A song a thousand miles long.

Well, nothing as exciting as the last update has happened yet. This past weekend was stunningly beautiful. It was great to be able to wear short sleeves and jeans and lounge around in the sun. The sun! I even got a bit pink, and Im so excited. Before I came to Grenoble, I (mistakenly) thought it'd be winter until May. Well, I was wrong. And I can't recall a time when Ive been so happy to be wrong.
The skies were blue, the mountains clear, the temperature perfect.
There's a jazz festival going on right now in Grenoble. Laura, Gothy and I climbed to the top of the Bastille Saturday to watch a band play. It was so relaxed and fun- just a bunch of people at the top of the Bastille listening to music. Amazing. Reminded me of Austin.
The other day I was in the car with Isabelle, my host mom, and I saw the first few wildflowers poking their petals out of the ground. I immediately thought of bluebonnet covered fields next to the highway and Indian paintbrush, etc. Spring is arriving- slowly but surely.
And with that, comes the rain. It rained again this morning, but Im always happy to see it because then I can wear my pink American Eagle galoshes. They were bulky in my suitcase and took up a ton of space, but now Im finally glad I did it. Even if I do get a few strange looks from the color-less Frenchmen.
Im excited to go to Nice next weekend (April 7th). Nice and Monaco. I hope the weather stays perfect- or warmer. I could handle warmer.
I would definitely enjoy warmer.
Im proud of my walk I took on Sunday with Laura. It lasted two and a half hours and I now feel as if I could describe myself as "sporty," "sportive" if you will, in French. I am loving the outdoors right now- it was pure heaven to sit outside and finish my book the other day- and am currently scouting camping locations in the South of France for the 5/6 of May. Time is flying by- April, deja! Mais, non!- and it's just crazy. I can't even clearly articulate it.
It's just crazy. This entire experience.
And some things are so entirely similar. Such as, Veronique drove home the other day from her friend's house. The way Isabelle clutched the door handle, and murmured prayers and gave instructions in a voice that was entirely not her own- I thought of Mom or Dad with Kaitlin at the wheel, when she first began to drive.
And then I thought of India's early driving career (I specified early) when we were all hanging on for dear life.
It wasn't quite like that, but it was all so similar. And Veronique watched Grease the other day and is now singing it all the time. It was fun to try and explain how "Do-wop" and words like that don't really mean anything.
They just sound cool.
And of course, that was met with a puzzled expression as well.

Last night we watched The Wizard Of Oz together. Thank you Tante and Phil! It was so funny- I can't recall at what age I was when I first watched it, but it was always magical to me. I told Vero that it was an American classic and she just had to watch it. So we watched it- dubbed in French with English subtitles. It was great, and Im pretty sure she enjoyed it. I hope so.

Class is going fine. Today is a HUGE day of strikes for France- I think I overheard even the airports. Yet, I still have class. Half the country may be closed down, but I still have class. Tonight Vero is going to help me dye my hair. That should be a bonding experience.

Nothing else is really new. I hope everyone is well. And I promise photos soon.
Bisous,
Chelsea

To the ends of the earth...

So, the long awaited update we've all been waiting for. I hope you get it, as I am in the school computer lab- which is surprisingly open- and who knows who may make me move from my computer. It's anarchy in here at all times because if there are no open computers, you can just tell someone their time's up and to leave. Could you imagine how many fights that would start in America? Anyway. I mention surprisingly because the French students are still on strike. There's a huge manifestation downtown today and I hear there will be a national one next Tuesday. The students here think it's May 1968 again- and lots of older French people- including my professor and entire host family- think it's absolutely ridiculous.
Which, Im sure, their parents told them in May of 68.
The other day on campus I received a flyer that represented the views of the students who are opposed to all the striking. Not exactly opposed to the reasoning, just opposed to the fact that the others are denying them their education. And I thought, if I was a French student, that'd be me. Id be the one at the counter-rally, rallying to be let back INTO the school.
But then again, my education isn't free.
So, anyways. Campus is like a ghost town most of the time with only the foreign students milling around.

