A Blythe Epiphany

...now with more curry

Thursday, January 27, 2005

TravLog, stardate: 01-04-05


France 4 Jan 05 109
Originally uploaded by Epiphany.
~The English Lesson~
Up early today, to go to SCHOOL!!
Doc's taking some courses in tourism to get a certificate that will allow her to run a "gite" (pron.: jheet), which is basically a self-catering bed & breakfast. She's got a place all picked out - it's quite the "fixer-upper" - and she knows what she wants to do with it, what she'll need to accomplish it, etc. But the first step is this certification.
So she's at this school. And she invited me to come along and check it out. There are other classes taught here, like English. Since this if France, we're talking English as a second language, not English in composition. She talked to the English teacher, Yann, and it turns out I would be today's lesson.
It was only a class of four, and Yann got started by introducing me, and where I was from. He said that we would talk a little about me and where I live, then talk about some of the cultural similarities and differences between France and America. I was getting flashbacks to when I was in school and people came to visit our classes too. It was very strange being on this side of things. Now I completely understood their enigmatic smiles - it's a mix of "they have No Idea that I'm Completely Unqualified to represent my country in Anything," and "aww look. they're so cute. was I ever that young?"
So Yann got the students started trying to ask me questions in English. As long as everybody talked slowly, we did okay with the comprehension, and when we didn't Yann helped us out. They asked me where I live, what I do for a living, how old I am, etc. I sketched out a rough map of the US (that looked strangely like a shark, but I was not hired as an artist soshutup) so that I could put a dot over Wilmington. I also showed them where my parents live, 8 hours west of me but still in the same state. Then I pointed out how far it is to get allthewaytoCalifornia, on the other side of the US. And when asked them how long it takes to get across France (about 10 hours?), I watched it slowly dawn on them that oh la-la...Les Etats Unis sont Graaaaands!
Yann then started asking us about what we know about the US - Big cities and where they are on my pathetic map, what certain places are most famous for (?!? i failed that one.), Sports teams and where they are (i really failed that one), and then we started talking about a subject I am fairly comfortable with: movies. We laughed about what movie titles are the same in either country(allowing for translation), and what titles are completely different, and I noticed that the films that make it from the US to France are the crap blockbuster action flick ones, and the ones that make it to the US from France are the beautifully acted, story-driven ones. Sad, isn't it?
I think we all realized, if we hadn't before, that it doesn't matter if you're fluent in another language or not. Communication can still occur even with a limited vocabulary. I learned little tricks to help people understand me - gestures, facial expressions, repeating phrases with a synonym ("I got flustered, I got...nervous,"), and speaking with a french accent--or rather, speaking English with the accent in which French people speak English.
After class, Doc and I went to speak with the head of the school, Michel, a very nice man in perhaps his 50's who showed us brochures and sketched out a map and itinerary of things we can do tomorrow, given my interests and what's nearby. He seemed a gentle soul, and happy to be around people with similar interests. I would have liked to spend more time with him, perhaps a dinner with friends, to pick his brain on the things he knows and has seen.
After school, we had lunch for three hours at La Contina, this really cool underground place in Chaumont, and then did some shopping. I bought alcohol for my friend who doesn't drink, and a(nother) scarf for myself. We walked around and talked until nightfall, checking out the historic section, churches, medieval dungeons, and towers (the "Tour d'Arse" - Tower of Arse, was a favorite. Who names a tower after a body part, and if it's a tower, why not name it after a different body part??). Then we drove home, where Doc cooked up a dinner of Turkey with a cheese sauce made with Langres, a specialty of the region. I am likely to get quite spoiled.

Monday, January 24, 2005

TravLog, stardate: 01-03-05


in France, they're "Frites"
Originally uploaded by Epiphany.
This was more of a "transit" day, but fun was still had. Steph had to get up early and go back to work, but Val and I slept in a little (don't tell 'im!) and then went out for some grub and a trip to a museum - you know, for some kuuhl-chaah. The waitress at the place where we ate lunch had some really cool pants on, but she's all skinny and French and on me they'd look just silly. Let's just say I'm a bit more "curvy" than some. ...I wonder where she got those pants, though...
The museum was very nice and had lots of paintings and sculptures from all the way back to the middle ages. It still freaks me out that there are statues made of WOOD from about six HUNDRED years ago that are still in excellent condition and available for people like ME to look at. ...just blows my mind.
After the museum, we went home to wait for Marc, (husband of Doc) to pick me up to take me to their house in Gudmont. Finally, I got to meet Matthieu, the son of Doc and Marc. He's a very adorable, very laid-back baby, and he was looking mighty stylin' in his fleecy jumper. Doc came home from school shortly thereafter, and we had a lovely reunion. She fixed Foie Gras, green salad, and Duck for dinner. You know, I really hate it when something so bad tastes so good. They really need to figure out a way to make that stuff without being so mean to the little duckies. Really.
After dinner I got my hiney whooped at a card game called "Wizard". What is it with the French and their card games? And whatever happened to "beginner's luck?"

