Les Photos

I just put more pictures up online, and if you dont get an email, or forwarded by someone, follow this link please! and leave your email in the comments here so I can make sure to get them to you next time!











http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=vkth859.15n5zgut&x=0&h=1&y=-y3ghc9







That link should work, if not let me know.

Groses bises,
Chelsea

Quand les poules auront des dents.

So my subject line is what the French say if something is taking a long time. For example, Vero ordered her new portable (cell phone) online two weeks ago. The other day, it still hadn't come and we had this conversation.
Me: Quand est-ce que ton portable arrivera? (When's your cell phone getting here?)
Vero: Quand les poules auront des dents. (When the chicken have teeth.)

It was pretty hilarious, and Im sure I laughed an awkwardly long amount of time at her joke. Also, when kids talk a lot when theyre young, you say "Il/Elle parle comme un livre." (He/She talks like a book!)

I love idioms.

So this week has been pretty...well, loud for one. The petits-enfants were here and I only got three pictures of them, but I have some entertaining video that Ill be posting online tomorrow. Let me mention next week before I start on this week.

I had originally planned to go to Switzerland with my friend Gothy, but an oppurtunity presented itself, and I am now going to Barcelona, Spain with Gothy and my friend Julia. Also Carlos is coming as our translator. It should be fun, we've got quite a deal on housing/transportation, and we went to Carrefour to load up on non-essentials. It should be a very cost-conscientious trip, but also very entertaining. My camera is on it's last batteries (Energizer's here- not even lithium!- are an astronomical amount!) But anyway. So that's where Ill be next week. Because I am now officially on SPRING BREAK #1. Since we have two over here, which is always nice. My last class was at 8h30 this morning. The family left today for the bapteme- baptism- of the youngest grandchild- Agathe, daughter of Mathieu and Camille- in Versailles. Theyre coming back on Sunday, and Isabelle left me a detailed list of what she prepared for me to eat- reheating instructions, etc. So I plan on being online tomorrow and uploading some pictures- Grenoble, and the kids- to my online gallery and overall relaxing before my very very very long trip to Barcelona on Sunday.

Okay, so the kids were here this week. Boy, are they a handful. I loved them because they taught me things, but also was annoyed because they humiliated me.
That's right, I got corrected on my pronunciation by a four year old.
And yet, night after night, they made me read these petits histoires I had bought- little childrens books- to them over and over again.
Its funny, because I could just picture a tall foreigner slurring English words and trying to read a book to Tyler and Trinity, or Natalie and Lindsey. First of all, kids can barely keep still for longer than ten minutes, much less pay attention to slurred words and misplaced intonation.
So I got to the point where I made up my own stories that just so happened to match the pictures.
All was happy, and my humiliation eventually subsided, so all was well with the world.

We had an API meeting about travel safety because everyone's going somewhere for vacation. Over half of us to Spain, some to London, some to Prague and Munich. We're a travelling bunch.

Oh, so hide and seek here is Cache-Cache- I enjoyed many hours of that inside the house and out. And remember the game red light/green light? The French version is "Un, Deux, Trois, Soleil!" just so you know.

Oh and the cutest thing of all? One of the first nights the kids were here, I overheard Isabelle and Veronique saying a goodnight prayer with four year old Marine. They prayed and then Marine went into a list of everyone she wanted to bless. It went like this:
"(and God bless...) Maman et Papa, Clement et petite Agathe..."
"Puis?" -Isabelle
"Benidicte et Christophe, Grand-Maman et Grandpa... "
"Puis?"
"Veronique et Chelsea..."
"Puis?"
"et Maylis."

She got all the members of the family AND me. It was so nice, and really just a symbol of how genuinely caring this family is. I mean, really. I cant even express how much theyve done for me to make me feel welcome here. And I miss home, I do. I can hardly believe Ive been here for two months. But having this sense of a family here is something that is so special.

So anyway, not much excitement this week. Went out tonight with the girls, hence the update at 2 am my time. Hope everyone is doing well, and having a great time enjoying the weather- I heard it was a bit cool in Texas- we're back down in the 30s again, but reached the mid 40s last week! There was hope, but I think Im getting pretty used to the cold.

Anyway, as Ive been saying all week, Bonne Vacances! It was Em's birthday the other day- Bonne Anniversaire ma soeur!- and...yeah. That's about tout.

Groses bises,
Chelsea

The One Eyed Man is King in a world full of Blind People.

