The moment I fell in love with the Atlantic Ocean |
Monday, May 23, 2011
The final countdown
Thursday, May 5, 2011
These colors don't run!
The other day I had a sort of revelation about my time abroad. Bear with me. While watching the news with my host-family (broadcasting the usual- some democratic uprisings over there, some people protesting over here, oh and hey did you know that we finally killed that Osama guy?) I found myself saying to them, "Sometimes I really hate my country." My host-mom gave me a weird look, so I corrected myself: "Okay, sometimes I really really disagree with what my country does." And then I thought about it. It's true that 90% of what I study at Berkeley reinforces the idea that America (and the rest of the West) is a big old imperial bully. We came, we saw, we conquered, and then we re-invaded as we saw necessary. I sometimes joke that Peace and Conflict Studies should be called "Life Sucks 101" because there are times when, half-way through a 300 page reader titled Global Poverty, you sort of realize that LIFE SUCKS for a lot of people around the world, and often times their plight is a result (however indirectly) of some policy or intervention that the United States has participated in. It's enough to make a girl want to stay in France forever.
On the other hand (par contre), I have spent more than a handful of evenings here in Bordeaux explaining to my french friends that the United States isn't all 100% evil, that there is a method to our madness, and that we actually do a lot of good in the world as well (because we do!). Plus, it isn't easy being an aging hegemony; we have enough drama to deal with on our own soil without getting involved in the spiraling decline of the world at large...and it's not really our fault that our past leaders bit off more than they could chew, metaphorically speaking. It's a flustering experience, having to defend your motherland all the while knowing in the back of your mind that you are probably going to end up writing a thesis arguing against what you just said. And the ironic thing is, I actually DO believe everything I'm saying! The United States really IS a land of opportunity- I mean, I am attending the number one public university in the world, I have never once been turned away from something because of my race or gender, and I am friends with people from all walks of life (black, brown, white, yellow, purple, you name it Berkeley has it). America, for all its faults (and there may be many), has given me an endless amount of opportunities and experiences that, even in France, I wouldn't be privy too.
Last weekend on the tram home a man approached Laurel and me because he had heard us speaking English. He told us he was born in Bordeaux but had lived almost his whole life in Florida, and he was curious as to what we thought of the differences between French and Americans. We replied the usual: Americans think the French are smelly snobs and the French think Americans are ignorant brutes. He laughed and then said something that I really liked: "You guys have a lot of courage, studying abroad. It's not easy to live in a place where you don't know the language or culture, but it's really important for people to see that the stereotypes aren't true." So I think the tram-stranger summed it up pretty well; every culture on earth has a stereotype and even though it may be slightly true that Americans have done some not-so-cool stuff in the past (okay, and in the present), that doesn't mean that every single American is a passive subscriber or an ignorant brute! So I take back what I said to my host-mother, I don't hate my country. In fact, I love the United States. It's a land of guacamole and freedom and baseball and universal suffrage. And I love the United States so much that it's my duty, and the duty of every other American, to contribute to shaping a country that we are proud to call home. Now what could be more patriotic than that.
On the other hand (par contre), I have spent more than a handful of evenings here in Bordeaux explaining to my french friends that the United States isn't all 100% evil, that there is a method to our madness, and that we actually do a lot of good in the world as well (because we do!). Plus, it isn't easy being an aging hegemony; we have enough drama to deal with on our own soil without getting involved in the spiraling decline of the world at large...and it's not really our fault that our past leaders bit off more than they could chew, metaphorically speaking. It's a flustering experience, having to defend your motherland all the while knowing in the back of your mind that you are probably going to end up writing a thesis arguing against what you just said. And the ironic thing is, I actually DO believe everything I'm saying! The United States really IS a land of opportunity- I mean, I am attending the number one public university in the world, I have never once been turned away from something because of my race or gender, and I am friends with people from all walks of life (black, brown, white, yellow, purple, you name it Berkeley has it). America, for all its faults (and there may be many), has given me an endless amount of opportunities and experiences that, even in France, I wouldn't be privy too.
