Top 5 Last Travels/Experiences of 2010!

Well there we have it! Another year gone, a new one sweeping in... After not having any time at the end of the year to post about recent travels, here goes for the top 5 last travels/experiences of 2010!


5. Mulhouse, France. In the middle of November I took a solo trip to Mulhouse to see the Tallest Man on Earth play a concert. Getting to Mulhouse was interesting, again, a combination of bus-train-train-train-tram. I'm becoming quite the pro at public transportation! The concert was in a removed venue, a big open stage, and standing room hall. It was hardly full- I guess the Tallest Man on Earth hasn't created much of a following with the French, but Kristian Mattson filled the room with his intricate guitar skills and experimental tunings. At times he pumped up the amp so much that the feedback became an intended part of his performance. His opener- Amanda Bergman (aka Idiot Wind, Hajen, Jaw Lesson) was the female version of TMOE, with a raspy emotional speak-singing that displayed a clear influence of Bob Dylan. The concert was short, but sweet and we all left with a new appreciation for both artists. At the concert I met a bunch of CouchSurfers, as I had posted on the website that I was going to the concert and needed a host for the night. Unfortunately, my host didn't attend the concert, but some of the others gave me a ride back to his apartment. The host, Amaury, was very welcoming (especially because I arrived around midnight!!) and his girlfriend took me on a brisk bike ride of Mulhouse the next day! It was exciting to see the city from a new perspective (albeit a bit terrifying because I hadn't ridden a bike in a while...and I wasn't sure about my role as a rider). I peaced out of Mulhouse, took a quick pit-stop in Colmar for a walking tour of the city, which was full-speed ahead to get ready for Christmas (more about Colmar later!) And overall, was truly pleased with the quick trip!

Here are some of my favorite YouTube performances of Tallest Man on Earth and Idiot Wind:

• Covering Paul Simon's Graceland
• Covering Bob Dylan's I'll Keep it with Mine
• Covering Bonnie "Prince" Billy's I'll Be Glad
• Tallest Man on Earth with Amanda Bergman, Thrown Right At Me
  

4. Paris in the winter! Before my flight back to the States, anticipating travel difficulty due to weather and time, I decided to leave Gerardmer a day early to make sure I arrived to Paris with plenty of wiggle room. I stayed with a friend from Pitt, Anne-Cecile, who is currently studying at Sciences-Po in Paris. She lives in a cute apartment in the Vth Arrondissement, not far from the Pantheon. I had only ever been to Paris in the warmer months (and always in nice weather!), so to arrive to a wet, snowy Paris was a bit disappointing, but a nice reminder of what Paris is usually like. :) That evening I took a little loop around the neighborhood, not wandering too far because it was very cold. The Notre Dame was luminous against a orange-foggy background. I was surprised that it was not more festively decorated inside, but there was a big Christmas tree in front. I walked by the Christmas markets, but dared not go in because I didn't want the Christmas markets that I had in my head from Alsace to be ruined by non-authentic Parisian wannabes. It was a quick trip, didn't even see the Eiffel Tower (which I later thought was silly that I needed reassurance of the Eiffel Tower to feel like I had visited Paris)! And the next day I was one of the lucky few to get out of Paris to the States without any major delays or problems! A Christmas miracle!



3. Gerardmer, France. The middle of December was a full blown snow globe of an experience. So much snow, our new saying was "We live in a snow globe and someone keeps shaking it!" Although Olivia and I didn't have a chance to go skiing, I did have an opportunity to go snow shoeing, with snow shoes a teacher has let me borrow for the season. We also had our own Christmas market in town, which was a combination of junk and authentic stuff, but nothing too interesting.




Another big event was the Fete de St. Nicolas, which is pretty much a second Christmas and many French exchange presents on this day in stead of (or in addition to) Christmas. The story itself is pretty gruesome, in which a couple of kids get lost in the forest and get chopped up by the butcher, then seven years later Saint Nicolas saves them and makes them whole again! "Little Pierre, if you don't behave you will get chopped up by the evil butcher!" Yes, a great scare tactic if there ever was one! Our parade in Gerardmer was pretty pathetic- the parade consisted of the local marching band and two floats. But the kids had a blast and we got a lot of candy!
Teaching the kids about Christmas in the States was a bit strange because I celebrate with Latvian traditions, so I had to come up with very stereotypical activities. But it was interesting to find out that they didn't know about Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer! And I wasn't sure how many of them believed in Santa... Oh, the wonder!



2. Strasbourg, France. Wanting to see one of the biggest Christmas markets in France, Olivia and I went to Strasbourg for a weekend. We knew there would be a lot of people, but I was still shocked to see such a mass of hustling-bustling crowds. We drank hot wine in front of the Cathedral, which was almost invisible as it was surrounded by all of the market booths. But the best moment of this weekend was thanks to our great CouchSurfing host Flo, who took us on a hike outside of Strasbourg. Walking through the vineyards of Alsace on a brisk, but sunny day was beautiful! It was nice to get out and move around and see some of the grapes of the wine we've been drinking these past months. ;) Even better was Flo's car: a 20 year old Mini Special. A truly authentic European adventure.



