I think I need to start writing shorter posts. With pictures. Thanks for being patient with me...
I want to buy some black beans but they don't sell them around here... must find a specialty store. Black Beans R Us. Every time I come to the library to use the Internet I end up on Facebook or watching the Daily Show. Mmm, and I'm ok with it. Some of the people from my old job are going to be in Paris on October 13 on a company sponsored trip... I'm thinking about crashing it. I need to make sure that would be acceptable first. I talked to my mom on the phone last night, I was soo tired. I had a hard time speaking English.
Understanding French all day is exhausting, it's strange. I'm getting so used to making an effort to understand the language that I don't realise the extra energy it requires. Until I get a chance to relax at the end of the day and feel like I just walked out of a microwave.
I talked to the head of the modern literature department and he gave me the thumbs up for next semester! He said it would be a good idea for me to start attending some classes this semester too. Did I mention I need to get a job? Because I keep forgetting...
Anyway, that's about it. I eat a lot of pasta. There's a public transportation strike (shocking). I miss... Tamarind Soda, and corn tortillas with steak, cilantro, onions, lime, and pico de gaillo... mmmmm
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Lyon Photos
Some picture I've take in Lyon:
The kitchen
The shower / kitchen sink
The breathtaking view... I've gotten used to it now though.
Fountain!
At school... thinking...
My friend Rita and I
A Mirabella flower by the sidewalk on the way home. Mirabella is a vine with little fruits the size of grapes, people use them to make tarts or liquor. The plant is only native to Europe.
My bedroom! Au natural...
My bedroom! Au natural...
From the other side of my room
The kitchen
The shower / kitchen sink
The breathtaking view... I've gotten used to it now though.
Fountain!
At school... thinking...
My friend Rita and I
last weekend Saturday 19 september
Saturday was awesome. Wonderful! I had such a great time doing everything.
Durring the day I got together with Carol. She's from Brazil and was thinking about moving into the appartment where I live but eventually found something else. Being alone in a foreign country, like myself, she gave me a call and invited me out. Saturday and Sunday were the European Days of Patrimony, to celebrate heritage and art and history and public records and old stuff in general. My kind of stuff! We decided to investigate.
The first place Carol and I went to was a tour of a restaurant which was serving typical medieval food. Among the proposed dishes were rosé/basil wine, black potatoes with cinamon, sausage and saurcraut, lentils, almond cake, and cheese with fruit. We sat next to some French people and talked about biking vacations- they were very friendly. Then we went on a tour of the building. Origionally it was a church, then a hospital, then a theater. Here's us in the restaurant:
Durring the presentation they revealed the origions of the Wearwolf myth! So once upon a time... people ate a lot of bread. They usually used only the kernel of the wheat to make the flour, but in times of famine they would use the sheath and the grain. The cause of the problem was a bacteria which grew on the sheath. When consumed in great quantities, it caused an illness called... H something or other. A very bad illness- people felt as though they were burning from within! (gross!) It also caused halucination. To relieve their aggony and not disturbe the neighbors, the ill would leave their villages and go into the surrounding forrests, scream their heads off and halucinate, and return in the morning (refreshed?). There their neighbors would be waiting for them wondering about the strange screams they heard last night. Perhaps they were transformed into a beast! As punishment for their sins! Enter... Wearwolf!!!!!!!! (dun dun duuuu)
Lyon was crowded. Walking around we stopped in a church and experienced an impromptu discours from one of the tour guides which dragged on. Some of it was interesting; Lyon has been an important european city for centuries, being at the junction of two important rivers. It was also the seat of the Bishop of France until Vatican II, being the first evangelised city in France. Next we went to a Luthier's shop which was giving tours but it was too crowded to see the examples and we arrived in the middle of the presentation. Our last stop was the fine arts museum. I didn't make it to the 20th century paintings but the medieval collection was a riot.
I love paintings.
Carol and I parted ways and I went to Daoud's party. We were all invited to his house for a dinner, 15 people total, to celebrate his birthday and housewarming. He made couscous and stew with roast chicken on the side. "Couscous is always served with whatever vegetables are in season. We eat it with potatoes!" he explained. The other French guests teased him about there not being any raisins in the couscous or chickpeas in the stew. It was a very calm get together, his friends and students and their families. When I told them I was from Chicago everyone's first reaction was "Al Capone!" They wanted to know how I was able to support myself for three years and where did I get all that money? They also were curious about what made me choose Lyon. I told them that "Like Chicago, Lyon is a 'Second City'" and that got a good laugh.
