I'm moving out of this apartment the day I get back from Senegal.
I'm thinking that's good.
Very good.
More to come later. I'm falling asleep with all the lights on now.
Bonne nuit!
Love, Josie
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
At the Fac.
I want to be on my way to Sénégal right now.
Yesterday was pretty average- ate two avocados like they were candy, had art history class in a ceramic museum, and did some of the first homework that I've done since we've been in France.
The host "mother" is going crazy. This morning at 8am, she woke me up banging on my door because she thought I took her hairbrush. Obviously, I did not, but the fact that she really doesn't trust me enough to know that is probably not a good thing. I don't know what's going to happen when I get "home" tonight, but I don't know how much more of this stressful living environment I can take. It's hard enough being away from home - I don't need to feel like this the whole semester. I have work to do, and this crazy relationship with my host "mom" is only going to get in the way, it seems.
It just feels crazy to move out so late in the semester. I mean, is that even an option? How can they find another family to take in a student so late in the semester? And it would need to be someone who doesn't know my current host mother, because I'm sure she's complaining to all of her friends about me. At this point, I've already tried to male things good with her, and if I get home tonight and things are worse, I'm going to talk to the director about moving out.
Right now, I'm on my lunch break from classes, but can't go to the post office to pick up my package because it's closed for lunch. Because why wouldn't the post office be closed? Welcome to France.
Time to get something to eat!
Yesterday was pretty average- ate two avocados like they were candy, had art history class in a ceramic museum, and did some of the first homework that I've done since we've been in France.
The host "mother" is going crazy. This morning at 8am, she woke me up banging on my door because she thought I took her hairbrush. Obviously, I did not, but the fact that she really doesn't trust me enough to know that is probably not a good thing. I don't know what's going to happen when I get "home" tonight, but I don't know how much more of this stressful living environment I can take. It's hard enough being away from home - I don't need to feel like this the whole semester. I have work to do, and this crazy relationship with my host "mom" is only going to get in the way, it seems.
It just feels crazy to move out so late in the semester. I mean, is that even an option? How can they find another family to take in a student so late in the semester? And it would need to be someone who doesn't know my current host mother, because I'm sure she's complaining to all of her friends about me. At this point, I've already tried to male things good with her, and if I get home tonight and things are worse, I'm going to talk to the director about moving out.
Right now, I'm on my lunch break from classes, but can't go to the post office to pick up my package because it's closed for lunch. Because why wouldn't the post office be closed? Welcome to France.
Time to get something to eat!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Grevès, Grevès, and More Grèves.
Welcome to France, aka Land of the Many Strikes. I have never been in a place where so many people care so deeply about changing the retirement age. At first, it was pretty exciting. I remember that day in Beauvais when we came across the people striking, and we all stopped to take pictures, laugh, and hold up Communist Party signs. Now, however, the novelty is wearing off. Quickly. Was it cool that we had all of our classes canceled today due to threats of tear gas? Definitely. Walking in the rain from the gare in Rouen to Place Colbert? Slightly less exciting. I mean, I loved every second of it, but I'm definitely glad that I have the option of taking the bus when I need to. I just imagine public transportation, post offices, and schools being shut down in the United States because of a strike, and immediately start laughing. That would never fly. On one hand, it's pretty cool that the French people have the freedom of grève-ing whenever they want, but on the other hand, it's incredibly obnoxious for people who just want to go about their daily lives. I guess that's the point though, isn't it?
Sidenote: I'm currently loading pictures to Facebook, and every time I check the window to see how much time is left, the number gets higher. Ex: When I started, it said 25 minutes. Ten minutes ago, it said 43. Now, it says 82. Awesome.
But life is beautiful, because I am currently listening to my (autographed) Trombone Shorty CD and imagining being at one of their concerts. I also just walked from Place Colbert to the Gare, and then back up, and I'm really happy about it for several reasons. One - I didn't get lost. I'm having this amazing streak of having a wonderful sense of direction in France, and I really hope I don't lose it when I get back home. I'm loving the confidence that comes with knowing where I'm going. Two - It was (kind of) exercise. I mean, I'm in France and the French would consider that exercise, so I'm going to call it exercise too. It was a solid hour of walking at a fast pace, half of it up a sizable hill. Okay, well it's better than nothing, and it made me feel happy. Three - It was actually pretty beautiful. From the Mont Saint Aignan area of the walk, you can look down and see the city of Rouen below you, and it's gorgeous. Especially when I was walking back up the hill at around 7pm, I could see the sunset and it was so pretty. Long story short: I'm walking whenever I can into and out of the city. I loved it.
So, now it's catch-up time. The day before yesterday was useless. I did nothing except lie in bed and recover from my Paris trip.
Yesterday was slightly more eventful. I got out of bed, had a slight confrontation (that's not really the right word, but I don't know how to describe it without having to write the entire story) with my host mom/landlord, and then went to unlock the Fac for classes. I came back to the apartment, showered, and then headed to Art History at the Musee. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was one of our drawing classes, so I spent 2 hours walking around the museum and drawing trees. Yes.
After class, we all went to a cafe to meet Senegalese students who were going to talk to us about our trip to Senegal. I have never been so excited to travel to a place before! After hearing all about Senegal, it sounds like the most amazing place in the world. I cannot wait to be thrown into that culture. Finally, a chance to be culture shocked. In a good way. In a strong way. I only wish the trip to Senegal was more of our semester. Next year - Africa here I come! I have to start looking into programs, because I'm pretty sure SLU only has Kenya. Not that that's a bad thing - it's just that I want to study in a francophone African country. Gahhh SO excited!
So anyway, we talked to them in the cafe for a while, and then everyone started leaving to go home. All of the Americans lived in Rouen, so they just walked home, but I had to take the bus up to Mont Saint Aignan, which was where the Senegalese students were headed. So I walked around with them, we got kabobs and talked, and then all rode the bus together up to Mont Saint Aignan. I LOVE THEM. I have never met people who immediately opened up to me like this before. All of the Senegalese students were so excited to talk to us and get to know us, and it was amazing getting to meet all of them. We all can't wait to have an African-American party when we get back from Senegal. I will definitely have to work on my Wolof before then. It's pretty pathetic right now.
Today, the entire country was in greve mode, so I walked to Emily's house where we "studied" and "planned our trip to Greece" AKA ate obscene amounts of Nutella, watched ANTM, uploaded pictures, and talked. It was greatly needed though, even if we didn't get much accomplished. I loved every second of it.
And so, here I am now, hanging out in my room not speaking to my "host mom" as usual. It's not that she's not a nice person; it's just that our arrangement is more like a landlord-renter relationship than a host-mother-host-daughter thing. I don't even call her my host mom to the other American students. I mean, I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing - it's just a lot different than what the others are dealing with at home.
So now I'm still listening to Trombone Shorty and dreaming of being at a concert right now. I miss Bonnaroo (which Trombone Shorty played BY THE WAY!!) You know - I think I actually remember going through the program in a circle one day, and someone being like "Haha. I'm gonna go to Trombone Shorty" as a complete joke, because -- well, what a silly name. I feel like such an idiot looking back on that. But I mean, what a cool place to discover a musician - in a tiny jazz club in Paris. Fucking awesome. And now I'm going to see him in Baltimore, so no worries :)
I've also been getting pretty homesick these past few days. It's not really in a sad way though - it's hard to explain. I guess it's just that the happiest thoughts of my day are thinking about going home for Christmas, being in Maryland for the winter, sitting by the fireplace, drinking coffee with my mother, and verbally abusing my father. Doing Bikram yoga every day and hanging out with Rocco, going sledding, going out to dinner and watching movies with Alec, just being home. I love my family so much. They really mean the world to me. I am so lucky to have the family that I have. I honestly don't know anyone in the world who has the relationship with my parents that I do with mine. I know that they probably have a few parenting regrets (though I can't think of what they would be - but everyone has regrets), but I feel so strongly that they are the best parents in the world. My brother is pretty freaking amazing too. Not many people can say that their siblings are their best friends, but I can. Not to mention, Rocco is the best, most talented, most hilarious kid I've ever met (even if he may not truly be a kid anymore). And I don't even have words for how great Alec has been throughout my semester abroad. I couldn't ask for someone more selfless and supportive. I've seen firsthand how relationships can crumble when one person is abroad, and I am so lucky to have such a strong and loving one with Alec. And THIS is why I can't wait to get home sometimes. I have the most incredible people in the world waiting there for me!
Only 2 minutes left on the Facebook upload!! And then I have to upload the Paris pictures . . . This internet connection will be the death of me. At least I have the sweet power of music to keep me going.
I hope you're all having a beautiful day. It's almost 9pm now, so I guess it's about time to start studying for my Africa test. Ughh.
Bisous!
-Josie
Sidenote: I'm currently loading pictures to Facebook, and every time I check the window to see how much time is left, the number gets higher. Ex: When I started, it said 25 minutes. Ten minutes ago, it said 43. Now, it says 82. Awesome.
But life is beautiful, because I am currently listening to my (autographed) Trombone Shorty CD and imagining being at one of their concerts. I also just walked from Place Colbert to the Gare, and then back up, and I'm really happy about it for several reasons. One - I didn't get lost. I'm having this amazing streak of having a wonderful sense of direction in France, and I really hope I don't lose it when I get back home. I'm loving the confidence that comes with knowing where I'm going. Two - It was (kind of) exercise. I mean, I'm in France and the French would consider that exercise, so I'm going to call it exercise too. It was a solid hour of walking at a fast pace, half of it up a sizable hill. Okay, well it's better than nothing, and it made me feel happy. Three - It was actually pretty beautiful. From the Mont Saint Aignan area of the walk, you can look down and see the city of Rouen below you, and it's gorgeous. Especially when I was walking back up the hill at around 7pm, I could see the sunset and it was so pretty. Long story short: I'm walking whenever I can into and out of the city. I loved it.
So, now it's catch-up time. The day before yesterday was useless. I did nothing except lie in bed and recover from my Paris trip.
Yesterday was slightly more eventful. I got out of bed, had a slight confrontation (that's not really the right word, but I don't know how to describe it without having to write the entire story) with my host mom/landlord, and then went to unlock the Fac for classes. I came back to the apartment, showered, and then headed to Art History at the Musee. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was one of our drawing classes, so I spent 2 hours walking around the museum and drawing trees. Yes.
After class, we all went to a cafe to meet Senegalese students who were going to talk to us about our trip to Senegal. I have never been so excited to travel to a place before! After hearing all about Senegal, it sounds like the most amazing place in the world. I cannot wait to be thrown into that culture. Finally, a chance to be culture shocked. In a good way. In a strong way. I only wish the trip to Senegal was more of our semester. Next year - Africa here I come! I have to start looking into programs, because I'm pretty sure SLU only has Kenya. Not that that's a bad thing - it's just that I want to study in a francophone African country. Gahhh SO excited!
