Wow. So I've been procrastinating. I planned on writing this a week ago, and not today. Plus, I have sooo much homework to do.
So I'm going to try and make it short of what I did last week.
On Monday, I went grocery shopping at the Carrefour, and picked up food for the week. The day after that was Bastille Day in France. Me, my group, and some other people from the residence went to a nearby beach to watch the fireworks go off. You could see the neighboring ones in nearby Cannes. The fireworks show was not much to behold though; ones in the US are much more impressive.
On Wednesday, I went to Antibes and skipped out on this cooking class that Christiane, our program director, had planned for us (more on her later). Antibes was fun. Saw a Picasso museum, the town, the beach, and got to hang out more with Silvia (spain), and Viola (italy).
Thursday, we had another conference to learn about different wines. It is really unnecessarily long. We seriously learn about the tongue, different scents, and some really technical terms about wine. Worth the experience, but it might have been more worthwhile to have spent those 2 hours roaming the streets of Nice.
Friday, I realised I have tonsillitis...great... So I skipped class and mailed my postcards (finally), went to see the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and caught up on some French vocab. Croissants are definitely comfort food.
Then on Saturday, I woke up early to go to Cannes with other people from the university. We got to Cannes, climbed to the chateau, saw a museum, and took a boat to the Ile St. Marguerite (an island off of Cannes). We ate lunch there and saw the prison where the Man with the Iron Mask was held. The excursion description was misleading, however, because it implied that we were spending the day in Cannes (the city renowned for its famous film festival) and not some, you know, deserted island. As a result, me and the Belgians decided to head back to the mainland on an earlier boat. We walked around, got an ice cream, did some shopping, and met up with everyone else to return to Nice.
Sunday was a recovery day for me. My dad told me to go to the pharmacy to get some antibiotics, but the one closest to me was closed and I was not feeling up to going on a city-wide search for tonsil medication. So I just kicked back like the Chinese and drank some ancient herbal remedy, more commonly known as green tea.
Monday was just a usual school day. Woke up at 7. Brushed my teeth like crazy to get rid of all those nasty tonsil bacteria germs from my mouth. Ate some cereal, got dressed, packed lunch sandwich, and met everyone downstairs at 8 to catch the bus to the Faculte des Lettres. Class started at 9. Worked on some writing exercises, break at 11, class out at 12 for lunch. I finally picked up some antibiotics, which cost me, get this, 2 euros. Class resumed at 1:30 for Spoken French elective where we watched clips from a movie, Noelle Perna. After class, returned to the residence and took some more recovery time.
Finally Tuesday. (That's today). The antibiotics are kicking in and I'm feeling a little better. Can't wait til it's easier to swallow. Episodes of Smallville and SYTYCD (Jeanine Mason from Ransom has made it to the Top 8!) have been keeping me company during my illness.
I think I've been sick, like, 4 times in Europe. I'm quite the sickling. Might want to stay away. Just kidding. But seriously...
ALRIGHT. Now I am making promises that hopefully aren't empty. I will update between now and Friday. And sorry for making this longer than I said I would--it's hard to cover a week's worth of information in a couple of paragraphs.
A plus tard,
-Michelle
Friday, July 17, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Second Week flew by
So this week was really eventful.
On Monday, I went to class. I had grammar from 9-12 and then my francais parle (spoken french) workshop from 1:30-3:30. Between classes every day I eat lunch at the beach. Alex met me at the school and she stayed at the beach until my second class was over. Then she, Jared, and I went to the Chagall museum. You can see pictures here. That evening, I was supposed to have a welcome dinner at another university location, but we couldn't find it, so Alex and I went back to Vieux Nice (where I live) to eat dinner and give her time to pack. She left around 9pm.
On Tuesday, same deal with class, but after school, we had salsa classes. They were terrible in comparison to Spain so I left early. I went shopping at the Monoprix in Place Garibaldi to buy a notebook and some other stuff. Then, finally, I uploaded some pictures!
