Bienvenue en France

Salut,

Cet semaine c`est tres vite parce que nous sommes en France en train de etudier plus. (French)

This week went fast because we are in France studying a lot.

Essa semana esta muito rapida porque estamos na Franca estudando muito! (Portuguese)

My friend was here with me when I started this post, and he laughed at me for not posting in French. He is from Brazil, so he wrote the first line for me and translated into French and Portuguese.

I am loving it here! There is a large group of international students here, and most of them are living in the same temporary housing as I am. I've met students from Chile, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Sweden, Mexico, and Canada. My roommates here are Kim from Korea and Willy and Francisco from Chile. The biggest group is the Brazilians. There are around twenty of them, and they come from different places in Brazil. We've been trying to learn about each other's cultures and histories, figuring out how our lives at home are different. The French students are currently on holiday, but I will be in class with them starting at the end of February.

Right now, I am attending an intensive French course. We meet for five hours each day Monday-Friday for three weeks. The first week is done, and I have learned a lot. The first day, I could only pick out occasional words (mostly cognates -- words that sound like their English counterpart) of what the teacher was saying, but by the end of the week I understood about 80% of what she was saying. Of course, the last 20% always contains something important, so I need to keep practicing.

So far, we've been exploring the surrounding area. I want my French to improve before I venture into Paris! There is a beautiful chateau nearby, as well as a church that was built ~1200 AD. The chateau also has a huge park behind it (the forest reminds me of home!), but the weather has prevented us from exploring it. The entire time I have been here, I have only seen the sun for one day! We have rain every day, but it is not as cold here as it is at home. I'm comfortable in a fleece and rain jacket. The poor South Americans are very cold, and they are missing the beautiful weather back home.

The first several days a large group of us were together every night. We have been teaching each other party games from our home countries. The wine here is delicious -- so far, we've been paying ~2 euro (about $2.50) for a bottle of wine, and most of it is better than what we have had at home. Every time that we toast, we all say cheers 5 times: in French, English, Spanish, Portugeuse and Korean. We are working our way up, waiting to try the more expensive bottles of wine until later in the semester. I have been eating mostly inexpensive food, trying to save my money for my trips. I have been eating a lot of baguette with Nutella, a chocolate spread with the consistency of peanut butter. It's not the most healthy snack, but it is delicious. The kitchens in France are very small; ours is just a mini-fridge, a microwave, and hot plates. Here, when you are looking for an apartment with a kitchen that has a counter, stove, oven, and microwave in a separate room, you ask for an "American-style kitchen". We're looking forward to moving into our new apartments, where we will be able to cook normally. A friend just signed for a room in a house that has a small barbecue in the back -- we're all looking forward to our first cookout!

Since most of my friends here are from South America, they switch between Portugese and Spanish often since they are so similar. It's hard not knowing either language, but I am hoping that I may pick up a little more after studying French. Since most people speak English better than French, I've been speaking more English than French. We're planning to change that this week, and when I move in with French students I will try to speak only French. It's hard to learn when I keep switching back to English :)

Last night, I met two students from Montreal. They are fluent in both English and French, but everyone in France recognizes their Quebeque accents. Last night, they took me to a chain restaurant from Montreal. It's very popular here, and they said the restaurant wasn't too different from the ones in Canada. They brew their own beer there, and they serve delicious burgers. The huge burger and plate of fries they laid out for me tasted like the best I've ever had, but I think I was just very hungry.

All of our friends in the program are slowly coming down with the same chest cold. My whole apartment has been coughing all day, and none of us got up before 1 pm today. We sound like we're dying of consumption. The first group of people to get sick are getting better, though, so we're able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

My first French test is tomorrow, so I have to get back to studying. Bonsoir!

Une pause à Montreal

Bonjour from Canada!

It was not until I was halfway across Lake Michigan that I looked past all the goodbyes and anxieties of packing and realized that I was on my way to Paris. As the feeling sunk in, I was washed over with relief and excitement. Finally, it is real and nearly tangible.

The airport here in Montreal has been excellent. It is a beautiful airport, and the staff has been very friendly. I've been practicing not smiling (poker faces are highly recommended in France) -- I've had a 50% success rate while passing strangers.

When I realized I missed lunch, I wandered around looking for a bathroom and a place to eat. There was a promising cafe, but I was nervous when I saw the menu was in French and the server addressed me in French. I found a delicious looking strawberry tart and got up the nerve to order. After trying to hear me stammer it out in a terrible accent, the server politely interrupted me, and I switched to English. Hopefully, my hunger will push me to improve my French quickly :)

I am looking forward to keeping this blog; it will be a great way to document my journeys and to keep everyone up to date. When I get settled in France, I will write a more exciting post. For now, au revoir!