Numerical Notions

Bonjour!

1. Everyone in France loves the show “How I Met Your Mother.” I’ve never seen it. This poses a problem when they find out I’m from America and ask me if I like the show. I am going to start watching it.

2. In the morning the bus is so crowded you can’t help but be a part of everyone else’s conversations. Yesterday morning there were two boys next to me talking about Lady Gaga. It was funny, because all I understood was ‘Lady Gaga’. The name sounds way more humorous coming from a boy with a French accent. Trust me.

3. I love living with a French family. I get to eat meals with them and speak French. At dinner we talk about every topic imaginable. Usually we don’t get through dinner without consulting at least 2 reference books or dictionaries. The other night it took three books for them to find the English equivalent of the word for “chestnut”, and I don’t think that is even the word they were trying to express. (Keep in mind we speak in French, but since I didn’t know the French word for chestnut, the English translation was essential in this case.)

4.I was partners with a boy from Dublin the other day in class. He is the most Irish person I’ve ever met. His accent and personality made me feel like I was in a movie about Ireland.

5. At my school the classrooms change every week. It is extremely rare to find yourself in the same classroom more than once during the semester. This means it’s like the first day of class every week, with people coming in 20-30 minutes late. Totally normal. Also, you aren’t necessarily even in the same building every week. Kind of confusing.

6. I had my first day of my International Negotiation course yesterday. Among other things we did a simulation of a negotiation. We were paired with someone from another country and we were negotiating the details of a franchise contract. I was with a guy from Columbia. It took us forever to reach an agreement, and we technically didn’t even reach an agreement. When we got back together to discuss the simulation as a class, he described me (aka all Americans) as difficult to negotiate with and not very compromising. He said it was very tiring to negotiate with me as well. This was consistent with the view the rest of the class had of Americans. Who knew. It was really weird to be sitting in class listening to them discuss Americans.

7. Last night I met a bunch of girls from London, and I got to try out my accent. I was in heaven listening to them speak. 

8. I love practicing speaking French with my new French friends, but all they want to do is speak English!! Usually the conversations end up with me talking in French and them talking in English, aka there are a lot of misunderstandings and very few things get accomplished. There are a lot of people willing to speak French with me, though! Apparently they love the accents Americans have when speaking French. It’s so weird to think of having an accent when I speak French. I try to imagine the accents foreign people have when speaking English and reverse it, but I just can’t do it. Last night we were discussing Sarkozy at one in the morning….with the French there is always a stimulating conversation going on, no matter what time it is. Evidently, everyone “hates” Sarkozy, but if they were to have a vote tomorrow, everyone would vote for him.

9. Anyone familiar with those small square kids books that all represent a different attitude/mood? (The Mr. Men/Little Miss series…Mr. Happy, Mr. Lazy, Little Miss Chatterbox, etc. ) Well they have those in France too and I saw them in the bookstore so I bought one J It reminded me of childhood. I asked some French friends if they knew of the books and they said “of course!”. Even other international students from other parts of the world know of them. Funny that we all grew up with those books.

10. The French really know how to enjoy life. Yes, work is important and they work hard, but it doesn't dominate their lives. People enjoy meals, enjoy each other's company, and everyone isn't always in a rush like in the U.S. I love it. Life goes too fast in the U.S. In France they have relaxation down to a science, and packing too many activities into one day is unheard of. If you're reading this, go do something today that you truly enjoy. You have my permission =)

** Future Plans: This weekend I’m doing a run from the Eiffel Tower to Versailles. Should be pretty exciting with around 22,000 participants! I’ll also get to spend the weekend in Paris.

Au revoir!