Today was utterly goregeous, though. It's probably 65 degrees outside- can you believe it?!- and there are only a few threatening rain clouds hovering near the tops of the mountains. It's been pouring every afternoon- and yesterday the wind broke my umbrella. I was walking home from the bus stop in the rain and a gust came through and turned it inside out, breaking three of the little poles inside. Such a shame, too, because everyone kept mistaking my four dollar Wal-Mart "Monet" umbrella as one from the Louvre. And I've been letting everyone believe it.

So I guess I should fill everyone in on the happenings of the past couple of weeks. For our third API excursion we travelled into the heart of French wine country- Beaune. It was our first overnight excursion- and we had the cutest hotel. Gothy was my roomate and our first room was practically in the attic. The smallest room at the top of the tallest tower of the tallest castle...haha. I said it was like A Little Princess when Sara Crewe and her friend were confined to the attic. Humorous on multiple levels. So anyway, we exchanged rooms with some friends and got an even better room not so far away from everyone. We took a sight-seeing trip around Beaune- the city center- which lasted maybe twenty minutes. We went to the convent-turned-hospital building that I'd seen in the movie we watched that took place in Beaune. I promise to have exact titles and names of places in the next entry- I left my journal at home! It was extremely funny because they had these life sized wax nuns all over the place. Watching the empty hospital beds, in the apothecary, and, my personal favorite, in the kitchen. There they were, decked out in their wimples, and there was a sign on the wall that said "Every 15 minutes there is a sound and light show." Let me tell you, the sign was more exciting than the show, because we just loved imagining all these wax nuns dancing to some disco number as a ball descended from the wooden rafters. But no, it was more like recorded nuns singing hyms and a benign little story in French like "Watch as Sister Mary Martha cuts the potatoes for dinner" and then a light shone on the supposed Sister Mary Martha and I guess we were to imagine her wax hands cutting the wax potatoes. All a little odd, but still, very funny. I love these medieval cities where the streets are cobbled and you cross the entire thing in less than ten minutes. There are some beautiful churches in Beaune and, well, of course, the wine. The wine museum was closed, but we went to this place that took you into the caves for the wine tasting. Ill be putting up pictures at a later date. You descended these stairs into a dark, damp, cave with spiderwebs and light fixtures made of wine bottles. There was a ten-ton marble table that was constructed in the cave that our wine glasses sat on. We got to keep the glasses, by the way, and Im always happy for free souvenirs. So then we tasted the first wine, and then took a tour of the cave- all the barrells, etc, wine bottles that haven't been touched/turned in years and "tested"/drank four other wines. It was a lot of fun, and for some reason I felt very cool and grown up. I also learned frivolous wine facts that Im sure to use at my next cocktail party, such as, "If you turn the wine around in the glass, and it rushes back down without leaving any trace, it's not a good wine. But if it take's it time, like an oil would, it's a better wine." Oh yes. Im going to kill at the next wine gathering I attend. ;)
So then we were left to have a free evening. Gothy and I bought a bottle of white wine from 2002 for 6 EUROS- incredible!- and sat around with everyone else drinking it later that night. I couldn't stand wine before this, but now that I've tried real wine- Ive decided I kind of like it.
The next morning we left early for Dijon. Dijon is another beautiful city with architecture ranging from Pre-Renaissance to high gothic. So interesting. I loved it- even if it was freezing! and we took an hour and a half long walking tour. In the freezing weather. The wind was biting. Id never really understood that phrase until I was in Dijon. But wind can be biting. After the guided tour- our guide was hilarious- we had some time to explore, and most of us ended up at the WARM and stunning art museum. They had some great pieces for being Dijon. You don't really think of art when you think of Dijon. You think...
mustard. And that's right. Dijon is basically Mustardville. You can buy mustard everywhere. That afternoon, we went to the mustard museum. I was saddened to learn it's all just a sham, now, though because they import almost all of their mustard seeds from Canada. Canada!! But there are still quite a few factories and Grey Poupon was actually two people. That's about all I learned from the mustard museum. Oh, and that you can eat the seeds. But it was still fun and the surrounding countryside is beautiful.
So I was eager to get back to Grenoble because I knew the Family- Emmeline, Tante, Phil and India- would be there. Of course, whenever Im eager and anxious for something to arrive, it seems to take the longest, so Im sure I wasn't the most pleasant person as the bus was two hours late.
Oh well.
