USC visits France

After thoughts on the trips

Please make 1 post on your thoughts about the trips (1/2 English, 1/2 French)....what was most interesting to you? What would you change next time around?

Then include 1-2 items of advice for next year's students for the trip (similiar to the handout you received).

Goodbye! Ashley

Leaving Paris was so sad. I have to say that the time I spent in France was one of the best and most memorable trips that I have ever had. That can only be because of the friends I made and the great times I had with my American classmates.

After visiting Paris, I have decided that you have to stay for at least one week to see EVERYTHING! While there, I only saw Versailles and the Eiffel Tower, and I am going back to Versailles in the summer to see the gardens. I can't even put into words the feelings I had while I was there and the great time I had.

I have come to the conclusion that I love France and the people. There were so many great things to do and experience, and I can only say that I am super happy that I know exactly when I am returning. I even want to do a semester there--just not during football season.

I miss France! I can't wait to go back!

My final thought is that I think Marble Slab should make a Nutella-flavored ice-cream, but since it is my idea, they have to ask me and pay me for it.

:) Vous me manque...to all of my friends! The summer is getting closer!

Paris Weekend, take two...

So, I tried to make my final post from the lobby of our hotel in Paris...and about halfway through, the internet mysteriously disappeared, and as I was trying to fix it, the man working at the font desk came over and told me to "Leave this alone now..."...so half of a blog post is now saved under a Word Document at a hotel in Paris, and who knows what will ever happen to it!

Anyway, the last weekend in Paris was awesome, and filled with my favorite things...eating, ambling about, and crepes (note the separate category for "eating" and "crepes"..."eating" involves sitting at a table -- or picnicking in a hotel room....and crepes (or gauffres) can be enjoyed anywhere at any time). We hit a museum and did some sightseeing Friday afternoon, then, exhausted, some of us headed down to the market and boulangerie on the corner for some fruit, bread, and cheese (augmented by Nutella and peanut butter) and had one of my favorite meals of the trip from the comfort of our hotel room.

Saturday started off with a walk along the Seine and the Champs Elysees to the Eiffel Tower, with stops along the way at the Notre Dame, a lovely lunch at a little (tiny) restaurant in Saint Michel, some stall-along-the-Seine browsing, a crepe in the Tuilleries, a sit under the Eiffel Tower, a tour around a residential area beside the Eiffel Tower (and a search in vain for an inexpensive cafe...), and finally a Nutella gauffre (waffle/gopher) beside a the carousel on the Seine in front of the Eiffel Tower. As the sun came out, we descended into the metro to make our way to Julien's parents' house in the suburbs....only to discover that we were about a euro and a half short in the required change to purchase RER tickets from the machine. After trying several times to negotiate change exchanges (what came eventually to feel a bit like begging...) we managed to find a kind woman who bought our tickets with her credit card in exchange for cash, and we (Haley, Andrew, Jason, and myself) miraculously ended up on the same car of the same RER train as the rest of the group, who had started out several stops away from the hotel. Dinner was a multi-regional affair, capped off by the "Andrew singing in France" tradition. The evening ended with communication/transportation issues, but also with excellent St. Patrick's Day festivities...all in all a lovely day.

Sunday began with a walk in the rain to the Notre Dame for three wonderful hours of Mass and Gregorian chanting and choir and organ. Seriously the way to do the cathedral. This was followed by some souvenir shopping and a two + hour cafe lunch/game of willpower with a waiter (which included the most expensive cup of tea i have ever ordered...). Another trip to the market, boulangerie, and one more Nutella gauffre, and it was time to head out to the hotel by the airport.

-- annie :-)

Final Comments on France

Samantha:

So we left Paris today. I loved how I could never become bored with the city, but there were a lot of things I didn't like. Parts of the city were very smelly and dirty, and most of the time I felt that I had to hold onto my purse for dear life to guard it from being stolen.

