Bonjour from France!

Bonjour! 

Since this is the first post, I wanted to update you all on what I've been up to since I arrived in France on August 27. I left at 6 pm the 26th and got to the Roissy airport in Paris around 9:30 am the 27th. I slept for about 30 min on the plane, so I was pretty tired. On top of the jetlag, I had to deal with two bags and a carry on. All were on wheels. The limiting factor was having only two hands. Luckily, I was able to inconspicuously kick one of the bags through the airport until I found the taxi stand. (Take a moment to picture that.) Good thing I played soccer for so long; those skills really came in handy. After making it out of the airport, I took a taxi to a friend’s house in Chaville. In order to get on “French time” as quickly as possible, I tried to stay awake until the evening. Yeah, that didn’t exactly happen.  Regardless, I was pretty much on French time after a few days. 

Chaville is near Paris, so after shopping for some of the essentials, such as shampoo and a cell phone, I explored the beautiful city of Paris a bit. I was torn between taking lots of pictures, and trying not to look like a tourist…so pictures from the early days aren’t very numerous. In Paris I went to the Latin Quarter, walked down the Champs Elysees, and enjoyed an afternoon in a park.

After being in Paris for a few days, I went to Rouen to drop off my luggage, and embarked upon my journey to Greece. I went to Thessaloniki and Volos. It was lots of fun, and I was able to meet up with some cousins, which made it even better. I went to the white tower, which had information about Thessaloniki’s history, and also went to an archaeological museum. Since I can’t go too long without running, I found a track. Despite the fact that I had to run around it 30 times to get in a decent workout, I was happy. All in all the food was delicious, the night life was hoppin’, and the people were quite welcoming.

Shout out to everyone who loves the movie "Big Fat Greek Wedding" 

(everyone has Nik- in their name)

White Tower in Thessaloniki

A church in Volos

After Greece I went back to Rouen where I was met with a whirlwind of orientations, information, and cultural enrichment.  I am taking Business and French classes this semester at the Rouen Business School. This school in particular is known for the mix of French and international students. It is a wonderful environment to learn about new perspectives and meet people from different backgrounds.

One thing about Rouen, is that there is tons of cool history that is just part of everyday life. For example, I found a grocery store with my friend the other day and we wanted to remember the location for future reference. So, were looking around for street signs when we noticed that across the way was the place where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. Talk about a memorable landmark. That’ll do, we decided.

Since coming to France, I have discovered that no matter how well you do in French class, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to be thrown into a world of French speakers. There are so many expressions and random words I don’t know, plus they all speak so quickly! It’s been getting a little better each day, but still…I can’t wait until I’ve been here long enough that I don’t have to tell people to slow down all the time. On the bright side, I’ve been having active French conversations in my dreams for about a week now. Too bad the confidence and speech fluidity I have in my dreams doesn’t carry over to real life. Oh well…in time. 

Although I am trying to speak French as much as possible, it’s nice to be able to express myself in English when need be. So much less dancing around the words. When I don’t know the words I need to use, I feel like I’m in one big game of catchphrase. Constantly circling the particular word, never quite getting the right response.

Yesterday at lunch, my friend ordered “du café” (which means some coffee). Well instead of a coffee, like she wanted, the waitress brought two coffees (deux cafés). Once the confusion subsided, she just accepted both. It was a hyper afternoon for her. Evidently, French teachers were right when they stressed proper pronunciation.

I am proud to report that I have only had one notable disaster thus far since arriving in France…I managed to not only ruin my dad’s power adapter, but knock out the power on the entire third floor of the house I’m staying in (all in one catastrophic voltage overload). Needless to say, I went to buy a hair straightener with the correct voltage the following day. Other than that, it’s been relatively smooth sailing. 

The room I am staying in is spacious and has a gorgeous view of Rouen.

View from my window

At night, when the buildings are all lit up and twinkling, it is simply breathtaking. Not only is Rouen the perfect place for me (it reminds me a bit of Bloomington), but I could not have been placed with a better family. My host mom makes delicious meals, my host dad has a witty sense of humor, and their 18 year old daughter, Isaure, is intent on keeping us (there is one other exchange student living with us also) up to date with all of the most popular trends and hotspots. Not to mention, the family is extremely kind, so I immediately felt right at home. This family has been hosting exchange students for over twenty years, so they know the ropes. 

I have already begun to get a unique inside perspective of French life. Thus far, "French life" has mainly consisted of cheese, bread, and more cheese. (Yes I bought a baguette and strutted down the street with it soon after arriving.) But in all honesty, it is such an amazing experience to be studying in another country and I am so thankful for the opportunity!

On Tuesday there was a huge strike that shut down most of the public transportation in the city. Fortunately we could walk everywhere we needed to go, but it introduced another common aspect of French life, strikes. They are forceful and frequent, and can really put a damper on plans if you aren't prepared.

In my spare time (since classes don’t start until Monday) I’ve found some stellar running routes. There is even a small forest behind the school that is perfect for serene and peaceful runs. I signed up for a run from Paris to Versailles at the end of September, so I have to get ready!

FYI: The classes I’ll be taking while I’m here are  a French course, a French civilization course, a French in business course, International Negotiation, International Human Resource Management, and a course on the Wine Industry (wine tasting is mandatory).

Well, that’s about all I have for now, but I will try to keep this blog frequently updated with posts, pictures and some video.

A bientot!