So anyway, we talked to them in the cafe for a while, and then everyone started leaving to go home. All of the Americans lived in Rouen, so they just walked home, but I had to take the bus up to Mont Saint Aignan, which was where the Senegalese students were headed. So I walked around with them, we got kabobs and talked, and then all rode the bus together up to Mont Saint Aignan. I LOVE THEM. I have never met people who immediately opened up to me like this before. All of the Senegalese students were so excited to talk to us and get to know us, and it was amazing getting to meet all of them. We all can't wait to have an African-American party when we get back from Senegal. I will definitely have to work on my Wolof before then. It's pretty pathetic right now.
Today, the entire country was in greve mode, so I walked to Emily's house where we "studied" and "planned our trip to Greece" AKA ate obscene amounts of Nutella, watched ANTM, uploaded pictures, and talked. It was greatly needed though, even if we didn't get much accomplished. I loved every second of it.
And so, here I am now, hanging out in my room not speaking to my "host mom" as usual. It's not that she's not a nice person; it's just that our arrangement is more like a landlord-renter relationship than a host-mother-host-daughter thing. I don't even call her my host mom to the other American students. I mean, I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing - it's just a lot different than what the others are dealing with at home.
So now I'm still listening to Trombone Shorty and dreaming of being at a concert right now. I miss Bonnaroo (which Trombone Shorty played BY THE WAY!!) You know - I think I actually remember going through the program in a circle one day, and someone being like "Haha. I'm gonna go to Trombone Shorty" as a complete joke, because -- well, what a silly name. I feel like such an idiot looking back on that. But I mean, what a cool place to discover a musician - in a tiny jazz club in Paris. Fucking awesome. And now I'm going to see him in Baltimore, so no worries :)
I've also been getting pretty homesick these past few days. It's not really in a sad way though - it's hard to explain. I guess it's just that the happiest thoughts of my day are thinking about going home for Christmas, being in Maryland for the winter, sitting by the fireplace, drinking coffee with my mother, and verbally abusing my father. Doing Bikram yoga every day and hanging out with Rocco, going sledding, going out to dinner and watching movies with Alec, just being home. I love my family so much. They really mean the world to me. I am so lucky to have the family that I have. I honestly don't know anyone in the world who has the relationship with my parents that I do with mine. I know that they probably have a few parenting regrets (though I can't think of what they would be - but everyone has regrets), but I feel so strongly that they are the best parents in the world. My brother is pretty freaking amazing too. Not many people can say that their siblings are their best friends, but I can. Not to mention, Rocco is the best, most talented, most hilarious kid I've ever met (even if he may not truly be a kid anymore). And I don't even have words for how great Alec has been throughout my semester abroad. I couldn't ask for someone more selfless and supportive. I've seen firsthand how relationships can crumble when one person is abroad, and I am so lucky to have such a strong and loving one with Alec. And THIS is why I can't wait to get home sometimes. I have the most incredible people in the world waiting there for me!
Only 2 minutes left on the Facebook upload!! And then I have to upload the Paris pictures . . . This internet connection will be the death of me. At least I have the sweet power of music to keep me going.
I hope you're all having a beautiful day. It's almost 9pm now, so I guess it's about time to start studying for my Africa test. Ughh.
Bisous!
-Josie
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Paris, Je T'Aime.
I was so brokenhearted to leave Paris this morning. I am completely in love with the city, the people, the scenery, the history, and the culture. There is so much life in Paris; Rouen is a sad, rainy, and vegetarian-unfriendly comparison. En tout cas, I am back in my chambre in my apartment in Rouen and it is -- wait for it -- raining. I had a wonderful week in Paris, and I really hope to go back there as soon as possible. Next weekend maybe :)
So let's see . . . a few nights a go, I went to the Trombone Shorty concert (where I also happened to see Lenny Kravitz). I love my life. I am already looking up ticket information for when they come to Baltimore/D.C. They will be playing at Ramshead Live and the 9:30 club!! Anyone who wants to go with me, let me know. You will NOT regret it.
So, that night was absolutely amazing. The metro spit us out at kind of a sketchy area of town, and I was definitely glad to be in a big group, but when we finally made it into the show, all of my worries melted away. The venue was warm, welcoming, and vibrant with the energy of the performance. Trombone Shorty is one of the most talented musicians I have ever seen, and I truly can't wait to go back to another one of his amazing shows!
Wow. I literally can't remember what I did the next day. This entire trip was so wonderful, but so hectic. I got an average of 5 hours of sleep each night, and spent all day out and about doing different things in Paris. I'm pretty sure that the next day was my promenade to Sacre Coeur though. Let's just go with that . . .
So the next day, I woke up early, wasted a few hours in the most boring museum in the world, the Musée de Carnavalet, and then went on my promenade around the Sacre Coeur with Emily Valentine. It. Was. Amazing. It was the most beautiful day ever, and even though I didn't get to shower that day (or the night before after the concert. Shhh.), it was a wonderful time. Montmartre is absolutely gorgeous, and though it has been pretty taken-over by touristy shops, there are still some real gems in the area. Emily and I probably bought a million new scarves (I mean really, the most beautiful scarves I have ever seen), bought some really artsy new wallets, got some ice cream and coffee, and checked out some paintings by local artists. The art district of Montmartre is so quaint - I loved it. We sneakily got tricked into "buying" these bracelets that some Guinean guys made us on our way up to the Sacre Coeur, but at least we know what to avoid next time. Plus, they're pretty cool bracelets. The Sacre Coeur itself is absolutely stunning. I've seen more churches in France than I have ever seen in my life before, and the Sacre Coeur is definitely the most beautiful of them all. Inside and out, it is completely breathtaking.
Another amazing part about our promenade in Montmartre were the street performers. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera, but I think Emily probably took 100 pictures of our favorite one: the soccer guy. I wish I had a video of him to show you - I'm sure there are some up on Youtube (and I think he even has his own website now), but he was amazing. He stood up on a flat column along the steps of the Sacre Coeur and did the most amazing tricks I have ever seen with a soccer ball. Basically, he has just mastered juggling (soccer juggling, not clown juggling) to the point where it is now an art form. He balanced it on the top of his head while he sat all the way down, he spun around while still controlling it with his body, and he climbed up a lamppost with the soccer ball on his foot. It was sick.
There was also a singer/guitar player who played for a pretty big crowd on the steps leading up to the church, though he wasn't really that great. The crowd was hilarious though (especially the one guy with the dreds and Rasta hat on trying to get everyone to dance and sing along).
So after all of that, we finally made our way back to the FIAP (oh, FIAP) where we ate dinner, and I FINALLY got to take a shower. I didn't have too much time to relax though, because right after the shower, I got dressed and hopped on the Metro to meet some people at the Eiffel Tower so that we could see it all lit up at night. It was gorgeous. We took pictures, watched people in love kissing and cuddling all around the monument, and froze our asses off, all while evading street vendors trying to sell us glow-in-the-dark Eiffel Towers. I loved it.
The craziest part about that night, was that we were walking along the grass in front of the Tower when we heard music, and decided to go over to where it was coming from. There, we met some really awesome people - also students, also American, also studying in France. Well, some were Russians, and honestly I can't remember how they fit into the picture, but they were awesome too. So we hung out there, listened to some guys play guitar, and chatted it up with the other students. We also got our pictures taken with French soldiers who were patrolling the Eiffel Tower area with their machine guns. Sick.
So, after that, we went back to the FIAP, the guys at the front desk made fun of me because I couldn't find my room key (it was in my purse the whole time), and then I went to bed. Good night.
The NEXT day (yesterday), our group went on a boat tour on the Seine of Paris. It was beautiful, but absolutely freezing. Tomorrow, I need to go coat shopping. I have seen some beautiful ones, and have tried on a few that I loved, but they've been too expensive to say yes to. I may have to cave, because I will freeze otherwise. I may also just have to buy some matching gloves and hats . . . We will see.
Anyway, the boat tour was really cool, because I got to see almost all of the most famous monuments of Paris from the water, but it was also the coldest thing ever and I was definitely content when it was over.
After that, we searched for somewhere to eat, got sandwiches in a brasserie, and then went to another museum, this time about foreign cultures. The coolest exhibit was the Africa one, but the Americas was pretty interesting too. Basically, I stayed there for about an hour, and then Maddie, Allie, and I left to go to on their Rive Gauche promenade in the art district. It was the coolest place ever! I was totally enamored with it. Every street we walked on was more beautiful and impressionante than the next. I (finally) took tons of pictures, so they will be up soon :)
While we were there, we were walking down a street when we saw a TON of graffiti all over the wall up ahead of us. It was super cool, so we started taking pictures, when I noticed that there was a spray-painted image of Serge Gainsbourg up on the wall. Cool! I thought. Caldwell will love this! So I took a picture of it. Then I started reading the things on the wall. "Bonnie and Clyde," "Je suis un homme à tête de chou," "Je t'aime . . . moi non plus." They were all Serge lyrics! We stumbled upon the Serge Gainsbourg graffiti wall! It was so cool, and such an exciting discovery. Caldwell would be so proud.
After that, we walked around some more, got espressos at a really cute cafe on the corner, and walked around some more. We also discovered a really great frozen yogurt shop, and an amazing health food/juice/fruit store from which I bought carrot juice and a protein bar (coconut flavored). Yummy!
We then made our way back to the FIAP, rushed to get dressed a little nicer, and the ran out of there without eating dinner in order to make it in time for a piano recital at the Theatre de Champs-Elysees. Though the theater was beautiful, and it was great to have the experience of hearing a classical musician play in Paris, I left at intermission, and I will tell you why. The pianist, though I am sure very talented, looked like Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice, and his music sounded like had been composing a piece when, all of the sudden, he had a seizure and continued playing anyway. I watched a seizing Mr. Collins flop his head about as he smacked his piano keys for about 5 minutes, when I realized that I needed to leave at intermission. So I did.
Teo, Emily, and I walked along the Champs-Elysees, and I finally saw the Arc de Triomphe! So we're walking down the Champs-Elysees, when I hear a really familiar voice. I look over, and there is Lainey, a friend from high school who is studying abroad in Paris this semester. It was insane! What's crazier? The girl she was with was one of the girls I met at the Eiffel Tower the night before. I love this life! Hopefully, I'll be coming back to Paris soon and I will actually be able to hang out with them some more. It was so cool to run into a familiar face in Paris! What a tiny, tiny world, even in one of its most hectic cities.
