Taylor: In France
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Geneva, en Suisse! and the difference between 19 and 20
We went to Geneva yesterday for a dat trip. It was a lot of fun. We all packed our lunches, ate and drank wine at the park, talked for a while, and saw some of the major cites like the United Nations, the flower clock, and the giant water spout thing (Jet d’eau). Then we bought chocolate. I got a whole bar for my uncle and some smaller stiff for the rest of my family. When ever I get around to actually sending things out they’ll have a nice surprise.
The one fun thing that came out of Geneva was on the train ride back. We (Jen, Annie, Lauren, Rima, and I) talked about the difference between 19 and 20. I don’t know how it became such a deep conversation but Rima, who is still 19, wasn’t really able to understand what we were talking about (that is, in my opinion). I look at Rima and I still think she’s a baby. She has one more year of life to live before we can actually sit down and have a conversation where we both feel like we’re speaking with out equals.
In the end, we all agreed that there are several steps to becoming a 20 year old. First you have to finally be able to identify yourself with things that happened outside of high school, then you have to become a different person—which may mean loosing some of your values or perfecting/reconstructing them. Then one day something happens to you to make you realize that parts 1 and 2 have happened. And finally, you want to distance yourself and no longer identify with that 19 year old person. And that, in my opinion, is the difference between 19 and 20. There are two completely different people, and Rima isn’t there yet. And Jen (who is 20 now) is just coming into it.
For a lot of people, realizing that they were different happened when they realized that there were friends they cared about that they could no longer stand. Or realizing that they no longer needed they parents to support them. I think mine was a lot of things. Most of it is all hear on the blog. I started writing it here when I was 19 going in 20, and now at 21 I can tell that I’m a different person :D
Cheers to growing up and Geneva Switzerland!
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London, in a nutshell
The Hostel was a bust. But I really do think that there were thing London couldn’t help. For instance all of the construction for the Olympic Games made the entire city look like an eyesore. There were so many people and they weren’t half as friendly as the people in Dublin. It was dirty to…
We did have some fun times: Like riding bikes through Notting Hill :D and walking through the parks close to Buckingham Palace. Things that were overrated: The traditional English breakfast, the changing of the guard. There was one thing that saved my time in London:
I got to see the Globe Theatre!!! Not the actual theatre where Shakespeare’s plays were performed, because the original was burned down, but it was just as cool! They made it in the same way the original was build. Being there re-cindled my love for Shakespeare!
We also saw the tower of London, London Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Parliament, Big Ben, and the London Eye. It was a trip and a city that definitely demands revisiting. I don’t think anything could have really made my stay in London any better, but many when I’m older I’ll have time to see it again.
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Hostels, in London…SUCK!
Well, I won’t say all but I definitely hated the hostel we staying in in London. It ruined the whole trip for me. Don’t get me wrong. There were a lot of things going on in London that didn’t help, but the only thing that I still can’t get over is the hostel.
The first night I arrived before my friends Bradley and Annie, so I was alone. Lucky for me two other friends arrived in London that same day. We were all going to hang out together but some other stuff happened (stuff that needs it’s own post, I’m sure).
First, the hostel seemed “cool” but not very friendly. The staff was vert fashionable, but useless. Except one guy who was able to get me around the city via the bus. The rooms, in fact, all of the floors were painted certain colors. My floor was purple—the darkest, most mood drenching purple I’ve ever seen. The rooms were ridiculously small hand claustrophobic. There was no space for anything! and no place to put you bags. There was a tiny box above your bed for some stuff, but that was all.
I went out with Edward the first night to a club and when I came back at about 5:30 am there was a random guy sleeping in my bed!!! When I talked to security and they removed him from my room I found out that he wasn’t even supposed to be there. He wasn’t even in the Hostel. WTF!
When my other friends arrived we were supposed to be in the same room. But they were moved and I was left alone in the purple room by myself. Even tough we had emailed weeks earlier about being int he same room. All the people a the desk could do was say they were sorry and they would move me if I payed the extra charge. WTF!
I hate London hostels. Or at least that one. It’s a pain in the ass to think that this might happen again. But I guess you get what you pay for.
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It wasn’t that they were the most spectacular cliffs in the world, or that their ‘magnificence’ silenced you with awe. It was more of the case that, in comparison to these cliffs and the atlantic ocean you were so incomprehensibly small there was nothing to be said for you at all.
