CRAP!
It is never good when Kate's knocking is what wakes me up. I knew I should have reset my alarm properly instead of dismissing the 8 AM melody. Quickly quickly grab clothes! Hey there Kate. Yup this is exactly what it looks like. Give me a minute to find the files. Oh hey the hawks won game seven, sweet! Right files, files, here were are. Save as PDF then transfer to Rad USB. All done, let's go to the library!
That was my morning. Not graceful and definitely not courteous to Kate. Sigh, fluking sucks most times. Anyhow I printed my files off at the library and Kate did likewise. Hers was a document for Aberdeen whereas mine were reservations for both my upcoming flights and hotel. Not long now audience. Shhh, it s'ok shhhh.
After that we hit a number of errands including Crous office, English department, and supermarket. We were both craving a few apples on the way home. Once back at the dorm we went our separate ways. I ended up snoozing for a bit more (maybe an hour) before waking up and enduring a light workout. Shower time! I then watched a made for TV movie Grow Up Timmy Turner which brought back an overdose of nostalgia. It was round that time that I straightened my hair and applied my face for tonight we would be out on the town!
However, before that I ate some food with my friends. I had chowed down on a light meal and drank my weight in water but somehow I wasn't feeling satisfied. Good thing I arrived for leftovers! Ravioli you are mine and schnitzel you are mine.
We then set off for the night. Kate was not among us (St. Nicolas bunch) due to having an exam the next day. She's responsible that girl. It was Scott's last night in Le Havre meaning I simply had to go out with everyone. In addition I hadn't been to a bar with my friends since my birthday which was far too long ago.
Amazingly I only had two drinks the entire night; one was a pint of beer and the other a jager bomb. Seriously that was all. The reasoning behind all of this was because the first bar B&B such their bar down shortly after midnight. Apparently the owner or someone important had left disabling them from serving. Well what use is that? Our group decided to move.
Luck found me because the bar we were moving to was a mere two blocks from St. Nicolas. Hell yeah! It was called Music (simple I guess) and was a karaoke bar that I had passed by ever since my first days in Le Havre. Weird that now was my debut night there. To be honest it looks somewhat sketchy from the outside. Inside it was a small bar with a few mics, a dance floor, and plenty of seating.
Even if I had drunk any other cocktails I would have burned it all off. My friends and I were dancing like crazy (we brought it) and singing poorly to popular songs. Bohemian Rhapsody was played and is somewhat a trigger song for me. Can't help but sing and head bang along.
At the end of the night I gave Scott a big hug goodbye and wished him well. Though the departure of my friends is becoming more frequent it doesn't stop it from being difficult. Still, it was a great last night out and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Especially Ieva.
Time for me to enjoy some well earned sleep. Snooze button.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
May 29th
Well audience I had about four-ish hours of sleep before my final. The unexpected outcome was that I felt rested. Huh. Anyhow after Simon and Garfunkel woke me up I did some review before heading out to my exam. It was a sunshine filled day and I arrived early with fifteen minutes to spare for final studying.
It was easy, surprisingly easy. Ok I had a huge advantage being a native English speaker for some of the questions. Well actually the exam (speaking or discussion) was almost 50/50 in French and English. I couldn't remember that "racine" meant root but pretty much nailed the other vocabulary terms. Heh heh, one of them was abstract abstrait and another was translator traducteur/traductrice.
The final section of the exam was somewhat a freebie. Actually it was a complete free five points since it was naming synonyms for a few simple English words. My professor at first was hesitant to allow me to do this section. I grinned and she said, "well I guess that's how it goes" and I answered every single one correctly. With multiple options. And without struggle. Huh. Meh, go MareBear!
After that was completed and I told her how much I had enjoyed her class (no sarcasm) I left for Crous. At the office I nabbed a few laundry tokens as well as some valuable information. All students leaving in June have not been given a scheduled "cleaning" date yet. We wait til June (so three days?) until we can schedule one. Works for me.
I then dropped off a library book, bought a few treats (fruit) and a sandwich from the supermarket before returning to my cozy little dorm. My sandwich was devoured. I felt bored being awake earlier than normal. I then began to read an old book series when I felt myself leaning to the side. Huh, guess the four hours wasn't enough. Time for four more.
Around five something-ish I woke up from a lovely long nap. Remember audience sleep is at night. Kate appeared at my door not much later and we decided to go grab dinner and some cleaning supplies from the Docks. Subway was good as it often is and the supermarket was busy as it often is. I decided to grab a replacement black pen (mine is dying) which turned out to be a useful move later on. We ran into a few friends and left for home with bits in hand.
I'm not a firm believer in fate audience but we will see. In good time anyhow. Once home Irish Cream milkshakes occurred with four episodes of Arrested Development. Such a fantastic show. Take a good look audience because it's the last time you'll see them.
By them I mean, well I don't know. See you tomorrow audience!
It was easy, surprisingly easy. Ok I had a huge advantage being a native English speaker for some of the questions. Well actually the exam (speaking or discussion) was almost 50/50 in French and English. I couldn't remember that "racine" meant root but pretty much nailed the other vocabulary terms. Heh heh, one of them was abstract abstrait and another was translator traducteur/traductrice.
The final section of the exam was somewhat a freebie. Actually it was a complete free five points since it was naming synonyms for a few simple English words. My professor at first was hesitant to allow me to do this section. I grinned and she said, "well I guess that's how it goes" and I answered every single one correctly. With multiple options. And without struggle. Huh. Meh, go MareBear!
After that was completed and I told her how much I had enjoyed her class (no sarcasm) I left for Crous. At the office I nabbed a few laundry tokens as well as some valuable information. All students leaving in June have not been given a scheduled "cleaning" date yet. We wait til June (so three days?) until we can schedule one. Works for me.
I then dropped off a library book, bought a few treats (fruit) and a sandwich from the supermarket before returning to my cozy little dorm. My sandwich was devoured. I felt bored being awake earlier than normal. I then began to read an old book series when I felt myself leaning to the side. Huh, guess the four hours wasn't enough. Time for four more.
Around five something-ish I woke up from a lovely long nap. Remember audience sleep is at night. Kate appeared at my door not much later and we decided to go grab dinner and some cleaning supplies from the Docks. Subway was good as it often is and the supermarket was busy as it often is. I decided to grab a replacement black pen (mine is dying) which turned out to be a useful move later on. We ran into a few friends and left for home with bits in hand.
I'm not a firm believer in fate audience but we will see. In good time anyhow. Once home Irish Cream milkshakes occurred with four episodes of Arrested Development. Such a fantastic show. Take a good look audience because it's the last time you'll see them.
By them I mean, well I don't know. See you tomorrow audience!
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
May 28th
Ay studying blows. Look I'm sorry audience but studying for exams is never an "enjoyable" activity no matter the content. I could be studying for a test on Zelda and still find it a snooze fest. Oh, Lexicology is what it is. Sides you guys know I didn't study all day. Woke up at noon, not possible to.
I did have the kids again today, second to last time. Louis and I worked on some vocabulary and conversations. Apparently his pen-pal was in France last week (the girl from England). The Racadots took her to Paris and Etretat as well as several places in Le Havre. Louis said that he might go back to England at some point in the summer to see her again. Now that's dedication to your pen-pal. I had one when I was eight. Never wrote back to Bailey.
Anne was up next and presented me with an interesting piece of content. Anyone out there a U2 fan? If so you probably know the lyrics to Sunday Bloody Sunday. Her class was analyzing its meaning and lyrics otherwise known as symbolism. Heh, good thing I like Anne otherwise I could've taken her for a wild trip with symbolism. Pst, MareBear is a firm believer in the bullshit factor of almost all symbolism. Goes along with my feelings towards the word "post-modern" and "the intentional fallacy".
Anyhow I helped her understand some of the questions such as "what two lines are repeated (besides the refrain) and why?" and "what Sunday did Jesus win and why?" The last one was fun. I re-enacted the rise of Christ with animated arm gestures and went off on how his act of revival represented new life and new hope; both tools against the bloody ends of death. Poor Anne, I was having too much with the assignment. The song itself is decent (Mary is currently writing this post to it) and I recommend all you non-U2 fans to give it a go.
In fact I'll cut a few internet corners for you. Gimme a second to find a decent lyric video with good volume levels. Trust me the music video is just them in concert and displays a not so graceful flashback to the 80s.
I did have the kids again today, second to last time. Louis and I worked on some vocabulary and conversations. Apparently his pen-pal was in France last week (the girl from England). The Racadots took her to Paris and Etretat as well as several places in Le Havre. Louis said that he might go back to England at some point in the summer to see her again. Now that's dedication to your pen-pal. I had one when I was eight. Never wrote back to Bailey.
Anne was up next and presented me with an interesting piece of content. Anyone out there a U2 fan? If so you probably know the lyrics to Sunday Bloody Sunday. Her class was analyzing its meaning and lyrics otherwise known as symbolism. Heh, good thing I like Anne otherwise I could've taken her for a wild trip with symbolism. Pst, MareBear is a firm believer in the bullshit factor of almost all symbolism. Goes along with my feelings towards the word "post-modern" and "the intentional fallacy".
Anyhow I helped her understand some of the questions such as "what two lines are repeated (besides the refrain) and why?" and "what Sunday did Jesus win and why?" The last one was fun. I re-enacted the rise of Christ with animated arm gestures and went off on how his act of revival represented new life and new hope; both tools against the bloody ends of death. Poor Anne, I was having too much with the assignment. The song itself is decent (Mary is currently writing this post to it) and I recommend all you non-U2 fans to give it a go.
In fact I'll cut a few internet corners for you. Gimme a second to find a decent lyric video with good volume levels. Trust me the music video is just them in concert and displays a not so graceful flashback to the 80s.
May 27th
It's a very special Monday audience. Two reasons; first it's Memorial Day in the States and second it's my dad's Birthday!
Other than that, it was a standard day of being a MareBear sloth. It's a rare breed that originated in the suburbs of Chicago but has since migrated to different areas of the world. Iowa has reported several sightings and even so far as the coast of France there have been claims of sloth's presence. No doubt about what my deadly sin is.
I did take Kate out to dinner later on in the evening because I didn't want to cook and it would be fun. We decided to eat at a St. Nicolas pizzeria called Pinocchio's. Both of us ordered our respected pizzas; margherita for me and anchovies plus olives for Kate. Unfortunately Kate's pizza was covered in anchovies causing her to drink the entire carafe of water. Poor dear.
After munching away at our pizzas and discussing feminism we ordered some dessert. Kate nabbed a creamy tiramisu while I settled on an extremely alcohol soaked lime sorbet. It became more of a slushie in the end. A slushie that I was not able to chug down. Gosh darnit, no brain-freeze! Compromises suck.
Tis all really.
 |
| Just trolling a bit. And I did actually give him a call. |
I did take Kate out to dinner later on in the evening because I didn't want to cook and it would be fun. We decided to eat at a St. Nicolas pizzeria called Pinocchio's. Both of us ordered our respected pizzas; margherita for me and anchovies plus olives for Kate. Unfortunately Kate's pizza was covered in anchovies causing her to drink the entire carafe of water. Poor dear.
After munching away at our pizzas and discussing feminism we ordered some dessert. Kate nabbed a creamy tiramisu while I settled on an extremely alcohol soaked lime sorbet. It became more of a slushie in the end. A slushie that I was not able to chug down. Gosh darnit, no brain-freeze! Compromises suck.
Tis all really.
Monday, May 27, 2013
May 26th
It was a good Sunday. A simple one but a good one, a day where I found a few solutions.
Audience I've been experiencing what my mother calls mild depression and what Study Abroad at Iowa calls "bittersweet realization". Call it what you like but it essentially boils down to me sleeping restlessly and for longer lengths of time. Not to mention the dreams that I'd like to lock away. So being a semi-responsible adult-child I decided that something had to be done to stop all the nonsense. My solution was tea and history.
I finished a Spot of Bother which was a great book but a somewhat unnerving one as well. It's a realistic fiction with fascinating characters but also some nagging plots that dug at a few areas. Anyhow it didn't relax me as I had hoped.
Revising for lexicology proved useless as well. I read pages of vocabulary but couldn't seem to focus at all. That blew. I was restless yet bored at the same time. Gah first world problems. Didn't give up.
I ended up looking at my small collection of books (I sent my precious Tolken novels home) and spotted my Brief History of the United States. It was an act of desperation audience. I grabbed the book and started reading about Christopher Columbus (who until death kept thinking the Caribbean was Asia) and a few of the Indian (sorry Amerindian) tribes. The book was surprising decent. Fun fact, the Sioux Indians called themselves Dakota which means "allies" whereas everyone else called them Sioux which means "enemies". Eye of the beholder.
Tea was then brewed as I reviewed the first few chapters of my young country's history. The book includes several immigration maps and overviews of simultaneous events. I think I actually rehashed lessons that have been drilled into my brain ever since I could distinguish Quakers from a tube of oatmeal. In any case I knew more than I realized.
It did the trick. The brilliant combination of tea and history killed the stress my mind had been weaving and burying in my subconscious and appearing as terrifyingly realistic images during my sleep cycles. Flipside, though I didn't have nightmares I didn't fall asleep until after six in the morning. No I was not addicted to my book, no I was not on youtube. I was lying in my bed trying to sleep with no avail. Sigh, well it's better than snakes falling from the ceiling.
Audience I've been experiencing what my mother calls mild depression and what Study Abroad at Iowa calls "bittersweet realization". Call it what you like but it essentially boils down to me sleeping restlessly and for longer lengths of time. Not to mention the dreams that I'd like to lock away. So being a semi-responsible adult-child I decided that something had to be done to stop all the nonsense. My solution was tea and history.
