Well, I'm DONE with one of two presentations for my Constitutional Law class, and it went a lot better than I expected. Having spent an hour or two yesterday freaking out and crying and trying to come up with some excuse not to do it at the last minute, I took a deep breath, sat down, and got to work. And managed to throw together a pretty decent little presentation. And then this morning in class, I decided to offer to go first just to get it over with. I was crazy nervous, so my voice was all kinds of shaky, but I managed to work my way through it and I only stumbled over my french a couple of times. When it was finally over, the teacher seemed content with what I had done and even complemented parts of my presentation. I'm not sure if he was just being nice because he felt bad for me being, not only the foreign kid, but also all by myself, or if he was really sincere, but either way, it made me feel a little bit better. I really hope that it's more of the second one because, while it's nice to get pity points every once in a while, I'm the type of person who likes to get by based on my own talents, not on handicaps. But at this point I'll take what I can get.
I also got my paper back from last week, which I was also really nervous about. This is my first graded thing since I've been here, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Also, it's kind of hard to get used to the french grading system. Basically, everything is graded out of 20 points but, unlike in the states, it is pretty rare for french students to get above a 16 or a 17. Since we are already disadvantaged, the way the grades correspond to grades back in the states is very generous. Any thing above a 12 is an A and 9-11 is a B. I got a 10 on the paper, so I am contenting myself with that. Also, most of his comments were things that made sense for the most part. Some of them I was even expecting...I really hate turning in a paper and at that very moment realizing what I did wrong. He said that if people want to do another one to get a better grade, we can, and I might, but I'm not sure if I want to stress myself out that much. I mean, a B is fully acceptable, and it's only 1/4 of my grade (God, I am SUCH an overachiever!). I guess I'll make than decision after I get my grade from my presentation today.
Anyway, I came home from my presentation and Wei was making curry and she let me have some, so I didn't have to make lunch, which was kind of nice. And the curry was pretty bomb.
There's more to say about social life and stuff, but I have to go to class, so you will just have to wait. Maybe, if I'm feeling ambitious tonight, I will make a record and have three blog posts in one day, but that seems like it might be overdoing it a bit.
Bisous.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Little Victories
So, i have a presentation to do in like 20 minutes, and I should probably be looking over my notes, but, to a large extent, je m'en fous (which is a less polite way of saying "I could care less"). I was also supposed to buy cheese from my region and bring it to class, but as it turns out, you can't buy cheddar here...or asadero, which I have hella been craving lately for some reason. Again, je m'en fous...I thought about buying emmenthal, which is basically swiss cheese, but the comté just looked so much better.
Anyway, after buying cheese, I went to the bakery to buy a baguette and it was still hot from the oven. Amazing. I was so excited. Normally when I buy it, it is fresh, but not still hot. It really just kind of made everything better.
Anyway, that's all I really wanted to say for now...I'm off to talk about the Troisième République
A plus!
Anyway, after buying cheese, I went to the bakery to buy a baguette and it was still hot from the oven. Amazing. I was so excited. Normally when I buy it, it is fresh, but not still hot. It really just kind of made everything better.
Anyway, that's all I really wanted to say for now...I'm off to talk about the Troisième République
A plus!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
airing some frustrations
A much needed blogger-bitch-fest while I escape my responsibilities.
So, for the most part in my classes, I have very little, if any, regularly assigned homework. Even in my portuguese classes, we don't have to turn in exercises or anything. This means that my entire grade is based on a test taken at the end of the year--often one essay question--that is a worry all in it's own. But one of the classes I'm taking, Constitutional Law, is a little different. It is a two part class, which I get credit for as two different classes. First is the Cours Fondamental, which is a ginormous 3-hour lecture class once a week. The other part is a CDM (I don't remember what it stands for at the moment). This is the equivalent of a discussion class at U of O. it also meets once a week, for 2 hours, and there are about 20 students. The CDMs are not required, but they make it easier for students to be prepared for the final exam, so I decided to take it anyway. For this class, everyone has to turn in one detailed outline for an essay, do two presentations, and then there will be some sort of in-class assignment (not entirely sure what that will be). Normally, the presentations are done in pairs, which I figured would make it a lot easier and would be a way to sort of get to know someone in my class.
Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much in the way of organization as to who would do the assignments for a given class period. The teacher, in an attempt to give the students some liberty to make their own decisions, left it up to us to decide. Having missed the first class period and then spent the next two sitting quietly in a corner listening, I was pretty out of the loop. Finally, I got onto an email list/forum thing for students in the class and started to worry about when i would do my presentations (now that the semester is almost halfway over). But I still was at a loss as to how decisions were made. So then, this past Thursday (note that the class is on Tuesday), I received an email from one of the guys in class asking me if I was doing the presentation for the next class and telling me I should contact the professor. I did, and I told him I was willing to do the presentation, but I didn't have any clue who my partner would be or how to go about finding one. He said, essentially, that he didn't have a clue either, but wished me luck (thanks, that's useful...). So I emailed the guy who had first emailed me and asked him what I should do to find a partner and he gave me a list of three students who hadn't either done their presentation or already signed up for a future presentation. one of them was signed up to do his other presentation for the same, day, so I emailed three asking for help. I got two responses telling me they couldn't but good luck anyway (again, thanks, that's very nice of you...). I then got an email saying that the teacher had assigned the third guy, Maxime, who I have actually sort of gotten to know, as my partner. Unfortunately, an email and a text message later, I have yet to hear back from him. And it is now Sunday night and this presentation is supposed to take place Tuesday morning. I spent a few hours reading up on the topic, and I think I can probably put something together on my own, but I REALLY don't want to have to do it by myself and then face the class for 20 minutes by myself. Bugger.
