Attention Tout Le Monde!

If you read my post entitled "Bouger", you know my little story about the old people party! These photos will prove it! Be sure to check out my quote in the first one!

Today I was awoken by a phone call from Rachel asking me if I was walking or taking the tram. This seems like a crazy reason to call someone considering that we pay by the minute for our cell phones; however, she was asking because she wanted to know why I was late meeting her downtown. You guessed it, I overslept. I had recently taken the battery out of my phone and this caused me to have to reset the time and date. I unfortunately set the time two hours behind. So when Rachel called me at 7:30 my cell phone’s time, it was actually 9:30 French time. I told her to go ahead and that I would meet her at the church. When she got there she called me to tell me that the service started at 9:30 but that she was going to go ahead and sneak in the back. When I finally got ready, I made my way to the church and found Rachel sitting (somewhat) in the back. At this point they were singing hymns. It was really cool to hear hymns sung in French! Next they gave communion; however, all through communion the people went crazy. Everyone started to pray out loud at once and some people were prophesying. When the prophesying started everyone got quiet to listen. One woman even sang prophesy (with a not so pretty sounding voice). Needless to say, I felt a bit out of place. These sorts of services are nice for some people, but it was a bit much for me. Rachel said that this must be what it’s like when a country so far from God has citizens who hunger for Him so dearly. They not only meet for TWO HOURS every Sunday, but they go crazy when their together. She wasn’t too thrilled with the church, but said she would return if she couldn’t find something a bit calmer. I however, will most definitely look for another place. Not only was the service a bit much, there were nothing but old people. (COLE AND RACHEL –OLD PEOPLE PALACE PART DEUX (2))

After church Rachel and I went to a local bakery and got sandwiches and desserts. We then took them and sat on the castle wall to eat. We talked a bit and then met Linden at the university to look at our class schedule. With this I am not very pleased! You should see this schedule! I have never had more random small bits of free time in all of my life! They didn’t let us pick the schedule for ourselves, so we have no choice but to go with the flow. Some of my friends have Fridays off, but not me. I started missing Baylor a little more. This was yet another reminder that I’m not in Texas anymore. And Rachel’s not in Kansas anymore (I just had to add that)!

After that we went to the Port and got Linden something to eat. We then sat on a bench next to the boats and watched the birds eat all of the leftover food from Sunday’s market. Andrew then met us here and they decided we should go to a café. I’m a bit tired of paying high prices for coffee, so I passed and went home for another nap.

Tonight at dinner Yves-Marie went into the family room to get the dictionary (he likes to read it during dinner for some reason). While he was in there, Benedict ran to the kitchen to grab the butter. Hélène about threw a fit. She told Benedict that she better hurry up before papa returns. She then gave some butter to me and ran the butter back into the kitchen. Benedict also had to wait until Yves-Marie was full before she could bring out the cheese. Tonight we had pasta, bread, salad, and soup. They’re worried about getting fat, but they eat more carbohydrates than any family I know! Someone should tell them; but wait until I leave because there’s no telling what we would eat if we couldn’t have bread!

Tomorrow I will be going to school at 10h40 for one class. I think I’m going to teach these people how to schedule!

Appelez Jerry!

So, Cole didn’t go to the beach. We got into town too late and missed the bus. Sad day! For some reason this put me in a very bad mood, so I just went home and, had some bread with Nutella™, drank some coffee, and took a nap. It was a long nap too! After my nap I got up and had dinner.

Tonight Yves-Marie went to get some butter for his bread and, I kid you not, the kids flipped out! I was almost rolling in the floor from laughter. They think that if he eats too many things that are bad for his health that he will die. Yves starting screaming something along the lines of “I guess it’ll just be Benedict, mom, and I if you keep eating like that!” He didn’t care. He ate it anyway. I was secretly rooting for him. If I flipped out every time my dad ate something that wasn’t good for him, somebody would have to put me in a mental institution! Hélène also took the cheese away so that Yves-Marie wouldn’t eat it either. She says that cheese makes you fat, so old people can’t eat it. She then started telling Yves-Marie how much healthier she was than him. He still didn’t care as he ate his breaded butter. Yves finally just had to leave as it was all just too much! I told Yves-Marie that he needed to wait until everyone was in bed and then he and I would sneak down to the kitchen for some cheese, bread, and butter. He liked that idea, but Benedict abruptly disagreed! I might have to call Jerry on this family!