I finished a Spot of Bother which was a great book but a somewhat unnerving one as well. It's a realistic fiction with fascinating characters but also some nagging plots that dug at a few areas. Anyhow it didn't relax me as I had hoped.
Revising for lexicology proved useless as well. I read pages of vocabulary but couldn't seem to focus at all. That blew. I was restless yet bored at the same time. Gah first world problems. Didn't give up.
I ended up looking at my small collection of books (I sent my precious Tolken novels home) and spotted my Brief History of the United States. It was an act of desperation audience. I grabbed the book and started reading about Christopher Columbus (who until death kept thinking the Caribbean was Asia) and a few of the Indian (sorry Amerindian) tribes. The book was surprising decent. Fun fact, the Sioux Indians called themselves Dakota which means "allies" whereas everyone else called them Sioux which means "enemies". Eye of the beholder.
Tea was then brewed as I reviewed the first few chapters of my young country's history. The book includes several immigration maps and overviews of simultaneous events. I think I actually rehashed lessons that have been drilled into my brain ever since I could distinguish Quakers from a tube of oatmeal. In any case I knew more than I realized.
It did the trick. The brilliant combination of tea and history killed the stress my mind had been weaving and burying in my subconscious and appearing as terrifyingly realistic images during my sleep cycles. Flipside, though I didn't have nightmares I didn't fall asleep until after six in the morning. No I was not addicted to my book, no I was not on youtube. I was lying in my bed trying to sleep with no avail. Sigh, well it's better than snakes falling from the ceiling.
 |
| It's called a compass dude! |
May 25th
Today was spent on mostly social accounts. It started in the afternoon (my sleep schedule has shifted yet again to a more nocturnal approach) with Kate and me going to the mall.
It was a beautiful sunny day with fluffy clouds in the sky. Amazing how much the weather of an area can change at the drop of a hat, or day. We walked to town leisurely since we had time, no rush for anything. The first shop on the agenda was Sephora. Kate needed to replenish her stock of face cream and had a 10% off coupon to boot. Unfortunately when we arrived they were out of her lotion and compromises were made. I nabbed a small tube of sun protecting lip gloss in anticipation of the upcoming summer.
We then swung by the ATM before heading out to lunch. Kate ducked into Takara's for some earrings for her aunt who apparently loves giraffes while I grabbed some fresh notes. Took me a few tries since I forgot which card I was using and entered the wrong pin twice. Oops.
After all ATM issues were sorted Kate and I made our way to the Chinese restaurant next door. Before we arrived Kate gave me a small parting gift acting as an exchange for the Le Havre pocket knife I had given her two days earlier. It was a turtle necklace that fit like a glove. I felt like her main girl as she fastened the chain around my neck. Friendships like this are memorable and now I have another token to remember her by.
Lunch then occurred with plenty of delicious caramelized dishes, rice, and even a palm sized almond cake. This restaurant has been a go-to for us since the beginning. Everything is starting to feel like tradition with the end of the year approaching which in its own was is endearing. Plus the rice was especially sticky today which went perfectly with caramelized chicken.
I then had a new experience. Some background info that is grim; on Thursday a family friend known as my Grandma Wilma passed away. She was 92 which is perfectly amazing, regardless all of us miss her terribly. So I decided to write a letter to Uncle Joe (her husband) since I was unable to attend the wake ceremony. This involved me visiting a post office since I own zero stamps in addition to it being an international letter. Rather than a queue of people with packages and envelopes to mail I was ushered to a machine. Oh boy.
All in all the machine was rather easy. I did fluke at one point when entering the country name. Being a native English speaker I punched the first letter as "U" for United States forgetting that in French is it Etats-Unis. Good thing Kate was there otherwise I would've been confused for at least an additional five minutes. My French and English tend to mix when I'm not paying attention, my only excuse.
We then stopped by the supermarket for a few goodies before returning to St. Nicolas. Later on we attended a birthday party for one of the Brazilian students. I wasn't exactly keen on going but I hadn't been to a party in a while and needed to shrug of the MIA feeling. In the end I was glad that I went since Julie was there and it was her last night in Le Havre. I mingled for most of the night and even fixed myself a martini before calling it a night. Julie received huge hugs from me. She will be missed.
I made it home fine (stay in the light audience) and read a bit more of A Spot of Bother before drifting off to sleep.
Friday, May 24, 2013
May 24th
Short day today. Take that how you like cause it was a bit weird in the beginning. Namely (I'm not going into details since rehashing is unpleasant) I had a very messed up dream that screwed with my schedule. Basically it was a dream where in the dream I said I didn't want to watch it anymore. Dunno where the gore and sociopaths came from but they need to leave my imagination. Once awake things solidified.
I played Cinderella except instead of going to a lovely ball in a magical gown and pumpkin I packed random bits into a red suitcase while in a tank top. Close enough. I also bleached the hell out of my bathroom. Now it's clean and the walls are more white. Mission accomplished.
It was bout dat time that I sat down and read several more chapters in a Spot of Bother. Great read if you have the chance to pick it up. Something about actually doing productive work merits the rewards of relaxing with a book. Plus I was bored of youtube. Oops, did I just rip a hole in the fabric of space and time? Naw, we're still good.
I played Cinderella except instead of going to a lovely ball in a magical gown and pumpkin I packed random bits into a red suitcase while in a tank top. Close enough. I also bleached the hell out of my bathroom. Now it's clean and the walls are more white. Mission accomplished.
It was bout dat time that I sat down and read several more chapters in a Spot of Bother. Great read if you have the chance to pick it up. Something about actually doing productive work merits the rewards of relaxing with a book. Plus I was bored of youtube. Oops, did I just rip a hole in the fabric of space and time? Naw, we're still good.
May 23rd
Sad day today. It was Jaimie's last thus it was sad. At least we spent time together before saying goodbye.
Jaimie came round my room at 2:30 PM with a few things in tow, namely her backpack. She had just finished the cleaning "inspection" with a Crous representative. Apparently the woman dubbed everything
"not clean" despite Jaimie scrubbing every surface down relentlessly. Oh well, the French are what they are.
After being filled in on that tale (while drying my hair actually) the two of us headed out to the mall. I received a call from Kate who was more than happy to join us. Jaimie needed a few souvenirs for her friends and family back home whereas Kate and I love shopping excursions. We had until 4:30ish since Jaimie needed to meet Julie at 5:00. No problem.
First stop was the overzealous souvenir store where my lovely suicidal sunflower mouse-pad came from. We ended up going back for a mug for one of Jaimie's friends; it was an I Heart NormandY shirt. How clever. And to the person who invented the I Love New York shirts, I hope your favorite member rots off. Hmm that might be a bit extreme but the damn copies are everywhere and scream tourism. Sigh. Moving on to better things.
At the mall Kate and I took Jaimie to one of our favorite stores that sells unique necklaces, bracelets, bags, shoes, you name it. It was there that Kate showed Jaimie a giraffe necklace which was perfect for Jaimie's giraffe loving friend. Convenient no? I also picked up a little something for a friend back home who's birthday is a decent time away. Figured it would be a good flashback gift.
After that we swung by Casa the store of nicknacks and small things. It was there that Jaimie found the perfect gift for her twin sister Sam. I also bought Jaimie a little going away present. It was a nutella cookbook that she was interested in. Kate bought her a lil something too and Jaimie was all smiles and, "aw you guys." Heh, I love giving a little back to my friends.
It was then quick chow time followed by chocolate buying. Jaimie's boyfriend Alex apparently loves chocolate making it a fantastic gift from France. I love strawberries and enjoy chocolate thus why I left the store with both in my hands. Girl has to splurge on chocolate at least once a month, mandatory part of womanhood.
We all met Julie outside her building and hastily walked home in the rain. I gave Julie my coat since it was waterproof and her sweater wasn't. Plus I was in a good mood for rain, it had a rich summerish scent to it and felt pleasant. I was the only one in the group with this opinion. I also was the only one silly enough to have worn a cream shirt while walking through the pouring sky of water. Uh oops?
Once back at St. Nicolas I made hot beverages for everyone to help warm us all up. The four of us then chatted away for a lil while sharing stories and laughing. Eventually the sky cleared up enabling Jaimie and Julie to retire to Julie's apartment. I gave Jaimie a big hug goodbye as I headed off to the supermarket.
This just feels weird. It has begun, the leaving. Oh boy/oh great.
Jaimie came round my room at 2:30 PM with a few things in tow, namely her backpack. She had just finished the cleaning "inspection" with a Crous representative. Apparently the woman dubbed everything
"not clean" despite Jaimie scrubbing every surface down relentlessly. Oh well, the French are what they are.
After being filled in on that tale (while drying my hair actually) the two of us headed out to the mall. I received a call from Kate who was more than happy to join us. Jaimie needed a few souvenirs for her friends and family back home whereas Kate and I love shopping excursions. We had until 4:30ish since Jaimie needed to meet Julie at 5:00. No problem.
First stop was the overzealous souvenir store where my lovely suicidal sunflower mouse-pad came from. We ended up going back for a mug for one of Jaimie's friends; it was an I Heart NormandY shirt. How clever. And to the person who invented the I Love New York shirts, I hope your favorite member rots off. Hmm that might be a bit extreme but the damn copies are everywhere and scream tourism. Sigh. Moving on to better things.
At the mall Kate and I took Jaimie to one of our favorite stores that sells unique necklaces, bracelets, bags, shoes, you name it. It was there that Kate showed Jaimie a giraffe necklace which was perfect for Jaimie's giraffe loving friend. Convenient no? I also picked up a little something for a friend back home who's birthday is a decent time away. Figured it would be a good flashback gift.
After that we swung by Casa the store of nicknacks and small things. It was there that Jaimie found the perfect gift for her twin sister Sam. I also bought Jaimie a little going away present. It was a nutella cookbook that she was interested in. Kate bought her a lil something too and Jaimie was all smiles and, "aw you guys." Heh, I love giving a little back to my friends.
It was then quick chow time followed by chocolate buying. Jaimie's boyfriend Alex apparently loves chocolate making it a fantastic gift from France. I love strawberries and enjoy chocolate thus why I left the store with both in my hands. Girl has to splurge on chocolate at least once a month, mandatory part of womanhood.
We all met Julie outside her building and hastily walked home in the rain. I gave Julie my coat since it was waterproof and her sweater wasn't. Plus I was in a good mood for rain, it had a rich summerish scent to it and felt pleasant. I was the only one in the group with this opinion. I also was the only one silly enough to have worn a cream shirt while walking through the pouring sky of water. Uh oops?
Once back at St. Nicolas I made hot beverages for everyone to help warm us all up. The four of us then chatted away for a lil while sharing stories and laughing. Eventually the sky cleared up enabling Jaimie and Julie to retire to Julie's apartment. I gave Jaimie a big hug goodbye as I headed off to the supermarket.
This just feels weird. It has begun, the leaving. Oh boy/oh great.
May 22nd
What slinks on the ground, wears a shell, and leaves a slimy trail? My supper!
Today we (Julie, Jaimie, Kate, and me) decided to have a last special dinner together since Jaimie was leaving in two days. I brought a can of cranberry jelly to the table (finally needed to eat that stuff) and shared in buying some dessert pies with Kate. We arrived at Julie's around seven somethingish and headed upstairs for dinner.
Everyone shrugged off jackets and shoes while Julie began work on cooking our supper. Tonight's menu included snails, quiche, cranberry jelly, and tarts. Quite a melange of flavor. Kate dj-ed for a bit before the platter of escargot were set before us.
Those suckers are tricky to get out, least with full-sized forks they are. The first one was hard for all of us until Kate unlocked the secret technique. This was a first for Jaimie and Julie whereas Kate and I had eaten snails before. They tasted as they always do like garlic butter. We had a fluffy baguette to go with and before long all the shells were empty. Time for quiche!
Now the quiche was devoured almost in the blink of an eye. It was cheesy and quichey and oh man was it good. I miss having an oven so much! Why must St. Nicolas be cursed that way. A microwave would've sufficed.
After that I broke out the cranberry jelly, with a proper can opener this time. No more knife tricks. I had expected Jaimie to have had it before at Thanksgiving but apparently her family doesn't do cranberries. Thus I was the sole veteran. Everyone seemed to like it and I had some leftovers as well. Dessert then crept onto the table.
I partook in the sugary delights that were tarts. There was an eclair but that's where I draw the sweetness line. When I returned home I did have to pop a few antacid tablets, desserts always do me in. Still the lemon tart, raspberry tart, and apple tart were lovely.
I'd say that it was a pretty stellar last meal for Jaimie that included a few firsts and a few familiars. She was with her friends, that's all that matters in the end.
Today we (Julie, Jaimie, Kate, and me) decided to have a last special dinner together since Jaimie was leaving in two days. I brought a can of cranberry jelly to the table (finally needed to eat that stuff) and shared in buying some dessert pies with Kate. We arrived at Julie's around seven somethingish and headed upstairs for dinner.
Everyone shrugged off jackets and shoes while Julie began work on cooking our supper. Tonight's menu included snails, quiche, cranberry jelly, and tarts. Quite a melange of flavor. Kate dj-ed for a bit before the platter of escargot were set before us.
Those suckers are tricky to get out, least with full-sized forks they are. The first one was hard for all of us until Kate unlocked the secret technique. This was a first for Jaimie and Julie whereas Kate and I had eaten snails before. They tasted as they always do like garlic butter. We had a fluffy baguette to go with and before long all the shells were empty. Time for quiche!
Now the quiche was devoured almost in the blink of an eye. It was cheesy and quichey and oh man was it good. I miss having an oven so much! Why must St. Nicolas be cursed that way. A microwave would've sufficed.