To add to the frustration of this whole thing, this week is supposed to be a vacation week. Lyon 2, and therefore the majority of my friends, is on vacation for Toussaint (All Saints Day). This means they are traveling around Europe while I prepare to do a presentation. I also only have one day of classes this week, because my sports classes and my portuguese class are through Lyon 2, so they are on vacation, and one of my teachers at the IEP cancelled class. I was looking at the schedule for the year and realized that IEP students really get the shaft when it comes to breaks. Most unfortunately, Lyon 2 has a break between semesters that lasts from mid january to early february. This break doesn't exist at all for the IEP, which sucks a lot because I was hoping to use that time to backback around Europe with my friend Katie. Also, the IEP's spring break is different than Lyon 2 (which means that if I am taking classes at both universities, I don't get a break at all). So I have decided that, even though administratively it is a bit more complicated, and even though the IEP offers some interesting courses, I am not going to take classes there next semester.
I don't want to sound overly whiney, but I have been feeling whiney and frustrated, and on top of everything I think I might be getting sick and I haven't been sleeping well, which is majorly lame.
On the other hand, so that I finish on a positive note, the last few days have been pretty cool (although I probably should have been trying to deal with this presentation).
On Thursday I had a delicious and very cheap lunch with some friends, and then wandered around a little and then went to this wine festival, which was basically a HUGE wine tasting. There were a couple hundred different niveyards represented, representing the main wine-producing regions. My friends and I wandered through the lines of booths tasting different wines (and learned why you are supposed to spit while tasting wine...although instead we stumbled out the doors after two hours and walked in not very straight lines to the bus stop) and I bought a bottle of wine and a bottle of gold-rated champagne, which I am saving for New Years. Later that night, I went to a house-warming party for one of my friends and had more wine and lots of really delicious cake.
Friday was very chill. I had my portuguese class and then came home and had a yummy salad for lunch and took a nap (since I got home close to 2 am from the party) and then went to capoeira.
On Saturday morning I went to the market with Wei and then watched her make a taiwanese cake for this soirée that she had invited me to. Then I kind of hung out and tried to read up on the Third Republic for my presentation, but mostly did procrastinatey sort of things. In the afternoon, Wei and I made a quiche for the soirée and then went to the soirée, which was an interesting experience. It was at her friend's apartment and the guests were almost exclusively Taiwanese. Despite this fact, everyone was really nice and I ended up having a really good time.
This morning, Wei and I intended to go to this local producers market, but when we got there it turned out it wasn't happening, so we wandered a bit and then went to an asian grocery store. We ended up buying the ingredients for spring rolls and came home to make them (and were more or less successful).
Overall, a very enjoyable weekend!
And now I am going to try to get back to work...blech.
So, for the most part in my classes, I have very little, if any, regularly assigned homework. Even in my portuguese classes, we don't have to turn in exercises or anything. This means that my entire grade is based on a test taken at the end of the year--often one essay question--that is a worry all in it's own. But one of the classes I'm taking, Constitutional Law, is a little different. It is a two part class, which I get credit for as two different classes. First is the Cours Fondamental, which is a ginormous 3-hour lecture class once a week. The other part is a CDM (I don't remember what it stands for at the moment). This is the equivalent of a discussion class at U of O. it also meets once a week, for 2 hours, and there are about 20 students. The CDMs are not required, but they make it easier for students to be prepared for the final exam, so I decided to take it anyway. For this class, everyone has to turn in one detailed outline for an essay, do two presentations, and then there will be some sort of in-class assignment (not entirely sure what that will be). Normally, the presentations are done in pairs, which I figured would make it a lot easier and would be a way to sort of get to know someone in my class.
Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much in the way of organization as to who would do the assignments for a given class period. The teacher, in an attempt to give the students some liberty to make their own decisions, left it up to us to decide. Having missed the first class period and then spent the next two sitting quietly in a corner listening, I was pretty out of the loop. Finally, I got onto an email list/forum thing for students in the class and started to worry about when i would do my presentations (now that the semester is almost halfway over). But I still was at a loss as to how decisions were made. So then, this past Thursday (note that the class is on Tuesday), I received an email from one of the guys in class asking me if I was doing the presentation for the next class and telling me I should contact the professor. I did, and I told him I was willing to do the presentation, but I didn't have any clue who my partner would be or how to go about finding one. He said, essentially, that he didn't have a clue either, but wished me luck (thanks, that's useful...). So I emailed the guy who had first emailed me and asked him what I should do to find a partner and he gave me a list of three students who hadn't either done their presentation or already signed up for a future presentation. one of them was signed up to do his other presentation for the same, day, so I emailed three asking for help. I got two responses telling me they couldn't but good luck anyway (again, thanks, that's very nice of you...). I then got an email saying that the teacher had assigned the third guy, Maxime, who I have actually sort of gotten to know, as my partner. Unfortunately, an email and a text message later, I have yet to hear back from him. And it is now Sunday night and this presentation is supposed to take place Tuesday morning. I spent a few hours reading up on the topic, and I think I can probably put something together on my own, but I REALLY don't want to have to do it by myself and then face the class for 20 minutes by myself. Bugger.
