La Montagne Russe! AH!

Up and down. Up and down. This has been my life for the past several days! One minute I’m excited and love France. The next minute I’m down and want to run home. In French the word for this is montagne russe. In English the word is rollercoaster.

Today I woke up a bit later than usual because it is Saturday. When I woke up and realized that I had missed breakfast and that the family was already about to eat lunch, I became a bit depressed. I told mama Grousier the night before that I wouldn’t be eating lunch on Saturdays, so she of course wasn’t planning on me eating. I actually had plans to eat with my friends in town, so this wasn’t a problem. The issue arose when I discovered that I felt more like I was living in a bed and breakfast than with my family in the USA. I guess I decided that when coming to France that living with a family meant that I would do everything the family does. This isn’t the case and it’s not the family’s fault. It’s actually the fault of the exchange between Baylor and Caen. Every month I have to give my family so much money to live here. As I spoke with my other American friends about this situation, we decided that this has to be the worst set-up ever! It is so awkward having to talk about how much you owe someone one minute and the next minute talk about your personal lives! Needless to say, it has made me a bit upset just thinking about it.

I have also been on a few downs every time I go out and hear French but can’t understand it. When I speak with the Grousiers or with my friends in French I have no problems. However, when I try to listen to other’s conversations (not to be nosey), I can’t understand them because they speak too quickly! At times I’ve felt like my French has gotten worse! This makes me sad! Tonight after dinner, Yves came and sat at the table to have a cup of tea. Mama Grousier offered me some tea as well, so I took the opportunity to speak with someone my own age. Yves assured me that my French was very good and that I can manage very well. He also said something that tickled me pink. He wants to study abroad at Baylor when he goes to college! SIC’EM BEARS! Maybe I should work for admissions! Anyway, Yves reminds me a lot of my friends in the resident halls when I was a Community Leader for freshmen these past three semesters. For some reason I have a passion for interacting with younger college-aged students. They seem to me to be in the best situation in life! They are starting on a journey through discovering who and what they want to be for the rest of their lives; much like me at this very moment! For me, interacting with Yves and speaking French with someone that is so interested in life is an up on this rollercoaster.

Today as I journeyed through town and saw some amazing sites, I didn’t enjoy them because I was in the middle of a down spot on this rollercoaster. But now that I have had time to think about what is going on, and have had the opportunity to have a full conversation with a Frenchman my own age, I realize that walking through France with Americans while speaking English is not my passion. In the USA I am able to speak English all of the time; therefore, please continue to pray that I will meet some amazing French people that will take me in and allow me to explore the passion God has given me for this nation.

Chez-Moi (My Place)

Au Café!

If there is one thing that I’ve learned thus far it is this: If when you look back and miss the things you once had, this means that you’ve had a good life so far! When doing something new, it is important that one never forgets where they came from, but also to look forward to the things that one will soon look back upon and miss.


Today was a good day. I went to the university at 9h45 to meet my friends from Baylor. I helped them get their student IDs and pay for insurance. We then went to eat at the university cafeteria. I was hoping that we would find some French people to talk with, but we pretty much ate as a group. I got very excited because a blond French girl came and sat next to me. My friends were very happy for me, except for the fact that she wasn’t French but American. I was very funny, but I’m not losing hope!


My friend Linden ran into a guy that is actually staying in the same house as her for the next couple of weeks. He is from Finland and knows five languages! And I though two was hard! He spent part of the day with us as we ventured into town. We went to get our bus and tram passes so that we wouldn’t have to pay every time we wanted to go to school. Things went well for the most part except for the fact that the lady who helped Rachel get her pass was very rude and ended up charging her extra for some packet of coupons of which she could care less! (photo on the left) We were both enraged! I almost told the lady that she was the reason some Americans don’t like the French.