After that I broke out the cranberry jelly, with a proper can opener this time. No more knife tricks. I had expected Jaimie to have had it before at Thanksgiving but apparently her family doesn't do cranberries. Thus I was the sole veteran. Everyone seemed to like it and I had some leftovers as well. Dessert then crept onto the table.
I partook in the sugary delights that were tarts. There was an eclair but that's where I draw the sweetness line. When I returned home I did have to pop a few antacid tablets, desserts always do me in. Still the lemon tart, raspberry tart, and apple tart were lovely.
I'd say that it was a pretty stellar last meal for Jaimie that included a few firsts and a few familiars. She was with her friends, that's all that matters in the end.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
May 21st
Oh boy. Time to do something most unpleasant. Honestly I'm usually not one to catch bad stage fright but all previous times were either in English or in French in front of non-fluent students. This is a performance in front of strangers who are French. Gulp.
I survived. What I experienced was Michael's performance final for his creative story telling course. My group was all nerves since three of us were foreigners. The French student was rather quiet, he's not one for the spotlight. However all went well. We read our little segments from my story that had been translated into French. Actually I helped the French student Julien with a few translation questions. "What is to flail?" Ah that one was fun to act out.
Michael told us afterwards that we had done very well (we performed with our scripts). He seems to have forgotten that my hand was shaking so bad that you could hear the fluttering of the paper. I solved the issue (sorta) by grabbing the other side with my left hand. Ay nerves were not my friends. Still I spoke clearly and he congratulated me on that my French improvement. Once all was over Kate and I decided to relax with a proper meal of burgers and nuggets. Oh Mickey D's!
Oddly enough we ran into Michael and his family at McDonalds. Wow, didn't see that coming. He allowed us to use a coupon on our meals which was both gracious and helpful. He really is a French father figure. At least his final is over. Time to pass out in victory, Scale style.
I survived. What I experienced was Michael's performance final for his creative story telling course. My group was all nerves since three of us were foreigners. The French student was rather quiet, he's not one for the spotlight. However all went well. We read our little segments from my story that had been translated into French. Actually I helped the French student Julien with a few translation questions. "What is to flail?" Ah that one was fun to act out.
Michael told us afterwards that we had done very well (we performed with our scripts). He seems to have forgotten that my hand was shaking so bad that you could hear the fluttering of the paper. I solved the issue (sorta) by grabbing the other side with my left hand. Ay nerves were not my friends. Still I spoke clearly and he congratulated me on that my French improvement. Once all was over Kate and I decided to relax with a proper meal of burgers and nuggets. Oh Mickey D's!
Oddly enough we ran into Michael and his family at McDonalds. Wow, didn't see that coming. He allowed us to use a coupon on our meals which was both gracious and helpful. He really is a French father figure. At least his final is over. Time to pass out in victory, Scale style.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
May 20th
Mondays are always tricky to write about. Even if something happens they just want to be difficult material. Why Mondays, why must you be stubborn that way?
Last post I did something silly but I don't feel like being serious at the moment. That would be repetitive and balanced. Psh, screw that.
Rather I'm going to paint a picture for you, with words. Fear not this one doesn't have a thousand. Though one thousand words actually isn't THAT many still that would be too specific. Not my style audience. Let's set the scene on our digital canvas shall we?
I'm feeling somewhere in the Southwest. Maybe New Mexico? Yeah let's go with that. Ok so New Mexico in the desert which has rocks, cacti (plural of cactus), plateaus, and wasteland. Lots of wasteland. Now we need something alive, sides the cacti, in our setting. How about a cowboy? Yes that feels stereotypical and just so right. Sept this cowboy is riding without a shirt (details) and is about to lasso a stray Texas longhorn bull. His stallion (all cowboys should have stallions rather than mares) is grey with a few speckles of white on the flank and a dark snout. Do horses have snouts or noses? Meh, same thing. So we have a desert vista, a cowboy and cattle, what else? Ah, of course. Let's throw some time into it. Sunset! Now everything is flooded with a pink light fading into purple and our cowboy and horse become beautiful silhouettes. So much for their coloring and lack of clothing.
I actually did color out (destroyed all the floating pixels) for the cowboy and bull. Took some time but turned out well. This is what I do for Mondays audience. Where did my inspiration come from? Ask Marty Robbins, "out to the bad-lands of New Mexico."
Last post I did something silly but I don't feel like being serious at the moment. That would be repetitive and balanced. Psh, screw that.
Rather I'm going to paint a picture for you, with words. Fear not this one doesn't have a thousand. Though one thousand words actually isn't THAT many still that would be too specific. Not my style audience. Let's set the scene on our digital canvas shall we?
I'm feeling somewhere in the Southwest. Maybe New Mexico? Yeah let's go with that. Ok so New Mexico in the desert which has rocks, cacti (plural of cactus), plateaus, and wasteland. Lots of wasteland. Now we need something alive, sides the cacti, in our setting. How about a cowboy? Yes that feels stereotypical and just so right. Sept this cowboy is riding without a shirt (details) and is about to lasso a stray Texas longhorn bull. His stallion (all cowboys should have stallions rather than mares) is grey with a few speckles of white on the flank and a dark snout. Do horses have snouts or noses? Meh, same thing. So we have a desert vista, a cowboy and cattle, what else? Ah, of course. Let's throw some time into it. Sunset! Now everything is flooded with a pink light fading into purple and our cowboy and horse become beautiful silhouettes. So much for their coloring and lack of clothing.
 |
| Anyhow we end with something like this |
May 19th
Something silly for Sunday. Why not? Do you remember something similar audience? Well these ones are different. If you look closely they not only tell of my days in France (the January ones were more so complaining) but also recall a few funny moments with friends. Try to enjoy, they did take some effort.
P.S. The rhymes used are "It's raining, it's pouring" "I see the moon" and "Ten Little Indians"
I see the moon,
what a sight to see.
If only someone were here with me.
Oh bless the moon,
my number is three.
The time I have until I leave.
Ten little foreign friends drank up some wine,
one sipped an extra glass and then there were nine.
Nine little foreign friends went out to skate,
one slipped upon the ice and then there were eight.
Eight little foreign friends created an Evan,
one crossed a Mushmom and then there were seven.
Seven little foreign friends saw magic tricks,
one simply vanished and then there were six.
Six little foreign friends strolled down the drive,
one bounced off a car and then there were five.
Five little foreign friends swam off the shore,
one dove in La Manche and then there were four.
Four little foreign friends had shopping sprees,
one overdrew their notes and then there were three.
Three little foreign friends all caught the flu,
one never lost their cough and then there were two.
Two little foreign friends shared days of fun,
one lived far away and then there was one.
One little foreign friend wanting to be done,
she returned to home and then there were none.
P.S. The rhymes used are "It's raining, it's pouring" "I see the moon" and "Ten Little Indians"
It's raining, it's pouring;
Le Havre is so boring.
I think instead,
I'll stay in bed,
rather than go exploring.
Rain rain, go away;
otherwise you'll flood the quay,
further more we're sick of grey.
I see the moon,
what a sight to see.
If only someone were here with me.
Oh bless the moon,
my number is three.
The time I have until I leave.
one sipped an extra glass and then there were nine.
Nine little foreign friends went out to skate,
one slipped upon the ice and then there were eight.
Eight little foreign friends created an Evan,
one crossed a Mushmom and then there were seven.
Seven little foreign friends saw magic tricks,
one simply vanished and then there were six.
Six little foreign friends strolled down the drive,
one bounced off a car and then there were five.
Five little foreign friends swam off the shore,
one dove in La Manche and then there were four.
one overdrew their notes and then there were three.
Three little foreign friends all caught the flu,
one never lost their cough and then there were two.
Two little foreign friends shared days of fun,
one lived far away and then there was one.
One little foreign friend wanting to be done,
she returned to home and then there were none.
May 18th
This Saturday was supposed to be basic but rapidly turned into a major betterday. Huh, that only rhymes in a Yankee accent. Was a batter day dan before I's tell ya that. Aight accent time over. In general I enjoy it when life stumbles upon happiness, unplanned.
The agenda for the day was go to the beach. Kate and I made ourselves ready for the fluffy clouded day. That quickly turned into the familiar grey overcast. Darn. Didn't trip up us though. We wanted victory fries and gelato no matter the conditions.
Once at the beach we feast on fries and non-sassy ketchup. It brought back memories of our first trip to the beach back in early September. We almost left Paula and our Romanian friends in the dust that day; they were really slow walking back to the tourism office. Amazing how being perched by volleyball courts with fries in hand rewinds the time.
After the taters were munched up we moved onto dessert. Kate had two scoops of gelato, tiramisu and vanilla pecan fudge, whereas I decided to splurge on three. Be prepared audience, this is a weird melange of flavors. Mine consisted of vanilla, smurf (schtroupmf), and mint chocolate chip. I loved the smurf flavor (gutter thoughts) and have decided that my final scoop combo will be smurf and monster. No judgments audience.
We then decided to explore a bit of the beach. There was some jazzy music coming from the eastern promenade and being curious college students we of course inspected it. Turns out that Le Havre was in the middle of its Jazz Festival or Dixie Days. Sweetness.
Kate and I (plus a good chunk of elderly citizens) stood round stages and listened to New Orleans jazz numbers. There were clarinets, trumpets, double bass, drums, even a banjo here and there. Besides the smooth music, I enjoyed the fact that all the song names were in English. Jazz is an American thing (thanks New Orleans) though I'm surprised that they didn't play anything composed in France. Surely some Frenchmen has written jazz numbers. Right?
The festival was a great happening moment for Kate and me. We found the question mark square, rolled the dice, and had the exact number of moves. We were just lucky it didn't result in us losing all our coins. Mario Party anyone? Moving on then.
After we left stage B we decided that we were once again hungry. Good thing the beach has over twenty different restaurants along it. We chose the exact place we had eaten at with my family and Jonathan since it was reasonably priced. Oddly enough we didn't order pizza or mussels. Rather I was feeling something particularly French; foie gras.
To all my Americans out there this may gross you out, pends on your tolerance to foreign foods. Foie gras literally translates as "fat liver" duck liver to be exact. It isn't prepped in the States since the process involves forcibly fattening a duck before it is killed and served. Shame really cause it's frickin' delicious. The texture is smooth and sweet or simply delicious. We had foie gras salads that included lettuce, tomatoes, and duck bacon. It was a stellar meal to say the least.
Tis my day of unexpected awesomeness. Saturday, you were good to me. Ah thank you.
The agenda for the day was go to the beach. Kate and I made ourselves ready for the fluffy clouded day. That quickly turned into the familiar grey overcast. Darn. Didn't trip up us though. We wanted victory fries and gelato no matter the conditions.
Once at the beach we feast on fries and non-sassy ketchup. It brought back memories of our first trip to the beach back in early September. We almost left Paula and our Romanian friends in the dust that day; they were really slow walking back to the tourism office. Amazing how being perched by volleyball courts with fries in hand rewinds the time.
After the taters were munched up we moved onto dessert. Kate had two scoops of gelato, tiramisu and vanilla pecan fudge, whereas I decided to splurge on three. Be prepared audience, this is a weird melange of flavors. Mine consisted of vanilla, smurf (schtroupmf), and mint chocolate chip. I loved the smurf flavor (gutter thoughts) and have decided that my final scoop combo will be smurf and monster. No judgments audience.
We then decided to explore a bit of the beach. There was some jazzy music coming from the eastern promenade and being curious college students we of course inspected it. Turns out that Le Havre was in the middle of its Jazz Festival or Dixie Days. Sweetness.
Kate and I (plus a good chunk of elderly citizens) stood round stages and listened to New Orleans jazz numbers. There were clarinets, trumpets, double bass, drums, even a banjo here and there. Besides the smooth music, I enjoyed the fact that all the song names were in English. Jazz is an American thing (thanks New Orleans) though I'm surprised that they didn't play anything composed in France. Surely some Frenchmen has written jazz numbers. Right?
The festival was a great happening moment for Kate and me. We found the question mark square, rolled the dice, and had the exact number of moves. We were just lucky it didn't result in us losing all our coins. Mario Party anyone? Moving on then.
After we left stage B we decided that we were once again hungry. Good thing the beach has over twenty different restaurants along it. We chose the exact place we had eaten at with my family and Jonathan since it was reasonably priced. Oddly enough we didn't order pizza or mussels. Rather I was feeling something particularly French; foie gras.
To all my Americans out there this may gross you out, pends on your tolerance to foreign foods. Foie gras literally translates as "fat liver" duck liver to be exact. It isn't prepped in the States since the process involves forcibly fattening a duck before it is killed and served. Shame really cause it's frickin' delicious. The texture is smooth and sweet or simply delicious. We had foie gras salads that included lettuce, tomatoes, and duck bacon. It was a stellar meal to say the least.
Tis my day of unexpected awesomeness. Saturday, you were good to me. Ah thank you.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
May 17th
The day after a final feels fantastic. Especially when you decide to leave your bed at 1:00 PM. Dreams are addicting audience, even if they are weird as hell. And have orange prom dresses in them. My mind sometimes.
Kate and I decided to dine out today. Aren't we classy? Well Subway was delicious. It feels like a regular spot for us. We were dressed in black sweatshirts, basic shoes, and jeans; we matched the atmosphere of sandwich eaters. I went all out and had a footlong with chips and a cookie. I didn't finish anything sept the cookie. Disappointed in you MareBear. France has made you weak again!
After I spent a good chunk of time chilling in my room, as usual. I then (hours later) talked to my big brother. Finally! It had been too long, two weeks to give an estimate, since we had truly talked one on one. It went over two hours which was sufficient for the separation period. Pete went over this amazing week he had spent with his college friend Steph. They hit a Dodgers game (private seating), Disneyland, a showing of Conan, and even the Magic Castle during a special anniversary night. Am I jealous? Completely! I wouldn't be a good sister if I weren't envious.
