mademoiselle ming: 2011

réfléchis

This is it. Although I cannot say I have been the most faithful to this blog, I am glad that I wrote as much as I did. This little chunk of cyberspace will be my favorite souvenier of the best semester of my life thus far. Although I did not go into complete detail with everything, I was honest with all of you, and to myself. I am so lucky to have had this experience. I have loved every minute of it (although I may have not known it at the time...) and have learned so much about the world, the French language (some other languages too), new cultures, and myself. I can't really sum up everything I've learned in the last semester, so I will try to jot down some thoughts and lessons from this semester that I will really attempt to carry with me through my journey home and beyond.

Be thankful for your ability and ease to express yourself. It doesn't come that easy to everyone.
Less talking (especially about yourself). More learning. More listening. More loving.
Cultures are all very different and they define much more about ourselves than we like to believe.
TRY. Try very hard and have confidence and you can accomplish almost anything.
Never forget those who are important to you, and on that note, never fail to constantly remind them of how important they are.
Life is a series of changes; ups and downs, phases of friends, change of place, change of emotions; take everything with stride. What is tangible now may not exist in the future, but life goes on nonetheless.
Each and every single thing that happens to you has a hidden lesson, and thus the potential to change your life. It's your choice whether or not you profit from it.
People are generally good, but that gets hidden by the fact that people are generally selfish.

Bags are packed (almost), gifts have been bought (for the most part), and goodbyes have been said (almost all...). The only thing that stands between me and home is time and airport security. I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe this semester is over. Where do I go from here? On verra.

ming.

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ode aux bottes en cuir brun

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le temps est fugace...

Seven days. That's all I have left in this wonderful country. Although I can't say it really 'creeped up' on me -- I've been dreading my departure for a while now, but it really just hit me this morning on my walk to my final exam, as I thought to myself, This is one of the LAST times I will see these mountains. These mountains that were so breathtaking to me four months ago, which are now just part of my everyday life. It's crazy to think that seven days from now I will return to the states, where I won't see my friends everyday (who have become my family in every sense of the word), won't live with my host family, and will only hear people speaking english...always. I don't know when the next time will be when I can see the beautiful alps, or eat a yaourt nature with a cup of espresso in the morning, or even have a conversation in French, but I'm not trying to think about that now.
Profite-bien. Profite-bien. Profite-bien. This phrase is on repeat in my head.
So what am I planning for my last sept jours? Picnics (LOTS of them....with tons of wine/baguettes/cheese), concert (hopefully techno/house/DUBSTEP?), speaking french (and ONLY French, no exceptions), being grateful for this wonderful experience, soaking up some sun, loving my friends, and the inevitable packing/crying/mental breakdown/blahblahblah.

ming.

Sidenote: after re-reading my blog from the last four months (Narcissisme? Peut-être. Nostalgie? Absolument.) and realized how symbolic and ironic some of these posts are in hindsight. For example, I mentioned the purchase and first wear (and afterwards, hatred and spite) of my Zara flats, which have now been loved and worn literally to pieces (they were put in the trash last week after the discovery of a hole in the bottom of one during spring break in Nice). They had been with me this entire experience, and part of me wishes I had kept at least a piece of them, but alas, like most things in life, it is best to just save the wonderful memories and move on.

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les examens finales

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Ooooops. I guess it's been a while. Since my last post, I went to Paris, I went to Italy, I went to Nice/Monaco/Cannes/Antibes; all of which were wonderful, and I am so lucky to have had the chance to see all those places, and I saw beautifully touristy things and have lots of memories and pictures to look back on. However, as of right now that is not what I would like to write about sooooo....there.

Front page of Le Monde May 3, 2011

Since my arrival in France, I have felt much more ‘in-tune’ with the rest of the world and global events. Three times a week as a listening comprehension exercise in my language class, we listen to the nouvelles from that morning and discuss the happenings in the world afterwards. The class is primarily comprised of American, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean students (and one rando from Tunisia), so there are definitely interesting perspectives and opinions accompanying each day’s stories, and further, almost every great world event within the last semester has largely impacted at least one person in my class, as you can imagine. I watched in the very beginning of the semester as the Tunisian student happily recounted his personal stories and feelings as his country underwent a revolution, opening a new chapter for their country and the world, and weeks later painfully stood by and consoled as my Japanese friends watched the television in horror of the natural destruction of their country, however I never thought that the Americans would have the next turn.