1. Colmar & Kaysersberg, France. One of the most welcoming people Olivia and I have had a chance to meet was Jean-Claude, a retired teacher who is still very active in the lycee and often offers to play host for assistants. He suggested visiting some Christmas markets that are harder to get to without a car, so one Wednesday, after a huge snow storm, we set off over the Vosges mountains to Colmar and Kaysersberg for the authentic, small town, Alsacian Christmas markets. Oh my goodness! I died and went to Christmas heaven! Seriously, the most picturesque, storybook towns, decorated with the most beautiful Christmas decorations. And when we were there it was flurrying the whole time, so that just added to the ambiance! We both went crazy for Christmas shopping, buying all of the souvenirs we could find for our friends and family. I ended up buying more edible items (because everything is DELICIOUS!) Loved to drink vin chaud (hot, spiced wine. both red and white!), eat pain d'epices (gingerbread cookies/bread). Everything about this visit put me in such a holiday spirit that I haven't felt in such a long time.




There you have it folks! A quick (okay, maybe not sooo quick) recap of November/December. The last week of December was spent in Malibu, California for 2x2 Latvian camp. It was refreshing to spend a week in warmer weather- but I won't write about that now. Happy New Year! And expect many more adventures to come! All things good!

Doctor visits and being official in France

Remember that time we came back from break, worked two days, had the weekend, worked one day and then were off for another three days? Yes, sir. It does seem that I hardly work at all. But that's how it goes!

This past Tuesday I was summoned to go get checked by official French doctors to make sure I was healthy enough to work in France for seven months. I had received my letter indicating my appointments a few weeks ago, so I could warn my teachers that I would not be making it to class. There were three appointments listed:

Pour l'examen radiologique:
Le: mardi 09 novembre 2010
A: 09H30
CHU NANCY BRABOIS
CONSULTATION EXTERNE SERVICE RADIOLOGIQUE
RUE DU MORVAN
54500 VANDOEUVRE LES NANCY

Pour l'examen clinique general:
Le: mardi 09 novembre 2010
A: 13H00
CENTRE MEDECINE PREVENTIVE (HPF)
2 RUE DOYEN PARISOT
54500 VANDOEUVRE LES NANCY

Convocation pour l'attestation par L'OFFII de l'accomplissement des formalites:
Le: mardi 09 novembre 2010
A: 14H00
DELEGATION OFII NANCY
RESIDENCE ANTARES
81/83 RUE SAINT GEORGES
54000 NANCY

Many appointments for one day, all in different places, no indication of distance between the three OR how we were to possibly have a visit with the doctor and make it to the final appointment in time... hmm... SO THIS IS WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE TO LIVE IN FRANCE!

Luckily I wasn't completely alone trudging through this process and it turns out most of the other assistants from my orientation group were also scheduled for the same day. This made the experience quite enjoyable, as we hadn't seen much of each other since orientation and could catch up on Fall break travels, exchange lesson plans, and complain about all those nuances that make living in France so special.

The first appointment was to get our chest x-rays. The hospital was a 20 minute tram ride away from the train station, out into the outskirts of Nancy. After receiving a number, we sat down to wait to be called (like at the deli counter in the supermarket!). Once called, you had to provide your passport and appointment letter, to prove you were legitimate. They made copies and handed back a full page of stickers: my official medical bar code, name, birth date and other fun secrets about my identity.





Then they told us to go down to the basement and wait for our appointment with the radiologist. This part was actually quite quick (once the nurse came and explained what we would do)- go into a little dressing room that has two doors. One for you to enter from the outside and the other door to go into the x-ray room. Take off your top- EVERYTHING- they even had a nice little picture (in English-GASP) showing everything that should be taken off. The nurse calls your name, you walk out (yes, topless, I mean no gown. Ya wanna get paid in France? Take off your top like you're a Moulin Rouge dancer), she pushes you up to the x-ray machine, puts your hands behind your back and snap. Picture of your chest. You go back to your little dressing room, put your clothes back on and become a normal person once again, only to have to wait another hour before she comes out with your x-ray.



Once receiving our x-rays, we were free to make our way to the next appointment, which was a good 20-30 minute walk away from the first. There we were, about ten American teaching assistants walking through parking lots and suburban streets with our big x-ray envelopes under our arms trying to find the next office. We still had some time before the next appointment, so we did like any good French person would and sat down for lunch and coffee. The weather has been quite horrible lately- windy, rainy, cloudy- so wandering outside isn't too exciting and a nice, hot cafe is always enjoyable.

The next appointment was to meet with the actual doctor. I had heard many horror stories about this one- some kid had to do 40 squats, others had their blood drawn, oh no! What was going to happen to me?! But it was actually quite easy. A nurse took our forms (again, those stickers are EVERYWHERE) and we were reunited with our original work papers, which had been sent to France way back in the Spring. (Creepy to think how many people had seen my personal information...) The nurse collected our x-rays and forms, then we were left to wait (again) until called for the first part of this check up. Our nurse was quite nice and chatty, we had our eyes checked, our weight and height taken and then she calculated our Body Mass Index (in some French way) to tell us either, "yes, you are healthy", or "no, you need to stop eating those baguettes and cheese!" Luckily for me, my eye sight was quite perfect (even with having to say the letters in French!) and my, my am I tall (are your parents tall? well of course, then the children are tall!) and in the end it turns out by French standards I am good and healthy. No further poking or prodding needed.

