les images

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Les mots qui n’existent pas en français

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la mode et les cours....

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J'espère....

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London, je t'aime.

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Prêt(?)

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Why not start at the beginning...

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29 January 2011

les images

          For those of you who are not technologically savvy enough to be friends with me on facebook (or for those of you who do have facebook, but would prefer not to be friends with me --- PAMELA), here are some photos of the town of Grenoble!  There are two rivers here, a shit ton of mountains (snowy ones = alps, non snowy ones = normal mountains), and a lot of old buildings. Literally the most beautiful place I have ever 'lived'. Enjoy!

une église dans centre ville

la bastille

haut de la bastille


la seine dans centre ville

la vue de les alpes de l'école

le drac près de ma maison



ming.
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25 January 2011

Les mots qui n’existent pas en français

     To begin, let me just say that languages are very telling of the cultures they belong to, and that not many people know/understand my weird obsession with that fact, and languages in general.  
     Maybe because this obsession didn’t really start until college, or perhaps because I don’t speak of it much for fear that no one will understand or comprehend my thoughts on it, but languages are really one of my main passions.  The most striking discovery I've had in my 12 day stay in France thus far is the fact that certain words/phrases in English get somewhat 'lost in translation' and truly don't exist here.  And for some reason, I find the lack of these specific words particularly hilarious...

          'Awkward' – the closest French words that we can think of comparable to “awkward” are the words “bizarre” and “uncomfortable”, neither of which captures the somewhat endearing connotations that I have of “awkward” in English. For some reason, this just makes me settle upon the fact that the French are far too chic and cultured to experience a phenomenon such as “awkward silence”. It. Simply. Doesn’t. Exist.
               
         'Wave' – This was brought to my attention by the other American living in the homestay with me, while she told our faux-father figure that we saw him earlier and wanted to wave to him. Not knowing the word, she gestured a normal wave, at which point he threw in“Tu as dit bonjour?”. Yes, this accomplishes the same goal, but one can't really "dit bonjour" when there is a window and a street inbetween two people.  The most normal conclusion I can take from this scenario is that most of the communication in France is done verbally. 

          'Feel' – In English, there are hundreds of ways to feel; I feel hungry/sticky/sexy/worried/loved/sick.  In English you can “feel” different ways emotionally, physically, mentally, you can even “feel” the way that other people/places/inanimate objects “feel”.  Although there are ways to say things like “I feel hungry” in the French language, there is no all-encompassing word for this, which leads me to the conclusion that the French truly just don’t care how you feel.

         'I am excited' - One of the only things I learned in my high school French classes was that "Je suis excité" does NOT in fact mean "I am excited" in a good clean 'Jack and Jane' kind of way, but instead translates to "I am excited sexually/turned on".  Unfortunately, my quality OPRF education did not provide me with a decent way to say "I am excited" sans the sexual undertones, but I figured I may learn it in college. Nope. Maybe during my stay in France? False. No one can give me a decent translation for this phrase, which makes me believe that in France, you have two emotional states:  either super horny, or no emotion at all.

Je ne sais même pas,
ming.
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19 January 2011

la mode et les cours....

Zara. Eff you and your stupid shoes. I legitimately walked one single tram stop and was gushing blood from both heels because I chose to wear my brand new shoes to my placement exam the other day. I would include pictures of my battle scars, but my feet are actually quite mangled after this last week and a half (am I in Europe, or in some rural village in Africa? I’m confused...)  Afterwards, I tried to wear the flats as house shoes since I stupidly forgot to pack my brand new pair of LL Bean “Wicked Good Moccasins” (quel dommage…) but immediately shuddered from les souvenirs d’hier upon slipping them on. Shame on you, les soldes.

TODAY, in typical girl fashion, I pre-planned my outfit and dressed up for le premier jour des cours.  Off I strutted to the tram in over-the-knee black leather boots, black tights, a tight mini LBD (semi-appropriate for day wear), a red oversized flannel, and a thick high-waisted black belt; an outfit which some of my American friends commented on and told me they liked, but no comments from outsiders or new friends. Perhaps that means my style is blending in with their daily Euro-lifestyle, and someday, maybe someday, I just might be mistaken for a real French native? A girl can dream.

BUT other things have happened recently besides my style choices, such as placement tests and classes! The placement tests went decently well, besides a minor meltdown in front of one of my future professors while trying to explain what a “sorority” is (Je suis...une....delta?...delta delta?" apparently does not translate well). I have found out how frustrating it is to not be able to express yourself easily in another culture, especially when the things that define you don’t exist in said culture. And on a related note, I learned today that the concept/word of “awkward” does not exist in French culture.  French Ming is being forced into a very different person than American Ming très vite…..

