I have been here one whole month today and since it is the first time in a week that I have had real internet access you will be given a few blogs that i've been saving up. This first one is of my time here and the people that I have met.
I really enjoy the other assistants that live here in Dunkerque and the surrounding areas. In all i think that there are about 17 or 18 of us, the number keeps changing as people come out of the wood-work. There are a few canadians, germans, spaniards, dutchies, americans and one girl who is chinese. i think once a week i meet someone else new. out of all of us there is one lone man, joel, the canadian who is 2nd cousins with pamela anderson. and last night on his 24th birthday he had the most to drink in his life. but we still all had more than him. i feel like he has kind of become our brother, that we've all adopted each other and made this little family. We are all in the same boat, away from home in a foreign country. we have french in common, and for the most of us english too. right now, english seems to be what we speak the most. when the chinese girl is with us it is french, since she doesnt know english. but her french is far beyond any of ours. slowly we push each other to speak in french. sometimes it is just single words, and other times its every other sentence.
i feel that my french is slowly improving and i am getting more and more confident in using it. i talked completely in french today at the store with the woman who sold me boots. and i think for the most part she understood me. i was able to explain that i have small feet and short legs but that my calves are larger, proportionally and that had a hard time finding boots. people know right away that i am not a native speaker, because once a few words come out of my mouth they end up asking me where i am. I tell them that i am from the US and then i have to explain why i am where i am. They are all so shocked to see an american in Dunkerque. Like, why are you HERE? out of the whole country, why Dunkerque? It is a little frustrating to have the Dunkerquois constantly excusing and forgiving their city. they are pretty negative, but it really is not that bad. They have a beautiful beach, and as long as you don't look to the left (to the factories and nuclear plants...) it is still beautiful.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
bienvenue chez moi
Les dunes de flandre. It is where I live. On sunday, I woke up early and made myself a little breakfast. I got my bike out to ride it to the St Pol sunday market, not knowing that it was on the next street over. As much as I love our bellingham saturday market, nothing really beats european markets. where else do you have produce and electronics spread on tables feet from eachother? :) I walked up and down the street and after an hour I had filled my little basket and spent only about 10 euro. I bought half of a roasted chicken, a delicious aged sausage with a delicious herb-y skin, potatoes, apples, banannas, spinach, pears, garlic, fresh pressed apple juice, zucchini and more! I brought my treasures home and hopped back on my bike to ride to the beach. Sunday happened to also be the day of the Dunkerque marathon, so parts of my ride to the beach were on the course of the marathon. I rode to the beach, and then rode along the beach for a long while. Finally the path ended, i locked up my bikey and walked the beach. I could see belgium in the distance, had I been more adventurous and not as hungry, i would have been able to walk all the way there. The beach was full of people doing everything you could imagine! walking, running, driving their cars, sailing, kite-surfing etc. there is "char a voile' which is like this little land sail boat with wheels. and people who put on wet suits, take kayak paddles and "walk in the sea" also people were out in the waves net fishing. I came upon ruins of a battery that once protected the coast. these huge concrete things, perched precariously in the sand, tipped sideways because of the sand that had eroded away. exploring these was very strange, climbing inside and looking through the windows that a soldier once looked through down the barrel of his gun. goose-bumpy.
I made my way home, had a little lunch and went back out again to see what I could see. Went to see Le Petit Nicholas (this french book that i read in highschool) at the movie theatre, because even I an understand french in a children's movie. Then came home to have a dinner of market chicken, fork mashed potatoes (you do what you can when your kitchen has nothing...) and sauteed spinach! a little reading and then i was in bed by 10....
I am definitely feeling the effects of all of this alone time, i think once im settled in a little better I will be ok.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
grand bisous
"le bise"
it is the biggest thing to throw me off in france. you know, the kissing on the cheek thing. it presents many questions and many awkward moments. at least for me. when do you do it? every time you see someone? i've figured out that it is the first time you've seen someone for the day, and the last time you'll see them. when you say goodbye. who do you do it to? collegues? strangers when you've just met? the man next to you on the bus? which cheek do you start with? how many bises do you do? i have been bised x2 x3 and x4 and none of it makes sense. the 4 bise bise was from someone older. i was told that the older generation does it, people from the country. also, i made the mistake of starting with someone's left cheek first, i think your right cheeks are supposed to touch first? if that makes sense. and it the moving from one cheek to the other, in the back of my head i am scared to death that i will move forward too soon and end up getting lips. some people make big kissing smacks, some make no noise. some physically kiss you on the cheek while others barely touch you.
i will do more research and get back to you.