Just a few weeks ago in this same class we discussed in small groups a time in our country when citizens bound together, for good or for bad, suchas the manifestations that grace the streets of France far too often. Coincidentally, I chose September 11 and the events that followed. For me, and most of the Americans of my generation, that one simple autumn morning was all it took to forever change our generation. Before that day I had no idea what the ‘World Trade Centers’ were (much less 'Al Qaida’ or our relations with them…) and had absolutely no clue in my adolesecent 11-year-old mind how much those events would forever impact my life from then until now. For the first time in my generation's history we have seen a world-altering event from start to finish (let's hope). I literally cannot remember a time when the phrase 'terrorist attacks' didn't conjure up images of massive buildings crumbling and wreaking havoc in the streets of New York City; a time when our country wasn't at war; I can't even remember back to a time when you could simply throw lip gloss into your carry-on without having to carefully stow it in a plastic bag with it's liquid friends and not be concerned about whether or not it had reached it's federally mandated limit. To say the events of 9/11 have impacted our lives would be an absolute understatement; it has truly defined my generation.

Thankfully, being in France and in a completely different time zone has forced me to form my own opinions about these last couple days instead of relying on what my sisters, professors, family, peers, and friends have to say. At first, I was happy (happy? Relatively, I suppose. Isn’t this what we wanted? What we were searching for all along?), but literally moments later I was struck with a sense of fear and disgust. Is this a good thing? How can the death of someone be responded to with feelings of joy? What will happen after this? What will be the repercussions? Surely there must be some terrible wave of karma coming our way after celebrating/chanting/singing at the news of another person’s death…right? After much internal reflection, I think I have come to terms with the way things turned out. Yes, I still think it is wrong – dare I say indecent and inhumane – to act in this manner when another human has been brutally slaughtered, however the person we are talking about is (well...was) much more (and less) than a human. He was a leader, a visionary to some, a symbol, a public enemy, and a murderer himself. Although I wouldn't go as far to say that I am happy about the events of the last week, I think it is soemthing that needed to be done, and is probably for the good of our country and the world. On verra.

ming.

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provence!

Finally! A blog entry within a decent amount of time after a weekend away (AND with details of the trip! Look at me go!). Update: j'ai fini mon dossier d'histoire d'art!!! One down, one to go! Then, of course, there's finals too, but I'll worry about that some other time.

Pont du Gard

Other update: Provence! It was absolutement magnifique! It was unseasonably warm (around 80 degrees F) and cloudless the whole weekend, and it literally could not have been more beautiful! The weekend kicked off at Chateauneuf-du-Pape for a lovely 10:30 am wine tasting and wine museum (2 glasses of wine before noon? No complaints here.), then off to Pont du Gard for a picnic and sad attempt at 'swimming' (aka 'wading', 'almost falling in', then 'giving up and collecting rocks')!

On top of Chateau de Tarascon!

Afterwards, we headed to Avignon to see Palais des Papes, have dinner, then completely crash for the night. I found the quaint little city of Avignon to be beautiful with its tiny winding roads surrounded by large stone walls, however I think that I prefer the ambiance of Grenoble and the Grenobloises more....désolé, je ne suis pas désolé, Avignon.
The next day we headed to Chateau de Tarascon, Arles, then Les Baux de Provence before resting in Saintes Maries de la Mer for the night and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. Being there made me kind of wish I had chosen to pass my stage in a warmer city a little closer to the ocean (however, if I did choose a city like that, I am fairly sure I would be doing much less 'studying', and much MUCH more 'beach lounging').

La mer, je t'aime!

Sunday morning was spent touring the petite ville the true European way, (via velos, bien sûr...) perusing the European markets (thank you, sketchy gypsy markets for supplying me with 1.50€ shirts/scarves/accessories that fit my non-existent new clothes budget!), and finishing the trip lounging on the European beach getting a not-so-European sunburn.

Sunburn in process

I was sad to go home Sunday (partially because that meant beach time was over, but also because of a slightly irrational fear that my host mother was going to kick me out of the house after a semi-awkward miscommunication Friday morning before I left...) but now I am much more excited for my spring vacation in Nice!! Also, this week my best friend Julie is visiting Grenoble for a night before we head up to Paris to see our dear Alex! Many things to look forward to!

hâtivement,ming.

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ose.

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truc.

