Posted by Gabrielle on Jun 8, 2009 in
Links 28/05/2009-29/05/2009
So we left this morning at 8AM sharp and arrived in Paris around 2 or 3PM. We slept the entire way because we knew Paris was going to “start” as soon as we got there. My initial reaction to Paris was “NEW YORK CITY! But with much more history, art, design, and general European flavor”. We were greeted with beautiful statues and monuments and herds of well-dressed people on foot, on bike, and scooters. After getting settled into a hotel room, our group set out for a stroll through the city. My words would certainly not do the city any justice, so I hope the pictures can at least make an honest attempt. We got to see the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. What a marvel it is that MAN, could build such an immense structure sooooo long ago. Across the street was an old fashioned carousel. I couldn’t resist and all the girls(Linda,Mary,Britney, and myself) hopped on for a ride. As we made our way back to the hotel, Dr. Stribling pointed out some of the main attractions, such as the bridges and art museums. Then we got a nice introduction to the metro system-quite possibly the king of all public transportation systems.I THOUGHT I could read a metro map because I’m familiar with the light-rail system(growing up in Baltimore). Well, I was wrong…and I was VERY confused. It would be a headache for me to explain the metro system in a blog but I will sum it up….many lines=many stops= different colors=could be RER=hurry hurry=go here, no wait, go there=get in before the door closes=this is our stop…I think=oh look, we’re here after all!
Our second day in Paris, the group headed to Sacre Coeur, one of the most recognizable churches in Paris. It sits at the top of a hill overlooking the city. It also slightly ressembles the Taj Mahal. As part of her class, Jessica made a presentation on the site. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but accented with beggars and souvenir hustlers. That was one of the first things are instructors warned us about. Thus, we kept our purses and bags close to us and an eye on strangers. After exploring the church, we walked around Montmartre- a neighborhood famous for it’s painters and singers, such as Edith Piaf, who would sing in the streets. Then, we got on the Metro and got off at the Saint Martin stop. A small group of us went to the Cluny Museum, the largest museum for the Middle Ages. My favorite part was La Dame et L’unicorne tapisserie= the lady and the unicorn tapestry. Luckily, we got to hear a curator discuss the tapestries to a group of school children. From what I understood, the five tapistries represent the five senses. There is alot of symbolism in the works which alludes to some mystery. The highlight came when my camera flash went off, and I got the dirty looks of a room full of French people. Afterwards, we visited Saint Chappelle and Notre Dame cathedral. St. Chappelle was the original cathedral that held the relics from the Passion(Jesus’ crown of thorns, nails, etc.). Furthermore, it is known for its stained glass windows which depict all the scenes from the Bible. The windows are enormous, so you just grab a chair, a guide that tells you how to read the windows, and just sit in awe. Compared to this, Notre Dame did not reach my expectations. I expected grandeur. However, the most compelling part of Notre Dame(besides its exterier, belltower,etc…); is its history. I did not know that Notre Dame was in danger of being condemned until Victor Huge saved it and hired men to make renovations. After taking a tour, I bought a rosary to have blessed for my co-worker. Jenny and I waited for about 45 minutes to see a priest-rehearsing our request in French. I feel guilty for wanting the person ahead of us to expedite his confession. We did not get to see the priest BUT he did meet a nice couple from Iowa. Finding Americans in these parts in not uncommon, but the feeling is similiar to finding a dress you adore but its not your size, and then by fluke you find the dress IN YOUR SIZE on a totally random rack. You give up hope, but then VOILA! We had a quick lunch and then walked over to the Louvre. Now here, words cannot do the most magnificent museum-justice. If your reading this blog, and you have not been…you need to go. What I do suggest is reading up on art beforehand. You will appreciate it so much. It will be like listening to the Beatles all your life and then finally getting to see them in person. I’m sure if I had done some more research, I may have cried like the Venus de Milo was Elvis.
