or the money. Then I had the genius idea to make PB&J: easy, cheap and very American. I've heard from 2 french people that its the weirdest thing they've ever heard of. Stores here only just recently started selling peanut butter and if you search hard enough you can find it.
Well, Thursday comes and I proudly bring in my plate of PB&J cut into triangles only to find out that 2 other Americans had the exact same idea! It only then dawned on me that I could have made Mac N Cheese and then I could have stood out from the crowd. My teacher said that every year, it never fails, there's always at least 1 plate of PB&J at the party.
There was a lot of good food there. Lots of Chinese, various South American dishes, some Middle Eastern stuff. My favorite was something from Romania, which had ground meat, sauerkraut, rice, and cheese. I went back for seconds on that one. I need to find this Romanian person and get the recipe.
Speaking of American (ish) food in the France, when asked if there's any food he misses from the US, Adam says Mexican and spicy foods. There's a quesadilla place down the street but its more like crepes with stuff inside that's not exactly Mexican.
We had a sweet salsa-ish type thing at a French friends house once and asked what it was and he said it was Old El Paso salsa. Adam and I busted out laughing and the french people looked at us confused. We said it was nothing like actual Mexican salsa. It was still good though, so I went to buy some at the store, Adam and I like spicy, but the French seem to have an even wimpier taste than most Americans. The only salsa options were Mild and Extra Mild.
We were taking a walk one night and passed a store with nothing but foods from the US, Canada, and the UK. They had British teas and cookies and beers, Canadian maple syrup. For the US they had BBQ sauce, hot sauce, Lucky Charms, frozen onion rings, mozzarella sticks, mountain dew, root beer, campbell's soup, twizzlers and skittles, aunt jemima pancake mix, corn bread mix. It was pretty awesome. I left with a can of A&W rootbeer and some cream of mushroom soup to use in a recipe. I almost bought a box of Lucky Charms until I saw that it cost over 9 euros!
Besides all the cheese, the French are pretty healthy (oh and minus the smoking, that stereotype is very true. I HATE cigarette smoke. But you can't avoid it. Everyone smokes. All the time. Everywhere. Even if they only have 20 seconds to spare they'll light up and take just one puff. They roll up their homemade cigarette on the tram and have it in their mouth waiting, impatient to smoke it, then the moment they step off the tram they light up. As if waiting 5 seconds to step off to the side is too much). Anyways, I digress... And Grenoble is like Denver, next door to the mountains so everyone is really active. I love it. In 5 weeks I can count the number of overweight people I've seen on 1 hand. But an interesting thing I noticed on the food ads hung at bus/tram stops. At the bottom of every food ad it says one of 2 things: "for your health, avoid eating too much salt, fat and sugar" or "for your health, participate in physical activity regularly" ...random thought but just something i found interessante.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Week 4: I survived my first month in France!
So my new intensive language courses began this week. They didnt have a class for my exact level so they bumped me up one. I would have preferred to be bumped down one, seeing as I haven't taken an actual French class in 8 years. Its definitely challenging. My oral comprehension is not quite on par with my classmates. The teacher talks too fast. I've seriously contemplated asking to be demoted but for now I'm going to try to stick it out.
There's one other American in my class. Its nice to have one person to relate to and ask in English what the heck the teacher is saying. The other students are Brazilian, Colombian, Qatari, Syrian, Korean and Bulgarian. Its interesting to hear the different accents when these people speak French. Sometimes its hard to understand their French because of it.
French computer keyboards, not the same as american ones. The A and Q are switched. The Z and W are switched. The M is next to the L. You have to hold the shift key to type numbers and to type a period. its incredibly frustrating and its a good thing I'm in a classroom or I'd throw it at the wall.
One day we walked into the classroom and it was warm. I was like Hallelujah! But immediately it was deemed stuffy by the other students and the windows were opened for 10 minutes to get air circulation. That's the closest I've been to being warm here. Its really starting to get on my nerves this being cold all the time
Random tidbit about French universities, they're rather rundown looking. In dire need of a good power wash and some modernization. There's good reason for this: its virtually free for the French to go to college, so the money the schools receive from the government only covers the basic costs, teacher salaries, etc. There is no tuition money coming in. So no extra money to put towards landscaping, central heating and air, renovating the bathrooms so I don't feel like I'm in the bathroom of Dana's (only my college friends will understand that reference)
I discovered my new favorite French food. A crêpe with cheese, prosciutto, salami, and a fried egg. I've eaten it 3 times now this week. Crêpes were already my favorite. I've been making them with nutella and strawberries every 2-3 days or so.