Commercial:
WHEN FATHERS EAT TOO MUCH JUNK
Hélène: Yves-Marie you never exercise! (chair flies across the stage)
Benedict: Papa I hate it when you eat cheese! (chair number 2 flies)
Yves: I CAN’T TAKE THIS!
Yves-Marie: (swimming in a vat of butter) Shut up and eat your yogurt!
– NEXT ON JERRY SPRINGER!

Tonight I’m using the washing machine for the first time (Big deal)! The entire machine is in French (duh!). I’m hoping that I put the little soap tablet in the right place. If not I might have to go on Jerry with the family!

Tomorrow morning Rachel and I will be going to a protestant church here in town. I was told that there are some university students who go there and that they would love for us to come. I hope I will meet some nice French Christians! Religion in this country is as old as the buildings! It’s almost as if it was something that happened in the past, but has become so old that it no longer pertains to everyday life. Most of the people in the country are Atheists. There have got to be over twenty-five massive cathedrals in this town, but Hélène was telling me that there are only a few priests that conduct services at all of the churches because there aren’t enough people to have a priest for each church. Sad! They are amazed when I tell them about Texas and how popular it is to go to church on Sundays. Hélène almost fell out of her chair when I told her that my college group in Waco has over 400 students.

Please pray that this new church will be a very positive experience for me! I have needed to meet people in this country that are as passionate about the Lord as my friends back at Baylor. I’m very excited to see how things turn out!

CHANTEZ!

IT WAS MEAT! Yves-Marie made lunch today since Hélèn has to work on Saturday mornings. He made pork chops and French fries. He also bought some amazing Chocolate Éclairs from a local boulangerie (bakery).

Today I will be going to the beach with my friends and hopefully see some amazing things! Stay tuned!

LA VIANDE! (MEAT!)

I JUST CAME BACK FROM THE GYM AND SAW MEAT COOKING FOR LUNCH! PRAISE THE LORD! HALELUJA!

Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! There goes the baker...

Today I woke up late because I had no class. When I went down stairs I apologized to Hélèn for waking her up last night. She didn’t mind. She just didn’t know that I had ever left and thought it was her daughter coming down the stairs because she was sick.

When I finally got up and left the house I met Linden and Andrew for lunch. We ate at this very nice little restaurant that served gourmet meals for about a quarter of the price they would be in the US. We had a nice discussion on the differences between American restaurants and French restaurants and how in American restaurants it’s all about how fast they get the food to you. For some reason, this is considered polite. The faster you eat, the more you eat, the quicker you leave, the bigger the tip you will leave. In France this isn’t the case. The tip is already included into the price, so you always know exactly how much you’re paying when you look at the menu. In France the waiters are much more concerned about the quality of time you spend in the restaurant. When they give you the menu, they don’t come back four times to see if you’re ready to order. They give you about fifteen minutes to look it over before they even approach the table again. They also don’t give out mass quantities of liquid at each meal like they do in the US. The only thing they ever refill is water; and even that is limited. It has definitely taught me to drink a whole lot less while I’m eating. In America I’ll order a glass of sweet tea and have the waiter fill it up four or five times before I’m out the door. And I’m not the only person that does that! Imagine those who have the glass of Coke filled up four or five times before they’re out the door! No wonder our country is perceived as being fat!

While leaving the restaurant I had to stop and take a moment. Imagine, the sun was bright, the boats were stationed in their port, the bells of Saint Pierre were singing, and the citizens of the town were going about their daily routines. It was a Disney™ movie waiting to happen! I just knew some animated bird was going to be landing on my shoulder soon!

After eating I went to work out and then home for dinner. Still no meat. We had something called potato crisp, steamed tomatoes, bread, cheese, and yogurt. I was craving bread with Nutella™ so badly that I just had to ask for some. Hélèn thought I was crazy because they usually only eat Nutella™ for breakfast, but I didn’t care.

