It's been awhile. I know. It's more difficult than I expected for me to find time to write on here. Mostly because I'm so exhausted all the time. Also because my thoughts are so tangled with French that it's sometimes difficult for me to think for long periods of time in English.
It's been an okay week. My family was here for a lot of it. So that was awesome getting to see them and such.
Last Friday we went to Avignon. That was my favorite place so far. We took an audioguided tour through le palais du paupes. I think that's how you spell it. Anyways, it's where popes used to live. I believe it was before there was a Vatican city. But i'm not sure on that information. Bertrand even let us listen to the tour in English. So we were very excited about that.
I'm starting to learn the ways of the Arlesians a little more I think. They do things so much differently. Dinner never consists of one course, it comes in three, or sometimes first. Eating is definitely my favorite thing here. There has really only been one meal that I didn't like. And that's because it was some weird fish stuff. I really enjoy eating outside, however, it has to be hot when we eat outside or "les moustiques" eat us a live. I have so many mosquito bites it's ridiculous.
My classes haven't really gotten any better. But that's okay because I'm halfway done with them. I'm also halfway done with Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and almost Tuesdays. Personally, I think that's exciting. I have a countdown to when I come back home, and I definitely like the number being in the 20s rather than the 40s. In a few days it'll be in the teens, and that is very exciting.
On Friday, I'm taking a trip to Paris with some of the other IES students. I think that it will be fun, and it will help to pass the time.
While here, I've realized just how shy I am. It's difficult enough for me to talk to strangers in English, but, en francais? C'est impossible! Okay. It's not really impossible. It's just really hard.
I guess I should talk about the title of this post haha. A few days ago we were stitting at lunch. Oh. Sidenote, Monday through Wednesday we eat lunch with the other IES students and some of our professors. It's really cool and very language intensive. Anyways, we were at an IES lunch and someone said they had to go to the gare to get their train tickets. The french word for gare, is pronounced gaaaar. If that makes any sense. Only, this person said it how it looks, like a word that rhymes with care. Anyways, the way she said it was the word "guerre" which means war. So she told the professor she was going to war. And it was funny. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to post that story in English and describe the sounds, but, there you go. Sorry if you don't understand.
Anyways. I'm going to go now. I'm very tired.
Au revoir!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Feeling a little homesick...
I'm beginning to feel a little homesick. I'm just so exhausted all the time and I would really enjoy my bed at home. I'd also like so McDonalds haha.
I think I'm exhausted all the time because it's exhausting speaking another language. It's exhausting having to pay so close attention to everything that everyone says just so you can understand.
I've realized over the past week that I'm like the only one here who is at such a low level. I've only had two years of French while other people have had more than 5. I feel like everyone just thinks I'm stupid because I don't talk very much, when really I'm just trying to keep up with the conversation. They don't understand why I'm so quiet. I'm trying to just not care, I know why, so who cares what these people think.
I'm really wanting to come home. A lot. But that's okay.
A couple of days ago we went to the beach. That was pretty fun. I actually enjoyed that day because it went so fast. When time goes fast I'm a happy person.
It's getting hotter here now. The first few days I was cold, but not now. It's 90 degrees but there's not air conditioner. And so when the wind isn't blowing, it's hot.
I had my first test today. I think that I actually did pretty well. I was surprised, because it was on about 100 pages of information. I read what I could but it's difficult to read that much in French in such a short amount of time. But it seemed to work nonetheless.
I really don't like my classes very much. My photography one is just difficult, so I can handle that, but the grammar one is retarded. We read poems and analyse them alot. I don't really see what that has to do with grammar. Like, she makes us talk about what the poems mean to us and stuff. And she doesn't have things very planned out. We spent 45 minutes of the 1.5 hour class time playing a charade like game because she didn't know what else to do. That was a little ridiculous to me.
Anyways, I don't really have a lot to say. I miss home. The end.
I think I'm exhausted all the time because it's exhausting speaking another language. It's exhausting having to pay so close attention to everything that everyone says just so you can understand.
