Superbowl and 1st Day of School

Well I've been in Paris for a week and a half and finally started classes today! More on that in a minute but first what we've been doing for the past few days. We've seen a lot in Paris and in the areas around it. On Tuesday we went to Versailles and did an audio tour, but because of the ice and snow (it is freeeezing here!) they closed the gardens. That was a bummer, but me and some of my friends are planning on going back when the weather is nice again. We also went to the cathedral in Chartres, which is the largest cathedral in France. The original stained glass remains intact because it was removed during WWII to protect it, and it was beautiful. Unfortunately it's a stone cathedral and unheated, so it was miserably cold when we were there- our hour and a half tour was rough. But still great to see! We've also been to a Monet museum, gone on a city tour, and went to Reims, the champagne capital of the world. We got to tour the champagne cellars and have a tasting after which was awesome. The lighting in the cellars is very dark so I wasn't able to get very good pictures, but it was really interesting. They also have different art exhibitions down in the cellar, so they was all this crazy modern art with all the champagne bottle- really bizarre, but cool! 

After the champagne cellars we drove just a little while to this old high school in the town, which the Allies used as their headquarters at the end of WWII. They still have the map room intact where the Germans officially surrendered and WWII was over in Europe. It was awesome!! I learned that President Eisenhower couldn't be present for the surrender because there was no German of equal rank to him, so they had to have a lower rank officer sign it. Really interesting :)

Of course we've seen a lot of the major tourist things, like Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, and Eiffel Tower. But these will definitely be more enjoyable when it's not so frigid and we can walk around without freezing the whole time. 

One thing that surprised me was how excited some people got for the Superbowl! Of course American football is not really watched in France, but many of them know what the Superbowl is (not my homestay mom though, I had to explain it to her haha) Several American/Irish/English bars stayed open until 5am because the game started at midnight. Me and several of my friends went to a Irish bar with about 15 French guys who play on an American football team at their school. They were SO into it! We were messing around a little playing drinking games and they were getting mad we were so loud haha. But it was a great game and so fun to watch with those guys- they even sang the National Anthem with us! Unfortunately it is showed on a British channel here, so we missed all the commercials- but I just youtubed the good ones the next day! Of course Im still hoping for a Broncos Superbowl in 2013, so we've been spreading Tebowing everywhere we go :) 

Our first day of classes was today. We have 9 credits of French and then can choose lectures/seminars to make between 12-18 credits. I'm taking 15 credits, so besides French I have a French Literature class and a Multiculturalism class. I'm also taking a noncredit wine class. The lectures won't start until next week, but French started today. My mom asked if our school (La Sorbonne) is like my school at home- the answer is definitely NO! College is really cheap for French residents, and because of this their universities are not like ours at all. Most don't have dorms so students live around the city and commute via metro. There isn't really a central campus, but classrooms and buildings are spread throughout the city. They dont have anything like a campus gym and the library is much smaller than ours. But so far I love it! My French teacher is really nice and I think I'll improve my French a lot. Our commute is about 40 minutes, but class doesn't start until noon. And our Spring Break is two and a half weeks, so no complaints there!

Whew all for now, hope everyone in the States is warmer than we are here!

Nutella and the Metro

Ah I am so happy to say that we are finally in Paris! Cannes was wonderful and I'm so happy that we had 2 weeks there, but with only 70,000 residents it's a very small town, especially in the winter off season, and I felt like we had pretty much seen all there was to see. Onto the city of love...

We arrived Saturday afternoon and was we got our bags from the train station they basically gave us our address for our homestay and put us in a cab. There are 20 arrondissements (districts) in Paris, and we had no idea where we would be. Karissa and I are in the 17th, in the northwest part of the city. 

It is an upper-middle class business area, which means it's a little bit quieter and the apartments are really nice. It also means we have to go farther for school and to go out to bars, but the metro makes traveling around the city very easy. We got to our homestay and met Monsieur and Madame Rocher, our homestay family. They are an adorable French couple in their 70's, with 4 grown children and over a dozen grandchildren. This year they are celebrating their 50th anniversary :) They were immediately very welcoming, to we were relieved to find that Madame speaks very good English, and Monsieur knows a little. We had dinner with them that night and met Kelly, a grad student my age that studied abroad 2 years ago and lived with the Rochers. She is now in grad school in Paris but is still very close with them and has even lived with them on and off since she studied abroad. She assured us we had one of the best homestay families in the program, because they are very warm and hospitable. Their apartment is the size of a house, and very beautiful. Here are some pictures I've taken so far: 

  

My two favorite things about Paris so far: Nutella and the metro. The metro is great for obvious reasons; there are metro stations everywhere, t's really simple once you figure out what you're doing, and it's way cheaper than driving would be. But Nutella is equally as wonderful. And yes, I know that we have Nutella in America, but I had never eaten it until I got here, so I will forever associate it with France. It's great! You can eat it bread for breakfast, or crepes for dessert. It's cheap, and it tastes just like chocolate but it's made with hazelnuts so it's healthier. They have it everywhere, and has become a staple part of my diet. And with all the walking up and down the metro stairs, I don't think I'm getting fatter, just maintaining the same weight. The food has all been great, so far I've had sushi, a cheeseburger, and croque madame (ham and melted cheese in a toast sandwich with a fried egg on top,) so it hasn't all been French but it's all been great! 