The excursion to Villefranche was that Wednesday. It was pretty, but not much else. There was a chateau, a small church designed by Jean Cocteau (famous french architect), and of course, the beach. The beach there was much more crowded than Nice's though, and I prefer the one near us. After the excursion, me, Tess, and our nice Belgium friends from the school walked around on a shopping street near the train station. The "soldes" in France began on July 8th, so all prices on clothing, shoes, everything are greatly reduced. How convenient for my wallet!
I felt as though I was at school for an eternity on Thursday. That afternoon, the school had planned an "oenologie conference," so that we could taste different wines, cheeses, and learn how to distinguish certain flavors from others. The girl sitting to my left, Alexandra, was super obnoxious. She basically kept asserting the answers when she was obviously French and had done this before. On my right, I sat next to Silvia, a friend from Spain. We made plans to go to the beach on Sunday. After the oenologie, I went back to Segurane, the residence.
Our group director had emailed us that on Friday she would take us out for "happy hour." Apparently, she's retarded. Several group members attempted to order alcoholic drinks, and she was like, "oh no, bien sur que non." Well, if you're going to invite us for happy hour, make sure to include that we know you mean mock-tails.
Saturday and Sunday, I spent a combined total of--wait for it--8 hours at the beach. Sunday was much more fun though, hanging out with Silvia, Tine, Peggy, Barbara, and Jared. We spent forever just floating around in the crystal-clear Mediterranee.
I'm now quite dark.
One more thing...... No class tomorrow because it's Bastille Day! 14 Juillet!! Going to the beach tonight to watch fireworks. :)
A toutes mes amis! I promise to update more frequently!
-Michelle
On Monday, I went to class. I had grammar from 9-12 and then my francais parle (spoken french) workshop from 1:30-3:30. Between classes every day I eat lunch at the beach. Alex met me at the school and she stayed at the beach until my second class was over. Then she, Jared, and I went to the Chagall museum. You can see pictures here. That evening, I was supposed to have a welcome dinner at another university location, but we couldn't find it, so Alex and I went back to Vieux Nice (where I live) to eat dinner and give her time to pack. She left around 9pm.
On Tuesday, same deal with class, but after school, we had salsa classes. They were terrible in comparison to Spain so I left early. I went shopping at the Monoprix in Place Garibaldi to buy a notebook and some other stuff. Then, finally, I uploaded some pictures!
The excursion to Villefranche was that Wednesday. It was pretty, but not much else. There was a chateau, a small church designed by Jean Cocteau (famous french architect), and of course, the beach. The beach there was much more crowded than Nice's though, and I prefer the one near us. After the excursion, me, Tess, and our nice Belgium friends from the school walked around on a shopping street near the train station. The "soldes" in France began on July 8th, so all prices on clothing, shoes, everything are greatly reduced. How convenient for my wallet!
I felt as though I was at school for an eternity on Thursday. That afternoon, the school had planned an "oenologie conference," so that we could taste different wines, cheeses, and learn how to distinguish certain flavors from others. The girl sitting to my left, Alexandra, was super obnoxious. She basically kept asserting the answers when she was obviously French and had done this before. On my right, I sat next to Silvia, a friend from Spain. We made plans to go to the beach on Sunday. After the oenologie, I went back to Segurane, the residence.
Our group director had emailed us that on Friday she would take us out for "happy hour." Apparently, she's retarded. Several group members attempted to order alcoholic drinks, and she was like, "oh no, bien sur que non." Well, if you're going to invite us for happy hour, make sure to include that we know you mean mock-tails.
Saturday and Sunday, I spent a combined total of--wait for it--8 hours at the beach. Sunday was much more fun though, hanging out with Silvia, Tine, Peggy, Barbara, and Jared. We spent forever just floating around in the crystal-clear Mediterranee.
I'm now quite dark.
One more thing...... No class tomorrow because it's Bastille Day! 14 Juillet!! Going to the beach tonight to watch fireworks. :)
A toutes mes amis! I promise to update more frequently!