At one point the wind whipped up the side of the cliffs caring the rain along with it. It was like watching tiny stars travel up into the sky…and then having them slash you across the face. And the wind was so strong it blew me (yes! Me!) off of my feel and onto my ass.
The ocean goes on forever. It’s hard to imagine that somewhere on the other side of it was a continent, or other people, and an infinite mass of blue that blends into the sky. There were no waves or anything. Just blue. It’s already hard enough to feel like you matter in this world without having to compete with the fucking ocean.
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Dublin, in a nutshell
I went to Dublin, Ireland for the first few days of our week long break with Bradley, Annie, and Jen. We made a new friend named Danny as well so it was the 5 of us in Dublin City causing trouble, kicking ass, and taking names. Needless to say…
LOVED IT! Dublin was amazing, and after several days of icy-cold snow in Grenoble it happened to be just the tropical relief I needed. There was sun in Dublin, not a lot but enough to make me remember what it was like to have your face warmed by something other than a scarf. And there was the sky! A beautiful sky that I could take long glances at instead of hustling from building to building because of the frost. Yes, I loved Dublin. I could live there!
We did a lot of things. Mostly drinking and learning about Irish Culture. We took a walking tour with all around Dublin City, visited Trinity College, went on a Literary Pub Crawl, took a tour of the Guinness Factory and Storehouse, went to the Cliffs of Moher, and saw the Book of Kells. A lot of Dublin in 4 days, but it was worth it!
And being a person who just turned 21, the drinking became a big thing. I got to really try my first beer after going through the Guinness Factory, and I liked it! I tried another beer later and it tasted like crap so I know that Guinness is the only one for me. I also feel in LOVE with Bulmer’s Irish Cider. It’s not even really alcoholic but it tastes amazing!
The Book of Kells were cool to see. Although it could have been a little less expensive (8 Euros wasn’t bad, but you can’t take any photos). The art being book binging and the ink that was used for the Book of Kells was interesting, and the Long Library was really cool! It looked like the one from Beauty in the Beast and has large Busts of all the great minds of the world, starting with Socrates and going on in time.
The Cliffs of Moher were a lot of fun and the trip there was just as enjoyable. Our tour guid/bus driver was named Trish. She was hilarious, spunky, and not afraid to say anything. Along the way we got to see the town where Obama’s ancestors hail from (still waving their American and Irish flags proudly) and the field where they film Brave Heart! We saw some tiny ponies, a limestone plain, a deserted abbey that might have been haunted, and some cute little towns all sporting their Pubs selling Guinness. The Cliffs were very cool to look at. We had fun mocking the danger signs. In fact, I believe that the Cliffs deserve their own post. So next time you’ll have that to read. I would really recommend going!
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Annecy, and saying goodbye to my Study Abroad Mom
We went to Anccey today and it was beautiful! Finally the sun! I’m on love with every ounce of sunlight I can get in france. I’m still laughing about the fact that I had to go to Ireland to get some sunlight (a post for another time)
Annecy was very cute. Besides the sun and everything the city has a lot of charm. It seems like faun place to be an adult, and I kind-of wished we had stated longer but alas, here we are. We visited the Château d’Anncey (unfortunately you can’t take photos, so I have nothing to show for that). But I would say that it is worth visiting if you around the city. The lake was BEAUTIFUL and the water was so clear and bluish-green you could see ever pebble at the bottom. You know you have that moment where you see two skylines, the actual one in front of you and it’s refection equally as perfect and as spectacular as it’s counterpart. I was too bust walking along the edge of the lake eating ice cream and enjoying the view to talk any photos, but here is one we took by the Castle…
The other really cool thing we found in Anncey was a street market. There was a vender there who sold these very old post cards. I got one from Paris, Grenoble (the city where I’m staying), and Morocco (the place we’re going to at the end of our Semester). The Grenoble and Morocco post cards have actual writing on them which makes them even more interesting to me. The one from Morocco is my favorite. I’ll translate it one day of I have time. It has a photo of a man in the desert, alone, with a camel. Jen got a similar one. And Honestly, If I had gotten to that section before her I probably would have chosen that one myself, but the post card I chose has a fun little message on the back and will be fun to look over later. It was meant to be :D
I finally got the chance to talk to my dad, step-mom, brothers, and my sister. So much had changed that I wish I could have been there for. My little brother, 4, got his own room! Feeling like a big kid. And my 16 year old brother changed his hair style, which is a really big thing in my opinion. His basketball team also went to state, but they didn’t win their last round. They has a great season though. Also my whole family is going to they Gym (GASP!!!) which is cool. I’m excited for them, and they were really happy to hear from me.