Last weekend on the tram home a man approached Laurel and me because he had heard us speaking English. He told us he was born in Bordeaux but had lived almost his whole life in Florida, and he was curious as to what we thought of the differences between French and Americans. We replied the usual: Americans think the French are smelly snobs and the French think Americans are ignorant brutes. He laughed and then said something that I really liked: "You guys have a lot of courage, studying abroad. It's not easy to live in a place where you don't know the language or culture, but it's really important for people to see that the stereotypes aren't true." So I think the tram-stranger summed it up pretty well; every culture on earth has a stereotype and even though it may be slightly true that Americans have done some not-so-cool stuff in the past (okay, and in the present), that doesn't mean that every single American is a passive subscriber or an ignorant brute! So I take back what I said to my host-mother, I don't hate my country. In fact, I love the United States. It's a land of guacamole and freedom and baseball and universal suffrage. And I love the United States so much that it's my duty, and the duty of every other American, to contribute to shaping a country that we are proud to call home. Now what could be more patriotic than that.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Mama Mia!
Spring break for those studying abroad in Bordeaux is really just like an extended weekend...done with classes and "studying for exams" is actually code for "buy a ticket, pack your bags, and go south to warmer climate!" So, as I finished my last week of official classes at the University on Thursday I also got ready for the arrival of my mom on Friday, and the beginning of our insanely fun spring break adventure. Maman arrived jetlagged but stylish on Friday afternoon and after a whirlwind walking tour of Bordeaux we spent the night eating dinner with my host family (5 courses, a cheese plate from heaven, macarons, and 3 bottles of wine). The next morning we woke up (too) early to catch a train to Biarritz, the surf capital located in the heart of the French Pays Basque (Basque region). I could go on and on about how much I love the pays basque but in the interest of brevity I will just say that when I am ridiculously rich I am buying a house on the Basque coast and spending my days on the beach eating gâteau basque, drinking Basque cider, and enjoying one of the most colorful cultures I have ever come across. The beaches in Biarritz were full of surfers and the old town full of friendly locals who were happy to chat with us about the history of the Basque region, the politics of the area, the best beaches to visit, and how we must be sisters because we looked so much alike (charming, as you can imagine :) We really profiter-ed from Biarritz because we left Sunday night a few shades tanner and ready for our next adventure.
Monday morning we awoke, (too) early again, to catch our plane to Milano where we then hopped on a crowded and smelly train to Cinque Terre (TrenItalia, I never thought I would say this but you made me MISS french public transportation!). We got to Monterosso, the farthest north Cinque Terre village, around dinner and wasted no time in checking in to our hotel LITERALLY on the beach and setting out for a walk around town with our trusty companion, Rick Steves Guide to Italy. Seeing as the town is inhabited by about 200 people, it didn't take us too long to get a feel for the cozy and sleepy town of Monterosso. We ate dinner at a restaurant on the beach, and my mom and I shared shrimp scampi and stuffed mussels. One perk of living on the coast- the seafood here is DAMN delicious! Tuesday and Thursday we spent exploring the four other villages of Cinque Terre. Normally the five villages are connected via a hiking trail that is about 17 km long. My mom and I were intent on doing the whole walk but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that a portion of the trails were Chuiso (closed), because after just one full day of train-ing and walking in between the villages we were exhausted! Luckily, a siesta on the rocky beaches of Monterosso was enough to revive us (okay, and maybe some pistachio gelato too). Cinque Terre is really a spectacular place to visit- we were able to hike the 1 1/2 hour trail from Corniglia to Vernazza and the views that we got from the top of the hill looking out over the coast were INSANE. It sort of felt like we were on the edge of the universe! It was even a little bit scary at times because unlike in the lawsuit-happy USA, the Italian trails are not marked with fences and warning signs to keep you from accidentally tumbling down the sheer cliffs into the rocky blue water. But being "en bonne forme" (the french phrase for 'not a fat ass') we were able to deftly conquer the Cinque Terre!