-Michelle
Monday, July 6, 2009
First week on the French Riviera
I arrived in France with my dad on the 29 of June and saw the beautiful city of Nice for the first time. The beach runs all across the city--from the airport all the way to the old city. We spent the night in a nice hotel on the coast and familiarized ourselves with the area and nearby walking streets. Definitely ate some excellent french cuisine.
My program here began the next day on the 30th...or so I thought. My dad and stepmom, Esta, went with me to the Carrefour (grocery/anything-you-could-possibly-need-ever store) to pick up some essentials and food for my apartment. Unlike Salamanca where I lived in an open residence with students walking in and out of my living areas, my apartment in France is all to myself. It's bittersweet. On one hand, I have complete privacy, my own fridge, and own bathroom, but on the other hand, it can get quite lonely sometimes.
Abroadco is much less structured than API. Whereas my on-site director in Spain, Maria, had only one job--working for API--the program director here, Christiane, lives in a city an hour away (Grasse), has another job teaching at a school there, and neither plans nor explains anything to us. Lucky for me, Nice is a city with great public transportation and very easy to navigate.
On July 1, I went to take my placement test at L'universite (Faculte des lettres). Despite not having had the directions via bus (and another bus) explained to us, me and the rest of the abroadco-ers found the school with time to spare. The test placed me in niveau B1 or Group 6, which is a pretty advanced level. Surprisingly, many people who have come here speak practically no French.
The first few days of class were pretty chill. We had no excursions planned because the universite coordinators wanted to give us a chance to become accustomed to the city. However, most of my time was spent at the beach after school--a 2 minute bus ride on the 22.
Then, Alex Goodman came to visit on Friday, which motivated me to get a move on things to do in Nice. On Friday night, I showed Alex the clubs in Vieux Nice on Rue de la Prefecture. We went to bed semi-early because we couldn't find my friends in Wayne's--a hang out place. On Saturday, the university planned a free tour of the city and the chateau, so Alex and I went to that before hitting the beach. That night, we went bowling to celebrate the fourth of July. What better way than with an American pasttime? On Sunday, we woke up early and met up with Jared, a guy from my group, to visit the Matisse museum north of where I live. The museum was nothing spectacular, but it awoke memories from my childhood when I saw a painting that my mom had in my first house. After that, we strolled down to the Promenade des Anglais--the main street that goes along the beach--and watched the last 50 meters of le Tour de France. And yes, Lance was sporting his signature yellow, thank-you-very-much. :] We went to the beach for a little bit after that, and then went back to my apartment to rinse off and relax a little.
Today, I let Alex sleep in while I was in class in the morning. She met me at the school and then we sat on the beach during the break in between my class and my first atelier, an elective of spoken french. In the class, we learned how to text in French, which is surprisingly more intricate and complicated than one would think. It was very interesting. After class, Jared, Alex and I went to the Chagall museum, which wasn't free, but it did have excellent audio guide explanations included with our student price. Who knew that Chagall was so fond of biblical references?
Well, that's been my journey so far here. Tomorrow there are optional salsa classes that I signed up for. Hopefully, those dance classes in Salamanca served me well.
Enjoy! I'll be home in 23 days :)
-Michelle
My program here began the next day on the 30th...or so I thought. My dad and stepmom, Esta, went with me to the Carrefour (grocery/anything-you-could-possibly-need-ever store) to pick up some essentials and food for my apartment. Unlike Salamanca where I lived in an open residence with students walking in and out of my living areas, my apartment in France is all to myself. It's bittersweet. On one hand, I have complete privacy, my own fridge, and own bathroom, but on the other hand, it can get quite lonely sometimes.
Abroadco is much less structured than API. Whereas my on-site director in Spain, Maria, had only one job--working for API--the program director here, Christiane, lives in a city an hour away (Grasse), has another job teaching at a school there, and neither plans nor explains anything to us. Lucky for me, Nice is a city with great public transportation and very easy to navigate.
On July 1, I went to take my placement test at L'universite (Faculte des lettres). Despite not having had the directions via bus (and another bus) explained to us, me and the rest of the abroadco-ers found the school with time to spare. The test placed me in niveau B1 or Group 6, which is a pretty advanced level. Surprisingly, many people who have come here speak practically no French.