I've realized over the past week that I'm like the only one here who is at such a low level. I've only had two years of French while other people have had more than 5. I feel like everyone just thinks I'm stupid because I don't talk very much, when really I'm just trying to keep up with the conversation. They don't understand why I'm so quiet. I'm trying to just not care, I know why, so who cares what these people think.
I'm really wanting to come home. A lot. But that's okay.
A couple of days ago we went to the beach. That was pretty fun. I actually enjoyed that day because it went so fast. When time goes fast I'm a happy person.
It's getting hotter here now. The first few days I was cold, but not now. It's 90 degrees but there's not air conditioner. And so when the wind isn't blowing, it's hot.
I had my first test today. I think that I actually did pretty well. I was surprised, because it was on about 100 pages of information. I read what I could but it's difficult to read that much in French in such a short amount of time. But it seemed to work nonetheless.
I really don't like my classes very much. My photography one is just difficult, so I can handle that, but the grammar one is retarded. We read poems and analyse them alot. I don't really see what that has to do with grammar. Like, she makes us talk about what the poems mean to us and stuff. And she doesn't have things very planned out. We spent 45 minutes of the 1.5 hour class time playing a charade like game because she didn't know what else to do. That was a little ridiculous to me.
Anyways, I don't really have a lot to say. I miss home. The end.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
I love eating outside.
Okay, so Sunday afternoon we met our parents. They came to the hotel to pick us up. I ended up rooming with another IES student and I didn't know that was going to happen, but that's okay. My mother was the one that came and picked us up. Her name is Farida. She's really nice but she talks fast and it's hard for me to understand a lot of things. I really hope that part gets easier, and quickly. After she picked us up she took us to her house. It's such a cute house and I love my room. We have a dog and it likes to come lay on my bed with me.
After we got here me and Rachel, my roomate, went to lunch with our neighbors, who are also hosting a student. That was really not a good experience for me. First I had to eat fish, which wasn't too incredibly bad, I just definitely wouldn't have chose it. They were also serving wine and they looked at me really funny when I said I didn't want any. So then they started talking about how religious people are weird and stuff, and how no one should be a virgin after the age of 14. It was probably the most I've ever been made fun of for being a christian. But that's okay. I survived.
I love eating here because we almost always eat outside. I've only eaten inside at the hotel and at one of the cafes we went to. The weather is perfect. Sunday night we ate dinner with our family. At the beginning there were 6 places set at the table, then my "brother" called and he wasn't coming, and then my "father" called and he couldn't come either. I didn't even meet one of my brothers until last night. But we ate chicken and carrots for dinner and it was very very good.
My classes are good. I just have a lot of problems understanding. And I hate that. It's so hard for me to keep up. But, it'll get better I think.
I don't really have a lot to say right now because I'm so exhuasted.
au revoir.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Orientation
Orientation started with a bunch of nervous chatter from all of the students. We waited anxiously in the lobby wondering what was to come. We talked about simple things, our names, colleges, where we were from, what our major was. Then a lady walked in announcing her presence by singing "bonjour, bonjour, bonjour bonjour bonjour." We laughed uncomfortably and then she starts talking to us very quickly in French. We all looked around having no clue what she was saying. Then she turned around and left the room! Someone said, she said sortie, and she said ensemble. That means to leave and together, so we followed, not sure what else to do. She walked into the "street." I say that because all of the streets are alleys. They really aren't big enough for cars but somehow cars squeeze through them occasionally. After a few moments of us talking to each other she turns around and says, "Il y a trop bruit." There is too much noise. "Maintenant, il n'y a pas l'anglais, seul francais." Now, there will be no english, only French. It's amazing how quiet it was the rest of the way.
Those first few minutes of silence were the worst because we were all wondering what we got ourselves into. But, once we started talking in French, it was easy to continue. We went to a building where our classes will be held. She talked a lot, most of which we didn't pay attention too because we were all so exhausted from our flights in. But then we fianlly got to eat. Pizza. I thought it was funny that our first meal in France was pizza.