it is the biggest thing to throw me off in france. you know, the kissing on the cheek thing. it presents many questions and many awkward moments. at least for me. when do you do it? every time you see someone? i've figured out that it is the first time you've seen someone for the day, and the last time you'll see them. when you say goodbye. who do you do it to? collegues? strangers when you've just met? the man next to you on the bus? which cheek do you start with? how many bises do you do? i have been bised x2 x3 and x4 and none of it makes sense. the 4 bise bise was from someone older. i was told that the older generation does it, people from the country. also, i made the mistake of starting with someone's left cheek first, i think your right cheeks are supposed to touch first? if that makes sense. and it the moving from one cheek to the other, in the back of my head i am scared to death that i will move forward too soon and end up getting lips. some people make big kissing smacks, some make no noise. some physically kiss you on the cheek while others barely touch you.
i will do more research and get back to you.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
a few more observations....and my wednesday
man purses
lace curtains
the french have a knack for decorating with pastel colored and textured wall paper
no toilet seats in public restrooms
no hot water or soap either....
so much dog shit on the sidewalks
I moved into my apartment on tuesday night finally, and spent the night listening to someone do doughnuts in the school parking lot. Wednesday was our "formation day" for the assistants so I woke up nice and early and took the train to lille. Once i finally got to lille, i realized that I didnt have any directions to the school, or any idea as to where it was. After standing for a while, i noticed some other girls looking just about as lost as i was, they were also assistants. so we got together and made our way to the school with some incomplete instructions. the school was a highschool that is getting remodeled. The very vague signs pointed us in one direction. when in reality we were supposed to be going the other direction! finally made our way to a hallway with three classrooms. and sat down in one. but it apparently mattered as to how many lycee assistants and how many college assistants were in each room. sooooo after some shuffling around, we started about an hour late. didnt get any useful information. and the 300+ assistants then walked more than thirty minutes to a university cafeteria where we stood in line for what seemed like forever to receive the worst lunch i ever had. mystery fish with mystery neon yellow sauce (the french and their mustard...) chicken with grapes? celeriac root and peas. they really did not do the celeriac root justice. cold, however cooked broccoli and cauliflower. weird yogurt. terrible. then.....300+ students walked back to another school into an auditorium that was like a sauna, started 1.5 hours late and sat through an hour and a half of information that everyone already knew. things that you learned when you applied to the program. useless information. finished late, rushed to the metro to get to the train station to buy a ticket back home.
what follows is i think proof of why i have terrible luck. we take the train from lille to dunkerque, it has a few stops in between and a layover at hazebrouk. we stop there, and stay stopped for a while. they transfer us to the train ahead of us because of some disturbance on the line ahead. get on the new train, which was a great improvement to our plastic seat/bus/train from the 70's. it was swanky. if a train could be that. then we get a text from one of the other assistants who is still in lille, stuck in the train station because up ahead on the line, between lille and dunkerque a train has caught fire. we hear gossip from other train riders that we will be stuck there for 2 hours....it was about 1 or less. got to dunkerque and ran to the bus in the downpour, and got on the wrong bus....corrected ourselves and finally made it to the birthday dinner of one of the assistants.
i always thought i would enjoy living alone, but now im starting to think otherwise. it might just be because my apartment is an empty shell at the moment, and my neighbors are the administrative staff, and i have no internet. but it could be a lot worse. i think im finally starting to be home sick, just a little bit. but only for specific things. like peanutbutter. and a sink that actually drains. and a washing machine.
also, got a new bike! pictures to come soon.
lace curtains
the french have a knack for decorating with pastel colored and textured wall paper
no toilet seats in public restrooms
no hot water or soap either....
so much dog shit on the sidewalks
I moved into my apartment on tuesday night finally, and spent the night listening to someone do doughnuts in the school parking lot. Wednesday was our "formation day" for the assistants so I woke up nice and early and took the train to lille. Once i finally got to lille, i realized that I didnt have any directions to the school, or any idea as to where it was. After standing for a while, i noticed some other girls looking just about as lost as i was, they were also assistants. so we got together and made our way to the school with some incomplete instructions. the school was a highschool that is getting remodeled. The very vague signs pointed us in one direction. when in reality we were supposed to be going the other direction! finally made our way to a hallway with three classrooms. and sat down in one. but it apparently mattered as to how many lycee assistants and how many college assistants were in each room. sooooo after some shuffling around, we started about an hour late. didnt get any useful information. and the 300+ assistants then walked more than thirty minutes to a university cafeteria where we stood in line for what seemed like forever to receive the worst lunch i ever had. mystery fish with mystery neon yellow sauce (the french and their mustard...) chicken with grapes? celeriac root and peas. they really did not do the celeriac root justice. cold, however cooked broccoli and cauliflower. weird yogurt. terrible. then.....300+ students walked back to another school into an auditorium that was like a sauna, started 1.5 hours late and sat through an hour and a half of information that everyone already knew. things that you learned when you applied to the program. useless information. finished late, rushed to the metro to get to the train station to buy a ticket back home.