On the way to Paris I noticed the lack of street signs and directions. In the US we have signs with how much longer until we arrive to the next biggest city and the like, and in France, yuo are basically on your own. Andrew and I waited at the hotel for the others to arrive and because we were so sleepy, some of us just ate some baguettes, fruit, and nutella for dinner. The next day I left the hotel with Matt at 13h for the Champs-Elysees! My first metro ride!! Some of the stations were very clean and modern, while some others were in pretty poor shape. We went up the Arc de Triomphe, and I had no idea it had so many stairs! I had to take a breather at one point :) . We also walked outside the Louvre and went into the Renault store. Even though I love driving my Yukon and SUVs in general, I now have a preference for European car companies Renault and Peugot. With almost everyone driving smaller cars, there's a lesser chance of major accidents, and they are cheaper and better for the environment. This summer I'll have to learn to drive a manual so I can try driving in France! :o)

On Sunday, I slept in and then went to the Eiffel Tower and to Montmartre. The Eiffel Tower was probably the coolest thing I've ever seen, even though I didnt go up because of all the rain. Thankfully, the weather cleared up and I took the metro to Montmartre. I walked up the stairs to Sacre Coeur just to pass time, not really expecting to like it so much. Once I got up there though, the view was amazing and the church goergous. Finally, I returned back to the hotel and left for the Airport with Ashley.

Overall, the trip was a wonderful experience. I loved Troyes and my host and all of her friends and I really loved getting to see all the others like Alison and Fabien again and I cannot wait to go back to see Paris and Troyes again, along with Bretagne and Nogent s/ Seine!

Last Day in Paris

So, I was pretty excited to go to Paris after a week in Troyes, but then I got sick. So then, I was thinking that I was going to be miserable, but the people that I was with really made me forget all about being sick and flu-y. We went to Notre Dame on Sunday morning for Mass and decided to go to bothe the 10 am Gregorian Chant Mass and the 11:30 International Choral Mass. It was worth sitting in church for 3 hours to hear the great music. It was really really beautiful. Then Annie, Andrew and I had a very french day, meaning that we really didn't do anything in particular. We sat and ate lunch for 2 hours and then wandered around for a last tour of Paris. It was really a great send off before we had to leave. I know that I will miss Troyes, Paris and all the other parts of France that we visited, but I am excited to be going home. Staying in cramped apartments and hotels and traveling in groups is really a stressful way to travel and I think that we stayed for the perfect amount of time. Any longer and I would have really needed to go home. Overall it was a great visit and a great last day!

Haley

Last Day in Paris

So, I was pretty excited to go to Paris after a week in Troyes, but then I got sick. So then, I was thinking that I was going to be miserable, but the people that I was with really made me forget all about being sick and flu-y. We went to Notre Dame on Sunday morning for Mass and decided to go to bothe the 10 am Gregorian Chant Mass and the 11:30 International Choral Mass. It was worth sitting in church for 3 hours to hear the great music. It was really really beautiful. Then Annie, Andrew and I had a very french day, meaning that we really didn't do anything in particular. We sat and ate lunch for 2 hours and then wandered around for a last tour of Paris. It was really a great send off before we had to leave. I know that I will miss Troyes, Paris and all the other parts of France that we visited, but I am excited to be going home. Staying in cramped apartments and hotels and traveling in groups is really a stressful way to travel and I think that we stayed for the perfect amount of time. Any longer and I would have really needed to go home. Overall it was a great visit and a great last day!

Haley

Jason's Post the Last

It is Sunday now, and I am finally getting around to doing my second blog. The second half of the trip was interesting. The nuclear power plant was interesting but too long. The dinners at Vincent's house and Julien's house were delicious. The raclettes might have been my favorite meal; the melted cheese and potatoes and meat was amazing.
The fatigue hit me a couple days ago, but I think I might have recovered from it (just in time to fly back).
Apparantly, waiting until Sunday to find a Sephora to buy something for my sister was a bad plan. Nearly everything is closed in Paris on Sundays.
When I tried to find the trading card game store that I went to the last time I was in Paris, I found a restaurant instead. Next door was a hotel, so I went in and asked the receptionist if she knew where it was. Unfortunately, she said she had never heard of it. Sad and dissapointed, I walked along looking at other comic shops nearby (none of which were open on Sundays). Finally I found one that was open and went in to ask if they knew where the store was. The store was huge, so I decided to take a look around before asking; heureusement, I found some Magic cards (although expensive).
So my friend is going to be arriving at the hotel soon, so I need to stop typing this and get there.