Thursday, January 20, 2005

Traveler's Log, stardate: 01-02-05

...You know the phrase, "Paris is for lovers"? Well, it's true. It's just a romantic place. I don't know any other way to explain it. It's not that everyone's kissing in the middle of the street or anything, but there's just something about walking around this beautiful city that just one feel romantic and mushy....Yesterday [New Year's Day] we [Vivi, Steph, and I] slept late [about 1:15pm], took a walk around in the city of Troyes, then went to the house of some friends for a little card party. They play a game called Tarot, which is a lot like Hearts, and not played with the Tarot cards that i'm used to at all. Apparently, the party had been going on since the night before, when everybody got drunk, played cards, and slept over. Then the next day, they just got up and started playing cards again and kept playing. We stayed there for a couple of hours, then the party broke up and we all went home. Most of them are teachers, so it was their last chance to "play" before school started up again. ...Today it's Sunday, so all of the stores are closed. We had some lunch - fish with garlic and onions, and pressure cooked potatoes...very light but very tasty. [side note: the French have the available option of mayonnaise in a tube, so you can squeeze it out like toothpaste. neato mcgeeto, man!] Then after lunch we went for coffee (and cake, and liquer...) at Steph's parents' house. His parents are very nice and his mother seemed used to navigating the language barrier and was sweet to include me in the predominately French conversations. We took the more scenic route home, and stopped in the little villages along the way to look at the churches, cemetaries, school houses, etc. Now we're home, it's 6:30pm, and very dark outside. Vivi and Steph are making crepes, and we'll put some Nutella on them so it's more of a dessert. After that, who knows? Steph. has to get up early tomorrow to go back to school, so we may call it an early night. Tomorrow Vivi and I plan to check out the local museum, maybe do some shopping, and then Doc's husband will pick me up here tomorrow at 3:30pm to take me to Gudmont for the week.
For some photos, click here .

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

BAD Blogger. BAD!

Wooo-eee, have I been a lazy blogger. I should be flogged. With a mozzarella stick.

Pathetic excuse section:
Okay, so I went to France, you know? and while I was there I had to borrow other people's computers to get online and stuff. and I didn't want to take up all my time using their computer. You know, "Hey, thanks for letting me stay and stuff. Now can I ignore you for a coupla hours while I hog your computer just to update my blog??" --it just didn't seem cool.
So now, one of my hostesses is griping that my blog's not updated. Go figure.

Clever plan section:
Well, I have 13 days of France stuff to write about, and when I say 13 days, it's really more like 13 weeks worth of my regular stuff(like the concept of dog years, but different). So I'm gonna break it up into manageable portions and ration it to you. when I'm Good And Ready. so there. But there's gonna be pictures and all, so it's gonna be grrrreat!


Saturday, January 01, 2005

Paris , Day 1


Paris 12-31-04 121
Originally uploaded by Epiphany.
Well, fasten your seatbelts, folks. This is gonna be a long post.

Starting with:

8am USA (2pm France) - wake up, shower, have coffee, get ready to leave.

10am USA (4pm France) - depart for airport. Kiss boyfriend at curb, then begin long wait for departure. Tried out new wireless card, and felt far too smug for my own good. Saw a friend at the gate that said the local paper had nice things to say about me. Ego became unmanageable.

1:40-ish USA (7:40-ish pm France) the 11:15 plane departs. woman beside me on the plane decides to gripe to me about her flight delays and inconvenience. Glad I'm relaxed and open to changes in travel plans - at least, for the moment.

3-ish pm USA ( 9pm-ish (France) - arrive Atlanta, no wireless. Drown sorrows in a plate of Popeye's popcorn shrimp. It is not lost on me that this could be my last Sprite for the next two weeks.

5:30-ish - ATL - switched to a window seat on the very last row on the plane. Sat next to a young Spanish (?) man. We didn't have much to say to each other. Watched the Bourne Supremacy while trying to get some sleep. Took one Tylenol PM, then a second. Eventually, it worked and I slept for about 3 hours on the plane. These three hours made all the difference.