I finally made it and was so excited to see everyone! I couldn't believe it'd been so long- I know, you're thinking, Chelsea, it's only been a little over two months. But that's a long time for someone who hasn't been this far from their family for that length of time...ever. So it was good to see them. We went and ate at L'Epicurean- a restaurant Marie had reccommended and I ended up really enjoying. The salad and dessert especially. I mean, pistachio creme brulee? Someone needs to kiss the inventor of that for me. Delicieux! I coerced India and Emmeline to go to class with me the next day. The professor LOVED it and he was incredibly nice to them. And probably amazed at the fact that I was actually in class. Later that day- some of us- namely me, Tante and Phil climbed the Bastille. It was actually beautiful weather and we had a good time. I was so proud of them for making it to the top- not because I couldnt think they could do it, but because my first time probably took me longer than it took us that day. Ha! So that night was the dinner with my host family. Surprisingly, not all that awkward. Although, I would end up getting confused and would speak in French to Tante and Phil and English to Veronique and Isabelle, and then Id have to backtrack and switch trains of thought. So funny, but I felt proud of myself for facilitating understanding between my two worlds.
And it's so funny, because I have these two worlds now. The French speaking one and the English speaking one. And Im more comfortable in the French speaking one than I've ever been. And Im so happy that Im at that point. I really feel like I've grown- and Isabelle said to me yesterday-and almost made me cry- that she can tell that Ive really improved since Ive been here. Language wise, comprehension-wise. I love her. So anyway. She made a wonderful meal and took us to see the mountains at sunset- which we would have never been able to see if it wasn't for her. She even brought my boots to the hotel the next day because Id forgotten them when I hastily packed for Paris the night before! My host family is so incredibly sweet. And Tante and Phil brought them all these pecans and jam and they are loving it. And Im loving the little American things they brought me- a UT shirt and facewash, Cherry Chapstick and Ziploc bags.
The next morning- I went to class again and took a test- we left for Paris. Paris was such a great time. So surreal that it was my third time in that city. And Ill have gone four times before I leave France. Four TIMES. And two years ago, I wouldve thought that I would never go...even once. And now look at me. We did all the wonderfully touristy things yet at the same time covered new ground. We went to the Eiffel Tower the first night (India pretended to be Katie Holmes and I pretended to be Tom Cruise and proposed to her at the top) and saw the city at night. That was amazing, and there was an almost full moon. The next day we did the Arc de Triomphe, The Musee Rodin (which I had never been to before and fell in love with. I love that place and can't wait to see it with flowers and greenery!), Notre Dame (Phil, India and I climbed all the way to the top- got to see the bell and everything, and this time I was Esmerelda and India was Quasimodo!), Saint Chappelle- which Im so happy everyone loved because it's one of my favorite churches of all time, and we did the Louvre at night. Which, I have to admit, is so much better than the Louvre during the day. The lighting is different, everything is more dramatic, the paintings come alive, there are less kids and noisy tourist groups, and you can hear yourself think. I got the feeling that I was in school, after hours or something. Im not sure if anyone else was dorky enough to feel this way, but I always felt kind of special when I was in the school when hardly anyone else was. That's how the Louvre at night felt to me. It was too cool. The next day was our day with the tour guide, Heather. She was so nice and interesting to talk too. She's a freelance writer and has been published many times for her travel writing. Check her out at www.secretsofparis.com She was so incredibly nice and I absolutely loved it. We saw some places I had never been- the Palais Royale, etc. Bon Marche was a trip- I actually touched a Zac Posen dress. That night, her, Tante and I went to The Lapin Agile- the oldest cabaret in Montmarte where artists like Renoir, Hemingway, etc used to come and sit and write/draw pictures to pay for their drinks. We sat and watched a small cabaret show. So much fun. The next day we did Sacre Coeur- love that church so much as well!- and walked around Montmarte. We ate our farewell to Paris dinner at Aubergine. We had gone there over the summer, and, Im sorry, they have some of the most beautiful employees ever. So India fell in love over the summer and we came back- and he, Fabian, the owner, REMEMBERED us. How nice! He's 34 and owns the place. They've expanded since the summer and are just so nice. Our waiter, Mathieu, remembered us too. So we had an amazingly delicieux dinner followed by some amazingly delicieux after dinner drinks. Seeing India after five white russians is hilarious, let me tell you. I love that girl! She got accepted into the conservatory in New York she wanted- plus a scholarship! Im so excited. Anyway, Tante has some great pictures from that night, and it was a great ending to our Paris trip.
The next day we had to say goodbye. It was Saturday morning and the taxis came, and it was sad. But I realized- Im losing time. This is going by so quickly, and I know once it's over Im going to wonder how it happened so quickly. I am really so lucky to be here right now. Even if we did see policemen in riot gear in Paris. I am so lucky and every day Im learning something. This week Ive had a test and tomorrow I don't have any big plans. My host sister made me promise to watch a West Wing with her since we haven't in over two weeks. Oh! If anyone knows, I have a computer related issue. I played ONE, ONE!, French dvd in my computer and now it will only play French discs. She (my laptop) scoffs at Region 1 "American" dvds now and I don't know how to change her mind. Word has it that you can only change it "back" to the "American way" once or twice before it stays a certain way forever. Suffice it to say, Im a little worried. And Id like to watch the dvd that Tante and Phil brought me- The Wizard of Oz.