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paresse

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le soleil!!!

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bahhhh.....ouaissss

   Normally, I think of myself as a (relatively) charming human being. In my native tongue, I like to think that I am sort of funny, a little charismatic pretty nice, compassionate, and overall a fun person to be around. However, when speaking a foreign language, I sometimes feel as though I am absolutely none of the above. At my present level of French, I pretty much always feel flustered, confused, at a loss for words, and generally just not myself. As you might be able to assume, awkward moments are a daily occurrence in my life (even more so than in the U.S....can you fathom?!).

   Last night we had our bi-monthly language exchange with French students in the area, and I finished the night quite proud of myself for not only being the only American participating in a conversation with 5 fluent speakers, but also being able to snag the mobile numbers of my new comrades (I think that brings me up to about 20 numbers in my contacts...how very very sad). One of the mecs I was speaking to sent me an SMS with his name so I could save his number, but, being the klutz that I am, accidentally sent him a text with his own name whilst trying to save his number, minutes after the group went our separate ways (in my defense, though, the phone is set in French...). After minor freaking out, I was relieved when I thought I had figured out how to abort the message before it had been able to send itself over the airways and into this soon-to-be-confused-boy's phone. However, soon after, I received a response from him that just read 'Meredith'. In the end though I think (hope) he understood that I was just confused foreigner who is bad at technology and found the situation relatively amusing.

   Even though situations like these make my life downright painful at times, I found that it is helping me find ways to laugh at myself. Having the ability and confidence to laugh at myself is really the only way to really benefit from this experience as a debutante French speaker, and hopefully the more I do it, the less necessary it will become. It will be a VERY long time before these types of awkward moments subside during my journey through the French language and culture, so I might as well embrace them, right?

   And, for your amusement, more examples of awkward behavior are included below:

(Scene: leisurely afternoon café trip with one American and one Chinese friend, just ordered tea)
Me: (Proud that I just ordered tea without the waiter having to repeat my order in a more French accent in order to understand)
Waiter: (Returning) Je suis desolé, j'ai oublié.....
Me: Mon prenom?
Waiter: ...non, the type of tea you asked for. But...if...you...would...like..?
Me: (General awkwardness, uncontrollable blushing, laughter to ease social tension)

ming.

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bilingue?

   Two posts in one week?! Look at me go!

   Not to go back to the same subject over and over, but I am literally ASTOUNDED by the amount of bilingual/trilingual/quatlingual (that last one is most definitely not a word) people in Europe. A new Japanese student moved into my homestay in order to take a one month intensive French course at the Universite here. When I first heard her speak I was given an immediate sense of relief. Before her arrival, I had assumed that her being a non-American meant that she probably had nailed the language and knew every tense and exception to every grammar rule that has ever existed in the french language. But, as it turns out, I was proven wrong. Turns out the new student couldn't speak very well, which I was pretty pumped about, being by far the worst French speaker in my household. My confidence high soon came to an end, however, when I found out that French is not her second--nor her third--language, but instead it is her fourth. Yes, not only does she speak her native Japanese fluently (duh), but she had also just spent a year (ONE single year) in Brazil mastering Portuguese, and has taken a couple years of english lessons as well. FABULOUS.

   One would think that knowing how to speak four languages would be an extreme feat, at least for Americans, but in Europe, it really isn't. I found out the other week that my host mother also speaks at least four languages (French, Portugese, Spanish, Italian, and some english I believe) which, to my knowledge, is essentially UNHEARD of back in the states.

   These shocking realizations have got me thinking about my acquaintances back home and the languages they speak. After thinking long and hard, I can come up with two people I know who are truly bilingual (congrats, Ahhhlex and Jess!), and probably four people other than those who can potentially carry a simple conversation in a foreign tongue. Of all the hundreds people I am acquainted with, I can come up with 6 who can speak one other language besides their native tongue. That is truly shocking to me as of late.

   As of now, I am a little too tired to try and decipher a coherent meaning/message learned from this revelation, so I will just end this post with some random word vomit. By the time I leave Europe, I hope to be bilingual according to international standards. I have between 2 and 5 months left (fingers crossed I can find a family to au pair with over the summer!), and from here on out I will try my hardest to speak seulement en francais with anyone and everyone who understands french. Also, on a (semi) random note, I have made it my personal goal to 'profite-bien' from all the internationals here and all the different languages spoken and learn how to say/write the word 'water' in as many languages as possible. Allons-y!

ming.