To add to the frustration of this whole thing, this week is supposed to be a vacation week. Lyon 2, and therefore the majority of my friends, is on vacation for Toussaint (All Saints Day). This means they are traveling around Europe while I prepare to do a presentation. I also only have one day of classes this week, because my sports classes and my portuguese class are through Lyon 2, so they are on vacation, and one of my teachers at the IEP cancelled class. I was looking at the schedule for the year and realized that IEP students really get the shaft when it comes to breaks. Most unfortunately, Lyon 2 has a break between semesters that lasts from mid january to early february. This break doesn't exist at all for the IEP, which sucks a lot because I was hoping to use that time to backback around Europe with my friend Katie. Also, the IEP's spring break is different than Lyon 2 (which means that if I am taking classes at both universities, I don't get a break at all). So I have decided that, even though administratively it is a bit more complicated, and even though the IEP offers some interesting courses, I am not going to take classes there next semester.
I don't want to sound overly whiney, but I have been feeling whiney and frustrated, and on top of everything I think I might be getting sick and I haven't been sleeping well, which is majorly lame.
On the other hand, so that I finish on a positive note, the last few days have been pretty cool (although I probably should have been trying to deal with this presentation).
On Thursday I had a delicious and very cheap lunch with some friends, and then wandered around a little and then went to this wine festival, which was basically a HUGE wine tasting. There were a couple hundred different niveyards represented, representing the main wine-producing regions. My friends and I wandered through the lines of booths tasting different wines (and learned why you are supposed to spit while tasting wine...although instead we stumbled out the doors after two hours and walked in not very straight lines to the bus stop) and I bought a bottle of wine and a bottle of gold-rated champagne, which I am saving for New Years. Later that night, I went to a house-warming party for one of my friends and had more wine and lots of really delicious cake.
Friday was very chill. I had my portuguese class and then came home and had a yummy salad for lunch and took a nap (since I got home close to 2 am from the party) and then went to capoeira.
On Saturday morning I went to the market with Wei and then watched her make a taiwanese cake for this soirée that she had invited me to. Then I kind of hung out and tried to read up on the Third Republic for my presentation, but mostly did procrastinatey sort of things. In the afternoon, Wei and I made a quiche for the soirée and then went to the soirée, which was an interesting experience. It was at her friend's apartment and the guests were almost exclusively Taiwanese. Despite this fact, everyone was really nice and I ended up having a really good time.
This morning, Wei and I intended to go to this local producers market, but when we got there it turned out it wasn't happening, so we wandered a bit and then went to an asian grocery store. We ended up buying the ingredients for spring rolls and came home to make them (and were more or less successful).
Overall, a very enjoyable weekend!
And now I am going to try to get back to work...blech.
Friday, October 26, 2007
French Culture Lesson
Part One: the bise
I'm sure you are all familiar with the stereotypical image of the French kissing each other on the cheek a lot. This is part of the french image because, well, they do it. All the time. No joke. More on that in a minute. First, the term for this action is the bise (or "la bise" if you really want to be french about it). It comes from the verb "biser" which means to kiss. You might also notice the similarity between this word and the way I often sign off emails and letters, and even this blog sometimes: "gros bisous" or just "bisous". Yes, there is a connection. "Gros bisous" means big kisses, and is often used to sign off letters to friends or family (ie you brobably don't want to finish a letter to a professor or your boss or something this way).
Like I said, the besi is everywhere in France. People of all ages do the bise in all sorts of situations. Most commonly: when you are meeting someone for the first time, when you meet up with a friend, when you arrive at a party (yes, you really are supposed to bise EVERYONE), whe you run into someone on the street, when thanking someone for something, when you are parting with someone, when you leave a party (again, EVERYONE gets a bise), and kids often do a family bise before they go to bed.
That being said, I've noticed that the bise can be kind of a precarious situation for foreigners. Even if you are familiar with the idea (as I was, after spending a good 20 minutes--at least--discussing the bise in my pre-study abroad class), sometimes you can feel a little bit unsure of yourself in a bise situation. On the one hand, the other person (presumably a french person) may not be sure if you know about the bise or of you are comfortable with it, so they may not instigate it. On the other, maybe you really aren't comfortable with the bise, or maybe you aren't sure you know the person well enough to bise on a regular basis (ie you bised when you met them, and then you see them again somewhere and aren't sure if you should bise them). Being a younger person, there may also be some confusion about whether you should bise an elder or a superior.
Who knew that such a simple little action could be so complicated?
