Discotheques, Greek Cuisine, and Running up Hills

Have I mentioned lately that I love France? Well, I love France!

Last weekend there was a school party with the theme “Aristocrats.” It was held at a local discotheque. It was my first time ever going to a club like that, and it was so fun! I always pictured discotheques to be all about techno music and strobe lights, and it actually was kind of like that. 

The place was really nice, something I didn’t expect, and not only were there strobe lights (which I hate by the way), but there were also tons of other colorful laser-ish lights shining and moving in every direction. Anyway, they played a lot of dancey/upbeat music (not surprising). Unfortunately, real techno music gets kind of boring after a while since you can’t really sing to it (and I love singing along). It’s just the same beat over and over. That was the only time when the club wasn’t “hoppin.” It was funny at one point because they played “Celebration,” followed by “Cotton Eye Joe” and other old American “classics.” It was so weird. If you’re on the market for new music, here are two upbeat songs that I love and are quite popular in France…

1.       No Stress (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UqyOT0aS3w&ob=av3e)

2.       Keep On Rising (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvc4f3greHU)

New Topic…

Something that I’ve noticed is that all of my French friends text in English and all of my other friends text in French. My cell phone is set to be in French, so it’s much easier to text in French because the phone already knows the words. (The accents are all programmed too, which is fantastic.) Therefore, French is my default language, even if I don’t necessarily know how to say what I want. Oh well.

There are bats in France, and they just fly around like the nonchalant little speed demons that they are. I was unaware of their presence here until I saw one the other day. It gave me a severe fright. I was also surprised by how small it was. 

I received a package last week, courtesy of my wonderful mother. It was full of goodies, including Trader Joe’s pumpkin muffin mix, something that I don’t think I could go a year without. (They don’t have pumpkin “stuff” in France.) Thanks mom! In France they won’t leave the package if you aren’t home, because people don’t really have front porches (it’s just like a door in the wall), so my French host mom had to run down the street chasing the mailperson to get the package. Dedication.

This weekend I went to Paris to do the Paris Versailles run and it was amazing. Saturday I had to pick up my race packet, so after that I went to Sacre Coeur with my friend Greg. Sacre Coeur is a beautiful white church in the most peaceful neighborhood ever. It is probably my favorite place in Paris. 

There were a ton of tourists there Saturday, but it was still nice. On our way up the huge hill, we passed a cemetery. We decided to walk through it, only to discover there was no exit. Once we finally made it up to the church we rewarded ourselves with piping hot crepes. That night I stayed with the French family I know near Paris and they made me quiche!! MMMMmmmmm. 

The next morning I took the train to the race, and it was packed with a bunch of runners. It was kind of funny riding into Paris with all of them. Since there are about 22,000 participants annually, it took us a while to start (they start 350 people every minute.) Although the race began at 10:00 am, I didn’t leave until 10:45 am. It was fine though, because the race started at the base of the Eiffel Tower, so the whole time I was just admiring the majestic nature of the enormous monument next to me. Along the route of the race there were a bunch of mini orchestras. In America you get speakers blasting music, in France you get a full out orchestra serenading you as you run. The race was very scenic and had stretches of steep uphill climbs for three or four kilometers at a time. It was challenging, but lots of fun. Running through Paris was a little weird because the roads were blocked off, so it was like a giant parade of runners for miles and miles. Along the way they had water, oranges, and sugar (legit sugar!) that they were giving out to runners. The last kilometer was killer (it was a 16 kilometer race, which is ten miles) and I didn’t know if I would make it. Then I saw the Palace of Versailles looming in front of me, and I found some extra energy. I mean how can you not sprint toward that place?? At the finish line there were lots of enthusiastic volunteers to greet you. Unlike some of my other experiences in France, the run was extremely well organized and efficient. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a run in Paris. Not to mention, the shirt I got was suhhweeeeet. 