The first few days of class were pretty chill. We had no excursions planned because the universite coordinators wanted to give us a chance to become accustomed to the city. However, most of my time was spent at the beach after school--a 2 minute bus ride on the 22.
Then, Alex Goodman came to visit on Friday, which motivated me to get a move on things to do in Nice. On Friday night, I showed Alex the clubs in Vieux Nice on Rue de la Prefecture. We went to bed semi-early because we couldn't find my friends in Wayne's--a hang out place. On Saturday, the university planned a free tour of the city and the chateau, so Alex and I went to that before hitting the beach. That night, we went bowling to celebrate the fourth of July. What better way than with an American pasttime? On Sunday, we woke up early and met up with Jared, a guy from my group, to visit the Matisse museum north of where I live. The museum was nothing spectacular, but it awoke memories from my childhood when I saw a painting that my mom had in my first house. After that, we strolled down to the Promenade des Anglais--the main street that goes along the beach--and watched the last 50 meters of le Tour de France. And yes, Lance was sporting his signature yellow, thank-you-very-much. :] We went to the beach for a little bit after that, and then went back to my apartment to rinse off and relax a little.
Today, I let Alex sleep in while I was in class in the morning. She met me at the school and then we sat on the beach during the break in between my class and my first atelier, an elective of spoken french. In the class, we learned how to text in French, which is surprisingly more intricate and complicated than one would think. It was very interesting. After class, Jared, Alex and I went to the Chagall museum, which wasn't free, but it did have excellent audio guide explanations included with our student price. Who knew that Chagall was so fond of biblical references?
Well, that's been my journey so far here. Tomorrow there are optional salsa classes that I signed up for. Hopefully, those dance classes in Salamanca served me well.
Enjoy! I'll be home in 23 days :)
-Michelle
Monday, June 29, 2009
Côte d'Azur
Hey everyone,
I arrived in Nice, France today after landing in Milan, Rome to drive here. More to come later.
<3
Michelle
I arrived in Nice, France today after landing in Milan, Rome to drive here. More to come later.
<3
Michelle
Friday, June 26, 2009
Last day in Salamanca
WOW This trip has gone by so fast. I didn't post as much as I would have liked, but most of the school days were about the same, with a couple differences in between. I'll go through my normal routine for you.
8:00: Alarm goes off
8:30: finally get out of bed and eat quick breakfast
8:45-9:00: Walk to class on calle zamora, through the plaza mayor
9-11: Grammar class with begona
11-12: Clase de historia espanola
12-1: Clase de literatura espanola e hispanoamericana
1-2ish: Clase de cine espanol e hispanoamericano
2:15-2:30: walk back to the residence
2:30: lunch cooked by our house mom Nane (she also does our laundry)
Now here's where the plan's can change up:
2:45- go out on the terrace and tan/ walk around the city/ shop on calle de los toros / play volibol at the complejo deportivo / go swimming at the public pool/ watch tv/ look for episodes of so you think you can dance on youtube or surfthechannel (jeanine mason from ransom is a contestant)/SKYPE/ other miscellaneous activities.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, I taught English to Miguel and Olga at 4:30, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I went to Salsa classes at 7:30. The volunteering was great and both of the kids were adorable. It was definitely a valuable experience. The salsa classes were a lot of fun, too. Now I no longer feel so incompetent. :]
At night, a lot of people would go out, but nightlife in Spain never starts before 12:30, so by that time I was generally too tired or lazy to. I accompanied friends to the plaza once in a while, but didn't really get big into the whole going out scene.
And now, before I even realize, my dad is in town!! Yesterday, he arrived in Madrid, and he should be in Salamanca around 4 p.m. I'm so excited to see him, and I also ran out of money, so it's kind of a necessity. Love you, dad!
In the next few days, I'll be transitioning from Salamanca to Nice, with a hint of Italy stirred in there somewhere. As much as I have loved studying the culture here, I can not wait for the next half of this summer journey.
A tout a l'heure!