I've gotten pretty used to the bise, and I've grown to like it (although I really do miss the hug, and one of my favorite things EVER is when I run into one of my american friends and am greeted with a giant hug...the French rarely, if ever, hug...and if you know me, you know I LOVE to hug and have a hard time with non-hugging cultures). I've also noticed that the bise can be a momentous occasion as a forigner. Not like, I'm going to throw myself a party because I bised someone, but, for me at least, when I am on mise terms with someone, it's like a moment of acceptance and being a part of french culture. I can't really explain it, so here are two examples from my life that might illustrate it better.
(1) When I first got here and went to meet Florence's family and then Lionel's family, I got to experience some serious bise-ing. Especially when I met Florence's family, because we went to mass, and I'm pretty sure 80% of the people in the church that morning were somehow related to her, and then afterward everyone stood around outside and I got introduced to a million different people and bised them all. And then when we left, there was another round of bises.
(2) In my portuguese class, there is a girl named Hélène, who I talked to the second week of class on the tram ride home. When she got off the tram, she instigated the bise. The next week, when she showed up to class, we bised again, and now we bise regularly. As cheesy as it may sound, it's kind of like the realization that I have made a friend here.
(3) I think I mentioned in my last blog that I was thinking about taking more capoeira classes at the capoeira studio after going last week for the open-house. Well, I went again this week and it was a really great experience. But that's not the point. The point is that after class I went up to the teacher to ask him how to go about paying and he said not to worry about it...the first class was free. And then he did the bise and told me to have a good vacation. !!! I realize maybe that sounds a little weird, but it was like, welcome to Senzala (the capoeira group), glad to have you.
(4) On the metro on the way home after class tonight, I was taling to one of the guys that was in the class about capoeira and being a student and life in general and when he got off the metro, we did the bise. I realized when he left that I don't even know his name. But whatever. I felt very french riding the metro and bise-ing and wearing my cool green bought-in-France-jacket and then busting out my DirectSoir (a free newspaper that they hand out at metro stations) and reading the news in french.
End of Lesson One.
I had more to write about, but that took longer than I thought. But this week is the Toussaint 1 week vacation (except at the IEP, which is the political science school where I take my classes, so I still have class all day Tuesday and, I think, a presentation that I have to do...oh dear), so I will have possibly more free time, and hopefully fun things to write about.
Gros bisous!!
I'm sure you are all familiar with the stereotypical image of the French kissing each other on the cheek a lot. This is part of the french image because, well, they do it. All the time. No joke. More on that in a minute. First, the term for this action is the bise (or "la bise" if you really want to be french about it). It comes from the verb "biser" which means to kiss. You might also notice the similarity between this word and the way I often sign off emails and letters, and even this blog sometimes: "gros bisous" or just "bisous". Yes, there is a connection. "Gros bisous" means big kisses, and is often used to sign off letters to friends or family (ie you brobably don't want to finish a letter to a professor or your boss or something this way).
Like I said, the besi is everywhere in France. People of all ages do the bise in all sorts of situations. Most commonly: when you are meeting someone for the first time, when you meet up with a friend, when you arrive at a party (yes, you really are supposed to bise EVERYONE), whe you run into someone on the street, when thanking someone for something, when you are parting with someone, when you leave a party (again, EVERYONE gets a bise), and kids often do a family bise before they go to bed.
That being said, I've noticed that the bise can be kind of a precarious situation for foreigners. Even if you are familiar with the idea (as I was, after spending a good 20 minutes--at least--discussing the bise in my pre-study abroad class), sometimes you can feel a little bit unsure of yourself in a bise situation. On the one hand, the other person (presumably a french person) may not be sure if you know about the bise or of you are comfortable with it, so they may not instigate it. On the other, maybe you really aren't comfortable with the bise, or maybe you aren't sure you know the person well enough to bise on a regular basis (ie you bised when you met them, and then you see them again somewhere and aren't sure if you should bise them). Being a younger person, there may also be some confusion about whether you should bise an elder or a superior.
Who knew that such a simple little action could be so complicated?
I've gotten pretty used to the bise, and I've grown to like it (although I really do miss the hug, and one of my favorite things EVER is when I run into one of my american friends and am greeted with a giant hug...the French rarely, if ever, hug...and if you know me, you know I LOVE to hug and have a hard time with non-hugging cultures). I've also noticed that the bise can be a momentous occasion as a forigner. Not like, I'm going to throw myself a party because I bised someone, but, for me at least, when I am on mise terms with someone, it's like a moment of acceptance and being a part of french culture. I can't really explain it, so here are two examples from my life that might illustrate it better.
(1) When I first got here and went to meet Florence's family and then Lionel's family, I got to experience some serious bise-ing. Especially when I met Florence's family, because we went to mass, and I'm pretty sure 80% of the people in the church that morning were somehow related to her, and then afterward everyone stood around outside and I got introduced to a million different people and bised them all. And then when we left, there was another round of bises.
(2) In my portuguese class, there is a girl named Hélène, who I talked to the second week of class on the tram ride home. When she got off the tram, she instigated the bise. The next week, when she showed up to class, we bised again, and now we bise regularly. As cheesy as it may sound, it's kind of like the realization that I have made a friend here.