After dinner I went out to Café de Caen for a crêpe and a Diablo (a type of lemonade). I sat and chatted with my friends Linden, Jonathan, and Rachel, and then Rachel and I went to stroll through the town. We stopped at that church that had been bombed during World War Two and talked about what it would have been like to have lived during a war like that. I pray that I never have to know exactly what it feels like!

After that, I came home and tried to be quite once again. This time I think I tried too hard as it took me almost ten minutes to get from the door to my room. Every time I take another step the floor creeks because of the old hard wood! I can’t imagine having to sneak around at night all the time like that! It would drive me insane if I had to do it for too long!

Encore le FreeCell!

So, I’m still playing FreeCell; however, it’s not because I’m board, but rather because I like it. A lot!

Anyway, today was great! I got out of class early and I have no class in the morning! This morning the professors had to go around and make us sign something saying that we are being placed in the correct level of French. There are six levels, A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. A1 is for people who don’t know a word of French and C2 is for people who speak French as well as they speak their maternal language. I was lucky / unfortunate enough to be placed in B2. I’m hoping that it will be challenging enough, but easy enough to make good grades! Stay tuned!

After class I went into town again with my friends and ate! I love to eat here! If you’ve ever been to France you know that just walking through the streets and seeing all the food makes you gain fourteen pounds. I am not kidding you; there are bakeries and chocolate stores on every corner, every bend in the road, and every crevasse known to man! If you ever have to die and go to pie heaven, I guarantee that God will put you in the middle of France! Baguette, crêpes (of which I ate more today), chocolate, wine, cheese, are you hungry yet?, cakes, pies, tarts, coffee, etc… And in every category I just mentioned, there are millions of things from which to choose! The world is yours (as long as you have something we like to call Euros)! If I run out of money by the end of this séjour, it won’t be because I traveled too much, but rather because I ate too much! I should have brought fat pants!

After we ate, I had to opportunity to meet a guy from one of Andrew’s classes named Guillaume Le Ber. He is a student here at the university and loves to hang out with Americans. He speaks English very well, but lets me speak French with him. We taught him some American slang words that he can use / watch out for when he visits the states. He wants to study at Baylor in 2009 because he heard that it’s the best university out of all the universities with whom Caen has exchange programs. I told him he was right even though I’ve never even seen these other universities.

Tonight at dinner there was still no meat. The family started to tell me about lent, so I just jumped right on in and asked if it was a tradition not to eat meat during lent. They told me that you’re only supposed to eat it on Fridays, but that most people don’t follow that rule. I almost said something, but I decided instead to eat another block of cheese. We had quiche, salad, fried vegetables, cheese, bread, and yogurt. It was very good! Hélèn is always a good cook and always gives me the most food! There must be a rumor running around that Americans eat a lot! Imagine that!

Tonight Rachel was invited to go out with some Australians for a guy’s birthday party. She was told to invite whomever, so we all joined her, including Guillaume. Although I would never be able to do this in Waco, we all went to a local bar and sat around meeting people from all over the world! It was so amazing! The bars here aren’t like the bars in the US. Here they’re actually classy and have character. I got to meet some girls from Australia and was told that if I ever went to Australia that they would show me around! I might just do that some day; eh mate? (They don’t actually say that!) It’s so cool to have connections all over the world!

Tonight when I came in I was as quiet as I have ever been, but for some reason Hélèn got up and asked what I needed. I know she was still half asleep because she was saying some pretty crazy things. Instead of saying goodnight (bonne nuit), she said goodbye (au revoir). I got a nice little laugh out of it and walked up to my room.

Bouger!

Culture Shock (according to Cole): The feeling you get when things aren’t the way they should be.

As I’ve said before, this experience is like a roller coaster! For those of you that read my last post, you might have guessed that I had hit a low spot on the roller coaster. If you enjoy (for some random reason) reading this blog, (hi mom!) you might have also noticed that I didn’t post anything yesterday. This is because after my low spot on the roller coaster I hit two high spots in a row; today and yesterday!