-Michelle
8:00: Alarm goes off
8:30: finally get out of bed and eat quick breakfast
8:45-9:00: Walk to class on calle zamora, through the plaza mayor
9-11: Grammar class with begona
11-12: Clase de historia espanola
12-1: Clase de literatura espanola e hispanoamericana
1-2ish: Clase de cine espanol e hispanoamericano
2:15-2:30: walk back to the residence
2:30: lunch cooked by our house mom Nane (she also does our laundry)
Now here's where the plan's can change up:
2:45- go out on the terrace and tan/ walk around the city/ shop on calle de los toros / play volibol at the complejo deportivo / go swimming at the public pool/ watch tv/ look for episodes of so you think you can dance on youtube or surfthechannel (jeanine mason from ransom is a contestant)/SKYPE/ other miscellaneous activities.
On Mondays and Wednesdays, I taught English to Miguel and Olga at 4:30, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I went to Salsa classes at 7:30. The volunteering was great and both of the kids were adorable. It was definitely a valuable experience. The salsa classes were a lot of fun, too. Now I no longer feel so incompetent. :]
At night, a lot of people would go out, but nightlife in Spain never starts before 12:30, so by that time I was generally too tired or lazy to. I accompanied friends to the plaza once in a while, but didn't really get big into the whole going out scene.
And now, before I even realize, my dad is in town!! Yesterday, he arrived in Madrid, and he should be in Salamanca around 4 p.m. I'm so excited to see him, and I also ran out of money, so it's kind of a necessity. Love you, dad!
In the next few days, I'll be transitioning from Salamanca to Nice, with a hint of Italy stirred in there somewhere. As much as I have loved studying the culture here, I can not wait for the next half of this summer journey.
A tout a l'heure!
-Michelle
Monday, June 15, 2009
Galicia y mi Cumpleanos!
I've decided to switch things up and go backwards chronologically.
Little did I know that my friends, Andrea, Marissa, Nadia, and Rose would surprise me with a birthday cake in the residencia!
After dinner, I took a shower.
We got back to the residencia around 9 p.m., just before dinner.
Spent 5 hours on a bus coming back from Santiago de Compostela, a town famous for religious pilgrimages, but nothing else.
Took a short bus ride to Santiago de Compostela after checking out of Hotel Justo in Sanxenxo, Galicia.
Woke up at 8 am to get breakfast before checking out of the hotel.
Went to bed around 1 am.
Ate dinner at a pizza place near our hotel.
Okay, so I'll admit... I wrote this post about two weeks ago. Writing backwards chronologically confused me too much to continue.
Other things I remember about the trip were a boat ride we took to eat mussels, and hanging out on the beach. It was pretty much just a weekend of rest, but still fun to see northern Spain.
Back to School and volunteering!
-Michelle
Little did I know that my friends, Andrea, Marissa, Nadia, and Rose would surprise me with a birthday cake in the residencia!
After dinner, I took a shower.
We got back to the residencia around 9 p.m., just before dinner.
Spent 5 hours on a bus coming back from Santiago de Compostela, a town famous for religious pilgrimages, but nothing else.
Took a short bus ride to Santiago de Compostela after checking out of Hotel Justo in Sanxenxo, Galicia.
Woke up at 8 am to get breakfast before checking out of the hotel.
Went to bed around 1 am.
Ate dinner at a pizza place near our hotel.
Okay, so I'll admit... I wrote this post about two weeks ago. Writing backwards chronologically confused me too much to continue.
Other things I remember about the trip were a boat ride we took to eat mussels, and hanging out on the beach. It was pretty much just a weekend of rest, but still fun to see northern Spain.
Back to School and volunteering!
-Michelle
Monday, June 8, 2009
Sala, Clases y Segovia
Don't get too excited, but.......FIRST SALA(MANCA) POST =)
So, in one word, Salamanca is awesome. It's a pretty small city, and almost everything is in walking distance to the resi(dencia)--the dorm. Nearby, we have a 24 hour store, which I'm fairly certain is its real name, and a Kebab shop. Also located roughly 10 minutes walking distance from the Plaza Mayor. Overall quite a nice location for a resi.