I got a French cell phone! Its a super cheap smartphone but getting another samsung galaxy would have cost well over 600 euros. I now have gotten all of the important things out of the way. Except for my residence permit, which is also my work permit, but I've been told not to hold my breath on that one... Oh the French, they're lucky have have such a beautiful country and language
So my new intensive language courses began this week. They didnt have a class for my exact level so they bumped me up one. I would have preferred to be bumped down one, seeing as I haven't taken an actual French class in 8 years. Its definitely challenging. My oral comprehension is not quite on par with my classmates. The teacher talks too fast. I've seriously contemplated asking to be demoted but for now I'm going to try to stick it out.
There's one other American in my class. Its nice to have one person to relate to and ask in English what the heck the teacher is saying. The other students are Brazilian, Colombian, Qatari, Syrian, Korean and Bulgarian. Its interesting to hear the different accents when these people speak French. Sometimes its hard to understand their French because of it.
French computer keyboards, not the same as american ones. The A and Q are switched. The Z and W are switched. The M is next to the L. You have to hold the shift key to type numbers and to type a period. its incredibly frustrating and its a good thing I'm in a classroom or I'd throw it at the wall.
One day we walked into the classroom and it was warm. I was like Hallelujah! But immediately it was deemed stuffy by the other students and the windows were opened for 10 minutes to get air circulation. That's the closest I've been to being warm here. Its really starting to get on my nerves this being cold all the time
Random tidbit about French universities, they're rather rundown looking. In dire need of a good power wash and some modernization. There's good reason for this: its virtually free for the French to go to college, so the money the schools receive from the government only covers the basic costs, teacher salaries, etc. There is no tuition money coming in. So no extra money to put towards landscaping, central heating and air, renovating the bathrooms so I don't feel like I'm in the bathroom of Dana's (only my college friends will understand that reference)
I discovered my new favorite French food. A crêpe with cheese, prosciutto, salami, and a fried egg. I've eaten it 3 times now this week. Crêpes were already my favorite. I've been making them with nutella and strawberries every 2-3 days or so.
I got a French cell phone! Its a super cheap smartphone but getting another samsung galaxy would have cost well over 600 euros. I now have gotten all of the important things out of the way. Except for my residence permit, which is also my work permit, but I've been told not to hold my breath on that one... Oh the French, they're lucky have have such a beautiful country and language
Monday, February 2, 2015
Week 3: French Food and Skiing
I had a rather boring 3rd week. Highlights: I got health insurance and I got a French bank account a debit card (the concept of credit doesn't exist here). It was a long, annoying process for both of those things so I'm very relieved.
Food!
If you've ever been to France you should know that the food here is perfection, always. I've never had a bad meal in all the times I've visited this country. The baguettes and the croissants are addicting. The cheese: the stinkier the better.
Each region has its own specialties and the Haute-Savoie region of the Alps that I live in has some good ones. All involve cheese, potatoes and cured ham (prosciutto) in a variety of ways.
One night, after a long day of skiing, a group of Adam's friends gathered to eat something called Raclette. There's a special Raclette maker which has about 8 small shallow bowls and you melt a piece of Raclette cheese until its liquid and then pour it over boiled Raclette potatoes and then eat it together with a piece of prosciutto or salami. Its amazing. Its so popular even Dominoes advertises Raclette Pizza.
Next new amazing dish I learned from my new German friend. You take a soft cheese called Mont D'Or, which comes in a wood bark bowl, scoop out the middle and fill it with minced garlic and white wine. Stick it in the oven and also pour that over Raclette potatoes when its all liquidy. Yummy.
There's also Tartiflette. Which is like a baked casserole of au gratin Raclette potatoes, cheese, and cured ham. As you can see, lots and lots of cheese in all these dishes. I love cheese. If you try cheese in France don't smell it, just eat it. Like I said, the stinkier the better.