Yesterday was a hilarious day! After class I went into town with my friends and ended up looking all over the city for a gym. I ended up in a town right south of Caen at a very nice gym that takes over half an hour to reach. Nice idea, but I think I came to France for other reasons than to ride a bus all day! Eventually I ended up about seven blocks from my apartment at a gym called Sun Club. Sounds a bit shady, but it ended up being a very nice establishment. What’s even better, they give a 10% student discount! I was so excited I almost hugged the lady behind the desk! And if I’m not mistaken, I think she was just as excited for me! Yay, happy French lady!

After the fun and exciting gym adventure, I went with Rachel to a party we were both invited to attend. You might want to sit down if you’re not already! We not only take thirty minutes to find the right bus to get us to this place; we show up at this random building full of people who have no teeth of their own. That’s right; we were the cute little American kids at an old people party! Apparently it’s some sort of club that helps to build relations between the French and the Americans in Caen. Just between you and me, I don’t know that these people know that we’re the only Americans here. Anyway, the party was great as they fed us our weight in crêpes, Nutella (The Original Creamy, Chocolaty Hazelnut Spread™), wine, and cider. It was so delicious, but Rachel and I could not stop laughing about the situation! Just as we thought it couldn’t get any funnier, a guy from the local news came in the door with a camera and a microphone. I just about died! He interviewed the lady that was in charge as I continued to laugh (seemingly enjoying myself, but rather snickering at the situation). He then so gracefully approached Rachel and I and handed us the microphone. You guessed it; I was on the news speaking French to thousands of native French people who are now laughing at me!

Today I was tired after staying out all night recanting this amazing story to the others who did not feel inclined to join us; however, this did not stop the fun from coming. As we took the tram up to Campus two so that Linden could talk to our advisor about something, my friend Alex played hide and seek with the tram patrol. Alex has yet to purchase his tram pass, so he’s been riding the tram illegally for the past couple of days. We’ve yet to see anyone ask us for our tickets, so it was assumed that things would be fine. Not today! I heard a nice old man say “bonjour” to a group of people and when I looked up to see who it was; I saw that it was them! I looked at Alex and didn’t even have to say a word. As soon as the tram stopped, he jetted. I went with him so that he wouldn’t have to ride the next tram alone. When we got on the next tram, it took us to another stop where there was yet another patrolman. This time I didn’t even see him, but thank goodness Alex did! Alex walked right passed him and exited the tram while I accidentally stayed on and showed the guy my tram pass. When Alex finally caught up to me we decided that it might be good for him to buy a tram pass pretty soon!

After the tram excursion, Alex and I went for coffee just before I went to workout in my new gym! I was so excited! When I got to the gym, the same lady that helped me before was back to greet me with a smile! When I got to the workout room I was greeted by one of the locals. He could tell that I had an accent and asked me if I was English (they all ask me that!). I told him that I was actually American and that I was having trouble converting the weights from kilograms to pounds so that I could understand what I was lifting. He laughed and continued to tell me some elaborate story with big words while I pretended to understand.

After the gym I went back to the apartment where I waited until 8h30 to have dinner. We usually eat at 7h00, but Yves was late getting home. I just about had words with him! Actually, I did have words out loud to myself in English that made me feel much better about the situation. I just pretended that I was back home in the US and said to Yves (to to his face) what my father would have said to me. For those of you who know my father or know of him, you can only imagine!

Dinner tonigth was nice except for the fact that there was still no meat! I’m guessing that since they are Catholic, they aren’t eating meat because it’s lent. My mother offered to send me some beef jerky, but I think I’ll just go buy some protein powder or start eating massive amounts of meat at lunch! Ridiculous!

At the beginning of this post I gave my definition of the term culture shock. If you’ve been reading this blog for some time, you might have already gathered that this is from what I am suffering on occasion. As days pass, I notice that things are becoming more and more normal. Now that I have a place to workout and am starting to get a feel for the town, I think that in a couple of weeks I’ll stop making fun of the way things have been. Until then, be prepared for whatever, whenever!