Emily, Teo, and I also may have gone into the Hagen-Daaz (which is a freaking ice cream restaurant on the Champs-Elisees!) and the Quick (I had to get a milkshake banane like the Carpe Diem song!) before getting on the Metro to meet Teo's girlfriend at a really cool bar by the FIAP. We were there until a little after 1am, and it was a blast. I only wish I had known about that place sooner. Getting home in the freezing early morning was not fun, but we made it, exhausted, in our beds probably around 2.
And so this morning, I woke up at 8, ate breakfast at FIAP (for the first time since we've stayed there) and then packed and got on the bus to some back to Rouen. We stopped at Vaux la Vicomte first though, the most beautiful chateau I have ever seen (built by some of the same designers of Versailles), and had a guided tour and ate lunch there. Again, I have a lot of pictures. It was so beautiful, even though the weather is starting to turn freezing.
And so now I am back in Rouen. It's nice to be back in my own bed, my own room, and with internet that I don't have to pay for or stress about. But also, I really, really miss Paris. I loved every second of my time there, and I am already planning my next trip back. Maybe this weekend?! We'll see. All I know is that I have fallen in love with the city of love.
So now, it's almost dinner time. I'm really missing home now that I'm back in Rouen, but my host mom/landlord tells me I have a package that I have to pick up from the post office. I can't wait!!!! Thanks Mama Bear - I know it's from you :)
Almost dinner time I hope. It's getting dark here.
Bisous!
Love, Josie
So let's see . . . a few nights a go, I went to the Trombone Shorty concert (where I also happened to see Lenny Kravitz). I love my life. I am already looking up ticket information for when they come to Baltimore/D.C. They will be playing at Ramshead Live and the 9:30 club!! Anyone who wants to go with me, let me know. You will NOT regret it.
So, that night was absolutely amazing. The metro spit us out at kind of a sketchy area of town, and I was definitely glad to be in a big group, but when we finally made it into the show, all of my worries melted away. The venue was warm, welcoming, and vibrant with the energy of the performance. Trombone Shorty is one of the most talented musicians I have ever seen, and I truly can't wait to go back to another one of his amazing shows!
Wow. I literally can't remember what I did the next day. This entire trip was so wonderful, but so hectic. I got an average of 5 hours of sleep each night, and spent all day out and about doing different things in Paris. I'm pretty sure that the next day was my promenade to Sacre Coeur though. Let's just go with that . . .
So the next day, I woke up early, wasted a few hours in the most boring museum in the world, the Musée de Carnavalet, and then went on my promenade around the Sacre Coeur with Emily Valentine. It. Was. Amazing. It was the most beautiful day ever, and even though I didn't get to shower that day (or the night before after the concert. Shhh.), it was a wonderful time. Montmartre is absolutely gorgeous, and though it has been pretty taken-over by touristy shops, there are still some real gems in the area. Emily and I probably bought a million new scarves (I mean really, the most beautiful scarves I have ever seen), bought some really artsy new wallets, got some ice cream and coffee, and checked out some paintings by local artists. The art district of Montmartre is so quaint - I loved it. We sneakily got tricked into "buying" these bracelets that some Guinean guys made us on our way up to the Sacre Coeur, but at least we know what to avoid next time. Plus, they're pretty cool bracelets. The Sacre Coeur itself is absolutely stunning. I've seen more churches in France than I have ever seen in my life before, and the Sacre Coeur is definitely the most beautiful of them all. Inside and out, it is completely breathtaking.
Another amazing part about our promenade in Montmartre were the street performers. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera, but I think Emily probably took 100 pictures of our favorite one: the soccer guy. I wish I had a video of him to show you - I'm sure there are some up on Youtube (and I think he even has his own website now), but he was amazing. He stood up on a flat column along the steps of the Sacre Coeur and did the most amazing tricks I have ever seen with a soccer ball. Basically, he has just mastered juggling (soccer juggling, not clown juggling) to the point where it is now an art form. He balanced it on the top of his head while he sat all the way down, he spun around while still controlling it with his body, and he climbed up a lamppost with the soccer ball on his foot. It was sick.
There was also a singer/guitar player who played for a pretty big crowd on the steps leading up to the church, though he wasn't really that great. The crowd was hilarious though (especially the one guy with the dreds and Rasta hat on trying to get everyone to dance and sing along).
So after all of that, we finally made our way back to the FIAP (oh, FIAP) where we ate dinner, and I FINALLY got to take a shower. I didn't have too much time to relax though, because right after the shower, I got dressed and hopped on the Metro to meet some people at the Eiffel Tower so that we could see it all lit up at night. It was gorgeous. We took pictures, watched people in love kissing and cuddling all around the monument, and froze our asses off, all while evading street vendors trying to sell us glow-in-the-dark Eiffel Towers. I loved it.
The craziest part about that night, was that we were walking along the grass in front of the Tower when we heard music, and decided to go over to where it was coming from. There, we met some really awesome people - also students, also American, also studying in France. Well, some were Russians, and honestly I can't remember how they fit into the picture, but they were awesome too. So we hung out there, listened to some guys play guitar, and chatted it up with the other students. We also got our pictures taken with French soldiers who were patrolling the Eiffel Tower area with their machine guns. Sick.
So, after that, we went back to the FIAP, the guys at the front desk made fun of me because I couldn't find my room key (it was in my purse the whole time), and then I went to bed. Good night.
The NEXT day (yesterday), our group went on a boat tour on the Seine of Paris. It was beautiful, but absolutely freezing. Tomorrow, I need to go coat shopping. I have seen some beautiful ones, and have tried on a few that I loved, but they've been too expensive to say yes to. I may have to cave, because I will freeze otherwise. I may also just have to buy some matching gloves and hats . . . We will see.
Anyway, the boat tour was really cool, because I got to see almost all of the most famous monuments of Paris from the water, but it was also the coldest thing ever and I was definitely content when it was over.
After that, we searched for somewhere to eat, got sandwiches in a brasserie, and then went to another museum, this time about foreign cultures. The coolest exhibit was the Africa one, but the Americas was pretty interesting too. Basically, I stayed there for about an hour, and then Maddie, Allie, and I left to go to on their Rive Gauche promenade in the art district. It was the coolest place ever! I was totally enamored with it. Every street we walked on was more beautiful and impressionante than the next. I (finally) took tons of pictures, so they will be up soon :)
While we were there, we were walking down a street when we saw a TON of graffiti all over the wall up ahead of us. It was super cool, so we started taking pictures, when I noticed that there was a spray-painted image of Serge Gainsbourg up on the wall. Cool! I thought. Caldwell will love this! So I took a picture of it. Then I started reading the things on the wall. "Bonnie and Clyde," "Je suis un homme à tête de chou," "Je t'aime . . . moi non plus." They were all Serge lyrics! We stumbled upon the Serge Gainsbourg graffiti wall! It was so cool, and such an exciting discovery. Caldwell would be so proud.
After that, we walked around some more, got espressos at a really cute cafe on the corner, and walked around some more. We also discovered a really great frozen yogurt shop, and an amazing health food/juice/fruit store from which I bought carrot juice and a protein bar (coconut flavored). Yummy!
We then made our way back to the FIAP, rushed to get dressed a little nicer, and the ran out of there without eating dinner in order to make it in time for a piano recital at the Theatre de Champs-Elysees. Though the theater was beautiful, and it was great to have the experience of hearing a classical musician play in Paris, I left at intermission, and I will tell you why. The pianist, though I am sure very talented, looked like Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice, and his music sounded like had been composing a piece when, all of the sudden, he had a seizure and continued playing anyway. I watched a seizing Mr. Collins flop his head about as he smacked his piano keys for about 5 minutes, when I realized that I needed to leave at intermission. So I did.
Teo, Emily, and I walked along the Champs-Elysees, and I finally saw the Arc de Triomphe! So we're walking down the Champs-Elysees, when I hear a really familiar voice. I look over, and there is Lainey, a friend from high school who is studying abroad in Paris this semester. It was insane! What's crazier? The girl she was with was one of the girls I met at the Eiffel Tower the night before. I love this life! Hopefully, I'll be coming back to Paris soon and I will actually be able to hang out with them some more. It was so cool to run into a familiar face in Paris! What a tiny, tiny world, even in one of its most hectic cities.
Emily, Teo, and I also may have gone into the Hagen-Daaz (which is a freaking ice cream restaurant on the Champs-Elisees!) and the Quick (I had to get a milkshake banane like the Carpe Diem song!) before getting on the Metro to meet Teo's girlfriend at a really cool bar by the FIAP. We were there until a little after 1am, and it was a blast. I only wish I had known about that place sooner. Getting home in the freezing early morning was not fun, but we made it, exhausted, in our beds probably around 2.
And so this morning, I woke up at 8, ate breakfast at FIAP (for the first time since we've stayed there) and then packed and got on the bus to some back to Rouen. We stopped at Vaux la Vicomte first though, the most beautiful chateau I have ever seen (built by some of the same designers of Versailles), and had a guided tour and ate lunch there. Again, I have a lot of pictures. It was so beautiful, even though the weather is starting to turn freezing.
And so now I am back in Rouen. It's nice to be back in my own bed, my own room, and with internet that I don't have to pay for or stress about. But also, I really, really miss Paris. I loved every second of my time there, and I am already planning my next trip back. Maybe this weekend?! We'll see. All I know is that I have fallen in love with the city of love.
So now, it's almost dinner time. I'm really missing home now that I'm back in Rouen, but my host mom/landlord tells me I have a package that I have to pick up from the post office. I can't wait!!!! Thanks Mama Bear - I know it's from you :)
Almost dinner time I hope. It's getting dark here.
Bisous!
Love, Josie
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Dear Trombone Shorty, I Love You.
Today, I saw artistic masterpieces at the Musee d’Orsay, did a Bikram yoga class right next to the Centre Georges Pompidou, discovered an amazing new band at a jazz club, and saw Lenny Kravitz. Yeah, I would say it was a pretty decent day.
So this afternoon, I went to the Musee d’Orsay (gratuit on Wednesdays!) and was completely blown away by the beauty of the art there. The whole experience was surreal, and I couldn’t believe that I was really standing in front of original Van Gogh, Degas, Cassatt, Monet, Pissarro, and so many other beautiful works. I kept having to remind myself that I wasn’t just looking at this art through the television or through pages on a book – they were actually there right in front of me. It was amazing.
