I'm already behind on blogging. I don't really know what I'm doing with my time, but I don't really feel bored, so that's good. I spend about 15 hours a week in class and the rest of the time hanging out. I've kind of been on vacation since July, which is suprisingly nice. I used to think I couldn't live without working, but as it turns out, about 20 hours a week of activity is good enough for me.
So, updates...as I think I already said, I'm going the Master's program. I'm going home for my mom's wedding and Christmas. I'm even going to spend a week in Austin. Pretty exciting stuff. I had it in my head that I wouldn't go home in December, but I'm really happy about it. Wedding on a cruise ship AND a week at home...pretty hard to beat.
I had a couple days where I wasn't as happy, but mostly, I'm loving life. For example, here's how last weekend went:
Friday night, I thought I was supposed to meet my classmates dowtown, but I missed the "tomorrow" in the guy's text message. Just as I read that, another guy that helped to welcome the new students walked by and invited me to go out with his friends. So, I went with them to a couple bars and to one of their apartments and was out until 3. I don't know if I made any life-long friends, but it was way better than staying home.
Saturday, I went to the open-air market with my friend, Michelle. We stopped to have a drink with some of her friends. They all drank wine (at noon; I had tea), and we shared some salami-like sausage (I love France!!). After that, we went to a huge flea market type thing. It stretches for miles around town. I got a cheap pan and a holder for my silverware. Good buys. I got stuck in the rain on my way back from the grocery store, but if I hadn't had my groceries with me, I think I almost would have enjoyed it. I also found a live slug in the lettuce I'd bought at the market. That kind of made me happy. I wanted to keep him as a pet but decided that was a bad idea and let him go outside. I stayed in Saturday night and just watched movies with my Iranian friend in the dorm.
Sunday, I got up, ate breakfast, did homework, showered, ate lunch, met a couple friends downtown for tea, went for a jog, talked to my mom, talked to my brother, ate a friggin' awesome omelette, and went to bed. What a lovely weekend!
Additionally, I signed up for a Salsa class. The teacher is quite the character, but he seems nice enough. It's a good way to meet people and have something to do. I got information about volunteer opportunities, but I haven't really followed up with that yet. There are tons of international people here and lots of things to do. Really, things are going about as well as I could ask for. I'm happy to be back here as an "adult." I'm enjoying exploring the city and not being afraid to do things on my own. I'm enjoying the simplicity of life without a car and without a job. I'm finding all the good things about France that I'd kind of forgotten about over the last few years. Life is good.
Speaking of, I love the food here. Some things I could have easily eaten at home but didn't. I have recently discovered that I LOVE olive oil, especially when it's mixed with canned tuna. Holy crap! It is soooo good. I found a dark chocolate mousse at the grocery store that is friggin' fantastic and only has 90 calories! Then, of course, there's chèvre (goat cheese), but I already knew that. I've actually had suprisingly few pastries. I'm about due for a pain au chocolat. Yummm!
Okay, that's plenty long already. I hope those that are reading this are doing well. Send an update about your life when you can.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Update/ 5-Year Plan
So, since my last post, I received even more phone calls, was able to go shopping, and spent a lovely weekend with my friend Michelle. I also got to see my friend Norma on Sunday, which was nice. It's good to be in a city where you have at least a couple friends to start with. I'm slowly but surely getting settled in. Now I just need a few more activities and a job and/or a rich French husband...more on that later.
I also got two pieces of good news this week. I have been accepted in the Master's program, so if I pass all my classes, which I'm sure I will, I will have a Master's in International Management. Sweet! Also, the whole schedule has been rearranged so that I can go to my mom's wedding in December. I may not end up going to Austin, but I will at least be in the US for a couple weeks, which makes phone calls really easy :)
Everything seems to be going really smoothly, which is nice. My days haven't been too boring really, and I always have the internet to keep me entertained during the day. I've also started running again...very slowly. When I first started running, I followed a plan to be able run 30 minutes without stopping at the end of 10 weeks. I'm doing that again. So, this week it's run 3 minutes, walk for 7 repeated 3 times. I used to be able to run an hour without stopping...now it's 3 minutes. Oh well. It's better than zero. For now, my knee isn't hurting too bad...fingers crossed. I also started trying to do some push-ups and stuff at home. Walking is great for losing weight, but I like my muscles and don't want to lose them.
