Quinzieme semaine

Salut tous!

Sorry, I’m a little late on this blog, but I had finals this week and as you all know, I am sure, it was a very stressful time. But anyway, they are over and that’s all that matters. Fortunately, my exams were spread out pretty well, except I had short notice on the subject for the last one. My dissertation for histoire de l’art was due the first week of December, and so I completed that with two other girls in my program. My next exam was my harmonie écrite class. I had a “devoir sur la table” or, what they call in music, a “mise en loge,” for four hours last Friday. I hope it went well, but I always think I have checked my work over a million times, but then realize that I have made a bunch of “bete” (stupid) mistakes. Also on that day, I had a geography dissertation to turn in on “les échanges extérieurs de la France.” On Thursday, I had an oral exam (singing) for my solfége class (which I think I passed…which is always a positive thing, even though I studied the wrong song) and finally Friday, today, I had to turn in my final exam for histoire du cinéma. The only problem with that exam was that I was given the subject late Monday night and I couldn’t find the book I needed to do the paper until Wednesday (I was running back and forth between the library of Bordeaux and the university library and it was quite annoying…especially when I couldn’t find the book that was supposed to be at the library because someone stupid hide it…boooo those people). But I got it done and even was able to go to the newly formed ice skating rink in the downtown area and make a fool of myself (because I’ve never skated before….I fell twice! But the second time it wasn’t my fault….I was pulled down in the chain we formed…haha). But it was fun and relaxing (although I still am an embarrassment to penguins everywhere). It was also very sad because it was the last time that I was able to see all my friends before I leave France!

So yes. It is true. It’s my last week!! Actually, I leave Bordeaux Sunday and I am siiii triste (sooo sad). I can’t believe time has passed by so quickly! I feel like I’ve only been here a couple weeks!! Well…actually, I take that back. I know I’ve been here longer, but it hasn’t felt like long enough…I wish I could stay the year! Or forever. Forever would be nice…

Anyway, last weekend I stayed at home and worked on my geography dissert, having been stranded due to a transportation strike in Bordeaux (no trams or buses circulated ALL weekend and Friday). Classes that week were fairly normal and I can’t remember anything significant that happened to me…this past Wednesday we had a cocktail night with the Centre de Californie to say “goodbye” to everyone and wish everyone “happy holidays.” I was so tired from running back and forth between libraries that day that I was completely exhausted by the time I got to the cocktail and all I could think about was food….which was actually, very good (oh cream puffs you are heaven). I also found a vachement (really) cool songbook of Judy Garland songs and now I have tons of music to practice when I get home..!! Sooo excited! Here I come Middle Earth!

I am getting ready for my winter break travels with my friend from Cambridge and so have been doing a lot of research and trying to figure out the pronunciations for Czech (not an easy task!). I will let you know how my trip went with my last blog when I come back to the states….ahhhh crazy! I can’t believe I’m going back! I don’t want to!! I wanna stay!!! But, I guess I have responsibilities that must be taken care of, so there. I hope to return to France next year (but of course it depends on what kind of job I find), or at least Europe. It hasn’t really sunk in that I am actually leaving France and all my new friends…but I know it will soon. I’ve been organizing (and throwing away many papers to try and lighten my bags) all my luggage to figure out how I am going to fit everything into my two bags (not an easy task). I leave on a train to Paris Sunday night, stay with an old friend from my hometown who lives in Paris that night, then take a flight to Prague the next morning. I stay in Prague for Christmas and then leave on the 27^th for Berlin for two days. After Berlin, I fly to Brussels and then take a train into Paris on the 31^st, ready for the New Year. I fly to Salt Lake City on the 2^nd to visit a friend and will be back in the Bay Area that next night. I then move to San Diego on Saturday and start classes on Monday. Oh lordy. This will be a fun time. I know my culture shock when I get back is going to be bad and I still refuse to speak in English (although I have a feeling that will be hard to do in America). I have exciting news that I was accepted in I-house for the coming quarters and so will be rejoining the ERC/I-house community shortly!! Sooo happy!!

I wish everyone happy holidays and a great and safe New Years…!!
See you soon!!! (unfortunately…and I mean that in the best way possible…)

Sherilyn

Quatorzieme semaine

Bonjour tous!

I hope you are all doing well and getting through your finals week without many “noirs blanches” (all-nighters). My finals aren’t until the third week of December, the week before Christmas, and half of them were due last week or this week in “dissertation” form, so that has relieved the weight-especially after the strike.