Enfaites... (Im trying to replace my English sentence fillers like 'Anyways' and 'Okay' with French ones...)
Until the next update,
Bisous,
Chelsea

You think you know...what's to come.... (Buffy reference!)

No, I haven't abandoned my blog. So many things have been happening recently that I haven't been able to sit down and do them all justice. In fact, I don't even have the time now, but I can give you a tantalizing preview of what's to come.

- My trip to the wine country- Beaune- and my first wine tasting inside a cave with a ten ton marble table.

- My trip to mustard country- Dijon- even though now they import the mustard seeds from Canada, so it kind of takes away the whole appeal of the place, although the mustard museum was a must-see. ;)

- The visit of the Family- Tante, Uncle Phil, India, and Emmeline- and the resulting dinner with the host family, trip up the Bastille, fun day at class, and trip to Paris.

- The visit of a very pregnant host sister and husband (They don't know the sex of the baby yet and she had on the cutest shirt that read "Fille ou Garcon" )

All were magnificent times and I have more pictures to show you all. (You all.. what am I, a Yankee? Ya'LL!) Im also in the midst of trying to figure out how to file my taxes- I did it online last year for free but can't remember for the life of me how I did it. Im going to research TurboTax Online right now.

Other than that, Im going to have to leave you all in anguish as you anxiously await my next update.
Im sure you won't be able to sleep. ;)
Bisous,
Chelsea

Warning: Bad photos ahead.

Okay, I haven't had time to caption all of these, and there's over 150 of them, so be patient, Im telling you there are some okay pictures in there.
And I begrudgingly took more of myself, from my family's urging.
Im sorry again if you have to sign in. Ill make sure to email this to everyone as soon as Ive completed the captions, etc.


http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=vkth859.wa9ofd1&x=0&h=1&y=-w6qtc6

Enjoy!
Bisous,
Chelsea

When angels are passing...

