I am forgetting how to speak English??? Certain nouns are fading and I have to go online later to look them up. Or, even better, I can only remember the French word. Sometimes, I use the Britain words instead of whatever I used to use i.e. marks instead of grades... Sometimes the English words that come out of my mouth are such a jumbled up mess I can't even believe that I just said that.
Luckily, a friend from the USA came to visit for a few days and my English is back to normal, at least for now?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!
Two or three inches of snow overnight!!
Corena came to France for the weekend. We spent the majority of our time soaking up everything Paris has to offer. We took hundreds of pictures, we talked till dawn, got up before dawn, interrupted each other non-stop. It was sooo good to hang out with someone from back home!
I'm listening to Christmas music on the internet because for the first time in my life it isn't playing non-stop on the radio and inside every store. Ha, it used to be something that drove me crazy, something in the States you just can't get away from this time of the year... and here I have to seek it out! I'm currently really digging the Jingle Bell Rock, Dean Martin's version of Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!, and Brenda Lee's version of Rockin' around the Christmas tree!!!
Corena came to France for the weekend. We spent the majority of our time soaking up everything Paris has to offer. We took hundreds of pictures, we talked till dawn, got up before dawn, interrupted each other non-stop. It was sooo good to hang out with someone from back home!
I'm listening to Christmas music on the internet because for the first time in my life it isn't playing non-stop on the radio and inside every store. Ha, it used to be something that drove me crazy, something in the States you just can't get away from this time of the year... and here I have to seek it out! I'm currently really digging the Jingle Bell Rock, Dean Martin's version of Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!, and Brenda Lee's version of Rockin' around the Christmas tree!!!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Fausses Innocences
Fausses Innocences (2008)
Le jour où Mathilda Stembert vient déclarer la mort de son mari décédé accidentellement en Bulgarie, Roger Müller, bourgmestre d'une petite ville, ne peut ignorer qu'elle ment. Mais il aime profondément Mathilda depuis l'adolescence. Roger doit-il exiger une enquête sur ce décès ou, au contraire, accepter les dires de la femme qu'il aime en secret ?
All I can say is.... the French version of a lifetime movie! :)
In the first 5 minutes, Mathilda kills her husband. Throughout the course of the movie, Mathilda's other lover helps her to hide all the evidence. Later, it is revealed that Mathilda didn't kill her husband and he is in fact still alive. What actually happened: he left her. So, instead of admitting her husband left her, she made an elaborate lie about a tragic accident he had and told everyone he was dead. Well, he comes back to town. Alive. What to do? This time he is killed for real. After all, he was supposed to be dead anyway right? The end.
Le jour où Mathilda Stembert vient déclarer la mort de son mari décédé accidentellement en Bulgarie, Roger Müller, bourgmestre d'une petite ville, ne peut ignorer qu'elle ment. Mais il aime profondément Mathilda depuis l'adolescence. Roger doit-il exiger une enquête sur ce décès ou, au contraire, accepter les dires de la femme qu'il aime en secret ?
All I can say is.... the French version of a lifetime movie! :)
In the first 5 minutes, Mathilda kills her husband. Throughout the course of the movie, Mathilda's other lover helps her to hide all the evidence. Later, it is revealed that Mathilda didn't kill her husband and he is in fact still alive. What actually happened: he left her. So, instead of admitting her husband left her, she made an elaborate lie about a tragic accident he had and told everyone he was dead. Well, he comes back to town. Alive. What to do? This time he is killed for real. After all, he was supposed to be dead anyway right? The end.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Germany
To celebrate turning 21 in France, I visited a friend in Karlsruhe, Germany for four days. I also spent one of those days in Heidelberg, Germany.
Highlights:
The word VERBOTEN: The first night was the most eventful! I definitely learned the definition of the word VERBOTEN (Forbidden). Basically, I ended up in a place that I wasn't supposed to be on accident... I will never forget that word for as long as I live... :)
No English: It was the first time in my life I went to a country that I didn't speak any of the language at all. Five years ago, I went to Italy and Italian is rather similar to French and Spanish - every where I went I could make accurate guesses about the signs because they resembled words in French in Spanish. But no Germany. Words are 20 characters long or longer sometimes! Nothing was translated into English. I needed to buy a bus ticket, but didn't know how because there were so many options and nothing was translated. Luckily, I was with a friend who spoke the language.
