Foxhunting, Flying Disc, and Peacocks

       It's pretty late here on a Sunday night, but I wanted to go ahead and get this post up so that I don't forget to do it later. It's been another busy week here in La Rochelle, but I think I'm falling into a routine. My British and American culture class is going well, and I have to write a short paper on Barack Obama. I'm also finishing up a project on the British foxhunting ban, which is a lot more exciting than I thought it would be.      

     Yesterday I went to the market, after eating free couscous for the second Saturday in a row, and bought some stuff for a romantic Valentine's day dinner. Rebecca and I dined together (my dinner her lunch) via webcam. While it wasn't the most romantic experience in the world, it was nice to enjoy a bit of face-time with her. Only one more month before her arrival here in La Rochelle!     

    My French class keeps adding new students from around the globe. This past week I befriended a Venezuelan student, named Milenko, who has been living in the Netherlands for the last year. Maybe after I start my International Negotiation class I'll be better able to broach the subject of our country's fiery rhetoric against one another. Until then I'm holding my tongue and sticking to conversations about French food and culture. 

     The wind storm that hit last Monday nearly blew the town away. We had eighty mph winds. It wasn't a hurricane, in spite of the wind and the rain, since the wind wasn't fast enough and hurricanes don't happen in the north Atlantic (at least they're not supposed to.) I blame Al Gore... not global warming, just Al Gore. 

      After a lengthy odyssey to find a flying disc (or a frisbee if you must use the brand name), Danielle pestered me incessantly to go out and toss the disc around. It was far too cold to do so for most of the week, and yesterday was no exception. Even so, I walked down to the beach and gave it a few good tosses. I can never seem to aim correctly with those sorts of things, and this particular disc was very slightly warped. This led to a lot of apologizing and scurrying to collect the misthrown disc, which soon developed a crack down the middle of it. Eventually this much maligned disc broke in twain, leaving Danielle crestfallen. Theo, on the other hand, was quite pleased to discover that half of a broken disc makes an excellent boomerang, but I think Danielle might have found him to be a little insensitive. 

        Afterwards we decided to go to the animal park and drown our sorrows in the antics of zany peacocks. This particular one decided to spread its feathers to intimidate a particular ornery rooster. The rooster didn't back down, but I didn't miss the incredible photo op. 

       I suppose I should push myself to do more exciting things this week.  It's rather difficult keeping a blog filled with interesting things when I spend most of my time in class doing boring things. In the spirit of entertainment, if anyone has suggestions for things they want me to photograph or write about, please let me know. I even have a skype phone number now, so if you want to give me a call or leave me a voicemail, feel free to e-mail me for the number. 

C'est moi, gratuit!

        Just a quick post today. The weather has been acting a bit strange lately. Saturday afternoon we were beset by hail, but only after my trip to the market concluded. I also discovered a place on the old port that passes out free couscous. It was fantastic, and I have a photo up above to prove that there is nothing quite so wonderful as a hot serving of couscous on a cold Saturday afternoon. I think it's a muslim organization that is passing these out, but regrettably they will cease to do so at the end of February. Until then, I have found my new favorite lunch for Saturdays. 

        My new class, British and American Culture, has been relatively uneventful thus far. Being the only American in the class means that I get called on frequently to give an "American" perspective. This also means that I know the names of about three of the twenty four students in the class, all of whom know me by name. No zany misadventures this week, I've been too busy with school. On Thursday night when I went out to a bar, I feared that perhaps I was going crazy. Everywhere I went people seemed to know exactly who I am and took pleasure in telling me so in English. After the fourth time this happened, I realized that these were people from my class.

       No zany misadventures for this week, but I did manage to finally open a French bank account. After giving them two forms of ID, my passport, proof that I paid rent, my fingerprints, blood and semen samples, and a piece of paper promising them my first born, the lady I'm staying with came with me down to the bank to prove that I was staying with her legally. Banks here are run very differently than they are back in the states. For one thing, you have to make an appointment with them before you can actually open your account. I'd complain, but given that our banking system is part of what led to an economic meltdown, I think I'll hold my tongue. 

Lundi est le nouveau dimanche...

