Thanksgiving

I never realized how much I took Thanksgiving for granted. Yea, sure, my family is crazy and they drive me insane if I am in their presence for too long, but being away for the holiday made me really homesick. I think this was probably the first time I have felt this way since I have moved to France-actually I think this is the first time I have ever felt this way since I have been out on my own.
I was fortunate enough to be able to celebrate the day of “mercis” in France, so I should be thankful for this. I did not really expect that I would even have this opportunity. So I will describe my evening.
We fêted Thanksgiving at a restaurant called Pumpkins-a very fitting name. The restaurant is owned by an American chef named Bob (a very American name) and his French wife, so we did get American food-not French food that the French think is American. All fourteen of us spread out between two tables in the cute restaurant and chatted over the soft melody of jazz that played in the background. Our first taste was an aperitif with cranberry juice, vodka, and cassis (small tarte red berries) that floated about for decoration. Then we began to receive our plates… one by one they were carried out. I could not wait. I didn’t eat anything the whole day (except for my pain au chocolat- croissant with chocolate swirled around), anticipating this moment. My dish was handed to me, but with my excitement and my inelegance, I nearly crushed the glass that once was filled with my aperitif. Ooops… haha
Everything was purposefully set on the plate and the colors gave my eyes quite the show. I first tasted the white purée, which consisted of parsnips (I know this only because of the last time I visited Pumpkins, Chandra and I spent the night trying to decipher what the flavor of carrots was). Next, I had homemade cranberry sauce, which this was a new experience for me. I am used to the canned stuff that has the consistency of jam. It had the same taste but livelier texture with chunks of real cranberries-It was delicious! I then consumed the turkey. It was good, but just good. This is about the time that I realized it wasn’t really Thanksgiving’s Day. I missed my father’s cooking. My favorite dish for thanksgiving is mashed potatoes-which was replaced by sweet mashed potatoes that had the consistency of baby food. I missed my mother’s mashed potatoes that have chunks of real potatoes (I bet she would never believe that I said I missed her cooking haha). They were still good, just not the same as home. The stuffing on the other hand was amazing. I have never had stuffing that I absolutely loved. To make it better, it had pine nuts… my favorite! The other dish was an onion salad, which wasn’t quite what I would eat, so I abstained. And last but not least, I had homemade applesauce…which reminded me of my grandfather’s. It was great.
After our entrée was devoured, we were then served plates with pecan pie and PUMPKIN pie! My absolute favorite. This is what made my night! I was completely satisfied after that. The pumpkin pie can be described in only one word-perfect! Its texture was like satin and I was pleased to not find chunks of pumpkin in my bites. As if this wasn’t enough, Bob delivered café with bite size portions of carrot cake with sugar frosting.
All in all the evening was nice. It did however remind me how much my family means to me and how hard the holidays will be without them.
More pictures of my dinner

Photo links

I tried for several hours to get my pictures posted on this blog, but it would not work.
Here are some links to the facebook albums:
http://missouri.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2214184&l=f9633&id=15920991
http://missouri.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2214183&l=09a74&id=15920991

Nothing too amazing, just getting used to my new fantastic camera!

Bisous!