I can honestly say that seeing my family over Skype made me miss them so much! I wish that I had spent more time with them before I left, and I can’t wait to spend more time with them when I’m home.
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100 Days
Today marks my last 100 days in France as a student. Come June I’ll be just another tourist (my mom plans to come in June and we will travel in France for 3 weeks!).
I happy to report that I’ve made some progress. I can actually talk with my family, although not with as much character and speed as I would if I was fluent. I’m no longer (or at least not as) afraid to talk to people about the things I need. That’s something major for me!
Time feels like it’s going so fast! I can’t believe I’ve been gone for so long, and yet I can’t believe it will actually be coming to an end. I don’t think I can go back yet, I don’t think I’m ready.
And I realized something (something I should have realized when I was still doing the weight loss blog) that when I’m not blogging I’m not making progress and when I’m not making progress I don’t feel like blogging. Ive been avoiding all of you because I wasn’t able to say the things that I wanted to say—French is EASY! I’m Amazing! But I don’t think, that by the end of this trip I will be where I though I was going to be. It’s almost impossible—people study French for years before they become “fluent,” what ever that means…
I’m adding some stuff to the Queue, about some mini adventures that have been going on. I’m looking forward to a fresh start! And not that the weather has been getting better I can finally put those running shoes to work!
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Alice comes home…
Alice is my host family’s 19 year old daughter and I met her for the first time two nights ago. We haven’t talked much, no more than a “Salut” here and there, but I wish I had a better vocabulary, then maybe she could actually be my first french-friend :P We seem to be a lot like any regular teenager: She’s vastly independent of her parents, and actually the first night she was here she left after about an hour. But she does seem nice, I guess we just have to get through the awkwardness.
Camille just got a new iPod touch, so we had something to talk about (for the first time) over dinner. I’m really glad I have such a diverse music library, because we could probably go on listening and talking about music without any hick-ups.
And last night my host mom, Marie-Anne, Camille and I went to see the movie “The Artist” at the cinéma—which was perfect because it was a film muet (NO WORDS). I really liked the movie a lot, and it was probably the best thing that could have happened. There were some small texts in french but for the most part I understood it all, I also found out that I can read lips—AMAZING SUPER POWERS!!!
Anyway, it’s Sunday and all of france is closed. There are no shops open and nothing much to do except homework (which I’ve already finished) and watch TV (but my host family doesn’t have one…)
Until tomorrow!
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Coming back on the map…
So I’ve been gone for a while. No excuses, except that I’ve been all over the place doing stuff.
I want to learn this language. And I gave myself 6 weeks to learn and to get to a point where I could speak like I have something to say but I’m 3 weeks into this journey and I don’t feel like I’ve gotten anywhere. Most of my time I’ve spent with my English speaking friends, speaking English, and shopping.
So I think I’m ready. I’ve given myself all the room I can effort to being uncomfortable. It’s time to do something else. and I have no idea where to start. How does one emmerse one’s self into another culture? By reading the dictionary? Listening? How many new words can I learn in a day and remember?
I placed really low on the placement examen. But they bumped me up (from B1.1 to B1.3bis, although my professor believes that the group is actually 1.6 or 7). But it still feels too easy. I’ve been feeling like It’s up to me to learn french, because I’m just doing basic review in my classes.
I’m recommiting myself to the Blog, and learning french. We’ll start again tomorrow!
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Soldes, and the final examen
This week hasn’t been very crazy but a lot of things have been going on. The Soldes started this week, (french black friday) and I did a lot of shopping. I feel like I’ll keep shopping, because unlike Black Friday the sales last the rest of January!
The final for my french class was today, even though we’ve only been in class for a week. We learned something knew every day and had a quiz every day. But at some point this week everything started to click! I’m feeling like I made some progress on what I learned! My oral exam went a lot better than I was expecting there are some things I know I need to work on but other than that I think I did really well.
Monday is the placement exam. I think It’s going to be difficult and stressful (more than I need to to be) but that’s what I’m here for. I just hope I place on the high intermediate level. That would make me feel good about my progress. After all, we have people in our group who’ve had 6 years of french and I’ve only been learning this language for a year!
And tomorrow is my 21st birthday! It’s been a crazy year :)
Likes
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You’re the only one who understands, Honeycrisp apple.
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I’m not sure how this happening, but I’m not complaining!
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