Strasbourg, etc.

Salut!

Well, I'm two weeks in! This week we're finishing up orientation and choosing what 'real' classes we're going to take, and then my Parisian student life begins. As a celebration of the end of orientation, CUPA took all of the students and administrators to Strasbourg for the weekend. 

We had to be at the train station early Saturday, so spirits were kind of low and sleepy on the way there. Taking the TGV from Paris - Strasbourg only took a little over two hours, so we were able to have almost an entire day of sightseeing and fun. 

The cathédrale is absolutely enormous, so you can see it towering over all the other buildings almost as soon as you enter the city. The storefronts and homes were in the German style and the entire town looks like something from Epcot Center at Disneyworld. 

The cathédrale (it's too big to fit in one picture!)

Houses along the canal (taken through a rain streaked window)

We took a boat tour (covered, thank goodness! It was raining!) through the canals and saw a lot more of the town as well as some of the bigger landmarks. 

The European Parliament building (and a reflection of the lady sitting in front of me...)

On Sunday we took a bus to the smaller town of Obernai. The château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg is on a mountain overlooking the town, and the weather was clear enough to see around for miles. The château was built in 1079 by Frédéric de Hofenstaufen, but partially burnt down in 1462 during an attack and then was under siege and captured during the 30 Years War. It was nearly destroyed and thus abandoned. Between 1901 and 1908, it was restored by German architect and archeologist Bobo Ebhardt and is now a historical site belonging to France. 

The front of the château

Yeah, my dining room looks like that too

Looking out the battlements at the valley below

After returning to Obernai, we had a an "Initiation aux vins d'Alsace avec dégustation" (Intro to Alsacian wines with tasting) led by Frédéric Voné, a maître sommelier. He literally has a degree in wines, so he talked about the finer points of wine: la robe (the color and appearance), la diversité arômatique (which is linked with the wine's origins and it's quality), and les saveurs gustatives (the acidity, sweetness, and overall flavor of the wine). And, of course, we tasted several types of Alsacian wine using proper etiquette and wine tasting-ness (the swirling, the sniffing, and the spitting!). 

When it was time to get on the train home Sunday afternoon, I had an "oh my gosh!" moment. By coming home, I was coming to PARIS! I think it's finally sunk in that I'm here to live and learn and play--for four months! It's not a vacation, but a temporary home and an unforgettable adventure. Bring it on!

Paris, je t'aime

I am officially a parisienne! I left Portland early Saturday morning, flying to Paris with a layover in Toronto. My seatmate was very nice but didn’t speak any French and barely understood English, so we bonded over the movie selection (A-Team, anybody?). I arrived at Charles de Gaulle mid-morning on Sunday. On a side-note, I swear that I saw Javier Bardem by the baggage claim. Even if it wasn’t him, I’m going to pretend that it was.

My host mother, Michèle, was waiting for me outside the terminal. She is amazingly friendly and is fluent in English (which I try to only take advantage of when I absolutely don’t understand). When I got to the apartment, I met her youngest daughter and we all had lunch together. 

My room

To the right is a picture of the view outside my window. In the bottom right you can see a little garden; it belongs to the elementary school across the street, and the students tend it during the day.

After unpacking for a bit, Michèle and I took the Metro to the CUPA building (where I have orientation) so that I would know how to do it on my own the next day. Then we walked back through the Jardin du Luxembourg, where Michèle pointed out the old men playing pétanque on the lawn, the playground where she took her children when they were small, and the place where she used to go on pony rides when she was a young child and her grandmother would take her to the park.

Orientation started yesterday. I successfully braved the Metro alone for the first time! We received a ton of information and papers, including a semester-long Metro pass, and took the placement test that determined our Orientation class schedule. Then, we all munched on delicious pastries and got to know each other. In the afternoon, I went exploring with a few other students; we bought French cell phones and then took the Metro over to Notre Dame. A beautiful service was taking place inside, with organ music and singing. The chanteuse is the woman in blue, in the bottom right hand corner.

Orientation today was once again filled with tons of information about practical things like banking, traveling, and host family relations. Tomorrow, we start the actual classes (in French methodology, writing, and grammar). 

A bientôt, tout le monde!

Pre-departure preparation, the Polly Platt way

Polly Platt's books on French culture, language, and quirks (French or Foe? and Savoir-Flair) are filled with interesting tidbits, random facts, and fantastic advice for those of us who weren't raised in the shadow of la Tour Eiffel. Here are some of my favorites.

1. The magic words aren't abra cadabra, they're Excusez-moi de vous déranger, Monsieur, mais... (I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but...) No matter what reputation the French may have for being unapproachable and rude, those words will warm even the most glacial of icy hearts.

2. Be specific when ordering coffee. Un café is a small cup of black coffee. Add noisette to the end if you want milk. Add crème to get a cup (with milk) that's twice as large and three times as expensive. A safe middle-of-the-road request seems to be un petit crème, which will be larger than un café but smaller and cheaper than un café crème, and will include milk.

3. You don't need to be on time. Ten or fifteen minutes late is apparently the norm.

4. But you do need to engage in conversation--lots of it. A dinner party beginning at 8 PM might go until 12:30 AM or later.

5. The French are famous for their customary cheek-kiss greeting. Start with right cheek/right cheek, then go to the left. In Paris, only do two; four is considered plouc (hick) and is associated with the provinces. (Yes, really.)