Here's a picture of Daoud, Frank, and Frank's girlfriend Carol from a couple of weeks ago. Taken at Daoud's new appartment:
Daoud talked about what it's like living in a fanatically religious society. Orthodox scientists. Every year in grade school he had to take an Islam class which was inevitably taught by a short hairy smelly bulbous man. Contrasted to the French classes which were always taught by beautiful foreign women with impecable french, dressed fashionably and wearing parfum. Somehow, he excelled in French and usually failed Islamic studies. Once in Algeria a group of musicians thought it would be nice to set the Koran to music; the entire Koran- an ambitions academic project. Someone declared Jihad on them, and now to play their music on the radio is illegal. Eventually he had to leave Algeria. Daoud said people lived in two ways: as a lie, or alone. Someone says "Allah said this" and you must agree, "Ah yes, Allah was right!" In the privacy of your family you can let your real opinions out and be yourself, but not in public (reminds me of Iran). Worse still, according to Daoud, the law addressing murder and religious murders in particular is losely applied. People will definetly buy a gun and kill someone because they disagree with their interpretation of the Koran. Of course this kind of religious fervor is going to produce fanatics.
He misses the countryside. Waking up in the morning and looking out his window, it was like looking at a postcard. He and his mother went on a month long trip into the Saharah. They would meet people in the middle of the desert and be treated like dear guests for three days- invited into their camp, treated as friends, fed whatever they had to offer. Nobody rushed; the idea of time as miniutes and hours being nonexisitent. Returning to France after that was depressing, he said. It made modern stress more apparent to him and he resented it for months afterwards.
After the main meal, which was the couscous, the first words out of the guests mouths were "Are we going to have a cheese course?" Of course! Daoud brought out a styrofoam cheese tray, still shrink wrapped by the deli. Not much of it got eaten, I think because there wasn't any bread, but the cheese course is an important part of French meals. We ate coconut deserts, vanila pudding, and chocolate birthday cake. Then people took turns playing the guitar and singing. I had brought wisky and it was happily consumed. I sang in english and played the drums (the darbuka?). One of the guests fell asleep in the armchair, being 12 and all, while others smoked cigarettes and told stories about foreign travels. Someone had lived in the Antillies for 15 years, he talked about how each island in the chain was colonised by a different European country. For a successful vacation, just go to the island that wasn't colonised by your country! The French talked about old territories, discussed they're current political tribulations. No mention of Iran, Israel, or Mexico. It was interesting to be around people whose idea of relevent foreign news is different from an American's.
That's about it! I made sure to shut the shutters because it was already early by the time I got home.
Durring the day I got together with Carol. She's from Brazil and was thinking about moving into the appartment where I live but eventually found something else. Being alone in a foreign country, like myself, she gave me a call and invited me out. Saturday and Sunday were the European Days of Patrimony, to celebrate heritage and art and history and public records and old stuff in general. My kind of stuff! We decided to investigate.
The first place Carol and I went to was a tour of a restaurant which was serving typical medieval food. Among the proposed dishes were rosé/basil wine, black potatoes with cinamon, sausage and saurcraut, lentils, almond cake, and cheese with fruit. We sat next to some French people and talked about biking vacations- they were very friendly. Then we went on a tour of the building. Origionally it was a church, then a hospital, then a theater. Here's us in the restaurant:
Durring the presentation they revealed the origions of the Wearwolf myth! So once upon a time... people ate a lot of bread. They usually used only the kernel of the wheat to make the flour, but in times of famine they would use the sheath and the grain. The cause of the problem was a bacteria which grew on the sheath. When consumed in great quantities, it caused an illness called... H something or other. A very bad illness- people felt as though they were burning from within! (gross!) It also caused halucination. To relieve their aggony and not disturbe the neighbors, the ill would leave their villages and go into the surrounding forrests, scream their heads off and halucinate, and return in the morning (refreshed?). There their neighbors would be waiting for them wondering about the strange screams they heard last night. Perhaps they were transformed into a beast! As punishment for their sins! Enter... Wearwolf!!!!!!!! (dun dun duuuu)
Lyon was crowded. Walking around we stopped in a church and experienced an impromptu discours from one of the tour guides which dragged on. Some of it was interesting; Lyon has been an important european city for centuries, being at the junction of two important rivers. It was also the seat of the Bishop of France until Vatican II, being the first evangelised city in France. Next we went to a Luthier's shop which was giving tours but it was too crowded to see the examples and we arrived in the middle of the presentation. Our last stop was the fine arts museum. I didn't make it to the 20th century paintings but the medieval collection was a riot.