Thursday night we stopped by La Spezia to pay a visit to Ellie, a friend of my Mom's who is also the sister of Hot Italian chef Fabrizio- small world right? La Spezia is a pretty industrial grimy town compared to the picturesque Cinque Terre, but we spent a really fun night with Ellie at her restaurant La Trarvenetta. She invited two of her Italian friends to eat dinner with us and even though we didn't speak Italian and they barely spoke English, we somehow managed to laugh and talk for 4 hours over endless plates of homemade pesto, mussels, foccacia, and spaghetti. I think there is a universal language, and it's called good food! My mom and I rolled ourselves the next day to Milan, where we peeked inside the Duomo, saw some cool Carravaggio art, and went on a frantic search for Italian boots. The following morning we took the train back to Bordeaux, and realized that there is probably no other mother-daughter pair in history that could fit as much sightseeing/impulse-buying/eating/tanning/laughing in 24 hours as we can. I really feel so lucky and grateful that my mom and I were able to share such a beautiful and unique experience together...she and I are definitely cut from the same colorful, sometimes crazy, but definitely loving cloth! Because we took way too many photos to choose from, I'll just post this link so you can see them all (or just skip to the ones of the food, I don't blame you).
http://gallery.me.com/biancataylor
Monday morning we awoke, (too) early again, to catch our plane to Milano where we then hopped on a crowded and smelly train to Cinque Terre (TrenItalia, I never thought I would say this but you made me MISS french public transportation!). We got to Monterosso, the farthest north Cinque Terre village, around dinner and wasted no time in checking in to our hotel LITERALLY on the beach and setting out for a walk around town with our trusty companion, Rick Steves Guide to Italy. Seeing as the town is inhabited by about 200 people, it didn't take us too long to get a feel for the cozy and sleepy town of Monterosso. We ate dinner at a restaurant on the beach, and my mom and I shared shrimp scampi and stuffed mussels. One perk of living on the coast- the seafood here is DAMN delicious! Tuesday and Thursday we spent exploring the four other villages of Cinque Terre. Normally the five villages are connected via a hiking trail that is about 17 km long. My mom and I were intent on doing the whole walk but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise that a portion of the trails were Chuiso (closed), because after just one full day of train-ing and walking in between the villages we were exhausted! Luckily, a siesta on the rocky beaches of Monterosso was enough to revive us (okay, and maybe some pistachio gelato too). Cinque Terre is really a spectacular place to visit- we were able to hike the 1 1/2 hour trail from Corniglia to Vernazza and the views that we got from the top of the hill looking out over the coast were INSANE. It sort of felt like we were on the edge of the universe! It was even a little bit scary at times because unlike in the lawsuit-happy USA, the Italian trails are not marked with fences and warning signs to keep you from accidentally tumbling down the sheer cliffs into the rocky blue water. But being "en bonne forme" (the french phrase for 'not a fat ass') we were able to deftly conquer the Cinque Terre!
Thursday night we stopped by La Spezia to pay a visit to Ellie, a friend of my Mom's who is also the sister of Hot Italian chef Fabrizio- small world right? La Spezia is a pretty industrial grimy town compared to the picturesque Cinque Terre, but we spent a really fun night with Ellie at her restaurant La Trarvenetta. She invited two of her Italian friends to eat dinner with us and even though we didn't speak Italian and they barely spoke English, we somehow managed to laugh and talk for 4 hours over endless plates of homemade pesto, mussels, foccacia, and spaghetti. I think there is a universal language, and it's called good food! My mom and I rolled ourselves the next day to Milan, where we peeked inside the Duomo, saw some cool Carravaggio art, and went on a frantic search for Italian boots. The following morning we took the train back to Bordeaux, and realized that there is probably no other mother-daughter pair in history that could fit as much sightseeing/impulse-buying/eating/tanning/laughing in 24 hours as we can. I really feel so lucky and grateful that my mom and I were able to share such a beautiful and unique experience together...she and I are definitely cut from the same colorful, sometimes crazy, but definitely loving cloth! Because we took way too many photos to choose from, I'll just post this link so you can see them all (or just skip to the ones of the food, I don't blame you).
http://gallery.me.com/biancataylor
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Rest in Peace, Jasmine Jahanshahi
This post is going to be on a slightly less upbeat note, as I found out yesterday that one of my friends, floormates, and classmates from UC Berkeley passed away after her apartment caught fire. Jasmine was studying in Paris at Sciences Po, and was quite frankly one of the brightest and smartest girls I have ever known. I remember her coming into my dorm room freshman year, sitting on my desk while I was writing a paper, and she and I spending the next hour talking about the intractability of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, just like that. Jasmine was truly a worldly soul who never once stopped exploring, learning, or asking why things are the way they are. She wanted to make the world a better place, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she did just that. Her beautiful spirit and contagious passion to LIVE life was something that touched every person who knew her. It's hard not being in Berkeley to share her memory with our other friends, because we are all currently (like Jasmine was), living our dream and studying abroad. But we are all reminded that you don't have to be back-packing across Europe or riding elephants in Thailand or skydiving in the Grand Canyon to live life to the fullest. Please take the time to appreciate how beautiful and really precious life is, and that no matter where you are or what you are doing, it is too short to ever spend one second not doing something you love with the people you love. That's all there is to it! That said, get off the computer, go outside, and LIVE!
