As I sit here in Switzerland reading people's posts about 2007, I feel obligated to make my own post about how I think 2007 went. I think that I learned lots about myself this year; though not easy, I think that I have spent most of this year reflecting on life and what I want.
Lots of firsts happened this year. My first college degree. My first 40 hour per week job. The first death that really affected me. The first time I have decided to do something slightly against norms (ie, go abroad and do something that most people would see as "wasting time"). But I did it, and have never been happier.
Other things happened besides just firsts. I lost lots of weight for the first time and have managed to keep it off. I have gone through extreme pain and extreme happiness. I have moved abroad and had a successful time thus far.
So, here is a list of things that happened this year.
+-First job. Not bad at first, but horrible at the end. I learned alot about myself from the job, the most important thing being that I am not meant to sit in front of a computer in an office all day. Never trust co workers too much, either.
--My Grandpa's death. Those of you who know me well know how much of a profond effect this had on me. It was horrible, but like everything else in my life caused me to reflect on things. It was because of his death that I realised I needed to do something new with my life.
++Moving abroad to be an assistant.
Those are the three things that have affected me the most this year. Though it has not all been fun, it has shaped me and I have learned so much about myself.
I really have to thank some people, even though I know few of them will read this blog.
First and foremost, my parents. We used to always argue, but for the first time, I think we are all starting to understand each other better. We may still disagree about a lot of things, and probably always will, but we have definately begun getting closer and agreeing to disagree really has helped. Thanks for your support and help, especially when I moved abroad.
Next, my best friends. You guys are far away but you are still in my thoughts. Kelly, Flo, Judith, Tariq, Ashley, Fernando, Kim, Sabina... I am truly lucky to have friends like you guys. I only hope that I am as a good of a friend to you as you guys all are to me. Kelly, thank you for always making me laugh and talking to me when I am homesick in Chalon. Flo, merci de ton aide quand mon grand-pere est mort, le fait que tu étais là pour moi m'a beaucoup aidée. Judith, merci de m'avoir supporté et d'être mon shopping partner cette année et bien sûr pour ton amitié. Tariq, merci pour tout le fun à DeKalb quand je suis venue rendre visite aux FLRPies. Ashley, thanks for just being you and for being an awesome coffee partner, and listening to all of my problems. Fernando, thank you for all of your advice when I needed it. Kim, I am so glad we got close this year, thank you for all of the cards and facebook messages while I have been abroad. They really made me happy. Finally, Sabina...you are awesome friend and I hope to see you in Europe sometime. Thanks just for simply being there.
Finally, thanks to everyone in France who has made my stay fab this far: the teachers at my school (Simone, "Rambling Ray", Brigitte), and all of my fellow Chalon assistants. Also, thanks to Nadia and Fiona up in Dijon.
As I write this post, I realize that people are what make life worth living. Not possessions, not money, nothing else. I knew this before and it is constantly reinforced, especially when I have been homesick and had a flu for the last few days. Many of you have written to ask how I am, and I am really glad that so many people care so much about me. I still feel sick, but mentally I feel as sharp as a knife. I am ready to enjoy the next leg of my traveling: London!
As I look into 2008, I see exciting things. I may get my European citizenship, and be able to stay in Europe. If not, I will go home and get my masters. Personally, I think both options are exciting ones.
This post is turning really sappy, so I am going to end it here. I have to prepare for tomorrow's trip anyway. I will update again in London.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Sick in Lucerne
Hey guys, only got 2 mins left here but just a quick note to say that i am here in Lucerne, Switzerland now...however, I have spent the entire time here in bed, since I have the flu and tonsilitus (sp?). I went to a doc yesterday and already feel better now that i have meds. Today I take the train to Basel and then on the 27th, I am off to England. I hope to feel 100% by then.
Well thats it. happy holidays everyone!
Well thats it. happy holidays everyone!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
vacay
hey guys! i am writing to you from a webcafe in beautiful Strasbourg, France, home of awesome xmas markets, great food, nice people, and french-germans! Strasbourg has been German 3 times in its history; I knew it was a German city before, but I never knew it was German so many times! The German influence is definately felt here. People speak more German and Alsatian here then French! And I understand most everything, which makes me happy.
I arrived here late Thursday night. The travel was supposed to take a bit under 4 hours; it took 5. There was a train accident in Bourg-en-Bresse, which delayed the entire train réseau (=network), and I had nearly a 2 hour layover in Besançon. I originally was meant to have an hour only, so I wasn't going to venture into downtown. When I got there, I saw that the previous Strasbourg train hadn't even left yet; I should have known at that point that it was going to be a long layover. Had I known, I would have ventured into downtown. But that's ok, Besançon is definitely close enough to Chalon to do in one weekend (2 hour travel)...so maybe a future weekend trip for next semester?
Anyway, it was just after 8 when I got here, so I was just going to go to one of the alimentation generales (=corner store), to buy some bread and an orange for dinner. Instead, I decided to venture out to centre ville and eat a proper dinner, since I was exhausted from the 5 hour journey. Usually, I am "wise" and stay in once it gets dark, but I was so hungry, and it felt safe enough, so I decided to do that instead. I found a really nice place in the center where I ate an Alsacian speciality which consisted of some steak wrapped inside of noodles. It's not lasagne; the noodles are round and in side of each layer of noodles is meat. I am not describing it well and I can't remember the name because it was in Alsacian, which I do not speak. I think it was Baekoffe? It was really good; my description does not do it justice.
Besides good food, I also had (unexpected) good company. The couple next to me was from Luxembourg, and I spoke with them and an Alsacian couple while all of us had our respective meals. We sat there until 11:30 at night just talking! It was so awesome, that would never happen at home because we would have certainly been kicked out of the place. Originally, the Luxembourgians (is that how we call them in English?) thought I was German, which actually happens to me often. I guess the way I look has to do with it. I asked them why they thought I was German; they said it was because of the way I speak French? Interesting. I guess it's because of the strong Chalonnais "r" I now use when I speak French.
So my second day in Strasbourg was basically spent running all over. I started my day by exploring some of the markets; then had lunch at a cute cafe in the center. I had another Alsacian speciality called tarte flambée, or flammekueche in German. I had mine with Munster on top, and it was amazing. I also had créme brûlée for dessert. Yummy stuff. Then, I visited two museums: the Alsatian Musuem and another one about the city's history (musée de l'histoire de la ville). After that I had a tour of the cathedral and of the Petite France neighborhood. Also cool stuff; lots of photos were taken.
One remarkable thing that happened to me was that I must of had about 6 people come up to me asking where such-and-such thing was...do I really blend in that well here? Actually, I noticed that I really look like a lot of the people here in Alsace. In Burgundy, you can tell I am not from the region just by looking at me, but I do indeed blend in well here. Everyone here looks German, since the border is less than an hour away from here. I guess that is why.
Anyway, I got a bit tired of being a tourist after that, so I went to the mall. I know, I know, stop laughing at me. Most people don't go to a mall when they are visiting a city, but I just wanted to chill out and maybe have a coffee, so that's where I went. I enjoyed watching the people in the mall go about their shopping. People in Alsace are more fast paced then us Burgundy folk. I like it. The pace here is in between that of Chicago and Burgundy; it suits me really well. I think if I ever live in Europe that I would live here. In fact, I put Strasbourg as my first choice on my assistantship app, and Burgundy second. I have been thinking the whole weekend that I wish I had been placed here, even though Burgundy is lovely also...
Anyway, I went home from the mall around 8; when I got back to the hotel, I watched Star Academy on TV, which I admit I have become addicted to. I watch it every evening! It is France's version of American Idol, and definately my secret guilty pleasure. It is so cute, and sometimes they have French singers on the program. I really like it!
So, after Star Ac was over, I listened to some music, and feel asleep. I overslept this morning, but still managed to get into town by 10. Today, I just walked around and sort of took things in a bit more. I did so much touristy type stuff yesterday that I kinda just wanted to chill out today. I took the tram out to the Planetarium, which was closed today. This was outside of the center and in the neighborhood right next to the German border. The transport system in Strasbourg actually goes into Germany, so I originally was gonna take the tram into Kehl, the German border city, but I chickened out/got lazy at the last minute and decided against it. I am going to Germany in February, so I figured I would get my German dose at that point. I went to the weekly market, which was bigger than the Chalon one and much too crowded for my liking. I enjoy small markets better than big ones; however, it was still neat because everything was in German!! I thought I was already in Germany!
After that, I had Cordon Bleu for lunch. Actually, cordon bleu is another Alsacian speciality, which I did not know before. It was alright. After that, I was really tired, so I went back to the hotel and napped for a bit. By the time I woke up, it was dark, so I ventured back out into the center of the city, and took in the Christmas markets. I do not have words to describe the beauty of these markets. I will just post pictures when I get back to Chalon, because words would not suffice to explain how beautiful they are.