After the museum, Leslie, Allie, and I went to Beaubourg to see the Centre Georges Pompidou, do Bikram yoga, and walk around. I walked around for a little bit with them, saw the awesome Centre Pompidou, and then searched for my yoga studio. It was literally right across the street from the Centre – so cool! So, I took a class while Allie and Leslie walked around some more. The class was pretty good. Not as great as mine in Belgium, but I’m still glad that I went. It was just weird, and made me miss my studio at home a lot. The class was too cold – I was barely sweating during most of the class – which made stretching (and focusing) a lot harder. On top of that, the teacher opened the door during camel, completely freezing the room right before the class’s deepest backward bend. Not a good idea. It was just frustrating that my hot yoga class wasn’t . . . hot.
But anyway, after class, I met up with Allie and Leslie again and we walked around a little bit before taking the Metro back to the hotel. I had showered (kind of) at the studio, so my priority at the FIAP was dinner. I scarfed down some legumes, a banana, and peanut butter (YES!), and found out that my friend Liz is engaged!!! It was an extremely exciting day J
So then, there wasn’t enough time to truly shower before going to the jazz club, so I just ran upstairs, threw some real clothes on, and ran back out the door. I met up with a bunch of people, and we all took the Metro to the New Morning jazz club in the sketchiest part of Paris I have been to so far. When we finally found the club, though, it was like a whole new world inside. It was warm and festive and had amazing music blasting from the speakers. When Mme Dargan told us we were going to a jazz club as a group, this was not what I expected. It was AWESOME.
Naturally, we made our way to the main floor where everyone was standing, and started our own dance party. It was one of the BEST concerts I have ever been to. The band was Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, and they were from New Orleans, and they were amazing. They were all so talented, and had such a powerful energy when they performed, that everyone there was mesmerized (especially by Trombone Shorty’s voice. Oh my god. Pure beauty).
So, everything is amazing – we’re dancing and laughing and listening to the music, when Trombone Shorty introduces his next song, “Something Beautiful” as a song he wrote with his dear friend, Lenny Kravitz. Woah- he knows Lenny Kravitz?! I thought that was pretty cool, but not too surprising considering that these guys were some of the most talented musicians I have ever seen. So the band is playing and TS is singing like an angel, when all of the sudden the music slows and all the sudden we hear, “Everyone give a warm welcome to my dear friend, Lenny Kravitz!”
What. The. Fuck. We all just looked at each other and screamed, in total shock, as Lenny Kravitz and a guy following him with a video camera got on stage. Lenny jumped on the drums as the band finished out the song, and it was the most insane thing I have ever seen. I would have never thought in a MILLION years that I would randomly get to see Lenny Kravitz perform in a jazz bar in Paris. It was so fucking cool.
So, long story short (because I am exhausted), the band played for a while, came back for two encores (because they are AMAZING), and talked to us after the show. We bought CDs and were about to leave, when someone told us that the band was inside signing autographs! Naturally, we sprinted inside and got Trombone Shorty and Mike Ballard (the badass bassist) to sign our CDs and to take pictures with us. Apparently, they just played a gig at the 930 Club in DC! I definitely have to track them and see when they’re playing there again. I can’t wait to go back to another one of their concerts. They are amazing.
So, after that, we made our way back to the hotel where I am now. I just ate my 40 cent pineapple without any utensils, so that was a complete and delicious mess, and now I’m still hungry. But mostly tired. Tomorrow we’re going to some museum at 10, but I don’t know which museum it is.
All I know is that nothing will top what we saw tonight.
Goodnight!
Love, Josie
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
What? Free Time In Paris?
Outside FIAP with my brand new, bright red, totally French lipstick :)This morning, we went to Chinatown. My initial thoughts about going to Chinatown were as follows: I didn't choose the China program for a reason. I chose the France program for reasons, not including going to Chinatown. They take us to Chinatown, but not to the Louvre? If they don't want us to stand out as Americans, maybe they should avoid taking us to an area populated by Chinese people.
I'm actually really glad that we went afterall. I thought about my mom the entire time we were there. When we first got there, we walked around the streets, bought a bubble green tea (delicious), and then went inside a Buddhist temple. It was so awesome, and immediately made me feel at peace when I walked in. There's just a serene quality about the mix of incense, no shoes, and beautiful art. I loved being there, and I wished that Alec could have been there to tell me all about the different representations of the Buddha.
After the temple, we went into a Chinese market, where I bought peanut butter (not in a can!!!), a pineapple for 40 cents, a banana, and some weird sesame candy thing. I wished that Mama could have been there, because she would have LOVED it. I wanted to buy everything there just to send it back to her! Everything was in Chinese, and there were all these weird candies, fruits, vegetables, meats, and flavored drinks everywhere.
Then, for lunch, we went to a Vietnamese restaurant where I ate a delicious meal (vegetarian nems, noodles and veggies, and some weird green cake and coconut ice cream). After that, we walked around a little bit, and now I'm back at the hotel. I'm so exhausted, but I feel bad napping in Paris, so I'm sucking it up and going to see a movie with people at 4. It's a French movie about youth in Kinshasa (DRC) and should be really interesting.
I just can't believe how late in the day it already is. Today is also Ante's birthday, so we're going out tonight I think. I'm going to be exhausted! We can't do much though, because there is a transportation strike in Paris today, so the metro/train/bus system is pretty fucked.
Anyway, now I have to go get ready for the movie. AKA get my jacket and put my laptop away. Today is a jeans and t-shirt kind of day.
I'll write more tonight (hopefully - if the internet works). I miss you all!
Love, Josie
Monday, October 11, 2010
Oh hey there, Russell.
Today, I saw a man who looked just like Russell Brand sitting at a cafe. It was amazing.
Short synopsis, because the internet here is some bullshit:
- Woke up at 8, missed breakfast, and went to the Pere Lachaise cemetery. Took a 2 HOUR guided tour of the cemetery, but got to see Oscar Wilde, Moliere, La Fonatine, and Edith Piaf, so it was worth it.
- Got a epinard chevre quiche and a banana for lunch. Delicious.
- Took the metro into the Champs-Elysees area with Emily M. and Allie to meet Emily's aunt and uncle for some (window) shopping and sight seeing.
- Got a cafe in the garden at the Louvre.
- Took lots of photos.
- Made it back to FIAP in time for dinner, and then went to la Comedie Francaise to see a Moliere play. Fell asleep during the second act.
- Took the bus back to FIAP, got a cafe vennois, and got online.
So, this is basically just a post to let everyone know I'm alive, happy, and well in Paris. Tomorrow, we're going to . . . Chinatown? Yeah. Apparently, we're keeping the "stay out of tourist areas" thing really seriously. Chinatown. In Paris.
Personal goal: Find Saul Williams.
I will elaborate more soon (in a Word doc first, so I'm not writing on a timer. Ughhh Paris.)
It's definitely bed time now :)
Love, Josie
'
Short synopsis, because the internet here is some bullshit:
- Woke up at 8, missed breakfast, and went to the Pere Lachaise cemetery. Took a 2 HOUR guided tour of the cemetery, but got to see Oscar Wilde, Moliere, La Fonatine, and Edith Piaf, so it was worth it.
- Got a epinard chevre quiche and a banana for lunch. Delicious.
- Took the metro into the Champs-Elysees area with Emily M. and Allie to meet Emily's aunt and uncle for some (window) shopping and sight seeing.
- Got a cafe in the garden at the Louvre.
- Took lots of photos.
- Made it back to FIAP in time for dinner, and then went to la Comedie Francaise to see a Moliere play. Fell asleep during the second act.
- Took the bus back to FIAP, got a cafe vennois, and got online.
So, this is basically just a post to let everyone know I'm alive, happy, and well in Paris. Tomorrow, we're going to . . . Chinatown? Yeah. Apparently, we're keeping the "stay out of tourist areas" thing really seriously. Chinatown. In Paris.
Personal goal: Find Saul Williams.
I will elaborate more soon (in a Word doc first, so I'm not writing on a timer. Ughhh Paris.)
It's definitely bed time now :)
Love, Josie
'
Bienvenue A Paris!
(I wrote this last night, but my internet timed out and wouldn't let me post it. Thanks, Paris.)
I can't believe I'm in Paris right now. Not just because it's a magnificent place that I never thought I would have the opportunity to visit, but also because I almost missed the bus this morning to get here. Typical.
Last night, I stayed awake until about 6am packing for Paris and just doing random stuff on the computer, trying to keep myself awake until 7. Unfortunately, this didn't happen. I packed all of my major items (aka clothes, purse, shoes) and left the rest for later, and then promptly fell asleep with all of my clothes on from 6am - 8:30am. When I woke up at 8:30 and saw the time, I flipped out, frantically snatched up my things, and stormed out the door, sprinting to the bus stop. Unfortunately, the next bus wasn't coming until 8:46. I was supposed to be at the gare to meet the group at 8:45. I hate Sundays. The next few minutes consisted of me double- and triple-checking the bus departure time, wishing I had my French cell phone, and saying the word "fuck" a lot.
I was just about to ask a random person if she could give me a ride to the gare, when the bus magically appeared, ten minutes early, at the bus stop. I ran on the bus, rode it to the gare, and got there ONE MINUTE before we were supposed to be there. Perfect. Let's just ignore the fact that I was wearing a sweater with no shirt underneath, leggings, bright pink socks, and my broken black flats. I also hadn't showered since my "shower" tub experience in Belgium, and was (naturally) looking beautiful. Not. Also, in my wonderful panic out of the door, I conveniently left my shampoo, conditioner, razor, soap, makeup, and assorted other items in the apartment. At least I got the important things. I think I can live a week without makeup. I think.
So now, I'm rushing to get this post out in less than 10 minutes (the internet situation here is pretty shitty. More later). I just want everyone to know that I am safe and happy in Paris. I love you all, and I promise more updates soon!
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to tackle a Bikram yoga class, and the Pere Lachaise cemetery!
Much love, Josie
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Is this your first time in Belgium?
I am home in Rouen after my first trip EVER to Belgium! It was amazing (-ly expensive), but I'm so glad that I went! I honestly couldn't imagine a better group of people to travel with too - I had a blast with everyone, and I am so happy that I got to know these wonderful people even better :)
So, where to begin? Currently, it is 2:23am, and I have just gotten home from the gare. I have to pack, shower, and be at the gare AGAIN to leave for Paris a little after 8am tomorrow (today) morning, so I'm thinking I might just pull an all-nighter and sleep on the bus. Train? I don't even know how we're getting there. But I will be there, on time, at 8am.
