Salut tout le monde!
I’ve been inspired to write another update. Sometimes with these things it takes a little motivation! (So thank you friend, you know who you are!) I think it’s the fact that sometimes when I am looking back on the past few weeks (sometimes a little over a month!), recounting what has gone on makes me realize what little time I have left here and what little time I have left to see all of my loved ones. Right now, to tell you the truth, I’m leaning towards the latter ;)
I’ve been inspired to write another update. Sometimes with these things it takes a little motivation! (So thank you friend, you know who you are!) I think it’s the fact that sometimes when I am looking back on the past few weeks (sometimes a little over a month!), recounting what has gone on makes me realize what little time I have left here and what little time I have left to see all of my loved ones. Right now, to tell you the truth, I’m leaning towards the latter ;)
To start, I was perdy sure a few days ago and even last week that Spring was coming quickly and was gonna stay. ALERT, today showed itself to be chilly and nasty in Lyon. So no. Not yet. Still flirting.
So, to clue ya’ll in on my little Frenchie life... I FINALLY had my medical visit to finish the last step to get my VISA. About a month ago, I went to my first French doctor’s clinic, and I was surprised at how fast everything went. I just chalk it up to the early bird catching the worm though. If you are early in France, the Frenchies don’t know what hits them!
Ha, I have a friend named Flore, and I had explained to her that before coming to France I had a teacher tell me that there is such a thing as “French Time”. She verified that, yes, in fact there is, and most people and/or businesses allot 15 minutes for a late arrival.
Anyway, back to the one-and-only experience that was my French VISA Medical Visit.
Let’s Tarantino the story and say that I am unhesitatingly modest.
Now, let’s rewind: I get to the clinic, get on the table, do the breathing deeply thing, the temp thing, the weigh-in thing, and the usual questions/icebreaker questions thing. Then, the nurse leads me into a room where I am to strip. Naked that is-from the waist up. GRRRR. I had to have a chest X-ray to make sure that I wasn’t carrying any nodules, Tuberculosis granules, infarcts, syphilis (that I obviously would have gotten in France, ha-ha!), bug nests, biohazardous bronchioles, drugs, etc.
Yeah, I get that, who wants bugs hatching around in France? But seriously, give me a freakin’ gown! In the US whenever I had to get a chest X-ray, they always gave me a gown, and besides I’ve never done the breast x-ray thing, so, it was my first time! So, I am unhesitatingly modest.
Let’s just say that I am glad that is OVER WITH. I turned in my forms to the Préfecture, and they told me that I would have to wait like a month/month + 1/2 to get my actual VISA, which means that “soon”, I will have my official VISA, the one that apparently lets me live in France for an extended amount of time (not including the seven-eight months I have already lived her mind you!). That’s right! I will have my VISA just in time for the two-three months I’ll have left to live in France. Wow. I mean really.
So in a few weeks *cross my fingers and toes and arms and legs and eyelashes *and you cross your etc. too, I’ll finally have my VISA.
I started my classes in early February. I love my medieval classes more this semester than last; they are truly outstanding “formidables” ;) Originally I had hoped to take a German or Italian class, but sadly the classes that the University offers are in their fourth semester, for both languages. And seeing as how my language abilities in both of those languages put together couldn’t get me into fourth semester, I am not taking any of those classes. What I am doing is learning some basic Japanese. Another Rotary scholar named Miyuki who lives in Lyon invited me and one of her friends named Flore (the same girl above) to a Japanese language clinic. We went and discuted cultural topics and I learned some basic Japanese. And every week Miyuki, Flore, and I have lunch together and we cook Japanese food. The last time we made sushi :)
No, but Japanese is actually coming pretty quickly for me. I think it’s because of my linguistic courses at UCA, how they showed me the structures of different languages. It surprisingly doesn’t seem all that foreign to me. But the beautiful writing…I’m afraid that’s a lost cause only reserved for tattoos and elaborate silk-screens.
What I am planning on doing more of is reading more Spanish (to help me keep brushed up) and Italian, as well as continuing to study their grammar and verb conjugations. I am hoping to go to Italy and/or Spain after I leave Lyon, so it’s more practical for me to study Italian/Spanish than German, linguistically as well. They say that in many of the programs in the states that I may want to get into, you might have to know two languages apart from your maternal language, so Italian and Spanish seems like a more natural fit, seeing as how they are Romance.