gros bisous in loving memory of Jasmine <3
gros bisous in loving memory of Jasmine <3
Sunday, April 10, 2011
RaRaRoma/A trip to the motherland
the Roman Forum |
I wonder how much it costs to airlift gelato from Rome to California... |
the beautiful Tiber River |
Let's play Spot the Tourist! |
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
This one time I went to Paris and got to speak French
I've gotten to a point now where I am in France but no longer feel like a tourist. AND IT'S WEIRD. This weekend I went to Paris and met up with some of my best friends from Berkeley, and walking around the most beautiful city in the world felt strangely normal...I recognized the food (even the weird organs!), could listen to people's conversations and know what they were talking about, and was able to ask for directions and have people respond to me in French. I even got a library card to the STUNNINGLY AMAZING Bibliothèque St. Genviève at the Place de Panthéon. This may all seem mundane but for me it was absolutely blissful! These were all things that I took for granted in California, but the minute I landed in France I realized that I would no longer be surrounded by all the comforts of home, which definitely includes knowing what I'm eating, what people are saying around me, and knowing where I am going. A highlight of the weekend was going to an Irish pub with Bryanna on St Patricks day, where a mec tellement bourré (man dutifully celebrating the drinking holiday) held his pint up to my face and yelled "santé!" (cheers!)....however, I heard "sentez!" (smell this!!). You can probably imagine the confusion that ensued. In sum, I spent a weekend in a completely foreign city without feeling totally like a foreigner...which leaves me with a bit of an identity crisis but I am willing to go with it for the next couple of months!
Back in Bordeaux things couldn't be better (well, actually if someone wanted to send me a vegetarian burrito from oscars I would be ETERNALLY GRATEFUL). The weather is getting warmer and sunnier everyday, I am doing relatively well in my classes (french grades don't really equal american grades though so I'm not terribly stressed), and the time spent with my friends (american and French) and host family continue to be lovely and lots of fun. I have been on the phone lots with my mom and dad planning our respective vacations and I am willing to say that my study abroad cup is definitely half-full: I am literally giddy (en francais: passionée!) thinking about all of the traveling and eating and exploring yet to come!
Back in Bordeaux things couldn't be better (well, actually if someone wanted to send me a vegetarian burrito from oscars I would be ETERNALLY GRATEFUL). The weather is getting warmer and sunnier everyday, I am doing relatively well in my classes (french grades don't really equal american grades though so I'm not terribly stressed), and the time spent with my friends (american and French) and host family continue to be lovely and lots of fun. I have been on the phone lots with my mom and dad planning our respective vacations and I am willing to say that my study abroad cup is definitely half-full: I am literally giddy (en francais: passionée!) thinking about all of the traveling and eating and exploring yet to come!
I officially like escargots |
I can check out books here!! |
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This big tower thing kept on getting in the way of our pictures |
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
I left my heart in San Sebastian
Cailin, me, Laurel in front of Playa de la Concha |
atop Mount Urgull |
poor little guy... |
We spent our first day picnic-ing on Playa Zurriola, which is the surfing beach. Although we were a little optimistic in wearing bikinis and shorts (the weather was warmer than Bordeaux but it wasn't THAT much warmer...), we got a kick out of the old man sitting next to us who was completely nude except for his swimcap. After a stroll around the old city and dinner of tapas and sangria, we met our new hostel friends for a night out on the town. The next morning we awoke, still sandy and full of calamari, and met our friend Jason (another berkeley student studying in Bordeaux). We took a funicular up to Mount Igueldo where we saw an AMAZING view of the entire cove paradise that is San Seb. This place is seriously breathtaking! We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on La Playa de la Concha (the biggest of the 3 beaches) soaking up the sunshine and "profiter"-ing from the gorgeous weather. Our last day in San Sebastian started with being being waken up at 9 am by a strange horn parade in the streets. But we took advantage of the early start and set out to climb Mount Urgull on the other side of the city from Mount Igueldo and complete with a giant Jesus statue on top. Again, we were just blown away by the natural beauty of San Sebastian. It felt like all of the colors of the world were intensified: the water, the sand, the sky, the greenery, the clouds, just magical! We climbed down the mountain and decided to have our last meal of Seafood Paella, and I'll just say that if I had any vegetarian-bone left in my body it no longer exists... Something about ripping a crustacean apart with your bare hands just makes you feel like a bona-fide carnivore. We left San Sebastian sleepy, a little bit sunburnt (HOORAY), but 100 percent satisfied. This vacation was absolutely one to remember, and if anyone feels like going to Donostia anytime soon I would be more than happy to play tour guide :)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Here comes the sun (le soleil arrive, enfin!)