Our conversation was dominated by video games (real shocker) and internet videos. I did make my brother cry from laughter at one point. Apparently he wasn't expecting me to say "krunk" in the manner that I did. Glad to have given some happiness back, he's often the sillier/funnier one. It just felt wonderful to see his face and hear his voice again. LA is far away (even when I'm back home) and Skype helps lessen that distance.
Kate and I decided to dine out today. Aren't we classy? Well Subway was delicious. It feels like a regular spot for us. We were dressed in black sweatshirts, basic shoes, and jeans; we matched the atmosphere of sandwich eaters. I went all out and had a footlong with chips and a cookie. I didn't finish anything sept the cookie. Disappointed in you MareBear. France has made you weak again!
After I spent a good chunk of time chilling in my room, as usual. I then (hours later) talked to my big brother. Finally! It had been too long, two weeks to give an estimate, since we had truly talked one on one. It went over two hours which was sufficient for the separation period. Pete went over this amazing week he had spent with his college friend Steph. They hit a Dodgers game (private seating), Disneyland, a showing of Conan, and even the Magic Castle during a special anniversary night. Am I jealous? Completely! I wouldn't be a good sister if I weren't envious.
Our conversation was dominated by video games (real shocker) and internet videos. I did make my brother cry from laughter at one point. Apparently he wasn't expecting me to say "krunk" in the manner that I did. Glad to have given some happiness back, he's often the sillier/funnier one. It just felt wonderful to see his face and hear his voice again. LA is far away (even when I'm back home) and Skype helps lessen that distance.
So this was the video we discussed. It's an experience. That much I will say.
Friday, May 17, 2013
May 16th
Oy today was-well it was my final exam. Fun doesn't really do sarcasm justice. Strangely enough I wasn't freaking out like I normally do. Rather I calmly woke up, met Kate outside, and proceeded to the library for last minute review. Catholicism, secularism, Islam, Hinduism, kill me-ism. Like any subject, if you aren't actually that interested it makes it that much harder to revise the facts.
It then happened. I was early and picked a stellar spot of the lecture hall, at the end of course. Being at the end has its gains because when you leave it is swift and smooth. Sure you may have to move for other people but that's less awkward than their situation.
The exam itself was underwhelming. I had expected something more productive than "commentaire de documentation" on secularism. Surely I can't be serious but a comparison between two religions would've been more beneficial at demonstrating knowledge of the overall rather than a topic known to all French students. Guess my professor was preparing for the students who attended the first and last lecture only.
I did my best (with my little pocket dictionary at my side) and wrote a decent enough essay. It had a beginning, middle, and end anyhow. For good measure I also wrote that I was a foreign student. This professor though polite is completely French; she sees every student's work as equal despite the fact that foreigners aren't fluent in her native language. Sensing a bit of "entirely skewed expectations" which is a common enough symptom for most French professors. Solution? Study abroad office sends the LSH secretary to "chat" with these teachers. You'd think after years of being at the college they'd learn. Wait, right French thing.
Ok that paragraph was a low blow but I feel as though I haven't been complaining enough about French culture. In the beginning (a long long time ago) I wouldn't shut up about it. Everything different that wasn't as "simple" or "friendly" as it had been in the States was instantly a problem. My calm nature of France is concerning because it means I may have, adjusted. Shiver, there's a thought to give you cauchemars. Oh damnit.
Why is there another Lio comic? Simple, I love the strip and it adds flavor.
It then happened. I was early and picked a stellar spot of the lecture hall, at the end of course. Being at the end has its gains because when you leave it is swift and smooth. Sure you may have to move for other people but that's less awkward than their situation.
The exam itself was underwhelming. I had expected something more productive than "commentaire de documentation" on secularism. Surely I can't be serious but a comparison between two religions would've been more beneficial at demonstrating knowledge of the overall rather than a topic known to all French students. Guess my professor was preparing for the students who attended the first and last lecture only.
I did my best (with my little pocket dictionary at my side) and wrote a decent enough essay. It had a beginning, middle, and end anyhow. For good measure I also wrote that I was a foreign student. This professor though polite is completely French; she sees every student's work as equal despite the fact that foreigners aren't fluent in her native language. Sensing a bit of "entirely skewed expectations" which is a common enough symptom for most French professors. Solution? Study abroad office sends the LSH secretary to "chat" with these teachers. You'd think after years of being at the college they'd learn. Wait, right French thing.
Ok that paragraph was a low blow but I feel as though I haven't been complaining enough about French culture. In the beginning (a long long time ago) I wouldn't shut up about it. Everything different that wasn't as "simple" or "friendly" as it had been in the States was instantly a problem. My calm nature of France is concerning because it means I may have, adjusted. Shiver, there's a thought to give you cauchemars. Oh damnit.
 |
| True dat Lio, right the wrong! |
Thursday, May 16, 2013
May 15th
This was an odd Wednesday. The start of my day was somewhat interrupted and caused me to be in a bit of a rush for my first class. Turns out it was cancelled. Ok then to the library! I became bored of reviewing Catholicism and decided to explore the English literature section for some Lewis Carroll. No such luck. Gosh darnit! Instead I grabbed a book of English Ghost Stories. That satisfied and even contained my favorite spooky tale; The Monkey Paw. Wishes always backfire, Goosebumps and dead man's tales hammer that lesson home.
After sifting through supernatural plots Nursery Rhymes began. This session we analysed the short story of Patricia, Edith, and Arnold. It's a good read and has a fantastic weave of adult and child perspectives on a dramatic crisis. There are few nursery rhymes references as well, just to boot.
Then trouble occurred. Alright I'm going to be a diva about this, forewarning. So a few weeks ago Mama Duck or Michael Hauchecorne assigned the final exam project for his Creative Writing class. It was to write a paper (surprise there) that takes place in the Antarctic Ocean where something dramatic happens. Conflict, the key to storytelling. Kate and I decided to play around with the assignment (which was allowed in English) just because we weren't in a serious mood that day. Hers involved a complaining 24ish year old who was on a southern expedition because she loved penguins so much. Mine was about a crew member who went insane and burned everyone alive because the captain threw his radio overboard. Again we weren't taking it seriously.
Mama Duck seemed to love our stories and didn't have any feedback for us. All we knew was that we were supposed to "present" our stories on stage. Kay, that's embarrassing but we can survive that. Not exactly though, as we later found out. Six stories were picked from the class (mine and Kate's included) and everyone was divided into groups. The others were in French, ok. Apparently ours were supposed to be too. Sorry what?
We now have to gut and translate our stories into French because the audience (which apparently involves children) isn't bilingual. Mama Duck you told us in the beginning that we were allowed to compose our stories in English and perform them in English. What the hell?! Now I have a group of people who have to help translate a story that is in very fluid and relaxed English into French in a matter of days. That's not fair to them or me. Yes I realize that too bad, such is life. Still, I can't help but feel somewhat cheated in a way. Again, such is life.
Kate and I decided to splurge on some fastfood, we were not in the mood for healthy fixins. Upon returning to the dorm the studying (writing for Kate) began. We were doing a decent job of it too when we somewhat became distracted. Our friend Paula discovered the chaos we had digitally left behind on her news feed. Kate and I decided to send each other over one hundred messages on a single facebook status. She was hyper from caffeine, I was hyper because I was studying Catholicism and needed a form of rebellion. It happens. Still happy I'm Methodist.
After sifting through supernatural plots Nursery Rhymes began. This session we analysed the short story of Patricia, Edith, and Arnold. It's a good read and has a fantastic weave of adult and child perspectives on a dramatic crisis. There are few nursery rhymes references as well, just to boot.
Then trouble occurred. Alright I'm going to be a diva about this, forewarning. So a few weeks ago Mama Duck or Michael Hauchecorne assigned the final exam project for his Creative Writing class. It was to write a paper (surprise there) that takes place in the Antarctic Ocean where something dramatic happens. Conflict, the key to storytelling. Kate and I decided to play around with the assignment (which was allowed in English) just because we weren't in a serious mood that day. Hers involved a complaining 24ish year old who was on a southern expedition because she loved penguins so much. Mine was about a crew member who went insane and burned everyone alive because the captain threw his radio overboard. Again we weren't taking it seriously.
Mama Duck seemed to love our stories and didn't have any feedback for us. All we knew was that we were supposed to "present" our stories on stage. Kay, that's embarrassing but we can survive that. Not exactly though, as we later found out. Six stories were picked from the class (mine and Kate's included) and everyone was divided into groups. The others were in French, ok. Apparently ours were supposed to be too. Sorry what?
We now have to gut and translate our stories into French because the audience (which apparently involves children) isn't bilingual. Mama Duck you told us in the beginning that we were allowed to compose our stories in English and perform them in English. What the hell?! Now I have a group of people who have to help translate a story that is in very fluid and relaxed English into French in a matter of days. That's not fair to them or me. Yes I realize that too bad, such is life. Still, I can't help but feel somewhat cheated in a way. Again, such is life.
Kate and I decided to splurge on some fastfood, we were not in the mood for healthy fixins. Upon returning to the dorm the studying (writing for Kate) began. We were doing a decent job of it too when we somewhat became distracted. Our friend Paula discovered the chaos we had digitally left behind on her news feed. Kate and I decided to send each other over one hundred messages on a single facebook status. She was hyper from caffeine, I was hyper because I was studying Catholicism and needed a form of rebellion. It happens. Still happy I'm Methodist.
May 14th
I put some much needed kick ass back into my veins audience. I'll give you a hint, a few post-its and a glass were involved. Nothing like yellow sticky note therapy. Or are they Stick Ems?
Anyhow today involved the kids as usual. It was somewhat a gloomy day but I didn't let that put me down. After all grey is the normal color of Le Havre. It had been a long time. Also I don't mind a break from sunlight. June promises to have too much of it.
Our lessons were the typical format; I reviewed the course material with each Racadot respectively and practiced speaking conversation with Louis. However, on this occasion Louis was far more interested in the conversation. I should've guessed that he liked Minecraft. I used to be a part of a server last year but had to stop playing due to a little thing called college. Once that topic hit he really tried to find and use his words. Teachers take a note, the way to have your students talking is to find the video game or MMO that they love and use that as a genre.
Anne was again reviewing the comparative form plus more. The more was the difference between "elder" and "older". Oh boy. I had a fun time figuring that one out. After trying to explain the definitions of the words and failing I finally realized that older is used as both an adverb and an adjective whereas elder is just an adjective. The discoveries of grammar in my native language. Sigh!
I returned home to begin work. This work was really studying for my upcoming Thursday final on my History of Religions course. I now know why my family is Methodist, we're so much more chill than several other branches. Plus we have grape juice instead of wine. Big win.
Anyhow today involved the kids as usual. It was somewhat a gloomy day but I didn't let that put me down. After all grey is the normal color of Le Havre. It had been a long time. Also I don't mind a break from sunlight. June promises to have too much of it.
Our lessons were the typical format; I reviewed the course material with each Racadot respectively and practiced speaking conversation with Louis. However, on this occasion Louis was far more interested in the conversation. I should've guessed that he liked Minecraft. I used to be a part of a server last year but had to stop playing due to a little thing called college. Once that topic hit he really tried to find and use his words. Teachers take a note, the way to have your students talking is to find the video game or MMO that they love and use that as a genre.
Anne was again reviewing the comparative form plus more. The more was the difference between "elder" and "older". Oh boy. I had a fun time figuring that one out. After trying to explain the definitions of the words and failing I finally realized that older is used as both an adverb and an adjective whereas elder is just an adjective. The discoveries of grammar in my native language. Sigh!
I returned home to begin work. This work was really studying for my upcoming Thursday final on my History of Religions course. I now know why my family is Methodist, we're so much more chill than several other branches. Plus we have grape juice instead of wine. Big win.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
May 13th
Today consisted of doing nothing plus three mistakes. The nothing consisted of (the obvious) nothing! No muffins to be found in these boxes. The mistakes though were something. Not much of something but occurred nonetheless. Let's proceed down the list.
First mistake, I ate too much sugar. Jelly beans are a kryptonite of mine and in moderation aren't an issue. I polished off the barely nibbled box of chocolate covered jelly beans today. Oops. That isn't good for me in any way shape or form.
Second mistake, I ignored most of the world. This like jelly beans is fine once in a while but has happened for the second day in a row. Truly a strong second. In any case I did leave my home for a walk and some groceries but I'd hardly call that socializing.
Third mistake, I wasn't being myself. As I've said recently in a few posts I'm stressed about upcoming events. Leaving France is one and starting school in Iowa again is another. I haven't been completely honest though. Despite trying to simply how I'm feeling and I can't find a direct reason. I'm not upset, I'm not depressed, I'm not furious, and I'm not particularly well. Being nothing isn't me.
Again I've made a grey post. I dunno maybe I should've fabricated something uplifting for you guys. It's not your fault I'm being a Debby downer. So here's a lil something that makes me laugh and hopefully will do the same for you. Also don't worry, I have a plan on how to cheer myself tomorrow.
First mistake, I ate too much sugar. Jelly beans are a kryptonite of mine and in moderation aren't an issue. I polished off the barely nibbled box of chocolate covered jelly beans today. Oops. That isn't good for me in any way shape or form.
Second mistake, I ignored most of the world. This like jelly beans is fine once in a while but has happened for the second day in a row. Truly a strong second. In any case I did leave my home for a walk and some groceries but I'd hardly call that socializing.