Tags: france09, tncis09
Posted by Gabrielle on Jun 8, 2009 in
Links 27/05/2009
Today is our last day in Cherbourg. We had class as usual(4 hours) BUT it went by quickly as usual because we just had series of conversations based on different prompts from our book. For our final exam, our class had to keep up a 15-20 minute conversation in French about topics like cultural differences, food, the program. It went particularly well because we helped each other out, especially when we were stuck on a word or phrase. We talked the most about food and how delicious the croque monsieurs were, ALTHOUGH they are simply glorified ham and cheese sandwiches. I talked about the lack of personal space in France. For instance, the people here get very close to you when you speak HOWEVER you rarely see the French hug one another. I also commented that the French do not use the language barrier as an excuse to be rude to us, BUT they are more welcoming when they recognize our efforts to speak their language. This made me consider our own culture wherein we EXPECT foreigners to know our language before setting foot on our soil and how upset we get when they don’t use english. There are a few times wherein we will try to speak their language to help them, but for the most part, Americans act offended when they hear different languages. I am disappointed by this and find this to be condusive to the idea that Americans are egotistical and narrow-minded. On the positive side, this can be corrected by introducing younger generations to experiences that promote diversity…such as this! In order to understand yourself(or in this case, your culture) better, you must be on the outside looking in. Hopefully, others will see the merit in experiences like this and pursue them. YAY! STUDY ABROAD! Anywho, after taking the final, it was a mad dash to pack up and clean our rooms. Our bus for Paris was leaving at 7AM sharp. My method for packing was sitting on my suitcase as I zipped it up-THAT is how stuffed I was with cookies, wine, and winter clothes! Jenny, Becca,Amryn,Courtney, and I went out for dinner. We dined at quite possibly the ritziest restaurant in town—Sarcozy and Obama worthy….Oncle Scott’s County Restaurant! And it was a hoot! Situated in the heart of Cherbourg’s shopping district, Oncle Scott’s restaurant offers the finest burger plates, fries, and baked potatoes(overflowing with mounds of sour cream). Our server(whose real name was probably NOT Eric) was dressed in a cowboy hat, shirt, and boots. He was wonderful and the food was MMmmMMmm Texas Roadhouse-esque. And the best part? The owner..my uncle Scott…lives in Vicksburg, Virginia. What an ideal location to start a franchise, huh?! We left the restaurant and headed home, but stopped in a really cool looking bar called PAZ. The dazzle was short lived because we were the only ones in there and the bartender was playing some super cheesy house music. All in all, it was another good chuckle. We arrived back at the Institut to Britney’s French family. It was quite the fete, and oddly, I had some really deep talks with some of the Frenchies. One talk was about nuclear pollution- I was wearing an anti-pollution shirt and Cyrielle(Cocoa Puff) struck up a conversation with me about it. Basically, she believe in the message of my shirt, but could not support it because her family worked in that industry. Without the nuclear power industry, many people would be unemployed-it is the backbone of their economy. The organization that I bought the shirt from(GreenPeace) is not popular in France, for that very reason. I found this most interesting because Ive seen so many efforts towards achieving global sustainability- I figured the younger generations would support organizations such as GreenPeace. But much like our own American society, we follow the lead of our elders, including their industries. However, as much as I understand, and can somewhat relate, I do hope they pursue possibilities in alternative energy&fuel sources.
The night was bittersweet. We did not want to leave our newfound friends and cozy town of Cherbourg BUT we were so eager to get to Paris…the city of lights. For once I am thankful for social networking sites like Facebook. We will keep in touch, and ideally we will communicate in French. I hate goodbyes, but they must be said. It helped a little that we were rushing to make it to our bus on time. And so, instead of Au Revoir, I will say A Bientot(Until next time)!
Tags: france09, tncis09
Posted by Gabrielle on Jun 8, 2009 in
Links 25/05/2009
So who would’ve thought that an old municipal rubbish dump could be transformed into a floral park? Today we travelled to Caen(close to a 2-hour drive from Cherbourg) and our first stop was the Parc Floral de la Colline aux Oiseaux. The park is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of D-Day and features themed gardens. We came on a beautiful day(one of very very few!) And what was the most memorable part of les jardins? Britney hugging a plant! Our next stop was the center of the city. There, we had lunch with Celine, one of Britney’s friends that she hosted through the Sports Exchange Program. Celine visited us in Cherbourg shortly after our arrival, and showed us around town. She also took us to her parents home in the Hague–right on the coast where you can see wild horses scoured among the hills. One of my favorite parts about going to visit her parents was the fact that the only english they knew was “Come Aboard!” because their house is nautical themed.They were quite welcoming and they kindly chuckled at our attempts to communicate with them in French. By the way, Celine is basically American. Not only is her English superb, but she knows every word to “Rocky Top”. I don’t even know the first 5 five words to “Rocky Top”. Besides being in shock by her near perfect English, Celine surprised me with her sense of humor. I tended to write the French off as very serious and solemn. Celine, however, is one of the most animated people I have ever met. Her personality is so colorful and bold, I could seriously see her fitting into American culture very well. I’m not saying ALL French people are cold and introverts, but they are more on the quiet and reserved side. Le petit dejeuner(lunch) was wonderful- I ordered a formule with fish and veggies (a formule is your choice of an appetizer or dessert with entree and drink for a good price). After lunch, we went to the castle of William the Conqueror. The rain became a downpour and we rushed to the Women’s Abbey, which William had built(between 1060&1080)along with a men’s abbey on the opposite side of town) to legitimize his power because he was born a bastard. We received a full tour of the abbey including its Holy Trinity Abbey Church- a masterpiece of Romanesque Norman art. There is this jaw-dropping painting on the half-dome arch of the Virgin’s Assumption which dates back to the early 18th Century. Our group also got to go down in the crypt(added in the 11th century). The abbey was our last site in Caen and sadly we had to return to Cherbourg….