2am USA ( 8am France) arrive Paris - claim baggage, meet Vivi & Steph, and head into the city. Took the Metro to Notre Dame, oo'd and aah'd at the big crowds, decided to eat instead of waiting two hours to get in. The rest is a bit of a blur, so here's what I remember in no particular order:

* Shakespeare & Co. - bookstore, books lining the walls floor to ceiling, mostly written in English so Vivi now has something to feed her book addiction
* the Louvre - we only had about an hour, so we couldn't see much. We went in the Denon section hoping to see at least the Mona Lisa, but they had closed the section by the time we got to her. Saw instead some medieval sculptures, Roman mosaics, Paintings by Fra Angelico and others, and theWinged Victory of Simothrace. So, not a wasted trip at all.
* Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis - the islands in the Seine. My favorite was Ile St Louis, for its - and this is going to sound stupid and cliched - charming and idiosychratic buildings and shops. I hope we get to go back there on the 12th so I can check out those shops a little more closely.
* La Marais - just north and on the other side of the Seine from Ile St Louis. Another really cool area, similar to Ile St Louis.
* Galaries Lafayette - I wanted to see the display of all the lights before they took them down on Jan 1. They put lights on the front of the building (like a big mall) in a beautiful pattern.
* Montmarte & Sacre Coeur - this is the mountain to the north end of Paris, and the Basilica that sits atop it. It's also an area of Paris that used to be popular with the "starving artists," but now is very expensive and chic to live in. If I were rich or chic, I think I would like to live there too.
* Quick - the only "fast food" chain in France other than McDonald's - since I know you're curious, I had the chicken curry sandwich. McD's could learn a thing or two.
* Champion - to buy champagne. We and everyone else in Paris waited to do this until the last minute.
* Then la Seine again, this time to stay. We staked out a spot just on the opposite side of the river from the Eiffel Tower, and waited the remaining hour and a half or so until the clock struck twelve. Only, there really wasn't a clock nearby, so we didn't hear it strike, and the Tower didn't do anything for the nine seconds leading up to 12:00:00. What it did do, and what it does every hour on the hour, is glitter and sparkle for the first ten minutes of the hour. It really is quite lovely, and I got several tiny movies of it with my camera. We drank our champagne from the bottle and exclaimed "Bonne Annee!" to anyone who was nearby. By that time the sky had cleared up, the moon was rising, and though cold, it was a beautiful night. I am glad that I was able to be here for the ringing in of the New Year, and that my friends were willing to do it (and brave a very crowded Paris) with me.
* On the way back to the car, we had to take the Metro, along with Everyone Else In Paris. The first stop had about 500 people waiting to catch the train, so we decided to walk to the next one. It was quite a bit better, but we still had to wait to catch the train, as every car that came by was so packed that not a single person else would fit on it. Finally, after about the 4th or 5th train came by, we found one that had enough room on it for the three of us. Then we were on the inside of the sardine can. In our car, just within about a two-foot radius of me, were 2 Italians, one Argentinians, and a Turk. The Frenchman and other American in my party were about 4 feet, or about 6 people away from me. Thankfully, everyone was in good spirits, and instead of fighting or complaining, just kept saying, "Bonne Anneeee!"

By the time we got back to the car, then drove back to Steph and Vivi's house, it was after 4 am. I had been awake for about 35 of the last 38 hours. Not a bad first day, if you ask me.



So anyway, there it is. My first day in France. For more pictures, just click on the one above. I'll write more about my trip when I can, and keep uploading pics as I can take them.

ATL---random thoughts as I wait to board

12-30-04, 4pm?

Waiting at Atlanta airport – international voices – no wireless signal, unlike ILM – cute Indian(?) kid checking out my laptop, wondering if I have games – Michael called, think he may take Tessa while I’m gone. I want to find him an Orson Scott Card book in French (and one for me too) for Author to sign. Think it would be cool. Used book would be fine. – trying to charge up my laptop for a bit before boarding. Think I’ll sign off but leave it plugged in – wondering when/if I should take Tylenol PM to help me sleep on the flight so I’m not so tired when I get there – think I’ll look for some comfy shoes for walking when I get there. Would be cool to have Parisian sneaks to knock about in. – watching technicians to pre-flight checks – hoping my luggage made it onto the flight – will meet Vivi et Stephane around 9 at CDG, hoping that’s enough time to freshen up a bit and claim my luggage – still trying to think of places to hang out on New Year’s Eve, where it’s warm, where we won’t have to be on our feet the whole time, etc. Maybe a bar or restaurant, something. – am enjoying seeing all the small children their little bags. The flight attendant-style with the wheels really makes it easier for them, and they seem to feel all grown up, carrying their own bags. Its really cute. -