The CUEF's Secret Society

So in case you haven't watched the news lately, there is in fact a strike going on in France. Actually, I can't really say much for the US news, but it is all over the French news. This is REAL! It is affecting my life.
Since last Wednesday, I have not had class due to students who have gone on strike, so they have barricaded the doors with bike racks, recycling/trash cans/ and pretty much anything else they could find. The first questions on my mind were "Why bike racks?" and "Why isn't the president of the university not removing the items so I can go to class?" Well, taking a further look at the doors, I realized that these bike racks were not only set in front of the doors, but also locked on with a giant chain. HA! Genius! Anywho, these students can be dangerous apparently and have made it so that no one can get into the building with out threatening. The reason why my classes have been cancelled is for my safety. OK? Where are the police? Well, yea we could get into the school if we really wanted to...someone could take a saw and cut the locks off, but these said students will use force to ensure that I will not learn while they are on strike. If the students use fight back in the building (however they deem necessary), the police are not allowed to enter the university buildings as it is private property.
The whole reason why they are on strike right now is because the universities are becoming more privatized and they will be more selective as to whom they take into their schools, because at this moment, pretty much anyone can go to school and university is virtually free. Tuition will go up with the new bill that has been passed.
So enough of the history of the strike (I could be wrong-these are just things that my professor has told me, and who knows how well my translation is haha), but today class commenced at 8:30... well it sort of started at that time. My program director informed me to meet behind the CUEF building at 8:30 to find out where I would be having class. I wandered passed the students on strike who watched me over their bonfire (aka fire in a metal bin) that they had going to keep them warm while they made sure no one got into the buildings. When I safely arrived to the back, I met with my professor and she told us to go to Hôtel de Ville (city hall). When we arrived there, she drove past and told us that they changed our location so we needed to meet at Verdun Prefecture (just another walk around town). So my class and I trekked through the city together and waited to find out where we were to go next. Meanwhile, it was about 0 degrees celcius/32 degrees farenheit and we are waiting outside on a secret mission. After waiting for about 20 minutes outside, we walk across the plaza into an old school building that is in the process of being renovated. I could smell gasoline as I entered into the dim lobby. The saumon colored paint was chipping off of the walls in large loose leaf paper sized chunks. We wandered around the building for about 20 more minutes deciding which classroom we would take over (switching back and forth from classroom to classroom due to class sizes).
Finally, class began at about 9:45 am. We talked about the strike until about 11:30 and then took an exam.
Tomorrow, I have class at 8:30 as well. I am supposed to do this whole routine again, but there is another problem as it is supposed to be a big day of strikes. Pretty much anyone who works for the state (ie professors (not mine), postal service, and TRANSPORTATION) will be on strike and marching about in town. I live about 15 minutes by bus from campus, but by walking it is probably about an hour long walk. Not to mention that it is freezing outside and it is supposed to rain. When my professor asked me where I lived, she told me that I could walk to class (but this was also when we thought we were supposed to meet at Verdun), hmm... We'll see if I make it to class, this may be one day where I will have to bail out if it is raining/freezing/and random manifestations in the streets.
I do appreciate the fact that the CUEF has been so attentive to this situation as we are paying a large amount of money for our classes (as opposed to the French students). It is nice that even though students are on strike, they are trying to make this situation work so that we can learn. So I will definitely write more to keep everyone updated.
Below are some pictures of the blocking and the graffiti


front entrance


translation: We block all (perhas a bit broken translation?)


translation: blockade sabotage


side entrance

Invaders: Level One Tourists!