Tags: france09, tncis09
Posted by Gabrielle on Jun 8, 2009 in
Links 23/05/2009-24/05/2009
For our free weekend, I planned(like many others in our group) to take a weekend trip to a neighboring city. I had my heart set on going to Versailles(the most incredibly decadent palace to date) because it was not included in our excursions. Jenny, Amryn, Becca, Courtney, and I researched train fare, hostel prices, and admission to Versailles. We were all ready to hop the next train until we found out that all the hotels and hostels were booked. It was a bad weekend because the French were celebrating the Ascension of Mary. France is heavily populated with Catholics, so besides school closings, basically entire towns were closing their doors early. Plus, it didn’t help that we thought we could book a room with a day’s notice. We ended up staying in Cherbourg, and I am somewhat please with out little “dilemma”. We got to explore Cherbourg on our own(mainly for shopping purposes) and really practiced our French. In a way, I felt like I was using a solid 8 chapters of my french book- hitting topics from “how to order lunch” to “how to find something in a boutique” to “how to send a postcard” and finally “how to find a movie listing”…. We really bonded and I’m excited to make new friends that I will definately keep in touch with after the end of this trip. Oh and ALAS! I caught up on much needed sleep!
Tags: france09, tncis09
Posted by Gabrielle on Jun 8, 2009 in
Links 22/05/2009
Last night/this morning, around 2:30AM, I was awakened by a knock on my door. I had been working on my presentation for class all night and had just laid down, maybe 10 minutes earlier. It was Britney, probably the most American girl in France(and proud of it! she would add). Britney had a bad dream and believe our dormitory was haunted. Ofcourse, where we are staying IS Napolean’s miliary hospital. We had a nice little slumber party, though we couldnt get to sleep until 4Am and we had class at 8:30!
My assignment for my Conversation in French class was to research a church in Cherbourg and make a 10 minute presentation about it in French. Honestly, this may be one of my favorite “projects” I’ve ever worked on in French. The research aspect was interesting because we had to use 100% french websites(no wikipedia) and translate as we went along. I got so used to it, I was able to write my notes in French and form them into presentation form. Then, we had to locate the parish and on the day of the presentation, get our class from point A(the institute where we reside) to point B(the church). That meant we had to use our skills with the map and reading bus schedules. That was the focus of our first week of class: learning to navigate; giving and receiving directions, etc. My church was L’eglise de Saint Martin, located in the butte of Cherbourg-Octeville. My teacher helped me a little with deciphering the bus route, and from there, I was on my own. At one point, Madame Hayes said, “now you understand the pressure of “la responsable”. I was soo nervous about misleading my group and getting lost in the city, BUT I survived and we arrived without any trouble. My church was the most simple of all we visited. Built in 1160, the architecture is romanesque with its low ceilings and dim lighting. On the exterior, there are zodiac symbols, carved in stone on one of the sides. I did not find much information regarding those symbols, but I would like to know more. After we finished presentations, we took the bus to our school cafeteria. The food is delicious, especially the staple BREAD AND CHEESE(la pain et le fromage). Oh and I must not forget, the chocolate mousse. Ofcourse, there were some things that looked and smelled “unique”, but I wasnt going to be tied down to fries and steak hache(burger). I tried something new each day, and ended up liking alot of it. Several of the other students had the same idea and started getting out of their comfort zone. After all, why would you travel thousands of miles to feel like you were right at home?
Tags: france09, tncis09
Posted by Gabrielle on Jun 8, 2009 in
Links 21/05/2009
Today we left our cozy hostel in Saint Malo for Les Avranches. The night before, most of our group walked down to the beach. There were a great deal of teens from the hostel jumping in the water and horsing around in the sand. It was such a perfect ending to a long day of climbing and exploring MSM. I don’t think I was the only one worn out from that hike. There were so many architectural nooks and crannies to get into, how could you resist dipping away into an alley between Madame Poulard’s and the creperie? The cobble stone “street” was packed with tourists-young, old, french,german, asian, texan(we ran into a group of students from texas once before at the bayeaux tapestry).The story of MSM;s construction is quite interesting: the arch angel Michael appeared in the dreams of Bishop Aubert a few times before he finally built the church on the exact spot that the angel had wanted. Legend has it that the half-dollar size hole in Bishop Auberts skull(kept as a relic in a basilica in Avranche) is where the angel Michael had tapped him on the temple. The next day, after spending the morning in St.Malo- shopping and wondering up at the “parapluies”(umbrellas) strewn up on lines from building to building, we stopped in Avranche from lunch. A small group of us woofed down our Croque Monsieur(the ultimate ham and cheese grilled sammie) to find the basilica with the skull of Bishop Aubert. We found the church and explored the room filled with relics. In the front was the skull-housed in a glass and gold display. Our awe was short lived after someone started discussing the “truth” behind the myth of the hole in the skull. Scientists suspect the hole was a result of a tumor growing from the inside out. My awe was quieted and I was somewhat upset that science has a way of dampening belief in the “spiritual supernatural”…However, in this region, where there is such a heavy Catholic population, I dont think these “new findings” make any threat to their beliefs.
1/2 of the group at dinner during our hostel stay
The other half of our group
Carousel in St.Malo
Tags: france09, tncis09