       As the title indicates, I was far too busy this past weekend to post. So hopefully you will excuse my tardiness with this new post. It has been a busy week, both at school and socially. Yesterday the sun came out, but today the clouds are back again. Fortunately the sun lasted long enough for us to take a picnic to the park. In this particular park live a donkey, several peacocks, geese, turkeys, other birds, deer, and a many agreeable goats with their kids. Although not quite a zoo, we occupied ourselves watching the animals play. By far the most interesting animal in the park, an old woman chastised the many French people who fed the donkey's bread. "C'est mal pour leur santé." she said, answering the age old question of whether donkey's get sick when fed too much bread. After watching her feed several carrots to them, we assisted in retrieving some of the larger pieces of bread from the cage, utilizing several fallen tree branches to extend our reach. I fear our efforts were entirely in vain. When we left I noticed several children and their parents approach the cage, their arms laden with baguettes. I tried not to worry about sick donkeys as we walked to the beach and enjoyed our picnic. We rounded out the afternoon by going to the museum of natural history. Like most of the major museums, it is free on the first Sunday of the month. I find myself eager to return and see more of the exhibits. It was difficult to explore the collection in its entirety in only an hour. I enjoyed thoroughly their collection of stuffed animals (see above)

       In other news, I resolved to speak in French as much as possible when in public, even with my American friends. One of my classmates is a particularly loud and extremely talkative American girl, whose voice and appearance prompt les garçons to practically fall over themselves at the chance to practice their English. On the other hand I have met many an interesting French person simply by making an effort to speak French. Even if I speak French like a Spanish cow, it's still good practice for me. When I met the other student from my university, who arrived in class last Monday, I realized just how good my French skills are for an American. In spite of my best efforts to allay her fears, her adjustment to living in France has been, to put it kindly, quite challenging. Still I think she is making real progress as are the Lithuanian students in my class. 

      Last week was Chinese new year, which meant a large party at a bar in town. Named after my favorite Truffaut film, "Le 400 coups" filled with students. I found myself talking at length to several Chinese students. All of them seem astonished when I tell them that I have been to China. I suppose it's not a popular tourist destination for Europeans. Inevitably these conversations in broken French turn to politics, as it did with a young Iranian I met a few weeks ago. It might simply be the international response to our new president, but most of the people I meet love America. Our culture is without a doubt our greatest export, and they firmly believe the propaganda we spout about the "American Dream" In spite of our political differences, I am happy to say that I enjoy the company of these students. Truly my time over here is a unique opportunity to learn more about the world. 

      It seems as though the week has been more action packed than this meager post would lead you to believe, but I simply don't have the time to write any more. I'm on my way to my first non-French class. It's on British and American culture, which might very well be a waste of my time. Still, I think it will be interesting to discover how others perceive our culture and to discover more about the Empire that spawned us. Some of you might find it refreshing to learn that I don't spend all my time here adventuring, but writing about all the schoolwork I slough through makes for a pretty boring read. 

Taking the world by storm...

     It's been another exciting week here in La Rochelle. Unfortunately the weather has kept me indoors most of the week. A light rain persists everyday, even as I write this. This wouldn't be so bad if the wind would quit trying to blow me over each time I open my umbrella. A quick note about the umbrella; it was a gift from a classmate of mine who was kind enough to grant me her spare (she picked it up in a youth hostel.) 

     As you can see by the photo, I enjoyed a delicious seafood feast this past Tuesday. It was lovingly prepared by some French students I met that very same day. Seafood here is incredibly inexpensive and fresh, since we live on the sea. It was my first real experience with oysters and mussels, but an enjoyable one. I can't say that I'm the biggest fan of seafood in general, but I found it thoroughly edible. 

     After a late lunch, we travelled to the local library (which is huge) where pictures taken by a student of La Rochelle hung in an exhibit. It wonderfully depicted the campaign trail of the 2008 election, but I could have done without seeing Sarah Palin's face again. The speech played in French on a television monitor in the center of the room, but I struggled to hear everything, so we watched it in English on a laptop instead. The French people I have met are very enthusiastic about our new president. I think they are mostly glad not to have George Bush in office any longer. At the speech's conclusion, applause emanated from the crowd and champagne and hors d'oeurves were served. I helped myself to a particularly tasty opera (a kind of French pastry.) 

      I fear might have overdone it, as I fell ill the following day. I missed a day of class, but I'm far enough along with my French that it has not been too difficult for me to keep pace with the rest of the students. I mailed out a few postcards to those of you who have sent me your address, and I invite anyone else who wants one to send me their address as well. Postage is a bit pricy though, so don't expect more than one. 