I want a bilingual life. I'm loving being here so far for so many reasons, but that is one of them. Hence the need for the rich French husband. Okay, so I'd settle for employed :) Maybe he wouldn't have to pay for all my stuff, but if he could just cover rent, that would help my financial situation quite a bit :) Nobody panic, I'm not in a super rush or ready to marry the first person who comes along. I'm just saying I love the French language and would love it to be a part of my daily life forever. I suppose it could be another language, Spanish or another one that I could learn at a later date. I just love bilingualism and multi-culturalism. This sort of leads me to my 5-year plan...
I keep reading all this stuff about picturing the life you want to lead and writing it down and all of that. Honestly, that's hard for me to do. My life has regularly taken turns that I would have never expected. I like to keep the future open but why not start to make a plan? As long as I stay open to changes, I think it's fine. So, here goes...
I see myself in France for at least the next two years. Ideally I'd get this Master's degree and then be able to work the 2nd year, but we'll see how that goes. After that, I'm not sure where I'll be, but I think I'd like to use my degree to help run and/or start a non-profit. I would like to do something helping women. It could be working for Planned Parenthood, HIV/AIDS education, health education, women's rights...something like that. Not sure exactly what yet, but I want it to allow me work with people from around the world, use my language skills, and travel.
In my personal life, I see myself with a family. There, I said it. I know for years I said I didn't want kids and marriage was optional, but I changed my mind. I would like to be married at some point in the next 5 years, and ideally I want kids before I get too old. I think the first one around 34 or 35 would be good. All of this is subject to change...just some ideas...
Okay, that's probably enough for today. I hope everyone is doing well.
I also got two pieces of good news this week. I have been accepted in the Master's program, so if I pass all my classes, which I'm sure I will, I will have a Master's in International Management. Sweet! Also, the whole schedule has been rearranged so that I can go to my mom's wedding in December. I may not end up going to Austin, but I will at least be in the US for a couple weeks, which makes phone calls really easy :)
Everything seems to be going really smoothly, which is nice. My days haven't been too boring really, and I always have the internet to keep me entertained during the day. I've also started running again...very slowly. When I first started running, I followed a plan to be able run 30 minutes without stopping at the end of 10 weeks. I'm doing that again. So, this week it's run 3 minutes, walk for 7 repeated 3 times. I used to be able to run an hour without stopping...now it's 3 minutes. Oh well. It's better than zero. For now, my knee isn't hurting too bad...fingers crossed. I also started trying to do some push-ups and stuff at home. Walking is great for losing weight, but I like my muscles and don't want to lose them.
I want a bilingual life. I'm loving being here so far for so many reasons, but that is one of them. Hence the need for the rich French husband. Okay, so I'd settle for employed :) Maybe he wouldn't have to pay for all my stuff, but if he could just cover rent, that would help my financial situation quite a bit :) Nobody panic, I'm not in a super rush or ready to marry the first person who comes along. I'm just saying I love the French language and would love it to be a part of my daily life forever. I suppose it could be another language, Spanish or another one that I could learn at a later date. I just love bilingualism and multi-culturalism. This sort of leads me to my 5-year plan...
I keep reading all this stuff about picturing the life you want to lead and writing it down and all of that. Honestly, that's hard for me to do. My life has regularly taken turns that I would have never expected. I like to keep the future open but why not start to make a plan? As long as I stay open to changes, I think it's fine. So, here goes...
I see myself in France for at least the next two years. Ideally I'd get this Master's degree and then be able to work the 2nd year, but we'll see how that goes. After that, I'm not sure where I'll be, but I think I'd like to use my degree to help run and/or start a non-profit. I would like to do something helping women. It could be working for Planned Parenthood, HIV/AIDS education, health education, women's rights...something like that. Not sure exactly what yet, but I want it to allow me work with people from around the world, use my language skills, and travel.