After what has seemed like an eternity, spring has finally sprung in Aquitaine! The camellia bushes in my garden are blooming, and Minette (the cat)'s favorite activity has changed from sleeping on the couch to sleeping underneath them. The sunny weather is a nice break from the rain and 1 degree mornings we were used to for all of January, and although it's a far cry from California weather, it's still an excuse to go to Jardin Public and take an afternoon nap instead of shlepping to the library and attempting to read Proust (which usually just ends up in frustration and/or sleepiness). In the past couple of weeks I have also started exploring many of Bordeaux's open air markets like Marché St Michel, which is every Saturday morning in the courtyard of l'Eglise (chuch) St Michel. St Michel is the perfect one-stop-shop for everything I think I'll ever need- vintage scarfs, delicious baguettes, 10 euro shoes, home-made honey, dried fruit, Moroccan spices, and much much more. Saturday morning I went to St Michel with friends where we picked up un poulet roti (rotisserie chicken), des pommes (apples), du pain (bread), du fromage (cheeeeese), et une bouteille de champagne (self-explanatory), and then had an amazing picnic on the steps in front of Place de la Bourse, overlooking the quai (river front). Place de la Bourse is one of the prettiest sites in Bordeaux and is also a fun place to people-watch... apparently the French are REALLY into rollerblading. It's something we can't quite figure out. This weekend was also the first weekend of Bordeaux's Carnivale, which sounds much more exciting than it actually is: basically some weird floats (think high school homecoming, minus the crêpe paper), scary tilt-a-whirl rides (I just don't trust roller coasters that can be put together and taken down in the course of one day..), and lots and LOTS of cotton candy (in french- barbe à papa or dad's beard). Still, it seemed that the whole city came out to celebrate because all of downtown was completely packed! Luckily I am escaping it all tomorrow and taking a train to San Sebastian with Cailin and Laurel ..we have 24 hours to learn both Basque and Catalan but we're not really worried...hopefully "where's the beach?" is a universal phrase!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Barcelona, te amo!
After a very long first month of school, our week-long February break finally rolled around (vive la france and their many vacations!). Last Friday (February 18th), my friend Jordan and I picked up from Bordeaux, flew over some snow covered Pyranees, and landed in sunny Barcelona, where I met my roommate/best friend Bryanna who is studying there for the semester. Our two other bay area friends, Lauren and Gianna, were visiting at the same time (Lauren is studying in London, Gianna in Bologna..pretty rough life right?). This being my first time in Spain, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, although I knew that I would find tapas, several confusing languages (Catalan..Spanish...it's all greek to me!), and some very insane nightlife. Luckily, Bryanna was an incredible host and had an itinerary for us when we landed- first stop, Sagrada Familia, one of Gaudi's most famous works. Now, I know nothing about architecture, but seeing this church literally took my breath away. It almost looks like the sides are melting off, and the interior is illuminated by these amazing multicolored stained glass windows...magnifique! I was pretty sold on Gaudi right then and there, but then we began our trek up to Park Guell (featured in one my favorite french movies, L'auberge espagnol!): Pillars that looked like palm trunks, winding staircases through green trees, an incredible view of the sun setting over the Mediterranean, and colorful mosaics (!!) as far as the eye could see! Day 1 in Barca got off to a fantastic start. That night we nibbled on some tapas at a tourist-y restaurant, but the real fun was at Chupitos Shot Bar, where you can order shots on fire, shots with candy, and our personal favorite- the Monica Lewinsky (too lewd to describe, but you can imagine..)