In my medieval classes I am to write at least 25 pages memoir/research paper on a topic of choice. Right now it’s shaping up to be either: 1) Religious Truth and Romanesque Fiction in “L’Histoire du Graal” by Robert de Boron (which is about Arthur and his troupe searching out the Grail) or 2) “La Chanson de Roland”: Fiction in History, Truth from History? (“Song of Roland” that is, which I am more familiar with from past studies.)
So those are the two topics I have chosen, and right now I am doing a lot of research and just enjoying each class discussion. On Wednesday, the prof is gonna advice us on our topics. I haven’t felt so excited about going to class since some of my French classes at UCA, and that is giving me motivation :)
Last month my good buddy Chen-Chi Yu AKA Paul had his 23rd birthday, and we had a wonderful time! We had our usual Chinese hot dishes, but this time I went over before the party and helped out, so now I know how to cook authentic Chinese food! We had a great time, he had invited French speakers only over, and so the night brought many new friends. We ate a “Charlotte” cake and I learned how to play Tarot cards as a card game. It was a lot of fun!
Ha, I have a friend named Flore, and I had explained to her that before coming to France I had a teacher tell me that there is such a thing as “French Time”. She verified that, yes, in fact there is, and most people and/or businesses allot 15 minutes for a late arrival.
Anyway, back to the one-and-only experience that was my French VISA Medical Visit.
Let’s Tarantino the story and say that I am unhesitatingly modest.
Now, let’s rewind: I get to the clinic, get on the table, do the breathing deeply thing, the temp thing, the weigh-in thing, and the usual questions/icebreaker questions thing. Then, the nurse leads me into a room where I am to strip. Naked that is-from the waist up. GRRRR. I had to have a chest X-ray to make sure that I wasn’t carrying any nodules, Tuberculosis granules, infarcts, syphilis (that I obviously would have gotten in France, ha-ha!), bug nests, biohazardous bronchioles, drugs, etc.
Yeah, I get that, who wants bugs hatching around in France? But seriously, give me a freakin’ gown! In the US whenever I had to get a chest X-ray, they always gave me a gown, and besides I’ve never done the breast x-ray thing, so, it was my first time! So, I am unhesitatingly modest.
Let’s just say that I am glad that is OVER WITH. I turned in my forms to the Préfecture, and they told me that I would have to wait like a month/month + 1/2 to get my actual VISA, which means that “soon”, I will have my official VISA, the one that apparently lets me live in France for an extended amount of time (not including the seven-eight months I have already lived her mind you!). That’s right! I will have my VISA just in time for the two-three months I’ll have left to live in France. Wow. I mean really.
So in a few weeks *cross my fingers and toes and arms and legs and eyelashes *and you cross your etc. too, I’ll finally have my VISA.
I started my classes in early February. I love my medieval classes more this semester than last; they are truly outstanding “formidables” ;) Originally I had hoped to take a German or Italian class, but sadly the classes that the University offers are in their fourth semester, for both languages. And seeing as how my language abilities in both of those languages put together couldn’t get me into fourth semester, I am not taking any of those classes. What I am doing is learning some basic Japanese. Another Rotary scholar named Miyuki who lives in Lyon invited me and one of her friends named Flore (the same girl above) to a Japanese language clinic. We went and discuted cultural topics and I learned some basic Japanese. And every week Miyuki, Flore, and I have lunch together and we cook Japanese food. The last time we made sushi :)
No, but Japanese is actually coming pretty quickly for me. I think it’s because of my linguistic courses at UCA, how they showed me the structures of different languages. It surprisingly doesn’t seem all that foreign to me. But the beautiful writing…I’m afraid that’s a lost cause only reserved for tattoos and elaborate silk-screens.
What I am planning on doing more of is reading more Spanish (to help me keep brushed up) and Italian, as well as continuing to study their grammar and verb conjugations. I am hoping to go to Italy and/or Spain after I leave Lyon, so it’s more practical for me to study Italian/Spanish than German, linguistically as well. They say that in many of the programs in the states that I may want to get into, you might have to know two languages apart from your maternal language, so Italian and Spanish seems like a more natural fit, seeing as how they are Romance.
In my medieval classes I am to write at least 25 pages memoir/research paper on a topic of choice. Right now it’s shaping up to be either: 1) Religious Truth and Romanesque Fiction in “L’Histoire du Graal” by Robert de Boron (which is about Arthur and his troupe searching out the Grail) or 2) “La Chanson de Roland”: Fiction in History, Truth from History? (“Song of Roland” that is, which I am more familiar with from past studies.)