In my personal life, I see myself with a family. There, I said it. I know for years I said I didn't want kids and marriage was optional, but I changed my mind. I would like to be married at some point in the next 5 years, and ideally I want kids before I get too old. I think the first one around 34 or 35 would be good. All of this is subject to change...just some ideas...
Okay, that's probably enough for today. I hope everyone is doing well.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Two More Things
Not so important but are more everyday kind of details. First, I tried to go to an English night last night but couldn't find it. I ran into some Irish girls who I had met at the dorm when they were checking in. We were walking around a street that is like 6th Street in Austin, and I realized I am not only too old for 6th Street, I'm too old for any street that's purpose is purely drunkeness (expect for maybe Burbon Street, no one is ever too old for that). I also am not sure that I can go out with much younger exchange students. It's a totally different mentality. We can have a coffee, go for a walk, but maybe not go to bars. I need to find adults to hang out with. I've also seen a bunch of American students who are doing the same program I did here 9 years ago. They serve as a reminder of how much one can change in a decade. It's nice to see them, though. The innocence of arriving in a foreign country makes me smile.
Second, I have become a little OCD about keeping my dorm room clean. If I don't get a mop and a broom soon, I might freak out. I've contemplated stealing the toilet bowl brushes in the university bathrooms but decided that much like going out to drinking streets, I'm too old for that.
Second, I have become a little OCD about keeping my dorm room clean. If I don't get a mop and a broom soon, I might freak out. I've contemplated stealing the toilet bowl brushes in the university bathrooms but decided that much like going out to drinking streets, I'm too old for that.
Stuff
Don't really know what to write, but I somehow felt obligated to do so. I mean, I suppose that is the purpose of a blog. I did want to make one correction. My classmates' level of French isn't that low. It was clearly worse the first day than other days. Apparently, mine is still higher than I gave myself credit for, and everyone thinks I would have no problem passing the exam that would let me get into the university. That's good. Still waiting to find out about starting with the Master's. Should know next week.
So, yesterday wasn't a great day. I was feeling down about several things. In part, I was worrying about things that I shouldn't have worrying about. Money and time were two of them. I'm back to working on trusting that what I need will be there when I need it. I think it was also due in part to the fact that I spent a lot of time alone this week. I don't mind being alone, in fact it's good sometimes, but I really thrive on talking to people. Most of this week has consisted of sitting in class, walking around by myself, or being in my room.
Anywho, I'm feeling better now, and I got a ton of love yesterday. It was awesome. Just when I needed it, I was reminded that there are a lot of people who love me. In the last 48 hours, I have received calls from the US, France, and Oman plus several e-mails. Yay! Thanks, everyone!
Here are a few things about France and the French that I've been reminded of lately:
*Rules are flexible...this has its pros and cons. I mean, I got admitted for a certificate degree and may get to do a Master's instead. I suppose this could happen in the US, but it doesn't seem likely. I've learned that if I don't get the answer I want, I can just try to ask someone else. And if it still doesn't correspond to what I want, I can explain why what I want isn't a problem and makes perfect sense. It usually works.
*Organization is not at the top of the list of good qualites the French possess...my check-in at the dorm involved a bunch of people standing around in the lobby around a couple tables. There were all paper files, which were being sorted in boxes and file folders based on dorm location. Said boxes and folders were just sitting out on the desk. That, my French friends, is how papers get lost. Laptops, people, put it in an electronic database.
*I'm fatter here...I don't mean literally. I'm actually eating healthier and have walked at least 1 hour/day every day this week (usually 2-3). However, I tried on some bathing suits yesterday, and the one that came closest to fitting was a XXL. Excuse me? I know I have gained some weight back, but I haven't worn a XXL anything in a long, long time. So, I don't mean I weigh more, I mean by French standards, I'm bigger than by American standards. That being said, I would 10 times rather be a little overweight and happy with the person I am than skinny and still not like myself/my body. Take that, French ladies!