I love paintings.
Carol and I parted ways and I went to Daoud's party. We were all invited to his house for a dinner, 15 people total, to celebrate his birthday and housewarming. He made couscous and stew with roast chicken on the side. "Couscous is always served with whatever vegetables are in season. We eat it with potatoes!" he explained. The other French guests teased him about there not being any raisins in the couscous or chickpeas in the stew. It was a very calm get together, his friends and students and their families. When I told them I was from Chicago everyone's first reaction was "Al Capone!" They wanted to know how I was able to support myself for three years and where did I get all that money? They also were curious about what made me choose Lyon. I told them that "Like Chicago, Lyon is a 'Second City'" and that got a good laugh.
Here's a picture of Daoud, Frank, and Frank's girlfriend Carol from a couple of weeks ago. Taken at Daoud's new appartment:
Daoud talked about what it's like living in a fanatically religious society. Orthodox scientists. Every year in grade school he had to take an Islam class which was inevitably taught by a short hairy smelly bulbous man. Contrasted to the French classes which were always taught by beautiful foreign women with impecable french, dressed fashionably and wearing parfum. Somehow, he excelled in French and usually failed Islamic studies. Once in Algeria a group of musicians thought it would be nice to set the Koran to music; the entire Koran- an ambitions academic project. Someone declared Jihad on them, and now to play their music on the radio is illegal. Eventually he had to leave Algeria. Daoud said people lived in two ways: as a lie, or alone. Someone says "Allah said this" and you must agree, "Ah yes, Allah was right!" In the privacy of your family you can let your real opinions out and be yourself, but not in public (reminds me of Iran). Worse still, according to Daoud, the law addressing murder and religious murders in particular is losely applied. People will definetly buy a gun and kill someone because they disagree with their interpretation of the Koran. Of course this kind of religious fervor is going to produce fanatics.
He misses the countryside. Waking up in the morning and looking out his window, it was like looking at a postcard. He and his mother went on a month long trip into the Saharah. They would meet people in the middle of the desert and be treated like dear guests for three days- invited into their camp, treated as friends, fed whatever they had to offer. Nobody rushed; the idea of time as miniutes and hours being nonexisitent. Returning to France after that was depressing, he said. It made modern stress more apparent to him and he resented it for months afterwards.
After the main meal, which was the couscous, the first words out of the guests mouths were "Are we going to have a cheese course?" Of course! Daoud brought out a styrofoam cheese tray, still shrink wrapped by the deli. Not much of it got eaten, I think because there wasn't any bread, but the cheese course is an important part of French meals. We ate coconut deserts, vanila pudding, and chocolate birthday cake. Then people took turns playing the guitar and singing. I had brought wisky and it was happily consumed. I sang in english and played the drums (the darbuka?). One of the guests fell asleep in the armchair, being 12 and all, while others smoked cigarettes and told stories about foreign travels. Someone had lived in the Antillies for 15 years, he talked about how each island in the chain was colonised by a different European country. For a successful vacation, just go to the island that wasn't colonised by your country! The French talked about old territories, discussed they're current political tribulations. No mention of Iran, Israel, or Mexico. It was interesting to be around people whose idea of relevent foreign news is different from an American's.
That's about it! I made sure to shut the shutters because it was already early by the time I got home.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tuesday 22 September
Just wanted to say hi real quick. Still trying to get technology on my side so I can put pictures up on this blog, but not quite there yet. Apologies!! Also I've written a couple of posts but I left my USB drive in Illinois. So there's going to be a time lag. ANYWAY...
My classes have started! I'm super busy... it's really fun. My Monday's, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are packed, and then thursday I have just one class and Friday is free! Some of the students are putting preasure on the teachers to change the Thursday class, I'm all for it. Then I can work Thursday and Friday all day, get my 15 hours in for the week, and still have the weekend off. Monday is going to be hard... my first class is at 8 am and the last one ends at 7:45 pm.
There's a lot to learn. I'm happy with the course offerings, the classes are very helpful. I would highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to improve their French; the professors definitely hold themselves to a high standard. After this semester I think I should be prepared to attend Modern French Litterature classes with other French students. As long as the departement chair gives me the thumbs up; I'm going to meet with them Thursday. If the music school dosn't work out maybe I could apply to the university for next year as a normal student. I have to keep a French journal for one of my classes, I'm totally stoaked!