My parents called me when I was walking around, so I talked to them for a bit. Always nice to hear a familiar voice from home. After that, I walked around a bit more, and now I am here at the internet cafe right near my hotel. My plans for the rest of the evening are to basically relax, have dinner in my room, and shower. I have another 4 hour travel tomorrow as I make my way to Switzerland, so I need to rest up because I can feel myself getting very tired. I take the train to Lucerne tomorrow; hopefully, I will be able to find another internet cafe within the next couple of days so I can update. Otherwise, the next update will come to you guys next week from London.
I'm off now. Hope everyone is enjoying their time off and happy holidays to everyone! I sent some of you New Years cards, which you should be receiving in the next few days...if you read this blog, please leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by!
Hasta la vista!
I arrived here late Thursday night. The travel was supposed to take a bit under 4 hours; it took 5. There was a train accident in Bourg-en-Bresse, which delayed the entire train réseau (=network), and I had nearly a 2 hour layover in Besançon. I originally was meant to have an hour only, so I wasn't going to venture into downtown. When I got there, I saw that the previous Strasbourg train hadn't even left yet; I should have known at that point that it was going to be a long layover. Had I known, I would have ventured into downtown. But that's ok, Besançon is definitely close enough to Chalon to do in one weekend (2 hour travel)...so maybe a future weekend trip for next semester?
Anyway, it was just after 8 when I got here, so I was just going to go to one of the alimentation generales (=corner store), to buy some bread and an orange for dinner. Instead, I decided to venture out to centre ville and eat a proper dinner, since I was exhausted from the 5 hour journey. Usually, I am "wise" and stay in once it gets dark, but I was so hungry, and it felt safe enough, so I decided to do that instead. I found a really nice place in the center where I ate an Alsacian speciality which consisted of some steak wrapped inside of noodles. It's not lasagne; the noodles are round and in side of each layer of noodles is meat. I am not describing it well and I can't remember the name because it was in Alsacian, which I do not speak. I think it was Baekoffe? It was really good; my description does not do it justice.
Besides good food, I also had (unexpected) good company. The couple next to me was from Luxembourg, and I spoke with them and an Alsacian couple while all of us had our respective meals. We sat there until 11:30 at night just talking! It was so awesome, that would never happen at home because we would have certainly been kicked out of the place. Originally, the Luxembourgians (is that how we call them in English?) thought I was German, which actually happens to me often. I guess the way I look has to do with it. I asked them why they thought I was German; they said it was because of the way I speak French? Interesting. I guess it's because of the strong Chalonnais "r" I now use when I speak French.
So my second day in Strasbourg was basically spent running all over. I started my day by exploring some of the markets; then had lunch at a cute cafe in the center. I had another Alsacian speciality called tarte flambée, or flammekueche in German. I had mine with Munster on top, and it was amazing. I also had créme brûlée for dessert. Yummy stuff. Then, I visited two museums: the Alsatian Musuem and another one about the city's history (musée de l'histoire de la ville). After that I had a tour of the cathedral and of the Petite France neighborhood. Also cool stuff; lots of photos were taken.
One remarkable thing that happened to me was that I must of had about 6 people come up to me asking where such-and-such thing was...do I really blend in that well here? Actually, I noticed that I really look like a lot of the people here in Alsace. In Burgundy, you can tell I am not from the region just by looking at me, but I do indeed blend in well here. Everyone here looks German, since the border is less than an hour away from here. I guess that is why.
Anyway, I got a bit tired of being a tourist after that, so I went to the mall. I know, I know, stop laughing at me. Most people don't go to a mall when they are visiting a city, but I just wanted to chill out and maybe have a coffee, so that's where I went. I enjoyed watching the people in the mall go about their shopping. People in Alsace are more fast paced then us Burgundy folk. I like it. The pace here is in between that of Chicago and Burgundy; it suits me really well. I think if I ever live in Europe that I would live here. In fact, I put Strasbourg as my first choice on my assistantship app, and Burgundy second. I have been thinking the whole weekend that I wish I had been placed here, even though Burgundy is lovely also...
Anyway, I went home from the mall around 8; when I got back to the hotel, I watched Star Academy on TV, which I admit I have become addicted to. I watch it every evening! It is France's version of American Idol, and definately my secret guilty pleasure. It is so cute, and sometimes they have French singers on the program. I really like it!
So, after Star Ac was over, I listened to some music, and feel asleep. I overslept this morning, but still managed to get into town by 10. Today, I just walked around and sort of took things in a bit more. I did so much touristy type stuff yesterday that I kinda just wanted to chill out today. I took the tram out to the Planetarium, which was closed today. This was outside of the center and in the neighborhood right next to the German border. The transport system in Strasbourg actually goes into Germany, so I originally was gonna take the tram into Kehl, the German border city, but I chickened out/got lazy at the last minute and decided against it. I am going to Germany in February, so I figured I would get my German dose at that point. I went to the weekly market, which was bigger than the Chalon one and much too crowded for my liking. I enjoy small markets better than big ones; however, it was still neat because everything was in German!! I thought I was already in Germany!
After that, I had Cordon Bleu for lunch. Actually, cordon bleu is another Alsacian speciality, which I did not know before. It was alright. After that, I was really tired, so I went back to the hotel and napped for a bit. By the time I woke up, it was dark, so I ventured back out into the center of the city, and took in the Christmas markets. I do not have words to describe the beauty of these markets. I will just post pictures when I get back to Chalon, because words would not suffice to explain how beautiful they are.
My parents called me when I was walking around, so I talked to them for a bit. Always nice to hear a familiar voice from home. After that, I walked around a bit more, and now I am here at the internet cafe right near my hotel. My plans for the rest of the evening are to basically relax, have dinner in my room, and shower. I have another 4 hour travel tomorrow as I make my way to Switzerland, so I need to rest up because I can feel myself getting very tired. I take the train to Lucerne tomorrow; hopefully, I will be able to find another internet cafe within the next couple of days so I can update. Otherwise, the next update will come to you guys next week from London.
I'm off now. Hope everyone is enjoying their time off and happy holidays to everyone! I sent some of you New Years cards, which you should be receiving in the next few days...if you read this blog, please leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by!
Hasta la vista!
Monday, December 10, 2007
I strongly dislike Mondays
Paris was great this weekend...except for the Parisians that is. No offense to any Parisians who may be reading this blog, but my gosh, they are such snobs up there. I am so glad to be placed in Burgundy where people are much more calm. Anyway, the GRE went about the same as before, although I studied lots more this time. I refuse to take it again. It costs too much money, and it is obviously impossible to study for. And I got a better score in Math than in the Verbal section, so that just proves that this test is inaccurate - I suck at math!
On the upside, it was great hanging out with Katrina, a friend of mine from home who is studying abroad up there. I also got to meet up with another friend from study abroad. It was great seeing them both. I also got some new shoes, two pair for 80 euro. Pas mal de tout, especially in Paris!
When I came back to Chalon, I had dinner with one of my good friends and then went to have tea with another friend. Then I talked to my mom on the phone for an hour, and went to bed. I had to be up this morning at 7, because I went the professional high school to do a presentation for some of the BTS students there. It was a two hour presentation; the first part in English and the second part in French. The first part was hard but the second part went much better, because their English was not very good. Then I had an hour break, then two classes, another hour break, and two more classes. I felt like I was in America today with the amount I worked!
I am really tired right now but I need to go to the store - my fridge is empty! I also want to go see our Christmas market in town but I don't really have the energy. I will probably save that for another day.
Is anyone reading this thing? Leave me comments!!
On the upside, it was great hanging out with Katrina, a friend of mine from home who is studying abroad up there. I also got to meet up with another friend from study abroad. It was great seeing them both. I also got some new shoes, two pair for 80 euro. Pas mal de tout, especially in Paris!
When I came back to Chalon, I had dinner with one of my good friends and then went to have tea with another friend. Then I talked to my mom on the phone for an hour, and went to bed. I had to be up this morning at 7, because I went the professional high school to do a presentation for some of the BTS students there. It was a two hour presentation; the first part in English and the second part in French. The first part was hard but the second part went much better, because their English was not very good. Then I had an hour break, then two classes, another hour break, and two more classes. I felt like I was in America today with the amount I worked!
I am really tired right now but I need to go to the store - my fridge is empty! I also want to go see our Christmas market in town but I don't really have the energy. I will probably save that for another day.
Is anyone reading this thing? Leave me comments!!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
...
So, I have a bit of time to waste before I need to gather up my things and make my way to the train station. I am off to Paris for the weekend. I have to take the GRE tomorrow, so that is the purpose of the visit. I will be staying with my friend Katrina from home and also meeting up with my friend Karen who I studied abroad with in Avignon. Funtimes!!
I went to Grenoble last weekend. It was so great to get out of Burgundy. Burgundy is indeed a charming region, but sometimes it is just too boring to live somewhere small. It was nice to get out and see something else.
