Random Pictures

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a guy parachuting in a cardboard train!

Skydivers

Mont Blanc-tallest mountain in Europe and it separates France and Italy

Dusk

Sunrise

The moon was still up at 8:00 in the morning

Soccer game

Yesterday was the soccer game and it was definitely an experience, to say the least. I wish I could've taken pictures but my camera was confiscated by security because of the lens, and I had to pick it up after the game. I'm not sure if security is always tight at games or if it was just for these two teams, but there were police everywhere with riot gear--it was intense. Each time that Montpelier scored a goal, the fans would scale this netting that separated the fans of the two teams. They were up probably 30 feet and then the people below would catch them when they let go.

All the fans were very enthusiatic so there were lots of people who enjoyed screaming at the players when they did well, when they did badly, and when it got too quiet in the stadium. The guy behind me was yelling so loudly that I had a headache after and I couldn't hear very well until this morning. Final score 3-2 Montpelier. Because the refs were not the best, people were not happy with the result at the end; they were throwing garbage on the field and kicking things, but no fights, which was good.

After the game, we had kebabs, which are basically the Arab version of a taco. You get a pita, sauce of your choosing, lettuce, and then meat, which they carve off the carcas hanging in front of you. It was delicious and so much better than Taco Bell.

Next sporting event on the list:rugby. The French refer to it as American football for real men because rugby players don't use pads or helmets. Sounds excellent!

Bon weekend!

Everytime I think about this I can't help but smile. Yesterday at dinner (I have no idea how this came up) but Antonin told me that Vivi would talk to the American students about food and they would always smirk when she said "peanut butter." Someone finally told her that she was pronouncing it wrong and saying something a little different. I won't go into details, but use your imagination and you can figure it out. I was laughing so hard that I started crying. My other favorite mispronounciation is bear and beer. Someone said to me that there were no beers in France. Dommage! We had a good laugh about it afterward though. That's the fun part about learning another language.

Yesterday night I also got to drive a stick for the first time! I only stalled it once, but it was a very jerky ride to say the least. Don't worry--I was on a backroad so no one was in danger. By the time I leave, I want to be a pro so I'm sure there will be lots of driving stories in the future.

Today I went into town with Sabrina (Nana) because she was getting her hair done. Honestly, I was really scared to walk in the door because the hairdressers all had mohawks, there was a tranvestite getting his hair bleached in one of the chairs, and there were pictures of naked women covering all the walls, but it turned out to be a really cool salon. I didn't have an appointment, but one of the guys came over to me and said, "OK, sweetie, vat do you vant?" in the cutest accent. I didn't have anything done today because of technical issues, but I will have a surprise in about a week and a half and I am so excited! I left after about a hour and a half to eat lunch with a friend, but Nana was there for almost 5 hours-and that was just for a cut and color. Getting your hair done is an experience in France because les coiffures are extremely proud of their work and really know their stuff. It was only 80 euro (~120 USD) for her hair today. I say only because the appointment took FIVE hours and her hair was a work of art at the end.

Another upcoming event that I am super excited for is the soccer game tomorrow at 7! I bought the ticket today and it was only 9 euro because we are in the nosebleed section. The team is horrible this year, but it's all about the aura!

A plus tard

I miss my car!

If I could put my finger on one thing that I miss the most about the US, it is the freedom of movement. I am completely dependent on the buses, trams, and kindness of my family. While it is liberating to not have to worry about the ever-present mechanical problems that I face with my car, I can't go where I want to go when I want to go. For example, tonight when go out with friends in the city, I have to take a taxi back because the buses stop running at midnight on the weekends and 10:00 on the weekdays-extremely, extremely inconvenient. It's about 30 euros one-way, which is about 45 bucks. Luckily I am reimbursed for travel expenses by the school because this would definitely put a dent in the bank otherwise. Vivi suggested looking into getting an international permit and then renting a scooter or something so we shall see if I do that or not.

Anyway, on the way to the bus stop today there was a peasant that was just 50 feet in front of me. I was behind him for quite a ways and he just kept walking right along. It was really cool because it was the first time I have seen one up close and personal, but I could help but feel sorry for him because he will probably end up in a stew in a couple days. Hunting season "le chasse" is right now and the French love them some peasant for dinner.

Also, saw Julie and Julia this weekend and I highly recommend it!

Mushrooms!

Coucou!

I went mushroom picking in the mountains today! It was quite fun until Vivien and his friend Yann (who drove) started talking about all the wild animals that live in that part of the mountain. It was not an easy task searching for the mushrooms, which happen to be neon orange, because it was REALLY steep terrain. Being at such high altitudes is really difficult for breathing as well because the air is so thin, and I was on my hands and knees a couple of times because the danger of slipping (I'm glad I brought my hiking boots). The most rewarding part of the search was that we had them for dinner tonight with garlic and olive oil-yum! At one point we could only find poisonous ones, which are identical to the good ones except for a white stem, so we had a mushroom fight. I got hit on the neck with a particularly moldy one, but then I got revenge by clandestinely pelting them in the back of the head with these stinky green ones on the way back to the car.