Third mistake, I wasn't being myself. As I've said recently in a few posts I'm stressed about upcoming events. Leaving France is one and starting school in Iowa again is another. I haven't been completely honest though. Despite trying to simply how I'm feeling and I can't find a direct reason. I'm not upset, I'm not depressed, I'm not furious, and I'm not particularly well. Being nothing isn't me.
Again I've made a grey post. I dunno maybe I should've fabricated something uplifting for you guys. It's not your fault I'm being a Debby downer. So here's a lil something that makes me laugh and hopefully will do the same for you. Also don't worry, I have a plan on how to cheer myself tomorrow.
Only view if you are familiar with Arrested Development
Monday, May 13, 2013
May 12th
A day of nothing. Sigh, I'm never certain on what to think about days like today. Wait a minute, I'm never certain on what to think ever. Regardless of the day.
Well what I did was watch an old tv show from my somewhat distant youth. The series involves a character Rikki whom my computer is named after. She's pretty kick ass and it was nostalgia all the way re-watching her in action.
Other than that the usual happened; edited/wrote some chapter bits, ate food, overdosed on music, and kicked back in my room. I think I just needed some downtime. Haven't been able to really mull over all these thoughts that are floating around. The stress of the year ending is messing with my head and it isn't pleasant. Time moves no matter what. I'll take that as a good thing.
Well what I did was watch an old tv show from my somewhat distant youth. The series involves a character Rikki whom my computer is named after. She's pretty kick ass and it was nostalgia all the way re-watching her in action.
Other than that the usual happened; edited/wrote some chapter bits, ate food, overdosed on music, and kicked back in my room. I think I just needed some downtime. Haven't been able to really mull over all these thoughts that are floating around. The stress of the year ending is messing with my head and it isn't pleasant. Time moves no matter what. I'll take that as a good thing.
 |
| Something silly. Oh Lio |
May 11th
Early morning again. Kate volunteered for the first shower which gave me about fifteen extra minutes of snooze. Something I'll never learn in life is that it is better to actually "get up" rather than lie in a half-sleep mode for a mere fifteen minutes. Those minutes are like the orange cheesy residue from a fresh bag of Cheetos coating your fingers; ecstasy that lasts for only a moment before you crave more.
Kate stepped out of the shower and it was my turn. Ugh time to move MareBear. I climbed down from my bunk and stumbled into the shower. Fastforward to twenty minutes later after breakfast. The other two girls had woken up and were using the bathroom to become ready for their day. I decided to do my final touches (make-up) outside on the balcony. It was pretty stellar. There was enough sunlight to do my eye liner plus the breeze was wonderfully refreshing. The joys of being outdoors.
We flung our stuff into our bags and slipped downstairs to check out. It would be another day of carrying everything on my back. Good thing I have Bengay in Le Havre. Today's agenda was flea markets. Not just ordinary flea markets but antique ones.
The first market was in the southeastern area of Paris and was what I could call a typical flea market. Vendors had tents set up all around with clutters of things on display. Now most of it is junk or broken but occasionally you'd find something worthwhile. Unfortunately most of the worthwhile stuff was out of my price range. Guess I'll have to return when I'm old and have money in the world. After I've built my hall of mirrors of course.
I did grab a little something for my mother for Mother's Day. It's small but I think that she'll like it. Sides I'll probably add a few things to it just for special details. I found a few things that my dad might have liked but decided to not splurge. I love my dad, I simply felt that the items weren't worth it. Sides I have a great idea for a gift for his birthday. It's something you can't buy too.
Alright back to the markets. Kate and I spent a few hours at the first one before heading into central Paris. I had an errand to do for my mom which involved paying a visit to the Lancome boutique on Faubourg St. Honore. Being a student traveler I was dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, and my beautiful destroyed converse shoes.
My mother forgot to tell me that this was the fashion center of Paris. Uh what? I have never felt more out of place in my life. Kate wasn't too keen on the place either but at least her shoes didn't have holes in them. Honestly the store cashier was the most nonjudgmental woman in the world. I entered Lancome and she instantly greeted us with a smile. I told her the type of perfume I was looking for and she instantly took me to it. After a sample (the stuff smells amazing) I asked her for two bottles. She packed it away in a lovely Lancome bag and rang up the order. Then she provided some day and night facial lotion samples for me. Wow, thank you so much for being an incredibly kind person. It honestly helps and makes me want to return when I have money and proper footwear.
Kate stepped out of the shower and it was my turn. Ugh time to move MareBear. I climbed down from my bunk and stumbled into the shower. Fastforward to twenty minutes later after breakfast. The other two girls had woken up and were using the bathroom to become ready for their day. I decided to do my final touches (make-up) outside on the balcony. It was pretty stellar. There was enough sunlight to do my eye liner plus the breeze was wonderfully refreshing. The joys of being outdoors.
We flung our stuff into our bags and slipped downstairs to check out. It would be another day of carrying everything on my back. Good thing I have Bengay in Le Havre. Today's agenda was flea markets. Not just ordinary flea markets but antique ones.
The first market was in the southeastern area of Paris and was what I could call a typical flea market. Vendors had tents set up all around with clutters of things on display. Now most of it is junk or broken but occasionally you'd find something worthwhile. Unfortunately most of the worthwhile stuff was out of my price range. Guess I'll have to return when I'm old and have money in the world. After I've built my hall of mirrors of course.
I did grab a little something for my mother for Mother's Day. It's small but I think that she'll like it. Sides I'll probably add a few things to it just for special details. I found a few things that my dad might have liked but decided to not splurge. I love my dad, I simply felt that the items weren't worth it. Sides I have a great idea for a gift for his birthday. It's something you can't buy too.
Alright back to the markets. Kate and I spent a few hours at the first one before heading into central Paris. I had an errand to do for my mom which involved paying a visit to the Lancome boutique on Faubourg St. Honore. Being a student traveler I was dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt, and my beautiful destroyed converse shoes.
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| Aren't the cracks mesmerizing? |
Success I bought the perfume! Now time to find Jonathan. Kate and I decided on a giant church since it was obvious and had steps to sit on. The sun was making the day hot so I stripped off my layer of sweatshirt. Damn heat waves. In any case Jonathan found us (and gave Kate a small scare) which prompted our little trio to go find some food. We were wonderfully successful.
Jonathan once more spotted a restaurant. He's pretty good at randomly finding food in France. This place was called Chick Can and served chicken. Odd name but the food was frickin' amazing. I had a chicken breast with a side of tomato salad and boiled potatoes. The manager was friendly and dramatically described all of the food. To give you an idea of how awesome this place is, they provided cold glasses of free water. In France. Big deal dude.
After lunch it was time for more markets. Unfortunately (sorta) we undershot the northern antique markets by a few blocks and ended up in the illegal market area. By illegal I mean the stands were legit but the merchandise was questionable. I never feel comfortable in areas like that. Somewhat of a Sterling (Illinois) vibe to it. Just as if something is going to swallow you whole. Or that some notes might mysteriously disappear from your wallet.
We looked around there for a short time (Kate wanted to) before finding the actual markets. I was the one who discovered them down an alleyway after seeing a group of elderly strangers disappear. Sounds safe. When we stepped into the alley it was as if the rest of the world stopped. The noise of the streets was gone and all around where stalls and shops of oddities and curiosities.
I didn't buy anything in these markets either. There were some lovely pocket watches and pens but they just weren't feasible. I'll splurge when I have my own money. It will actually be mine then, no risk of losing it from being grounded or in debt.
A few hours later and we found ourselves tired and thirsty. What to do? Swing by a cafe near Chatelet and have a few beers/wine and watch the clouds go by. Least that's what I did. Kate and Jonathan talked about Aberdeen and I found myself drifting in the sky. Guess the phrase "head in the clouds" was named after someone like me.
Not long after it was time to go home. Saying goodbye sucks. It really does. You'd think after the long twenty-one years of life that I've experienced I'd be an expert at saying goodbye. Nope, it's always difficult. June is really going to suck.
One train and one coach ride later Kate and I were back in Le Havre. We stopped by our favorite kebap shop for some dinner before returning to St. Nicolas. As soon as I entered my room I dropped everything and kicked off my sneakers. It was time for Bengay and bed. Hello Blackhawks blanket.
I didn't buy anything in these markets either. There were some lovely pocket watches and pens but they just weren't feasible. I'll splurge when I have my own money. It will actually be mine then, no risk of losing it from being grounded or in debt.
A few hours later and we found ourselves tired and thirsty. What to do? Swing by a cafe near Chatelet and have a few beers/wine and watch the clouds go by. Least that's what I did. Kate and Jonathan talked about Aberdeen and I found myself drifting in the sky. Guess the phrase "head in the clouds" was named after someone like me.
Not long after it was time to go home. Saying goodbye sucks. It really does. You'd think after the long twenty-one years of life that I've experienced I'd be an expert at saying goodbye. Nope, it's always difficult. June is really going to suck.
One train and one coach ride later Kate and I were back in Le Havre. We stopped by our favorite kebap shop for some dinner before returning to St. Nicolas. As soon as I entered my room I dropped everything and kicked off my sneakers. It was time for Bengay and bed. Hello Blackhawks blanket.
May 10th
Back to Paris! Ha I would love to know how many times I've visited France's capital city because clearly I've lost count. Unfortunately due to work being done on the rails the journey took an extra hour. Coach was nice but I prefer a direct train.
Kate and I were headed to Versailles today with a heavy overcast of clouds. I kept threatening to pollute the sky with aerosol hairspray if it so much as thought about pouring on our parade of the golden palace. Fortunately it didn't. Made our time outside far easier.
Speaking of time outside we spent more than anticipated. First I had to buy a ticket (Americans over 18 must pay the price) which didn't take too long. I used a machine and the process was over in a matter of ten minutes. Then Kate and I had to wait in line. Specifically a line that slithered like a snake in front of the gates of Versailles. Oh boy, time to be patient.
It took a little over an hour to be admitted into the palace. Could've been worse I suppose. Still the fact that we had to keep our bags with us (you can't check it if it has clothes in it for security reasons) was a pain. My backpack had the better of my shoulders by the end of the day. The palace itself was crowded. Kate and I didn't spend much time with the paintings purely because of the amount of bodies in the rooms. I'm not one for close encounters with strangers especially with the temperature is bleeding into the "hot" zone.
The main areas in the palace weren't too bad; the hall of mirrors and the hall of battles were relatively open and supplied us with much needed room. I really need to build a hall of mirrors in my home. Kate was amazed at the hall of battles. As she put it, "this is awesome. Completely awe-inspiring awesome." I felt bad that we had arrived on such a busy day but it only meant that she would have to return in the future which is an exciting event to be.
After suffocating among tourists (especially American ones that I avoided like the plague) we hit the gardens for air and food. We did spot an Angelina's Tea Room (wink at my mother) but were hankering for something more filling and less rich than chocolate. Eventually we found La Petite Venise hiding behind the giant wall of hedges. Time for lunch!
Kate and I had lunch for about three hours. Least I think that's how long it lasted. We just took our time and enjoyed our meals. She had a chicken salad with huge amounts of everything. It was a fresh leafy green bowl of deliciousness. I ordered a salmon salad and was surprised when raw salmon stacked with pickled cucumber and crackers was placed in front me. It was fantastic but definitely a shocker.
Our meal ended and our energy waned as we made our way out of the grounds. It had been a long day and we were looking forward to the train back to Paris, sitting down and relaxing rather than carrying bags. We met Jonathan at the train station and proceeded to find our hostel for the night. It was Oops hostel and was located near/in the Latin quarter of Paris. Kate and I checked in and were pleasantly stunned with how nice it was.
First detail, they had an elevator. Ok I bypassed the metal box of pressure which forces me to be too close to people as much as could but that doesn't mean it wasn't a nice luxury for people who like elevators. I'll never understand that side of the population. The moment I discovered the stairs I took them every time. Second our room (which we shared with two other girls) had its own bathroom; not just a sink but a shower, toilet, mirror, and sink. One word, sweet. Third, breakfast was included in the fee. Fourth and finally, we had an amazing view from our street-side balcony. Oops, completely kick ass.
Right, once that was taken care of and our stuff was dumped into our room the three of us went on the search for dinner. Jonathan spotted a place called Pho which was something Kate (someone cultured in Vietnamese food) had highly recommended. We grabbed a table and the two British students ordered some Pho and seemed to love it. I know my stomach and apparently raw salmon steak doesn't seem to sit too well with me. Soup and noodles weren't in my interest. In any case I had caramelized pork with rice and veg. Good eats.
The three of us stuffed our faces and saw the night slip by. That's always what happens when you're having a good time. Why can't the time stretch/crunch be switched for good and bad? Anyhow Kate and I said goodbye to Jonathan (there was a joke later about finding my tonsils) and marched upstairs to bed. Well almost. Like I said earlier my shoulders weren't thrilled with having carried my backpack around all day. I took off my shirt and instructed Kate on how to massage knots out of the body. This was her first time being a masseuse and she did a decent job. I worked on her right shoulder as well which seemed like fair payment.
Then we went to sleep.
Kate and I were headed to Versailles today with a heavy overcast of clouds. I kept threatening to pollute the sky with aerosol hairspray if it so much as thought about pouring on our parade of the golden palace. Fortunately it didn't. Made our time outside far easier.
Speaking of time outside we spent more than anticipated. First I had to buy a ticket (Americans over 18 must pay the price) which didn't take too long. I used a machine and the process was over in a matter of ten minutes. Then Kate and I had to wait in line. Specifically a line that slithered like a snake in front of the gates of Versailles. Oh boy, time to be patient.
It took a little over an hour to be admitted into the palace. Could've been worse I suppose. Still the fact that we had to keep our bags with us (you can't check it if it has clothes in it for security reasons) was a pain. My backpack had the better of my shoulders by the end of the day. The palace itself was crowded. Kate and I didn't spend much time with the paintings purely because of the amount of bodies in the rooms. I'm not one for close encounters with strangers especially with the temperature is bleeding into the "hot" zone.
