Overall Experience

This France trip was a learning experience in more than the cultural way. I realized that I knew the language much more than I expected. I always thought that I spoke well because my teachers told me so, but I never thought that I was good enough for people to be surprised that I studied in the United States. In France people did not speak English to me and asked where I was from and complemented me on my skills. This trip gave me confidence in myself that I am a good speaker and that I can relate to other cultures. I found out that if I chose to live in France I could get along well. This trip also reinforced my love for languages and reminded me once again that languages are what I was made to do. I am glad that I changed my major to French and that I am getting a chance to do a French Master degree as well. Even though the course load was hard and at times I was frustrated with school, I feel that the learning that I did both inside and outside the classroom helped my overall cultural and language skills. I am looking forward to returning to France both as a student and as a professional.

C'est le temps de Paris!!!!

This past Thursday night was an adventure to be cherished. It was the last night in Montpellier. I was very sad, but at the same time very glad that we were finally going to begin our voyage through France. In any case, we went out that night to celebrate. We went out in the town until 1230 and then decided to go home. As we walked to the tram we noticed that there were no trams coming. We looked at the billboard and saw that the trams were canceled for the night because there was a strike. To me it is so funny because it becomes almost second nature to expect strikes when you are in France. People here take freedom speech very seriously. After we realized that there were no trams we had to walk to the house. I dropped two friends off and then I had to walk to my home without street lights and by a bunch of street people. Eventually I just took off my stilettos and ran home. It was an unnerving experience, but also a kind of interesting story to tell someone later. I eventually got home at about 2 in the morning and had to wake up at 640 in order to go to the train station. My host mother was amazing to me the entire time so Friday was a particularly sad day for both of us. She kept telling me that she could not believe that I was leaving and that she did not want me to go. When we got to the train station we said goodbye and to this moment I still think that after our trip I will come back to my home in Montpellier. I cannot believe that the next time that I will return here might be in the caliber of a French TA. I hope that I have the chance to come back because Montpellier is a city worth visiting and living in.

After we left Montpellier, we took a five hour train ride with all of our things to Bordeaux. This city is amazing in its architecture and the people are amazing. We visited the opera house and we went to the city hall where we were very well received. Later that evening we went to my professor’s in-laws for dinner. They made a lot of traditional French food for us and we had the chance to eat in the patio. After dinner we went back to the hotel to sleep and today we left for St Emilion, a beautiful wine village from the Middle Ages. In the town we went to underground wine cellars, a monolithic church, and St. Emillion’s Hermitage. It was amazing. I loved the vineyards and all of the architecture. Currently I am about to go to be in a quaint Paris hotel after a 4 hour speed train ride. I LOVE IT!

Wheel Chair Fun All Over Europe!!