Latter on we went for some coffee and began to discuss our financial situation with our host families. Someone said that we were paying an extra $3,000USD to stay with families. I became a bit depressed at this, but later on found out that what I was paying wasn’t anything near $3,00USD. I was also depressed as I thought that I would never meet any French people, but I became very assured as I prayed on my way home and had a very nice conversation with my adopted mother. Today is her birthday and her husband is taking her out. They are such a nice family! She told me that I could come home whenever I wanted because I am “of age”. This was a bit of a relief as I thought I would have to be home every night by 9h00 or so!


I also got a cell phone today, so if anyone wants to give a shout out to France, call (33)6.42.35.55.74!


Right now I am responding to some e-mails from my friends back in the US and listening to country music. I really do miss the United States, but know that I will soon become very used to things here and hopefully make some good French friends. Please pray that the Lord will place some amazing people in my life that will become good friends forever! I love my American friends, but they agree with me that we are going to need to be submersed into the culture and that we need to meet other French people. That sounds like we’re breaking up doesn’t it? We still want to see each other, but we also want to see other people at the same time!

Caen

De Texas à France

Today I woke up earlier than normal to go to the university for an orientation. Having worked for Baylor as a Baylor Bound Leader, I have to admit that this orientation wasn’t quite the same as the ones I’ve seen in the past! If you’re reading this and you are a Baylor staff, please know that Baylor has one of the best orientation processes in the world! If you are reading this and you are a staff member of another university, please go here NOW: http://www.baylor.edu/orientation/ ! We sat in a room full of international students from all over the world and listened to three people give us the low-down. They spoke in French, but it was very easy to understand because they spoke so slowly. We were then given a tour of campus that made me think of my days of giving tours of Baylor! Baylor students! We are SO lucky! Student life isn’t as big of a deal in French Universities as it is in the United States. I was with several of my friends from Baylor who decided to go into town to eat lunch after the tour.

We found this really nice restaurant that served these amazing salads and crêpes! It was awesome! The only bad thing is that we started to speak English and I began using my Texas accent once again. When we were done with our meal and began walking through town, I realized that I had become an obnoxious American that was speaking very loudly in a very funny accent. My friends thought it was funny, but I can imagine that there were a few Frenchmen who wanted to kick me. That’s ok. I’ve wanted to kick them because their French is so much better than mine. I also got the opportunity to open a bank account in France! The only bad thing is that I had been speaking English all day, so when it came time to speak in French, I was a bit caught off guard. But things went well and I finally have a way to operate financially in France.

When I went home for dinner with my family d’acueil, I was very interested to hear that Yves-Marie (the father) was in love with the hot sauce that I brought for the family. We were eating grilled cheeses and the family was putting on the sandwich itself! They were eating it with bread and I even saw them eat it with a spoon a couple of times! It was quite funny! We then sat and talked a while about the differences between English and French and other sorts of thought provoking topics that would interest a student like me studying another language.

I am finding it easier to understand and speak the language the more time I spend here. Speaking with the family has really made things easier on me!

À Caen!

I’ll go ahead and put the first few days of Caen in one post. All I have to say is, AHHHHHHH! These people are speaking another language! Obviously, but I never anticipated how hard it would be! I find myself becoming jealous of them because I want to be able to speak as well as they do. They all say that I speak very well, but I think their full of it! Yesterday I looked all over campus for the lady that is in charge of giving us our stipend for the month and nobody even knew her! Finally someone knew who I was talking about and she walked me to the office where I needed to be. On the way over she asked me if I wanted a cigarette. I of course said no, but couldn’t believe how many people here smoke! There are cigarette butts everywhere!

The night that Eve-Marie (M. Groussier) picked me up from the train station, he told me that there was another American staying with them and that she was in my room until Thursday. When I got to the house, sure enough, there she was. Her name is Margareta and she is from Delaware. She greeted me with that nasty French kiss thing they do on both cheeks. She was cooking dinner for the family and me to eat that night while Eve-Marie and I sat in the living room talking. After dinner Margarita turned to me and said, “I’m SO glad you came!” Apparently it was easier for her to talk and listen to the family when I spoke with them. From then on she and I have been talking in English and enjoying each other’s company. She even showed me where to go and what to do in the cafeteria at school. When we went to the cafeteria we sat with some of her friends from Delaware and got stared at by some of the French students. It was a bit awkward, but I’ll go with it.