I need to get a job though. Time to start thinking about that again, especially now that I have my scheduel and a better idea of what my work load is going to be like. It would be nice to find a job in France doing something that interests me, so I can stay here and earn money. I hope I get to stay here for a long time... Lyon is growing on me. I like it, it's urban but not crowded; it's got that city grit yet it's very calm, almost relaxing. The countryside and mountains are not far, it's easier to meet other French people because everyone is less stressed out. Paris is nice but Lyon has a rythum that's very "agreable", comme on dit en français.
I got to talk to my family on Skype, it was SO VERY WONDERFUL! It made me realise how much I miss you guys. And you all look so good! And you were drinking that delicious American coffee... aaaaah... Auntie Meg you're so crafty and cleaver! And Amanda with your awesome blog and terrific son... you both inspire me. AND I GOT TO SEE MY MOMMA, I LOVE MY MOM. You all make me miss garage sales... THAT's what America needs to export.
I think I'm going to be able to host a Thanksgiving, there are a couple of Americans in my classes. Most of them are in their late teens-early twenties. Being in my late twenties now (and proud of it sista!), I was a little daunted at first by the age gap. I got defensive for a second. Then I realised that EVERYONE around me is of that age, or almost everyone including my roommates, and that I better start getting used to it because this trend is only going to continue. And people are allright at that age! A little wet behind the ears, but cheary and optomistic and energetic as well. I think they're a little intimidated by me; I need to make myself accessible. In otherwords, I gave myself an attitude check. That being said, they do speak a lot of English when in the company of other Americans. I remember doing that in Paris, it was a fun experience and I did make alot of friends. But that's not what I came here to do this time. The solution to that is easy though: I speak in French. If they want to speak in French too, great. Sometimes it's hard for me to speak English, especially to joke, because I've gotten into the habit of using my French. I'm zoned in.
But I can take a break every now and then! Attitude check...
I'm off. Two last things. I woke up at 6:30 am today and thought about how it's 11:30 pm back home (no wonder I was so tired har har har). That and yesterday, after my super long awesome exhausting day, I went to the gorcery. I bought some 3 euro red wine, some meat, and made myself spagetti with smoked pork. It was victorious.
My classes have started! I'm super busy... it's really fun. My Monday's, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays are packed, and then thursday I have just one class and Friday is free! Some of the students are putting preasure on the teachers to change the Thursday class, I'm all for it. Then I can work Thursday and Friday all day, get my 15 hours in for the week, and still have the weekend off. Monday is going to be hard... my first class is at 8 am and the last one ends at 7:45 pm.
There's a lot to learn. I'm happy with the course offerings, the classes are very helpful. I would highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to improve their French; the professors definitely hold themselves to a high standard. After this semester I think I should be prepared to attend Modern French Litterature classes with other French students. As long as the departement chair gives me the thumbs up; I'm going to meet with them Thursday. If the music school dosn't work out maybe I could apply to the university for next year as a normal student. I have to keep a French journal for one of my classes, I'm totally stoaked!
I need to get a job though. Time to start thinking about that again, especially now that I have my scheduel and a better idea of what my work load is going to be like. It would be nice to find a job in France doing something that interests me, so I can stay here and earn money. I hope I get to stay here for a long time... Lyon is growing on me. I like it, it's urban but not crowded; it's got that city grit yet it's very calm, almost relaxing. The countryside and mountains are not far, it's easier to meet other French people because everyone is less stressed out. Paris is nice but Lyon has a rythum that's very "agreable", comme on dit en français.
I got to talk to my family on Skype, it was SO VERY WONDERFUL! It made me realise how much I miss you guys. And you all look so good! And you were drinking that delicious American coffee... aaaaah... Auntie Meg you're so crafty and cleaver! And Amanda with your awesome blog and terrific son... you both inspire me. AND I GOT TO SEE MY MOMMA, I LOVE MY MOM. You all make me miss garage sales... THAT's what America needs to export.
I think I'm going to be able to host a Thanksgiving, there are a couple of Americans in my classes. Most of them are in their late teens-early twenties. Being in my late twenties now (and proud of it sista!), I was a little daunted at first by the age gap. I got defensive for a second. Then I realised that EVERYONE around me is of that age, or almost everyone including my roommates, and that I better start getting used to it because this trend is only going to continue. And people are allright at that age! A little wet behind the ears, but cheary and optomistic and energetic as well. I think they're a little intimidated by me; I need to make myself accessible. In otherwords, I gave myself an attitude check. That being said, they do speak a lot of English when in the company of other Americans. I remember doing that in Paris, it was a fun experience and I did make alot of friends. But that's not what I came here to do this time. The solution to that is easy though: I speak in French. If they want to speak in French too, great. Sometimes it's hard for me to speak English, especially to joke, because I've gotten into the habit of using my French. I'm zoned in.