I went to Bruxelles, Belgium this weekend (Friday night & Saturday) with Allie, Emily V, Leslie, Mikayla, and Charlotte. I love each of them. We left from the gare in Rouen on Friday afternoon after classes, and took the train to Paris, where we then took the metro to another train station, and then took that train to Bruxelles. My first time on a train was pretty sweet. The seats are way comfortable (not to mention, bright purple and orange), and you have an awesome view of the scenery as you zoom along the tracks. Well, at least I did on my train from Rouen to Paris. Paris to Bruxelles, on the other hand . . . that was an interesting trip. Because France is -- well -- France, two train-fulls of people were herded onto one, single train due to the fact that the first train was running 40 minutes late. Our train (the second train) actually arrived before the first train, and therefore was allowing people from the previous voyages AS WELL AS people who bought tickets for our voyage to board the same train at the same time. We were told that we could wait 40 minutes and there would be another train, but I had a Bikram yoga class to get to in Bruxelles that I was not about to miss.
Fast-forward to five minutes of pushing through sweaty crowds of French- and German-speaking people: Allie and I are sitting down, knees pushed up against our chests, hugging our backpacks, in the aisle of a train, almost literally sweating our asses off. Welcome to the French public transportation system. We made small talk with a Parisian college student who was going to Bruxelles to visit her boyfriend, and a woman with a newborn baby, until we heard that the controlleurs were giving away seats in the first class section. We quickly abandoned those friends, and followed the man in the silly purple outfit towards the first class section, crashing into people in every which direction (this train was a zoo), only to arrive to find that all of the seats had already been filled. Merde. The controleur was very apologetic though, and offered us free drinks (Perrier. Yummy.) and told us we could hang out in the kitchen area. This is how Allie and I ended up riding the train to Belgium on the floor of the first class kitchen. We also named everyone in our car. Roberto, Herman, Fritz, and Alejandro - you will always be in my heart.
So when we (finally) arrived in Belgium, Emily and I booked it to the yoga studio, while everyone else found the hotel (we figured we would cross that bridge when we got to it). I can't even express the feeling of joy I felt when I saw the giant, orange "YOGA" sign on that cute Belgian street. My heart started racing, and I felt like I was going to be going home for the next 90 minutes. 22 Euro and a having-to-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-in-yoga-clothes later, I was in my beautiful heated room, lying in savasana, ready to begin class. Everything else was gone. It didn't matter that I had probably had a croissant every day that week, or that my exercise had been a joke for the past month, or that I had spent all day traveling and power-walking through train stations - I was in savasana, and I was so happy. I felt like I had my yoga high before the class even began.
To make things even better, the teacher was so. freaking. cool. He was the most relaxed, easy-going, but distinctly different yoga instructor that I have ever had. If my muscles hadn't been persistently reminding me otherwise, I could have forgotten that yoga is such hard work. Also, his Indian accent was awesome. What was really awesome though, was that he had me demonstrate my back bend in front of the whole class! "That's the posture!" he said to the class, after helping me make a few little corrections. It was the coolest thing ever - I'd never demonstrated a posture in front of a class before! And it was in Belgium! How awesome is that? The rest of the class wasn't even that bad. I at least didn't have to sit out at all, though some of the postures definitely felt harder that usual. I could barely stay in Balancing Stick, and when I got to the floor series, my spine strengthening series was pretty embarrassing, but at least I got through it! I'm proud of myself. I'll only be doing more yoga in Paris, and I can't wait :)
So, after the class, I felt so relaxed and happy, but I also got extremely homesick for about an hour afterwards. I guess I'm just used to coming home after yoga, showering, eating (preferably Chipotle), snuggling on the couch, and going to bed. All I wanted after that yoga class was to go back to my house and sit on the couch with my family (and eat Chipotle), but instead, I had to go back to a hostel/hotel room. I am definitely glad that I did the class, but it was also really hard to deal with the homesickness that it caused for the next couple hours.
So, when I got back to the hotel, it was definitely time to shower. Mikayla and Allie watched 27 Dresses (yesss) while I "showered." Why would I put the word "shower" in quotation marks? Well, you know how most showers have shower curtains? Yeah, not this one. You also know how most showers have a shower head? Oh yeah, not this one either. Shampoo? Nope. Conditioner? Negative. A bar of soap and a faucet? Yes. I literally kneeled in the bathtub, frantically splashed water all over my body, and used the bar of soap to wash myself - yes, this includes my hair. Needless to say, today has been an extremely beautiful hair day.
After the shower, I was starving (luckily, so was everyone else), so we went to the only restaurant that was still open and that didn't look sketchy as fuck: a Chinese place a few doors down from the hotel. Here is where we met our new best friend. We don't know his name, but we do know that he speaks 4-5 languages, feels very strongly about the differences between teaching and translating, thinks Tibetan is completely unrelated to any other language in the world, likes Tin Tin, and has a horrible case of amnesia. "Wait guys - I thought it was just a different waiter every time." No - it was him, the waddling penguin man in the red apron, who literally asked us 4 TIMES if this was our first time in Belgium. I really didn't care though because I had tofu for dinner, so I was automatically the happiest person alive. Heaven on earth = Bikram, tofu, and water. Speaking of water, have you ever been charged 13 Euro for two bottles of tap water? We have. That was seriously the most outrageously overpriced thing I have ever bought in my life. 13 Euro for tap water. We may or may not have acquired a few items from the restaurant in exchange for the water rip off. Yes, some of these items were probably free anyway, but we're still badasses.
So after the restaurant extravaganza, we walked around Bruxelles a little bit, exploring the city's night life. I will sum it up in one word for you: sketch-tastic. I never felt actually threatened walking around (in general, Bruxelles is a very nice, clean city), but there are definitely a good number of people who stare, who call out to you, and who ask to show you around the city. In a creepy way. It's best to ignore everyone, stick with your group of friends, and find a nice cafe/bar somewhere, get a table, and sit and people-watch. This is exactly what we did (except instead of beer, we got waffles with ice cream on top. Hey - it was Belgium afterall). After some solid people-watching (and refusing to give our cell phones to barefooted men who were tripping on acid), we walked back to the hotel. Being in bed had never felt so wonderful.
Waking up, on the other hand . . .
I woke up around 9am, and got up, dressed, and went downstairs with Allie and Mikayla for breakfast (included for free! yay!). Luckily for us, there was a wonderful assortment of two kinds of bread, and three kinds of jelly. And some orange juice. Long story short, we ate lunch soon after leaving the hotel.
We all met up, figured out how to pay for the rooms, left our bags in the lobby under the chairs (apparently, that's where they're the safest), and went out to explore the beautiful day ahead of us. Belgium is the most beautiful, precious country, and everywhere we went was amazing. The weather was also PERFECT, which I'm sure helped the experience greatly. I'm so glad I didn't waste space in my backpack packing rain boots and a rain jacket. So anyway - we went in a museum about historic Bruxelles and Belgium, walked around the old part of the city, bought and ate some Belgian chocolate, got a delicious organic lunch, bought and ate Belgian waffles and ice cream, bought out a street market, probably ate some more chocolate, and probably ate something else disgusting and delicious. Awesome day.
After all of this exploring, we decided it was time to see the EU building (still don't know what to call that, but also have no desire whatsoever so ever go back - here's why). So, we had to take the metro to get to the building (about a 5-10 minute ride), which spit us out in the sketchiest metro station I had ever been in in my life. It wouldn't have been so terrible if it weren't for the fact that it was under construction, so there were no lights anywhere. It was about 7pm, so it was getting dark out, and I literally couldn't see ANYTHING at one point when we were walking up the stairs out of the station. Creepy as fuck.
When we finally made it into the evening dusk, the sight of all of the European Union flags in front of the huge, glass building was striking. I was so amazed and so happy to be there. We took some photos, looked around, and then sat up on a ledge by the flags to eat our delicious dinner (more food from the organic restaurant. NEW FAVORITE PLACE EVER). We were all talking, enjoying our food, and enjoying being in Belgium, the seat of the EU, when suddenly someone in our group said, "Get up. We have to go NOW." I didn't ask questions; I just grabbed by backpack and booked it over to the other side of the street with everyone. What the hell was going on? Well, someone by the metro station (a young teenage boy on a skateboard) apparently had a gun. One of the girls in my group saw it, told us, and we got out of there ASAP. We immediately switched to speaking in French, quietly, while walking speedily away from the metro station. We found a giant (nice) hotel, and walked inside, asking the man behind the counter what the best way to get to the train station was (it was almost time for us to catch our train back to Paris). He said the metro. We asked them if he could call us a taxi. Long story short - we took 2 taxis back to the train station, got there safely, got on our train, ate chips and laughed about my tiny tongue, and got off the train in Paris. There, we took the metro to the next train station and waited at a cafe until it was time to board the train. We got on, eventually found seats, and made it back to Rouen safely. From Rouen, Allie, Charlotte, and I split a taxi to our houses, and now here I am :)
Overall, our little voyage to Bruxelles was amazing. It was beautiful, delicious, fun, exciting, and most certainly memorable. We saw some amazing things, ate some spectacular food, and had an awesome bonding experience. Even though parts of it were scary, we all worked together and made it through every situation safely. I absolutely LOVE the group of girls I traveled with (and I love our matching headbands/hair wraps), and I highly recommend Belgium/Bruxelles as a country to visit! I am so happy we had the opportunity :)
Well, it's currently after 4am. I think it's about time to pack for Paris, don't you?
Also, I will have my laptop in Paris, so I will be updating this as much as I can. Don't worry!
Bisous!
Love, Josie
So, where to begin? Currently, it is 2:23am, and I have just gotten home from the gare. I have to pack, shower, and be at the gare AGAIN to leave for Paris a little after 8am tomorrow (today) morning, so I'm thinking I might just pull an all-nighter and sleep on the bus. Train? I don't even know how we're getting there. But I will be there, on time, at 8am.
I went to Bruxelles, Belgium this weekend (Friday night & Saturday) with Allie, Emily V, Leslie, Mikayla, and Charlotte. I love each of them. We left from the gare in Rouen on Friday afternoon after classes, and took the train to Paris, where we then took the metro to another train station, and then took that train to Bruxelles. My first time on a train was pretty sweet. The seats are way comfortable (not to mention, bright purple and orange), and you have an awesome view of the scenery as you zoom along the tracks. Well, at least I did on my train from Rouen to Paris. Paris to Bruxelles, on the other hand . . . that was an interesting trip. Because France is -- well -- France, two train-fulls of people were herded onto one, single train due to the fact that the first train was running 40 minutes late. Our train (the second train) actually arrived before the first train, and therefore was allowing people from the previous voyages AS WELL AS people who bought tickets for our voyage to board the same train at the same time. We were told that we could wait 40 minutes and there would be another train, but I had a Bikram yoga class to get to in Bruxelles that I was not about to miss.