I have just heard that there is to be a strike on the 20th of December, so I have (once again) needed to change my plans. I swear, someone is trying to get me to stay in Chalon all of break, which would suck. So now, I will be spending 3 or 4 days in Strasbourg, then travel around Switzerland with some friends. Then up to London. Good stuff fun times.
We had our Thanksgiving meal in Chalon as well. It was pretty good, thought not quite as good as at home. Still, it was nice to celebrate a holiday from home and be surrounded by so many lovely people. :)
That's about it for now. Catch you later!!
I went to Grenoble last weekend. It was so great to get out of Burgundy. Burgundy is indeed a charming region, but sometimes it is just too boring to live somewhere small. It was nice to get out and see something else.
I have just heard that there is to be a strike on the 20th of December, so I have (once again) needed to change my plans. I swear, someone is trying to get me to stay in Chalon all of break, which would suck. So now, I will be spending 3 or 4 days in Strasbourg, then travel around Switzerland with some friends. Then up to London. Good stuff fun times.
We had our Thanksgiving meal in Chalon as well. It was pretty good, thought not quite as good as at home. Still, it was nice to celebrate a holiday from home and be surrounded by so many lovely people. :)
That's about it for now. Catch you later!!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
latest
A friend of mine asked me if I've been updating my blog, which I haven't as regularly as I should be, so Aliya, this post is for you! I am here in my lycée, and have just finished up a Thanksgiving activity for my English club tomorrow. It consists of reading a small text about Thanksgiving and then completing a crossword puzzle. Hopefully, it'll be a hit! We are starting to get some regulars who come to the club, so now there is extra pressure to prepare cool and exciting activities!
Today, I had my first tutoring session with a 10 year old. It went well. He was well-behaved, thank goodness, and his English wasn't half bad. I am sure the sessions will keep going well, and it's a good way for me to earn pocket money (as my Grandpa would have put it).
I also had my dad on the phone this evening, which made me happy, and my mom on the phone last night, which also made me happy! I quite enjoy getting phone calls from home! I know that it's expensive to call, but it makes me oh-so-happy. I also get very happy when I receive mail, so a special shootout to Kim, who has been very diligent about writing me letters. I also received a card from my mom's best friend yesterday, which was really nice. It was great to know that people back home still have not forgotten me.
Today, I was talking to one of the teachers I work with about differences between France and America, and during the convo, I began to wonder how the heck I am going to get used to living in America after this year is over. I haven't had too bad of a culture shock here; because I am surrounded by Anglophones all the time, I don't really feel like I left home in a lot of ways. Yet in certain ways, it is obvious that I am not at home anymore - the train strikes remind me of that fact each day. However, I know that when (if?) I go home, I know that it will be quite a rude awakening as we say in America.
I take my GRE for the second time in two weeks. Not really looking forward to it, especially since the train strike may still be on that point. Blah. I am going to continue preparing nonetheless and just hope that I can make it up to Paris to take the exam. And if I can't, well, I will deal with that when it happens. Other than that, apps for grad school are going alright; I need to write a personal statement, but at the moment cannot come up with anything. I still have 1.5 months to do it, so I am not that worried.
We will be having our little Thanksgiving feast here in Chalon on Saturday night. We couldn't get a real turkey, so turkey breast and cuisses have to suffice. Blah. At least we will have real stuffing and all of the other goodies.
Oh, one last thing: happy Turkey day to all of the Americans reading this blog!
Today, I had my first tutoring session with a 10 year old. It went well. He was well-behaved, thank goodness, and his English wasn't half bad. I am sure the sessions will keep going well, and it's a good way for me to earn pocket money (as my Grandpa would have put it).
I also had my dad on the phone this evening, which made me happy, and my mom on the phone last night, which also made me happy! I quite enjoy getting phone calls from home! I know that it's expensive to call, but it makes me oh-so-happy. I also get very happy when I receive mail, so a special shootout to Kim, who has been very diligent about writing me letters. I also received a card from my mom's best friend yesterday, which was really nice. It was great to know that people back home still have not forgotten me.
Today, I was talking to one of the teachers I work with about differences between France and America, and during the convo, I began to wonder how the heck I am going to get used to living in America after this year is over. I haven't had too bad of a culture shock here; because I am surrounded by Anglophones all the time, I don't really feel like I left home in a lot of ways. Yet in certain ways, it is obvious that I am not at home anymore - the train strikes remind me of that fact each day. However, I know that when (if?) I go home, I know that it will be quite a rude awakening as we say in America.
I take my GRE for the second time in two weeks. Not really looking forward to it, especially since the train strike may still be on that point. Blah. I am going to continue preparing nonetheless and just hope that I can make it up to Paris to take the exam. And if I can't, well, I will deal with that when it happens. Other than that, apps for grad school are going alright; I need to write a personal statement, but at the moment cannot come up with anything. I still have 1.5 months to do it, so I am not that worried.
We will be having our little Thanksgiving feast here in Chalon on Saturday night. We couldn't get a real turkey, so turkey breast and cuisses have to suffice. Blah. At least we will have real stuffing and all of the other goodies.
Oh, one last thing: happy Turkey day to all of the Americans reading this blog!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Bonjour!
Well once again, I have forgotten to keep this blog up to date. Ooops. Not much has changed since last time - I am still happy as ever here in Chalon, work is still going well, and I still want a slice of Chicago pizza. ;)
I have finalized my traveling plans: Going to Strasbourg from 12/21 till 12/24, Munich from 12/24 till 12/27, then off to London for the rest of the break. I will be in London for New Years! Exciting!
That's all for now! ttyl!
I have finalized my traveling plans: Going to Strasbourg from 12/21 till 12/24, Munich from 12/24 till 12/27, then off to London for the rest of the break. I will be in London for New Years! Exciting!
That's all for now! ttyl!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Long time no blog
So its been exactly 2 weeks since the last update. Sorry folks. I am still really enjoying myself here, though I have a crazing for a stuffed crust pizza from Lou Malnatti's and a hotdog with cheese fries from Portillo's. Sigh, you can take the girl outta Chicago, but you can't take the Chicago out of the girl. ;)
Other than that, not much going on. I have officially made my request for my residency card, and I hope to get it before my visa runs out at the end of next month. Besides that, I am currently on Toussaint vacation, and am pretty much waiting to be paid because I am going to be out of money if I keep using my American account. I stocked up on cheap food at today's market, and have promised myself that I will not spend any money for a bit of time. Rumors say that we get paid on Tuesday or Wednesday. I really hope the rumors prove to be true!
So, since I cannot afford to go on vacation, I am instead planning my December vacation. I am going to Strasbourg alone now, and then I will spend 3 or 4 days in Frankfurt. Then, I will fly up to London where I hope to spend most of the vacation. Any of my English friends reading this, I would love to make arrangements to meet you guys somewhere in your lovely country! Email me if you'll be around at the end of December/beginning of January. I am hoping to come back to France via Eurostar and maybe stop in Belgium for a day or two, because I want to visit the EU headquarters and say hi to my lovely Pissing Boy.
Besides this, I have made the decision to extend my contract until the end of June. It may seem foolish but I am honestly loving my time here so much that I simply do not want to ever leave. Damnit, I knew this would happen. I am trying to find ways to stay here for a bit more than this year, but being an American makes it harder than would meet the eye. I have found from some friends that I may be entitled to a German citzenship, but I have to look more into it before I can find out if this is truly a possibility for me. I personally find it hard to believe, since I don't speak German, but you never know unless you ask, I guess. I am also looking into some other ways of staying, but I just have a feeling that it won't pan out. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. I am so lucky to have this assistantship opportunity afterall. You gotta take what you can get.
My bank at home is also being super lame. Not gonna go into details but dang it is annoying. Another thing that is annoying is that I have pay all of this money to take the stupid GRE that doesn't even influence my future. Oh and also, application fees are lame. Sigh. I hate money.
Well I am going to leave this internet cafe now and go get my beauty sleep. A plus mes amis!!!
Other than that, not much going on. I have officially made my request for my residency card, and I hope to get it before my visa runs out at the end of next month. Besides that, I am currently on Toussaint vacation, and am pretty much waiting to be paid because I am going to be out of money if I keep using my American account. I stocked up on cheap food at today's market, and have promised myself that I will not spend any money for a bit of time. Rumors say that we get paid on Tuesday or Wednesday. I really hope the rumors prove to be true!
So, since I cannot afford to go on vacation, I am instead planning my December vacation. I am going to Strasbourg alone now, and then I will spend 3 or 4 days in Frankfurt. Then, I will fly up to London where I hope to spend most of the vacation. Any of my English friends reading this, I would love to make arrangements to meet you guys somewhere in your lovely country! Email me if you'll be around at the end of December/beginning of January. I am hoping to come back to France via Eurostar and maybe stop in Belgium for a day or two, because I want to visit the EU headquarters and say hi to my lovely Pissing Boy.