(3) I think I mentioned in my last blog that I was thinking about taking more capoeira classes at the capoeira studio after going last week for the open-house. Well, I went again this week and it was a really great experience. But that's not the point. The point is that after class I went up to the teacher to ask him how to go about paying and he said not to worry about it...the first class was free. And then he did the bise and told me to have a good vacation. !!! I realize maybe that sounds a little weird, but it was like, welcome to Senzala (the capoeira group), glad to have you.
(4) On the metro on the way home after class tonight, I was taling to one of the guys that was in the class about capoeira and being a student and life in general and when he got off the metro, we did the bise. I realized when he left that I don't even know his name. But whatever. I felt very french riding the metro and bise-ing and wearing my cool green bought-in-France-jacket and then busting out my DirectSoir (a free newspaper that they hand out at metro stations) and reading the news in french.
End of Lesson One.
I had more to write about, but that took longer than I thought. But this week is the Toussaint 1 week vacation (except at the IEP, which is the political science school where I take my classes, so I still have class all day Tuesday and, I think, a presentation that I have to do...oh dear), so I will have possibly more free time, and hopefully fun things to write about.
Gros bisous!!
Monday, October 22, 2007
'cuz I'm just that cool
So I've decided that the ultimate compliment these days it (the French equivalent of) "wow, I totally thought you were French". At the risk of sounding cocky, I've gotten that one twice in the last week and it makes me happy. Granted, both times were people that I didn't really know (one being a friend of Wei's that I was meeting for the first time and the other being this guy in my capoeira class), but still. Apparantly I at least seem confident enough with my French to pull it off.
Also, and I feel like I've posted about this a lot, but maybe not, I REALLY love doing capoeira. And I don't suck at it, which always helps. Last week, the capoeira association in Lyon had an open house and all of their classes were free and open to the public. I only made it to the class on Friday night, but it was really fun, and it was a little more challenging, and a smaller class than I am used to in my class at school. Also, the people who do it there are a little more serious than the people in my class. So, I kind of went around and around in my head about taking classes on a regular basis at the studio. On the one hand, it's kind of expensive (although really it's not that bad...just an extra expense), and my schedule doesn't work all that well with the classes that are offered. On the other hand, I feel like I could be good at this if I practice at it (plus, it kind of makes me feel like a badass), and it's more of a community, so it would be a good way to make friends. Anyway, after much contemplation, I've decided that, for the time being, I'm going to try to do one class a week there and see how it goes and then maybe start taking more. I guess it's kind of a silly thing to blog about, but it's sort of a big decision for me to commit myself to something like this and to think about being a part of something here in Lyon.
Um, let's see...have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my living situation? Becuase I do. This morning, Wei knocked on my door to ask me if everything was ok, becuase apparantly yesterday I seemed upset. I hadn't really realized that I was acting any different, but I did kind of lock myself away in my room and I was a little frustrated about this paper that I had to write. It's not even really a paper, but a detailed outline + the introduction for the paper were I to write it. [sidenote: the French really love their organization. Lionel was telling me that, generally, when students take a written exam and have 3 hours to write an essay, they well spend and hour or an hour and a half just writing a detailed outline...wow] Without going into too much detail, the essay is about the two empires (Napoleon I and Napoleon III). So I spent all day yesterday reading about the basic history of the two empires, as that's not something I ever really studied in depth, and then I spent the evening being frustrated because I had no idea what to do with the paper. Then, last night, Florence came to my room and asked how the essay was going and I just kind of looked at her pathetically and told her I hadn't even started writing and I was totally lost. I spent the next half hour talking with Lionel, and Florence pulled a bunch of books out and we came up with a basic outline. And they said that tonight they would be more than happy to look at what I wrote. So, since I didn't have classes today, I spent most of the day working on it, and I'm mostly finished. It is a huge weight off of my shoulders and I actually think it might be decent (although I'm still not exactly sure what the teacher is expecting). I don't know what I would do if I didn't have an amazing couple of really smart people here to help me out. And, going back to the beginning of this thought process, it was really touching that Wei noticed that I wasn't in the best of moods yesterday, and she urged me to talk to her if I ever needed someone. I really couldn't imagine being in a better place right now.
Ok, enough gushing...I need to put the finishing touches on my paper and then I think I might go see a movie.
ps. A couple people sent me advice on my plant after the post where I said it was dying, so update: I think I was overwatering it and I stopped that and now it is much happier.
Also, and I feel like I've posted about this a lot, but maybe not, I REALLY love doing capoeira. And I don't suck at it, which always helps. Last week, the capoeira association in Lyon had an open house and all of their classes were free and open to the public. I only made it to the class on Friday night, but it was really fun, and it was a little more challenging, and a smaller class than I am used to in my class at school. Also, the people who do it there are a little more serious than the people in my class. So, I kind of went around and around in my head about taking classes on a regular basis at the studio. On the one hand, it's kind of expensive (although really it's not that bad...just an extra expense), and my schedule doesn't work all that well with the classes that are offered. On the other hand, I feel like I could be good at this if I practice at it (plus, it kind of makes me feel like a badass), and it's more of a community, so it would be a good way to make friends. Anyway, after much contemplation, I've decided that, for the time being, I'm going to try to do one class a week there and see how it goes and then maybe start taking more. I guess it's kind of a silly thing to blog about, but it's sort of a big decision for me to commit myself to something like this and to think about being a part of something here in Lyon.