History, castles, and beautiful red roofs:
It was so interesting to learn history about a country that isn't as popular as other European countries... I found the 1989 fall of the USSR to be most interesting. In 1989, Russia agreed to step out of Germany and to allow Eastern Germany to unite with Western Germany. Also interesting, the difference between the economy of the West and the East. While Russia and communists controlled Eastern Germany, their economy suffered. Even now, the Eastern economy of Germany is still recovering.
A country known for engineering:
My friend was studying at an engineering university in Germany and at that school there are students from all over the world because Germany is the international version of Harvard when it comes to mechanics and engineering. It was interesting to learn about the contributions Germany has made to the field of mechanics and engineering.
Highlights:
The word VERBOTEN: The first night was the most eventful! I definitely learned the definition of the word VERBOTEN (Forbidden). Basically, I ended up in a place that I wasn't supposed to be on accident... I will never forget that word for as long as I live... :)
No English: It was the first time in my life I went to a country that I didn't speak any of the language at all. Five years ago, I went to Italy and Italian is rather similar to French and Spanish - every where I went I could make accurate guesses about the signs because they resembled words in French in Spanish. But no Germany. Words are 20 characters long or longer sometimes! Nothing was translated into English. I needed to buy a bus ticket, but didn't know how because there were so many options and nothing was translated. Luckily, I was with a friend who spoke the language.
History, castles, and beautiful red roofs:
It was so interesting to learn history about a country that isn't as popular as other European countries... I found the 1989 fall of the USSR to be most interesting. In 1989, Russia agreed to step out of Germany and to allow Eastern Germany to unite with Western Germany. Also interesting, the difference between the economy of the West and the East. While Russia and communists controlled Eastern Germany, their economy suffered. Even now, the Eastern economy of Germany is still recovering.
A country known for engineering:
My friend was studying at an engineering university in Germany and at that school there are students from all over the world because Germany is the international version of Harvard when it comes to mechanics and engineering. It was interesting to learn about the contributions Germany has made to the field of mechanics and engineering.
Things I love about France
1. The people
The people here are so incredibly nice. I have made some really incredible new friends here in France, including both Americans and French. Thanks to them, I no longer get homesick! When I first came to France, I never thought this place could ever feel like home but all that has changed :)
2. Milk is unrefigerated
What an ingenious idea! When buying milk from the store, milk doesn't expire for two or three months. You buy it off the shelf and you can keep it in the cupboard until you open it. Once open, it has to be refigerated. But, just think about how much money would be saved in the U.S.A. if we didn't spend so much on the ridgerated transportation of milk and the rifdgeration of the product in stores!
3. People think I'm German
Some people think I look German and other people think that I have a German accent because of the way I pronounce my R's...
4. Living in the metaphorical middle of nowhere
Chateau Thierry has a whopping population of 15,000 people. It is a very quiet, tame little town. It is so quaint and in the heart of wine country. Hardly anybody speaks English. Never in my life have I lived somewhere so small, which has been an experience in and of itself on so many levels...
5. The view from my balcony
I love to start my mornings watching the sunrise sitting crosslegged drinking coffee on my balcony. I never used to be a morning person, but it's almost magical watching a blanket of fog slowly evaporate and revealing Chateau's treasures: the old castle, the little houses with red roofs, vallies of the most vibrant green I've ever seen...
6. Really green fields
There is something that is grown here that is really really green, the most vibrant green I have ever seen. Whether it is a type of grape or another type of agricultural product that is grown here... I have no idea, but whatever this plant is - it is grown in abundance here and the result is a very vibrant almost neon green that you just want to sink your teeth into it... Next thing I have to do, I have to ask someone what it is that is making these fields so beautiful. But the "problem" is I always have so many questions, that I never seem to have time to get them all answered :)
7. Teaching English
I have been given a lot of freedom in teaching English. Consequently, I have been able to choose a lot of the subject matter that I work with with my students and have researched so many interesting subjects... Never before have I ever learned so much about my own history or my own culture... Additionally, the students are just wonderful.
8. Walking everywhere
I love not driving. I am probably one of the worst drivers ever. It sure is nice being able to walk everywhere that I need to go!
9. Sitting down to eat
On one of my first here in France, I grabbed a granola bar because I was hungry. I was waiting for the train and pulled out my granola bar and started eating it. Wow, I got so many strange looks... I felt so out of place and like an alien. What was wrong with me? Did I have a booger hanging out of my nose? And then it dawned on me, people in France don't eat on the go. When people eat, they sit down at a table and really just savor every single bite. Personally, I think this is just awesome and it is a practice that I have adopted for every single time I'm hungry now.