But I can take a break every now and then! Attitude check...
I'm off. Two last things. I woke up at 6:30 am today and thought about how it's 11:30 pm back home (no wonder I was so tired har har har). That and yesterday, after my super long awesome exhausting day, I went to the gorcery. I bought some 3 euro red wine, some meat, and made myself spagetti with smoked pork. It was victorious.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
17 sep (at the library)
Broke two pairs of shoes in one day. The soul of my sandals split clear through to the tongue, even after I got them repaired. Then my flats lost a button so one of the crossed straps over the toe is now flapping about. My new pair of mary jane cloggs is still ready for action though. Addapting a new attitude of "I have more than I need", it's very nice and I'm adjusting to this new mantra.
I've had two responses to job offerings I replied to but to no avail, since I don't have my "emploi du temps"/scheduel yet I can't tell them when I'm able to work. That blows. Gave the final payment for my courses today; I did better on my exams than expected. I qualified for the highest level of French for Foreigners that the university offers. On the other had that means there are no more courses they can offer me for the 2nd semester. However I can enroll directly to the university as an Auditor Libre, to attend classes without receiving credit. I need to pick a curiculum and get a stamp of approval from the department chair. It's a lot cheaper than the F for F program- 100 euros versus 1070 euros- but I'm not considered a student so health care might be more expensive and I might get less back from the government on my rent. It all depends on my earnings. Gets complicated quick, ya? I'm excited though, I'm thinking I'll do Modern French Liturature. Or maybe Music or Women's Studies if they offer that... or Muslim World Studies. I'm going to check out the course listings for the second semester tomorrow.
Hopefully we'll be getting internet in the house soon. We now have a 4th- Marie Claire. I think that's her name. I crossed her today as she was visiting; she's doing a year long research program in finance. She's from Brazil- I'm glad to have another foreigner! And girls versus guys no less. I have another friend too, Rita, who's from Ghana. We sat next to each other durring orientation, she's a sweetheart. Her French is preety good. She wants to speak in french all the time like me so we hit it off. Her mother moved to Italy when she was 7 or so; she's spent summers there every year since. She speaks Ghanan, English, Italian, French, and she wants to learn Spanish. Rita met someone who told her not to learn Spanish because learning more than three languages makes everything too confusing; I pointed out she already speaks four. I guess in Ghana they speak English as much as the native language (can you imagine? that sounds awesome...).
Every wednesday and saturday there's a farmers market, I try and go once a week. I went today and got clementines and green beans. They always have roasting chicken and they put potatoes under the rack to cook in the juice. It smells amazing. Lots of produce tables, that's the main draw. Butchers too, with rabbits, chickens, sausages, meat loafs with a pastry crust. They do their best to advertise what the animal has to offer... gross. And least we forget- cheese vendors, with fresh cheese still in water, black rind cheese, big brie wheeles. I haven't seen many Fromageries, or Cheese Stores, in the neighborhood, maybe they've all had to go to market.
France is cloudy right now. Rainy. I'm verry sorry I can't be home right now to be with Casillas Family. My thoughts are with you.
15 September
Still waiting for school to start. The library is closed Sunday and Monday so I couldn't go online with my laptop. I did go to an internet cafe and call my Dad, we've had some successful video conferences on Skype which is awesome and free (besides the internet cafe). So far every time we talk he's always wearing the same red shirt. Awkward... someone needs to expand their wardrobe...
I've been playing the viola alot, it's been alot of fun. I kicked my french roommates' asses last night playing "Soul Calibure" on their playstation. The chalked it up to my being American and the game probably coming out years before it did in France (USA! USA!). Now I have a second roommate, Loïc, who's from Grenoble. He's in his first year doing a BTS in banking at the Lycée de Bron. That like getting an associates degree in banking. The degree is taught in the high school- in fact I taught english to students getting this type of degree in Lyon.
I saw my landlord the other day, he stoped by to sign some papers so I could get a refund from the government on the rent. I should cut him some slack, he's preety helpful. I also told him I needed a thicker blanket, which I'd been dredding. Getting him to give me the first blanket was like pulling teath. When I did finally succed the blanket he gave me was a child's blanket- a foot too short- and had a big black soot stain like someone had sat on it after cleaning a chimney. So I was all ready for battle, but it was easy this time. The blanket he gave me must be a kick back from his bachelor days... FEAST YOUR EYES...