Um, let's see...have I mentioned lately that I LOVE my living situation? Becuase I do. This morning, Wei knocked on my door to ask me if everything was ok, becuase apparantly yesterday I seemed upset. I hadn't really realized that I was acting any different, but I did kind of lock myself away in my room and I was a little frustrated about this paper that I had to write. It's not even really a paper, but a detailed outline + the introduction for the paper were I to write it. [sidenote: the French really love their organization. Lionel was telling me that, generally, when students take a written exam and have 3 hours to write an essay, they well spend and hour or an hour and a half just writing a detailed outline...wow] Without going into too much detail, the essay is about the two empires (Napoleon I and Napoleon III). So I spent all day yesterday reading about the basic history of the two empires, as that's not something I ever really studied in depth, and then I spent the evening being frustrated because I had no idea what to do with the paper. Then, last night, Florence came to my room and asked how the essay was going and I just kind of looked at her pathetically and told her I hadn't even started writing and I was totally lost. I spent the next half hour talking with Lionel, and Florence pulled a bunch of books out and we came up with a basic outline. And they said that tonight they would be more than happy to look at what I wrote. So, since I didn't have classes today, I spent most of the day working on it, and I'm mostly finished. It is a huge weight off of my shoulders and I actually think it might be decent (although I'm still not exactly sure what the teacher is expecting). I don't know what I would do if I didn't have an amazing couple of really smart people here to help me out. And, going back to the beginning of this thought process, it was really touching that Wei noticed that I wasn't in the best of moods yesterday, and she urged me to talk to her if I ever needed someone. I really couldn't imagine being in a better place right now.
Ok, enough gushing...I need to put the finishing touches on my paper and then I think I might go see a movie.
ps. A couple people sent me advice on my plant after the post where I said it was dying, so update: I think I was overwatering it and I stopped that and now it is much happier.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
up close and personal
Words are tricksy things. It is easy to think we understand them, to think that we know what someone is trying to say. But really, words have so many different meanings, acute and unique to the person who is speaking them. Even if we thing we understand, we generally only half understand.
Have you ever listened to a song, and felt like that song was meant for you in that moment ? Did you listen to that song ove rand ove rand know that you understood exactly what was being said, what the singer was feeling when they wrote the lyrics ? Did you feel the music in your bones, as if it resonated with your very being ? Probably you have, but it’s more than likely that you only half understood…that you were only half listening.
A little over a year ago, a friend of mine passed on a bunch of music that he had picked up in Europe. Most of it was french hip-hop, some of which i was familiar with, and some that was totally new to me. The first CD he gave me, though, and the one he was really excited for me to have, was a CD called Midi 20 by french slam poet called Grand Corps Malade. I listened to the CD driving home, and mostly just listened without trying to focus on and translate the lyrics. I liked it, but I wouldn’t say I was taken by it right away. But the next day, my friend asked me if I had listened to the CD. Wasn’t it great ? Did you listen to this song ? That song ? His favorite was a song called « Ma tête, mon cœur, et mes couilles » (« My head, my heart, and my balls »). Surprise surprise. So I listened to the CD again, and set myself to really listen. Every time I listened to it, it got a little better.
Since receiving the CD, I listen to it every once in a while. Every once in a while I will have one of those moments where I really feel a song (although they aren’t really songs, but poems, sometimes set to music, or sometimes just the words with sounds in the background, but for simplicity I’ll use song). Getting ready to come to France, I listened to it quite a bit because he speaks very clearly and is easy to understand. I even named my blog after one of his songs (which, ironically, just started playing on my iTunes). In this song, he explains the things he sees from his window—kids playing in the street, the different people who hang out at the café across the street. And he also talks about the feelings and thoughts that the things he sees inspire in him. That’s what I wanted my blog to be like.
Then, in the first week or so of being in Lyon, I saw that he was coming here. I had to go. I went to buy a ticket, and ended up buying two because there weren’t many left, and I knew I wasn’t going to want to go alone. This past week, I talked to some friends about going, but i twas too expensive, or they had other things going on. I was a little nervous that, not only had I wasted 25 euro, but I would be going alone. Then, I invited a friend that I really haven’t seen much since the first couple weeks, and she said she would love to come, and I got all excited. We even got together early to cook a yummy dinner and drink Beaujolais wine before the concert. So going into the concert I was in a good mood.
And then it started. Well, at least the opening act started—a stand up comedian. But i twas Grand Corps Malade who announced him, and just hearing his voice, even though he was off stage, kind of gave me chills. He has this really intensely low voice that is just amazing (especially coming out of this tall skinny white guy). Sammy, the guy who opened, was really good and funny, an dit was a good way to get into « french mode », after spending the evening speaking english with my friend. Then Grand Corps Malade came on stage and opened with one of his poems. He was a silhoutte, shrouded in smoke and lit from behind. The whole concert had this sort of mystical feeling, everything shrouded in smoke. I could go on and describe the whole thing, but I wont. I’m going to go back to my train of thought from the beginning of this post.