The main areas in the palace weren't too bad; the hall of mirrors and the hall of battles were relatively open and supplied us with much needed room. I really need to build a hall of mirrors in my home. Kate was amazed at the hall of battles. As she put it, "this is awesome. Completely awe-inspiring awesome." I felt bad that we had arrived on such a busy day but it only meant that she would have to return in the future which is an exciting event to be.
After suffocating among tourists (especially American ones that I avoided like the plague) we hit the gardens for air and food. We did spot an Angelina's Tea Room (wink at my mother) but were hankering for something more filling and less rich than chocolate. Eventually we found La Petite Venise hiding behind the giant wall of hedges. Time for lunch!
Kate and I had lunch for about three hours. Least I think that's how long it lasted. We just took our time and enjoyed our meals. She had a chicken salad with huge amounts of everything. It was a fresh leafy green bowl of deliciousness. I ordered a salmon salad and was surprised when raw salmon stacked with pickled cucumber and crackers was placed in front me. It was fantastic but definitely a shocker.
Our meal ended and our energy waned as we made our way out of the grounds. It had been a long day and we were looking forward to the train back to Paris, sitting down and relaxing rather than carrying bags. We met Jonathan at the train station and proceeded to find our hostel for the night. It was Oops hostel and was located near/in the Latin quarter of Paris. Kate and I checked in and were pleasantly stunned with how nice it was.
First detail, they had an elevator. Ok I bypassed the metal box of pressure which forces me to be too close to people as much as could but that doesn't mean it wasn't a nice luxury for people who like elevators. I'll never understand that side of the population. The moment I discovered the stairs I took them every time. Second our room (which we shared with two other girls) had its own bathroom; not just a sink but a shower, toilet, mirror, and sink. One word, sweet. Third, breakfast was included in the fee. Fourth and finally, we had an amazing view from our street-side balcony. Oops, completely kick ass.
Right, once that was taken care of and our stuff was dumped into our room the three of us went on the search for dinner. Jonathan spotted a place called Pho which was something Kate (someone cultured in Vietnamese food) had highly recommended. We grabbed a table and the two British students ordered some Pho and seemed to love it. I know my stomach and apparently raw salmon steak doesn't seem to sit too well with me. Soup and noodles weren't in my interest. In any case I had caramelized pork with rice and veg. Good eats.
The three of us stuffed our faces and saw the night slip by. That's always what happens when you're having a good time. Why can't the time stretch/crunch be switched for good and bad? Anyhow Kate and I said goodbye to Jonathan (there was a joke later about finding my tonsils) and marched upstairs to bed. Well almost. Like I said earlier my shoulders weren't thrilled with having carried my backpack around all day. I took off my shirt and instructed Kate on how to massage knots out of the body. This was her first time being a masseuse and she did a decent job. I worked on her right shoulder as well which seemed like fair payment.
Then we went to sleep.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
May 9th
It's one of those days where I don't know what to write. Did you miss them audience? I feel as though you did even if I gave you plenty of them in February. Do not fret lil audience I won't be making a video or giving you one sentence of information. I'm feeling as though this should be a more personal post and probably a darker one at that. From me to you.
Dear Audience,
Lately I've been doing what some might consider everything under the moon; traveling to the UK, socializing with my culturally mixed group of friends, taking final exams in French, chucking old jeans that won't be seeing Chicago again, realizing that I'm not sure if I want to go, remembering that I don't belong here. It's all very confusing for me. I suppose that fits, only 21 after all making the world a confusing place. Still it doesn't make it easier.
The friends I've met here are important to me. That's a strong reason of what is causing me to struggle about going home. Only Jaimie and Paula will be in the States and even then are going to be a few hundred miles away. That's something which is infinitely better than nothing, I know that. However when this term ends that's it for so many people in my current life. We aren't coming back. There isn't a ten year reunion for study abroad students.
I would love to visit all my friends and see places like Romania and Hungary with them as my hosts. The likelihood just isn't there. I'll have memories of them and pictures too but part of me hates that those bits are all that will ever be in the future. Damn, the deadlines of tomorrow are approaching so fast. Don't peg me wrong, returning to Chicago isn't the problem. Not at all. I have kin there and I also have Chicago itself. No, what I'm dreading is Iowa City.
My previous two years at Iowa weren't the easiest for many reasons. The main stitch in my side was the fact that I didn't have a stable social circle until second semester of my sophomore year. Freshman year was just a mess in that category. Returning to Iowa means returning to a place that reminds me how alone I can be. Maybe this sounds weak but friends are something to depend on.
Alright that's over-dramatic. I do still have a few friends who haven't graduated who are there, I'll be doing a few new activities, and I'll even be living in a more peaceful apartment complex. I'm not one to mope for days on end, that doesn't solve anything. I should make some new friends by going out and living among the world of Iowa City. Still the environment will always remind me of some not-so smooth semesters which cause reluctance of allowing my next academic term to ever begin.
Yet, oh the forever turning change of thought. Yet Iowa City is my college town. I'll have to work at finding my place (actually finding it) and my peers but that's a challenge to accept when the moment arrives. I couldn't stay here, not in France and not even Europe. Something always draws me to the States where my home lies. The Atlantic Ocean is big, too big to be across from the stars and stripes. I learned this about myself after being away for so long. America I can't ever leave you forever. Double edged sword, my abroad life stays whereas I go. Damn.
Audience I don't think I've ever been this raw with you before. All other times you've seen me spouting off sarcasm and attempting witty lines while writing about my days in France. I'm aware that this wasn't the post you were expecting since I love to entertain with words. Please do not be disappointed, this won't be a frequent occurrence. This is me expressing to you my human side of being afraid and somber. Just had some heavy thoughts on my mind is all.
Thanks for listening all the same.
Your post-master and blog voice,
Mary
Dear Audience,
Lately I've been doing what some might consider everything under the moon; traveling to the UK, socializing with my culturally mixed group of friends, taking final exams in French, chucking old jeans that won't be seeing Chicago again, realizing that I'm not sure if I want to go, remembering that I don't belong here. It's all very confusing for me. I suppose that fits, only 21 after all making the world a confusing place. Still it doesn't make it easier.
The friends I've met here are important to me. That's a strong reason of what is causing me to struggle about going home. Only Jaimie and Paula will be in the States and even then are going to be a few hundred miles away. That's something which is infinitely better than nothing, I know that. However when this term ends that's it for so many people in my current life. We aren't coming back. There isn't a ten year reunion for study abroad students.
I would love to visit all my friends and see places like Romania and Hungary with them as my hosts. The likelihood just isn't there. I'll have memories of them and pictures too but part of me hates that those bits are all that will ever be in the future. Damn, the deadlines of tomorrow are approaching so fast. Don't peg me wrong, returning to Chicago isn't the problem. Not at all. I have kin there and I also have Chicago itself. No, what I'm dreading is Iowa City.
My previous two years at Iowa weren't the easiest for many reasons. The main stitch in my side was the fact that I didn't have a stable social circle until second semester of my sophomore year. Freshman year was just a mess in that category. Returning to Iowa means returning to a place that reminds me how alone I can be. Maybe this sounds weak but friends are something to depend on.
Alright that's over-dramatic. I do still have a few friends who haven't graduated who are there, I'll be doing a few new activities, and I'll even be living in a more peaceful apartment complex. I'm not one to mope for days on end, that doesn't solve anything. I should make some new friends by going out and living among the world of Iowa City. Still the environment will always remind me of some not-so smooth semesters which cause reluctance of allowing my next academic term to ever begin.
Yet, oh the forever turning change of thought. Yet Iowa City is my college town. I'll have to work at finding my place (actually finding it) and my peers but that's a challenge to accept when the moment arrives. I couldn't stay here, not in France and not even Europe. Something always draws me to the States where my home lies. The Atlantic Ocean is big, too big to be across from the stars and stripes. I learned this about myself after being away for so long. America I can't ever leave you forever. Double edged sword, my abroad life stays whereas I go. Damn.
Audience I don't think I've ever been this raw with you before. All other times you've seen me spouting off sarcasm and attempting witty lines while writing about my days in France. I'm aware that this wasn't the post you were expecting since I love to entertain with words. Please do not be disappointed, this won't be a frequent occurrence. This is me expressing to you my human side of being afraid and somber. Just had some heavy thoughts on my mind is all.
Thanks for listening all the same.
Your post-master and blog voice,
Mary
May 8th
Ah a day off to do things. No sleeping in this morning. In fact I was perfectly ready to seize the day with Kate by my side at 10:30 AM! Have forth on Le Havre.
My tasks included buying/picking up make-up from Sephora, submitting my departure date to Crous, and nabbing some goods for a surprise party. Kate nabbed herself a new suitcase due to the incident of a handle snapping in Paris two weekends ago. It was a dark moment in the Parisian subways. Anyhow she bought herself a bright orange suitcase with four rotating wheels. Sick! Those shenanigans/errands took most of the morning since Kate and I lounged around the mall and town center. By lounged I mean walked.
We enjoyed some Chinese food before making our way back to St. Nicolas. Kate and I were decently hungry but I wouldn't say we overate. I had room for a coconut pearl, rice, beef, and chicken. Oh good eats.
At St. Nicolas we had about twenty minutes before leaving once more for a task on our scheduled day. For this occasion Jaimie joined us. The three of us (with a few key bags of stuff) left the dorm and walked to Julie's apartment in a cooling drizzle. Rain no drizzle sure! In any case we arrived there in good time and all shared the jaw to jaw greeting.
Julie escorted us upstairs (literally up the stairs since MareBear isn't keen on elevators) and showed us in to her spacious and lovely apartment. Right then, Jaimie and I began our work. Today was when I finally was able to make pumpkin pie. Jaimie brought pancakes to the table so in a way it was an American culture party sorta. There were a few issues like not having a can opener.
Fortunately I love to improvise. Such things included using a knife (do NOT attempt to this yourself) as a can opener by stabbing the can, using the side of a bowl as a rolling pin, and adding sweet flavors like vanilla and sugar to pumpkin in order to make it taste like pie filling.
My tasks included buying/picking up make-up from Sephora, submitting my departure date to Crous, and nabbing some goods for a surprise party. Kate nabbed herself a new suitcase due to the incident of a handle snapping in Paris two weekends ago. It was a dark moment in the Parisian subways. Anyhow she bought herself a bright orange suitcase with four rotating wheels. Sick! Those shenanigans/errands took most of the morning since Kate and I lounged around the mall and town center. By lounged I mean walked.
We enjoyed some Chinese food before making our way back to St. Nicolas. Kate and I were decently hungry but I wouldn't say we overate. I had room for a coconut pearl, rice, beef, and chicken. Oh good eats.
At St. Nicolas we had about twenty minutes before leaving once more for a task on our scheduled day. For this occasion Jaimie joined us. The three of us (with a few key bags of stuff) left the dorm and walked to Julie's apartment in a cooling drizzle. Rain no drizzle sure! In any case we arrived there in good time and all shared the jaw to jaw greeting.
Julie escorted us upstairs (literally up the stairs since MareBear isn't keen on elevators) and showed us in to her spacious and lovely apartment. Right then, Jaimie and I began our work. Today was when I finally was able to make pumpkin pie. Jaimie brought pancakes to the table so in a way it was an American culture party sorta. There were a few issues like not having a can opener.
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| When at first you don't succeed- |
Here's the low-down, everything was closed after noon in Le Havre today. I didn't realize that the pumpkin pie pumpkin can I had on my person wasn't fully mixed. It required evaporated milk, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. I didn't have those with me and Julie (being a student) didn't have them either. So I somewhat made a pumpkin pie. It tasted sweet and the crust was flaky but it didn't taste right. Sorry bakers and pastry chefs out there, I did my best with limited tools.
After that culinary adventure we returned to St. Nicolas for some chills. Then Kate and I stuffed ourselves into Scott's room with a handful of others and waited for Katerina to bring him upstairs. We yelled surprise and he about had a heart attack. Surprise parties, a possible killer.
There was delicious food (potato salad) and good drink at the surprise shindig but I felt myself waning after some time. MareBear was tired. I felt disappointed in myself since Fabian was even DJing meaning awesome mixes of tunes yet I didn't want to stay and fall asleep on my friends. I said goodnight to everyone and walked the long thirty feet to my room. Waking up early has its price to pay.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
May 7th
Ok this weather is really starting to tick me off. Why can't there be more wind or rain or something? Or why couldn't my class have been later; 2:00 PM is not ideal for avoiding hot areas of the day. Sigh, first world problems audience.
Besides me complaining about the heat I did have an interesting day. First there was class (make up course) which was Lexicology. This session covered more word categories like Onomatopoeia and Nonce Words. The onomatopoeia was entertaining. Hearing students of any language sound out "cock-a-doodle-doo" is hilarious. Thank you roosters.
I did talk to my teacher after class since I discovered not too long ago that the written final exam was scheduled for June 28th. Big problem. MareBear will be in Wisconsin (yeah I don't stay in one place for too long) and unable to attend. My professor told me that she was fine with me taking the exam early I just had to let the department know. I tottered off to tell the secretary of English the good news.
Well first I registered for two speaking exams and then (in my somewhat broken French) explained my situation. I was told that I was telling them very late about leaving in early June. Wait, hold up. You guys posted the final exam dates in April and I'm the bad one for giving you a month's heads up? Seriously? No, no I won't play this French mind game.
What ultimately was decided is that I will take the speaking exam and the speaking exam only. If I pass then no need for the written exam. Ok, that works for me! Time to see French children.