Alas, we had to wait yet again for the actual doctor to come back from lunch and see us one at a time to give us the official stamp of health and paper that we would take with us to our final appointment. But this is when it became clear how much of a joke these appointments truly were: Sitting down with the doctor, he asked me the usual questions- are you pregnant, are your shots up to date, have you been hospitalized, etc. And then, once he's satisfied with my answers, he took my blood pressure and listened to my heart. I was wearing a fairly thick sweater and thought I might have to take it off, but when I offered, he responded: "Oh no, don't bother, this is all just for administrative purposes anyway..." HAHA So even the doctor thinks this is a joke.

Finally, we were ready to go back into downtown Nancy. So 15 minute walk to catch the tram, 20 minute tram ride, we were already a good hour late for this appointment. But clearly it didn't matter in the least. We arrived in the office of OFII (Office Francais de l'Immigration et de l'Integration), gave them all of our official papers: passport, proof of residence, passport sized picture, doctors forms. They collected it, made our file, taped a card in my passport and said, "Okay, That's it." Hmm. All that for...??? Where are the bells and whistles and cheers congratulating me that yes, I am finally officially allowed to live and work in France for seven months? Oh well, at least I got to experience the process. And thank you that after all that I can travel to and from France. And thank you for wasting an entire day. MERCI MERCI MERCI (Perks- I did get to keep my chest x-rays and the page of my identity stickers!)

To celebrate my newly gained French semi-citizenship status, I took the train to visit fellow Pendu-Pitt-Alum, Peter, in Metz. We had a great time catching up and had a little jam session that night, singing and playing guitar. I was also reunited with my violin, which Peter was nice enough to bring over for me from the States. (Now I have to motivate myself to play it! Or to find lessons!) Thursday was (Armistice Day) Veterans' Day, which in France is a Jour Feriere, or national holiday, so no school (once again!). Meaning I worked two days the past week, seeing each of my classes only once. Yes, these kids are getting the most of my English speaking abilities and are really gaining a better understanding of the English language because they see me so much!


A bientot! Until next time!

Vacances de Toussaint, Part Deux: Amsterdam

Oh, Amsterdam! Just a few hours North by train from Brussels, but completely different from the city we had just visited. We were most disappointed that we didn’t get any responses for CouchSurfing in Amsterdam because we knew it would be expensive to stay in the city 1. Because it was the weekend, 2. It was Halloween weekend. Halloween is not a European holiday, so most of the people who celebrate it in big cities are tourists (American tourists) who want to feel like they’re back in the States. However, the kids in my classes did know about Halloween and mentioned that they did celebrate it, dressing up in costumes (classic costumes: monsters, witches, mummies, vampires. None of this weird cartoon fantasies kids today have in the States), so I guess it is at least semi-established in Europe. So, since we didn’t have a place to stay yet in Amsterdam, that was our first order of business when we arrived early Friday (October 29) afternoon in the city of canals. Grabbed a map (for 2.50!) at what has to be the least helpful tourist office I have ever visited. Waited for our number to be called for a long while only to have to buy a map and have to find our own way to hostels. No list, nothing!

So there we were, packs on our backs walking into Amsterdam, into the Red light district on a Friday afternoon, trying to find a place to stay. Most of the hostels were full or only had limited (and pricey) rooms left, but finally we found a little hostel right next to the Red light district. We were just relieved to have found a place to drop off our stuff, even if it was a rip off. Oh well, live and learn- next time book wayyy in advance for Halloween in Amsterdam!

Once we had gotten settled we began exploring and to our surprise in the main square, Dam Square, right in front of the main palace (which was under construction and all covered up) was a huge carnival! Ferris wheel, cotton candy, the works! Not sure if this was their idea of how to celebrate Halloween, but it was fun to look at and walk through. Compared to Brussels, Amsterdam felt very packed and full of people, mostly tourists. It is chaotic and overwhelming walking around because all forms of traffic are flying by: trams, mopeds, bikes, people. Oh the bikes! Supposedly there are more bikes than there are people in Amsterdam. They were everywhere, chained (or not chained) to everything, riding everywhere and always ringing their bells at you to warn you to move. And if you don’t move, they will hit you! We made our way to the Van Gogh museum, where we heard there would be a music night with some interactive stuff. The museum itself is beautiful and of course, the works of Van Gogh are impressive in themselves. Whatever the event that we were told about was disappointing, just a DJ playing quiet music in the main lobby by the bar. Womp-womp. I found a great VG quote that I wrote down in my little notebook: “…to paint what I am not yet able to, in order to learn how to do it.” To learn is to try, to try is to experiment, ya pretty much have to give it a whirl to see if it’s worth it and hey, maybe you’ll be good at it!