More on my first week in Paris will come later, when my feet aren't so tired and I've had time to do more!

Difference Between France and America

Bonjour! It's only been a week and a half since I got to Europe, which seems insane because it feels like I've already seen so much! One of the best reasons to study abroad is to see places different from America, so I thought I'd start writing down the major differences I notice. Of course we've only been in Cannes, where the population is only 70,000 so things could definitely change when we get to Paris.

1. In general people trust one another more in public places. I've seen a lot of French people put their bags down when they enter a store so they can shop easier. In bars people often throw their jackets in a big pile somewhere and don't grab them again until they leave. I left my jacket at a bar one night and went back 4 days later, and it was still there! I would never expect that to happen in America. 

2. That being said...pickpockets are much more common here. Our resident director talked about this a lot. You shouldn't keep anything in your back pockets and should have a bag that goes across your body is possible. It's also good to hold onto it and keep it closed at all times, especially in crowded areas and tourist spots. We've all been really careful and had no problems :)

3. Traveling between countries is very relaxed. They don't even make you go through customs a lot of times. We went to Monaco on Sunday, which is an independent country, and we didn't even have to stop the car. I asked a local guy in London the funniest thing about Americans, and he said "isn't it true that half of Americans don't have passports?! That's crazy!!" Totally opposite here since countries are so much smaller and closer together.

4. People don't smile that much. In fact, smiling at a guy as you walk by can be considered coming onto him. Our resident director also talked a lot about that and told us to be careful. This has been hard for me, because I'm used to smiling all the time, and making eye contact with everyone. Here that is not really normal- but people are still really friendly, it's just with different mannerisms. So far I've only experienced a little of the stereotypical rude French attitude..and I think a lot of it is frustration with people who don't speak French, which I understand. I'm trying hard to learn!

5. Other random differences I've seen- Soda is much more expensive and water at restaurants usually isn't free. Stores have two huge sales each year, during the month of January and July. This is the only time they have sales, which is perfect timing for us :) Locals where mostly dark or muted colors. Dogs and cats seem to be allowed everywhere, even if they aren't service animals. I've seen them in stores, restaurants, even up on counters at cafes!

I'm excited to see how Paris is different from Cannes, and how it compares to America. Au revoir!

J'aime Cannes

 

This is a picture I took right outside our University here, we're literally on the beach. The water is so blue and the weather was warmer today than it has been so it was absolutely stunning. Life is good!

Cannes has been great so far. We have French classes from 9am-noon Monday through Friday but most afternoons are free so we can explore or go into town. The French class I tested into is a little too difficult for me so I'm hoping I can switch on Monday- all the classes are taught entirely in French and the professors will absolutely not speak English so it's a change! I have a lot to learn but hopefully after these 4.5 months I'll be much better :)

Today we went to the Isle de Marguerite, which as the prison where the man in the iron mask was held. There was almost no one there because it's the off season we got to explore on our own. The island is absolutely beautiful, there's tons of trees and it all overlooks the ocean. We decided it would be a fabulous place to have a wedding :)

We leave for Paris on the 28th, so until then we're enjoying life in Cannes!

London and Cannes

I finally have internet so I can reconnect with the world! The last few days have been a whirlwind but we're finally in France! 

The first two days we were in London where we met our group. There is about 50 of us, mostly girls which I expected, and from all over the country. We walked around a lot, went to some pubs, and did a city tour. I went and saw a British musical with some girls, it was called Blood Brothers and apparently is very famous in the UK. I took some great pictures but my camera died and I can't find the charger so I can't upload them now :( Everyone in London was very nice and thought our "accents'' were funny. I ate a lot of fish and chips and other pub food, and their beer was very good. 

We left London at 3:30 am on Saturday and flew to Nice. From there we took a bus to Cannes, about 45 minutes away. Cannes is absolutely beautiful, and the weather is in the low 60's right now. We arrived at the College International de Cannes, where we will be for the next 2 weeks before we go to Paris. We have French classes 3 hours a day in the morning and the afternoons are free. Our college is right on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea and it is gorgeous. We didn't go out last night because we were all so jet lagged, but hopefully we will tonight. Italy is not far so I'm hoping to go there, as well as maybe Monaco or back to Nice. It's strange not being able to speak the language but I'm excited to work on my French and get much better! All for now!