La Vie Ennuyeuse

WHERE’S THE BEEF? Since most of you probably don’t remember this line, I’ll go ahead and let you know that it’s from an old Wendy’s® commercial. As you may have already discovered, when anything exciting happens, it happens at dinner. Not tonight. For some reason the Groussiers decided to quickly eat a light dinner. That’s nice, except for the fact that I am famished! All day I walked through the streets smelling the food from the patisseries thinking, “I’ll be eating soon! I’ll be eating soon!” Soon came, but the food did not. Potatoes, salad, bread, and cheese was all. No meat! I know I sound like I’m whining, but if you know me at all, you know that I love to eat! A lot! Oh well, one night of going to bed hungry won’t kill me.

My first day of preliminary classes was ok. It was a bit boring, but ok nonetheless. All the professors really wanted to do was stand at the front of the room and talk about nothing. I could understand them, but nothing is nothing whether it’s in English or French. There’s another American girl in my class that ate it up, but I think I’ll pass. I’m ready for something interesting.

To be completely honest, boring has been the theme of my life for the past few days. I’m in France, but bored to tears! So far I still haven’t met any French people despite my efforts yet again today in the cafeteria. I went in and asked to sit next to these two guys. They told me I could sit next to them, but when I asked them what their names were; the conversation didn’t go very far. They asked me where I was from but that was about it. Oh yeah, they also asked about the Super bowl.

After lunch I hung out again around town with my friends, but after that I just came home and ate some potatoes. Now I’m sitting here playing free cell again. I am now able to beat the game every time I play it! Yay.

Dimanche

Today was good! I woke up and took a bath (not that you care). I can’t take a shower here because they only have a shower nozzle on a rope and a bathtub. So I sit in the tub and try to bathe while freezing to death! After that we went to church. Wait, we walked to church. That’s right. The French love to walk. Imagine that! And it was cold too! We took the elevator down to the first floor, put something in the car, and walked to one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen.

The church is called Abbaye aux Hommes and is one of the biggest churches in Caen. It was actually used as a refuge for the citizens of Caen during the bombardments of World War II. As you may know, Caen is in Normandy and was almost completely destroyed during the war. There is actually a church next to Abbaye aux Hommes that was bombarded during the war and was left as a memorial. Because of the American aide to the French during this war, the citizens of Caen are very welcoming to Americans like me. When they hear that you speak English they think you’re from England, but when you tell them that you’re from the USA they get very excited! That’s right ladies! I’m an AMERICAN! (Pause for national anthem of the USA).

Today we had a big lunch with a little bit of wine. I like wine, but to be honest, French wine is very strong and hard to swallow! The Groussiers don’t drink that often, but today was Sunday and the day after the day after Hélène’s birthday. We got to sing Happy Birthday in French! After lunch everybody (including me) took a nap! It was very nice and relaxing.

When I woke up from my nap, I went to the university to see where my classes would be held for tomorrow. When I got there I saw that I had been placed in the third group. I’m not sure what this means, but I think it means that I will be expected to learn and study more! This is good and a bit nerving at the same time! If it is a higher level of French, then IF I do well I will receive a certificate from the French government saying that I am proficient and fluent in the French language. We’ll see what happens.

Tonight at dinner I spoke with Papa Groussier about country music as he told me how much he loves it. He is still putting the hot sauce I brought on everything he eats! Chicken, salad, bread, you name it! I’m going to have to see that my parents either send me another bottle before the man goes crazy, or bring some when they come to visit me!

It is now almost 9h00pm (2h00 USA). I guess I’m going to go to bed early since I have to be at the university at 8h20! Good night!

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!

J'ai Mal!

So, today is the day! Here in less than nine hours I will be on a plane making my way to France! Exciting? Yes! Scary? Yes!