The next day we got up to join a “free” walking tour (tips greatly appreciated at the end) and were lead by a great tour guide, Jo, from New Zealand. She was full of bad jokes, but also some good tidbits of info. Did you know:

• The Red light district prostitutes are self-employed and rent out their windows for 8hr block periods for a certain amount of money and then try to make the difference plus profit from their customers.
• The oldest prostitute is currently 85 years old and has a 2-week waiting period for sessions.
• Houses in Amsterdam are tilted forward because back in the day merchants stored their goods in the upper level (to avoid wetness and rats) and to get the goods up to the top, they had hooks hanging from the roofs, but so they wouldn’t ruin the side of the house while hoisting up the stuff, they extended it. So, houses are tilted forward and have hooks on the top.
• Only 9% of the population that lives in Amsterdam smokes pot regularly. All those people you see in the coffee shops are most likely tourists.

That night we joined the same company that gave us our great walking tour for a Halloween themed bar crawl. Drinks at each bar and shots in between! We even received a t-shirt for our fun. It was nice to see a variety of clubs/bars and get to dance to good music.

The last full day we had in Amsterdam Michelle and I split up to go see different museums. Michelle went to the Anne Frank house, which she said was very nice, fairly small, and the rooms were bare, but still gave you the impression of what had happened in that place. I on the other hand, went to the Heineken Experience. After having a great time visiting the Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis with Quincy last winter, I really wanted to see what other breweries were like, so why not Heineken! Although it was quite pricey to get in, the tour really was an experience. Videos, pictures, even a ride that simulated getting “brewed” into a beer. We had a tasting, where we learned how to look at the beer- first color, then foam and bubbles (which keep the beer fresh and the foam is actually the bitter part of the beer), followed by swishing it in your mouth and finally, swallowing (different from wine tasting, where you are supposed to spit it out). Yum! I didn’t think I liked Heineken that much, but after tasting it so fresh, I have become a fan. I also didn’t realize the commercialization that goes into beer production- Heineken and James Bond movies have a strong relationship and have been the exclusive beer in the past few films. We also got to watch a sequence of commercials that Heineken has used over the years to advertise its beer. Quite interesting to see how trends have changed! The tour ended with, of course, two complimentary beers at the bar.

Check out my awesome karaoke video made at the Heineken Experience by clicking here.

We finished Amsterdam-and our vacation- on a quieter note, because after having walked many kilometers every day, we were pretty exhausted. The day before we left they started taking down the carnival and the town finally seemed to empty a bit. But that still didn’t change my impression of Amsterdam as being quite a tourist city. Jacked prices (similar to Paris) were incredible and the crowds of people were overwhelming. But once you ventured out a bit and started exploring the canals you found the true beauty of the city. Although the days were cloudy, the leaves were a golden yellow with splashes of orange and red that contrasted so well with the tall houses bordering the canals, making everything picture perfect. I really enjoyed playing with my camera and trying to get pictures- hoping that they turn out!

Now back to the bump and grind of daily life in Gerardmer and teaching. More to come next week when I have to go to my doctor visits to finalize my visa and to be officially allowed to live in France for 7 months! Cheers!

Vacances de Toussaint, Part One: Brussels

Les vacances de Toussaint have come and gone - in the blink of an eye! Returning to Gerardmer today it felt as if I were arriving for the first time because everything looks different - the leaves are in full color, the forests seemed to be on fire; all orange, red and bright sun shiny yellow (which was very nice considering the gray, cloudiness of the day).

So let's begin with a preface: At first we (Michelle & I) had planned out the vacation Colmar-Strasbourg-Brussels-Amsterdam, but at the last minute decided to switch it up a bit and just visit Brussels and Amsterdam, giving us more time in each city (and also leaving the Colmar/Strasbourg visits for Christmas markets!) I think this was a good call in the end, giving us more energy to give to each trip and was much easier travel-wise, as well as a bit easier on our wallets. Monday morning (October 25) I left Gerardmer for Nancy, where Michelle met me at the train station and we set off to finish up last minute plans for the trip. In preparation for our departure we had hoped to CouchSurf- a great way to meet locals, see a more personal perspective of the city and get a free place to stay. But we were not receiving many responses from hosts, so we were panicking about where we were going to stay (but also excited to see how resourceful we could get). Another way of saving a dime in Europe (at least from France) is to join co-voiturage- a kind of formal hitchhiking site, where people put up where they're driving to and for a small fare you can get to your destination!

We got a very nice response from a guy named Mago who was able to take us in his Mercedes to Brussels. Saving time and money, we made it to Brussels early Tuesday (October 26) afternoon. First business at hand: find the tourist office. Not as easy as one would think! And we wandered aimlessly around for a good while with our big packs trying to find a tourist office. This did, however, give us a quick look of the city we would be visiting. Luckily, on a whim I had emailed Elfa Kere, an American-Latvian living in Brussels. She was free and would be able to host us the first night in Brussels. So after we finally found the tourist office, which was located at the Grand Place, we made our way to Elfa's apartment to drop off our things. We were met by Elfa's husband, Andris, and after chatting a bit, Michelle and I peaced out to go see what this city had to offer!