Fast-forward to five minutes of pushing through sweaty crowds of French- and German-speaking people: Allie and I are sitting down, knees pushed up against our chests, hugging our backpacks, in the aisle of a train, almost literally sweating our asses off. Welcome to the French public transportation system. We made small talk with a Parisian college student who was going to Bruxelles to visit her boyfriend, and a woman with a newborn baby, until we heard that the controlleurs were giving away seats in the first class section. We quickly abandoned those friends, and followed the man in the silly purple outfit towards the first class section, crashing into people in every which direction (this train was a zoo), only to arrive to find that all of the seats had already been filled. Merde. The controleur was very apologetic though, and offered us free drinks (Perrier. Yummy.) and told us we could hang out in the kitchen area. This is how Allie and I ended up riding the train to Belgium on the floor of the first class kitchen. We also named everyone in our car. Roberto, Herman, Fritz, and Alejandro - you will always be in my heart.
So when we (finally) arrived in Belgium, Emily and I booked it to the yoga studio, while everyone else found the hotel (we figured we would cross that bridge when we got to it). I can't even express the feeling of joy I felt when I saw the giant, orange "YOGA" sign on that cute Belgian street. My heart started racing, and I felt like I was going to be going home for the next 90 minutes. 22 Euro and a having-to-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-in-yoga-clothes later, I was in my beautiful heated room, lying in savasana, ready to begin class. Everything else was gone. It didn't matter that I had probably had a croissant every day that week, or that my exercise had been a joke for the past month, or that I had spent all day traveling and power-walking through train stations - I was in savasana, and I was so happy. I felt like I had my yoga high before the class even began.
To make things even better, the teacher was so. freaking. cool. He was the most relaxed, easy-going, but distinctly different yoga instructor that I have ever had. If my muscles hadn't been persistently reminding me otherwise, I could have forgotten that yoga is such hard work. Also, his Indian accent was awesome. What was really awesome though, was that he had me demonstrate my back bend in front of the whole class! "That's the posture!" he said to the class, after helping me make a few little corrections. It was the coolest thing ever - I'd never demonstrated a posture in front of a class before! And it was in Belgium! How awesome is that? The rest of the class wasn't even that bad. I at least didn't have to sit out at all, though some of the postures definitely felt harder that usual. I could barely stay in Balancing Stick, and when I got to the floor series, my spine strengthening series was pretty embarrassing, but at least I got through it! I'm proud of myself. I'll only be doing more yoga in Paris, and I can't wait :)
So, after the class, I felt so relaxed and happy, but I also got extremely homesick for about an hour afterwards. I guess I'm just used to coming home after yoga, showering, eating (preferably Chipotle), snuggling on the couch, and going to bed. All I wanted after that yoga class was to go back to my house and sit on the couch with my family (and eat Chipotle), but instead, I had to go back to a hostel/hotel room. I am definitely glad that I did the class, but it was also really hard to deal with the homesickness that it caused for the next couple hours.
So, when I got back to the hotel, it was definitely time to shower. Mikayla and Allie watched 27 Dresses (yesss) while I "showered." Why would I put the word "shower" in quotation marks? Well, you know how most showers have shower curtains? Yeah, not this one. You also know how most showers have a shower head? Oh yeah, not this one either. Shampoo? Nope. Conditioner? Negative. A bar of soap and a faucet? Yes. I literally kneeled in the bathtub, frantically splashed water all over my body, and used the bar of soap to wash myself - yes, this includes my hair. Needless to say, today has been an extremely beautiful hair day.
After the shower, I was starving (luckily, so was everyone else), so we went to the only restaurant that was still open and that didn't look sketchy as fuck: a Chinese place a few doors down from the hotel. Here is where we met our new best friend. We don't know his name, but we do know that he speaks 4-5 languages, feels very strongly about the differences between teaching and translating, thinks Tibetan is completely unrelated to any other language in the world, likes Tin Tin, and has a horrible case of amnesia. "Wait guys - I thought it was just a different waiter every time." No - it was him, the waddling penguin man in the red apron, who literally asked us 4 TIMES if this was our first time in Belgium. I really didn't care though because I had tofu for dinner, so I was automatically the happiest person alive. Heaven on earth = Bikram, tofu, and water. Speaking of water, have you ever been charged 13 Euro for two bottles of tap water? We have. That was seriously the most outrageously overpriced thing I have ever bought in my life. 13 Euro for tap water. We may or may not have acquired a few items from the restaurant in exchange for the water rip off. Yes, some of these items were probably free anyway, but we're still badasses.
So after the restaurant extravaganza, we walked around Bruxelles a little bit, exploring the city's night life. I will sum it up in one word for you: sketch-tastic. I never felt actually threatened walking around (in general, Bruxelles is a very nice, clean city), but there are definitely a good number of people who stare, who call out to you, and who ask to show you around the city. In a creepy way. It's best to ignore everyone, stick with your group of friends, and find a nice cafe/bar somewhere, get a table, and sit and people-watch. This is exactly what we did (except instead of beer, we got waffles with ice cream on top. Hey - it was Belgium afterall). After some solid people-watching (and refusing to give our cell phones to barefooted men who were tripping on acid), we walked back to the hotel. Being in bed had never felt so wonderful.
Waking up, on the other hand . . .
I woke up around 9am, and got up, dressed, and went downstairs with Allie and Mikayla for breakfast (included for free! yay!). Luckily for us, there was a wonderful assortment of two kinds of bread, and three kinds of jelly. And some orange juice. Long story short, we ate lunch soon after leaving the hotel.
We all met up, figured out how to pay for the rooms, left our bags in the lobby under the chairs (apparently, that's where they're the safest), and went out to explore the beautiful day ahead of us. Belgium is the most beautiful, precious country, and everywhere we went was amazing. The weather was also PERFECT, which I'm sure helped the experience greatly. I'm so glad I didn't waste space in my backpack packing rain boots and a rain jacket. So anyway - we went in a museum about historic Bruxelles and Belgium, walked around the old part of the city, bought and ate some Belgian chocolate, got a delicious organic lunch, bought and ate Belgian waffles and ice cream, bought out a street market, probably ate some more chocolate, and probably ate something else disgusting and delicious. Awesome day.
After all of this exploring, we decided it was time to see the EU building (still don't know what to call that, but also have no desire whatsoever so ever go back - here's why). So, we had to take the metro to get to the building (about a 5-10 minute ride), which spit us out in the sketchiest metro station I had ever been in in my life. It wouldn't have been so terrible if it weren't for the fact that it was under construction, so there were no lights anywhere. It was about 7pm, so it was getting dark out, and I literally couldn't see ANYTHING at one point when we were walking up the stairs out of the station. Creepy as fuck.
When we finally made it into the evening dusk, the sight of all of the European Union flags in front of the huge, glass building was striking. I was so amazed and so happy to be there. We took some photos, looked around, and then sat up on a ledge by the flags to eat our delicious dinner (more food from the organic restaurant. NEW FAVORITE PLACE EVER). We were all talking, enjoying our food, and enjoying being in Belgium, the seat of the EU, when suddenly someone in our group said, "Get up. We have to go NOW." I didn't ask questions; I just grabbed by backpack and booked it over to the other side of the street with everyone. What the hell was going on? Well, someone by the metro station (a young teenage boy on a skateboard) apparently had a gun. One of the girls in my group saw it, told us, and we got out of there ASAP. We immediately switched to speaking in French, quietly, while walking speedily away from the metro station. We found a giant (nice) hotel, and walked inside, asking the man behind the counter what the best way to get to the train station was (it was almost time for us to catch our train back to Paris). He said the metro. We asked them if he could call us a taxi. Long story short - we took 2 taxis back to the train station, got there safely, got on our train, ate chips and laughed about my tiny tongue, and got off the train in Paris. There, we took the metro to the next train station and waited at a cafe until it was time to board the train. We got on, eventually found seats, and made it back to Rouen safely. From Rouen, Allie, Charlotte, and I split a taxi to our houses, and now here I am :)
Overall, our little voyage to Bruxelles was amazing. It was beautiful, delicious, fun, exciting, and most certainly memorable. We saw some amazing things, ate some spectacular food, and had an awesome bonding experience. Even though parts of it were scary, we all worked together and made it through every situation safely. I absolutely LOVE the group of girls I traveled with (and I love our matching headbands/hair wraps), and I highly recommend Belgium/Bruxelles as a country to visit! I am so happy we had the opportunity :)
Well, it's currently after 4am. I think it's about time to pack for Paris, don't you?
Also, I will have my laptop in Paris, so I will be updating this as much as I can. Don't worry!
Bisous!
Love, Josie
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Stressful Wednesday.
I have a test in my grammar class tomorrow. Still need to study for it, and it's 12am. I guess I'll have to finish my studying tomorrow morning.
Also, I have to pack for Belgium AND Paris. It's going to be a very hectic (but exciting) weekend/week. I just feel so disorganized and rushed right now. I wish there was a little more time before we had to leave!
The Swiss girls are leaving on Saturday, and I still feel bad about not hanging out with them this weekend.
I can't wait to just get out of here and do some yoga in Belgium and in Paris! Only a few more days (I don't know if that's good or bad) . . .
For now, it's nighttime though. And by nighttime, I mean bed time - I am slowly but surely losing my ability to communicate in English. Which is not a good thing, because I'm not exactly fluent in French, so basically I'm stuck in this horrible place where I can't speak any language. Perfect.
Anyway, time for bed. I need to do some studying/reading/ticket purchasing (AHH I HAVE TO REMEMBER TO DO THIS) tomorrow!
Bonne nuit!
Love, Josie
PS. May or may not have returned to H&M today.
Also, I have to pack for Belgium AND Paris. It's going to be a very hectic (but exciting) weekend/week. I just feel so disorganized and rushed right now. I wish there was a little more time before we had to leave!
The Swiss girls are leaving on Saturday, and I still feel bad about not hanging out with them this weekend.
I can't wait to just get out of here and do some yoga in Belgium and in Paris! Only a few more days (I don't know if that's good or bad) . . .
For now, it's nighttime though. And by nighttime, I mean bed time - I am slowly but surely losing my ability to communicate in English. Which is not a good thing, because I'm not exactly fluent in French, so basically I'm stuck in this horrible place where I can't speak any language. Perfect.
Anyway, time for bed. I need to do some studying/reading/ticket purchasing (AHH I HAVE TO REMEMBER TO DO THIS) tomorrow!
Bonne nuit!
Love, Josie
PS. May or may not have returned to H&M today.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
A Post For Friendship.
One of my friends told me today that she is completely hooked on my blog, and reads it every day. I know this sounds like an incredibly simple thing, but it really made me smile. I mean, I love that my family reads this every day, but that's pretty much expected because they like to know what I'm doing all day, every day. It's really cool to have friends care enough about what I'm up to to read some crazy blog in their free time.