People keep asking me over and over if I am excited about leaving. Of course I say yes, but that is only one side of a double edged sword. The other side is the side that reminds me of what and who I will be leaving behind. First of all, I will really miss my family! Over these past five weeks that I have spent in Amarillo, I have truly become used to having them around! I know that the second I say goodbye at the airport my mom will start to cry. I know she’s used to not having me home, but me being on another continent has got to be one of the scariest things ever for her! I’ve already said goodbye to all of my friends in Amarillo and at Baylor. They too will be truly missed as I try to make new friends who don’t even speak the same native language as I. I will also miss Baylor itself as our Men and Women’s Basketball teams have been doing so well this season and I am not home to be a part of the excitement.

This has been a crazy experience so far and it hasn’t even started! As I have already mentioned the things that I will miss in this post and my previous post, I have to admit that I am very happy to be getting to go! What an opportunity! I have made many people jealous as I talk about the exciting things that will be coming my way! Even though I will be missing so much, I will also be gaining so much! I will have new experiences that will forever change me as a person! This is the edge of the sword that assures me that I am doing the right thing!

As both of these feelings (excited and scared) mix inside of me, I must say that I’m feeling a bit nauseous! I couldn’t eat any hot sauce tonight at dinner with my family at On the Boarder because it made me feel like my throat was on fire! I have also been subject to something that happens every time my stomach gets upset: gas. This unpleasant occurrence makes me want to warn all of the poor chumps that must sit near me on the eight hour flight from Chicago to Paris!

Thangs ain't gonna be tha same!

My computer says that I have one day until departure. I don't know if I believe it or not! I guess I'll find out in one day! My things are just about ready to be consolidated and packed into some NASA™ Space Bags®. I’ll be ready, but I don’t know if France will be ready for me. Before I leave I have to say goodbye to a few friends that I have become so close to over the past few years. The first one is my good friend sweet tea. She was introduced to me in mass quantities when I moved to Central Texas to attend Baylor. When I get to France I will have to make friends with something they call tea. Actually they call it thé, but I call it hot brown water. I will also have to say goodbye to my friend Ruby. Ruby is the name of my Xterra. She will be all alone when I leave for France, and won’t have me to sit in her and listed to really good music while singing really well! I will also be bidding adieu to English. This one I’m not too sad to see go, but I will probably miss her when I’m at a loss for words and have no way of expressing myself!

Ready or not, here I come! Lord willing and the creak don’t rise!

La Puissance de la Prière!

We're a go! So far that is! If you've read my last post, you know that I was freaking out about a zit that I have named Odysseus.

Monday morning when I tried to call my dermatologist and make an appointment, I discovered that I wouldn’t be able to see her until February 13th! Obviously this would not be ok, so I called my family physician only to receive a busy signal. I called back numerous times only to receive the same response. As I was sitting in my computer room at home freaking out that I would never make it to France because an infection would take over my face, I just prayed. As soon as I did, I called back my family physician and the call actually went through. When the lady answered the phone I asked if there were any appointments open for that day. She told me that they were full because they are only open for half of the day on Mondays. I recognized the voice as the wife of my physician (friends of our family) and said, “Donna? This is Cole Casper.” She said, “Oh hi Cole! What’s the problem?” I told her my situation and then asked if she had any appointments open for Tuesday. She then asked me how quick I could make it to the office and scheduled me in as the last patient of the day. I couldn’t get to the office quick enough! When I got there, my doctor diagnosed Odysseus (not actually a zit) with some form of staph or strep infection that required death by antibiotic. He prescribed me with the medication and things have finally cleared up!

That same day I was also concerned that I would never get a new laptop to replace my old laptop that had become antiquated. I found the laptop that I needed, but Best Buy wasn’t guaranteed to get it in until next week and nobody else in town had it in stock. However, that evening my dad decided to stop by Best Buy one more time to check and they told us to come in later on that evening. Sure enough, the truck that brought in the next shipment had the laptop I needed! Praise the Lord!

So, I am now sitting at my new laptop typing this message to you with a nose that no longer resembles Bozo! And people think that praying is stupid!