We found Manneken-Pis, the cute statue of a little boy who pees and gets dressed up for any and all occasions in Brussels. And then got sucked in to try a famous gaufre (waffle), which are on every street corner, tempting every sweet tooth. Best eaten plain, with sugar sprinkled on top. But my favorite was definitely the gaufre Liege, which was plain with a crackly sugar coating, which was delicious! If you prefer, there are also the “tourist” waffles, which are covered in Nutella, bananas, strawberries, whipped cream, oh whatever you can imagine. But to really see what the fuss is about, I suggest just eating it plain.

That evening we had dinner with Elfa and Andris, and soon after headed out to visit some bars. Elfa was a great host, we drove by the EU Parliament and got to see some local flair. In preparing for my trip to Brussels, I knew I wanted to try as many beers as possible- and I think I came pretty close to succeeding. Through out the days we were there I drank: Panache, Chimay Bleue, Leffe blonde, Vedett, Orval, Mort de Subite (Kriek-Cherry flavored), Delirium Tremens, Delirium Nocturnum, and some sort of Brussels special white beer that I can’t remember any more.

The next day we visited Elfa at work and had lunch at the EU Commission canteen! Brushing shoulders with the big shots that make the big decisions for Europe. Pretty cool. She works with the European Action on Drugs and her office has a wonderful view of the European Parliament building. After lunch we checked into our hostel, which was very close to Elfa’s apartment and didn’t take away too much from our visiting time. The day ended with us taking a fabulous walking tour of the more diverse areas in Brussels, where we saw “Little Africa”, the Park Avenue of Brussels for shopping, the Palace of Justice and other great places. After the long walk we stopped for drinks at Christine’s suggested spot- Celtica- where happy hour was from 1pm to midnight! Score! Delicious draft beers for 2 Euro!

Our last full day in Brussels was packed. The weather was on our side, it was on the warm side of cool, a great fall day and partly cloudy. We really wanted to see the costumes of Manneken-Pis, so we ventured to the Museum de Ville, which had a lot of information about the history of Brussels and its evolution (but wonderfully balanced with modern day photography of the city, which I loved!). At the end of the tour is a room of the many costumes of Mannequin-Pis. Wow! This kid has more outfits than I do and the most extravagant get ups I have ever seen. Every culture, every event has its special costume made and there is even a committee, which decides on the costumes for the little guy. Although not in the current exposition of costumes, there is a little Latvian costume that was made and I found it on the computer library of costumes.

Other people had also suggested the Musical Instrument Museum as a potential visit during our stay. AMAZING. First of all, the building on the outside is quite exquisite, with intricate music notes and details that could only be appreciated up close. Upon arrival (and after paying the entry fee) you receive a pair of headphones and are instructed to stand on the numbers in the exposition. Okay… hmm. Well, it turns out that the headphones are synced with sound clips that correspond to the instruments in the exposition. So that when you stand in front of an instrument display that has the headphone symbol on the floor, you will listen to sound clips of that particular instrument. It brought me back to my world music class, in which we discussed various instrument types and had to memorize their sounds and categories. What a great, interactive way to learn about music! I think my favorite moment was getting to hear the sound of my weight. Standing on a platform put the pressure of your body weight onto a cord that you plucked to hear what you’re “sound” is. I did feel there was something left to be desired in actual descriptions of instruments and of where they came from/who played them/cultural uses in society, but all in all I was a satisfied customer.

Another of the “must have” things in Brussels are of course the fries! For this we were suggested to go to Maison Antoine, a little shop in the middle of a square, a bit of a walk away from the center of town, but absolutely worth it. Stand in line and receive your paper cone filled with fries and doused in whichever sauce you desire (I had mayo and tartar maison). Michelle’s only mayo order had so much mayo that you couldn’t see the fries. Heart attack in a cone? I think so. Was it worth it? Absolutely! Another sauce that we’ve enjoyed is Samurai sauce, which is a spicy mayo-ish sauce. Great in small amounts, but when on a sandwich or covering fries it can be a bit much… For our last night in Brussels we went to Delirium bar. A bar with a menu of at least a few hundred beers and a constantly changing 20+ beers on tap. Needless to say, it was packed, smoky and quite uncomfortable, but well worth it for the beers.

Overall remarks about Brussels: it’s a very livable city and I could see myself living here. Full of diversity, cultures coming up at every corner and you never know what language you should speak- French, Flemish, English? Well, almost everyone speaks English, despite the dubbing of English language television channels (like in France, the government chooses to dub the shows in their native language to keep English from taking over, but this also takes away from the natives learning a more modern English speech). It was the perfect size for me, small enough that you could reach everything by foot (some walks obviously longer than others, but we had time and that way we could see more!), but also had the big city feel that I love. It was professional by day (think European Union, etc), party and fun by night (think Delirium). What’s all the fuss about the chocolate? Although we didn’t actually try any of the chocolate from the shops (too expensive!), we did get some bites from the super market and yes, it is quite melt-in-your mouth goodness. My fave was Cote D’Or. Architecturally it was a dichotomy of old historical buildings and modern ones. The description from our tour guide says it all: “Brussels is ugly, and we love it. And if we don’t love it, we live with it. So don’t be surprised that we build a terrible apartment block next to an Art Nouveau jewel, or a pseudo-classical monster in front of the Central Station.” –Use-It, Tourist info for young people

Celebrating one month of France!