So I figured Id make you all happy and give you a few reasons to smile and laugh today. Just imagining me skiing should have done it, but now you are going to have the details of my skiing adventure. And what an adventure it was. Skiing is a humbling experience. Just because you've managed to survive twenty-odd years on this earth, have moderate success, haven't broken anything or managed to completely ruin something doesn't mean that things will just come easily. I imagined Id have a tough time in the beginning, maybe fall once or twice, but by the end of the day I imagined I would be skiing moderately fast down some tricky looking slopes, my hair flowing in the wind and a huge smile on my face. Well, some of that was true. I rented skis from this place called Decathalon. Hauling all your equipment is a feat in itself that should be recognized as an accomplishment. It was a gorgeous day- I have pictures!- and I wasnt thoroughly frozen until the end of the day. We get picked up on campus by this two-level charter bus that was incredibly fun to ride in around the tight corners and steep hills of the winding mountain roads. I was nervous that we were going to tumble over the sides of the mountains and crash into the small towns below. Gothy and I were surprised at the lack of snow on the way to the top of the mountain- and Megan informed us later that a lot of ski resorts manufacture their own snow. We haven't had a good snow since..the other week when I was so excited about it. Anyway, we went to a place called Sept-Laux. I learned that my level is debutante- I was saddened that there was no fancy dress or special dinner involved with the title- but that means very beginning. My instructor was Megan the Canadian, and although she could speak perfect English, was forced to instruct us in French because there were other people in our group that couldnt understand English. So we climbed and climbed in the bus, then got out of the bus and climbed in our bulky ski boats even higher with our skis hoisted on our shoulders. Once at the top, the debutantes were instructed to put on the skis and walk around a bit. I thought I was doing fine at that, and didnt fall once. I even managed to glisse a bit, and was feeling pretty proud of myself. Then we got on the lift. Truly, my favorite part of the day. The lift takes you about two thousand meters higher and the view is completely stunning. It was silent too, except for my laughter (I laugh in uncomfortable situations) and our overall nervous chatter. So we climbed higher and higher on the lift. We were instructed how to dismount (you get on by skiing and the chair scoops you up) and you dismount by standing up and letting the chair push you a bit and you ski out of the way because the chairs stop for no one. So I get excited and stand up on time, and then Carlos, my Venezuelan friend, falls. Not only does he fall, but he grabs me and pulls me down with him. So we're a pile of skis and the chairs are still coming and one hits me in the back. I am confused as to what to do so Im kind of stranded there and I can hear Gothy's laughter from many feet away. Some good Samiritan lifts me up by the jacket and drags me over to the side. So commences my day of falling. I eventually came to love it, though. If I was going down a slope too quickly, and I couldnt stop the way they told me to, I would throw myself Mission Impossible-style down the slope. And it would be kind of fun. I had snow in every place imaginable- and snow down your pants is hilariously fun. I also had trouble with this other lift. You take this plate thing thats connected to a pole thats connected to the lift and you put it between your legs. This lifts you to the top of the hill so you can ski down. Well, my instructor at the time was Pascal (who referred to me as his "etudiante extraordinaire" and said i had "beacoup d'emotion") who didn't speak a word of English. I couldnt really understand the instructions and attempted to sit down on the small thing, as if it was another chair lift. Well of course, I fell. And all the other guys hanging around have a good laugh. Afterwards, I finally managed to understand how the lift worked and made it to the top. Pascal was behind me screaming something in French- something like "Dont let go yet!" and I , of course, had already let go. So I reach for the plate thing again, got an amazing amount of speed, and went straight over this tiny hill headed straight for a group of small children. So, of course, I threw myself down on the ground. I finally managed to make it to the top of the hill- just to ski down at an incredible vitesse (speed) and fall. It was fun though and my new goal in life is to become a professional skiier. No, really, just to be able to stand for longer than six minutes.

Another demoralizing thing about the whole experience were the children. The kids who seemed to have come from the womb with skiis on their feet and an inane knowledge of slopes and snow. They would dart around you from all directions, and to avoid hitting a standing group of them, you basically had to throw yourself down at their feet. Offer yourself to them, body and soul, if you will.

It was like those kids at the skating rink that are five or six years old and doing pirouettes and things like that, but even more humiliating because youre in the French Alps and have never seen much snow before, much less skiied, much less understand all the instructions that theyre giving you.

I was a bit sunburnt after it all, but I survived. And Im eager to go back again. I was that great kind of exhausted when I got home. I felt as if I had really accomplished something and was pushing my boundaries. Maybe next time, Ill go for a full day.

Or maybe not.