what follows is i think proof of why i have terrible luck. we take the train from lille to dunkerque, it has a few stops in between and a layover at hazebrouk. we stop there, and stay stopped for a while. they transfer us to the train ahead of us because of some disturbance on the line ahead. get on the new train, which was a great improvement to our plastic seat/bus/train from the 70's. it was swanky. if a train could be that. then we get a text from one of the other assistants who is still in lille, stuck in the train station because up ahead on the line, between lille and dunkerque a train has caught fire. we hear gossip from other train riders that we will be stuck there for 2 hours....it was about 1 or less. got to dunkerque and ran to the bus in the downpour, and got on the wrong bus....corrected ourselves and finally made it to the birthday dinner of one of the assistants.
i always thought i would enjoy living alone, but now im starting to think otherwise. it might just be because my apartment is an empty shell at the moment, and my neighbors are the administrative staff, and i have no internet. but it could be a lot worse. i think im finally starting to be home sick, just a little bit. but only for specific things. like peanutbutter. and a sink that actually drains. and a washing machine.
also, got a new bike! pictures to come soon.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
la France
a few of my observations about france.
France, where you can put mayonaise on almost anything without shame.
you have a before dinner drink, drinks during dinner, and an after dinner drink.
Cheese. and potatoes.
Genie pants. i dont get it.
champagne with lunch
dessert with lunch AND dinner
walker texas ranger, the simpsons and charmed dubbed in french.
beaucoup de clopes. (lots of cigarettes)
people are late.
tiny cars.
thats all i have so far. i haven't really taken any pictures because it is hard to do so without feeling like a total and complete tourist.
France, where you can put mayonaise on almost anything without shame.
you have a before dinner drink, drinks during dinner, and an after dinner drink.
Cheese. and potatoes.
Genie pants. i dont get it.
champagne with lunch
dessert with lunch AND dinner
walker texas ranger, the simpsons and charmed dubbed in french.
beaucoup de clopes. (lots of cigarettes)
people are late.
tiny cars.
thats all i have so far. i haven't really taken any pictures because it is hard to do so without feeling like a total and complete tourist.
Friday, October 2, 2009
la fin de la première semaine
One week here so far....still no bag. I am finding that i am more and more pessimistic about it. shoot.
Anyways, i have started some of my observation at one of the schools. Today i sat in on two classes, who, due to scheduling conflicts between the two schools, will not have the chance to see me again. So we spent the entire class period having them ask me questions, first in english, then in french when they ran out of things that they knew how to say. Out of every class that i've sat in on, these students asked the most questions. The others only got as far as my name and age and 'where was you borned?'
Do you speak french?
Have you seen any stars? (celebrities)
Do you celebrate thanksgiving/what is it.
This one led to a mini history lesson and my realization that thanksgiving makes absolutely no sense. My explanation was something along the lines of "you get together with all of your family and you eat a lot of food in order to give thanks for what you have" my pilgrims and indian first thanksgiving story left them looking sooo confused.
Where do you live/what is your address?
Why did you pick to come here?
How old are you?
This one also surprised them, because honestly, i look like i could be sitting in class with them. There are boys that are 14 who look 20+ and girls who dress super sexy time. And they are 12.
How did you get here, by a boat or a plane?
Do you like Michael Jackson?
I also tried to explain the grading system to one class. And drew a picture of me in my graduation gown and cap to show how awful it was.
They were very curious about life in the united states, and whenever i am on the school grounds all i get are stares. "qui est le fille?" i dont think ill ever get used to the stares. the wide open eyes, omg stares. i stick out like the sorest thumb ever.
Anyways, i have started some of my observation at one of the schools. Today i sat in on two classes, who, due to scheduling conflicts between the two schools, will not have the chance to see me again. So we spent the entire class period having them ask me questions, first in english, then in french when they ran out of things that they knew how to say. Out of every class that i've sat in on, these students asked the most questions. The others only got as far as my name and age and 'where was you borned?'
Do you speak french?
Have you seen any stars? (celebrities)
Do you celebrate thanksgiving/what is it.
This one led to a mini history lesson and my realization that thanksgiving makes absolutely no sense. My explanation was something along the lines of "you get together with all of your family and you eat a lot of food in order to give thanks for what you have" my pilgrims and indian first thanksgiving story left them looking sooo confused.
Where do you live/what is your address?
Why did you pick to come here?
How old are you?
This one also surprised them, because honestly, i look like i could be sitting in class with them. There are boys that are 14 who look 20+ and girls who dress super sexy time. And they are 12.
How did you get here, by a boat or a plane?
Do you like Michael Jackson?
I also tried to explain the grading system to one class. And drew a picture of me in my graduation gown and cap to show how awful it was.
They were very curious about life in the united states, and whenever i am on the school grounds all i get are stares. "qui est le fille?" i dont think ill ever get used to the stares. the wide open eyes, omg stares. i stick out like the sorest thumb ever.
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