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vacances de l'hiver

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positivité.

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ming's favorite things!

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The majority of this week I have been sick as a dog. Not normal sick though, instead I had this great french virus which included having a constant splitting headache (and a minor nervous breakdown thinking that my adolescent period of horrid migranes was starting up again), nausea, and chest pressure. Naturally, all I wanted to do was call my dear Pamela back home and just bawl (what are mothers for, anyways?), but alas I could not bring myself to stay awake late enough to reach her after work. So what did I do to combat my first bout of 'homesickness'? (yes, I know it's not exactly homesickness, but it may be as close as I'll get, so I'm running with it...) Well, like a lazy, fat American I bought an off-brand jar of nutella, a package of fatty cookies, and watched some illegally downloaded (and semi-fuzzy) American television (namely, Glee).

   CURED.

   Also this week, we got the chance to see an Oxford-style debate between two teams who all spoke english as a second language. I think the question was 'which is more important: knowledge or imagination?' (umm......I believe the answer is who really gives a fuck?) and à cause de my splitting headache, I couldn't really pay attention that well, but I did vote for the winning team, which I think is good....?

   Tonight a small group of us went to an apartment in centre ville for our very first french cuisine class! I volunteered to help out with the entrée (being an idiot American, thinking that meant the main course...) and then found myself ten minutes later being tricked into setting the table with another unlucky latecomer because apparently it doesn't take long to chop zucchini and throw it in a pressure cooker to make soup. Regardless of the accidental lack of effort on my part, everything was delicious (grâce à the double dose of cheese in my soup, as well as the double dose of white wine most likely...). Nevertheless, I am ending the week on a much better note than I began it, and I am ready for the weekend! France, I love you.

ming.

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comme un chien...

FRACK! Has it really been almost a week since I last posted? Time is FLYING by. Furthermore, I have lost my mind, in a good way (I hope).

But. This weekend. Thursday a group of us went to a 'Hollywood'-themed soirée that was set up for French and international students. Unfortunately, my limited wardrobe inhibited me from dressing up, but alas, the French had it covered. Although their outfit choices were a little questionable (most people just wore sunglasses, I saw a couple boas, a pirate, and one Superman....) they did put in the effort, which I can appreciate as a true sorority girl/theme party aficionado.

Friday was spent struggling. And also visiting the art museum in Grenoble.

Saturday I went on a hike in the alps with a group organized by the international school. It was BEAUTIFUL (photos to come later once I get the patience/time to upload them!). I was super hesitant at first (getting up at 6:15 in the morning to go on an 8 hour 20 km hike up some big ass mountains is obviously not part of my usual Saturday 'cure from the night before' routine), but I am very glad I went. Lots of laughs with a couple girls on my program made the grueling trails much easier (okay, not GRUELING perse, but very muddy and icey) and made the trip much more enjoyable. Also, I met two girls from Russia who spoke English and French (and Russian, obviously) literally FLUENTLY. Made me realize how ignorant and lazy I must look to these types of foreigners with my elemental french skills (also, it doesn't help that my english is slowly declining too...).

As I was speaking to this Russian girl, she and I were discussing the difficulties we have learning a language. She made a comparison that I absolutely adore, and also which explains EXACTLY how I am feeling right now. At this point, we are like a dog; we can listen, we can understand, we can do as we're told, but we really cannot speak.

Hello. Literally me. Exactly what I am going through right now. I have gotten to the point where I can understand the conversations my family has, and I can understand my professors and most other native speakers, but so help me god if someone tries to converse with me. When asked a question, I can respond in a nice, quick, short answer, but that is pretty much it.

I can't really think of any horrendously awkward stories to demonstrate this as of yet, but I am very confident I will soon.

I don't quite know how to end this post now, so I will just go along with the theme of the day and leave it in an awkward manner.

ming.

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plus des images....

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M'installer?