My subject line is what my friend Carlos says when there is a prolonged silence. Apparently, it’s a Spanish/Venezuelan saying of some sort, and I love it.

Before I go into the Barcelona trip, I absolutely have to clue everyone in on the events of the past couple days. I didn't have school yesterday because of a national greve. I went to school and there were bars on all the doors, and chairs and fences stacked against the doors and windows. There’s a greve national (national strike) because this is the week everyone in the country is back from vacation. 22 of the 80 universities in France (not sure if that only includes public or private) are on strike. And yesterday, in the rain and snow, we waited outside the blocked entrance to our university for word. There are chairs, shopping carts,various bits of fence- everything blocking our way into the university. The French students are protesting a law that was passed saying that after they graduate university, they can be employed on a "trial period" by a corporation for two years. But after the two years, there are no guarantees that the company will keep you- and they can fire you without compensation. So the students believe there's no incentive for getting a degree if you can't have a secure job anyway. At least, thats what I understand of it. Its funny because today, we were let into class late (because strikes aren't supposed to affect the international students) and as we sat there, students with huge boards and various pieces of debris are marching past to blockade the doors. Some girl with a bullhorn is screaming in French that if we are concerned for our safety, we should leave because its a fire hazard to stay there. She's pushing the siren button. It's crazy, hilarious, and scary all at the same time.
So goes the nation of strikes. Im not sure if I will have class on Friday but I have to show up just in case I do. All the American students were taking photos. It was so weird. In the States, if this happened, there would be an immediate police presence. It just wouldnt happen. I pay good money for my education and Im not going to blockade the doors. That's like taking money out of my pocket. It just doesnt make much sense to me (or my host dad who proclaimed the majority of young French "idiots") So, it was really bizzarre and Im sitting here with an afternoon free from class.

But anyway!

I went to Barcelona. It was absolutely, positively, beautifully breathtaking. I saw the Mediterranean for the first time. I even went in it. I “se baigner”-ed, which means I waded into the sea up to my knees. I was so amazed- the closest Ive come to a beach is South Padre or Galveston where the water is a murky mixture of grays. Here, the water was crystal clear, and as blue as the sky, with tints of green. Ive decided one of my new life goals is to own a yacht and sail around the world on it. A reasonable goal, I believe. I have never been so mesmerized by the sea. I guess because I’ve never really seen the actual sea, and now that I have I’m in love. I really would like to live on or near the water for an extended period of time. I took pictures and video of it, and I assure you, you will fall in love with it too. The warmest it was in Barcelona was around 20 degrees Celsius, but we were brave and sat on the beach and just enjoyed life.

There’s also the architecture. Barcelona is very proud of Gaudi, their world renowned architect of the early twentieth century. He’s famous for his undulating facades and uneven lines and distorted shapes. His mark is all over the city- cathedrals, buildings, houses, parks. Some of my favorite pictures are from Park Guell- Gaudi’s park. We bought a bus turistic pass- a tour bus where the upper deck is open and you can sit there and see the whole city. It was windy and a bit “brisk” as we put it, at times, but overall it was so worth it. The pass came with discounts on food- I tried a Spanish paella and immediately loved it. The rice was so delicious.

It’s funny, because the whole time I was in Spain, I kept responding to people in French. Instead of “Gracias” or even “Thanks” a “Merci” would spill out. Im kind of proud that my first instinct in a foreign setting is to speak French- I think that means Im getting accustomed to using the language. I wish I knew more Spanish. Carlos was there and he was our translator, but I would have liked to have said more than “Muchas Gracias” and “De nada” to people. Like Carlos’ cousin. He has a cousin from Venezuela that lives in Barcelona. He was so nice and took us around Barcelona- and the last day we were there, his wife gave us lunch at their apartment. We even got to meet his two month old baby, Christian Antonio. Such a generous and nice family- I was amazed. He drove us to the highest point in Barcelona- the top of the mountain/hill (its funny because after Grenoble, Im not too quick to refer to anything as a mountain because I know what REAL mountains look like!) and we got some great pictures.