So the next morning I woke up at 545am to go to Avignon. I cant decide which purse to take and end up leaving my camera. My friend Ashley was nice enough to take pictures and let me copy them to my computer, so I have them and whenever I upload pictures again, I will definitely have some cool ones. The train ride to Avignon was about 3 hours. Avignon is a medieval city that was kind of the Pope's home away from home for the reign of six Popes. It was it's own country, like the Vatican- and whenever you referred to Avignon you had to use the preposition "en" which is reserved for countries, and not "a" which refers to cities. We had a student tour guide, Celine, who was friendly and outgoing. The streets are mostly cobbled and very close together. The Palais des Papes was huge! and we only toured 40% of it. It's a huge medieval fortress and I felt like I was right out of Hamlet when we toured it. I kept looking for Ophelia. Also, every summer there is a festival where different troupes from around the world present their "spectacles", or plays. Apparently, theyre really modern now and kind of strange, so says my host family, but Id love to see Avignon in the summer. I did see the pont- what very little bit is left of it- and the gardens around the Palais and the church were beautiful. I saw a nun, too, and that was fun. I got to use my Art History knowledge and its so wonderful seeing these things in textbooks literally come to life. Amazing.

So, as a combination of all that, I became sick again. I think the kiwis and the Claritin are helping me get over it (once again) and my Aleve is aleviating (ha) the soreness from skiing. I really am eager to go again. Valentine's Day was fun- I got my card from the Family last night and it made me SO HAPPY that I shed a tear or two. I showed my entire host family and they thought it was sweet, too. Valentines isnt that big over here, but I did get my host mom a bouquet of purple tulips that were just beautiful. My friend, the only guy in the group, fell off a bridge on Valentine's Day and is in the hospital. I went to visit him and now have French hospital stories, but that's for another time. The petits-enfants, the grandkids, are here for a week. Two of them- Clement and Marine all the way from Toulouse. They come up to my knees and make as much noise as a Mardi Gras parade, but they are delightful. Im happy that theyre here and they each gave me two kisses hello, goodnight, and goodbye this morning. Adorable. I think Marine is about 4 and Clement 3, but Im a bad estimator of children's ages and I feel bad asking because I feel like it's something I should already know. When I first got home last night, they occupied themselves for about an hour sneaking into my room, screaming, and then running back out. Marine has this pink plastic iron and she would randomly come in my room and iron things, too. It was really cute, but man, are they loud.

Although, I can understand their French almost perfectly. Ha.

And the woman at the hospital said I had a good accent, even if I am from Texas. So that made me happy as well.

Oh, and the kebab guys at Oasis love me. I brought them a lot of business the other day and they gave me free food. Ah, the humanity.

Grenoble has been rainy the past couple of days. Ive gotten some amazing pictures out of it though. The mountains turn almost black, and the snow glows a bright white against them, and the clouds are so incredibly low you feel as if you could touch them. The rain is different too. Constant, and gentle, no big storms yet. No crashing thunder or lightning, just constant rain.

Anyway, so that's about all I have for now.

Groses bises,

Chelsea

I love those billboards that say in big block letters: Watch This Space.

I promise a thorough update on Thursday. I went skiing, I am still alive. I may have broken a few bones in my face I was laughing so hard, and I have a bruise the size of the palm of my hand in a not-so-convenient place, but it was fun and I have a new goal- to conquer faire du ski. You would think it'd be easy, but it's not. It's downright hilarious, and I got hit so many times by chairs, snow, and other skiers. And everyone was right- snow is not your friend, and it hurts. Hurts like hell when you hit it going God-knows-how-many miles per hour. "Just fall!" they say. "Just fall!"

Just fall.
And that's about all I did.

Saturday we went to Avignon. I saw the Pont and learned the song. I saw the Palais des Papes and the church and the gardens. I experienced the wind of the "windy city" of France. Its a medieval city and everything important is so close to each other. It was nice.

And as a result of the cold snow, the wind, and a lot of activity, I am sick. Once again. And sick on Valentine's Day is not the most fun thing in the world. Im a bit homesick today and miss my friends and family. So I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines.
Last year, my Valentine was Austin (a la Carrie in Sex and the City) This year, my Valentine is Grenoble. And what a treat she gave me this morning when, as I walked to the bus stop, I was greeted by the sun rising over BellDonne, tinging the peaks a delicate pink. Its not extremely cold today, and I couldnt ask for a clearer sky.
And also, I got chocolates in my class. And did you know in China they have a day for single people? Like Valentines but only if youre single? Yeah. And my professor asked the Chinese kids in our class what they did to celebrate and one boy answered with "Pleurer." (Cry)
It was freakin' hilarious.

Groses bises et une bonne journee
Chelsea

The ground thaws....