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une arme à double tranchant

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18 May 2011

réfléchis

Be thankful for your ability and ease to express yourself. It doesn't come that easy to everyone.
Less talking (especially about yourself). More learning. More listening. More loving.
Cultures are all very different and they define much more about ourselves than we like to believe.
TRY. Try very hard and have confidence and you can accomplish almost anything.
Never forget those who are important to you, and on that note, never fail to constantly remind them of how important they are.
Life is a series of changes; ups and downs, phases of friends, change of place, change of emotions; take everything with stride. What is tangible now may not exist in the future, but life goes on nonetheless.
Each and every single thing that happens to you has a hidden lesson, and thus the potential to change your life. It's your choice whether or not you profit from it.
People are generally good, but that gets hidden by the fact that people are generally selfish.

ode aux bottes en cuir brun

...I really should be packing/writing letters but...nope!
  ....oh brown boots. Where to start? I have loved you (a little too much, clearly) over our last year and a half together, but now your time has unfortunately come and past.
   You've had a good life. You've been to Ohio and back more times than I can count, seen a lot of shitshow nights, sorority chapter meetings, cold winter days, and even some breezy summer nights as well. You've traveled the world with me, met hundreds of interesting and amazing people, and been with me through literally my best and worst times of my life. Overall, I love you. From the first time I set eyes on you that fateful Black Friday afternoon until your last 'shebang' in Grenoble last night, you have truly been one of my favorite and classic pairs of shoes I have ever owned.
   And, because of your loyalty and your persistence, I felt obligated to give you a proper burial. Fret not, brown boots, you will most definitely not be spending eternity wasting away in a a landfill, or (even worse) the back of my closet back in Chicago. No, that simply would not respect the time we spent together. Instead, you will be reincarnated into a fabulous belt, as well as some crafty little friendship bracelets that (hopefully) will be cherished and loved by my friends as much as you were cherished by me in your first life.
   Your journey does not stop here, brown boots. You will continue to travel the world with these people, you will see great things, and you will live your life to the fullest. I will miss what you were, and I might even try to replace you (please don't be offended by this.... you can rest easy knowing that either way I will surely never love another the way I loved you), but I will always miss you.

RIP Brown Boots

(November 20, 2009 - May 18, 2011)

ming.

11 May 2011

le temps est fugace...

10 May 2011

les examens finales

Final exams started yesterday, so naturally I have been procrastinating a lot lately, and this time it has led to the discovery (and love) of 'dubstep'. In my opinion, it's wonderful study music since it's intense (to keep you awake) and has no words (to not lose your focus). I'm not sure if it's big in America, but it's apparently HUGE in the UK and parts of Europe, but not that big in France. I first heard this specific song in Amsterdam and it was....well....magical, to say the least.

Enjoy,
ming.

08 May 2011

Front page of Le Monde May 3, 2011

11 April 2011

provence!

Pont du Gard

On top of Chateau de Tarascon!

La mer, je t'aime!

Sunday morning was spent touring the petite ville the true European way, (via velos, bien sûr...) perusing the European markets (thank you, sketchy gypsy markets for supplying me with 1.50€ shirts/scarves/accessories that fit my non-existent new clothes budget!), and finishing the trip lounging on the European beach getting a not-so-European sunburn.

Sunburn in process

hâtivement,ming.

07 April 2011

ose.

The word of the day (yesterday, which is still a day I suppose, just not this day exactly...) is (was) ose, meaning daring, and I actually used in yesterday, which I was pretty proud of myself for.
Also, I am 135 words from finishing my histoire d'art dossier, and about 19 hours away from my weekend in Provence (specifically, Avignon)!!! Weather is supposed to be hot and beautiful for our weekend extravaganza, so it should be looking a little something like this I hope (sans the lavander, however, being that it is too early in the season, which is a shame since it's my favorite scent, but I can't really complain, right?):

Now back to work,

ming.

05 April 2011

truc.

   The word of the day is 'truc' (meaning 'thing') for really no reason in particular, except that I just learned what it meant the other day. Actually, it was the word of the day yesterday, but seeing as though I bearly spoke any french yesterday, I will make it today's goal to use it!

   Went to Geneva, Switzerland for a day trip this weekend with my program and it was BEAUTIFUL (images to come!). We took a tour of the Conseil de l'Union Européenne and the Croix-Rouge which was fun AND educational!!! Then we pick-nicked in the park near the big spouty water thing (of which I forgot the name, because I am an idiot!) and the weather could not have been better! Overall, a splendid time.

   ALSO, I have 1,184 words of my art history paper written and almost an entire outline written for my litterature paper! My goal is to have at least one finished before our trip to Provence this weekend but.....we shall see.

ming.