Classes are pretty much “hit-or-miss” here. My language/grammar class isn’t horrendously difficult (I learned today that the students from other countries are not very difficult to understand when speaking French despite accent, phoneme, and cultural differences, thank GOD), and neither is one of the lectures I went to today. However, the one I attended yesterday on la litterature francaise et francophone was incomprehensible for the most part. I guess it never occurred to me that I would be taking college level courses in another language, which is INSANE when you think about it.  I have a new respect for international students.

ALSO, I am (finally) learning to sketch clothing like fashion designers (a leftover thought from my Project Runway binge a couple weeks back), and am using it to plan my outfits for the next day.  I'm also trying to label clothing pieces, colors, patterns, accessories, and days I plan on wearing the outfits alongside the sketches in order to help drill necessary words into my brain (necessary for me, at least).

a toute à l'heure (la petite phrase du jour),
ming.
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16 January 2011

J'espère....

Le mot pour le moment: j'espère. I found out quickly that if you don't have a master on a language, you can latch onto a word or phrase and use it for many purposes (some may remember "yaahhhh....GOOOOT!" being exclaimed every minute or so at my house last Christmas...).  Similar to a catchphrase, I have found myself using the phrase "J'espère" frequently as it's literal translation, as a joke, sarcastically, or just when I feel like I need to insert something "French-y". Either way, at the moment it has many a meaning for me, and that's where I'll leave it....

Has it really only been 6 days? It feels like winter break and my life in the states were forever ago. I love love LOVE Grenoble. It is everything I wished for and more.  There is a HUGE student and international student population (30 percent of the residents here are under 25…zooh la la) and the views are absolutely beautiful.  Yesterday we spent the day scouting “les soldes” (the sales, a time in France when literally EVERYTHING goes on sale for a month from mid January to mid February) and got myself a cute new pair of beige flats with silver toes from Zara for my 15 minute walk to campus chaque matin (not too shabby for Europe..). Eventually I will master la mode française and will buy some great statement dress or skirt to look fabulous in whenever I get the courage/money….someday soon j'espère..... This morning, I climbed “La Bastille” with my friend and the pictures were breathtaking (some are below). Makes me value my experience here, and reminds me of how much I really love my life.

Alas, the greatest news in my life maintenant: I have finally moved in with my host family! As many of my friends/family at home are well aware, the program I am on does not decide which family they will place us in until our director gets to know us a bit in order to make a more informed decision. So this meant that I did not know anything (not even a name!) until about 4 minutes before I met my “mère d'accueil”. It turned out well though! I ended up in an actual house (a rarity around these parts) with a mother, her two daughters (12 and 15), her boyfriend, and another student from Detroit (we have been given “les regles de la maison”, one of which detailing how we are allowed to communicate “seulement en français”, which we have actually stuck with, surprisingly). At first, I was concerned about having another English-speaker around, but thus far it has been a blessing. The family seems very nice and close-knit.  My faux mère is patient with me, and makes a point to correct my grammar (de nombreuses corrections de tous les temps...) My faux sœurs seem fun and lively but I can’t understand them because they speak quickly and without annunciating, however they seem comfortable with having strangers in the house.  My faux beau-père is also very friendly, and likes to poke fun at the girls and tease them (c’est comme mon vrai père, qui je manqué beaucoup!). He is also the epitome of a classic French gentilman…he is charming and considerate, and wore a scarf to dinner this evening. Je les aime.

On another note, ma mère d’accueil fed me tongue this evening and made me try it before she told me what it was and I almost vomited all over her because of the texture and all the veins and whatnot in it. C’est la vie, non?

Loving every moment,
ming.



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13 January 2011

London, je t'aime.

London. You have shocked me. In a great and somewhat unsettling way, you have forever changed me (ish). I am sorry for ever doubting you.

Initially, I was unsure as to why my program sent us all to London for a 48-hour stopover with nothing but a 3 hour tour planned on the second day. Mind you, when I say nothing, I absolutely mean NOTHING. No directions, no meals, no activities, no guides. Just us, our hotel rooms, and one complimentary drink the first night.  Me and the 9 other girls on my trip were left to fend for ourselves.  I have never had any great interest in London, assuming that it was basically identical to the big U.S. cities I know oh so well, yet I was humbly surprised.  Since I didn’t know the area well and stupidly hadn’t taken the time to do proper research to find out what exactly I should even be doing while in London, I just hung in the back of my group of new adventurers, and was able to see what I liked about the city. Turns out there was a lot.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that London is a “hybrid” city of sorts; combining the great characteristics of both American and European cities.  Tons of people divided into many unique neighborhoods, giving the city a great lively energy much akin to my lovely Chi-city, yet everything was somehow much slower paced and no one was absurdly rude or shoving you on or off the train (shocking, I know). I found the Brits to be much more stylish, their city was much better planned, had a much richer history, and everything was overall much cleaner (paradoxical sidenote: “rubbish bins” are extraordinarily rare there. How does this happen?). 