So those are the two topics I have chosen, and right now I am doing a lot of research and just enjoying each class discussion. On Wednesday, the prof is gonna advice us on our topics. I haven’t felt so excited about going to class since some of my French classes at UCA, and that is giving me motivation :)
Last month my good buddy Chen-Chi Yu AKA Paul had his 23rd birthday, and we had a wonderful time! We had our usual Chinese hot dishes, but this time I went over before the party and helped out, so now I know how to cook authentic Chinese food! We had a great time, he had invited French speakers only over, and so the night brought many new friends. We ate a “Charlotte” cake and I learned how to play Tarot cards as a card game. It was a lot of fun!
Last month my Rotary club invited me to their Rotary Movie Night which helped raise money for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. We watched “La Jeune Fille et le Loup”, which I highly recommend, as it was very well done. Also, I now have a little update on my Rotarienne friend Chantal: her knee was not as bad as the doctors thought, still having the surgery, but recovery looks more hopeful. What they did do was hollow out her knee until all that was left was skin basically. She now has “le genou d’un robot” – a robot’s knee. She showed me all of the radiography, and it’s quite amazing that she is now hobbling around like she is. Ugh, it looked so painful and debilitating. She did have a major Plus through the whole experience…thanks to a surgeon friend of her brother’s, she stayed in a CASTLE for rehabilitation, just east of Geneva (about 1.5 hours away). This is a beautiful French countryside where the Alps tower over the East, where the air is clean, the water pristine. She told me that she had the view that no French artist could replicate…emphasis on the “French” :) I’ve been over to her place, cooked her dinner, let her talk non-stop for hours and hours. She said that for a month she wasn’t able to carry on conversations as she normally would, and that was nearly as bad as the surgery. I can understand that, especially since she talks my ear off ;-)
I had a week-long winter vacation from school a few weeks ago. I kept it on the D-L in and around Lyon mostly, but I did get the chance to go with Michèle (an older Rotarienne), Paul (her husband), and Janine (their friend) to see where Michèle grew up and where her family has lived for many generations. I was COMPLETELY spoiled like a grand-child the ENTIRE day. It was lovely. She showed me the church where she was christened in Crémieu, the same church where her grandparents lived during the war of ’14. Crémieu happens to be a “Cité Médiévale”, a nationally sited medieval city. We ate a four course meal at a quaint little restaurant, and we climbed up to the cliffs to see a spectacular view of the departments Isère et Ain, stretched out along the Rhône river. Along with Crémieu, they took me to several villages…Trept, Évieu, Brangues, Morestel, etc. They took me to their summer home in Trept for a while, where Michèle cut me down branches from her forsythia tree and sprigs from her Rosemary plants. I know have forsythia hanging out of window’s banister and my favorite herb to garnish my dishes :)
Also, during my winter vacation I also went to Annecy, France, a charming little city just south of Geneva. It was raining there, so for most of the day our beautiful view of the Alps and the clear lakes was clouded, but we walked around and saw the beautiful castle and the best shops I’ve yet to see in France. We truly passed a great afternoon. We had a tour guide named Joacim, a Finnish student living in Annecy whom we met at a Swedish party in Lyon. All of his friends are Swedish because he doesn’t actually speak Finnish. He comes from an island with border issues, thus he is a Finn who speaks Swedish. Veird. Anyway, he’s a really sweet guy who showed us a great time. For the rest of my winter vacation I went to the library and tried to figure out just what my classes are all about, and I also started looking for and applying for jobs back home. I just don’t want to get home and have to wait two months to get a decent job. I’m not saying that still might not happen, but I just wanna get a leg up and feel like I’m doing something.
Also, during my winter vacation I also went to Annecy, France, a charming little city just south of Geneva. It was raining there, so for most of the day our beautiful view of the Alps and the clear lakes was clouded, but we walked around and saw the beautiful castle and the best shops I’ve yet to see in France. We truly passed a great afternoon. We had a tour guide named Joacim, a Finnish student living in Annecy whom we met at a Swedish party in Lyon. All of his friends are Swedish because he doesn’t actually speak Finnish. He comes from an island with border issues, thus he is a Finn who speaks Swedish. Veird. Anyway, he’s a really sweet guy who showed us a great time. For the rest of my winter vacation I went to the library and tried to figure out just what my classes are all about, and I also started looking for and applying for jobs back home. I just don’t want to get home and have to wait two months to get a decent job. I’m not saying that still might not happen, but I just wanna get a leg up and feel like I’m doing something.