     In other exciting news, my lovely girlfriend will be visiting me in mid-march. Although I still have class during the mornings, we have a weekend in Paris planned upon her arrival. The trip coincides with her birthday. While I am struggling to come up with a good present, hopefully my presence will be gift enough. Fortunately through the miracle of the internet, I've been able to keep in touch with her and most of my friends back home. I set up an online phone number a couple of days ago, and maybe if you ask nicely I'll even give it to you. 

     Living in France is generally pretty fantastic, but when I reflect back upon the week it all seems somewhat uneventful. I've been to a few French markets this week to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, which are delicious. Other than that I've just been reading, studying, and recovering from my brief illness. Hopefully the sun will shine a little longer today (it's been poking through the clouds a bit each day) and I can go out for a stroll in the park. Otherwise I'll just curl up inside with a good book and wait for the storm to pass. 

Faire la Féte

     So this week came at a much quicker pace than the week preceding it. I started French classes last Monday, which run from Monday through Friday, and those are going really well. I've been learning some useful French expressions and improving my conversational abilities. The other students in the class include another American from Colorado and several young women from Lithuania. I sorted out my class schedule (sort of) and so I'm all set to take other classes, but the first of them doesn't begin until February. The weather last Sunday was lovely, so I took a little walk along the beach (a frequent hobby of mine here) and watched the sunset over the ocean. 

     I've also met some different people here. I got in touch with the other two students from my university, Rachael and David, who have been living here since August. They showed me around to some of the students here. I've met people from all different parts of the world. I met an Iranian, several Mexicans, Spaniards, Germans, Brits, and even some Japanese kids. The picture above is from the start of a party we went to, with Rachael standing on the left. I went to a couple of parties this weekend where I was able to mingle and try out my French skills. My conversation skills pale in comparison to some of the other international students, but they have all been fairly impressed with my language skills when I tell them that I've only been here in La Rochelle for two weeks. 

       I couldn't possibly capture everything I've been doing in a single blog post, but suffice it to say that I'm having an awesome time. It's been warming up a bit here, and I've been meeting so many interesting people. It's nice to feel like a citizen of the world, instead of just my small corner of it. In other news, my girlfriend, Rebecca, is going to be able to come stay with me in March. I offer an open invitation to anyone reading this to come and visit me as well. I'll be happy to show you around town. 

Totally Bitchen!

      Good news everyone! I made it to La Rochelle without incident. I took the train from Paris and arrived at the train station about an hour and a half before it departed (in retrospect I might have been a bit overly concerned with making it on time.) Since then I've done very little, but wander around the city trying to get my bearings. 

        After getting lost a number of times, I feel like I'm getting the hang of this city. It's not terribly large, but it is centered around an old port which makes it a bit difficult to navigate at times. La Rochelle is a very old city, so there are lots of old buildings and structures. Fortunately for me it's a very walkable city. I've taken long walks on the beach and through one of the several parks near my house practically everyday since I've been here. It's also very cold, preventing me from leaving the house without several layers on. I don't think it has been above freezing a single day since I've been here (as evidenced by the layer of ice over every stream and pond.) I even helped the lady with whom I am staying to break up some of the ice over her fish pond. Apparently fish need oxygen to breathe, who knew? 

      Speaking of my accommodations, the lady I am staying with is very sweet. She's considerably older than myself, but a generally kind woman who picked me up from the train station. In spite of my impoverished French skills, she has very patiently answered all of my questions, speaking slowly enough that even I can understand. The French speak very quickly compared to English, so I frequently ask people to repeat themselves or slow down when they talk to me. I think that in time I'll probably develop an ear for it, but right now I feel like I'm listening to a tape in fast forward whenever anyone asks me a question. 

       As far as my actual quarters, I have a modest sized room, bigger than the bedroom in my old apartment. Attached to it is a bathroom/kitchen (I'm referring to it as a bitchen, since it's sooooo awesome.) Basically it's a bathroom that has some cabinets with cooking utensils and dishes in it, along with a hot plate for cooking. Fortunately the University mandates that its student housing must have an internet connection, including the families who house international students. This has helped tremendously, especially when it comes to keeping up with e-mail and, of course, this blog. Another advantage is that my house is extremely close to the center of town, where the central bus stop is. 