This past week has gone by quite fast, just like this entire experience in Bordeaux (I’m so sad to leave!), and since it was our first week back after our 3 week strike, there was a lot of catching up (rattraper) to do and classes seemed shorter. In fact, the blocage students tried to block the university again on Wednesday afternoon, where, apparently, they held a vote that nobody knew about (that’s democracy!). When I came into my class on Thursday morning, I was met with a massive crowd of students standing in the courtyard because they couldn’t get into the buildings (they were blocked again). After about an hour of waiting around for the President of the uni to make a decision, they were able to unblock the buildings. I remember on Tuesday when the blocage students went through the halls of the buildings screaming, singing, pounding on walls and just making all sorts of disturbances because they were angry that we voted to unblock the university and (I guess), wanted to “express” themselves (politically)-yes, by having a tantrum (which is what it seemed like). But anyway, the uni remains open, although they are having problems handling the “rattrapage,” (catching up) of three weeks worth of work. Apparently, they had decided to have their first semester final exams in May, after their second semester exams…does anyone think that is silly? Or is that just me? Well, it definitely est nul (sucks) for them because I surely wouldn’t remember anything if I had learned it 4 months ago! Well, anyway, I guess UFR- the administration, is deciding, but in the meanwhile, I have 10 extra hours of class each week to try and rattraper (catch up) the time lost. Not a fun result of something I (and the majority of students at Bordeaux 3) didn’t want to begin with.

Other than that, I finished my dissertation on Giotto for my histoire de l’art class (which wasn’t an easy task…) and got owned in my harmonie écrite class (apparently there isn’t na equal phrase to “got owned” in French) on Thursday. I have been setting up my finals exams with my professor and I actually have my final exam this Friday for that class. I made Christmas cookies with friends this past weekend (which were sooo good…ahhh…ate so many “biscuits de noel”) and I was planning on going ice skating at the newly formed ice skating rink in the downtown, but decided to stay in and write my geography final due this Friday. On Thursday, I went karaoke-ing with some Frenchies at an English pub downtown which was quite fun- even when the power went out because of the electricity sucking but quite beautiful and oh-so-holiday spirited Christmas lights which now adorn the streets and trees of Bordeaux. I also have been getting all my plans ready for the end of this month since I am traveling after my program with my friend who is coming over from England, so I have spent a lot of time searching for hostels on the computer. And I’ve also discovered www.watch-movies.net. Dangit.

Bon courage on finals!
Sherilyn

Deuxieme/Trezieme semaine

Salut!

Sorry this blog is a week late…! I have been a little stressed and so I totally forgot about writing my blog!

Well, the blocage continued, through Thanksgiving as well, and the Centre de Californie had a meeting last Wednesday to discuss what would happen to us students if the blocage didn’t stop. We unfortunately found out that it was possible for us to receive “aucune de credit” (no credit) for the semester if the teachers wouldn’t be able to give us a grade. If we started an independent research project with our director, Professor Chandeller (of the Poli Sci Dept. from UCSD), we could, at most, get 4 units or we could try and contact the professors to ask to write an essay instead (but it’s hard to contact them when they don’t always give out their email addresses). So, we weren’t too enthralled to hear that news (at least the people who actually needed the credits-like me!) and so we were getting a little bit anxious. The vote that was supposed to happen on Thursday was blocked by the students who were for the blocage saying that it wasn’t fair to have the vote on a day when there was a manifestation (protest) in the downtown for the university students. So, nothing got done that week and the vote was put off until Monday.

Thursday night we had a Thanksgiving dinner at a high school in the downtown area with the rest of the California students and some other community members helping with the French-American alliance. It was nice to see everyone again (since it had seemed like forever since I saw all of us in the same room) and it was a good FREE dinner (well, I think we did pay for it in our fees, but still…). We had turkey, French fries…haha (first time having French fries on Thanksgiving I think…maybe not actually…), pumpkin pie (yes! Tarte à la citrouille!!), and a bunch of other stuff. It was pretty filling and we had some French students at our table that we chatted with.

Over the weekend, I went out with my friends to go do free things because I’ve run out of money. So, on Saturday night, two other friends and I went to a free book reading by a Lebanese author. It was pretty cool and they had a guy playing music as well. We even stayed for a Moroccan singer afterward, accompaigned by a Russian pianist. I remember seeing a movie sometime that week (I think) with my friend Megan too. We pick the best movies…haha. We just pick random movies with interesting French titles (that’s our lovely system) and so we picked this one called “Faut que ca danse” which turned out to be a love story between this elderly couple and a weird sideline plot about a 40 year old pregnant daughter….yeah…..again, we pick the best movies. I think we knew it was awkward when we walked into the theatre and we were the only people under 50 years old. Interesting….nevertheless, it was in French and it was a cultural learning experience (that’s my excuse for everything…even bad movies. Well, it wasn’t that bad actually…it was cute, but not something I would probably pick by myself).