Somewhat saw French children. Apparently I didn't have to tutor today since Anne was gone on a trip. Mme Racadot explained on the phone to me and apologized for forgetting to shoot me an email. I told her that it was no trouble at all. In fact I finally was able to see their backyard garden. The lilacs were lovely.
Home, please something shade me as I walk to Saint Nicolas. Backpacks are not your friends on days like today. Once I entered my room I ran into a freezing shower. Yeah I don't handle heat too well unless I'm dressed appropriately or have a lake to swim in. Felt amazing with 311 blasting in the foreground. And the brightside is that cold water never runs out.
I then received a call (while still in a towel) from Kate asking if I wanted to meet her at the train station so that we could buy our Paris tickets. I agreed and soon after shaking my hair out and grabbing some clean-ish clothes I left for la gare. Turns out the line was long and slow. We skipped out and headed to the beach. There's always tomorrow for tickets.
At the beach we found a small group of our friends playing beach volleyball. Kate and I simply observed from the docks and enjoyed the sea breeze. Nearish to sunset our friend Scott unexpectedly stopped playing and took a seat next to us. He had whilst kicking the volleyball bent his big toe's nail backwards causing sand and blood to mix. Oh dear.
Being a somewhat pseudo-mother figure I went to work on the cleaning the wound. Fortunately I had brought a bottle of water with me and had some tissues and moisturizer in my purse. I did forget the band-aids at home but close enough. I cleaned his foot up and applied a bit of pressure to seal the wound. Afterwards we had ice cream.
In fact it was gelato from my favorite little beach stand. Scott went for lemon sorbet while I had pistachio and Monster energy gelato scoops. Try something new every day audience. Besides it was delicious.
Not long after sunset we all left for home; the trio of Kate, Scott, and me headed to St. Nicolas for some much needed down time. We did detour to a popular burger franchise but then went home. I unfortunately have laundry to do since my entire wardrobe is in a pile on the floor. That's my laundry bin. Good thing I have a can of monster ready, this could take a while.
Besides me complaining about the heat I did have an interesting day. First there was class (make up course) which was Lexicology. This session covered more word categories like Onomatopoeia and Nonce Words. The onomatopoeia was entertaining. Hearing students of any language sound out "cock-a-doodle-doo" is hilarious. Thank you roosters.
I did talk to my teacher after class since I discovered not too long ago that the written final exam was scheduled for June 28th. Big problem. MareBear will be in Wisconsin (yeah I don't stay in one place for too long) and unable to attend. My professor told me that she was fine with me taking the exam early I just had to let the department know. I tottered off to tell the secretary of English the good news.
Well first I registered for two speaking exams and then (in my somewhat broken French) explained my situation. I was told that I was telling them very late about leaving in early June. Wait, hold up. You guys posted the final exam dates in April and I'm the bad one for giving you a month's heads up? Seriously? No, no I won't play this French mind game.
What ultimately was decided is that I will take the speaking exam and the speaking exam only. If I pass then no need for the written exam. Ok, that works for me! Time to see French children.
Somewhat saw French children. Apparently I didn't have to tutor today since Anne was gone on a trip. Mme Racadot explained on the phone to me and apologized for forgetting to shoot me an email. I told her that it was no trouble at all. In fact I finally was able to see their backyard garden. The lilacs were lovely.
Home, please something shade me as I walk to Saint Nicolas. Backpacks are not your friends on days like today. Once I entered my room I ran into a freezing shower. Yeah I don't handle heat too well unless I'm dressed appropriately or have a lake to swim in. Felt amazing with 311 blasting in the foreground. And the brightside is that cold water never runs out.
I then received a call (while still in a towel) from Kate asking if I wanted to meet her at the train station so that we could buy our Paris tickets. I agreed and soon after shaking my hair out and grabbing some clean-ish clothes I left for la gare. Turns out the line was long and slow. We skipped out and headed to the beach. There's always tomorrow for tickets.
At the beach we found a small group of our friends playing beach volleyball. Kate and I simply observed from the docks and enjoyed the sea breeze. Nearish to sunset our friend Scott unexpectedly stopped playing and took a seat next to us. He had whilst kicking the volleyball bent his big toe's nail backwards causing sand and blood to mix. Oh dear.
Being a somewhat pseudo-mother figure I went to work on the cleaning the wound. Fortunately I had brought a bottle of water with me and had some tissues and moisturizer in my purse. I did forget the band-aids at home but close enough. I cleaned his foot up and applied a bit of pressure to seal the wound. Afterwards we had ice cream.
In fact it was gelato from my favorite little beach stand. Scott went for lemon sorbet while I had pistachio and Monster energy gelato scoops. Try something new every day audience. Besides it was delicious.
Not long after sunset we all left for home; the trio of Kate, Scott, and me headed to St. Nicolas for some much needed down time. We did detour to a popular burger franchise but then went home. I unfortunately have laundry to do since my entire wardrobe is in a pile on the floor. That's my laundry bin. Good thing I have a can of monster ready, this could take a while.
May 6th
Last day of French Civilization with Martel. This was a bittersweet day for me. It does mean that I won't have any classes on Monday for the remainder of the semester but it also means I won't have classes with one of my favorite (and original) professors. Least we all went out with a bang.
For the final class we watched the classic French comedy film "Le Diner de Cons" known as "The Dinner Game" known as the movie upon which "Dinner for Schmucks" is based. Little tip, the original is better. Don't have me wrong I love the typical American "stupid" comedy but when it comes to remakes rarely is the new version better. Give it a go if you haven't already seen it or "quel con!"
That was the main event of today but I did experience something I wasn't prepared for; heat. Summer is coming, oh damn. I don't have any summer appropriate clothing at the moment (sides a dress but why wear that to class?) making it difficult to comfortably go anywhere. Jeans (in general), plus boots, plus T-Shirts are not what I call "sunshine weather"!
Sadly I cannot sport any of my State-side clothes at the moment for two reasons; first they are in Chicago and second it's not smart to show skin in France. That fact of life is a major bummer but it is what it is. I'll be home soon enough and my shorts will be there waiting for me. Don't worry honeys I'll be there soon.
For the final class we watched the classic French comedy film "Le Diner de Cons" known as "The Dinner Game" known as the movie upon which "Dinner for Schmucks" is based. Little tip, the original is better. Don't have me wrong I love the typical American "stupid" comedy but when it comes to remakes rarely is the new version better. Give it a go if you haven't already seen it or "quel con!"
That was the main event of today but I did experience something I wasn't prepared for; heat. Summer is coming, oh damn. I don't have any summer appropriate clothing at the moment (sides a dress but why wear that to class?) making it difficult to comfortably go anywhere. Jeans (in general), plus boots, plus T-Shirts are not what I call "sunshine weather"!
Sadly I cannot sport any of my State-side clothes at the moment for two reasons; first they are in Chicago and second it's not smart to show skin in France. That fact of life is a major bummer but it is what it is. I'll be home soon enough and my shorts will be there waiting for me. Don't worry honeys I'll be there soon.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
May 5th
Today was uneventful as most Sundays are. I did watch "The Holiday" with Kate. Do not question our choice of movie. Christmas movies may be enjoyed at any point of the year. We cried, a lot. It just has so many cute parts. I'm also a complete Jude Law fool. Always had a soft spot for him after seeing him as Gigolo Joe in A.I. when I was about eight years old. I did not understand what a gigolo was at the time, regardless I loved his character. "What do you know Joe?"
So besides crying over movies I mostly relaxed and talked with various people. It was spaghetti day which is always exciting. I am aware that I frequently blast music while I cook. Adds zest to the final product. Or just makes it more fun, dishes are definitely easier.
I'm trying to remember if anything else happened. I wrote some blogs, sent a few emails, and watched collegehumor. A solid day of chill. Not bad, not bad. All it needed to be perfect would be Zelda and bacon. At the same time. Just a giant pile of bacon and a classic Zelda game. Preferable the plate would be balanced on my stomach while I slouch in my chair in the darkness of my room. Kay, I now have another thing added to my summer to-do list. Productive, completely productive.
So besides crying over movies I mostly relaxed and talked with various people. It was spaghetti day which is always exciting. I am aware that I frequently blast music while I cook. Adds zest to the final product. Or just makes it more fun, dishes are definitely easier.
I'm trying to remember if anything else happened. I wrote some blogs, sent a few emails, and watched collegehumor. A solid day of chill. Not bad, not bad. All it needed to be perfect would be Zelda and bacon. At the same time. Just a giant pile of bacon and a classic Zelda game. Preferable the plate would be balanced on my stomach while I slouch in my chair in the darkness of my room. Kay, I now have another thing added to my summer to-do list. Productive, completely productive.
May 4th
Needless to say I did not go to my 8:30 AM make-up class this morning. I tried, I really did but couldn't do it. I did wake up without much of a hangover. Amazing if I say so myself and definitely not complaining.
My morning was relaxed as it should be. I drank endless supplies of water and scrubbed the night/morning off my skin in a steam-filled shower. My 21st was over and it was time to simply resume life. I do feel different though, not a sense of liberation but older. Uncomfortably older. My twenties are here which is completely terrifying.
Jonathan left on a 2:00 PM train with an actual hangover. He hit the delrium (8.5% or something) pretty hard at Trappiste. Despite that he was able to function and made it home just fine. I returned to the dorm and passed out in the middle of lunch. I passed out on my bed but didn't finish my green peas until I woke up hours later.
Kate was actually the one who woke me up. There was a barbecue on that evening for another friend's birthday and we were supposed to go. The argument Kate gave me won over my pillow. Always a tough debate but I'm glad that I went. It was a good time.
After a quick stop at the super market for barbecue items (chips, burgers, and mushrooms) we made our way to the containers. The most common greeting I received all night was "how are you?" at which I smiled and said, "far better." It was nice knowing that my friends cared but I was also somewhat embarrassed. Guess they knew something had been off when I didn't say goodbye to any of them. Oops.
The event itself was a quite a party. Besides a shot of Romanian alcohol I stuck to coke all night long. Not that I didn't want a drink or two (apprentice alcoholic or a typical university student) but I figured that my liver could use a break. Besides it was my turn to remember the night in full detail.
We had Kate grilling fantastic sausages, burgers, and mushrooms for everyone. There were also pinatas, filled with candy of course. Plus copious amounts of socializing. I mostly talked to Julie but made my way around the party. When it hit midnight I felt myself drooping from lack of energy. Time to go home.
I stayed in the light (no worries) and knew the area since I only lived about three blocks away. Once in my room I grabbed some meds (too much sausage) and relaxed in front of Rikki. Something reassuring about emails and facebook, just takes a load off. I also had Amber playing and a few happy photos that added to the chill-zone. Good end to a mellow day.
P.S. I wasn't hungover in the traditional sense but I had zero motor skills during the day. Good thing I wasn't holding anything breakable because I dropped stuff as though it were my job. Minor detail.
My morning was relaxed as it should be. I drank endless supplies of water and scrubbed the night/morning off my skin in a steam-filled shower. My 21st was over and it was time to simply resume life. I do feel different though, not a sense of liberation but older. Uncomfortably older. My twenties are here which is completely terrifying.
Jonathan left on a 2:00 PM train with an actual hangover. He hit the delrium (8.5% or something) pretty hard at Trappiste. Despite that he was able to function and made it home just fine. I returned to the dorm and passed out in the middle of lunch. I passed out on my bed but didn't finish my green peas until I woke up hours later.
Kate was actually the one who woke me up. There was a barbecue on that evening for another friend's birthday and we were supposed to go. The argument Kate gave me won over my pillow. Always a tough debate but I'm glad that I went. It was a good time.
After a quick stop at the super market for barbecue items (chips, burgers, and mushrooms) we made our way to the containers. The most common greeting I received all night was "how are you?" at which I smiled and said, "far better." It was nice knowing that my friends cared but I was also somewhat embarrassed. Guess they knew something had been off when I didn't say goodbye to any of them. Oops.
The event itself was a quite a party. Besides a shot of Romanian alcohol I stuck to coke all night long. Not that I didn't want a drink or two (apprentice alcoholic or a typical university student) but I figured that my liver could use a break. Besides it was my turn to remember the night in full detail.
We had Kate grilling fantastic sausages, burgers, and mushrooms for everyone. There were also pinatas, filled with candy of course. Plus copious amounts of socializing. I mostly talked to Julie but made my way around the party. When it hit midnight I felt myself drooping from lack of energy. Time to go home.
I stayed in the light (no worries) and knew the area since I only lived about three blocks away. Once in my room I grabbed some meds (too much sausage) and relaxed in front of Rikki. Something reassuring about emails and facebook, just takes a load off. I also had Amber playing and a few happy photos that added to the chill-zone. Good end to a mellow day.
P.S. I wasn't hungover in the traditional sense but I had zero motor skills during the day. Good thing I wasn't holding anything breakable because I dropped stuff as though it were my job. Minor detail.
May 3rd 21st Birthday Celebrations
Oh boy. Time to write about the day/night where I fully celebrated being 21 in the traditional American sense. Wait! Lemme make sure I have everything ready in order to write this thing; Barlights playing (check), comfortable Panic! tank top (check), bottle of water (check), Babe (double check), and snack food aka strawberries at my side (check). Let's do this!
My May 3rd started around one o'clock. I was exhausted from the previous day of final exams and studying. I also stayed up until 2:30 AM talking to my older brother on Skype. The afternoon light was welcome and I began my day of becoming ready for the night.
This might be embarrassing to admit but I used at least three hours of the day for grooming purposes. I ran out of hot water and waited twenty-five minutes for it to renew itself simply because I wanted to take a long long long long boiling shower. Taking my time was a gift to myself not worrying about the hours slipping by. In any case if someone gave me the entire day to become ready I'd probably use every ounce of time. Just a thing for girls.