Besides this, I have made the decision to extend my contract until the end of June. It may seem foolish but I am honestly loving my time here so much that I simply do not want to ever leave. Damnit, I knew this would happen. I am trying to find ways to stay here for a bit more than this year, but being an American makes it harder than would meet the eye. I have found from some friends that I may be entitled to a German citzenship, but I have to look more into it before I can find out if this is truly a possibility for me. I personally find it hard to believe, since I don't speak German, but you never know unless you ask, I guess. I am also looking into some other ways of staying, but I just have a feeling that it won't pan out. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. I am so lucky to have this assistantship opportunity afterall. You gotta take what you can get.
My bank at home is also being super lame. Not gonna go into details but dang it is annoying. Another thing that is annoying is that I have pay all of this money to take the stupid GRE that doesn't even influence my future. Oh and also, application fees are lame. Sigh. I hate money.
Well I am going to leave this internet cafe now and go get my beauty sleep. A plus mes amis!!!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Latest stuffs
I have officially stepped in my first pile of merde this year! It happened to me on Friday night, right before one of my teachers picked me up for dinner. I was about to run back to my apartment to change shoes and clean up the mess, but right when I was about to run back, my teacher arrived. Talk about bad luck! I must have stunk! I cleaned up my shoes the day after and it really reaked! And to think, the French consider it good luck when you step in a pile of dog poop! Disgusting!
My dad phoned me the other day, and told me that I have been summoned for jury duty. Too bad I am out of the country and won't be able to make it ;)
Other than that, I have my doctor's appointment in Dijon on Wednesday. The appointment is required for my carte de séjour so it shouldn't cost me anything. Hopefully, my school will give me the whole day off, so I can spend time with my friends in Dijon instead of having to rush back by 2 to teach a class in Chalon.
Speaking of class, I begin officially teaching tomorrow at 8 AM. Yuck to early starts.
I have a leak in the shower, and I do hope that they will fix it soon. My bathroom is like Lake Michigan! Also, my laptop is broken and I need to get it fixed :( such high maintenance.
The most exciting piece of news is that Kristen and I have booked our hotel for Strasbourg in December! We will be there to visit Christmas Markets and also plan on visiting Germany for one day. I cannot wait to go! After Strasbourg, I will be going up to London to visit a friend. Exciting stuff! After that, I may try to get to Brussels for a day to visit the EU Headquarters, or something like that. I cannot wait to travel!
Well, that's enough for now. Hope all of you back home are doing well and enjoying fall! Write me when you can!
Bisous à tous,
Erica
My dad phoned me the other day, and told me that I have been summoned for jury duty. Too bad I am out of the country and won't be able to make it ;)
Other than that, I have my doctor's appointment in Dijon on Wednesday. The appointment is required for my carte de séjour so it shouldn't cost me anything. Hopefully, my school will give me the whole day off, so I can spend time with my friends in Dijon instead of having to rush back by 2 to teach a class in Chalon.
Speaking of class, I begin officially teaching tomorrow at 8 AM. Yuck to early starts.
I have a leak in the shower, and I do hope that they will fix it soon. My bathroom is like Lake Michigan! Also, my laptop is broken and I need to get it fixed :( such high maintenance.
The most exciting piece of news is that Kristen and I have booked our hotel for Strasbourg in December! We will be there to visit Christmas Markets and also plan on visiting Germany for one day. I cannot wait to go! After Strasbourg, I will be going up to London to visit a friend. Exciting stuff! After that, I may try to get to Brussels for a day to visit the EU Headquarters, or something like that. I cannot wait to travel!
Well, that's enough for now. Hope all of you back home are doing well and enjoying fall! Write me when you can!
Bisous à tous,
Erica
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
update!
Wow, I have abandonned this blog - so sorry, guys! Things here in Chalon are going quite well, though French bureaucracy is quite a pain in the arse!
So, let's see what has happened to me since I last updated this blog...
1) I have been working at my lycée for about a week now and everything is going fairly well. Initially, it was very hard to come up with a schedule that everyone (i.e. all four of the English teachers and myself) could agree with, because at first, I was gonna be cheated out of a day off. I just couldn't have that, so we discussed it further and came up with a compromise. For the moment, I will work each day of the week, but beginning in November, I shall have Fridays off. Not a bad deal.
2) Pour faire quoi que ce soit en France, il faut bien râler! Translation: To get things done in French, you have to bitch! And it is so so true! Two of my good friends here in Chalon had some probs getting their apartment. They thought it was a language barrier, so they took me along with them to the real estate office, and voilà, after I spoke with the lazyasses for 2 mins, the agents in the office agreed to let my friends move in a week earlier. Pas mal, says I.
3) About a week or so ago, I was in Dijon for orientation where I met the other assistants. Everyone is so so sweet and it's going to be fun to get to know some of them better. I already have gotten to know my fellow Chalonnais assistants and we all get along super well. And what is really neat is that we all come from different places and, even though we are all Anglophones, we all learn from each other in diff ways, which is very exciting.
4) I also went to Beaune, France, home of the famous Burgundy wine. I didn't partake in any wine tasting or anything though, because I went by myself, and thought it would be in bad taste to go to a tasting by myself - I am not an alcoholic. ;)
5) This past weekend, I went to Lyon, where I met up with my dear Romanian friend Cristiana for the first time in 3 years! And it was simply magnificent!
6) I have already come up with 3 activities for my lycée students, and I am quite excited about them! Yay!
Photos of all this and more are on Facebook. I know some of you do not have Facebook, so here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure...
Typical architecture in Burgundy...photo taken in Dijon.
Coming back from orientation in Dijon...
Vive les Chalonnaises!
So, let's see what has happened to me since I last updated this blog...
1) I have been working at my lycée for about a week now and everything is going fairly well. Initially, it was very hard to come up with a schedule that everyone (i.e. all four of the English teachers and myself) could agree with, because at first, I was gonna be cheated out of a day off. I just couldn't have that, so we discussed it further and came up with a compromise. For the moment, I will work each day of the week, but beginning in November, I shall have Fridays off. Not a bad deal.
2) Pour faire quoi que ce soit en France, il faut bien râler! Translation: To get things done in French, you have to bitch! And it is so so true! Two of my good friends here in Chalon had some probs getting their apartment. They thought it was a language barrier, so they took me along with them to the real estate office, and voilà, after I spoke with the lazyasses for 2 mins, the agents in the office agreed to let my friends move in a week earlier. Pas mal, says I.
3) About a week or so ago, I was in Dijon for orientation where I met the other assistants. Everyone is so so sweet and it's going to be fun to get to know some of them better. I already have gotten to know my fellow Chalonnais assistants and we all get along super well. And what is really neat is that we all come from different places and, even though we are all Anglophones, we all learn from each other in diff ways, which is very exciting.
4) I also went to Beaune, France, home of the famous Burgundy wine. I didn't partake in any wine tasting or anything though, because I went by myself, and thought it would be in bad taste to go to a tasting by myself - I am not an alcoholic. ;)
5) This past weekend, I went to Lyon, where I met up with my dear Romanian friend Cristiana for the first time in 3 years! And it was simply magnificent!
6) I have already come up with 3 activities for my lycée students, and I am quite excited about them! Yay!
Photos of all this and more are on Facebook. I know some of you do not have Facebook, so here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure...
Typical architecture in Burgundy...photo taken in Dijon.
View of the main street in Dijon... "look at those flags!!"
Coming back from orientation in Dijon...
Vive les Chalonnaises!
Hotel de Dieu in Beaune
Basilique Notre Dame de Beaune
Thursday, September 27, 2007
update
just a little message to say that i am doing ok. have met the other assistants in my town and everyone is real nice so far. my apt is also coming along alright. anyone wanting to come visit just let me know; i have an extra bed for anyone who wants to come see me. hope all of you are well!
Monday, September 24, 2007
moving to Chalon
hey everyone, I am officially moving to Chalon tomorrow. My access to internet may be limited for awhile, so if you need to get a hold of me, give a shout or text. I hope to have internet ASAP at my place, but it will probably take awhile. So, I will post again when I can. Talk to you later!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
update
Today is Saturday and I had a lazy day today...which was soooo nice because I came down with a cold late last night. It was really quite awful and as a result, I hardly slept; even after taking medicine, I kept sneezing and spent much of the night wiping my running nose. The worst seems to be over now, because I woke up at 8 AM, had breakfast and then went right back to bed. I haven't done that in a long time and it felt great to just sleep the morning away!
Marie made a quiche tonight and it was soooo good. I mean like, holy-crap-this-is-outta-this-world good. I also got a bit of translation done today (though not nearly enough) and my mom called me as well. It was nice hearing from her, and now i want to talk to my dad, as well as Tariq and Florence. It is weird to know that I have not spoken to those two in awhile...but weirdly enough, homesickness has not hit me yet, and I have been here for more than a week now, so that surprises me. I think the fact that this is my third time in France helps; I am used to being away from home and honestly, things have been going really well. Hopefully, it continues this way.