In other news, today was Charlotte's tenth birthday. It was not as big a deal as birthdays usually are in the US, but I think they are going to live it up this weekend when she has her party. There was no singing, no breakfast in bed, and no favorite meal, but again this will probably happen later. Twelve ten-year-olds spending the night! I am looking forward to it if I end up staying here this weekend.

Also, I don't think I have talked about my classes yet. I am taking language and translation, which are mandatory, in addition to four electives. I chose French history, French art, French economy, and French culture and society. These are all extremely boring because one sits in a lecture hall with 100 other students and takes notes for an hour and a half. This is probably normal in US universities, but I'm spoiled from my Albion classes with 5 students in them. I have no homework whatsoever in the electives, so the final grade is based solely on the final exam. In my language class, we are graded on our participation and homework, which is written and oral. I received my first grade and it was 10/20...ouch! Before you judge, know that 20 is impossible to receive and 14 is considered really good. Again, I have been very spoiled at Albion, where I do very little studying and still receive good grades-not going to happen here. While the classes that I am taking here may not seem useful in the larger scope of things, I am considering staying in France and these subjects are very important in understanding France and the French people. P.S. I skipped my history class today to go mushroom searching and don't feel one bit guilty because 1. no one will notice 2. I can get the same information by copying someone's notes 3. I have studied the French Revolution countless times and know the dates and names by heart and 4. how many other times will I be able to look for mountains on a mountain in France?

Where does the time go?

Honestly, I mean to post more often but the time flies by so fast that it seems like I post and then a week goes by in a couple hours. I can't believe that have been in France for 5 and a half weeks!

Anyway, since the last time I posted, I played volleyball for the first time in the university club. It was fun but the girls were not too friendly. There were nine of us altogether; 7 French, one Italian, and me. The Italian girl and I got along really well and bonded over the fact that we had no idea what was going on in the drills. The others got really frustrated with us and basically ignored us the whole time. I talked to Vivi about this and she said that French girls who participate in sports are almost always really intense and that they would warm up once we got to know them better. We shall see, but it is fun to play and there are about 30 guys play at the same time, so I can't complain! Afterward, when we were in the locker room changing back into our clothes (because French women never go outside in gym clothes!) I had just finished dressing and then this stream of 30 guys walked into the girls' locker room. I was and still am very confused about that.

In addition to playing volleyball, I decided to join the "choir" that Vivi is in on Thursdays. It consists of 17 or so people and then 10 or so musicians. We are practicing now for the concert that is in May and I'm excited. Not only is it helping with my French accent, but it's a big deal, everyone has parts and we make costumes for it. There's a website with pictures that a photographer takes each week so I'll post the address when I know it.

Last weekend was really fun. I want to be travelling and seeing things outside of Grenoble but I really, really enjoy spending time with the family and getting to know French culture better. I have seriously been considering staying here forever and asking them to adopt me (kidding... kind of). Friday I saw a French film called Le Coach with Vivien and another Albion girl. For the most part, I understood what was going on, but there were still some things that I didn't catch until the end.

Saturday I went bikeriding with Vivianne to downtown Grenoble. It was about 30 kilometers both ways, which wouldn't have been bad but the bike I was riding was about 20 years old. The seat was about half a foot too short and the brakes did not work at all, but we got there in one piece. On the way back, we had to stop at the grocery store so I had a baguette and some meat stuffed in my backpack and Vivi had some flowers and cheese in hers so we were a sight to be seen I'm sure. About halfway back, these black clouds rolled in and it started to sprinkle so we raced to the house and got there literally in the nick of time because when we opened the door it started to downpour.

Sunday we visited Jean-Pierre's family. I knew they lived on the mountain but I thought it would be like us, kind of close to the bottom, but it took us an hour to get to the mountain and then another hour and a half driving uphill to get there. It honestly looked like something from Heidi. The mountain people have a special type of house that they live in where the animals live in the house with them duirng the winter so the houses are absolutely enormous to accomodate all the cows and pigs. We were greeted by one of Jean-Pierre's brothers who yelled "Kiss me! I love American girls!" I found it hilarious and kind of disturbing that every single house within sight housed a family that was related in some way to the family next door, and down the road, and on the next turn, and so on. Of the nine children in Jean-Pierre's family, eight of them live within a 1/4 mile of his mother. There is a ski run that goes literally in their backyard-amazing!

Another adventure in food. This weekend we picked up some boudin at the butcher's. They wouldn't tell me what it was until I tasted it which made me really nervous. I should've taken a picture, but it looked like really dark sausage. Turns out it was coagulated pig blood mixed with milk and spices. They said that one of their former exchange students pucked after hearing that, but it didn't bother me that much.