Then one night we went to a restaurant and got something called a Potence. It looked like a medieval torture device, short, thick iron stick with spikes on it, each spike with a big chunk of duck meat. Hanging over a pot of french fries. Its set on fire to cook then all the juice from the meat drips onto the fries. Then you get dipping sauces for the fries. Probably top 10 best dinners I've ever had. I love duck, but only in France, its just not as good when I've ordered it in the US.
Food mistake I made: don't try to save money and go to the grocery store and buy cheap grocery store brand baguettes and cheese. Not worth the money saved, you gotta go to the little patisseries and fromageries (bakeries and cheese shops)
Skiing
I'm learning to ski. I figured I should since I live in the Alps. I've gone every weekend since I've been here. You can see on my Facebook all the beautiful snowy mountain pictures I've posted. I bought all the equipment at a second hand ski store for under 200 euros.
Our first week we took the Ski Bus and the bus got stuck in the snow and we had to walk a couple km in the snow uphill with our gear, hitch hike with a car full of German guys, and we didn't get out on the slopes till 3pm. The bus got stuck at 9am. This 3rd weekend, I skied at a different location and on the way back on the Ski Bus it was the same driver that got us stuck! I was surprised he still had a job and that I made it back to Grenoble in one piece.
I only ever truly skied once in the US, in Lake Tahoe last year. It was a nice resort with a big lodge at the base and one at the top and places to sit and relax and lockers to keep your belongings. I've also seen the resorts in Breckenridge in the summer. Very nice. Well, I'm learning this doesn't really exist in France. Yes they have ski resorts but not like the ones in the US. There isn't really anyplace to sit and relax when you don't feel like skiing, no big lodge, unless you go to a cafe but then you have to buy something and sometimes they're very small and cramped and crowded. There are also no lockers. Unless you have a car or a hotel room there you must bring a backpack and ski with your belongings on your back. Also, the little cafes are not heated, like the rest of this country, there is nowhere to go and get warm.
I had a rather boring 3rd week. Highlights: I got health insurance and I got a French bank account a debit card (the concept of credit doesn't exist here). It was a long, annoying process for both of those things so I'm very relieved.
Food!
If you've ever been to France you should know that the food here is perfection, always. I've never had a bad meal in all the times I've visited this country. The baguettes and the croissants are addicting. The cheese: the stinkier the better.
Each region has its own specialties and the Haute-Savoie region of the Alps that I live in has some good ones. All involve cheese, potatoes and cured ham (prosciutto) in a variety of ways.
One night, after a long day of skiing, a group of Adam's friends gathered to eat something called Raclette. There's a special Raclette maker which has about 8 small shallow bowls and you melt a piece of Raclette cheese until its liquid and then pour it over boiled Raclette potatoes and then eat it together with a piece of prosciutto or salami. Its amazing. Its so popular even Dominoes advertises Raclette Pizza.
Next new amazing dish I learned from my new German friend. You take a soft cheese called Mont D'Or, which comes in a wood bark bowl, scoop out the middle and fill it with minced garlic and white wine. Stick it in the oven and also pour that over Raclette potatoes when its all liquidy. Yummy.
There's also Tartiflette. Which is like a baked casserole of au gratin Raclette potatoes, cheese, and cured ham. As you can see, lots and lots of cheese in all these dishes. I love cheese. If you try cheese in France don't smell it, just eat it. Like I said, the stinkier the better.
Then one night we went to a restaurant and got something called a Potence. It looked like a medieval torture device, short, thick iron stick with spikes on it, each spike with a big chunk of duck meat. Hanging over a pot of french fries. Its set on fire to cook then all the juice from the meat drips onto the fries. Then you get dipping sauces for the fries. Probably top 10 best dinners I've ever had. I love duck, but only in France, its just not as good when I've ordered it in the US.
Food mistake I made: don't try to save money and go to the grocery store and buy cheap grocery store brand baguettes and cheese. Not worth the money saved, you gotta go to the little patisseries and fromageries (bakeries and cheese shops)
Skiing
I'm learning to ski. I figured I should since I live in the Alps. I've gone every weekend since I've been here. You can see on my Facebook all the beautiful snowy mountain pictures I've posted. I bought all the equipment at a second hand ski store for under 200 euros.