So anyway, this post is dedicated to my friends. Especially the aforementioned one who spends perfectly good minutes in her day reading about my struggles with French food and my inability to get through the week without my "If I Can Dream" fix. Really, that is just the most embarrassing TV show to be addicted to. But anyway, this particular friend was one of my closest friends way back in the glory days - that's right: SPES. We lived through Mrs. Lewis, Mr. Sinderson, and everyone being in love with Charlie Loken. You can't break a bond that has been sealed with singing S Club 7 at 5th grade graduation. So, we drifted apart for a good chunk of time in middle and high school, as happens with almost all childhood friendships, but reconnected this summer. I am SO happy that we did. I love you guys, Madilyn and Lauren! You are both beautiful people, and I love how seamlessly we clicked back together after all of these years.
Also, the friends that I have made while in France have completely made this program what it is to me. Adjusting to being away from family, friends, and the comfort of home can be extremely difficult - especially when you're also thrown into a new culture and forced to speak a strange language. Not only do I feel that everyone on this trip is genuinely nice, but I also feel that I have found true friends here in France. I have found "my people" - the missing piece of my SLU puzzle. I seriously considered transferring before going to France, and I am so happy that I stuck with it. I love these girls, and I hope we stay friends for a long time.
Being away has also made me realize how wonderful my friends at SLU right now are. I can't even name all of the people who I am excited to see when I get back on campus, and I am so grateful to have each of them in my life. Josh - I'm really sorry Skype never works (and I don't think you ever read this), but I hope that you know how much I love and miss your genuine friendship. It's weird not spending half of my nights staying up late talking to you in your room, and I hope we can get right back into that next semester. Seriously, I can't even begin to write about all the people I miss at SLU, and I think that is such a good sign. I have more people that I care about than I even recognized, and I can't wait to get back and hang out with all of them!
Also important to note, LIFERS: this summer, I'm coming for you. In a good way.
So, in other news: ate nutella crepes for dinner again tonight. My host mom is concerned as ever about a balanced, nutritional diet. I'm either learning to accept this, or my frustration has become so powerful that it is no longer recognized by my brain. We'll see which it is.
Also (if I had a Euro for every paragraph I began with "also" . . .), I am going to Belgium this weekend! I am VERY excited because it's a country I have never visited before in my entire life. More important, however, is the fact that there is a Bikram yoga studio 2 MILES away from the hotel/hostel in which we are staying! GAHHHH SO EXCITED. This may or not be embarrassing to share, but . . . today I got my yoga clothes out just to look at them, and even though they were washed, the underlying scent of Bikram yoga was still all over them. Just smelling the "Bikram yoga" smell made me feel so much joy and longing for being in the studio, practicing my yoga. I am so sad to be away from it, and I know that my first (few) class(es) back will be painful, but I don't care - I can't wait to get back in the studio. So I'm going to go in Brussels! And then again in Paris! I know I'm here to travel and experience as much as I can, and it probably sounds crazy to a lot of people that I want to spend 90 minutes of my day inside doing yoga, but I can't express the joy that this practice brings me. Being without it is so difficult, and each practice is a new journey - one that is even more exciting and more powerful when it is shared with different people from all over the world. I can't wait to get my Bikram on in Europe!
So now, it's 1am. How does that happen? I have to be up at 8am tomorrow, so I'm gonna go get ready for bed now.
There are people outside my window singing "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga right now. With hilarious French accents. I hope this never stops.
Bonne nuit!
Love, Josie
So anyway, this post is dedicated to my friends. Especially the aforementioned one who spends perfectly good minutes in her day reading about my struggles with French food and my inability to get through the week without my "If I Can Dream" fix. Really, that is just the most embarrassing TV show to be addicted to. But anyway, this particular friend was one of my closest friends way back in the glory days - that's right: SPES. We lived through Mrs. Lewis, Mr. Sinderson, and everyone being in love with Charlie Loken. You can't break a bond that has been sealed with singing S Club 7 at 5th grade graduation. So, we drifted apart for a good chunk of time in middle and high school, as happens with almost all childhood friendships, but reconnected this summer. I am SO happy that we did. I love you guys, Madilyn and Lauren! You are both beautiful people, and I love how seamlessly we clicked back together after all of these years.
Also, the friends that I have made while in France have completely made this program what it is to me. Adjusting to being away from family, friends, and the comfort of home can be extremely difficult - especially when you're also thrown into a new culture and forced to speak a strange language. Not only do I feel that everyone on this trip is genuinely nice, but I also feel that I have found true friends here in France. I have found "my people" - the missing piece of my SLU puzzle. I seriously considered transferring before going to France, and I am so happy that I stuck with it. I love these girls, and I hope we stay friends for a long time.
Being away has also made me realize how wonderful my friends at SLU right now are. I can't even name all of the people who I am excited to see when I get back on campus, and I am so grateful to have each of them in my life. Josh - I'm really sorry Skype never works (and I don't think you ever read this), but I hope that you know how much I love and miss your genuine friendship. It's weird not spending half of my nights staying up late talking to you in your room, and I hope we can get right back into that next semester. Seriously, I can't even begin to write about all the people I miss at SLU, and I think that is such a good sign. I have more people that I care about than I even recognized, and I can't wait to get back and hang out with all of them!
Also important to note, LIFERS: this summer, I'm coming for you. In a good way.
So, in other news: ate nutella crepes for dinner again tonight. My host mom is concerned as ever about a balanced, nutritional diet. I'm either learning to accept this, or my frustration has become so powerful that it is no longer recognized by my brain. We'll see which it is.
Also (if I had a Euro for every paragraph I began with "also" . . .), I am going to Belgium this weekend! I am VERY excited because it's a country I have never visited before in my entire life. More important, however, is the fact that there is a Bikram yoga studio 2 MILES away from the hotel/hostel in which we are staying! GAHHHH SO EXCITED. This may or not be embarrassing to share, but . . . today I got my yoga clothes out just to look at them, and even though they were washed, the underlying scent of Bikram yoga was still all over them. Just smelling the "Bikram yoga" smell made me feel so much joy and longing for being in the studio, practicing my yoga. I am so sad to be away from it, and I know that my first (few) class(es) back will be painful, but I don't care - I can't wait to get back in the studio. So I'm going to go in Brussels! And then again in Paris! I know I'm here to travel and experience as much as I can, and it probably sounds crazy to a lot of people that I want to spend 90 minutes of my day inside doing yoga, but I can't express the joy that this practice brings me. Being without it is so difficult, and each practice is a new journey - one that is even more exciting and more powerful when it is shared with different people from all over the world. I can't wait to get my Bikram on in Europe!
So now, it's 1am. How does that happen? I have to be up at 8am tomorrow, so I'm gonna go get ready for bed now.
There are people outside my window singing "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga right now. With hilarious French accents. I hope this never stops.
Bonne nuit!
Love, Josie
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday Dilemma.
So here's the deal: This weekend, some friends are going to Belgium. They're leaving after class on Friday and are coming home at 1:30am on Saturday night. Then, we're all leaving for Paris on Sunday. Also this weekend, the Swiss girls are leaving. I promised them a while ago I would hang out with them this Friday, and I really want to because I'm going to miss them a lot when they leave. So I have to choose one. And I don't know what to do. Belgium will be expensive (almost 200 Euro just for the train tickets), but that's what I've been saving my money for. I don't know - I have to think about it. Any ideas?
In other news, I had carrots and rice for dinner tonight. Really. A pile of shredded carrots, and a few spoonfuls of plain rice. Everyone else had grilled salmon with pesto and tomatoes. But did my host mom think that I would need something to replace the salmon/main course? No. Of course not.
I miss my life in America. As happy as I am to be in France, I am very much looking forward to going back home and being healthy again. I've literally been sick with something since the day I arrived in France. Enough. I need my protein and my Bikram, and I can't wait to get back into a healthy lifestyle again.
In other news, I had carrots and rice for dinner tonight. Really. A pile of shredded carrots, and a few spoonfuls of plain rice. Everyone else had grilled salmon with pesto and tomatoes. But did my host mom think that I would need something to replace the salmon/main course? No. Of course not.
I miss my life in America. As happy as I am to be in France, I am very much looking forward to going back home and being healthy again. I've literally been sick with something since the day I arrived in France. Enough. I need my protein and my Bikram, and I can't wait to get back into a healthy lifestyle again.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Can you compliment us? We just ate a lot of food.
I was exhausted last night and didn't feel like writing too much about my weekend, and unfortunately I'm feeling the same way tonight. I just wanted to give a little update, let you know I'm okay (except for being sick after eating way too much sugar), and that I am not looking forward to going back to school tomorrow.
Quick synopsis of yesterday to be elaborated upon later:
After Omaha Beach, we went to Point du Hoc, where the American rangers landed. There were craters in the ground everywhere from bombings, and it reminded me of the time Jeff played dead in one of them. In order to keep up the Severn tradition of doing inappropriate things in serious places, therefore, I decided to take my clothes off and go swimming in the ocean at Utah Beach. It was actually the most amazing and wonderful part of my weekend, and I will always remember doing it. Obviously, going to places like the Normandy Beaches is moving and powerful (frappant, as the French would say), but running full speed into the ocean in the rain is incredible. Granted, the rest of my day was freezing cold and wet, but it was beyond worth it.
So after Utah Beach, we got back in the bus and went to another museum (in Carentan? Why can't I remember anything, even though it just happened yesterday?) where we saw the Saint Mere Eglise and its famous clocher. During World War Two, an American parachuter got stuck on the clocher (steeple) of the church, and pretended to be dead so that the Germans below wouldn't kill him. He was the only one who survived.
Naturally, inside the museum there, there were all kinds of letters and pictures of the American soldier, along with military equipment, weapons, signs in German (that Allie and I tried to read aloud), and a short film about the WWII history of the village (you would really think that I would know the name of it).
Okay, I promised a short recount of events, so I'm gonna get back to quickly and vaguely telling you what I did. We got back on the bus, got most of the sand off of my body, changed my clothes, and napped on the bus (probably after watching Allie act like a monkey and Ante dance to Lady Gaga) until we arrived at Mont Saint Michel. It was raining (of course), but it was still beautiful, and I was very happy to be there so that I could get some food and get some sleep. So, we got to the hotel, walked up approximately 8,000 stairs to get to my room, where I then walked up another 20 (yes, there was a staircase in my room. a staircase.) to get to my bed. I lay (laid? I need to look that one up. Merde - I'm losing my English skills) there until dinner, ate dinner, returned to my bed, and never left its side. I relaxed in bed until I fell asleep.