This past week I was writing a short story for my Rotary District. I think that whoever wins gets award at the District meeting in May. It’s an autobiographical story of one of my most embarrassing moments that happened in Québec. Some of you may know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout ;) I didn’t attach my story because not many of you do the French thing, but ask me if you wanna read it :) I’d be happy to send it.
What’s next for me?
1) Well, my dear bestest buddy Thomas Herndon is coming to see me in about oh, 12 DAYS! I am way too exited! I have sat down and plotted out a day by day of what he and I are going to do, that’s how excited I am! Oh, and I partly did that because I know Thomas, and I know that he would appreciate me telling him what the crap we are doing :) I also have a fellow scholar from my sponsor district in Arkansas who is living in Germany and who will be coming over. I think that Ashlee will come and overlap some time with Thomas, so it’ll be three Arkansans in Lyon!! WHOOO-hooo!
2) Another bestest buddy, Anne Milligan, is coming at the end of May as an “I just finished my first year of law school” sort of self-present. I am sure it’ll be Girls Gone Wild when she gets here :) Haha, just kidding mom. No, but really, we are gonna have so much fun, Anne and I, Thomas and I, Ashley and I, Ashley, Thomas, and I. ACK!
3) My Frenchie friend Marion has told me that her parents want me to come to their country home in Provence, smell some lavender and get some fresh air.
4) Flore invited me to go and stay a weekend with her family in the countryside just west of Lyon.
5) Marie-José and Jacques want me to go with them to their summer home in Arcachon near Bordeaux. I’m super excited about going to see the Atlantic, actually putting my feets in it! I still have yet to do that! As you may remember, I saw the Atlantic in August at Le Croisic, but it was way too cold/rainy/windy for me to even put a toe in the water. So this time, I will be surrounded by sun, mimosa trees, and the ocean looking at me right outside the window!
6) Michèle and Paul invited me back out to their summer home. They say it’s not right that I came in winter, and that I must come back to visit when the geraniums are falling out of their baskets, when the rosebushes can poke at me, and when the sun stays in the sky long enough to finish the gardening, so says Michèle:) I imagine I will be able to take some more rosemary ;)
1) Well, my dear bestest buddy Thomas Herndon is coming to see me in about oh, 12 DAYS! I am way too exited! I have sat down and plotted out a day by day of what he and I are going to do, that’s how excited I am! Oh, and I partly did that because I know Thomas, and I know that he would appreciate me telling him what the crap we are doing :) I also have a fellow scholar from my sponsor district in Arkansas who is living in Germany and who will be coming over. I think that Ashlee will come and overlap some time with Thomas, so it’ll be three Arkansans in Lyon!! WHOOO-hooo!
2) Another bestest buddy, Anne Milligan, is coming at the end of May as an “I just finished my first year of law school” sort of self-present. I am sure it’ll be Girls Gone Wild when she gets here :) Haha, just kidding mom. No, but really, we are gonna have so much fun, Anne and I, Thomas and I, Ashley and I, Ashley, Thomas, and I. ACK!
3) My Frenchie friend Marion has told me that her parents want me to come to their country home in Provence, smell some lavender and get some fresh air.
4) Flore invited me to go and stay a weekend with her family in the countryside just west of Lyon.
5) Marie-José and Jacques want me to go with them to their summer home in Arcachon near Bordeaux. I’m super excited about going to see the Atlantic, actually putting my feets in it! I still have yet to do that! As you may remember, I saw the Atlantic in August at Le Croisic, but it was way too cold/rainy/windy for me to even put a toe in the water. So this time, I will be surrounded by sun, mimosa trees, and the ocean looking at me right outside the window!
6) Michèle and Paul invited me back out to their summer home. They say it’s not right that I came in winter, and that I must come back to visit when the geraniums are falling out of their baskets, when the rosebushes can poke at me, and when the sun stays in the sky long enough to finish the gardening, so says Michèle:) I imagine I will be able to take some more rosemary ;)
As far as inner thoughts go…I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, mostly about mortality, about how old I am, how far I’ve come, how sometimes I don’t know what the crap I am doing, and it got me to thinking about the many big events that are coming up this year.
1) This year unofficially marks 4 great friendships that I have had for 10 years. I say unofficially because during my first semester of HS, I don’t know how close we all were! Here’s to you Thomas, Katie, Matt, and Jennifer :) I love you all so much, still and unfailingly :)
2) My dad turns 50 on the Ides of March. So this March 15th, I won’t get to be there and that pains me! Dad, when I get back, we are going to celebrate like it’s 1999, k?!! Oh man, you got it comin’ my old man!