Also from this short stop over I have gained a newfound respect for  people who travel and study in English-speaking countries because of the vast differences between all of them. Yes, I will admit I was a bit prejudice and arrogant in my first “mission statement” post, but foggy London town has opened my eyes.  Although I wouldn’t go as far as saying I experienced some debilitating case of culture shock in my mere 2 day trip, it was much different than I had expected.  To me, it seems as though the culture and the lifestyle is so different than the American norm and would take a lot of courage and struggling to get used to, even without the language barrier I am battling.  Living, learning, and gaining a deeper understanding all within the first 72 hours. I have a feeling this will be an amazing semester.

peut-etre demain,
ming.

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08 January 2011

Prêt(?)

The French word of the day/week/moment is prêt….I hope. It’s coming down to the last couple of days before my departure, and I am not concerned at all, which, in turn, is concerning me.  My visa came in the mail, I bought a camera from my friend and a large backpacking backpack for my weekend trips, but other than that I’m not sure that I have much more to do before I leave.

One would think that I would have much more to do to prepare for this semester, but somehow I don’t.  Instead of packing/preparing I have spent the last couple of days getting way too in to season two of “Project Runway”, (which unfortunately has led me to believe that I am a talented, yet undiscovered designer), and listening to the melodious works of Ke$ha (who apparently has the same birthday as me and was never homeless, contrary to a brilliant theory I had). Both have inspired me to spend the last couple of days DIY-ing some clothing items that I hope will be fun to tell my new European comrades about, unless of course I never get there because I have made some monumental mistake in forgetting to do something before my departure.. In that case, at least I’ll have Tim Gunn circa 2006 to blame.

My life theory that I just came up with right now is that if I believe I am prêt, I will be prêt.  And I truly believe that I am.  Prêt for an adventure, prêt for something new, prêt pour les hommes français, and, most importantly, prêt à partir.


Now, to pack my life away for the next four months…..
ming.
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01 January 2011

Why not start at the beginning...

...I feel as though my first post should be an explanation/mission statement, so here we go...

Many people may believe that studying abroad is, for the most part, a joke.  The young minds of America decide that they are too good to spend a full four years in Ohio, Iowa, Indiana or some other rural state of the like that they have chosen to spend their collegiate years in, and flee the bland lifestyle that their university offers to take any random classes in order to satisfy their parents nagging demands as well as fill any collegiate requirements they can, all the while being able to drink underage according to American standards and visit various cliché European hotspots.  Yes, I may be biased and a little judgmental for that statement and reasoning that follows, but I believe for me, this experience will be so much more. Without a doubt, this will be my most challenging semester of my college career, if not my life as a whole (well…most challenging in my life thus far, I suppose).  Although I am quite certain that I will do my fair share of café lounging, wine drinking, baguette eating, and mingling with the locals,  it really will be much more difficult for me than for the majority of my peers who are also spending this term abroad. I will not be speaking english (or at least, I will be trying my hardest not to) in an attempt to master a foreign language, I will not be living in a fully-furnished apartment with other 20-something Americans, I will not be on a program with people I have ever met before, and most importantly, I will not be spending this term in an English-speaking country that I deem as "America 2.0".
What I will be doing over the next semester is living with a French family and studying in a language school in Grenoble, France. To me, language is one of the greatest concepts in the world. It is so unique and specific to our species. No other species has an elaborate system of communication completely derived of arbitrary symbols and noises that has evolved from our higher thinking ancestors. In no other species can you find different dialects that are incomprehensible to members of that very same species. It is complicated, it is enlightening, it is frustrating, but it is human and I absolutely love it.  There are infinite things to learn in any new language, and I cannot wait.
After that somewhat lengthy introduction, I feel that I can now move on. My purpose for this blog is to be able to share with friends and family what I am doing without dealing with different time zones, skyping, or tedious e-mailing.  Further, I would also like to use this blog for my own reference. The next couple of months are going to fly by and the memories will surely get mixed into a jumble of countries, faces, and classes. Being the typical nostalgic girl that I am, I would like to be able to look back and reminisce on my thoughts, feelings, and doings after this term is over. That being said, I’m not sure that it will be the most interesting, well written, or even comprehensible blog to follow, but if you do, I am sure at the very least you will gain a word or two of French.
So….
As it stands I am leaving 8 days from now. I am terrified, I am excited, I am eager, I am anxious; overall feeling too many emotions that (per usual) I have neither the time nor mental capacity to deal with. I have lots of things to do and buy before the 10th in order to prepare for my trip.  However, I already have my visa and my plane ticket, so there is no turning back now. From here on out it will be pas de souci!
As a side note from this business, this page reminds me of my Xanga freshman year of highschool, and I am not quite sure how I feel about that.

jusqu'à la prochaine fois,
ming. 
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