When I went home, that day I fell asleep on the couch from exhaustion. Listening to these people speak makes me tired! Today I walked through town and got an adaptor for my computer and found myself wanting to lie down on the sidewalk for a bit of a siesta. I want to be able to talk with them so badly, but they can always tell that I’m American and they start to speak what little bit of English they know. It is SO annoying! In the US I thought in French because I always wanted to practice and had no better way to do it. Now all I do in think in English and say things out loud to make myself feel better. I think my French has gotten worse since I got here! Either that or it just seems worse because everyone here speaks it so much better than me! Even little kids running through the street are smarter than me! One of these days I’ll have it down! (I HOPE!) I HOP! OH HOW THAT REMINDS ME OF HOME!

Tonight the family went out with Margarita to some thing her school is putting on as a farewell to the families. The son (Yves) has late rugby practice so he can’t go. When he gets home, he and I are going to have dinner together. I’m sure that will be a bit weird because I don’t know that he likes me all that much. All he does when he’s here is sit in his room and play guitar or listed to music! He’s kind of like my brother back in the US.

Paris

2eme Jour à Paris

After some much needed sleep we went to Notre Dame for morning mass. I have heard that the best day to go to Notre Dame was on a Sunday because nobody in France goes to church anymore. Well, this wasn’t exactly true. The place was crowded! There were people there from all over the world! Portions of the mass were in other languages but hardly any of it was in English. This was a great surprise because almost everything in Paris seems to be in French and English. When it came time for communion, Rachel and I (two Protestants) went up to the front with our arms crossed to signal that we weren’t Catholic so that the priest would just bless us instead. However, it seems that he did not understand this sign as he gave us the communion wafer instead. I have been to several Catholic masses and the only one I actually ever took communion in was Notre Dame! Crazy!

That afternoon we ate at a nearby restaurant that had a student meal for a discounted price! We then decided to see Musée d’Orsay (the impressionist art museum). When we got to Musée d’Orsay we were so tiered we could hardly stand up. We were still suffering from jetlag. We then decided to leave and go get some coffee. This is when we found this nice café near Place de la Concorde where we had some coffee (which you must know, in France, when you order coffee they give you a shot of espresso. In order to get coffee like we have in the US, you have to order café au lait). We then took our pictures at Place de la Concorde and then took a train to Mont Martre to see La Moulin Rouge and Sacré Coeur Cathedral.

We took some photos at the Moulin Rouge and at Sacré Coeur and called our families from a nearby telephone booth. We then ate at a place that served crêpes. When we sat down, there was an old woman at another table that didn’t seem to like us very much. She sort of stared and started to mumble a few things to the people with whom she was sitting. At one point the waiter told her not to worry because we were just English, of which WE ARE NOT THANK YOU! I’m sure the English are very nice people, but I am not English! We then headed back to our hotel via the metro where we were stopped by some not very nice officials and asked for our metro tickets. Of course this was the first time that Rachel and I both threw out tickets away right after we walked through the turnstile! I tried to argue with the lady, but she wouldn’t listen. We had to pay 25euros each! I was furious! Rachel and I had been speaking French with one another the entire time, but at that point, I angrily began to speak in English. Rachel kept encouraging me (in French) that it wasn’t a big deal, but I wouldn’t listen and continued to speak in English. This is when a guy overheard me and nodded his head like he knew what I was talking about. I then turned to him and started to explain in French what had happened. He was very surprised to hear that I could speak French and invited Rachel and I over for something to drink. We (probably shouldn’t have) said yes and went to the home of François. He was very nice and told us that if we ever come back to Paris that we needed to stay with him. His house was a bit nasty so I think I’ll pass, but we did have a very nice time. He gave us some bear, but we only drank a little bit to be nice because we were both not keen on getting drunk. It was a nice time and we made a new Friend!