*French people have a weird thing with change...I have never been asked more in my life if I have exact change. I'd forgotten about that. I'm not sure why. I understand a lot of the culture here, but that's not one of the things I get. Furthermore, they don't like small coins. They make 1 and 2 cent pieces, but you can't really use them for anything. Nobody actually wants them. You have to save them up and force them on someone. And the stupid cashier at the grocery store is not helping. This is how the interaction went today (and was similar yesterday):
Her- Your total is 3.52.
Me- (I hand her a 5 euro bill, and she opens the till) Oh, I have 2 cents.
Her- It's too late. I opened the cash register.
Me- It's the same if I give you 2 cents. The total will be the same, I'll just have a 50 cent piece.
Her- (Blank stare)
Me- Nevermind. (Now I'm stuck with more of those damn coins that I can't use)
So, unless they do cash reconciliation that somehow includes the kind of change she should have in her till, I've decided she's not the brightest bulb in the box. And I have learned to make sure that I look for change before handing her the bills, even if it holds up the line. Ha!!
Ok, that's it for now. I shall step down from my soap box!
P.S. There's no spell check on this thing, so please forgive any typos/errors!
So, yesterday wasn't a great day. I was feeling down about several things. In part, I was worrying about things that I shouldn't have worrying about. Money and time were two of them. I'm back to working on trusting that what I need will be there when I need it. I think it was also due in part to the fact that I spent a lot of time alone this week. I don't mind being alone, in fact it's good sometimes, but I really thrive on talking to people. Most of this week has consisted of sitting in class, walking around by myself, or being in my room.
Anywho, I'm feeling better now, and I got a ton of love yesterday. It was awesome. Just when I needed it, I was reminded that there are a lot of people who love me. In the last 48 hours, I have received calls from the US, France, and Oman plus several e-mails. Yay! Thanks, everyone!
Here are a few things about France and the French that I've been reminded of lately:
*Rules are flexible...this has its pros and cons. I mean, I got admitted for a certificate degree and may get to do a Master's instead. I suppose this could happen in the US, but it doesn't seem likely. I've learned that if I don't get the answer I want, I can just try to ask someone else. And if it still doesn't correspond to what I want, I can explain why what I want isn't a problem and makes perfect sense. It usually works.
*Organization is not at the top of the list of good qualites the French possess...my check-in at the dorm involved a bunch of people standing around in the lobby around a couple tables. There were all paper files, which were being sorted in boxes and file folders based on dorm location. Said boxes and folders were just sitting out on the desk. That, my French friends, is how papers get lost. Laptops, people, put it in an electronic database.
*I'm fatter here...I don't mean literally. I'm actually eating healthier and have walked at least 1 hour/day every day this week (usually 2-3). However, I tried on some bathing suits yesterday, and the one that came closest to fitting was a XXL. Excuse me? I know I have gained some weight back, but I haven't worn a XXL anything in a long, long time. So, I don't mean I weigh more, I mean by French standards, I'm bigger than by American standards. That being said, I would 10 times rather be a little overweight and happy with the person I am than skinny and still not like myself/my body. Take that, French ladies!
*French people have a weird thing with change...I have never been asked more in my life if I have exact change. I'd forgotten about that. I'm not sure why. I understand a lot of the culture here, but that's not one of the things I get. Furthermore, they don't like small coins. They make 1 and 2 cent pieces, but you can't really use them for anything. Nobody actually wants them. You have to save them up and force them on someone. And the stupid cashier at the grocery store is not helping. This is how the interaction went today (and was similar yesterday):
Her- Your total is 3.52.
Me- (I hand her a 5 euro bill, and she opens the till) Oh, I have 2 cents.
Her- It's too late. I opened the cash register.
Me- It's the same if I give you 2 cents. The total will be the same, I'll just have a 50 cent piece.