Our first week we took the Ski Bus and the bus got stuck in the snow and we had to walk a couple km in the snow uphill with our gear, hitch hike with a car full of German guys, and we didn't get out on the slopes till 3pm. The bus got stuck at 9am. This 3rd weekend, I skied at a different location and on the way back on the Ski Bus it was the same driver that got us stuck! I was surprised he still had a job and that I made it back to Grenoble in one piece.
I only ever truly skied once in the US, in Lake Tahoe last year. It was a nice resort with a big lodge at the base and one at the top and places to sit and relax and lockers to keep your belongings. I've also seen the resorts in Breckenridge in the summer. Very nice. Well, I'm learning this doesn't really exist in France. Yes they have ski resorts but not like the ones in the US. There isn't really anyplace to sit and relax when you don't feel like skiing, no big lodge, unless you go to a cafe but then you have to buy something and sometimes they're very small and cramped and crowded. There are also no lockers. Unless you have a car or a hotel room there you must bring a backpack and ski with your belongings on your back. Also, the little cafes are not heated, like the rest of this country, there is nowhere to go and get warm.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Week 2 in France: Starting school, making friends, learning culture
So I promised week 2 was going to be more interesting than week 1. It is.
SCHOOL:
I enrolled in a semester of French language and culture courses because a student Visa was the easiest to obtain. I arrived at the university Monday to see that 99% of the students were between the ages of 18-22 and there to study abroad and mostly knew each other. 50% American, 40% Chinese, and 10% other nationalities. Classes started officially on Wednesday, the language class was good, I was placed in the correct level for my French abilities. The equivalent of a 3.9 out of 6.
First interesting experience: We had to introduce ourselves to the person sitting next to us. My partner was a guy from Mongolia. I have only spoken French to English speakers and French people who speak English. I'm used to substituting an English word with a French accent when I don't know the French word. Well, you can't do this with someone who doesn't even speak English. It was an interesting conversation that didn't get very far.
Then there's the culture classes, I was to choose 3 from a list including French literature, politics, economy, art, film, history, theater. I went to French History and French Film the first day. The classes are taught only in French, I only understood about 50% Then, the syllabus is passed out and it includes things to read, papers to write, projects to do, presentations to give. I immediately thought "F*** this!" I already did the college thing, I don't need college credit like these other college kids here, I did not come here to write papers and do projects. So the next day I switched out of the program and into a language only program, that is double the language classes and will get me fluent faster, which was my goal here.
NEW FRIENDS:
On day 2 of school I happened to meet probably the only other student there who's here for the same reason I am. She's a really nice girl from Canada and we've been hanging out ever since. We both have switched into the language only courses.
Then one day on the tram I was talking to my mom on the phone about school and a random French girl comes up to me and says "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation but would you like someone to speak French with?" She then proceeded to give me her phone number and we arranged to meet for coffee. Which we did on Friday and we plan to hang out more in the future.
Just one of the many examples I've encountered in my lifelong attempt to shut down the stereotype Americans have about French people. They are some of the nicest people I've ever met and willing to help you out without even being asked. Like a lady at the laundromat who noticed our washing machine wasn't working and offered to call the company for us.
I've also met all of Adam's friends, who are of various nationalities: British, French, American, Brazilian, Portuguese. They are all a lot of fun. One night we went to dinner at the 2nd oldest restaurant/bar in France which has been in operation since the 1600's.
ANNOYING THINGS I'M LEARNING:
1. Adam warned me about this, paperwork processing is a pain in the butt. It is all done in person, never online. And every time you go somewhere to register in something, they will need more paperwork than you have and you must go find it and return. I still don't have all of my health insurance because of this. I mailed my form for my residence permit and I was told it would take 2 months to get the return forms and I must have it all done within 3 months.
2. Also making that process difficult, French businesses take time off for lunch and close up shop at some point between 12-2pm. Which is when I am always free to get things done and they are never available. Even some stores do this. If I'd known this I wouldn't have walked to the ski store so many times this week.
3. For all photo ID cards, for the tram, school, etc. you must provide your own tiny photo. They do not take the picture there for you. They cut up a tiny picture that you provide, stick it on the card, then peel off a cheap laminating strip, and voila! Luckily these photos are easy to get, 5 euros at Monoprix (like Target) in a photo booth.