À Cause du Bouton

If you have spoken very much with me about this séjour to France, you might have heard me say, “I won’t believe it until I’m on the plane and over the ocean!”; however, as the fly-out date became closer and closer, I found myself believing even though I have yet to see the plane that will take me to glory. BUT WAIT!, this may sound stupid, so be prepared to laugh so hard you might cry, I have recently developed un bouton. If you’re reading this and you speak French you might already be laughing. If not, please allow me to explain to all of the Anglophones that un bouton is a zit. That’s right; Cole is scared of a zit! But not just any zit! This zit, not unlike me, enjoys traveling. Because zit is such an awkward word let’s call him Odysseus (which comes from the Greek word οδυσσομαι (odyssomai) "to hate", in this case, “to hate me”). Odysseus started out one day on the outer wall of the left nostril in the head of yours truly. Just when I decided that he had had enough fun and had moved on to bigger and better things, he had. Bigger indeed, but not better for me! Odysseus decided that the outer wall was a bit to risqué, so he decided to move his family of haters to the inner wall of the left nostril. There he established residence, created a nice large red bump on the outside of the nostril to show the Jones that he knew how to live it up, and became infecté. I am now the proud sponsor of an un bouton infecté that might take over my brain and keep me from ever seeing la belle France! I can just see the headlines now, “BAYLOR STUDENT NEVER MAKES IT TO FRANCE! ZIT TO BLAME!”

If any of you are still reading this and aren’t too grossed out to sympathize, please pray that God will kill Odysseus and allow me to see the ocean before I end up on an operating table in good ole’ Amarillo, listening to doctors giving orders to one another IN ENGLISH!

Chère Baylor!

As I only have one week before I leave for France, I am becoming insanely excited! However, this doesn’t stop me from having a moment ever once in a while. Even though I am still at home in Amarillo, I still feel extremely separated from Chère (Dear) Baylor! The other day I happen to glance at my cell phone just in time to see that it was 8:11pm. This usually wouldn’t bother me except for the fact that 8:11 shows up as 20:11 on my phone which reminds me of the Class of 2011 (the loudest and most spirited class in Baylor’s history!).

I recently had to send my laptop in for repairs and finally got it back today only to find on it pictures of the beautiful Baylor campus. My heart was saddened! I also received a facebook message today from a friend that said, “COLE (pretend like I am screaming your name at the top of my lungs and running in your direction) I miss you so much!” Being apart from Baylor is hard, but I know it’s for the best! Besides, at least I have one more year left! I can’t imagine what things will be like when I graduate! GOOD GRIEF!

Pas OK!

It has been almost five years since I last visted France. The last time I was there I was 16 years old and needed a haircut badly! Click on the photos to take a look...

Bonjour Encore!

Today I sent an e-mail to my high school pen-pal in France to whom I haven't spoken since my sophomore year of college! The last time I went to France I got the opportunity to meet her face to face for the first time. We had a great time, but I was kept up very late the night before by one of the other guys on the trip and consequently fell asleep on the bus when we were on our way back from Versailles. I felt so bad because I had waited all this time to meet her and I conk out! What a loser I was!

Her name is Marion and she is from the northeastern part of France. She e-mailed me back and informed me that she is still in France and would like to meet up when I get there. This time I hope to have received enough sleep to keep me from “LOSER DOES FRANCE – PART DEUX!”

PREVIEW!

I sent Andrew an e-mail saying: "I hope things are going well in France! What is it like?"

This is what he said in reply: "Wow, that's a big question. To start with, French keyboards are weird. The a, m, q, and w are all in wrong places. And don't even get me started on where the punctuation marks are.

Other than that, Caen is incredible. Absolutely gorgeous. I haven't had much time to explore the city because to date my classes consume most of the day. That will change after next Monday, when one of my classes finishes. All the French students are really friendly and outgoing. I think I'm going to try to get a house closer to Caen because from where I am now, I have a 45 minute commute each way. It's a little lonely and difficult to be here without anyone I know, but it is giving me a chance to imoprove my French. My oral comprehension is improving so much.

In short, Caen is incredible and I can't wait for all of you guys to get here. Though I have been invited to go skiing in the Alps the week you guys arrive. We'll see what happens with that. Get excited cause this semester is going to be freakin sweet *insert 30 second pause as i search for the exclamation mark*!"

I CAN'T WAIT!