This morning, I woke up, showered, ate a very healthy breakfast of croissants (yes, multiple), cereal, yogurt, and orange juice (my diet starts tomorrow), and then put my stuff on the bus and started my ascent of Mont Saint Michel. Honestly, I think our tour guide took us on the bitch route, because there were NOT as many stairs as I remember. There are a few other explanations for this though. Number one: I am in better shape now than I was last time I did it (highly doubtful, considering I can count the number of times I have worked out since I've been here on one hand). Number Two: Mont-Saint-Michel isn't actually that high up (false). Number Three: I flew all the way up because I am a pterodactyl. Number Four: The fact that we stopped every 2 minutes to listen to the guide talk about something different made the trip seem way easier. I will let you decide which option you think is the most probable.
So anyway, we walked up Mont Saint Michel, took beaucoup de photos (typical), tried to understand what the guide was saying while suppressing yawns of exhaustion (not boredom - that doesn't come until museum #75948375, which we visited after Mont St. Michel), and then spend a weeks worth of lunch money on some food. Tourist attractions are NOT good for my wallet. Allie, Maddie, Emily M, and I all went to the beach during our free time (quicksand ahhh!) and acted like maniacs, sang Pocahontas, and ran into a tribe of the mysterious barefooted people of Mt St Michel.
After that, we all got back on the bus, and I slept until I was awoken for a food run to a gas station. This is where my downhill spiral truly began (hence the title of today's blog). But whatever - we loved it, now it's over, and tomorrow is a new day. Gahhh I miss Bikram.
So now, I'm back at the apartment, looking on Facebook in horror at some of the pictures from this weekend. Well, maybe not horror, but I do question my sanity when I look at a picture of me say, I don't know, being a pterodactyl or using Nutella as lipstick.
I am exhausted, so I'm going to go to bed now, but I promise to check back in tomorrow.
Bonne Nuit!
Love, Josie
Quick synopsis of yesterday to be elaborated upon later:
After Omaha Beach, we went to Point du Hoc, where the American rangers landed. There were craters in the ground everywhere from bombings, and it reminded me of the time Jeff played dead in one of them. In order to keep up the Severn tradition of doing inappropriate things in serious places, therefore, I decided to take my clothes off and go swimming in the ocean at Utah Beach. It was actually the most amazing and wonderful part of my weekend, and I will always remember doing it. Obviously, going to places like the Normandy Beaches is moving and powerful (frappant, as the French would say), but running full speed into the ocean in the rain is incredible. Granted, the rest of my day was freezing cold and wet, but it was beyond worth it.
So after Utah Beach, we got back in the bus and went to another museum (in Carentan? Why can't I remember anything, even though it just happened yesterday?) where we saw the Saint Mere Eglise and its famous clocher. During World War Two, an American parachuter got stuck on the clocher (steeple) of the church, and pretended to be dead so that the Germans below wouldn't kill him. He was the only one who survived.
Naturally, inside the museum there, there were all kinds of letters and pictures of the American soldier, along with military equipment, weapons, signs in German (that Allie and I tried to read aloud), and a short film about the WWII history of the village (you would really think that I would know the name of it).
Okay, I promised a short recount of events, so I'm gonna get back to quickly and vaguely telling you what I did. We got back on the bus, got most of the sand off of my body, changed my clothes, and napped on the bus (probably after watching Allie act like a monkey and Ante dance to Lady Gaga) until we arrived at Mont Saint Michel. It was raining (of course), but it was still beautiful, and I was very happy to be there so that I could get some food and get some sleep. So, we got to the hotel, walked up approximately 8,000 stairs to get to my room, where I then walked up another 20 (yes, there was a staircase in my room. a staircase.) to get to my bed. I lay (laid? I need to look that one up. Merde - I'm losing my English skills) there until dinner, ate dinner, returned to my bed, and never left its side. I relaxed in bed until I fell asleep.
This morning, I woke up, showered, ate a very healthy breakfast of croissants (yes, multiple), cereal, yogurt, and orange juice (my diet starts tomorrow), and then put my stuff on the bus and started my ascent of Mont Saint Michel. Honestly, I think our tour guide took us on the bitch route, because there were NOT as many stairs as I remember. There are a few other explanations for this though. Number one: I am in better shape now than I was last time I did it (highly doubtful, considering I can count the number of times I have worked out since I've been here on one hand). Number Two: Mont-Saint-Michel isn't actually that high up (false). Number Three: I flew all the way up because I am a pterodactyl. Number Four: The fact that we stopped every 2 minutes to listen to the guide talk about something different made the trip seem way easier. I will let you decide which option you think is the most probable.
So anyway, we walked up Mont Saint Michel, took beaucoup de photos (typical), tried to understand what the guide was saying while suppressing yawns of exhaustion (not boredom - that doesn't come until museum #75948375, which we visited after Mont St. Michel), and then spend a weeks worth of lunch money on some food. Tourist attractions are NOT good for my wallet. Allie, Maddie, Emily M, and I all went to the beach during our free time (quicksand ahhh!) and acted like maniacs, sang Pocahontas, and ran into a tribe of the mysterious barefooted people of Mt St Michel.
After that, we all got back on the bus, and I slept until I was awoken for a food run to a gas station. This is where my downhill spiral truly began (hence the title of today's blog). But whatever - we loved it, now it's over, and tomorrow is a new day. Gahhh I miss Bikram.
So now, I'm back at the apartment, looking on Facebook in horror at some of the pictures from this weekend. Well, maybe not horror, but I do question my sanity when I look at a picture of me say, I don't know, being a pterodactyl or using Nutella as lipstick.
I am exhausted, so I'm going to go to bed now, but I promise to check back in tomorrow.
Bonne Nuit!
Love, Josie
Saturday, October 2, 2010
I'm Wet. Now What?
Welcome to Basse-Normandie: the land of D-Day, Mont-Saint-Michel, and Desperados. To be fair though, I think everywhere is the land of Desperados.
Yesterday morning, we all left for our weekend-long group trip, and made our first stop along the way: Honfleur. There, it was raining (of course), but we saw the coolest museum of all time: Les Maisons Satie. It was basically a multimedia representation of the composer, Erik Satie's, life and work, and took place in different amazing rooms of the museum. It was definitely the coolest educational place I've been to in a LONG time.
After the museum, we walked around for a while, got some coffee, got back in the bus, went to another town, got lunch, walked around, got attacked by rain, got more coffee. Honestly, I don't remember the sequence of events because everything is so similar, yet so wonderfully different here. I don't know how to describe it. It's like I get lost in time and space in each new town I visit. This country can be so magical. This world can be so magical.
So anyway, we left from there and went to Bayeux, where we saw the famous (and ancient) Bayeux tapestry, depicting the Battle of Hastings. Actually, very cool. Also very cool: the pictures that Maddie, Allie, Ante, and I took outside of the museum on the bench. I love us.
That night, we ended up at a hotel in Bayeux, where I ate dinner, didn't shower (and instead styled my hair a la Steph Milton), went to a single hotel room with everyone, and slept on a bathroom floor. Overall, a great success (minus the multiple noise complaints that were made on the room). Needless to say, this morning was painful, and it took me a little while to come to terms with the fact that it was actually 7am when the alarm went off. Two hours of sleep will do that to the brain.
So, three croissants and a yogurt later, I was on my way to les plages du débarquement. I don't have words for Omaha Beach. I visited there four years ago with the Severn French exchange program, but this time around, I was completely struck by the enormity and power of the cemetery, containing over 9,000 fallen soldiers (less than 30 percent of those who died during the American attacks on the French beaches). What was particularly amazing about my experience at Omaha Beach this time was that we got there right before the raising of the American flag at 10am. The man in charge let us raise both flags in the cemetery, and then gave us a guided tour of the beach. He told us about the history of what happened there during WWII, statistics of the people who are buried there, stories about movies filmed about D-Day, the Roosevelts' connection with Omaha Beach, and the most amazing (true) love story I have ever heard.
I will update this more later - I'm just really struggling to get through this post tonight. I guess that's what happens when I leave more than one day to write about at a time. Especially days so full of activities and excursions. I just want to say that I love my friends here, and they are making this trip wonderful for me. I am so grateful to them for being who they are.
Also, I can't wait to update this more to tell you about my swim in the Atlantic Ocean. In October. Awesome.
Love, Josie
Yesterday morning, we all left for our weekend-long group trip, and made our first stop along the way: Honfleur. There, it was raining (of course), but we saw the coolest museum of all time: Les Maisons Satie. It was basically a multimedia representation of the composer, Erik Satie's, life and work, and took place in different amazing rooms of the museum. It was definitely the coolest educational place I've been to in a LONG time.
After the museum, we walked around for a while, got some coffee, got back in the bus, went to another town, got lunch, walked around, got attacked by rain, got more coffee. Honestly, I don't remember the sequence of events because everything is so similar, yet so wonderfully different here. I don't know how to describe it. It's like I get lost in time and space in each new town I visit. This country can be so magical. This world can be so magical.
So anyway, we left from there and went to Bayeux, where we saw the famous (and ancient) Bayeux tapestry, depicting the Battle of Hastings. Actually, very cool. Also very cool: the pictures that Maddie, Allie, Ante, and I took outside of the museum on the bench. I love us.
That night, we ended up at a hotel in Bayeux, where I ate dinner, didn't shower (and instead styled my hair a la Steph Milton), went to a single hotel room with everyone, and slept on a bathroom floor. Overall, a great success (minus the multiple noise complaints that were made on the room). Needless to say, this morning was painful, and it took me a little while to come to terms with the fact that it was actually 7am when the alarm went off. Two hours of sleep will do that to the brain.
So, three croissants and a yogurt later, I was on my way to les plages du débarquement. I don't have words for Omaha Beach. I visited there four years ago with the Severn French exchange program, but this time around, I was completely struck by the enormity and power of the cemetery, containing over 9,000 fallen soldiers (less than 30 percent of those who died during the American attacks on the French beaches). What was particularly amazing about my experience at Omaha Beach this time was that we got there right before the raising of the American flag at 10am. The man in charge let us raise both flags in the cemetery, and then gave us a guided tour of the beach. He told us about the history of what happened there during WWII, statistics of the people who are buried there, stories about movies filmed about D-Day, the Roosevelts' connection with Omaha Beach, and the most amazing (true) love story I have ever heard.
I will update this more later - I'm just really struggling to get through this post tonight. I guess that's what happens when I leave more than one day to write about at a time. Especially days so full of activities and excursions. I just want to say that I love my friends here, and they are making this trip wonderful for me. I am so grateful to them for being who they are.
Also, I can't wait to update this more to tell you about my swim in the Atlantic Ocean. In October. Awesome.
Love, Josie
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