In contrast, America is so Go Go Go that before I never would have thought twice about grabbing something at 7-11 and eating it on my way to wherever I was going next... It's funny to think that something as simple as sitting down and eating could be a culture shock... :)
10. Social 24/7
You'd think that living in a small town would leave me lonely, but I'm never alone. I'm either hanging out with the professors, my roommate, new friends or I am just out and about. It's amazing the variety of people I interact with, and I'm really starting to appreciate the rainbow of opinions and cultural perspectives I've been introduced to. Quote of the week? "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." Neale Donald Walsch
The people here are so incredibly nice. I have made some really incredible new friends here in France, including both Americans and French. Thanks to them, I no longer get homesick! When I first came to France, I never thought this place could ever feel like home but all that has changed :)
2. Milk is unrefigerated
What an ingenious idea! When buying milk from the store, milk doesn't expire for two or three months. You buy it off the shelf and you can keep it in the cupboard until you open it. Once open, it has to be refigerated. But, just think about how much money would be saved in the U.S.A. if we didn't spend so much on the ridgerated transportation of milk and the rifdgeration of the product in stores!
3. People think I'm German
Some people think I look German and other people think that I have a German accent because of the way I pronounce my R's...
4. Living in the metaphorical middle of nowhere
Chateau Thierry has a whopping population of 15,000 people. It is a very quiet, tame little town. It is so quaint and in the heart of wine country. Hardly anybody speaks English. Never in my life have I lived somewhere so small, which has been an experience in and of itself on so many levels...
5. The view from my balcony
I love to start my mornings watching the sunrise sitting crosslegged drinking coffee on my balcony. I never used to be a morning person, but it's almost magical watching a blanket of fog slowly evaporate and revealing Chateau's treasures: the old castle, the little houses with red roofs, vallies of the most vibrant green I've ever seen...
6. Really green fields
There is something that is grown here that is really really green, the most vibrant green I have ever seen. Whether it is a type of grape or another type of agricultural product that is grown here... I have no idea, but whatever this plant is - it is grown in abundance here and the result is a very vibrant almost neon green that you just want to sink your teeth into it... Next thing I have to do, I have to ask someone what it is that is making these fields so beautiful. But the "problem" is I always have so many questions, that I never seem to have time to get them all answered :)
7. Teaching English
I have been given a lot of freedom in teaching English. Consequently, I have been able to choose a lot of the subject matter that I work with with my students and have researched so many interesting subjects... Never before have I ever learned so much about my own history or my own culture... Additionally, the students are just wonderful.
8. Walking everywhere
I love not driving. I am probably one of the worst drivers ever. It sure is nice being able to walk everywhere that I need to go!
9. Sitting down to eat
On one of my first here in France, I grabbed a granola bar because I was hungry. I was waiting for the train and pulled out my granola bar and started eating it. Wow, I got so many strange looks... I felt so out of place and like an alien. What was wrong with me? Did I have a booger hanging out of my nose? And then it dawned on me, people in France don't eat on the go. When people eat, they sit down at a table and really just savor every single bite. Personally, I think this is just awesome and it is a practice that I have adopted for every single time I'm hungry now.
In contrast, America is so Go Go Go that before I never would have thought twice about grabbing something at 7-11 and eating it on my way to wherever I was going next... It's funny to think that something as simple as sitting down and eating could be a culture shock... :)
10. Social 24/7
You'd think that living in a small town would leave me lonely, but I'm never alone. I'm either hanging out with the professors, my roommate, new friends or I am just out and about. It's amazing the variety of people I interact with, and I'm really starting to appreciate the rainbow of opinions and cultural perspectives I've been introduced to. Quote of the week? "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." Neale Donald Walsch
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
I sit on a piece of red furniture...
Life is good!
The other night the shower broke and flooded the whole floor.
Strikes are still happening.
Electricity has been off and on recently.
I'm figuring out paperwork....
And to top everything off, I figured out how to call a German cell phone. :)
The other night the shower broke and flooded the whole floor.
Strikes are still happening.
Electricity has been off and on recently.
I'm figuring out paperwork....
And to top everything off, I figured out how to call a German cell phone. :)
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