I have my own room with a balcony, a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf. Advantages: same floor as kitchen, dining room, and lounge. Disadvantages: thin walls so the floor gets cold. We also have a huge balcony/terrace for tanning. I like it.
Classes started last Tuesday, June 2, and I'm in el nivel superior, the superior level, el nivel de perfeccionamiento, what you will. I had pretty much expected to not learn anything, because I speak Spanish pretty fluently and my written grammar is near flawless. However, my teacher has some sticks up her ass, and sees a concrete difference between very vague past tenses. It's pretty retarted. In any case, I just play along and pretend she knows what she's talking about.
My classes are 2 hours of the grammar, and then three 1-hour electives: Spanish history, Spanish literature, and Spanish cinema. I like the cinema one the best, obviously. Classes go from 9 am - 2 pm every day, with a couple coffee breaks.
After class on Mondays and Wednesdays, I've volunteered to teach English to a little boy named Miguel who lives in a house on Calle del Arco, a nearby street in the center of town. Today was my second time going there. The family is really nice, and both Miguel and his sister Olga were adopted from the Ukraine, so naturally, they both have nice blond hair--an oddity in Espana. The parents, Marta and Emilio, are both really nice and intelligent, a nurse and doctor, respectively. I feel I'm using too many commas, sorry.
On Tuesdays and Thursday, I've been going to dance classes at 7:30 pm with a group of people from my group. That's been fun even though I'm sure I'll never get the pasos right. Que pena...
In other news, this weekend I went to Segovia with the group. Nothing is really spectacular about Segovia. Highlights include a Roman aqueduct, and the fact that it was yet another place where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived together harmoniously. That is, until they were forcefully expulsed during the inquisition... Surprisingly many tourists for there not being much there.
Well that's it for now, pictures of Segovia will be up soon. :)
-Michelle
So, in one word, Salamanca is awesome. It's a pretty small city, and almost everything is in walking distance to the resi(dencia)--the dorm. Nearby, we have a 24 hour store, which I'm fairly certain is its real name, and a Kebab shop. Also located roughly 10 minutes walking distance from the Plaza Mayor. Overall quite a nice location for a resi.
I have my own room with a balcony, a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf. Advantages: same floor as kitchen, dining room, and lounge. Disadvantages: thin walls so the floor gets cold. We also have a huge balcony/terrace for tanning. I like it.
Classes started last Tuesday, June 2, and I'm in el nivel superior, the superior level, el nivel de perfeccionamiento, what you will. I had pretty much expected to not learn anything, because I speak Spanish pretty fluently and my written grammar is near flawless. However, my teacher has some sticks up her ass, and sees a concrete difference between very vague past tenses. It's pretty retarted. In any case, I just play along and pretend she knows what she's talking about.
My classes are 2 hours of the grammar, and then three 1-hour electives: Spanish history, Spanish literature, and Spanish cinema. I like the cinema one the best, obviously. Classes go from 9 am - 2 pm every day, with a couple coffee breaks.
After class on Mondays and Wednesdays, I've volunteered to teach English to a little boy named Miguel who lives in a house on Calle del Arco, a nearby street in the center of town. Today was my second time going there. The family is really nice, and both Miguel and his sister Olga were adopted from the Ukraine, so naturally, they both have nice blond hair--an oddity in Espana. The parents, Marta and Emilio, are both really nice and intelligent, a nurse and doctor, respectively. I feel I'm using too many commas, sorry.
On Tuesdays and Thursday, I've been going to dance classes at 7:30 pm with a group of people from my group. That's been fun even though I'm sure I'll never get the pasos right. Que pena...
In other news, this weekend I went to Segovia with the group. Nothing is really spectacular about Segovia. Highlights include a Roman aqueduct, and the fact that it was yet another place where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived together harmoniously. That is, until they were forcefully expulsed during the inquisition... Surprisingly many tourists for there not being much there.
Well that's it for now, pictures of Segovia will be up soon. :)
-Michelle
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