If anyone feels like google-ing, Ill give you a list of some of the main sights we saw. Our hostel was in the Placa de Catalunya- off of Las Ramblas- which is the biggest tourist like street in the city (think the Magnificent Mile in Chicago) We visited the Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, the Futbol Club of Barcelona, the Palau Reial, Port Vell, Port Olimpic, Parc de la Ciutadella, Barri Gotic, Placa d’Espanya, the sight of the summer Olympics, and many others I can’t remember. Those buses were an awesome idea, and we spent two days just wandering the city. Thursday we spent the entire day hanging on the beach. Walking up and down the beach, enjoying the sunshine we’d been so desperate for, We also saw the Arc de Triomphe of Barcelona that day and walked past the zoo (15 E to get in!)

We also saw a movie being filmed. That was neat. The day we were at the beach there were a handful of 60 year old nudists taking advantage of the sun. Barcelona played Chelsea in football (soccer) the first night we were there, and Chelsea lost. Well, that’s what everyone told me but I haven’t seen a final score yet. Go Frank Lampard! So I’ve yet to believe it. Barcelona is also a party city with tons of tourists. It was hard to meet locals and hang out with them, but we had Carlos’ cousin, and that was nice. There were a lot of British people in Barcelona as well. Older British women, to be exact. It was great. There was this huge market next to our hostel- La Boqueria I think is what it was called. It was huge and beautiful and so many exotic fruits were there (Julia ate a polka-dotted fruit with a bright pink outer shell) Barcelona had a lot of big markets that were interesting and you could just wander. You couldn’t walk for too long without encountering a cathedral/eglise/iglesia of some sort. There were churches everywhere. I loved it. I really enjoyed the city.

The hostel wasn’t too bad, although I would prefer to never do that again. 16 foreigners, one bathroom, no cleaning staff to be seen, that’s what I call a recipe for fun. And we all know how I am about my showers. Our beds were in a very small room that had no window, but it’s whatever. 10 euros a night- you get what you pay for. But it was safe, and not smelly, and the people were generally nice (excluding the Russian/French ballerina and his German/Polish blonde girlfriend.) Met Eric the Canadian who’s a pro golfer in Canada and decided to just travel Europe for three months- he’s at the end of his sejour (stay), but has loved every second of it. And stayed in hostels the entire time. How insane is that?! The 10 hour bus ride there and back wasn’t heaven, but it wasn’t horrible. Except for the bouts of oppressive heat, the 1980 Keanu Reeves movie dubbed in Spanish blasting at the highest volume, and people thinking they can recline their seats into your lap. But it was worth it, because the city was AMAZING. The people were a lot more laid back than in France. They understood the meaning of “customer service” more, and they were efficient in their transactions. We didn’t have any problems, thank goodness.

So we got back around 4 am Saturday morning, and it snowed on Sunday. We went from a beach on Thursday to the snow in Grenoble on Sunday. And I woke up this morning and it had snowed during the night- again! Very different from Barcelona, but its refreshing to be back here- in my own bed, and with a clean shower and hot meals. Our resident director said every time you travel somewhere else, and you return to Grenoble, you feel more and more as if you’re at home. And I agree that I feel more comfortable now than I have before, so that’s a plus.

I finally settled on a topic for my expose on Friday- Thanksgiving. Some kids in my class had no idea what it was, so I feel it’s my American duty to inform them.
And I can make cute posterboard cut outs of pilgrims and turkeys. Ha.

The host family is great. Theyre going to make dinner for Em, Tante, Phil and India when they’re here, so that’s awesome. My host sisters went skiing this week while I was in Barcelona. They seemed to have a good time, so there you go. Im so excited to see my family! It's crazy.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Bisous,
Chelsea