So next week the other assistants are arriving and I cannot wait to meet everyone! It is always so nice to be among other foreigners when you are one of them. It's hard to explain but you don't feel like a foreigner when you are amongst them, if that makes any sense. All of us Burgundy assistants are meeting in Dijon next weekend for a get together on Saturday; then on Sunday is the official orientation.
I am excited about the weeks to come! I am trying to figure out what I will do for the Toussaint break, but I have no idea yet. I would like to go somewhere fun, maybe I will try to go to the south of France; that's apparently what lots of people around here do...
Marie made a quiche tonight and it was soooo good. I mean like, holy-crap-this-is-outta-this-world good. I also got a bit of translation done today (though not nearly enough) and my mom called me as well. It was nice hearing from her, and now i want to talk to my dad, as well as Tariq and Florence. It is weird to know that I have not spoken to those two in awhile...but weirdly enough, homesickness has not hit me yet, and I have been here for more than a week now, so that surprises me. I think the fact that this is my third time in France helps; I am used to being away from home and honestly, things have been going really well. Hopefully, it continues this way.
So next week the other assistants are arriving and I cannot wait to meet everyone! It is always so nice to be among other foreigners when you are one of them. It's hard to explain but you don't feel like a foreigner when you are amongst them, if that makes any sense. All of us Burgundy assistants are meeting in Dijon next weekend for a get together on Saturday; then on Sunday is the official orientation.
I am excited about the weeks to come! I am trying to figure out what I will do for the Toussaint break, but I have no idea yet. I would like to go somewhere fun, maybe I will try to go to the south of France; that's apparently what lots of people around here do...
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Chalon!
Well, today I went to Chalon to see the city and the lycee. It is a very nice city; I really like it. I opened my bank account, and also saw the lycee. There, I met with the secretary to fill out paperwork, and also asked again about living accomodations. I found out that they are offering me a one bedroom apartment with a shower and living area for 80 Euro a month, and then 20 Euro for water, gas and heating. I was wondering why it is so cheap, so I asked, and they told me that the apt is old, but also that it is owned by the French Minister of Education, who rents it to teachers, staff, and assistants at the lycee. So, since my employer is technically the French govt, I can get in on this deal. Pretty sweet, I think. Tomorrow, I am going back to Chalon to get my residency card and to meet the other English teachers.
Thank you to everyone who comments on my blog, and a big shoutout to all of you! :) keep reading and commenting!
Thank you to everyone who comments on my blog, and a big shoutout to all of you! :) keep reading and commenting!
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
i am in France!
well guys, i am here in France...and bored! i really wanted to go out and do something today; hopefully when Thierry gets home, we will go somewhere... I really need to go buy some socks; I realized that I am fresh out right after my shower this morning...I think I will ask him to take me. Thing is, we are in the countryside, so I am not sure where the nearest stores are...hopefully, it's not far. If it is too far, I will just go buy some while in Chalon tomorrow.
Apparently, there is still the possiblity of being housed at the lycee. There are rooms available in their internat, but the thing is that they can only make contracts for people staying a full year; i am only staying 8 months. However, I was told that they might make an exception for me...so, keep your fingers crossed!
I dont feel too good today - jetlag catching up, perhaps? i have a bad headache, and my right knee is all stiff. I guess its from all the walking I did in Belgium.
Is anyone reading this? I get the feeling that no one is because no one comments :(
Apparently, there is still the possiblity of being housed at the lycee. There are rooms available in their internat, but the thing is that they can only make contracts for people staying a full year; i am only staying 8 months. However, I was told that they might make an exception for me...so, keep your fingers crossed!
I dont feel too good today - jetlag catching up, perhaps? i have a bad headache, and my right knee is all stiff. I guess its from all the walking I did in Belgium.
Is anyone reading this? I get the feeling that no one is because no one comments :(
Sunday, September 16, 2007
My last night in Belgium :(
As the title says, it's my last night in Belgium. I can't believe it, time just flew by! I was supposed to go visit Emilie tomorrow, but I'm going directly to Chalon instead, because I want to get the ball rolling on my paperwork and getting set up in Chalon.
A weird thing happened today. I was eating dinner (steak and fries, a typical Flemish dish) at a café and just people-watching, as I spent most of today doing. Suddenly, as I was sitting there, this pauvre (homeless guy) just comes up to me and starts staring at me. Now, I've had this happen to me before in Avignon, there were lots of homeless people there, so this type of thing isn't new to me. When this happened in Avignon, I would just ignore the person, and they would realize that either a) a foreigner who didn't speak French (which I do, but they don't know that), or b) I don't want to deal with them, so instead of being a bitch, I'm ignoring them. This guy, however, didn't get what I was doing, so within a couple of seconds, the waiter came up to my table and started telling the guy to go away and leave me alone. At first, he just stood there again staring at the waiter, then about 5 seconds later, he went on his way.
I didn't think much of it at first, to be honest - as I said, I'm used to homeless people from living in Avignon, and I've seen plenty of them in Chicago, too. However - and this where it gets weird - I was waiting for the metro to get back to my hotel, and again I'm sitting there waiting, and the *same* homeless guy comes up to me again, and again, not saying anything; just staring. So I stare back at him, and after about 2 seconds, I had enough of this bullshit, so I said to him "je suis désolée monsieur, mais je n'ai rien à vous donner..." ("I'm sorry sir, but I have nothing to give you"), very respectfully and as firmly as possible. I wanted to add "alors laissez moi tranquille!" (so leave me the heck alone), but since I'm in a foreign country, I held myself back.
In return, he just grunted at me, said "putain de merde" under his breath, and walked away. The whole journey home I was paranoid about this guy - I was looking all around me, to make sure he wasn't following me. I got to my hotel and hurried upstairs, where I'm sitting in my room right now, watching Michel Drucker on Vivement Dimanche...I haven't seen this show in years! I forgot how much I love it!
Otherwise, I went to the Parlament de Bruxelles today, after making the trek to the Parlament Européen only to learn it's closed on the weekends - the Tourist office lied to me. Or maybe misunderstood me. In any case, I did that, then had a sandwich for lunch, then walked around. Around 14h, my feet totally gave out on me, so I came back to my room for a few hours to give them a rest. I guess the traveling and walking around for more than 7 hours per day is starting to take its toll on my feet. After relaxing in my room for about 2 hours, I went back out, and then the whole thing I just wrote about happened to me.
As promised, here are photos of Gent. I'll post Brussels when I can next week.
A weird thing happened today. I was eating dinner (steak and fries, a typical Flemish dish) at a café and just people-watching, as I spent most of today doing. Suddenly, as I was sitting there, this pauvre (homeless guy) just comes up to me and starts staring at me. Now, I've had this happen to me before in Avignon, there were lots of homeless people there, so this type of thing isn't new to me. When this happened in Avignon, I would just ignore the person, and they would realize that either a) a foreigner who didn't speak French (which I do, but they don't know that), or b) I don't want to deal with them, so instead of being a bitch, I'm ignoring them. This guy, however, didn't get what I was doing, so within a couple of seconds, the waiter came up to my table and started telling the guy to go away and leave me alone. At first, he just stood there again staring at the waiter, then about 5 seconds later, he went on his way.
I didn't think much of it at first, to be honest - as I said, I'm used to homeless people from living in Avignon, and I've seen plenty of them in Chicago, too. However - and this where it gets weird - I was waiting for the metro to get back to my hotel, and again I'm sitting there waiting, and the *same* homeless guy comes up to me again, and again, not saying anything; just staring. So I stare back at him, and after about 2 seconds, I had enough of this bullshit, so I said to him "je suis désolée monsieur, mais je n'ai rien à vous donner..." ("I'm sorry sir, but I have nothing to give you"), very respectfully and as firmly as possible. I wanted to add "alors laissez moi tranquille!" (so leave me the heck alone), but since I'm in a foreign country, I held myself back.
In return, he just grunted at me, said "putain de merde" under his breath, and walked away. The whole journey home I was paranoid about this guy - I was looking all around me, to make sure he wasn't following me. I got to my hotel and hurried upstairs, where I'm sitting in my room right now, watching Michel Drucker on Vivement Dimanche...I haven't seen this show in years! I forgot how much I love it!
Otherwise, I went to the Parlament de Bruxelles today, after making the trek to the Parlament Européen only to learn it's closed on the weekends - the Tourist office lied to me. Or maybe misunderstood me. In any case, I did that, then had a sandwich for lunch, then walked around. Around 14h, my feet totally gave out on me, so I came back to my room for a few hours to give them a rest. I guess the traveling and walking around for more than 7 hours per day is starting to take its toll on my feet. After relaxing in my room for about 2 hours, I went back out, and then the whole thing I just wrote about happened to me.
As promised, here are photos of Gent. I'll post Brussels when I can next week.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Brussels = heaven.
OK, I am officially in love.......
With Brussels!