This weekend has been by far the most interesting in the entire trip. This past Thursday we decided as a group to go to Barcelona. It was incredibly hard to find a hotel because there was a very important soccer game going and everyone was in Barcelona for it. We finally reserved a Holiday Inn Express outside of Barcelona in Molins de Rei. Friday morning I woke up about seven in the morning and took the tramp to Hector’s house in order to get him and his wheel chair to the main train station. We got on the bus and made it to the train station at about 1030. We grabbed some breakfast and rejoined our group. Our group was comprised of five girls and Hector, our resident temporarily handicapped guy. We got on to the TER train at 1130. We listened to music on the train and enjoyed seeing the sea go by. We made it to Port Bou which was the border between France and Spain. There we started reading signs in Spanish and Catalan. We passed the passport control very easily and got on the Spanish train. We took about six and a half hours to get to Barcelona and there is where the interesting wheel chair adventures begin. At the terminus stop of the Barcelona train Hector and three girls got off the train. My friend Edith was working on retrieving her suitcase while I wrestled with the wheel chair when the train door suddenly closed and the train started moving with us in it. We pushed the door open button and banged on the window, but it was useless. We were both trapped on the train going in the opposite direction along with two random backpacker guys. We eventually stopped and got off at a train station in a very shady neighborhood. I could not stop laughing because the situation was such an act of Karma because we had made fun of a group that got split up the same way we did. Eventually we made it back to the station wheel chair and all. We both decided that if our friend did not use the when chair after we had to wrestle it out of the train and up four flights of stairs, we were going to break his other foot. (We joked of course). After that we took a Taxi cab to the hotel where Hector, Edith, and I had to share a bed. It was interesting because I was the odd one out and had to sleep in the middle. It was interesting in every way that you look at it. The next morning after we helped Hector with his cast, we ate breakfast and decided to go to the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. We arrived and I was in awe of the beauty of the unfinished work. We went into the cathedral and were able to get a discount because of Hector’s wheel chair. After that we pretty much rolled Hector around the entire city, the Ramblas, the open air market, and by the street performers. After that day we became masters at carrying the wheel chair up and down stairs and escalators. The next day we spent at the beach. They day was interesting because of the culture shock that many people received. About twenty five percent of the women at the beach were topless. Many girls in our group were not used to that. I am open to it because I was born in Europe and that is part of my culture. In any case, we also had to use the wheel chair on the sand and help Hector into the ocean. Overall, I really appreciate the wheelchair accessibility in the United States. The last night we spent at a youth hostel called InOUt hostel located in the mountains of Barcelona. It was very nice, but up a very steep hill which we had to push the chair. I feel like I build a lot of muscles during this trip and learned the value of friendship. All of us came together to help a friend who was very kind and appreciative of us. I loved the relationships that we built that weekend.

Wheel Chair Fun

Today was an interesting day indeed. My friend Hector and I had some wheel chair adventures in Montpellier. We first went to the pharmacy to put down a deposit and to rent a wheel chair, but we soon found out that we needed 300 Euros to put down. We left the pharmacy, bought some food, and went back to school. Right after school we went back to the pharmacy and rented the wheelchair with the help of our professors and some program money. It was ok for us to use it since the deposit would be returned. To no surprise, the wheelchair helped Hector a great deal since his hands were hurting a lot from the crutches. Our next adventure was to go get some blood work done for Hector and then to go back to his house. I loved pushing his down the street as people looked at us strangely. I believe that in France people are not used to seeing people walking down the street with a wheel chair and therefore they stared. I have to agree however that Hector and I looked very funny walking and rolling down the street. It was quite hard to push sometimes, especially in the older neighborhoods, because many times the sidewalks tilted a good bit. This day made me appreciate how well the United States is equipped to accommodate people with disabilities. They difference with France is that they try to accommodate, but it is very difficult to do so in a city that is 1000 years old or even older. In any case, we got to his house and later on I went back to mine. Tomorrow I am going to meet with Hector at nine so that we can go meet the rest of our friends at the train station because we are going to Barcelona. I cannot wait to get a taste of Spain. I will write more wheelchair adventures after Barcelona.

More Drama in French Land

Sunday will always be engrained in my memory as a day of unexpected surprises and disappointments. The day started as a preplanned voyage to Nimes, an ancient roman city in which we planned to see the amphitheatre, a temple, and The Pont du Gard, a roman aqueduct. We took a forty minute bus trip with the same tour guide that took us canoeing. He is a very competent young man who is very knowledgeable about his history. Upon arriving in Nimes, we went to the roman gardens which still had the original underground spring supplying them with water. The garden was very Victorian in style because during the Victorian era people remodeled it to fit their idealized vision of beauty. After, we went to the amphitheatre. I can honestly say that I was very disappointed with the trip because there was going to be a rock concert in the arena that night and all I could see was scaffolding. Granted that is would have been amazing to go see Radiohead play in the roman ruins. The next site that we saw was the temple. Once we went into the temple I realized that it had been modified to be a 3D theater. I loved the movie that we saw, but I was disgusted with the fact that they tarnished a historical monument to show a movie about history. I would much rather seen the rock walls than a video about them. On a happier note, the Pont du Gard was the most breathtaking vision so far. We could see its symmetry and follow the course that water would take to reach the city. I am amazed at how a society in the first century could have built such an amazing functional piece of art. I took some beautiful pictures of the aqueduct and looked at it for what seemed like ages. After I saw the aqueduct my disappointment with the other ruins meant nothing.

