Barcelona is

the best city in the world.

On to Madrid tomorrow morning.

More later.

A Weekend in Paris

This past weekend the whole program (plus, the director, his partner, and the assistant director--who we all adore) went to Paris!  We left Thursday afternoon which means I got to miss two classes (art history--which I haven't been to in two weeks, and my language course--all the professor said was, "well of course you have to see Paris).  The TGV runs straight from Grenoble to Paris, so it was a quick and uneventful ride.  We arrived in Paris and went to the hotel, which had nice rooms and a wonderful location.  We were really right in the middle of everything, meaning we could walk to most of the places we visited.

Thursday night we did a night tour of Paris (the director called it the "cheesy Paris" tour), which ended at the Eiffel tower all lit up and beautiful.  It really is stunning at night.  After that a couple of us met up with the friend of one of my friends on the trip (it gets convoluted) and we walked down the Champs Elysee before heading back toward the hotel to meet more friends of friends of friends at a bar.  I had more success playing the east coast college game ("do you know my friend ___ who goes to your school?) than usual, so I actually got to meet a couple kids from Tufts who were good friends with some of my really good friends.

The next day we woke up early and went to the Musée d'Orsay, which was incredible.  I've got to say, for all the hype the Louvre gets, I really loved Musée d'Orsay.  The building itself was so beautiful and the space felt very inviting and unpretentious, despite the fact that it houses some of the most famous art in the world.  We did lunch with the program at a very stereotypical Parisian brasserie--the restaurant walls were completely covered in mirrors and small paintings and the room was sort of overwhelming (in a good way).  And since the program was paying, we got to go all out, beginning of course with champagne.  I'm very proud of myself because I tried raw oysters for the first time--I haven't completely decided what I thought.  I can't get over how much it wasn't like eating--instead it was like literally dunking my head in the ocean.  

After lunch we did the Louvre--which was incredible--but I was, unfortunately, a little museumed out by then.  A nap after the Louvre and then out to dinner with a smaller group.  This time I got duck (I think I've decided it's my new meat of choise) and for dessert we ordered this thing to share between the four of us that was like a crepe filled with banana and ice cream and completely drenched in chocolate.  Which now that I'm writing, sounds like a banana split, but was so much more delicious.

The next morning, we had a boat tour that was a little bit thwarted by the rain/sleet/snow, but once I stopped trying to be brave and went inside the boat, was much more enjoyable.  That night I had the most incredible meal I've had yet in France, starting with escargot.  I love escargot.  This was the second time I've had it and it was even better than I remembered.  For my main dish I had chateaubriand (cooked perfectly) with potatoes, roasted cherry tomatoes, and green beans with a thyme butter.  I was very, very happy.  Sorry if this is a bit food heavy, but I ate really well in Paris and mom has requested more foodie talk.

Anyway, I'm back in Grenoble trying to catch-up on all my homework and missed classes ... 

just kidding.  Although I did actually have homework last night, which was kind of exciting.  I'm starting to think about next week, which is my long break in Spain and London, but I'm mostly focused on dinner tonight.  I'm really hungry!  I'm planning to go out to the Irish pub again tonight (the one with traditional music on Tuesdays), which is nice because it means getting out of the house (and away from my computer), but is still pretty low-key--I'm determined to be healthy for Spain.  Wish me luck!

The last two weeks

Alright, so I know it's been a long time.  For a while I had decided to abandon the blog, but my parents keep bugging me so I here I go.  Also, I realized it would be nice to have a record of this trip, because I'm not keeping a travel journal (it doesn't really feel like traveling)

I skied!  Until a few weeks ago I had never been skiing and I went twice (last weekend and the weekend before) and I love it!  I was actually really anxious before I went that I would be one of those lame people who doesn't like skiing, so thank goodness I do :)  I also just like being up in the mountains.  Both times, I skied for much less time than everybody else so I sat at a café, drank a café creme and enjoyed the view.  It was beautiful and sunny during the day and then by the time the sun went down I was inside a restaurant drinking vin chaud (sweetened hot wine).

I was talking to my mother and she asked about what kind of food I've been eating and if I've had any really great meals.  I'm ashamed to say, that the first thing that came into my mind was a dinner my friends and I had the other night at ... QuickBurger.  That's basically the French McDonalds.  We all had a meeting/party thing at the director's house on Monday night and we had been promised tons of snacks.  Before I went I, uh, accidently had a couple of glasses of wine, so by the time I got there I was starving.  After stuffing thousands of little pastries in my mouth, we finished the meeting thing and decided it was time to get some crappy fast food.  I got a "Long Bacon" with fries and the most delicious ice cream I've ever had (it basically tasted like cool whip).  Also, I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard.  I really like the group dynamic we have--all the kids are a lot of fun.