The rest of the week was spent exploring different parts of Barca by foot and by metro. We strolled down Los Ramblas in downtown (a main street for tourist-y things right near the Gothic District), sang the Rocky theme song as we ran up the stairs of the Olympic Stadium, stuck our feet in the Mediterranean Sea (so blue!), and experienced what I think is now my favorite food of all time- Chocolate con churros. While Bryanna had class on Wednesday afternoon, Jordan and I did some venturing of our own and successfully stumbled upon the Picasso museum in the gothic district, which I absolutely loved. Of course, one can't be in Barcelona without partying like the Spanish, so one night we donned as many sequined outfits as we were able to cram in our suitcases and went to Razzmatazz, a FIVE STORY club with dance floors on every level. Now I know why the Spanish invented siestas- we didn't arrive at the club until 2 am, and took the metro back to Bry's apartment at 5 am. Ay carumba. Luckily I managed to pick up a few Spanish phrases while there, including: "cafe con leche, por favor!", which came in handy on those post-Razzmatazz mornings. Our last night in Barcelona, Bry and I went to a charming little tapas restaurant where we had patatas bravas (potatoes with spicy sauce), grilled asparagus, vegetable paella (learned this the hard way, but non-veggie paella usually includes such sea critters as tentacles with suction cups), and two glasses of cava, the traditional catalunian champagne. We both agreed that we were incredibly lucky to have had this experience abroad with each other...how often is that you get to meet up in Barcelona with your best friend!?
But like all good things, our week-long adventure in espagne had to come to an end, and on Thursday Jordan and I trekked back to Bordeaux...although I'm not sure I could've lasted another week! While I absolutely loved exploring Barcelona, there's nothing quite like eating roast duck with a fresh baguette with my host family while watching the Cesars. Home sweet home!
The rest of the week was spent exploring different parts of Barca by foot and by metro. We strolled down Los Ramblas in downtown (a main street for tourist-y things right near the Gothic District), sang the Rocky theme song as we ran up the stairs of the Olympic Stadium, stuck our feet in the Mediterranean Sea (so blue!), and experienced what I think is now my favorite food of all time- Chocolate con churros. While Bryanna had class on Wednesday afternoon, Jordan and I did some venturing of our own and successfully stumbled upon the Picasso museum in the gothic district, which I absolutely loved. Of course, one can't be in Barcelona without partying like the Spanish, so one night we donned as many sequined outfits as we were able to cram in our suitcases and went to Razzmatazz, a FIVE STORY club with dance floors on every level. Now I know why the Spanish invented siestas- we didn't arrive at the club until 2 am, and took the metro back to Bry's apartment at 5 am. Ay carumba. Luckily I managed to pick up a few Spanish phrases while there, including: "cafe con leche, por favor!", which came in handy on those post-Razzmatazz mornings. Our last night in Barcelona, Bry and I went to a charming little tapas restaurant where we had patatas bravas (potatoes with spicy sauce), grilled asparagus, vegetable paella (learned this the hard way, but non-veggie paella usually includes such sea critters as tentacles with suction cups), and two glasses of cava, the traditional catalunian champagne. We both agreed that we were incredibly lucky to have had this experience abroad with each other...how often is that you get to meet up in Barcelona with your best friend!?
But like all good things, our week-long adventure in espagne had to come to an end, and on Thursday Jordan and I trekked back to Bordeaux...although I'm not sure I could've lasted another week! While I absolutely loved exploring Barcelona, there's nothing quite like eating roast duck with a fresh baguette with my host family while watching the Cesars. Home sweet home!
chocolate con churros <3 |
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Olympic poses |
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Sagrada Familia, and Bryanna! |
Windows inside the Sagrada Familia |
Friday, February 25, 2011
French slang can be confusing.
After a brief repose from blog writing (otherwise known as- I completely neglected it), I am back! Ironically enough, I think the reason I didn't feel the need to update this thing was because I've settled into a comfortable little routine in Bordeaux, which upon reflection, is totally and utterly insane. I've been here almost exactly two months, which is also pretty wacky, and I can still say that I am having the time of my life! Classes have been settling in, which unfortunately also means I have real homework to do, but I am lucky because many of my teachers are sympathetic to the fact that I have to work twice as hard as the other students to arrive in the same place so I have been able to get a little bit of "california treatment" when it comes to my assignments; for example, instead of presenting a fifteen minute éxposé on the similarities between Dali's painting of Tristan and Isolde and the 20th century Bédier translation in front of the whole class, I get to do it just for my professor during her office hours. Little things like that definitely make the whole experience bearable, because sometimes it can get pretty exhausting keeping up with the French university system (which is WORLDS different from Berkeley). One of my favorite classes so far is my Contemporary Art History class which covers painting, sculpture, and architecture of the 19th and 20th century...I'm definitely getting a lot better at my french numbers with all the damn dates I have to memorize!