This is where things get interesting…
After the Pont du Gard visit we began to make our way to the bus. Hector, a friend of mine, was walking along when all of a sudden he stepped into a divot in the road and fell flat on the ground. He was in pain, but he made it to the bus where he took of his shoe and rested his foot. After we got off the bus at the station in Montpellier, Hector could not walk. At that time most everyone had left and Abby, another friend, and I decided to help Hector home. He used us both as crutches until we reached a bus stop about five blocks away. I then walked to the taxi stop and got a taxi to take us home. Later that night Hector ended up in the hospital and the next day with a cast and crutches. On Monday afternoon we came to visit him and found him in very good spirits. He is the happiest sick person that I know. He is always looking for the bright side of things. Today Hector, his crutches, and I went for a hair cut. We took our time and eventually got there. I am glad that he is ok and that he is as positive as he is because I know that if it had been me, I would have been different. In any case, on Friday a ground of friends, Hector and I are leaving for Barcelona. We are hoping to find him a wheel chair and enjoy the ride.

Sometimes I wonder if things happen to me just because I am there. I am naturally accident prone, but some of the things that happen to me seem to be either very random or so ridiculous that most people do not believe them. Today was a very interesting day. We got together with a history-geograohy teacher here in Montpellier for a day of excursions. I say that he is a history-geography teache because in France these two subjects are combined into one because of the fact the you cannot teach one with out its relationship to the other. In any case, we decided to go see a 3000 year old burial cave that is quite secret to people even from Montpellier. Our guide told us that we were probably the first Americans to see the area because it is not in books and there is no trail to it. Even our guide friend has trouble finding it. Once we got up the mountain to a rock ledge, I decided to sit down on a rock which soon proved to be a bad idea. As I sat down on the rock it began to slide down the mountain. One of our French teachers yelled my name. I jumped off the rock and the rock proceded to land right on my thigh. The rock as about four feet long and three feet wide. As it hit my thigh it broke in two and left me pretty scratched up. The rock was calcite which broke easily and did not break my leg. Currenlty my leg is purple and swolen, but I do have a lovely memory. Aside from this drama, the trip lead to some wonderful historical encounters. After my accident was over, we climbed to a cave where ancient people would dump the ashes of their dead relatives. They believed that by returning the ashes deep under ground, they were returning the person to the earth. We saw the tunel where they left their bodies. Looking down the dark tunel and into the cavern reminded me of the path to death. Our guide told us that the tunnel eventually opened up to a cathedral like structure that also resembled a woman's woumb to the natives. He also said that even 3000 years after the fact, the cave smells like burned flesh. I think that it is amazing for me to see such a sacred site even if I almost broke my leg to see it.

Canoeing on the Lez River

I did not expect for me to go to France and canoe, but that must have been destiny for me. After the lovely experience that I had 0n the Green River in Prof. Caswell's class, I am glad that I had another chance to try out my skills. We began on the outdoor pursuits area of the University of Montpellier. We put our gear in dry containers and headed out on our big blue canoes. Many people from our group chose not to go because they believed that it would be a slow and borring four hour river ride, but they could not have been more wrong in their theory. About five minutes after we began, we encountered a rapid. The guide told us how to go and my partner Hector and I headed down the rapid. We were doing fine until we hit a rock and flipped our boat. The moment I hit the water I began to laugh uncontrolably because I was one of the only people to have ever canoed in the group and I so happened to be the one to flip. I am glad that we flipped because the water felt wonderful and the experience itself was wonderful. We hit about six rapids which were each progressively harder, but we made it trough all. Aside from the wonderful exitement of the rapids, the emerald color of the water and the villas on the shore kept my mind in wonder. I kept thinking of how this area must have looked 500 years ago when there was nothing but river and a few huts.