La Tour Eiffel

1re Jour à Paris

So it hits me, why don't I just go to the university to use the internet! Duh! And it works! Praise the Lord! Where do I start? Well, I guess I can tell you what Paris was like.

The flight to Paris was good except for the fact that my friend Rachel and I only got about two hours of sleep each. When we got into Paris we knew that we weren't going to be able to go to bed because it was 8:40am and if we did, we would never get used to the new time zone. So we decided to get our luggage and take it to the hotel before we ventured into the city. We asked the stewardess on the plane if he would advise us to take a taxi to the hotel and he told us that it would cost about $100. We decided then that we would take our chances with the metro. Oh was that a journey! It seems as if you are handicap in Paris, you are not allowed to use the metro. We had to climb up and down more stairs than I ever want to see again in my life! And please do remember that we had luggage for four+ months! It was crazy! Once we finally got to our hotel the man let us leave our luggage in the lobby until check in time at 3:00pm. We then went to a place known in France as a Tobac. Here you can buy cigarettes, lotto tickets, and COFFEE! Coffee is exactly what we needed after not having slept! When we were through with our coffee we went to check in at the hotel and then ventured into Paris!

While in Paris we saw L'Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower! At the Eiffel Tower we decided to climb the stairs instead of take the elevator just to say that we did! Guess what? I took the stairs up the Eiffel Tower! There, I said it! Anyway, on the first platform they have snow and snow shoes for people to wear and glide around the Eiffel Tower. When we got to the second platform we took the elevator because there are no stairs that go all the way to the top. Sad day! The view of Paris is amazing (see the slide show above entitled, La Tour Eiffel)! When we were done we went to the bottom and called home. I got to speak with my little brother and Rachel spoke with her parents and good friend. We then got something to eat at a pizza place next to our hotel where we were sitting next to these two people who kept starring at us. I couldn't understand what they were saying until I later discovered that they are staying in the room next to us in the hotel and that they are from the Netherlands. When I saw them in the hall and started to speak French to them but they didn't understand. When they discovered I could speak English it we had a nice conversation. They told me that that they thought Rachel and I were French because they heard us speaking French with one another. Isn't that ironic?

Bonjour Encore!

So, I'm sitting here in a basement in some place where it costs 3euros to use the internet for one hour! STUPID! I finally got an adaptor for my computer, but when I tried to use the internet at the apartment it didn't work. So here I am with only 15 minutes to write as much as I only have 1euro in cash.

So I arrived in Caen and was greeted at the train station by M. Groussier. He is very nice and was very glad to see me. While he was taking me to his appartment I said, "You and your family live on Rue Paul Toutain right?" and he said to me, "No, we (including me) live on Rue Paul Toutain!" So, we live on Rue Paul Toutain in a very nice appartment on the fifth floor of this building. The appartment is two stories and has plenty of space. Right now there is another American living with us until Thursday because she was in town doing an exchange for three weeks with the Groussiers. When she leaves I will have her room which has a sink and lots of space. Right now I am staying in the daughter's room (her name is Benadict) and she is staying in the family room. They also have a son named Eve who plays rugby. He also coaches Rugby for little kids. Mme. Groussier is very nice and is a good cook.

Right now I am trying to find people to get to know and hang out with. I feel like a little kid running through the streets saying, "Will you be my friend? Will you be my friend?" Today I went to the school cafeteria by myself in hopes that I would find some people. No luck. I just ended up eating alone like a loser. Oh well! I just laughed and went on with life. Maybe I'll have better luck in the future!

Well, there are many more stories to tell, but I have to go now or the man upstairs (litterally) might try and eat me for being on the computer for too long. Talk to you soon!

!

I have a lot to post, but my converter won`t work and I am only able to use this computer for a short amount of time! Stay tuned!