Luckily I still have time to explore on the weekends, and have so much (too much?) fun with my french friends. Our favorite places to 'sortir' are the gay bar Trouduc ("asshole" in french, where there is always a good assortment of Gaga and Beyonce to dance to), House of Parliaments (the best place for a pint while cheering for Les Bleus during the 6 Nations Rugby Tournament), and the Frog & Rosbif (where Louis, the bartender, knows us by name). I am learning a lot of fun slang, which is only a problem when I confuse the 'argot' (slang) with my academic language...The other day I told my teacher that "there isn't a lot of bastards in American cuisine". Apparently the French word for duck (canard) is VERY similar to the word for bastard (connard). Rookie mistake!
Luckily I still have time to explore on the weekends, and have so much (too much?) fun with my french friends. Our favorite places to 'sortir' are the gay bar Trouduc ("asshole" in french, where there is always a good assortment of Gaga and Beyonce to dance to), House of Parliaments (the best place for a pint while cheering for Les Bleus during the 6 Nations Rugby Tournament), and the Frog & Rosbif (where Louis, the bartender, knows us by name). I am learning a lot of fun slang, which is only a problem when I confuse the 'argot' (slang) with my academic language...The other day I told my teacher that "there isn't a lot of bastards in American cuisine". Apparently the French word for duck (canard) is VERY similar to the word for bastard (connard). Rookie mistake!
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Delicious fromage at the Farmers Market by the river |
Cathédral St André |
Moi, Eva, and Jordan eating traditional Raclette |
Sunday, January 23, 2011
First day of school, and a giant sand dune!
california girls :) |
on top of la Dune du Pyla/the world! |
la Dune du Pyla |
I knew at some point I would actually have to face the fact that I am living in France not only to meet cool people, see beautiful places, and eat delicious food...but to study. Zut. My first week of classes was a labyrinth of confusing schedules and very daunting literature assignments, but luckily I think everything has sorted itself out and I now have a tentative schedule of: The Retellings of Tristan and Isolde, French Literature- Proust, French Political Culture, Art History (XIX century), and Methodology. I am taking Tristan and Isolde, Methodology, and Art History at the University of Bordeaux main campus (taught in french by french teachers with french students), and the remaining classes I am taking at DEFLE (French as a second language school), which is a part of University of Bordeaux. Fear not though, I am definitely still finding time to explore Bordeaux and all of its treasures! Yesterday my French friend Joris and I went to Arcachon, which is a beautiful little beach town an hour-long drive towards the coast. Although it was chilly (ONE DEGREE CELSIUS, I MISS ME SOME CALIFORNIA SUNSHINE!), it was absolutely gorgeous! We climbed up this massive sand dune, la Dune du Pyla, which is a stunning 3 km long and made up of 60 million cubic meters of sand (don't you just love the metric system?). This little day trip got me super excited to start traveling and exploring different parts of France...and also was the inspiration to buy my plane tickets to Barcelona in February! I suppose at some point I will have to do some homework, but until then I will just be eating cheese, wearing scarves, and planning my next adventure!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Hearts and livers and brains, oh my!
Just a petite update on my first official week in Bordeaux- the city is absolutely beautiful! The buildings are ancient and all lit up at night and it's just spectacular. There are literally remnants of castles hanging out in the middle of streets...it's like Disneyland, but real!! So far I have had a week of Intensive Language Program, which is just as fun as it sounds...but I have a great teacher and the other day she brought in a bottle of wine to to teach us the proper way to taste a wine (vital French knowledge, apparently). Speaking of tasting, the food here is MAGNIFIQUE. Every night for dinner my host mom Nathalie makes magic happen in the kitchen...the highlights so far have been cress soup (some sort of winter vegetable?), duck hearts (surprisingly good), tomatoes provencal, fresh bread, cheeeeeese, and for dessert white cheese with sugar and fruit. I could get used to this :) There are, of course, the occasional culinary curve-balls...such as sheep's brain, which I politely declined last night at dinner. As a recovering vegetarian, I have to ease into organs slowly. On Sunday we went to my friend Coral's host family's house for lunch and it was, in short, a 4 hour food extravaganza featuring champagne, pâté, little sausages, cabbage and potato soup, pasta, chicken, green beans, cauliflower casserole, cheese, bread, 2 different types of pear tarts, and of course many bottles of red wine and good company. The French definitely know how to do meals! I guess it makes up for their completely nonsensical grammar rules...