30 March 2011

paresse

I've determined that I have close to 15% of the classwork here in France compared to that in the U.S. and I still can't bring myself to do it. Here I sit in my director's office sipping coffee and doing anything but writing my 2,000 word paper on Degas for my art history class (hence this random blogpost).

I also cannot bring myself to recount my adventures from 'Paris round 1' the weekend before last (which looked kind of like this, given that it was cloudy and rainy almost the entire time),

'Paris'

or even to talk about the version of 'Carmen' from last night, which looked a little something like this:

Carmen

   Perhaps soon I will find some drive way deep inside my soul that will help me finish all the things I need to get done within the next couple of weeks. Either that, or perhaps I will just fail all my classes.

   Also, I have a new wonderful summer plan that shall be revealed at a later date if all works out!

ming.

26 March 2011

le soleil!!!

Spring has finally arrived in Grenoble!!! The last couple of days it has been around 20 degrees Celsius (aka coat-less weather!) which means a lot of time lounging outside and refusing to write my 2,000 word dossiers which are due soon! More recounting about recent and future events to come at a later date. Until then here are some images to explain why I love my life right now....

moi & bailey & amanda!

melissa & marina & moi!

ming.

15 March 2011

bahhhh.....ouaissss

09 March 2011

bilingue?

08 March 2011

vacances de l'hiver

Aaaaaah. Again, it has been a long time since I posted. I'll try to recap the last two weeks. Bufffff. This is going to be longgg....

Luxembourg!

Last Friday started our winter vacation! A group of 7 girls from my program started the vacation with a 7 hour train ride leaving at 5 am to Luxemboug (hi, ancestors!), which went by surprisingly quickly with the help of a fully charged iPod and my fabulously hilarious travel companions (hi Alex and Michelle!)! The country was BEAUTIFUL. Apparently Luxembourg City used to be under water not too long ago, so the city is on basically built on three separate levels. Although it was pretty painful lugging around my 20 kilo backing backpack (thanks to Pretz for leaving her broken one behind in Chicago, and thanks REI for having an amazing return policy!) through the hilly terrain, it was definitely worth it. We also stayed in a wonderful hostel with two Austrian girls who pleaded that we speak English with them instead of exhausting them with our French the moment we met them (pas de problème, nouvelles amis...).

Just being touristy!

During our short 24 hour stay, we ate well, we visited a modern art museum, and we saw a natural history museum where we met a local architect who was able to explain the reason for the terrain as well as show me the best views of the city. Pas mal! On our way out of the country, we ended up losing one of our companions, freaked out minorly, started walking (then it started to hail for literally 25 seconds), then finally decided to sprint to the gare (where it turns out she had already been waiting for 10 minutes after a taxi dropped her off...), where we watched our train pull away without us. After a minor scream fest on the platform about how much we now hated the country (sorry, ancestors), we realized we could take a train an hour later, and arrived safely to Brussels later that evening.

Best gaufres in Belgium! Trust me, I tried them ALL.

Brussels was wonderful also! Not as esthetically pleasing as Luxembourg, but still fun. We did all the tourist-y things including (but not limited to) mange-ing plenty of gaufres and Belgian chocolate, visiting Mannequin Pis, seeing the Atomium, and briefly sampling the nightlife in their centre ville. As it turned out, there wasn't much more to do after that, so we took a day trip to Bruges the next day (aka my/Ke$ha/Justin Beiber's birthday!), where we mange-d more gaufres and chocolate (I decided that since it was my birthday I was allowed to buy 100g of truffles for myself and eat almost all of them except one dark-chocolate-liquor-poop mélange which I stupidly saved for last, then spat on the ground like a brat), visited the chocolate museum, shopped around, and then returned to our hostel in Brussels to cook (!) and spend the night. **Sidenote/fun story that will please my parents: besides the deceivingly alcoholic truffle, I did not taste a drop of alcohol on my 21st birthday. I'm so 'beyond my years' as Donn said.

The next day back in Brussels, we got the chance to take a tour of the European Parliament building, which I found really interesting. European politics is something I have been trying to learn more about and understand, and our little visit helped a lot (turns out there are many more political parties in Europe than in America!), and I also found the translator's jobs really interesting.

More tourist-isms!