I am officially going skiing tomorrow. Everyone say a prayer for me on the slopes. Ill be going to class, and then going for a half day at a mountain called Sept Laux. I bought my pass today, and Im borrowing pants from a friend. That saved me about thirty Euros. Im halfway excited, but very nervous as well. So, we'll see how it goes. It's only half a day, so I figure I can handle it.

Then Saturday morning, a taxi is picking me up at 6h30 to make the train to Avignon at 7h17. We will spend the whole day there and return in the evening. Im excited to see the Pont d'Avignon (yes, it is a French children's song that Ive yet to hear the tune to but have the lyrics) and the Palais des Papes. It's supposed to be fantastic and I should have some more pictures soon.

Life is going as usual. My host dad is still sick and now the diagnosis is that it's not a kidney stone, but something with his pancreas. So he's been absent from dinner, and my family has been absent minded. It's kind of an awkward situation, and Im not sure what to do.
My hair is growing out. I want to get it long before I get back.

Gothy and I went to the art museum here. It's gorgeous, and huge, and much cooler than I thought it was going to be. We spent a long time in there, and we didnt even see all of it. Its great, and I plan on going back.

Let's see. Class is going fine, Im enjoying all of them. Every night I have about an hour's worth of homework. I had extra time so I read a book- its called A Year In The Merde and its by Stephen Clarke. He's a British comedy writer, and the style was pretty simple, even crude, but there were some things in there so completely true about the French culture. It's pretty funny. I want to read more books, but like I said, every book I read in English feels like Im cheating myself out of something. I don't know.

Ive been out a few times and had some great tasting wine. And the Irish pub that Gothy lives over is nice as well. So if we ever want to watch a football match, we can go in there.

The Olympic Flame came through Grenoble on Monday. I saw the man running (very slowly because he was old) and it was exciting. He was followed by the other Olympians IN A VAN. In a VAN. I thought that was pretty humorous as well. It's on its way to Torrino. That was pretty exciting.

My dinners are still surprisingly delicious. Ive fallen in love with a smooth cheese thats almost liquid. Oh, its yummy.

Hopefully, this weekend will be fun and skiing won't kill me.
Just kidding!

Groses bises, :)
Chelsea

The Friend Jumps In The Hole.

I tried Roquefort. And now, its my second favorite cheese ever. It's spicy and very, very forte (strong) but I love it.

So Benie left this morning, around seven, so I didnt get to say goodbye, which was sad. But I think Ill see her when I go to the christening of the youngest grandchild in Versailles at the end of this month. I actually woke up quite early for a day off and was able to have some time to myself before I left the house.

Today is La Chandeleur- the day of the crepes in France. It all goes back to medieval Rome or something when the Pope would hand out round cakes to his congregation in Rome. There'd be a processional, millions of candles and it was a beautiful ceremony.
The day can also be traced back to agricultural societies in early France who would celebrate the end of winter with a celebration- L'Espoir du Printemps- the hope of spring. So all around France people make crepes and consume them. There are certain rules to keep in mind as well, for bonheur in your life, and not malheur. You must eat crepes with your family or friends, not alone. You cannot let a crepe touch the ground when making it. Your first crepe of the day must be a chicken crepe. Different regions of France make different types of crepes, too. In the North, its the standard crepe. In the West, they make gauffres- waffles. In the south, it's beignets. In Marseille, its little cakes in the shapes of boats called nevettes. Here in Grenoble, they make beignets but they call them something else, and I wish I had my class notes with me so I could tell you exactly what theyre called. But theyre like beignets, but smaller. Which means you can eat more without thinking twice.

So Im looking forward to our fete this evening. Not much else has been going on. The movie theater I went to was lovely, The Nef, but it couldn't help the movie I saw at all, which I will not even dignify with the title or description. Suffice it to say, a strongly worded letter to Woody Allen is in order.

Class is going fine, and I think Im just going to stay where I am and ask for extra work every now and again. I really enjoy our class- and in Art History yesterday we were listening to the music of Louis XIV's court, and our professor showed us a dance and many students (not me, unfortunately) got up and performed it. She's my favorite professor, and we also talked about Chardin, whom is an artist I am familiar with and enjoy.

I also learned a lesson with the public transit system in this city, but am happy I figured it out and solved it all on my own and in French.
Good times.

Oh, and my host sister made fun of me yesterday at dinner because she said something and it was silent, and she says, in her heavily accented English, "Nnn-eee-wayyzzzz" for "anyways" which apparently, I constantly say. And then she said "Good Timez" and it was even more hilarious.
Whatever. :)

So, toute a l'heure, and everyone eat a crepe today! (Warm some Nutella and bananas for the inside, and you have yourself a little slice of Heaven.)
Chelsea