4. Store hours are very different. We live in the shopping district of town. Everything closes at 7pm. By 8pm you would think it was 3am. The place is a ghost town. Nobody is outside. Everything is gated and boarded up. And all those gates and doors are covered in graffiti. No matter how nice the neighborhood. Same with Sundays. The only store in the whole city open on Sunday is Monoprix, but only till 1pm. Evenings and Sundays are meant for family. And stores that are open on Saturdays, like most clothing stores, are closed Sundays AND Mondays. Great for the employees. Something to get used to for an American.
5. I hate the cold. Always have. I grew up in GA and spent the last year in California. People from Grenoble, having grown up at the base of the Alps, are not bothered by cold whatsoever. Therefore, very few buildings are heated, and this does not include any of the university buildings. Everyone sits in class bundled up as if they were outside. Also, they seem to really enjoy eating/drinking outside at cafes in the middle of winter, with no outdoor heating units like in the US. They will spend their lunch hour sitting outside, when it is 30 degrees, not bothered at all. Meanwhile, my Canadian friend and I managed to find the only heated building on campus and plan to spend all our time there.
So I promised week 2 was going to be more interesting than week 1. It is.
SCHOOL:
I enrolled in a semester of French language and culture courses because a student Visa was the easiest to obtain. I arrived at the university Monday to see that 99% of the students were between the ages of 18-22 and there to study abroad and mostly knew each other. 50% American, 40% Chinese, and 10% other nationalities. Classes started officially on Wednesday, the language class was good, I was placed in the correct level for my French abilities. The equivalent of a 3.9 out of 6.
First interesting experience: We had to introduce ourselves to the person sitting next to us. My partner was a guy from Mongolia. I have only spoken French to English speakers and French people who speak English. I'm used to substituting an English word with a French accent when I don't know the French word. Well, you can't do this with someone who doesn't even speak English. It was an interesting conversation that didn't get very far.
Then there's the culture classes, I was to choose 3 from a list including French literature, politics, economy, art, film, history, theater. I went to French History and French Film the first day. The classes are taught only in French, I only understood about 50% Then, the syllabus is passed out and it includes things to read, papers to write, projects to do, presentations to give. I immediately thought "F*** this!" I already did the college thing, I don't need college credit like these other college kids here, I did not come here to write papers and do projects. So the next day I switched out of the program and into a language only program, that is double the language classes and will get me fluent faster, which was my goal here.
NEW FRIENDS:
On day 2 of school I happened to meet probably the only other student there who's here for the same reason I am. She's a really nice girl from Canada and we've been hanging out ever since. We both have switched into the language only courses.
Then one day on the tram I was talking to my mom on the phone about school and a random French girl comes up to me and says "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation but would you like someone to speak French with?" She then proceeded to give me her phone number and we arranged to meet for coffee. Which we did on Friday and we plan to hang out more in the future.
Just one of the many examples I've encountered in my lifelong attempt to shut down the stereotype Americans have about French people. They are some of the nicest people I've ever met and willing to help you out without even being asked. Like a lady at the laundromat who noticed our washing machine wasn't working and offered to call the company for us.
I've also met all of Adam's friends, who are of various nationalities: British, French, American, Brazilian, Portuguese. They are all a lot of fun. One night we went to dinner at the 2nd oldest restaurant/bar in France which has been in operation since the 1600's.
ANNOYING THINGS I'M LEARNING:
1. Adam warned me about this, paperwork processing is a pain in the butt. It is all done in person, never online. And every time you go somewhere to register in something, they will need more paperwork than you have and you must go find it and return. I still don't have all of my health insurance because of this. I mailed my form for my residence permit and I was told it would take 2 months to get the return forms and I must have it all done within 3 months.
2. Also making that process difficult, French businesses take time off for lunch and close up shop at some point between 12-2pm. Which is when I am always free to get things done and they are never available. Even some stores do this. If I'd known this I wouldn't have walked to the ski store so many times this week.
3. For all photo ID cards, for the tram, school, etc. you must provide your own tiny photo. They do not take the picture there for you. They cut up a tiny picture that you provide, stick it on the card, then peel off a cheap laminating strip, and voila! Luckily these photos are easy to get, 5 euros at Monoprix (like Target) in a photo booth.
