January 15
Today I'm making a point of talking more with Monique even though I know my French isn't perfect. I have to remember not to stay in my room too long because then I end up just isolating myself. Monique is really nice about letting me (and the other kids) do basically whatever we want. I don't know how they did it, but they placed me in the perfect household for me.
Hm, what makes Pauline French? Well first of all she just looks French (aka she's absolutely beautiful, she's pretty thin but in a healthy way, he dresses very fashionably but in a normal kind of way, like a normal person, she has a short haircut) she speaks the French way -- which is both nasal and comes out of the front of the mouth at the same time...don't ask--and she does the bises very often which a lot of the monitors don't because we're american and they know it's weird for us. I'll take a picture with her and put it on the internet eventually, then you'll know what I'm talking about. Oh and also she smokes sometimes. I think almost everyone here smokes, at least sometimes.
The Monaco doesn't taste like beer, it tasted like sugary pop. So I'll still say I don't like beer.
Monique does know I like cooking but she's pretty darn sick. I think once she gets better life here will change a bit, but in a good way. I like it this way though, it's very laid back.
I'm not sure what exactly is going on in Mali either, but the USA is actually going to intervene along with the UN. I don't know exactly what the shootings in Paris were about, but it was surrounding Kurdish people so I don't think it was the same thing. That was the day I left Paris though, so I was happy for that.
Today we had a meeting about the teaching practicum, the teaching English as a second language in schools like I told you about, and I decided that I'm 100% going to do it even if I don't end up getting any credit through Pitt. I've heard that the classes here won't take much time or effort and the teaching English will actually only take up 3 hours a week, which is WAYYYY less work than I do for any class I've ever taken at Pitt. I think I definitely should become a teacher because it's one of the only things in life that I get really really excited for.
And after the meeting my friends and I went to a cafe and I got a white hot chocolate and we shared a sandwich. I got a small hot chocolate and that was 3.10, so about 4 dollars. Things here are EXPENSIVE but they drink coffee very often nonetheless. The coffee here is very good too.
I think I might know part of why the French are thin: they eat HUGE meals and then hardly snack in between. It might also be the walking they do, since it's not necessary to have a car. Every day I take the bus and the metro, I really like it here.
I think you might like living in France because of the cafes and all the food is good, I'm pretty sure you'd eat everything I've eaten so far. Also the news is TOTALLY different here. The newscasters talk in depth about issues, not just tiny little stories, and everyone knows what's going on pretty much all the time. The French are very educated and they like to talk politics. On Saturday I'm going to go to a protest, something that happens pretty often in France, to support gay marriage. There was a huge one in Paris on Sunday against it...France is generally pretty divided about that. And other than that you'd like it because you can get delicious food to go, like sandwiches, so you'd never have to cook if you didn't want to :p
I'm pretty excited for our language course tomorrow. I feel pretty good about spending more time with the family today; at dinner the kids were telling jokes and I understood some of them. French jokes are often just a play on words, so if I don't know one of the words the joke is completely lost.
I feel like I have put a language-blocker on my brain because for some reason I can't get myself to think in French. I'm trying to write in my journal in French, I've actually written a lot. I think it's probably normal to think in English because if I didn't, I would have too many pent up thoughts and emotions. Writing emails to you helps me sort out my feelings about France and remember things I did, if you couldn't tell :p I'll probably end up printing them all out when I get back because I've been finding that I tell you things that I forget to write in my journal because I'm not surprised by them but you would be since you haven't studied French culture as much as me.
Oh and I'm getting used to the whole shower at night thing, I'm going to go do that now.
January 23
Cool thanks, I'm glad that worked out. Everything's going well, getting settled into the routine of my preliminary language course but if course that will change in less than a week, then it'll be all hectic and crazy again! On Friday we have a wine tasting though, so that will be cool.
Yesterday Monique was telling me about all the places she's been; all over the place, really. Africa, Taiwan, China. When she was in Africa she got a really bad infection and actually had to be sent back to France, and Pierre's sister (I think she said his sister?) actually died there from what I'm guessing was smallpox? I don't know the word in French so I really do have to guess :p it was something that can kill you in a matter of a few days. Anyway, I have been afraid to ask Monique questions because I don't know whether to "tutoie" or "vousvoie" her. Since you don't know French, tutoie is when you use the subject "tu" which is informal, used for people your own age or those you know very well and vousvoie is when you use the subject "vous" which is formal, more respectful, used for superiors like professors and such. Pierre told me right off the bat to use tu with him, but Monique hasn't said anything. I have accidentally used tu before because I hardly have to vousvoie anyone, and she didn't say anything. The other kids use tu with her. But I'll probably vousvoie her until she says otherwise.
Anyway, she has a lot of friends who also went to Africa and she says that when you return, your immune system is weakened so that's why when she gets sick, she gets really sick. But she's better now so that's good.
Yesterday I wrote in a xmas card for her in English to a student she had here 14 years ago. She told me about a lot of the other students, one girl is in Africa right now and a few others are ambassadors. I have a lot to live up to :P
I don't think I want to go to Africa though, after hearing those horror stories...although I think she would still advocate going even so. I've been thinking a lot about what I'm going to do after I graduate. I think I will probably major in French and English Literature and then do the MAT (the 1-year masters in education program at Pitt) and then after that I want to move somewhere else in the world to teach english/something else to do with education. Teaching english is a really great option for people like me though.
Something else about France: for women here, bedhead is not frowned upon. People here are allowed to have crazy hair...so tonight, I'm not going to put any product in my hair and we'll see what it looks like tomorrow morning. Hopefully the look will suit me :P
My friend did give me a coupon for 15% off a haircut, but getting your hair cut here is ridiculously expensive and, for some reason, the French think it's perfectly justifiable to charge more to cut long hair, even if you only get an inch trimmed off. For some reason, that strikes me as something that is sooo French, even the French hate it. My friend Amanda said she'd cut my hair for me, just a trim, so I might let her do it...free is free. If it's uneven...well oh well, the French don't seem to care anyway.
We have a 3 day weekend next weekend, so my friends and I are going to travel further into Brittany. (I say further into it because we are on the very edge of the region.) To really see Brittany, you have to go further into the peninsula. I'm 100% it will be a cold and very damp trip (since it rains here EVERY DAY! and if the sun comes out you're lucky...) but it's a neat region with a lot of culture.
(this section grandma will like) Breton culture is very celtic. here are a few links to videos with a traditional and more modern/fusion examples
the instruments (the flute and bagpipe like thing) are really popular and the language they're speaking is the regional language here, Breton (but there's also gallo in the western part of brittany, where I am)
https://www.youtube.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
In february there's going to be a "fest-noz" which is a traditional breton party with the music and dancing and food; also in Rennes there are bars you can go to and hear the music played live. I'm really excited to delve into the Breton culture, if it wasn't evident...
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