HAHA, I had y'all fooled, I bet. Nah, seriously though, this city is amazing - although I find the Bruxellois people to be a bit snotty!! I am serious, the people in Gent and in Bruges were so much nicer! If you ask the Bruxellois for directions, they make it sound so much more complicated than it is - and I've tried asking for them in English, French, and even German! Haha yes, my German is a joke, but I figured why not try anyway.
So let's see, what did I do today...
-Breakfast at 9:30; met a nice girl from Toronto while eating. She was very nice and told me that she's having a gap year in London, just working and experiencing life in London. Sounds fun, eh?
-Checked out of my hostel in Bruges. That hostel was alright but the showers didn't work well - gross!
-Took train to Brussels, and couldn't manage my bags. Naturally, the elevator was broken - thank goodness a nice black guy was there to help me carry my bags!
-Arrived in Brussels around 11:30 (I think? My ipod clock wasn't working!). Took a cab to my hotel, because I couldn't bear to drag my stuff around anymore. I checked-in and began exploring the city right away
-Saw the Mannekin Pis. I have an unhealthy obsession with him and took many photos!
-Went to the Grand Place and other places that I just sort of "ran into". There was a marché going on, so I explored that for a bit and took photos all around the centre.
-Had a guided tour through the Palais des Académies. It was a really good tour; the guide was very nice and knowledgeable! OK, funny story, but only those who know about Belgium will understand this. So we were in this room from the 17th century, that was the "salle de réception" - the Reception Room, basically, where all of the social events and such were held, and the tour guide was trying to be all "poetic" and having us get a picture in our heads about how that room looked when full and in party mode. So she said something to the effect of "Imaginez-vous, à la fin du 17ème siècle, vous êtes là avec les flemmands primitifs, en train de parler", immediately during which a women (who I assume is Walloon) interrupted and yelled out "mais quelle horreur!". I know, it's quite discriminatory, but it was just so funny!! OK, I think that only 2 people reading this MAY find this funny, but it's kind of a "you gotta be there" type moment. ;)
-Walked around some more, got exhausted, and came back to the hotel by 7 PM. I'm adjusting to the time change really well (I think), but I usually last longer than 7, so it was a bit disappointing. Perhaps all of the traveling is starting to catch up with me?
Well, tomorrow is my second and last day in Brussels. The agenda tomorrow is to go to the European Parlement for a tour, then to the Musée de Brasserie Belge (Museum of Belgian Beers), and see a few cathedrals. Fun times.
I have been in Belgium for a few days, and I still haven't had moules (umm mussels in English, I think?). Maybe I should do that tomorrow night for dinner. It will be my last night in Belgium, after all. :( I really hope I get to come back here another time during my year abroad! Otherwise, I've done pretty well having the local specialities - I had my gauffre liegoise (chocolate waffle), my frites avec mayonnaise (fries with mayo), a quiche lorraine (ok, not a Belgian speciality, but I was dying for one!), my Belgian chocolate (Milka & one Cote d'Or bar), Kreik (a cherry wheat beer made in Belgium) and of course, gelatto (also not Belgian, but I couldn't help it). And apparently, nougat is a speciality in Bruges as well, so I had that. I must say the nougat in Avignon is much more tasty.
OK, now I'm making it sound like I walk around Belgium and just eat all day! But I swear, that's not true, but it's hard to remember everywhere I visit...thank goodness I have photos to prove where I've been!
I'll post my Brussels photos tomorrow night.
With Brussels!
HAHA, I had y'all fooled, I bet. Nah, seriously though, this city is amazing - although I find the Bruxellois people to be a bit snotty!! I am serious, the people in Gent and in Bruges were so much nicer! If you ask the Bruxellois for directions, they make it sound so much more complicated than it is - and I've tried asking for them in English, French, and even German! Haha yes, my German is a joke, but I figured why not try anyway.
So let's see, what did I do today...
-Breakfast at 9:30; met a nice girl from Toronto while eating. She was very nice and told me that she's having a gap year in London, just working and experiencing life in London. Sounds fun, eh?
-Checked out of my hostel in Bruges. That hostel was alright but the showers didn't work well - gross!
-Took train to Brussels, and couldn't manage my bags. Naturally, the elevator was broken - thank goodness a nice black guy was there to help me carry my bags!
-Arrived in Brussels around 11:30 (I think? My ipod clock wasn't working!). Took a cab to my hotel, because I couldn't bear to drag my stuff around anymore. I checked-in and began exploring the city right away
-Saw the Mannekin Pis. I have an unhealthy obsession with him and took many photos!
-Went to the Grand Place and other places that I just sort of "ran into". There was a marché going on, so I explored that for a bit and took photos all around the centre.
-Had a guided tour through the Palais des Académies. It was a really good tour; the guide was very nice and knowledgeable! OK, funny story, but only those who know about Belgium will understand this. So we were in this room from the 17th century, that was the "salle de réception" - the Reception Room, basically, where all of the social events and such were held, and the tour guide was trying to be all "poetic" and having us get a picture in our heads about how that room looked when full and in party mode. So she said something to the effect of "Imaginez-vous, à la fin du 17ème siècle, vous êtes là avec les flemmands primitifs, en train de parler", immediately during which a women (who I assume is Walloon) interrupted and yelled out "mais quelle horreur!". I know, it's quite discriminatory, but it was just so funny!! OK, I think that only 2 people reading this MAY find this funny, but it's kind of a "you gotta be there" type moment. ;)
-Walked around some more, got exhausted, and came back to the hotel by 7 PM. I'm adjusting to the time change really well (I think), but I usually last longer than 7, so it was a bit disappointing. Perhaps all of the traveling is starting to catch up with me?
Well, tomorrow is my second and last day in Brussels. The agenda tomorrow is to go to the European Parlement for a tour, then to the Musée de Brasserie Belge (Museum of Belgian Beers), and see a few cathedrals. Fun times.
I have been in Belgium for a few days, and I still haven't had moules (umm mussels in English, I think?). Maybe I should do that tomorrow night for dinner. It will be my last night in Belgium, after all. :( I really hope I get to come back here another time during my year abroad! Otherwise, I've done pretty well having the local specialities - I had my gauffre liegoise (chocolate waffle), my frites avec mayonnaise (fries with mayo), a quiche lorraine (ok, not a Belgian speciality, but I was dying for one!), my Belgian chocolate (Milka & one Cote d'Or bar), Kreik (a cherry wheat beer made in Belgium) and of course, gelatto (also not Belgian, but I couldn't help it). And apparently, nougat is a speciality in Bruges as well, so I had that. I must say the nougat in Avignon is much more tasty.
OK, now I'm making it sound like I walk around Belgium and just eat all day! But I swear, that's not true, but it's hard to remember everywhere I visit...thank goodness I have photos to prove where I've been!
I'll post my Brussels photos tomorrow night.
Friday, September 14, 2007
I love Gent!!
Today, I spent the day in Gent, which is about 30 mins from Bruges on the train. What a great city!! Here's a "compte rendu" of my day:
-Woke up at 6:30 AM, forced myself to go back to bed till 9 AM
-Woke up again at 9, went downstairs for breakfast
-Was finished with breakfast by 10 and around 10:30 got on the train for Gent
-Arrived in Gent, and walked around/shopped for a couple of hours. I only spent 10 Euros while shopping!! Aren't you proud of me?
-Had a lovely quiche lorraine with lemonade for lunch
-Took a 2.5 hour tour of Gent's city hall and churches
-Came back to Bruges and had a nice (expensive) dinner. It was nice to have a really good dinner! I usually try to do that once while on vacation, so I decided that tonight was the night, since I hadn't spent lots of money today. It was really worth it. For the "starter" as they call it here (not "appetizer" like we do back home), I had a cheese croquette. Then the main dish was chicken and little potatoes with some awesome sauce.
I have lots of photos of Gent, but they aren't on the photo yet. Instead here are some photos of Bruges. Enjoy!!
A beautiful garden in between my hostel & the tourist office.
I believe this is city hall...it's in the Markt (the main town square).
Pretty!!
A photo of the canal
Buildings beside the canal
-Woke up at 6:30 AM, forced myself to go back to bed till 9 AM
-Woke up again at 9, went downstairs for breakfast
-Was finished with breakfast by 10 and around 10:30 got on the train for Gent
-Arrived in Gent, and walked around/shopped for a couple of hours. I only spent 10 Euros while shopping!! Aren't you proud of me?
-Had a lovely quiche lorraine with lemonade for lunch
-Took a 2.5 hour tour of Gent's city hall and churches
-Came back to Bruges and had a nice (expensive) dinner. It was nice to have a really good dinner! I usually try to do that once while on vacation, so I decided that tonight was the night, since I hadn't spent lots of money today. It was really worth it. For the "starter" as they call it here (not "appetizer" like we do back home), I had a cheese croquette. Then the main dish was chicken and little potatoes with some awesome sauce.