School and Life in General

Today was the first day of official school. Yesterday we only had one class because the other half of the day we went to the Office of International Relations and spoke to the vice mayor. We also had a wine and cheese dinner with our host families so that they could get to know the other students in our class. This morning I had to get up at 7 am and get ready. Our usual breakfast here in France consists of coffee or tea with French bread, jam, butter, and Nutella. I had tea with jam. I am not a coffee drinker. My host bother makes fresh bread for the next morning's breakfast. The apartment always smells really good because of it. Benoit, my host brother is a seventeen year old high school student that is more mature than most college students at Texas Tech. We always talk in French about politics and the world. We also watch the Simpsons in French because we are both enormous Simpsons fans. The humor in the Simpsons is almost the same with the exceptions of the French idiomatic expressions. I love it here. I think that I will do everything possible to move to France. It has always been my goal to live here, but even more so now that I know for sure how the life style is. There is a lack of stress and cars. The public transportation is excellent and I do not really care that the taxes are higher because the social services are very good. The gas is expensive, but one can live an entire lifetime here without using a car. I think that there are not as many pressures here as there are in the United States because people take time for themselves. I love it!

Random Outings

Last night I was up all night with my host mom talking politics and culture. We have a lot of fun together. The next morning I met with the class at the market. We walked around in the rain for a while and later we decided to split. I like being with two of my other friends because us three speak french fluently and the rest of the group has just began learning. We went all over the city without a map and found tons of little surprices. We saw ancient cathedrals as well chapels. We found quaint little streets and we also found a former chapel which currently is someone's residence. We are the only students who are going out and getting truly aquainted with the people. We also went to a book fair where I bought two books and spoke to their author. He autographed my book and told me that had a northern French accent. This has been the greatest complement that I could receive. Tomorrow will be the first day of school and in the afternoon we will go out for some more random outings without a map.

Off to France I Go!!

Today I left for France. We went to the airport at two in order to avoid Houston rush hour. My flight was supposed to leave at 640 but it was delayed to 740. We thought that we were going to miss our train from Paris to Montpellier, but that was not the case. The flight was calm and I realized that I finally got over my fear of flying. I slept for most of the flight and I can honestly say that I was pretty numb about the entire thing because there had been so much previous planning involved that I could not even picture my self in France. After we landed the next for of stress was the passport check. I was worried because I am not an American citizen, but I flew by the check no problems. Later, we picked up our luggage and literay ran to the SNCF train station where we fortunatly caught our train. On the train I sat next to my friend Edith and our prof Dr. Bains. We all slept a bit, but also looked at the beautiful scenery. It was amazing. I have never seen so much green and perfect farmland. There were little cottages at every corner and white cows congregated in groups. The train was amazingly fast. It was the TGV speed train. It took us three ours to go 445 miles. When we were about 30 minutes from out final destination, our train had to stop because there was a farmers protest. They were protesting the extremely high gas prices. Here they cost about 2 dollars a liter. Its is extremely high, but they have some very good public transportation. Once the police took care of the rioters, we got to the train station and met our families. I am staying with a really nice lady and her son. Her son and I share a love of the Simpsons. It is awesome. Tomorrow were are going on a tour of the city with her son and the rest of the people in our group. I am very excited to be here. We had a wonderful dinner and I got to take a bath. I cannot wait to get aquainted with everything. I am loving this already.

Packing

Well, I just got back from Green River and now I have two papers to write for CazMan (Kurt Caswell) and I have to pack. I am looking forward to the trip and to post pictures for alll to see.