Well people! We've made it through the first month! Only 6 more to go... and that somehow doesn't feel like a lot. Which is a good thing, I guess. I already feel the time is going to fly by.

How to reflect on what has happened so far? Well, physical changes are the most obvious- summer has most definitely turned into fall. Even as I write a wet rainy-snow mix is falling outside and really deterring me from doing anything that involves going outside today! The past few days have been cold- and so cloudy that the surrounding mountains disappear behind a curtain of fog and for a moment you forget that you live in the mountains. The passing of seasons, the passing of time... it's all kind of weird and twisted. And when I think about what I was doing this time last year... writing papers, going to rehearsals, etc. That all seems so far away!

After a month, I have developed a feeling of "home" (compared to that scared shitless feeling that was more dominant in the beginning). Walking down the street you begin to notice the same people on your daily route to and from work. You're not so much a visitor or stranger, but beginning to blend in with the locals and the general scenery. But I'm not getting tired of it- I still look out the window every morning, take a deep breath and am truly thankful for the beauty that is around me and how lucky I am to be here!

How will I celebrate? Well, by doing what I've been doing all along. Living and enjoying. I have choir again tonight, which I'm looking forward to and then before you know it I'll be packing my bag for les vacances de Toussaint!

Survived the first week of classes!

So here we are. One week of classes down, one more to go before... Fall break! Hehe, yes, the French do like their vacation and I'm not complaining.

First week of classes went as well as they could have gone. I think I've gotten the kids excited enough about what we'll be doing that I'll have their respect and love in no time. Already just walking through halls in between classes they run up to me saying "Hello" and proving to me and to themselves that they can speak even a word of English.

I have three different levels to teach. CP/CE1, CE2/CM1, CM1/CM2, CM2 (yeah, I'm still trying to keep up with it all). CP are the youngest, fresh out of Kindergarten and have had almost no exposure to English, where as CM2 are the oldest in elementary school and know a few things already. So planning lessons and revising my ideas to fit each group has been challenging. Before I started teaching I spent two days in "stage" with the teachers of one of my school's to plan out the curriculum and weekly schedule. They are following the curriculum set by the European Union, which dictates what should be taught throughout all European schools. Quite ambitious and there's a lot to be done! But since I'm only with each group 35minutes at a time, twice a week we had to cut down a lot.

I'm finding that teaching is much more exhausting than I thought it would be! Especially because most of the time I'm playing charades with the kids because they have no idea what is going on... so there I am jumping up and down, singing "Heads, shoulders, knees and toes", making a fool of myself and thanking all of my theater teachers for making me comfortable getting crazy in front of a crowd. And the kids are enjoying it! We were learning the action/word for "slowly" and I of course was exaggerating a verrry slowww waaalkkk and this one boy could not stop laughing to the point where he was crying and it was the sweetest thing I've seen- making me start laughing and lose it too! Haha

We've been singing a "Hello" song that I learned in orientation to get to know one another (but it's sometimes hard to fit French names to a song in English...). My favorite part is listening to them say "Thursday". Because I think only a rare French person can say "TH" and most often than not it comes out "Sursday". Oh well, we'll keep trying. I've enjoyed going back to my childhood and pull out those songs that I couldn't get enough of... first on the list was "Shake my sillies out" by Raffi! What a hit! Seeing these little "gamins" (slang for kids) twisting and wiggling is to die for. Ah! yes, what makes things even more interesting is the slipper phenomenon. I still need to ask what the reason for that is, but all the kids wear slippers when they're in class- Hannah Montana is a popular one that I've seen, but they come in all shapes and sizes!

Luckily, school is only Mon-Tues, Thurs-Fri with Wednesday off. And by Wednesday I was exhausted and ready for a break. Olivia, Charlene and I decided to meet up for a hike to a look out tower over the lake. It was a beautiful Autumn day, a bit chilly, but perfect for hiking. A bit around the lake, then up a couple of hundred meters, where we passed waterfalls, brightly colorful trees and some huge evergreens. The view from the top was quite perfect, but the look out tower was a bit scary and you could feel it moving in the wind or when other people were coming up. The afternoon in the fresh air was just what I needed to get through the week! And we're lucky we went then because the last two days have been horribly cloudy and cold (right now it's about 38*F).

Ah, yes, and that reminds me! I have started to sing with a choir. The "Inspecteur" of the elementary schools in Gerardmer, Jean-Claude is also a choir director and invited me and another assistant to come sing. Average age... 50? Of course all of the ladies were so helpful and welcoming to my unknowing self. And when they realized I could actually read music and knew what I was doing, OH MY GOSH! It was as if we all died and went to heaven! The music is a mix of French, classical, some holiday music and my personal favorite: and Italian tune: Bella Bimba! Such a tongue twister, but quite fun! However we sing it in Italian, not like in this version by Dean Martin who translates it to English and about five times faster... So it's something to do on my Wednesday nights and will help me keep my vocal cords in shape!