Saturday morning all 14 CEA students staggered onto a large bus to head down to the south of France for our first excursion as a group. On our agenda was the Pont du Gard and then to Aigues Mortes where we would meet up with other CEA students who are studying in France (from Aix-en-Provence and from Nice). The Pont du Gard was nice, but I would have enjoyed it more without the wind. Then we arrived outside Aigues Mortes, parked the bus, and walked into the city. Aigues Mortes is a small town that relies heavily on tourism and a bit on its sea salt production and home made wine (which is then put in a recycled water bottle-> very potent! Don't let its bottle fool you). The city is surrounded by a city wall which used to be used to defend itself from invaders. Today, it is mainly a tourist attraction. This weekend just so happened to be Aigues Mortes' annual festival with rides, gardians (cowboys), and bulls! The trouble all began after the boys decided to drink the wine. A few bottles later (after the boys tried to play chicken with the bulls in the bull ring), the bull run began in the streets. This is where they let out seven bulls at a time run down the streets with two-three gardians on white horses block them from attacking the viewers. This was fun, I was running in front, risking my life and limbs so that I could take pictures. With all the excitement (and wine), one of the students from our group decided to jump in front of the horsemen and the bull when he was knocked off and thrown onto the sidewalk. After this an elderly lady of about 140 years old began to shout at him about how he could have been hurt. This is about the time where he should have apologized and moved on, but he shouted back.
So if letting crazy bulls out in the streets was not enough, the entire town (which was pretty much drunk by 7 pm) had a huge party in the center of town with a concert. We were advised to stay away from the stage and stay out of anyone's way... so basically we were only allowed to stand and look pretty... better yet, lock ourselves up in our hotel room. After dinner we went out to a pub across from the concert and danced with a few locals. After this and a few more drinks, we ended up at the concert (where we were basically advised to stay away from) where Rory, the strongest guy (body builder-literally) in our group was nearly in a fight after asking where all the single ladies were in the town and then asking the guy what his girlfriends name was... obviously there was a bit of confusion. Off to the side of the concert I noticed a girl from my group throwing toilet paper at the band.... she is probably the smallest one in the group... she could have easily been killed. My nerves were going all over the place, so I finally called it a night after getting hundreds of dirty looks by the locals.
The next morning, we finished breakfast at the hotel and left for our bus. Unfortunately, our bus driver frantically came running back to stop us. What can possibly go wrong now, I thought. Oh yea, our bus was robbed. Some kids busted in the window stole the bus driver's keys to his car and house, his car registration with his address on it, and his dental bridge (gross). This damage is going to cost him hundreds of dollars. I ended up organizing a donation from the other students and myself to help, but it barely made a dent in what he will have to pay.
So this weekend of high hopes turned into a lesson learned: Don't impose on local traditions.
Did I mention I did get to see the pink flamingos, white horses, and the cowboys that I was looking forward to. Thank goodness something came out of this!

Back to the Basics

When I was at the wee age of 6, I loved getting substitutes. They were virtually babysitters-we just watched movies, played with glitter, and they made sure we didn't eat the glue. Well yesterday, I met Madame Hélène. . . my substitute for the rest of the week. She is shorter and fluffier than my Madame Christine and one of the first things she warned us about was her lazy eye. . . so my initial thoughts were "this will be fun." That was also the day that I didn't finish my homework so I asked if I could turn it in tomorrow, but I lied and said "I left it in another notebook." hmm... she was fine with this as well... I don't know where my feelings of apprehension came from, but I believe it was the moment she handed out a hand-out for us to read. I was first and she passed the entire stack of papers to me. I thought I was supposed to pass the rest of them down to everyone else, but when I did not say "merci," she ripped them out of my hands and scolded me-teaching me the lesson of manners. haha So there we were... all sitting in a semi-circle, with Madame Hélène going around the room making sure that we each thanked our neighbor for giving us a piece of paper that we would work on until it was completely exhausted and work on it for homework. It is amazing how many things someone can think of to do with an article about how architects are planning on changing the world by creating new structures to conserve energy (find the words you don't understand and underline them so that we can discuss them for an hour- change the title, create a new introduction, and for homework just summarize it). I am soo over substitutes... and I think this may be a first... having a substitute, in college? hmmm
Later that afternoon, I attended Vocabulaire, and Madame Elsa is pretty much crazy. I never know what to expect, but she is so sweet. Towards the end of class, we were throwing balls of paper at eachother across the room while yelling expressions of fear in French. It was fun, a little awkward, but fun. I felt like a kid again.
Hélène and the paper balls made me realize how I am basically in elementary school. I am studying the fundamentals of French. Yes, it is difficult for me. Looking at my homework, and thinking about what I am actually working on and then looking back at the time frame that I worked on this was probably dated circa 1994. I am sure my morning phone calls to Adrien to figure out if I did the homework right are so frustrating for him. I screwed up possessive pronouns? That gets me inside time (lab assignment) while all my friends are playing on their break. Well, I guess the basic point about this is I feel like I am in elementary school-not that it is bad but it is not good either, just familiar.