Afterwards, we hopped on a train to Amsterdam! Our hostel, The Flying Pig, was AMAZING, and very traveler/college friendly (quelque fois pendant le premier jour je me flippe when I heard people speaking English in an American accent...this sense of amazement quickly wore off after I realized about 60% of the people in the hostel were American, contrary to what I'm used to in Grenoble). They even had peanut butter at the free breakfast to satisfy us poor deprived Americans. I found most of the 'locals' in Amsterdam very nice and friendly, but soon after, I found out that real locals are hard to come by (being that the city is so international) and that these were just normal humans. Woof. During the day, we got to see the Anne Frank museum (such a sad but inspiring story), and sampled each and every 'specialty of the region' (including, but not limited to, stroopwafels in all shapes and sizes!) My real first night there, some friends and I mozied over to the red light district (still being touristy!), but I found it really sad. Not sure if it was from all the traveling, the lights, or other influences, but seeing the 'spectacle' that is the red light district made me pretty emotional. Even though someone told me that the laws in Amsterdam make the profession of prostitution very profitable for women, I couldn't help but think of how sad it was that the majority of the people going to see them (including myself) had degraded their profession to a spectacle to which they don't even get paid for. I'm sure there is much more to it than I am aware of, being the foreigner that I am, but it really made an impression on me. **On an ironic sidenote, happy International Women's Day!

The next day in Amsterdam we visited the Van Gogh museum with a guy from Prague who was staying in our room back at the hostel, and it was superb. The museum had a lot of historical artifacts and had a lot of background information and stories on the artists life, which kept me (semi) interested throughout the 3 hours we spent there. There was also an exhibit on Picasso. Later that afternoon, as we were planning our evening in our hostel room we heard a group of guys playing 70's disco music from an retro cassette player, so naturally we invited them into our hostel room to amuse us. The group turned out to be composed of a North Carolin-er, a German, and a Spaniard visiting a friend in Amsterdam and were amusing companions for the night. Later that night we all helped cook in our hostel again and made some new friends!

Lovely last night Eurotripping with friends!

Saturday we voyaged over to Rotterdam because it was closer to the airport we flew out of the next day and the hostel was cheaper. It was actually a really nice port city, and we happened to arrive on the only day in March with a city event planned (quelle chance!) which was a nuit-blanche for museums. For 13.50€ we were granted access to every museum in Rotterdam (45 of them! In reality, we only saw like 4 though....) from 9pm to 2 am as well as the chance to see some dj's, bands, and dance parties. Overall, a good time. Also in Rotterdam, we stopped for lunch at a bagel/sandwich place and it was BOMB. I am just now realizing how much I miss bagels.

In the end, I ate WAY too much sugar/belgian chocolate/gaufres and spent WAY more money than I should have, but it was well worth it. It was honestly probably the best time I have had in Europe thus far, and I know that we all learned a lot about ourselves and eachother. Now...where to go for spring vacation??

ming.

23 February 2011

positivité.

   Being completely out of my element has made me learn a lot about myself.
   Variation of personal contact with humans is severely limited here primarily a cause de the language barrier, and as a result I feel like I have gotten to know the people I do speak to on a regular basis (people in my classes and those on my program) very well over the last five weeks. Particularly when you're pretty much constantly around the same people, you get to know them very well and very quickly. You discover their likes and dislikes, their pet peeves, their strengths, their weaknesses, their limits, and their overall downfalls. I've learned that this can be a good thing (finding a deeper connection with people and appreciating things you like about them) and sometimes bad ('overdosing' on people comes easily and quickly, unfortunately).
   This has made me think a lot about my own personal character too. I think of myself as a relatively positive person, and no matter what I always try to have a good outlook on things. Life is what you make it. Every event, every moment, every single thing that happens to you has the potential to be a great life-changing event if you allow it to be (worst case scenario, you can still learn something ANYTHING from every single thing that you do). Your life and your happiness is completely dependent on the attitude you take towards it. I wish more people were able to see this. Being positive and happy can instantaneously change your life, not to mention that it looks lovely on everyone.

ming.

20 February 2011

ming's favorite things!

Since this blog has clearly lost any type of unifying theme already, I'm just going to go ahead and make a top ten list of things I am currently obsessed with! ...enjoy!

1. French coffee: 'coffee' meaning 'espresso'. I am obsessed with it. It is strong and delicious and the only way to describe it in words would be liquid comfort and happiness.

2. 3€ knit scarf from 'Berska' (des soldes strike again!!!): I tied the two ends together to form a makeshift infinity scarf (Confused? See image below), wrap it around my neck three times, then bury my face in it and feel like a pigeon. Again, the phenomenal feeling created by this cannot be described in words.