       Mostly I've just been biding my time, waiting for school to start. I contacted the lady in charge of international student affairs, picked out my courses, and I'm set to take a French placement test tomorrow to see what level of French classes I should take. In the meantime, I've been studying French on my own. I'm excellent when it comes to vocabulary, but studying all the French verb tenses makes my brain hurt. The French have fourteen verb tenses, seven simple and seven compound, whereas in English (as I'm sure all you competent English speakers know) we only have six verb tenses, three simple and three compound (for those of you who are really nit-picky, I'm not counting the imperatival forms of verbs as a tense.) Hopefully staying here will help me to improve my fluency, but I really haven't been talking to that many people as of late. Once school starts it should provide me with more opportunities to speak. 

     Anyway, I hope all of you are doing well (whoever the hell you are) and that you'll feel free to drop me a line. I haven't really been missing Oklahoma so much as some of the people in it. I'm going to try to update this blog at least once a week while I'm here, but please don't get spoiled to these longer posts. I offer no guarantees that I'll have the time.

Extended Stay In Paris

Hello everyone! I've been getting some great e-mails from all of you out there reading this blog... well, there haven't been any e-mails, but at least none of them were bad! I changed the settings so that if you want to comment on here you can. 

I finally got in touch with the lady I am to stay with in La Rochelle tonight. Turns out I was dialing number incorrectly (I feel really bad for the lady who kept getting my voicemails). She is going to pick me up at the train station tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I'll make it to the train station tomorrow morning without incident. I must say that I am quite ready to be settled. I decided to stay an extra night at my hotel when I couldn't talk to her yesterday, so I got to change rooms for my trouble. On the plus side, there's a bunk bed in here along with a double bed, so maybe I can finally live the dream of getting to sleep on the top bunk. 

What an exhausting two days it has been. I am already tired of the commute into Paris, but it does give me an opportunity to eavesdrop on French speakers. Of course sometimes they talk to me directly, which makes me more nervous than Sylvester Stallone at a spelling bee. Most of the French people I have met are very friendly and personable. Some have even helped me, like a nice couple who sat next to me yesterday at lunch. They taught me the French word for asking for the check. Seems like the sort of thing I should know after so many years studying French, but I wasted all my time learning vocabulary for impractical things, like poetry and literature.  They sat next to me while I tried escargot for the first. The texture is surprisingly similar to sautéed portobello mushrooms, but it wasn't bad at all. 

Yesterday I went to Notre Dame (be sure to pronounce it in the bastardized American way). It was a nice change from the baroque cathedrals I saw this summer in Rome, but I didn't feel up to climbing the tower again (I've done it once before). After I left the cathedral I wandered over to the Panthéon. It was pretty cool seeing where all of my favorite Frenchmen are buried. I thought it was kind of funny that Rousseau and Voltaire are entombed right across from one another, since they were practically nemeses in life. Afterwards I took a brief walk to the Sorbonne (the major French university in Paris). It was neat, but the real treat was the philosophy bookstore that was nearby. They had an entire shelf dedicated to Quine (probably you don't care or know who I am talking about... it's never too late to crack open a book). 

I wandered around Paris a bit more before I got bored and wound up in the Jardin de Tuileries. I got some friendly Americans to snap of photo of me (see above). Parts of the garden are a bit like a carnival. I found myself getting in touch with a more childlike Logan... well, maybe he's never very far away. I went up in the giant Ferris wheel and got to see the city. The Eiffel Tower is back to its regular yellow lights, now that 2008 is over. A family with two little girls rode in my car on the way around. They started singing "Champs Elysees" in a perfectly adorable fashion. I rode back to my hotel and went to sleep, after only getting lost just a little.

Today, Jet-lag really caught up with me. I was so exhausted on the train back from Paris, I could barely keep my eyes open. I managed to make it back to my hotel without getting lost (my first time this trip). It's a shame I'll be leaving Villepinte tonight, I think I'm finally getting to know my way around. I spent all day today at the musée d'orsay. They have some really bitchin' impressionist paintings, as well as a new exhibit on Picasso's interpretation of Manet's dejeuner sur l'herbs (google it!) As well as a temporary exhibit on pastels. I know... I'm kind of a museum nerd, so much so that I wandered around in the museum for over four hours, but to be fair I spent part of that time eating in the restaurant upstairs.  There were just too many pretty things to look at. I decided to skip the Louvre on account of the fact that I've been several times and really love the musée d'orsay. Besides, La Rochelle is only about two and a half hours away by train, so I might come back to it eventually. 

Anyway, I've got to get packing for my trip to La Rochelle tomorrow. I hope you enjoy reading these posts more than I enjoy writing them. Frankly I find this whole thing to be a bit narcissistic... even for me. Oh well, at least you can comment now!