4. Store hours are very different. We live in the shopping district of town. Everything closes at 7pm. By 8pm you would think it was 3am. The place is a ghost town. Nobody is outside. Everything is gated and boarded up. And all those gates and doors are covered in graffiti. No matter how nice the neighborhood. Same with Sundays. The only store in the whole city open on Sunday is Monoprix, but only till 1pm. Evenings and Sundays are meant for family. And stores that are open on Saturdays, like most clothing stores, are closed Sundays AND Mondays. Great for the employees. Something to get used to for an American.
5. I hate the cold. Always have. I grew up in GA and spent the last year in California. People from Grenoble, having grown up at the base of the Alps, are not bothered by cold whatsoever. Therefore, very few buildings are heated, and this does not include any of the university buildings. Everyone sits in class bundled up as if they were outside. Also, they seem to really enjoy eating/drinking outside at cafes in the middle of winter, with no outdoor heating units like in the US. They will spend their lunch hour sitting outside, when it is 30 degrees, not bothered at all. Meanwhile, my Canadian friend and I managed to find the only heated building on campus and plan to spend all our time there.
Friday, January 23, 2015
First week in France
So I am no blogger, I'm not a writer, English and grammar were my worst subjects. Friends keep asking me how its going over here and why I'm not posting a lot to Facebook. So, per a suggestion from a friend, I think writing in a blog will be the best way to keep people updated on my life and adventures and tell everyone what its like living in France. I have no idea how to write a blog. So its going to come in short pieces, each about an adventure or hiccup that I've encountered. Week by week.
First of all, I have the best boyfriend. Adam surprised me by taking me straight from the Geneva Airport to a super nice luxury hotel looking out over Lake Geneva. And then pulled out a baguette, Swiss sausage, and my favorite French cheese. The hotel had a very nice pool and a mini, private ice skating rink where I taught Adam some skating basics.
I brought 4 bags to France: 2 large checked suitcases, and 2 carry-on bags. Keeping my tradition going, 1 of my checked bags did not make it to Geneva. I got it 3 nights later, finding out that it had gone to Norway instead.
I unpacked my stuff into Adam's 300 sq ft studio apartment which is located in the center of town. I was worried it would be too cramped but actually its perfectly fine. Both of us are used to living with a minimalist attitude, with travel nursing, I had to live on what I could fit into my Honda Civic. I love our little apartment, aside from the fact its a little on the cold side
With Adam at work all day and my school not starting or another week, I spent every day wandering around Grenoble. Walking the streets, testing out the tram, visiting the school, and napping off the jet lag. Luckily there was a random warm front the first week, so I got a break before the real cold weather set in.
The first week I was terrified of speaking French and having to understand what was said back to me. I broke out into a sweat the first time I went to the grocery store. With time this will get better.
I promise the 2nd week is more interesting. This is why I hadn't posted anything. There wasn't much too say about my first week
First of all, I have the best boyfriend. Adam surprised me by taking me straight from the Geneva Airport to a super nice luxury hotel looking out over Lake Geneva. And then pulled out a baguette, Swiss sausage, and my favorite French cheese. The hotel had a very nice pool and a mini, private ice skating rink where I taught Adam some skating basics.
I brought 4 bags to France: 2 large checked suitcases, and 2 carry-on bags. Keeping my tradition going, 1 of my checked bags did not make it to Geneva. I got it 3 nights later, finding out that it had gone to Norway instead.
I unpacked my stuff into Adam's 300 sq ft studio apartment which is located in the center of town. I was worried it would be too cramped but actually its perfectly fine. Both of us are used to living with a minimalist attitude, with travel nursing, I had to live on what I could fit into my Honda Civic. I love our little apartment, aside from the fact its a little on the cold side
With Adam at work all day and my school not starting or another week, I spent every day wandering around Grenoble. Walking the streets, testing out the tram, visiting the school, and napping off the jet lag. Luckily there was a random warm front the first week, so I got a break before the real cold weather set in.
The first week I was terrified of speaking French and having to understand what was said back to me. I broke out into a sweat the first time I went to the grocery store. With time this will get better.
I promise the 2nd week is more interesting. This is why I hadn't posted anything. There wasn't much too say about my first week
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