What I felt sitting in the theater was that, even though I got the songs when I listened to them on my iPod, even though I really enjoyed them, when I heard them live in concert, I understood them on a whole other level. And I didn’t really even have to try. I didn’t have to focus on the words and their meanings. I just kind of followed and comprehended. I don’t know what it is about live performances that are just so much more powerful than anything else you can experience. Ever. I really wish I could explain it better, the feeling that I got listening to the songs that I thought I knew pretty well, and discovering all these new little nuances, understanting a little better what he meant.
Long story short, the Grand Corps Malade concert was tonight, and it far surpassed my expectations—which is saying a lot because I have been looking forward to it for over a month. I think I’ve been more excited about it that for the MC Solaar concert (again, saying a lot, because it’s MC SOLAAR).
I kind of feel like this post is full of unfinished thoughts, but I’m still kind of processing. I do that after concerts. And now I’m gonna do it in my pajamas in bed…and, in the words of Grand Corps Malade himself, « je me couche avec le sourire et je dors sur mes deux oreilles ».
Have you ever listened to a song, and felt like that song was meant for you in that moment ? Did you listen to that song ove rand ove rand know that you understood exactly what was being said, what the singer was feeling when they wrote the lyrics ? Did you feel the music in your bones, as if it resonated with your very being ? Probably you have, but it’s more than likely that you only half understood…that you were only half listening.
A little over a year ago, a friend of mine passed on a bunch of music that he had picked up in Europe. Most of it was french hip-hop, some of which i was familiar with, and some that was totally new to me. The first CD he gave me, though, and the one he was really excited for me to have, was a CD called Midi 20 by french slam poet called Grand Corps Malade. I listened to the CD driving home, and mostly just listened without trying to focus on and translate the lyrics. I liked it, but I wouldn’t say I was taken by it right away. But the next day, my friend asked me if I had listened to the CD. Wasn’t it great ? Did you listen to this song ? That song ? His favorite was a song called « Ma tête, mon cœur, et mes couilles » (« My head, my heart, and my balls »). Surprise surprise. So I listened to the CD again, and set myself to really listen. Every time I listened to it, it got a little better.
Since receiving the CD, I listen to it every once in a while. Every once in a while I will have one of those moments where I really feel a song (although they aren’t really songs, but poems, sometimes set to music, or sometimes just the words with sounds in the background, but for simplicity I’ll use song). Getting ready to come to France, I listened to it quite a bit because he speaks very clearly and is easy to understand. I even named my blog after one of his songs (which, ironically, just started playing on my iTunes). In this song, he explains the things he sees from his window—kids playing in the street, the different people who hang out at the café across the street. And he also talks about the feelings and thoughts that the things he sees inspire in him. That’s what I wanted my blog to be like.
Then, in the first week or so of being in Lyon, I saw that he was coming here. I had to go. I went to buy a ticket, and ended up buying two because there weren’t many left, and I knew I wasn’t going to want to go alone. This past week, I talked to some friends about going, but i twas too expensive, or they had other things going on. I was a little nervous that, not only had I wasted 25 euro, but I would be going alone. Then, I invited a friend that I really haven’t seen much since the first couple weeks, and she said she would love to come, and I got all excited. We even got together early to cook a yummy dinner and drink Beaujolais wine before the concert. So going into the concert I was in a good mood.
And then it started. Well, at least the opening act started—a stand up comedian. But i twas Grand Corps Malade who announced him, and just hearing his voice, even though he was off stage, kind of gave me chills. He has this really intensely low voice that is just amazing (especially coming out of this tall skinny white guy). Sammy, the guy who opened, was really good and funny, an dit was a good way to get into « french mode », after spending the evening speaking english with my friend. Then Grand Corps Malade came on stage and opened with one of his poems. He was a silhoutte, shrouded in smoke and lit from behind. The whole concert had this sort of mystical feeling, everything shrouded in smoke. I could go on and describe the whole thing, but I wont. I’m going to go back to my train of thought from the beginning of this post.
What I felt sitting in the theater was that, even though I got the songs when I listened to them on my iPod, even though I really enjoyed them, when I heard them live in concert, I understood them on a whole other level. And I didn’t really even have to try. I didn’t have to focus on the words and their meanings. I just kind of followed and comprehended. I don’t know what it is about live performances that are just so much more powerful than anything else you can experience. Ever. I really wish I could explain it better, the feeling that I got listening to the songs that I thought I knew pretty well, and discovering all these new little nuances, understanting a little better what he meant.
Long story short, the Grand Corps Malade concert was tonight, and it far surpassed my expectations—which is saying a lot because I have been looking forward to it for over a month. I think I’ve been more excited about it that for the MC Solaar concert (again, saying a lot, because it’s MC SOLAAR).
I kind of feel like this post is full of unfinished thoughts, but I’m still kind of processing. I do that after concerts. And now I’m gonna do it in my pajamas in bed…and, in the words of Grand Corps Malade himself, « je me couche avec le sourire et je dors sur mes deux oreilles ».
Saturday, October 20, 2007
oh, those crazy french people...