Oh yea, did I mention I had the opportunity to go parapente! Basically I jumped off a mountain with a man stuck to my back and a bunch of fabric and a bag stuck to his. It was soo great! I love Grenoble!


Here are some pictures from my parapent experience (they aren't in order)

thats me flying away


taking off


Waiting


Getting ready!


That is the view that I had and those are my feet to give you a bit of perspective


This is my fantastic view of the village


This is the man stuck on my back... he was fun, I don't remember his name though

Picture Links

For those of you who don't facebook, here are links to my photos... paris, grenoble, and aix (I have some pictures from Switzerland so I will post them later)

Aix
http://missouri.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2202065&l=19124&id=15920991

Grenoble (and some paris)
http://missouri.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2196462&l=71f70&id=15920991

London (and some paris)
http://missouri.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2191356&l=84c10&id=15920991

Paris
http://missouri.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2191355&l=04a34&id=15920991

Things that make me go hmm...

Boys who wear headbands, aging, celebrations for new tramlines, and... public restrooms (for dogs)
Grenoble is a very special town. It is not too large and it is not too small... Parfait! Each day is a new surprise as I discover more things to ponder. Headbands are nice accessories... if you are a girl. In France, it seems to be acceptable for the men to wear them. Although this should not come as a surprise since French men are notorious for their sense of fashion (I mean this in the nicest way-honest!). Today, I was sitting on a tram and I noticed a guy wearing, not just a headband used to hold his hair back for sports, but this guy was wearing the sort of headband that was cool about 8-12 years ago that was just a circle of thin zig-zags. hmm....
Second thought of the hour... Grenoble has a lot of old people...or is it just France in general that has a lot... I don't know, but the last Sunday that I was here, I had the worst reality check of my life- wrinkles do exist! In the US we are sheltered from this epidemic as plastic surgery has become a social norm... I will be the first to admit that I do plan on investing in this trend. I have never seen soo many old people in one place...Yes, I am saying this and I know how odd this must sound, but I was really freaked out by this. It is no wonder that Grenoble has one of the only research plants in the world that is working to find a cure for aging (without plastic surgery!) Inconceivable! At anyrate, the senior citizens in France have priority... which they should. I was at the supermarket the other day, and of course the lines were crazy, so I waited in my usual line...the handicap line (which means if a handicap person comes along and wants to check out there, they can cut you)...normally, I have great luck here and no one comes ahead of me. This particular day, the friendly lady behind me noticed the older couple who were "oh la la-ing" about the long lines, so she invited them to cut in front of me because they have priority as she pointed to the wheelchair sign above my head. Ok this was fine, but then another older gentleman discovered this and came behind the couple. Beside this long line, was a younger man in a wheelchair... This was probably the longest amount of time spent in line to check out five items at the supermarket... I was just a little frustrated. Another nice thing that I have noticed is that even the "thuggiest" of boys give up their seats to the senior citizens on the trams and buses...it is soo nice to see this.
Random tidbit about my town: We have (excuse me had) three trams that traveled around the city until last weekend. Unfortunately, i was out of town for this exciting addition to the city, but there have been posters and signs and fliers, and anything else possible to publicize the new D line! oooo! Not only that, but Grenoble had a party, complete with aperatifs at each stop that this new D tram goes to. . . I haven't really figured out what is so exciting about this tram-it only has four stops. I would be happier if it wasn't a 5+ walk from my residence hall, but I still find the bus more convenient.
The last tidbit about my town... dogs are soo popular here that they even have their own public restrooms... special parks on the streets that are fenced off so the dogs can go to the bathroom. This is supposed to be an attempt to eliminate the surprises in the streets... which often lead to me playing hopscotch in order to avoid such unpleasant messes.
So, pretty much my town is AMAZING!