3. 1.20€ wine: Even though I was literally laughed at, then told that it was the drink of choice for the Gypsies who live outside Monoprix, I continue to stand by my choice.

4. French cheese: Soft, mild, goat's milk, hard, sharp, cow's milk, I literally love it all. This should not be shocking to anyone who has ever met me.

5. The 'Remove from Newfeed' option on Facebook: So this one is a little rude, but I have found it a little difficult to see some things on Facebook that are happening back in Ohio that I'm missing out on here. Don't get me wrong, I am having an amazing time in France, but missing annual parties, sorority functions, and blossoming friendships is a little hard to watch from across the ocean. Luckily, Facebook has created an option where you can tell it to not show you anything about certain people. This list is growing quickly, which I am pretty sad about, but I am sure you all understand.

6. Nutella: YUM. (See below)

7. French music: TECHNO. I'm slowly getting really into it. I also pretend that it's educational for me, even though most of the lyrics are in english. Why this is, I know not.

8. THE MIDDLE PART: It's really popular here to have a middle part with wavy-ish hair, thus I am bringing mine back. Minus the junior high awkward stage aspect of it.

9. I can't think of a number 9.

10. Or 10.

ming.

17 February 2011

Here are some images from the past weekend!

In the art museum of Grenoble. Just SO french....

My favorite painting there! I think it also may be really cliche and probably well known, but I'm, okay with it for now.

Randonne en Vercors!

13 February 2011

comme un chien...

08 February 2011

plus des images....

The other day my group got the chance to visit Chateau de Vizille (about a 30 minute bus ride from our home in Grenoble). I'm going to be honest when I say I wasn't really listening on the tour, therefore I can't explain much about it, but I do know that it was owned by a French duke around the time of the revolution, and that it's also really big and now it's a museum. It was an absolutely perfect sunny day, and afterwards a group of friends and I went to grab some falafels and lounged around centre ville. The perfect way to end the weekend, selon moi.

château!

art!

!!!!

'no, meggie, you cannot take those off the chandelier. you're going to need to find something else sparkley to put on your necklace' - pam todd.

the group!

ming.

03 February 2011

M'installer?

   Exactly three weeks ago today I arrived in Grenoble for the first time, and I feel like I've already settled in, and found my niche. I no longer have a super death clutch on my bag while riding the tram, seeing French people carrying baguettes is no longer funny to me (for the most part....), and I have actually done things solo (ALL my OWU friends know that I literally cannot even run to the Thompson store by myself, much less risk any potential embarrassment going to a cafe alone and ordering a drink in french -- all which I did while writing this!).

   All in all, I'm relatively proud of myself at the moment, and had to share it.

   I feel comfortable in my home, I feel comfortable at campus, I feel comfortable walking around centre ville. I have probably said a million times that I live here, I live here!!!!!, I LIVE here, or I.... live.... here...., but never simply that I live here. But now I will.

   I live here.

Heureusement,
ming.

01 February 2011

une arme à double tranchant

   From the moment I arrived in France, all I have wanted to do was to 'fit in'. Well, I guess I wanted that, to be fluent in french, a nutella crepe, a rendez-vous with a burly European rugby player, and a glass of vin chaud, in addition to many other things, but I digress...

   It's frustrating -- trying to assimilate to another culture completely when you know that you stand out for reasons that are beyond your control.  I absolutely hate standing out here (clarification: normalement I do love standing out, but not when it's for the wrong reasons...take that as you may). Thus far, I haven't felt horribly out of place (sidenote -- I was european in past life. This has GOT to be true) but have always felt a little off for one reason or another.

   Not to skimp on details, but I have realized recently that to others I have assimilated much more than I have noticed myself. For starters, I DO in fact look French. Turns out that long dark hair (check), subtle makeup (check), leather boots with tights (check), and a primarily black wardrobe (HA. double check) are really all one needs to pass as a femme francaise today. One would think I would be exstatic, non? Well, in a classic lesson of being careful what you wish for, I guess I am not. Much like everything else in life, the benefits of blending in also come with various other burdens, of which I am learning in time. Needless to say, this realization has given me the determination to better my comprehension and overall language skills here (I hope that determination lasts through the rest of the semester). And in the end, the experience gained is all that really matters, right?

Here we go,
ming.

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