I have lots of photos of Gent, but they aren't on the photo yet. Instead here are some photos of Bruges. Enjoy!!
A beautiful garden in between my hostel & the tourist office.
I believe this is city hall...it's in the Markt (the main town square).
Pretty!!
A photo of the canal
Buildings beside the canal
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Je suis bien arrivée!!
Just wanted to leave y'all a note to let you guys know that I landed safely in Brussels! Cheers to all the people who called me and who have written to make sure I'm alright =)
So, things are going well. Right now, I'm in Bruges. It's a pretty town, but too small for my liking. I'm writing from my hostel, which has free internet in the lobby! Horrah!
Anyway, I arrived in Brussels around 8 AM local time, and took the train to Bruges. Everyone was speaking Flemish, and it was awkward for me, because I'm not used to being a country where I don't understand what they are saying. Amazingly enough, I was actually able to pick up a word here and there, thanks to my limited German knowledge and the fact that they randomly mix French into their convos. ;)
So I spent the whole day walking around Bruges, eating delicious Belgian food, and taking many photos. I'll post them at a later point. I like Bruges but as I said, it's a bit too small for me. Originally, I had planned to spend tomorrow in Bruges as well, but I'm going to take the train to Gent instead, and then come back here for the night as originally planned. After that I'm going to Brussels for a few days (with a day trip to Antwerp thrown in for good measure), then off to Clermont Ferrand to see one of my best friends Emilie. After that, it's down to Chalon and time to get down to business.
Well that's all I have the energy to spit out for now. Everyone please keep in touch! Some of you have asked for my cell phone number, and once I arrive in France, I will go get one, so I'll keep y'all posted.
bisous!!
Erica
So, things are going well. Right now, I'm in Bruges. It's a pretty town, but too small for my liking. I'm writing from my hostel, which has free internet in the lobby! Horrah!
Anyway, I arrived in Brussels around 8 AM local time, and took the train to Bruges. Everyone was speaking Flemish, and it was awkward for me, because I'm not used to being a country where I don't understand what they are saying. Amazingly enough, I was actually able to pick up a word here and there, thanks to my limited German knowledge and the fact that they randomly mix French into their convos. ;)
So I spent the whole day walking around Bruges, eating delicious Belgian food, and taking many photos. I'll post them at a later point. I like Bruges but as I said, it's a bit too small for me. Originally, I had planned to spend tomorrow in Bruges as well, but I'm going to take the train to Gent instead, and then come back here for the night as originally planned. After that I'm going to Brussels for a few days (with a day trip to Antwerp thrown in for good measure), then off to Clermont Ferrand to see one of my best friends Emilie. After that, it's down to Chalon and time to get down to business.
Well that's all I have the energy to spit out for now. Everyone please keep in touch! Some of you have asked for my cell phone number, and once I arrive in France, I will go get one, so I'll keep y'all posted.
bisous!!
Erica
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Tomorrow's the day!
Well tomorrow, I'm leaving the States to begin my journey. I arrive in Belgium early on Thursday and I'll be staying there until the 17th. At that point, I'll be making the trek to Clermont-Ferrand to visit my good French friend Emilie. I'll probably stay there for 4 days and then I'll be off to Chalon, where I'll be staying with a teacher from my lycée till I find housing. I hope to find housing within 4 days, and it doesn't seem like it'll be hard to find something...there are many good deals up on paruvendu.com right now. On the 29th of September, I'll be heading up to Dijon to meet up with some of the other assistants, and on the 30th is my official orientation.
Wish me luck! And if you wanna contact me, you can email me at egoldbe1@gmail.com.
The next time I update this, I'll probably be in Belgium. So, à bientôt mes amis!!
Wish me luck! And if you wanna contact me, you can email me at egoldbe1@gmail.com.
The next time I update this, I'll probably be in Belgium. So, à bientôt mes amis!!
Friday, September 7, 2007
WOW!
I'm impressed. 3 of the teachers I'm working with in Chalon have emailed me! This is incredible and I'm getting so excited to start my assistantship! I am so lucky and blessed to have this opportunity!!
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Goals for this year, and life in general.
Usually, I only write things related to my stay in Chalon in here, but this time, I'm going to write about something else, because this is my blog and I can do that :)
I am a person who is very goal-oriented. Throughout my life, the way I have always motivated myself to do things is by making goals. Some are short-term goals (i.e., "I will study tonight"), and some are long-term goals (i.e., "I will get into a good grad school"). What's more, I have accomplished most of my goals, because once I have a goal, I become obsessed with making it happen. Futhermore, I find that if I do not set a goal, I will not do anything - I will just sit inactively on my butt to rot. I do not want this happening, so over the last few years (i.e., since the beginning of college), I've become OCD about having and accomplishing goals. I never realized this until fairly recently, and I never was completely public about making goals - some of my closest friends and family have known about certain goals, but no one knows every single one of them. I am a very outspoken person, but there are still things about me that no one knows, and there are surely things that I have yet to discover about myself, that I do not know yet.
So, if I have a fairly good amount with accomplishing my goals, why do I always look back on the past and find some way to twist and turn it to make it negative? Can't I just content myself with setting out what I wanted to do? Or am I just another mere eternal perfectionist?
Fact is, I've become very philosophical because of events that have happened to me in the last year. Those who know me best know what I'm talking about, but if you don't know what I'm referring to, it's not important. What is important is what I have taken out of my experiences, both the negative and positive ones. And what I have learned is that life is to be lived in the present.
Therefore, this is my goal for when I'm in Europe this year. I will take advantage of every opportunity presented to me. I am going to look at these next 8 months as a learning and growing experience. I will make the best of everything that happens to me; even if something bad or disappointing happens, I will look for a way to make it positive. If I am homesick, I will write an email to one or two friends or family members back home and get on with my day. I will not dwell on homesickness like I did at certain points while I was in Avignon. Because life is too short. We are not here forever, and as such, we should take full advantage of the time that we are on this Earth.
I also accept going in that I will have some times when things will be unbearable whilst abroad, but this goes with the territory. All expats go through these emotions, so it's normal for me to be going through them. I am no different than anyone else. When December comes around, I will take the GRE again, and whatever I receive, I will accept it. And if it's not good enough, too bad. I can't always be perfect. I also make the goal not to try to be perfect all the time - it's a worthless and impossible quest to be perfect all the time. And I'm done with it.
Wow, I feel liberated after writing this all down.
I am a person who is very goal-oriented. Throughout my life, the way I have always motivated myself to do things is by making goals. Some are short-term goals (i.e., "I will study tonight"), and some are long-term goals (i.e., "I will get into a good grad school"). What's more, I have accomplished most of my goals, because once I have a goal, I become obsessed with making it happen. Futhermore, I find that if I do not set a goal, I will not do anything - I will just sit inactively on my butt to rot. I do not want this happening, so over the last few years (i.e., since the beginning of college), I've become OCD about having and accomplishing goals. I never realized this until fairly recently, and I never was completely public about making goals - some of my closest friends and family have known about certain goals, but no one knows every single one of them. I am a very outspoken person, but there are still things about me that no one knows, and there are surely things that I have yet to discover about myself, that I do not know yet.
So, if I have a fairly good amount with accomplishing my goals, why do I always look back on the past and find some way to twist and turn it to make it negative? Can't I just content myself with setting out what I wanted to do? Or am I just another mere eternal perfectionist?
Fact is, I've become very philosophical because of events that have happened to me in the last year. Those who know me best know what I'm talking about, but if you don't know what I'm referring to, it's not important. What is important is what I have taken out of my experiences, both the negative and positive ones. And what I have learned is that life is to be lived in the present.
Therefore, this is my goal for when I'm in Europe this year. I will take advantage of every opportunity presented to me. I am going to look at these next 8 months as a learning and growing experience. I will make the best of everything that happens to me; even if something bad or disappointing happens, I will look for a way to make it positive. If I am homesick, I will write an email to one or two friends or family members back home and get on with my day. I will not dwell on homesickness like I did at certain points while I was in Avignon. Because life is too short. We are not here forever, and as such, we should take full advantage of the time that we are on this Earth.
I also accept going in that I will have some times when things will be unbearable whilst abroad, but this goes with the territory. All expats go through these emotions, so it's normal for me to be going through them. I am no different than anyone else. When December comes around, I will take the GRE again, and whatever I receive, I will accept it. And if it's not good enough, too bad. I can't always be perfect. I also make the goal not to try to be perfect all the time - it's a worthless and impossible quest to be perfect all the time. And I'm done with it.
Wow, I feel liberated after writing this all down.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Finally, contact
I wrote the following email the person in charge of lycées in Saône et Loire (my department):
Bonjour Monsieur Bracconi,
Je m'appelle Erica Goldberg et je serai l'assistante d'anglais au LPO Emiland Gauthey (à Chalon Sur Saône) cette année. J'ai écrit un courriel à Véronique Filipe, et elle m'a dit que vous êtes la personne contact pour les assistants postés dans les lycées. Je sais que vous êtes probablement occupé, puisque c'est la rentrée, mais j'ai quelques questions à vous poser, si vous avez le temps de répondre:
1) Quel est le nom de mon responsable à mon lycée? Auriez-vous son courriel?