Last night I went for the second week in a row to an Irish pub in town that has live Irish folk music on Tuesday nights.  It was packed last night!  We got a chance to meet some other American kids, which will hopefully expand our social circle a little bit.

A shout-out to all the Bullards:  one of the best parts about going out in Grenoble is that every single pub has Hoegaarden on tap for pretty cheap.  Since usually the only time I get the deliciousness that is Hoegaarden is when I'm at the beach, every time I go out I think about you guys :)

students on strike

Okay, I know I said I was finally going to start classes today, but 

(un?)fortunately for me, the French are a little bit ridiculous.  We got to the university building and I found out I had placed in the higher of the two levels our program had guessed we would be in (B2), along with most of the other kids.  However, this doesn't really mean a whole lot, so I guess I'll just have to wait.

Anyway, we got there, found out our levels and then we had this big meeting thing for all the CUEF students.  It was super boring and they basically said all the stuff we already knew.  After about twenty minutes, the professors start running up and down the stairs and whispering frantically.  Turns out, the university students were going on strike/protesting and they had decided to occupy the building.  The last time this happened, they occupied the university for two months, so, in a panic, the university folks were going to lock the doors regardless of who was inside.  Everybody in the meeting ran out and now ... we may or may not have class tomorrow.  Or for the next two months.  Nobody knows exactly.  I don't have class till late tomorrow, so if the students did manage to occupy the buildings, hopefully someone will tell me before I make it all the way out there.

i'm gonna have to work on clever post titles

So, I finally start class tomorrow.  I'm not really sure how exactly the whole process is going to work, but I don't exactly have my heart set on any particular classes, so if I screw it up, I won't be that upset.  

The last couple of days have been pretty lazy ... shopping, lots of café time, and generally exploring the city.  Saturday night I had a wonderful (and really, really delicious) dinner in town and then a couple of us went to a bar and hung out.  I'm excited to see what Grenoble will be like with all the students here--60,000 extra young people will probably change the feel of such a small city.

Yesterday the group went to the musée de Grenoble, which is the art museum.  It's a really cool space and was a good Sunday activity since everything else is closed.

Hope everything is going well at home.

Also, I posted a few pictures on Facebook

because blogger still won't let me.

I really like this place

Really.  I've spent the last few days exploring the city some more, going out for drinks and dinner, getting to know my fellow étudiants.  I know it's only been a week, but I'm super happy here.

We finished the "préstage" French classes this week.  We had two hours in the morning, an hour for lunch, and then two hours in the afternoon of french review with just Swarthmore kids and a CUEF professor (CUEF is the international university).  It was a little bit trying at times ... I don't know if she represents all French teachers, but her teaching style did not mesh well with my learning style.  Because it's been so long since I took a French grammar class, I've forgotten a lot of the technical stuff.  So the professor would go around the room and say a phrase and then call on each of us to answer the question or change the sentence or whatever.  First of all, I don't know how to do a lot of stuff.  Secondly, I'm a terrible listener!  I'm just not an audio learner.  So I would stumble through my question, try to understand what other people answered and then by the end, have nothing to show for it except frustration and a total lack of confidence in my French skills.  The afternoon classes were generally better because we played games and talked more.  I really like the group of kids I'm with .... everyone is so nice and interesting and ready to explore.

On Thursday after class, a group of us went into town and got coffee/drinks.  After that we went to the cinematheque to see a Belgian movie called "Le lit" (the bed), which we will get reimbursed for (my program rocks).  The movie was quite beautiful and the theater is wonderful, but it was so intense and tragic and completely depressing.  After the movie, we went to the London Pub--which is my new favorite place.  They play the best music and it's reasonably priced.

Yesterday, we took the placement examen to see which French class we will be in and whether we will be able to take classes at the French université.  After being so terrible during the préstage classes I was pretty sure I wouldn't do well, but it was much easier than I had expected it to be.  After that I went home and napped then we had a dinner party at Jean-Vincent's (the director).  It was so pleasant and comfortable, really I can't stress enough how well this is going so far.  