The vote that happened on Monday sucked and the blocage continued until Friday. I was fed up with it and wasting my time doing nothing around the house (I was sooo bored….I have been watching Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin on YouTube for the past 2 weeks…I LOVE them, but still, I should be having a better French-ified experience…), and so I got my reservations on the train for Paris (for that first time! That one time changing train stations for my trip to Nice doesn’t count….) for that Thursday. I met with the two students I’m working on a paper about Giotto with for my art history class on Tuesday, used Wednesday to get organized for my trip, and then left early before 7am on a 3 hour TGV ride to Paris.

I thought traveling alone would make it a kinda glum trip, but it wasn’t that at all, mostly because I knew how to keep myself busy. As long as I’m busy and have things to do, I barely notice or care that I’m by myself. The first day, after checking into my hostel which was pretty far out of the way, I tried to find a Tourist Office but found that they were all closed (don’t ask me why…it was Thursday, it’s Paris…but then again, it’s also France). So I wandered around and followed signs that looked like they had important buildings written on it. I tried to use my metro map (the only map I had) to find monuments and was able to find my way to the Arc de Triomphe and les Champs des Elysées, Notre Dame, and La Sainte Chapelle. I also got to see a bunch of other things on the way walking around, including half of the Eiffel Tower (it was very very foggy that day…which was the reason why I didn’t climb it that particular day).

The next day I got up early, ate my free breakfast and found a map (at my hostel...yeah lame. They should have given it to me before), and went to the Sacre Coeur…a GORGEOUS basilica. I absolutely loved it! It was sooo pretty AND was where they filmed a scene in Amélie…which is always cool. After the lovely sunrise at the Sacre Coeur, I headed to the Eiffel Tower, climbed all 700 steps…or however many it was (I know it’s more than 650…), and took many pictures of beautiful Paris. I was really lucky too because the line was really short when I got there (no wait at all!), but when I came down, it looked like it was at least a half an hour! Perfect timing on my part. After the Eiffel Tower, I went to the Musée D’Orsay, got lunch on the way (did the whole supermarket sandwich bit since I’ve already tasted French cuisine and I have no money), and then went to check out the line at the Louvre. Since it was Friday, I knew that people less than 26 got in free after 6pm and so I walked around that area until 5:30pm, and then went back. I stayed there until 9pm (a good three hours), and got dinner at an expensive café inside (I didn’t want to go out and I was sooo hungry). I saw the Mona Lisa and the Lady Liberty painting as well as something from the workshop of Giotto, which was cool since I am studying him in my art history class. I got through the majority of it and because I had walked sooo much that day, I didn’t feel guilty not staying until it closed. I went back to my hostel, exhausted and got up early again the next day.

That morning, Saturday morning, I went to the Basilica of St. Denis. This was another basilica that I studied in my art history class and so I was pretty keen on going. I felt like it was worth it, even if I didn’t see the other half of it and the crypt because that cost money, and it was very beautiful with very early stained glass windows! After St. Denis, I went to La Defense, the modern part of Paris. I wanted to check out all the huge corporate buildings there to see which one I liked best and wanted to work in. Haha. That’s not a joke. I actually sat there and wrote down every single company name of the huge skyscrapers and I plan on researching them online to see what they are about and if I can get a job there. La Defense is pretty cool and I loved the modern city-like feel. They also had a Christmas market going on and so I walked around there and saw things that I couldn’t afford and watched people make crêpes that I couldn’t buy….after that, I went inside this awesome Centre Commercial (mall) and got lunch (yes supermarkets!) and ate it in front a large life size gingerbread house. Christmas comes very early in France because they don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving…so decorations start going up the last 2 weeks of November!

After La Defense, I took the metro to check out Chinatown, walked around a bit, smelled the really really good food…oh yum, and then went to Place d’Italie. There was another mall there and I chilled for a bit and then went back to reclaim my baggage I left in the baggage room (I checked out that morning). Then, I went to meet my friend who is studying at UC Paris from UCSD for an early dinner before my train left that night. So, we had dinner…went to a crêpe place after our falafel dinner didn’t work out, and chatted a lot. It was super nice seeing a familiar face again and catching up and it was very interesting to compare our programs because they are so different and we get such different experiences out of them! Then I got on my train at 7:50pm and went back to Bordeaux, getting in at around midnight from the night bus. Today, Sunday, I just caught up on all my homework since I found out that the university REOPENS tomorrow (Monday)!!! Yay!!! The blocage is over!! So happy! So I have school tomorrow and everything should be back to normal…sweetness. I never thought I would be this happy about school starting again, but the past 3 weeks of doing nothing and paying so much money for nothing and not seeing my French friends that often or getting the experience that I came all the way over here for to get, has been horrible and I hope I never have to do it again. Lol.

It’s late, better be off…
Sherilyn