Today I cooked a Greek meal for my family! I made pasticcio, tyropita, greek salad, and green beans. They loved it! Cottage cheese doesn’t exist in France, but I made do with what I had. Also, I wanted to make baklava, but I couldn’t find the ingredients I needed. It took me about 6 hours to prepare the meal. Cooking in a kitchen I wasn’t used to, especially being in a foreign country, was really difficult. I had to initially convert all of the measurements into grams, etc. as well as translate all of the ingredients so we could buy what we needed at the store. The hardest thing to translate were the spices…they aren’t in the dictionary! When I was about to start I realized I didn’t have enough macaroni noodles, and the amount I had forced me to use 5/8 of each ingredient. I don’t recommend ever trying to “5/8” a recipe. Too much math. I had a lot of fun cooking though. It’s something I enjoy if I have time. The best part was that I got to ring the dinner bell (yes we have a dinner bell) when the food was ready. Oh, I even made my own salad dressing, which is something I’ve never done before. It turned out really well and my host mom even asked for the recipe(translated to French of course)!

French vocab: to cook = faire la cuisine

Something I am still not used to is being one of very few Americans here. It’s so strange. I know people that are from Poland, Spain, London, Italy, Mexico, Germany, France (obviously), Switzerland, Ireland, Japan, China, Singapore, Canada, and Brazil. Generally everyone speaks their native language, French and English. I feel so inadequate with only English and French! I wish I knew a ton of languages. Maybe someday… 

In class the other day we were discussing culture and what contributes to culture. Eventually we got on the topic of the siesta in Spain (long nap they take after lunch), and one Spanish guy goes, “Yeah, so this class really doesn’t work for me. It’s during my normal siesta.” Haha. I think the U.S. should adopt a nationwide siesta policy.  That would be great.

I was in the computer lab today checking my e-mail. (Side note… I can’t stand typing on French keyboards. I am getting more used to it, but gah!) The guy next to me was researching something on Wikipedia and he asked me to translate the word “launched.” It was a complete role reversal; usually I’m the one asking people for a translation. For once I wasn’t lost when it came to language.

Hahah that reminds me, earlier today I was in a building and I asked a guy where the bathroom was and he started laughing at me. I asked him what was funny and he was laughing because I said bathrooms singular and apparently they don’t do that here. (They use the plural.) Yeah, this story really isn’t as funny in English. 

Alors, je vais le dire en français… J’ai dit, « Où est la toilette ? » Et il m’a rie. J’ai dit, « Pourquoi tu ris ? » Il a dit, « Parce que on ne dit pas « la toilette », mais « les toilettes ». Mais ne t’inquiètes pas. C’était mignon. » 

I finally went to a French cinema the other day. We saw “The Town” and it was actually really good. It was in English (VO) with French subtitles. In France they show a lot of American films so you can see the original version with French subtitles (VO) or the film dubbed in French (VF). Tickets were 4 euros, which was half price since I’m under 26. In France there is tons of stuff that is free or reduced price for people under the age of 26. It’s pretty awesome.

One last thing to get a sense of what my life is like… 

A Week in the Life of Moi…

Monday: Wake up around 7 or earlier. Shower. Eat breakfast or grab some fruit as I run out the door to catch the bus. Swipe my student astuce bus card, which gives me unlimited bus access. French civilization class for three hours. Lunch break. International Human Resource Management for another three hours. Do as I please until I hear the dinner bell ring (usually between 7:30 and 8). Banks are closed on Mondays. I keep forgetting that.

Tuesday: Same as Monday, but this time I have class from 8:30 to 4 with two 15 minute breaks. Therefore, I bring a lunch with me.

Wed/Thurs : No class. Free day. Usually I sleep in and go to town or take care of business.

Friday: Same sched as Tuesday.

Weekend: Travel, hang out with friends. Speak French as much as possible.

Ok that’s enough for now. I hope everyone in the U.S. is doing well! I miss you all!