The whole group went out last night (back to the London pub) and we had a great time (well I did anyway, and I think the others did as well).  However, waking up this morning was rough.  Fortunately I have those automatic metal shades that come down and block out all sun.  So I slept till almost two.  I woke up and my host mom had set out two croissants for me.  Then I went and met the others in town for some shopping and I'm home for a little bit until we're going to meet for bowling later!

I'm clearly living the life.  I'm not really ready for classes to start ...

On the bright side

This city is really pretty perfect for me because the transportation system is so easy to use.  I have two bus stops on either end of my block and two tram stops both about 3 minutes walk from my apartment.  All of the bus stops have electronic signs that tell you when the next bus is coming and where it's going and you never have to wait more than 6 or 7 minutes for the next bus or tram.  Plus, because the tram is above ground, you can always follow the tracks in order to get where you need to be.

Class today was a little bit ridiculous.  Our teacher for this week is pretty snobby and is teaching us the weirdest most unnecessary things.  We're trying to figure out how to live here and talk with people and she was teaching us words for making wine and braising meat.  

After class we all went to a café/pub and hung out.  It's a good group of people--we all get along pretty well.  So now I'm home, killing time until my host parents come home and then we'll have dinner.  After that ... I guess I'm online for a few hours?  It's weird not having an actual schedule because it makes me feel like I can't make evening plans or something.  Tonight, I might go meet up with one of the other girls who lives nearby.  Otherwise, my brain is going to be fried from staring at the tv.

Number one complaint about being here

It's cold everywhere.  Cold inside, cold outside.  I never build up any body heat and then I end up shivering about half the day.  I know it's a silly thing to be complaining about ... and I guess it's a good sign because it means I don't have bigger, more dire problems.

I'm up early today (9 o'clock!) to go two hours of "class" in the morning and then two more in the afternoon.  It's not really class, though.  We (the eleven students in my program) are studying with a professor from CUEF (the international university here) so that we can remember our French before the placement test we will be taking on Friday.  It's strange, because there is no real penalty for doing poorly, we're not actually being graded (in fact, one could say there's a penalty for doing well because then you have a harder class), but I still get all nervous when I have to answer questions in class.  I've definitely found that speaking French outside a classroom setting is much easier than in the class.

I had my first dream in French last night ...

sort of.  The whole dream wasn't really in French.  I was eating in a cafeteria full of people and I was really concerned about something and clearly the only way to fix the problem was to lead the entire cafeteria in song--French camp songs.  I then proceeded to sing every single French camp song I could remember (which is a lot).  

In other news, I can upload pictures now.  This is the view of the main square and also the view from my hotel room the first night.  Notice the carousel in the middle!  and those spots aren't problems with the picture, they are decorative hanging things.

Grenoble: Home Sweet Home

I'm here!  After a very intimidating--but ultimately easy--journey, I made it to Grenoble.  Everyone keeps telling me that Grenoble is very small, but for me it seems huge.  The downtown (centre-ville) is about ten times the size of Oxford.  So many restaurants, cafés, and shops to explore!  Right now the "soldes" are going on, which is the month-2 month sale that goes on in France twice a year.  This means I'm going to get all my shopping in now and then I can be a properly layered, dark-clothed French girl.  

I'm living with a middle-aged couple, Geneviéve et Christien, in their apartment building about a 6 minute bus ride from centre-ville (this is much closer than most of the other students on my program).  They have a 22-year-old son, but he has his own apartment.  They have two cats, one is very fat and old and I have not yet seen it move, and the other is seven months old and curious and apparently cost a lot of money.  I'm very lucky to have internet at home because some of the students don't.  I also have a big bedroom with a double bed and my own bathroom (true luxury!)  The shower will take a serious adjustment though.  So, you go into the bathroom and there is a toilet, a sink, and a faucet with a shower head thing (one of those ones that's on a cord and doesn't attach to the wall).  So there's no shower curtain, or bathtub or anything to distinguish the shower from the rest of the bathroom.  Which means when I shower, I have to hide everything that isn't waterproof.  I'm sure I will forget about the toilet paper some day and drown it completely.  

My bedroom has two big beautiful windows with an incredible view of the mountains.  Grenoble is completely surrounded by mountains, so there is a wonderful view wherever you look.  The picture behind the title is part of a picture I took that shows the view from my bedroom.  I'll post more pictures of stuff as soon as I figure out how to make blogger upload my pictures (it's not working ... any suggestions?)

We had our first intensive French class this afternoon and tomorrow we have two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon of the same thing.  By the end of the week I'm sure I will be an expert.  À bientôt!