2) Connaissez-vous les possibilités de logement à mon lycée, ou dans les autres lycées de ma ville?
Merci beaucoup pour tout reseignement que vous pouvez me donner.
I was expecting a response maybe next week, probably never, but he responded about 40 mins ago:
So, basically I should be hearing back from my lycée soon! Cross your fingers guys!
Bonjour Monsieur Bracconi,
Je m'appelle Erica Goldberg et je serai l'assistante d'anglais au LPO Emiland Gauthey (à Chalon Sur Saône) cette année. J'ai écrit un courriel à Véronique Filipe, et elle m'a dit que vous êtes la personne contact pour les assistants postés dans les lycées. Je sais que vous êtes probablement occupé, puisque c'est la rentrée, mais j'ai quelques questions à vous poser, si vous avez le temps de répondre:
1) Quel est le nom de mon responsable à mon lycée? Auriez-vous son courriel?
2) Connaissez-vous les possibilités de logement à mon lycée, ou dans les autres lycées de ma ville?
Merci beaucoup pour tout reseignement que vous pouvez me donner.
I was expecting a response maybe next week, probably never, but he responded about 40 mins ago:
Bonjour, Erica.
Enchanté de faire votre connaissance. Nous nous rencontrerons à Dijon fin
septembre.
Je ne sais comment vous avez obtenu l'URL de Madame Filippe, qui est
Conseillère Pédagogique en Saône & Loire pour le 1er Cycle (=Ecoles Primaires).
Bien que ne connaissant pas tout le monde dans tous les Lycées du département,
il vaut mieux, en effet, que je vous aide.
Je transmets donc directement votre message à M.le Proviseur du Lycée E.
Gauthey à Chalon S/Saône, qui, j'espère, vous recontactera rapidement.
Tenez-moi au courant si les choses trainent.
Bon voyage jusqu'à notre région! Bien cordialement,
D.Bracconi.
Coordonnateur Académique des
Formations (Anglais) .
Enchanté de faire votre connaissance. Nous nous rencontrerons à Dijon fin
septembre.
Je ne sais comment vous avez obtenu l'URL de Madame Filippe, qui est
Conseillère Pédagogique en Saône & Loire pour le 1er Cycle (=Ecoles Primaires).
Bien que ne connaissant pas tout le monde dans tous les Lycées du département,
il vaut mieux, en effet, que je vous aide.
Je transmets donc directement votre message à M.le Proviseur du Lycée E.
Gauthey à Chalon S/Saône, qui, j'espère, vous recontactera rapidement.
Tenez-moi au courant si les choses trainent.
Bon voyage jusqu'à notre région! Bien cordialement,
D.Bracconi.
Coordonnateur Académique des
Formations (Anglais) .
So, basically I should be hearing back from my lycée soon! Cross your fingers guys!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
I have my Arrêté!
Yesterday, I received my arrêté (work contract), and I will be at Lycée Emiland Gauthey in Chalon Sur Saône, teaching high schoolers ages 15-18. This is great for me, because this is the age group I wish to teach if I decide to pursue teaching further.
I've started looking up info on my town, and it looks amazing! Chalon Sur Saône is located in southern Burgundy, and seems to be a three hour train ride everywhere (except for Dijon, that's only an hour away by TGV). It's going to be one hell of a trainride from Brussels! Anyway, the town of Chalon itself has 52,000 people and the whole metropolitan area has 108,000 people. So it's smaller than Avignon, but it seems alot more vibrant than Avignon was. I think I'll get more of a French experience here than in Avignon because it's not a university town like Avignon is.
There are marchés (markets) almost everyday, and the region has its own busline Bus Zoom, which covers all of the metropolitan area from what I can tell. There's even a stop at my lycée, so if I found a good enough deal, I could live in the center and commute. There are also famous wines from this region and many museums. Chalon is the hometown of photography, kind of ironic, knowing my love for taking photos.
I can already tell that this is going to be a fantastic 7 months.
Some Links about Chalon:
-Office du tourisme
-Official city website
-Wikipedia page on Chalon
-Chalon's spring carnaval
-Le Grand Chalon: all about Chalon's metropolitan area.
I've started looking up info on my town, and it looks amazing! Chalon Sur Saône is located in southern Burgundy, and seems to be a three hour train ride everywhere (except for Dijon, that's only an hour away by TGV). It's going to be one hell of a trainride from Brussels! Anyway, the town of Chalon itself has 52,000 people and the whole metropolitan area has 108,000 people. So it's smaller than Avignon, but it seems alot more vibrant than Avignon was. I think I'll get more of a French experience here than in Avignon because it's not a university town like Avignon is.
There are marchés (markets) almost everyday, and the region has its own busline Bus Zoom, which covers all of the metropolitan area from what I can tell. There's even a stop at my lycée, so if I found a good enough deal, I could live in the center and commute. There are also famous wines from this region and many museums. Chalon is the hometown of photography, kind of ironic, knowing my love for taking photos.
I can already tell that this is going to be a fantastic 7 months.
Some Links about Chalon:
-Office du tourisme
-Official city website
-Wikipedia page on Chalon
-Chalon's spring carnaval
-Le Grand Chalon: all about Chalon's metropolitan area.
Friday, July 27, 2007
That's it!
Well, today was the last day at my job. Originally, I was supposed to be there until August 8, but they told me to leave today, in view of "recent events". Those "recent events" include me going to HR to complain about the managers and team leaders in my department, because they have been harassing me for months, and I had enough of it yesterday. Two of my co-workers went with me. So those were the "recent events", and the best part is that I'm getting paid for 2 weeks without even working. Not a bad deal, since I wanted to get out of there anyway.
Now, I'm just waiting for my arrêté and getting ready to visit grad schools. I'm also going to prepare for my GRE. I hope all of it goes ok and that I get my arrêté soon!!
Now, I'm just waiting for my arrêté and getting ready to visit grad schools. I'm also going to prepare for my GRE. I hope all of it goes ok and that I get my arrêté soon!!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Oops, forgot to mention something!
I have my plane ticket, and will be leaving from Chicago on September 12th and landing in Brussels. I'll spend a week there and then take the TGV down to France :)
The latest
Time keep ticking on, and I still have not received my arrêté. I guess this serves as a good reminder how chiant French bureaucracy is...
The good news, however, is that the British assistants have started getting their arrêtés. This means us Americans will probably be getting ours this week or the next. I cannot wait! It seems that most of the British assistants have gotten posts in Dijon itself, and I just have a gut feeling that I'll end up somewhere smaller like Mâcon or Beaune, or somewhere like that. It would be nice to be in Dijon itself, but I also think being a smaller area might be fun. I'm tired of living in a populated area, and of all the hype that goes with it. I hope that I'll get to relax while in France, because I never get to relax here in Chicagoland!
The good news, however, is that the British assistants have started getting their arrêtés. This means us Americans will probably be getting ours this week or the next. I cannot wait! It seems that most of the British assistants have gotten posts in Dijon itself, and I just have a gut feeling that I'll end up somewhere smaller like Mâcon or Beaune, or somewhere like that. It would be nice to be in Dijon itself, but I also think being a smaller area might be fun. I'm tired of living in a populated area, and of all the hype that goes with it. I hope that I'll get to relax while in France, because I never get to relax here in Chicagoland!
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Post #1
Hi everyone,
Since this is post #1, I suppose I should introduce myself...
I am Erica, 23 years old from the Northern suburbs of Chicago. I've been posted in the académie of Dijon with a secondaire post. I finished university last year and got my BA in French Business & Translation (w/ a minor in Spanish) last year from Northern Illinois University. Since then, I've been living at my parent's house and working at a Canadian company not far from my house.
This will be my third time in France and I'm very excited! The first time, I went for just 10 days to Auch. The second time, I went to Avignon for a semester and took classes at the Université d'Avignon. I am excited because this time, I'll be going in a new capacity, and for 7 months!
This blog will be my collection of stories, travels, and experiences as I move abroad for my third time. :)
Since this is post #1, I suppose I should introduce myself...
I am Erica, 23 years old from the Northern suburbs of Chicago. I've been posted in the académie of Dijon with a secondaire post. I finished university last year and got my BA in French Business & Translation (w/ a minor in Spanish) last year from Northern Illinois University. Since then, I've been living at my parent's house and working at a Canadian company not far from my house.
This will be my third time in France and I'm very excited! The first time, I went for just 10 days to Auch. The second time, I went to Avignon for a semester and took classes at the Université d'Avignon. I am excited because this time, I'll be going in a new capacity, and for 7 months!
This blog will be my collection of stories, travels, and experiences as I move abroad for my third time. :)
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