So, on Thursday, French transportation workers went on strike because there is a lack of funding for their retirement (man, can you imagine if Americans went on strike for stuff like that?). Anyway, SNCF, the major rail company, was on strike, and many other transportation companies went on strike as well. In the days leading up to the strike, we were warned that metro, tram, and bus schedules would be iffy, depending on how many workers chose to strike.
My experience of the strike was pretty minimal. As it turned out, the metro and the trams were going pretty strong, and it was mostly just the buses that were affected by the strike. As I live in a central part of town, I rarely ever take buses, so really I wasn't affected much at all. I even missed the strikers and their "manifestation" at Place Bellecour. I'm just glad I hadn't planned on going anywhere outside of Lyon, because even in the past couple of days, SNCF has had limited service because of a continuation of the strike.
I was talking with Wei and her friend on Friday about the strike. Wei has been here for a year already, and her friends has been here for two, and they both had stories to tell about weeklong strikes, where you couldn't get anywhere because the metros and trams were essentially shut down. And, two years ago there was a student strike at the university that lasted months. On the one hand, I'm glad that this strike didn't squash any of my plans, but at the same time, I think it would be kind of cool to have a good "grève" story to tell when I go home. Especially since the strike is such a strong French tradition.
Today I got to experience an interesting lyonnais tradition: the distribution of the Petit Paumé. What it is is a little book that lists all the cool places in Lyon--restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, etc. And it's put together by students, and thy rate all of the different locations and write little blurbs about them. The book is free, and the presentation of it is a big deal. Last night there was a big pre-Petit Paumé shindig, which I didn't attend, and then this afternoon at Place Bellecour, they started giving them out. It was crazy. They were supposed to start at 1:00; I got there at 1:30 and there were a LOT of people crowded in front of a stage, where they were carrying stacks of books around, but they hadn't started handing them out yet. While I waited, the crowd kept growing. I could see the metro exit from where I was standing, and people kept coming out in waves and joining the group crowded around the little stage (I learned later that there were actually two stages with equally large crowds). Then, they started handing them out, and you would have thought I was in a group of 13 year old girls trying to get to Justin Timberlake. Everyone was pushing toward the stage and then there were people who had gotten their books and were trying to go the other direction (sometimes with stacks of the precious book). It was a mess, but I pushed my way through and made it to the stage, nabbed two, and fought my way out of the crowd (which was not easy, lemme tell you).
Taking the metro home, I started flipping through the book, and it is so cool! Every year it has a theme, and this year the theme was "Once upon a time..." so there is an introduction with a story about a magic fairy and a bunch of orphaned children, and all through the book there are fairy tale pictures, and even the little blurbs for the different places fit the theme. It's really a very neat little book.
Anyway, there is the excitement in France these days. In my life, everything has been pretty much business as usual.
My experience of the strike was pretty minimal. As it turned out, the metro and the trams were going pretty strong, and it was mostly just the buses that were affected by the strike. As I live in a central part of town, I rarely ever take buses, so really I wasn't affected much at all. I even missed the strikers and their "manifestation" at Place Bellecour. I'm just glad I hadn't planned on going anywhere outside of Lyon, because even in the past couple of days, SNCF has had limited service because of a continuation of the strike.
I was talking with Wei and her friend on Friday about the strike. Wei has been here for a year already, and her friends has been here for two, and they both had stories to tell about weeklong strikes, where you couldn't get anywhere because the metros and trams were essentially shut down. And, two years ago there was a student strike at the university that lasted months. On the one hand, I'm glad that this strike didn't squash any of my plans, but at the same time, I think it would be kind of cool to have a good "grève" story to tell when I go home. Especially since the strike is such a strong French tradition.
Today I got to experience an interesting lyonnais tradition: the distribution of the Petit Paumé. What it is is a little book that lists all the cool places in Lyon--restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, etc. And it's put together by students, and thy rate all of the different locations and write little blurbs about them. The book is free, and the presentation of it is a big deal. Last night there was a big pre-Petit Paumé shindig, which I didn't attend, and then this afternoon at Place Bellecour, they started giving them out. It was crazy. They were supposed to start at 1:00; I got there at 1:30 and there were a LOT of people crowded in front of a stage, where they were carrying stacks of books around, but they hadn't started handing them out yet. While I waited, the crowd kept growing. I could see the metro exit from where I was standing, and people kept coming out in waves and joining the group crowded around the little stage (I learned later that there were actually two stages with equally large crowds). Then, they started handing them out, and you would have thought I was in a group of 13 year old girls trying to get to Justin Timberlake. Everyone was pushing toward the stage and then there were people who had gotten their books and were trying to go the other direction (sometimes with stacks of the precious book). It was a mess, but I pushed my way through and made it to the stage, nabbed two, and fought my way out of the crowd (which was not easy, lemme tell you).
Taking the metro home, I started flipping through the book, and it is so cool! Every year it has a theme, and this year the theme was "Once upon a time..." so there is an introduction with a story about a magic fairy and a bunch of orphaned children, and all through the book there are fairy tale pictures, and even the little blurbs for the different places fit the theme. It's really a very neat little book.
Anyway, there is the excitement in France these days. In my life, everything has been pretty much business as usual.
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