Speaking of the pizza, who in the world puts unpitted olives on a pizza. I thought my tooth was going to fall out after biting down hard on that. It's good now though, no worries.
Yesterday started with a tour of Arles. While this was interesting to see, no one could understand Bertrand because it was windy and we couldn't understand his deep French accent. To me it is so much harder to understand males because they emphasize the throaty sound even more then the women. He took us to a cell phone store after a while and told us to buy our cell phones there. But then he left, leaving us alone and helpless with our little bit of French. After someone got the courage to start the conversation we were all able to make it work. However, I still don't have a cell phone because the guy was really slow and we didn't have time to wait. But that's okay. I'll get it Monday.
Yesterday afternoon was long and exhuasting. We sat through 3 hours of orientation about safety policies, what are classes would be like, and how to treat our families. It was amazing to us the stereotype that French people have of Americans. Bertrand talked for a long time on how we can't binge drink here because it's not Spring Break. I'm pretty sure that he's never even been to America. We also found out that only 10 percent of the population of Arles speaks English. That's such a small number.
After orientation we went to a house that was in the Alpinnes. It was a beautiful house with a pool and an amazing view of the mountatins. We all "swam" for the 2 hours they gave us to swim. I sat on the edge of the pool for a bit and then got to cold and had to change back into my real clothes. We ate dinner there. Chicken, that still had feathers on it. I'd never even seen that before, but I just pulled the skin of and ate it anyways. I also ate tomato with mozarella on it. Apparently that's a really big thing here. Oh and i forgot to tell you what I had for lunch yesterday. It was salad with hot goat cheese on the top. Haha. It acutally wasn't too bad.
Today is Sunday now and we are all just waiting around to meet our families. I believe they are supposed to be here around 11:30 ish and then we move in at noon. Around then. But I have to be out of my room within the next 15 minutes. So I really should probably go. I'll tell you all about my family and house in the next post.
Those first few minutes of silence were the worst because we were all wondering what we got ourselves into. But, once we started talking in French, it was easy to continue. We went to a building where our classes will be held. She talked a lot, most of which we didn't pay attention too because we were all so exhausted from our flights in. But then we fianlly got to eat. Pizza. I thought it was funny that our first meal in France was pizza.
Speaking of the pizza, who in the world puts unpitted olives on a pizza. I thought my tooth was going to fall out after biting down hard on that. It's good now though, no worries.
Yesterday started with a tour of Arles. While this was interesting to see, no one could understand Bertrand because it was windy and we couldn't understand his deep French accent. To me it is so much harder to understand males because they emphasize the throaty sound even more then the women. He took us to a cell phone store after a while and told us to buy our cell phones there. But then he left, leaving us alone and helpless with our little bit of French. After someone got the courage to start the conversation we were all able to make it work. However, I still don't have a cell phone because the guy was really slow and we didn't have time to wait. But that's okay. I'll get it Monday.
Yesterday afternoon was long and exhuasting. We sat through 3 hours of orientation about safety policies, what are classes would be like, and how to treat our families. It was amazing to us the stereotype that French people have of Americans. Bertrand talked for a long time on how we can't binge drink here because it's not Spring Break. I'm pretty sure that he's never even been to America. We also found out that only 10 percent of the population of Arles speaks English. That's such a small number.
After orientation we went to a house that was in the Alpinnes. It was a beautiful house with a pool and an amazing view of the mountatins. We all "swam" for the 2 hours they gave us to swim. I sat on the edge of the pool for a bit and then got to cold and had to change back into my real clothes. We ate dinner there. Chicken, that still had feathers on it. I'd never even seen that before, but I just pulled the skin of and ate it anyways. I also ate tomato with mozarella on it. Apparently that's a really big thing here. Oh and i forgot to tell you what I had for lunch yesterday. It was salad with hot goat cheese on the top. Haha. It acutally wasn't too bad.
Today is Sunday now and we are all just waiting around to meet our families. I believe they are supposed to be here around 11:30 ish and then we move in at noon. Around then. But I have to be out of my room within the next 15 minutes. So I really should probably go. I'll tell you all about my family and house in the next post.
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