This weekend Olivia were hoping to go to Nancy for a night/day to do some shopping, etc. But the French are being French, which means it's "greves" and "manifestations" (striking season baby!) and buses and trains were scarce, late, or non-existent. So we decided to stay in Gerardmer, which turned out to be fun! Friday night was a going away party for the Tech guy at the lycee, aka the savior who brought Internet to our rooms and fixed my Skype! We didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be a lot of wine and beer, food and conversation. Best moments included: standing around the table, the two of us (Female, Americans) drinking beer while the rest of the company (Male, French) had little wine glasses in their hands. Ah, yes, you know you're in France when... Then, conversation turned to accents and words with multiple meanings... like preservatives. A normal thing that an American is concerned about in their food, about their health... well, in French the word "preservative" means condom. So, the last thing you want to do is ask, are there "preservatives" in that? Because all you will get in return is a laugh or awkward look. But did you know there is also a Condom, France? Yes, well these are all things we discussed at the party...

The night continued at the hot spot in town, La Grattoir, which brings in free concerts every week. This week it was a great tzigane/jazz band, the Samy Daussat Trio. Ah, so nice to hear good, live music!

So that's where we're at now. One week to go before break! Michelle and I have been searching for CouchSurfing hosts and looking forward to what our travels will bring...

The beginning...

Written on: Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Bonjour à tous!

So, I guess it’s come to that time for my first update… It’s going to be a long one people- I apologize! I’ve been in France for a week and a half now, I’ve gotten to know some of the ins and outs of this place, but still have many things ahead of me. It certainly is an adjustment from Pittsburgh- even from Kintnersville (but I guess it’s closer to K-ville)- a slower pace of life, if you will. My town, Gerardmer, is in the Northeast region of France called Lorraine, which is right next to Alsace, which is right next to Germany. Also close is Switzerland- to the Southeast and Luxembourg up top. Our town is found in the Vosges Mountains, by a huuuge lake. In a nutshell, it’s gorgeous, it’s isolated, and it’s French. That being said, it’s no picnic getting here without a car! From Paris, we’re talking about a 3 hour train ride to Epinal followed by a two hour bus ride to town. Just to get to Michelle (who lives in Nancy, Northwest of me) takes three hours (two by bus and one by train). Luckily, the public transportation in France is good and hasn’t given me too many problems yet (crossing my fingers we don’t face too many gréves (strikes) this year, but we’re in France, so who am I kidding)…

I live in the lycée (high school) campus of Gerardmer, but will be working with the primary schools. The lycée has a boarding school for those students who live further away or are here with sports and need the lake or mountain to do their thing. But our dorm is separate from the actual section where the students are staying, so we don’t pass each other in the hall. It’s on a hill, overlooking the town. From my room window, I can see ski trails, the town, mountains, mountains, mountains, and a little sliver of the lake. I relate the location of the lycée to my Alma Mater, reminiscing about the hike up to PA Hall or Sutherland: the lycée is like PA Hall and the town is kind of like main campus. Distance/time by foot is about the same…so is the incline.

The dorm is simple, the bare minimum, but nice. We have a common room, two bedrooms (each with a SINK, bed, desk, closet), a toilet, a shower room, a kitchen and a dining room. By kitchen, I mean two hot plates, a mini fridge, a tiny sink and no counter space. (Please, if you find a “dinners on a hotplate” cookbook, send it my way! Otherwise, I’m totally coming up with recipes and writing a cookbook.) We’ve covered the bare walls with maps of our region, of France, of Germany, and of anything else we’ve been able to find in an attempt to make it homelier. The previous assistants left a slew of travel books, reading books, and helpful things to fill our dorm (one of which was a bottle cozy from Bison Grass Vodka- Shout out to my Praha peeps!) No TV, which is OK and Internet is only through an Ethernet cable, which is unfortunate and why I’m only getting to you now…

That’s pretty much it for the place… When I first arrived I was alone, but this past Friday my other roommate arrived. Her name is Olivia, she’s half-German, went to Bucknell, and is the English assistant for the lycée. We have a lot in common and share a similar lifestyle, so I’m terribly lucky that I’ll be in good company while I’m (almost) stranded in this tiny town!

I’ve already met with Jean Claude, the director of the primary schools in Gerardmer who has introduced me to some of the teachers I will be working with and who is also the director of a choir, which I might start singing with! Success! I peeked my head in some of the classrooms that I’ll be working with and introduced myself to the kids- so cute! Their age ranges from 7-11ish, the littlest ones take their shoes off outside the classroom and wear slippers in class! Maybe it’s a hygiene thing… I’ll find out and let you know. I’m also not all too sure if they know where the United States are… when one teacher asked the students to point it out on a globe; the first try was Africa and only after great encouragement of the teacher did they figure it out. The schools are bright and colorful, full of life! I’m working in two schools, Ecole Marie Curie and Ecole Jean Mace (both in Gerardmer), and will be video conferencing with two additional schools, La Forge and Bas Beillard (outside of Gerardmer). Next week I’ll be finding out more about the curriculum and program, but already have been given the textbooks to familiarize myself with the main points.