So the final product was decent in my own opinion. Especially my hair, took extra long with that one haha. I stayed in chill clothes for a while and had Kate join my company for last minute details. This translates as nails. Also the debate about which shoes I should wear. The next day I'd regret my decision but for the time being it was a wise choice. Heels look great with dresses and it was special night.
During the whole "getting ready" process I received an important call on my phone. It was Jonathan telling me that last minute a student cancelled for lessons on Saturday which meant he could be in Le Havre with me this night. That was one of the greatest surprises I've ever experienced. Having him be with me on my birthday (sorta) and able to socialize with all of my friends; good times to happen.
Dinner then occurred! Sadly Julie was unable to attend due to a class (she was at the party later on) but Jaimie, Kate, and I had a wonderful time. We ate at the Tex Mex restaurant that my family and I had tried back in March. It was still good (fajitas!) and our waitress was perhaps the most un-French server; she was funny.
Being a fresh 21 I found it my patriotic duty to begin drinking as soon as I had food in my stomach. Due to my late start I hadn't had much of a meal before dinner thus drinking began at dinner. With my fajita I had a mojito. For dessert I had a margarita. Remember audience it is important for Americans on this sacred day to maintain a balanced diet of liquor.
After dinner we stumbled (we being me in heels and slightly buzzed) to the dorm where we waited for maybe twenty minutes before leaving again. The stairs were my biggest challenge throughout the night. I never fell on them and handled them by myself each time. Pat on the back for MareBear.
Anyways we arrived at the station after almost being run over by a bus and found a somewhat shocked Jonathan. It isn't everyday that I wear a dress and heels. Actually in France I don't believe I ever have worn the two together, or a dress at all. Shame but such is life in France. In the States I'm allowed to show more skin without the cat-calls.
The bar was buzzing with people and I started on the beer that would evidently be my downfall. We arrived earlier than the invitation time which gave our small group the necessary minutes to mosey to the back and take over. Boy did we take over. About twenty of my friends showed up for the night which was insane for a bar that sized. They also did as I asked and filled my body with alcohol.
Things I don't remember happening but apparently happened; I drank shots with some friends, kept drinking beer, sang the Fresh Prince song, attempted (I really was too under to do this properly) to dance at parts to my own rhythm, constantly shouted how much I loved my friends (guess that's good) and talked about going to class the next day.
Things I remember; laughing, falling onto people, drinking water, not feeling so hot, running out of the bar, and being dragged home.
I can sense how unproud some of you are of me while reading this. Well my excuse which is a valid reason is that I was celebrating my 21st. I do not plan on ever being that drunk again in my life except for when I celebrate a belated 21st with my friends in Chicago. That doesn't sound convincing. Too bad that's my reasoning! This is why I celebrated with friends, they helped me home and held my hair back. Still made those stairs by myself.
For fun here is a picture I don't remember being taken.
I'm laughing about it now and happy that I could share such a memorable (in my case half-memorable) night surrounded by people whom I love. Thank you everyone for being there with me.
My May 3rd started around one o'clock. I was exhausted from the previous day of final exams and studying. I also stayed up until 2:30 AM talking to my older brother on Skype. The afternoon light was welcome and I began my day of becoming ready for the night.
This might be embarrassing to admit but I used at least three hours of the day for grooming purposes. I ran out of hot water and waited twenty-five minutes for it to renew itself simply because I wanted to take a long long long long boiling shower. Taking my time was a gift to myself not worrying about the hours slipping by. In any case if someone gave me the entire day to become ready I'd probably use every ounce of time. Just a thing for girls.
So the final product was decent in my own opinion. Especially my hair, took extra long with that one haha. I stayed in chill clothes for a while and had Kate join my company for last minute details. This translates as nails. Also the debate about which shoes I should wear. The next day I'd regret my decision but for the time being it was a wise choice. Heels look great with dresses and it was special night.
During the whole "getting ready" process I received an important call on my phone. It was Jonathan telling me that last minute a student cancelled for lessons on Saturday which meant he could be in Le Havre with me this night. That was one of the greatest surprises I've ever experienced. Having him be with me on my birthday (sorta) and able to socialize with all of my friends; good times to happen.
Dinner then occurred! Sadly Julie was unable to attend due to a class (she was at the party later on) but Jaimie, Kate, and I had a wonderful time. We ate at the Tex Mex restaurant that my family and I had tried back in March. It was still good (fajitas!) and our waitress was perhaps the most un-French server; she was funny.
Being a fresh 21 I found it my patriotic duty to begin drinking as soon as I had food in my stomach. Due to my late start I hadn't had much of a meal before dinner thus drinking began at dinner. With my fajita I had a mojito. For dessert I had a margarita. Remember audience it is important for Americans on this sacred day to maintain a balanced diet of liquor.
After dinner we stumbled (we being me in heels and slightly buzzed) to the dorm where we waited for maybe twenty minutes before leaving again. The stairs were my biggest challenge throughout the night. I never fell on them and handled them by myself each time. Pat on the back for MareBear.
Anyways we arrived at the station after almost being run over by a bus and found a somewhat shocked Jonathan. It isn't everyday that I wear a dress and heels. Actually in France I don't believe I ever have worn the two together, or a dress at all. Shame but such is life in France. In the States I'm allowed to show more skin without the cat-calls.
The bar was buzzing with people and I started on the beer that would evidently be my downfall. We arrived earlier than the invitation time which gave our small group the necessary minutes to mosey to the back and take over. Boy did we take over. About twenty of my friends showed up for the night which was insane for a bar that sized. They also did as I asked and filled my body with alcohol.
Things I don't remember happening but apparently happened; I drank shots with some friends, kept drinking beer, sang the Fresh Prince song, attempted (I really was too under to do this properly) to dance at parts to my own rhythm, constantly shouted how much I loved my friends (guess that's good) and talked about going to class the next day.
Things I remember; laughing, falling onto people, drinking water, not feeling so hot, running out of the bar, and being dragged home.
I can sense how unproud some of you are of me while reading this. Well my excuse which is a valid reason is that I was celebrating my 21st. I do not plan on ever being that drunk again in my life except for when I celebrate a belated 21st with my friends in Chicago. That doesn't sound convincing. Too bad that's my reasoning! This is why I celebrated with friends, they helped me home and held my hair back. Still made those stairs by myself.
For fun here is a picture I don't remember being taken.
 |
| The candles and balloons weren't there. Thank you Katerina. |
I'm laughing about it now and happy that I could share such a memorable (in my case half-memorable) night surrounded by people whom I love. Thank you everyone for being there with me.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
May 2nd The Big 21 (sorta)
Audience it may pain you to learn this but I am no longer at the adorable age of 20. That number changed at 2:10 AM Central Pacific time. During a final exam no less. France, you and being 7 hours ahead. Tsk tsk.
Woke up at 6 AM, wasn't thrilled. No doubt nerves for the final. As everyone except me most likely predicted it was not the evil monster I imagined it to be. Still had knots all throughout the morning though, healthy stuff. The test was an essay explaining the differences between Flemish and Italian painting styles. Huh. That was it. Hopefully in the short hour and a half I had I wrote a decent enough essay. Just need to pass.
After I left the classroom I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Imagine a crate of lead being removed from your chest after it crushed you into oblivion. Hmm that might be a bad example. Point is I felt better and celebrated with strawberries and a jambon buerre sandwich.
Class then occurred, yippee. The enthusiasm I have for History of Religions is off the charts. Today's topics were riveting too; British Colonization and French Revolution. Universe "shoot me please" or I'll die from boredom. Before all the French and British citizens start beating me to death allow me to explain my case. Please? Ok beat me for a little bit. Ow, ow, ow, hey! Cleats are not fair dude!
Now that you've worked your anger out let me say my two bits, my blog after all. The reason those topics are dull just like the American Revolution and Civil War is because we've heard them time in time out. This wasn't a lecture of new information but rather a dragged out review. My professor actually had the class fill in the blanks for names and dates. You can imagine how happy everyone was for that. So it's not the history itself (brutal times are always fascinating) it was the manner at which we went over it. Regardless you were able to rough me up a bit and I made my point. Slight win-win.
After class I slothed for an hour. I had another final at 5:30 PM but felt as though I deserved some downtime. This included me kicking my boots off and lying on my bed as All American Rejects serenaded me. Almost fell asleep a few times I was so out of it. I didn't, rather I dumped all my study papers onto my bed. They're still there.
Fast forward a lunch and few hours later. I was on campus early to ensure that I had a decent seat for the final exam. Good thing too since many students from the Tuesday class appeared. We all were sardined in the hallway which made it interesting when my friends started to sing happy birthday to me. I smiled and blushed as I do but was both happy and grateful for being surrounded by caring people. Then Ardouin showed up.
The test was a typical Ardouin test, filled with unexpected snares. Fortunately I had covered almost all of the material in my studies. The final exercise was something we barely glanced at in class and a paper I hadn't thoroughly reviewed. Sigh, damnit. Least I knew that passé simple and relative pronouns would be covered. Studied the hell out those two. Take than "dont" and "fut"!
Finished in good time and checked my worked over. Always a good idea, spelling errors are evil. Kate and I left at similar times but I had to somewhat stalk/power walk to catch up to her. Apparently she was going to surprise me with a brioche and thought that I was going to be in the exam longer. She bought me one anyways and I thanked her for the pastry. She also insisted on paying for my coke at the supermarket. It's my birthday, I'll let it all slide.
Now I am home and finished with tests for now. It will be two weeks before I have another which is a comfort in its own. I can breathe and chill for the remainder of the weekend sides various paperwork for France and Iowa. Big plus I should be gaming with Pete tonight. Maple is reborn for the Scale siblings!
P.S. The reason the title has (sorta) in it is because the actual dinner/party celebration is happening tomorrow night. So though it's my birthday I'm delaying the real deal for a day. Just informing you so that you can sleep in peace audience.
Woke up at 6 AM, wasn't thrilled. No doubt nerves for the final. As everyone except me most likely predicted it was not the evil monster I imagined it to be. Still had knots all throughout the morning though, healthy stuff. The test was an essay explaining the differences between Flemish and Italian painting styles. Huh. That was it. Hopefully in the short hour and a half I had I wrote a decent enough essay. Just need to pass.
After I left the classroom I felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Imagine a crate of lead being removed from your chest after it crushed you into oblivion. Hmm that might be a bad example. Point is I felt better and celebrated with strawberries and a jambon buerre sandwich.
Class then occurred, yippee. The enthusiasm I have for History of Religions is off the charts. Today's topics were riveting too; British Colonization and French Revolution. Universe "shoot me please" or I'll die from boredom. Before all the French and British citizens start beating me to death allow me to explain my case. Please? Ok beat me for a little bit. Ow, ow, ow, hey! Cleats are not fair dude!
Now that you've worked your anger out let me say my two bits, my blog after all. The reason those topics are dull just like the American Revolution and Civil War is because we've heard them time in time out. This wasn't a lecture of new information but rather a dragged out review. My professor actually had the class fill in the blanks for names and dates. You can imagine how happy everyone was for that. So it's not the history itself (brutal times are always fascinating) it was the manner at which we went over it. Regardless you were able to rough me up a bit and I made my point. Slight win-win.
After class I slothed for an hour. I had another final at 5:30 PM but felt as though I deserved some downtime. This included me kicking my boots off and lying on my bed as All American Rejects serenaded me. Almost fell asleep a few times I was so out of it. I didn't, rather I dumped all my study papers onto my bed. They're still there.
Fast forward a lunch and few hours later. I was on campus early to ensure that I had a decent seat for the final exam. Good thing too since many students from the Tuesday class appeared. We all were sardined in the hallway which made it interesting when my friends started to sing happy birthday to me. I smiled and blushed as I do but was both happy and grateful for being surrounded by caring people. Then Ardouin showed up.
The test was a typical Ardouin test, filled with unexpected snares. Fortunately I had covered almost all of the material in my studies. The final exercise was something we barely glanced at in class and a paper I hadn't thoroughly reviewed. Sigh, damnit. Least I knew that passé simple and relative pronouns would be covered. Studied the hell out those two. Take than "dont" and "fut"!
Finished in good time and checked my worked over. Always a good idea, spelling errors are evil. Kate and I left at similar times but I had to somewhat stalk/power walk to catch up to her. Apparently she was going to surprise me with a brioche and thought that I was going to be in the exam longer. She bought me one anyways and I thanked her for the pastry. She also insisted on paying for my coke at the supermarket. It's my birthday, I'll let it all slide.
Now I am home and finished with tests for now. It will be two weeks before I have another which is a comfort in its own. I can breathe and chill for the remainder of the weekend sides various paperwork for France and Iowa. Big plus I should be gaming with Pete tonight. Maple is reborn for the Scale siblings!
P.S. The reason the title has (sorta) in it is because the actual dinner/party celebration is happening tomorrow night. So though it's my birthday I'm delaying the real deal for a day. Just informing you so that you can sleep in peace audience.
May 1st
 |
| Flash to the past |
Ever have those moments of being terrified? That was me, all day long. Amazing that the terror lasted over twenty-four hours. Truly miraculous. In the future (even a month from now) I'll look back and roll my eyes at what an obnoxious deal I was making over a final exam. But it ain't the future now, the present sucks!
Art history is scaring me so much. I don't know how much I have to know for the final. And the class time is only a little over an hour which in French is hard. Writing an essay while nervous in the still learning foreign language on a topic that isn't my strong suit is well...it's...thesaurus time!
It is alarming bad daunting frightening grim harrowing intimidating mean petrifying shocking unnerving and the end. I've been called over dramatic before, no idea why.
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