Her- (Blank stare)
Me- Nevermind. (Now I'm stuck with more of those damn coins that I can't use)
So, unless they do cash reconciliation that somehow includes the kind of change she should have in her till, I've decided she's not the brightest bulb in the box. And I have learned to make sure that I look for change before handing her the bills, even if it holds up the line. Ha!!
Ok, that's it for now. I shall step down from my soap box!
P.S. There's no spell check on this thing, so please forgive any typos/errors!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I'm here!!!!
Well, I made it. The actual trip was pretty easy. No delays. No overbooked flights. Just a long day, but I managed to sleep during every leg of my journey, so not so bad. I used my 7 hour layover in Minneapolis to go the the Mall of America and watch the Time Traveller's Wife. It was just okay, but it was a good way to spend the afternoon.
I was greeted in Rennes by my friend Michelle. We met when I studied here in 2000-2001. We had a couple years in the middle where we lost touch, but thanks to Facebook, we've been reunited. I couldn't be happier. Due to a last minute change with the dorm room, I spent 4 nights with Michelle, and her lovely partner Nathalie. They are super cool and super nice, and it was a great way to ease into being here. Nothing helps jetlag like big meals and lots of alcohol :)
Monday morning, I made it into my dorm. I have a TON of shit to buy (it would have almost been cheaper to ship stuff), but other than that, I LOVE it! It's almost like a mini-efficiency. I have a shared kitchen, but I have my own mini-fridge in my room and a ton of book shelves and the smallest bathroom you've ever seen all to myself...think just a snooch bigger than an airplane bathroom but that includes a shower :) There was no kitchen stuff included though or bedding, so I've started buying things. I need to find a job to pay for all this crap...and of course my living expenses next year. I think I should make a French résumé and just start dropping it in the street, see who calls.
I started French class yesterday. There is a month of intensive French and then the regular classes and French. The level of the others is LOW! I may end up being exempted out of taking the French class somehow. I may also end up going for the Master's right away and still staying for a 2nd Master's next year. I'll know more soon.
On top of all the other good stuff, the weather has been beautiful!!! Highs have been in the 70's mostly, though yesterday it was almost 90. That still wasn't so bad, but I was making multiple trips with heavy suitcases and bags of stuff for the dorm. Still, I didn't feel like I was going to pass out like I sometimes did this summer at home.
In summary, as always, things are wonderful. This has been the smoothest start to a trip ever, and I'm really looking forward to starting a routine and starting my life here. Hooray!!
I was greeted in Rennes by my friend Michelle. We met when I studied here in 2000-2001. We had a couple years in the middle where we lost touch, but thanks to Facebook, we've been reunited. I couldn't be happier. Due to a last minute change with the dorm room, I spent 4 nights with Michelle, and her lovely partner Nathalie. They are super cool and super nice, and it was a great way to ease into being here. Nothing helps jetlag like big meals and lots of alcohol :)
Monday morning, I made it into my dorm. I have a TON of shit to buy (it would have almost been cheaper to ship stuff), but other than that, I LOVE it! It's almost like a mini-efficiency. I have a shared kitchen, but I have my own mini-fridge in my room and a ton of book shelves and the smallest bathroom you've ever seen all to myself...think just a snooch bigger than an airplane bathroom but that includes a shower :) There was no kitchen stuff included though or bedding, so I've started buying things. I need to find a job to pay for all this crap...and of course my living expenses next year. I think I should make a French résumé and just start dropping it in the street, see who calls.
I started French class yesterday. There is a month of intensive French and then the regular classes and French. The level of the others is LOW! I may end up being exempted out of taking the French class somehow. I may also end up going for the Master's right away and still staying for a 2nd Master's next year. I'll know more soon.
On top of all the other good stuff, the weather has been beautiful!!! Highs have been in the 70's mostly, though yesterday it was almost 90. That still wasn't so bad, but I was making multiple trips with heavy suitcases and bags of stuff for the dorm. Still, I didn't feel like I was going to pass out like I sometimes did this summer at home.
In summary, as always, things are wonderful. This has been the smoothest start to a trip ever, and I'm really looking forward to starting a routine and starting my life here. Hooray!!
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