Communication is going fairly well. I can definitely understand everything being said to me (if not exact words then general ideas) and have been able to respond clearly without being at a loss for words. This is definitely only the beginning and I still hope to greatly improve. Luckily most people in Gerardmer speak only French or very minimal English, so that’s a great opportunity for us to speak French. When it’s just Olivia and I we do still turn back to English, for better or for worse! But for what it’s worth, I’ve been getting compliments on the quality of my French, so that’s huge to receive positive feedback.

But let’s get to the fun stuff! Traveling! I’ve been here for just over a week and have already managed to leave the country. Ah, the beauty of Europe and open borders. Last Friday I made the trip to Nancy to visit Michelle (Roommate from Sophomore year and also working as a teaching assistant) for her birthday and to attend a get together for teaching assistants in the area. It was nice to get out of the countryside and into civilization- Nancy is a cute city, full of stores and beautiful architecture, a main square to die for: Place Stanislas (or how the locals call it- Place Stan- pronounced Stahn). Michelle is still pretty new to the city as well, so we had fun exploring and discovering bars, coffee places and patisseries. Peter (fellow Pitt alum, currently living/studying in Metz) came down to visit as well. It was great to catch up- even though he is peacing out to the States for a bit. Had a delicious dinner and wine, which was followed by an Olympic sprint back to the gare (train station) for Peter to catch his train home to Metz.

The rest of the weekend was spent with tiny day adventures around the city, as well as attempts to find American TV streamed on the internet (much harder than it seems! Hulu does not work in Europe and you can’t watch shows on their host sites either), but we lucked out to find streams from the UK and GASP! Watched both Glee episodes from the new season! Amazing! Somehow it’s so much better when you thought you weren’t going to get it (yes, that is what she said). We celebrated Michelle’s birthday by meeting the other assistants. We’re from all over the place! Of course, USA and Canada, but also a bunch of people from the UK, and even some from Jamaica. Everyone is having similar experiences and stresses, so it was comforting to know that we’re not alone in this whole process.

Tuesday we decided to leave Nancy and take a day trip up to Luxembourg. A short two-hour train ride across the border and we were good to go! Weather was pretty horrible this past weekend- rainy and cold, no sun! This didn’t stop us from taking a full tour of the city, exploring the old town and discovering that there is a high town and a low town! For some reason I imagine the story of Cinderella taking place in Luxembourg, little gardens filled with pumpkins, epic courtyards, foliage covered buildings and some ancient churches to make the ambiance of the city quite mysterious and beautiful.

For those who didn’t know, this Saturday (October 2), Latvia has its parliamentary elections. And of course, everyone needs to go vote! So I decided to go to the consulate in Luxembourg to see if that was possible. The consulate is not in the center of town, but in a nearby suburb, easily accessible by bus. I took the challenge and ventured out into the wild. I lucked out because the fare ticker wasn’t working when I got on the bus, so I got a free ride! The consulate was open, but unfortunately only to hand out information about the election, not for voting. Voting will only be on Saturday. Epic bust. I did however receive a ridiculously large packet explaining the voting process, laws. Attached was also a description of all of the running parties and extremely detailed descriptions of the candidates: Birth year, nationality, education, property owned, cars owned, bank accounts, how much in each bank account… I guess it’s an attempt to keep this election transparent and to minimize corruption, but I thought it was a lot- and a waste of paper. However, if every voter had this organized of an overview of candidates in whichever elections, I wonder if results and turnout would be any different? Alas, I was quite upset I didn’t get a chance to vote and left my name and number to be sent out to people in the area with the hope that if I can catch a ride with someone I might make the trip again this Saturday to place my vote… we’ll see.

And now I’m back in little Gerardmer. Olivia and I took a walk around town tonight to see if there was any nightlife… and had some success. At least the local beer was good, can’t say the company looks all too promising. We’ve been told that October- November are down months before ski season starts and many places stay closed because of the lack of tourists coming through. Orientation is next Monday-Tuesday in Epinal, so that will get the ball rolling with many things. I’m excited to get to know other assistants and get more information about what we’ll be doing. By the second week in October, I should be in the classroom getting acquainted with the students!

Like I said in the beginning of this ridiculously long update, it’s an adjustment being so isolated. The first few days were a shock of exhaustion and panic of “How the HELL am I going to get out of here?!” But I’m coming around and taking this as a chance to catch up on reflection, nature and slowing down the pace that was obviously taking a toll on me in college. The lifestyle here is so laid back that going to the bank or buying your daily baguette is an event, not just a quick errand. The food is obviously great. Trying to eat local cheeses, to drink the wine from nearby Alsace, to enjoy what this place has to offer! So I think I’ll get used to this.

PS- I haven’t even started to work yet, but am already planning Fall break, when Michelle and I will be doing this route: Colmar, FR-Strasbourg-Brussels-Amsterdam. If you have any suggestions for places to see, places to stay, etc. in any of those cities, please let me know!