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Au revoir Paris, bonjour Bordeaux!
So much has happened since I left the states a few weeks ago...where to begin! I'll start with the plane ride from Sac-Chicago-Paris, fairly uneventful but completely sleepless, which put me in Paris somewhat disoriented and starving. Luckily Taylor was waiting for me at baggage claim with fresh croissants, apples, and some yogurt to keep us going during our epic trek back to downtown Paris. After a lot of walking around cobblestones with my INSANELY HEAVY luggage (WHY DID I PACK SO MUCH MOM?!?), we found our hotel (La Cluny Sorbonne), which was in the latin quarter. After one night there, we somehow managed to find Samantha's apartment on Rue Oberkampf (not Rue République..damn french street signs), where we met up with Sam, her boyfriend Julio, and my friends from high school Becky, and Lorenzo. New Years Eve we went to Sacre Coeur for a hazy but beautiful view of the city of lights! Quelle bonne année! The next few days Taylor and I rose early and covered Paris by foot, metro, and sometimes sheer will power, knowing that we were about to eat a crêpe. We saw Notre Dame, the Louvre, le Centre Pompidou, l'Arc de Triomphe, le Champs Elysées, Père Lachaise, la Tour Eiffel, Sacre Coeur, the flea markets at Clignancourt, with many allotted pitstops for a café crème or a croque monsieur (a grilled cheese and ham sandwich). Perhaps the best part of Paris was meeting up with the Redfords, a family that we know from McClatchy days. One night we met up with them and had a DELICIOUS meal at Café Stella, where we had a gajillion course meal that included steak tartar, 2 bottles of wine, 1 bottle of champagne, escargots (the verdict- damn good!), smoked salmon, frites (fancy french fries), and desserts that literally blew my mind. I'm full just typing it. The night before I left Paris we went to the incredible apartment that the Redfords are renting a block away from Notre Dame and proceeded to eat and drink until we were just barely able to roll ourselves to Sacre Coeur for another view of the city. Needless to say, I was very sad to leave Paris but now that I am in Bordeaux I think I will be very happy here :)
My host family in Bordeaux is adorable: Henri Etcheber is a oceanic science professor at Université de Bordeaux 1, and looks a bit like Dumbledore. Nathalie, his wife, also works at Bordeaux 1 and calls me "ma chère" (my darling). Renaud is their son who is my age, and is really funny. He spent a summer in San Diego working so he understands my need for them to speak at a ridiculously slow pace so that I can actually understand a word they say. But so far so good! The other housemate is a GIGANTIC cat, who puts Marge's girth to shame. They are super welcoming and I feel very at home in my cute room. Today all the students in the EAP program met at University of Bordeaux 3 for orientation, where we got waay too many packets of french grammar. The Intensive Language Program starts tomorrow morning at 8.30 and goes until next week to make sure that we are able to handle French courses at the university. A très bientot!
My host family in Bordeaux is adorable: Henri Etcheber is a oceanic science professor at Université de Bordeaux 1, and looks a bit like Dumbledore. Nathalie, his wife, also works at Bordeaux 1 and calls me "ma chère" (my darling). Renaud is their son who is my age, and is really funny. He spent a summer in San Diego working so he understands my need for them to speak at a ridiculously slow pace so that I can actually understand a word they say. But so far so good! The other housemate is a GIGANTIC cat, who puts Marge's girth to shame. They are super welcoming and I feel very at home in my cute room. Today all the students in the EAP program met at University of Bordeaux 3 for orientation, where we got waay too many packets of french grammar. The Intensive Language Program starts tomorrow morning at 8.30 and goes until next week to make sure that we are able to handle French courses at the university. A très bientot!
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