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