3) I am turning 25 this July. 25 YEARS OLD! (Emphasis on the OLD!)
4) We are all turning 25 this year! Matt, Katie, Thomas, Me, etc. It’s all happening!
4) This year marks my 10 year anniversary of loving the Goo Goo Dolls! It all started with the “Iris” video baby! However, my first concert-and yes it was a Goo Goo Dolls concert-wasn’t until a year later! For those of you who didn’t know (which really most of you do!), I have loved the Goo’s for as long as I can remember, or your for that matter!
5) Ten years ago, during my second semester in HS and second semester in French, I vowed to myself that studying France’s language and culture would be a life-long commitment. And here I am 10 years later - in FRANCE!
1) This year unofficially marks 4 great friendships that I have had for 10 years. I say unofficially because during my first semester of HS, I don’t know how close we all were! Here’s to you Thomas, Katie, Matt, and Jennifer :) I love you all so much, still and unfailingly :)
2) My dad turns 50 on the Ides of March. So this March 15th, I won’t get to be there and that pains me! Dad, when I get back, we are going to celebrate like it’s 1999, k?!! Oh man, you got it comin’ my old man!
3) I am turning 25 this July. 25 YEARS OLD! (Emphasis on the OLD!)
4) We are all turning 25 this year! Matt, Katie, Thomas, Me, etc. It’s all happening!
4) This year marks my 10 year anniversary of loving the Goo Goo Dolls! It all started with the “Iris” video baby! However, my first concert-and yes it was a Goo Goo Dolls concert-wasn’t until a year later! For those of you who didn’t know (which really most of you do!), I have loved the Goo’s for as long as I can remember, or your for that matter!
5) Ten years ago, during my second semester in HS and second semester in French, I vowed to myself that studying France’s language and culture would be a life-long commitment. And here I am 10 years later - in FRANCE!
Isn’t it all just nuts!? Just looking back on things like long car rides through the back roads with the music blaring, HS senior pictures, movie nights on the big, long dark-green couch, that God-awful prom, my first trip to France, and ha the wide-spread panic of the Y2K bug, it just makes life seem so out of reach and its moments so fleeting.
I’m just glad now that I am a picture junkie and that I write more, so that ten years from now I can reminisce with a wide-array of technology right at my fingertips! At this rate, I’ll be able to make slide-show presentations out of every decade. Okay, out of every year :) Ha, the funny thing about it is: each slide-show would probably last a good afternoon ;)
I’m just glad now that I am a picture junkie and that I write more, so that ten years from now I can reminisce with a wide-array of technology right at my fingertips! At this rate, I’ll be able to make slide-show presentations out of every decade. Okay, out of every year :) Ha, the funny thing about it is: each slide-show would probably last a good afternoon ;)
To end, I will leave you with some funny things I have been hearing lately:
1) Flore and I had a conversation about the word "Doody", as in Poo. Apparently there is a word in French (and I'm still not sure of this word!) that is pronounced the same way and it is a term of endearment. Well, I explained what it was in English and she just cracked up, we both did for a while! Tears streaming down :)
2) "Does Mineral water have the same effect as Mineral oil?" Ummmmm. No.
3) My mom knows this lady, she will go unnamed because of her silly silly question! "Wow, she is always getting vacation over there! So, why is she having vacation this time? Is it President's Day?" Ummmmmmm. No. Our 3rd Monday in February is not the same in France ;)
1) Flore and I had a conversation about the word "Doody", as in Poo. Apparently there is a word in French (and I'm still not sure of this word!) that is pronounced the same way and it is a term of endearment. Well, I explained what it was in English and she just cracked up, we both did for a while! Tears streaming down :)
2) "Does Mineral water have the same effect as Mineral oil?" Ummmmm. No.
3) My mom knows this lady, she will go unnamed because of her silly silly question! "Wow, she is always getting vacation over there! So, why is she having vacation this time? Is it President's Day?" Ummmmmmm. No. Our 3rd Monday in February is not the same in France ;)
With the first signs of Spring from France:
with forsythias blooming, cherry blossoms sprouting, and Cinderella birdies chirping,
Jess
with forsythias blooming, cherry blossoms sprouting, and Cinderella birdies chirping,
Jess
PS. To get your photo fix, I have added plenty :) All of the first 5 albums are either new or have had photos added ;)
1 comment:
Continue de nous tenir au courant! Ça m'intéresse!!!
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