Rrrow.
Friday, September 11, 2009
France is for Tough Guys
Hi everybody. Just a general update about how and what I'm doing. Answer: whatever. France is expensive! I went to the laundromat today and the dryer cost one euro for TEN MINUTES! That's a $1.45 every ten minutes, and I needed 40. I've got to find somewhere else to wash my skirts. I've decided to stay in my apartment at least until the end of the year. I met with some friends who are desperately trying to find a roommate and it was the final nail in my coffin of decision. Changing apartments right now would be very expensive (over 1,000 euros) and there are several important things I could spend my time taking care of instead of worrying about moving. So that's that.
Top of the list of things to do: get a job. I'm using monster for now and am also going to look into some of the employment agencies which come highly recommended. I met a guitarist who runs a music school, he's been looking for someone to give violin and viola lessons. I'll admit I was hesitant to accept his offer at first, but he persuaded me with his conviction that it was a great idea. His name is Daoud, he's Algerian, and very enthusiastic about music and life in general. I might already have a student. We also started a band, playing manouche/ jazz/ rock music- there are two guitarists and me. The other guitarist's name is Frank (just like in my previous band! aaa!) and he's got a head firmly planted in the clouds. We got together last Saturday and practiced over pizza and beer until 4am. I hope this all continues as such.
There have been a lot of bureaucratic hoops to jump through (and wheels to grease). The final registration for my school is next Wednesday, classes start on the 21st. I've been putting together my demand for housing aid, called the CAF, which is state run and would reimburse about 40% of my rent. Also I have to become legal and obtain a Carte de Séjour, I've filed all the correct papers and now just need to fork over 55 euros and get a medical exam. School, the CAF, and my Carte de Séjour, and that should be it. I hope!
Working as a Violist in France would be wonderful someday. Apparently you have to give a certain number of performances within 10 months and then you can apply for a subsidy from the state, unemployment should you be unable to find work, and of course free health care. I wonder if I could live here as a freelance artist, if I would be able to get a visa. If it's anything like the states I might be able to stay in France for a year and work after receiving my masters.
The apartment... oh my. It's more the Landlord who's worrisome. The other day when I got home my landlord and his son were working in the hallway, fixing a hole in the tile. Sounds totally normal right? Except my landlord, who's 65, was in swimming trunks and topless. I told him to go put a shirt on because he was making me uncomfortable. The next morning I asked him why the extra charges for water and such were 20 euros for my roommate and 30 euros for me, even though my roommate has a larger room. He said "It's not me who decides these things it's the Comptable!" So I asked him for the name of the Comptable and he refused to give it to me. Which leads me to suspect that there isn't a Comptable.
But I have to laugh still because the whole situation is pretty ridiculous. That anyone would think they could behave this way and NOT come off as suspicious is pretty... stupid? Ya! Plus I don't feel threatened by him, and on the bright side he has responded (in a more or less timely manor) to all of my concerns. He's just kind of shady... It helps I have a roommate too who's a young guy and not a weakling.
The second person to move in, after me, is Benoit. He's a french 20 year old guy from a town near Avignon. He spent the last two years in Perpignan getting an associates degree in environmental technology (we concur, Perpignan is a shit hole!). Now he's in Lyon getting another degree in engineering, I think. He's really nice, eats a lot of pasta with La Vache qui Rit. The only problem is he's a mumbler, which makes understanding ever so much more difficult. Benoit, weather he knows it or not, is going to be my litmus test on how I'm progressing in french.
In general I would say I'm able to understand people, I've noticed improvement already. EVERYONE of the native French speakers I talk to ask me where I'm from two sentences into our conversations, and the first guess is always Quebec. I got a lecture from the guy at the post office today about how I should just tell people I'm from Quebec because the French are less kind to Americans. He explained (of course, the cue growing steadily behind me) that it's because the French are jealous. America has such a strong cultural influence on the world, which we usurped from the French during World War II, along with their industry. Whenever he's abroad and he feels threatened by anti-French sentiments, he just claims he's Swiss. Something to think on anyway; I already have a Quebecois accent from three years selling train tickets over the phone, to Quebecois going to Europe. If I should ever feel threatened by anti-American sentiments it could be a saving grace. Yet I am American, and 98% of the people I love in the world are in America. And it's not like I had a choice, but being American has worked out very well so far, I must say. Hm. I'm going to brush up on my Canadian trivia.
I'm off! More later!
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