Oh, I forgot to post last weekend that I went to a broquante (huge village garage sale) with the mom of Vivi. It was amazing-there were probably 300 booths or more. I got a French dictionary for 50 cents, a pair of shoes for a Euro, a congugation book for 50 cents and a scarf for 50 cents. Mami, Vivi's mom, goes garage sale shopping every weekend so she considers herself a pro. If there is a price listed, you always bicker with the vendor. For example, the dictionary was 1.50 Euro and she said to the lady selling it, "1.50, really? I can't believe you're asking that-I wouldn't pay more than 25 cents for that piece of shit." Then they went back and forth until they settled on 50 cents. It was like that for everything-the hands always went in the air and sometimes we would leave and then come back 10 minutes later and remark that the thing still hadn't sold and offer an even lower price. I'm not very good at barganing yet, but she said I was getting there (the ultimate compliment of a French person).

Today I'm not feeling very well so I stayed at the house and cleaned my room, which was much needed, and caught up on homework, which was even more needed. I'm not exactly sure yet, but I think I will be going to Munich this weeked for Ocktoberfest-so I need to figure everything out.

For future reference: floss is super expensive here and it's really bad quality. Being the daughter of a dentist though, I bit the bullet and spent 5 dollars on FLOSS! Therefore, if you plan on spending time in Europe bring floss with you or prepare to pay!

Weekend of firsts

Hello all,

Things are going very well here in France. This week I tried to find a couple of museums that I wanted to see and discovered one frustration with France. You cannot find anything. The signage is absolutely horrible and when I asked people for directions they had no idea. The first museum was the Musee de la Revolution Francaise. I took the train from Grenoble to the stop that was called Vizille-something else. The museum itself was in Vizille, and seeing as it was host to a rather important museum, I assumed that the train would stop right by it. When I got off the train, I walked around and bit and could find no trace of the museum so I asked a middle-aged guy where it was. Turns out Vizille was a ten minute bus ride away. He offered to take my by car since it was not very far and (very stupidly) I accepted. I realize that he very easily could have been a axe-murderer, but sometimes you gotta have a little faith in people.

The other museum that I tried to find (Musee de la Resistance and la Deportation) took me three days to locate. There would be little signs saying Musee with no mention of which meseum it was and then they would just stop. I tried looking at the map on the back of the brochure, but it was missing streets. Then I tried asking people and they either had no idea or they would say that it was just around the corner (which it wasn't). Extremely frustrating considering I was wearing three inch heels and was practically crippled after finally finding it; however it was extremely interesting and saddening because it focused on the French resistance fighting against the Germans during World War II and gave first-hand accounts of people who had been deported to death camps and survived. Interesting fact that I discovered: Jean-Pierre's grandparents hid Jewish children in their home in the mountains and Vivianne's grandfathers were both resistance fighters.

The time that I do not spend at museum's is usually spent at the shopping mall in Grenoble. It's awesome! I found a store called NewLook that has a whole floor dedicated to women over 5'7''. I went a little overboard on pants, and then because I had really long pants, of course I had to get some really tall shoes to match, and then some purses to go with the shoes... you get the picture.

In the future I will be playing volleyball also. I got to sign up with the club at the university and I'm really excited about it. We meet every Tuesday from 6-8 to play games. It's pretty intense because they assign you a team by skill level and positions, but I'm feeling good about it. I'm kind of curious to see if they wear the usual volleyball gear of spanx and kneepads or if that's an American thing.

This weekend I had a couple of firsts. On Saturday, Vivien, Sabrina, a friend of Vivien, and I went to a couny fair. Usually I don't really enjoy that type of thing, but this had skydivers, parasailers, and hot air balloons. I thought there was going to be a really serious injury because the skydivers and parasailers would hit a wind spiral, spin out of control, plumet toward the earth at 100 km/hr and then at the last minute they would pull up into a landing position. The announcer kept yelling "C'est enorme!" and it really was impressive. The best part however was the way that we got there. Drumroll please....motorcycle. Both the guys are really into motorcycles, and these are not Harley Davidsons, they are racing bikes. It was enorme! I wish I would have taken a picture because I was wearing one of Vivien's huge motorcycle coats with protective padding, a huge helmet, and then my brand new three inch high boots. I have a feeling there's going to be a lot more motorcycling in the future.

Another first was in the culinary realm. For lunch on Saturday Vivianne said that we were going to have steak-frites and asked if I wanted my meat "cuit ou tartar." (Translation: cooked or raw) In an effort to be more French, I said that I would take it tartar. I assumed that by raw it would be slightly cooked but red in the middle, but when she brought it out it was really raw. I mean it was a patty of ground beef that had not touched any heat whatsoever. I'm very proud to say that I ate it all and enjoyed it greatly with a little mustard and some Whertchester (not right, I know). The others took theirs with a raw egg, but that was going a little too far for me.

The other first on Saturday was my first taste of Chartreuse. Vivien, Antonin, Antonin's girlfriend, and I went to a pub in Grenoble called O'Callaghan's. I decided to get something that was a traditional drink and oh man! It is 110 proof and a sip of it and you can feel the effects, but it was really good. It's herby and very green, which threw me off a little. But all in all we all enjoyed ourselves along with the 5 thousand other people who were there.

I'm sorry for not posting very often, but it will be every week at the minimum and I'll try to post a couple times a week.