Paris Thoughts--Amanda

I have absolutely no idea what to talk about, so I will start with my tour of Paris. Yesterday I managed to walk all of the way from our Oberkompf stop to the Eiffel Tower (think opposite ends of the inner arrondisements). That was pretty fun. I stuck to the Seine at the beginning and walked the lengths of the Iles St Louis and de la Cite. It is very peaceful there until you get to the Notre Dame; everyone goes there. Along the way I managed to see the Gare d'Orsay and the Louvre walking by. Typical tour.
Michelle and I also managed to make it to a Monet museum in the16th. I had to stop and ask for directions, but they were difficult to follow. The museum was worth it though. It is very different seeing the actual works than seeing them in class on a projector. Everyone, I got gifts there for the most part, so feel loved. Then we walked to Pont Mirabeau, a subject of one of our assignments. Getting pictures was pretty amusing, especially when we had to stand in the middle of a side street. There are some nice drivers here amidst all the crazies.
It has also been very nice to experience some of the things that people our age would do in France. It has been great to have friends close to our age, teaching them things and learning from them. I already miss my friends in Troyes and I hope that I will be able to see them again one day. Perhaps when I study abroad.
Anyways, have to go enjoy the last day.

Ditzy moments

Ok, I just finished doing a interview with a French interviewer for French TV. Zut alors! It was incredibly hard! I could not understand some of the questions and I felt like such an idiot. I do not really want to know what I sounded like because I probably will not be able to come back to France without dying of shame. I will just have to trust that it will not be shown when anyone is watching.
Speaking in French has become a bit easier. I still rely too much on my French friends’ willingness to help me out in English, though. Julien is my French/English dictionary! He can translate anything for me and practically all of my new vocabulary is from those discussions. But then I forget it because I have to learn everything in French eight times before it really sticks in my brain, so Julien is really the only one getting stuff out of this experience! No, I am lying, I am learning a lot. It is just that I see how much I need to improve. I can not wait until I get to the point where I don not have to rehearse every phrase before I say it. When I get caught off guard---like the real way you actually use a language!—I have trouble coming up with a phrase. I do not want to be too pessimistic, though. I am learning a lot and I am excited about learning more now that I see how useful it is.
I am so happy right now to be redeemed from another ditzy moment. First, I threw away my boarding pass for the Newark to Paris flight. Slightly important thing, I guess. I figured out that I needed it right before we boarded and a feeling of abject fear/terror swept over my face, according to Tammy. MY ONE CHANCE TO GO TO FRANCE AND I GET LEFT IN NEWARK NEW JERSEY! Thank God, the airline knows how to handle people like me and gave me a special ticket that had a --you are an idiot--signature on it. So I made it onto the plane, where I then left my travel journal with all of my homework assignments and travel information. Then I was saved by Michelle! She found my journal in her bag this morning and I am oh so thankful that she grabbed it. Now I will not be too lost in Paris (or fail the homework due right when we get back).
-Mary

My very different weekend.--Amanda

Hello all. It has been quite a while, hasn’t it? I hope that all is well with everyone. Okay, on to la France! I would like to talk about my weekend with the Couly family. Christian Couly is my keypal and his family invited me to stay with them for the first weekend in France. It was an amazing experience because it was the first real one that I had with normal French life. Families may follow different customs, but they really are the same. I felt very at home with the family, even if I could barely speak their language. I met Christian’s father, mother, brother, sister, and his girlfriend. I was pretty much thrown into dinner the first evening because I arrived so late (I’ll talk about that later). Every meal was so good. We did something called raclettes for lunch on Sunday. Lots of cheese and wine too. Christian’s girlfriend, Marion, and Christian drove me to some very pretty places north of Paris, like the Chantilly chateau and to one of Christian’s old schools.

Travelling in France has been one of the most trying experiences because I am a very nervous person anyways. In order to do all of the stuff with Phil and the students and to go to Paris, I had to take a train by myself to Paris. It was okay cause Thibaut (Dad, remember the guy and the fridge?) and Michelle helped with getting a ticket at the station and saw me off. A friend of Marion’s, Camille, and two of her friends met me at Gare de l’Est. Then Christian’s dad, Christian and Marion met us in a car. Driving in Paris is crazy! I am a terrible driver anyways and driving in France would be murder. By the way, the train ride back was no problem because Christian had to come back to Troyes as well. I will find something else to talk about later. Bye!

Love, Amanda

Yay France!!

Wow… Everything has been happening so fast since we left Thursday afternoon!! There’s no way I could get it all in…Luckily I’m starting to navigate myself around the French keyboard a little better…I’ve had a few cyber café stops to get me a little acquainted…at the moment, the American class and a few of the French students are in the computer lab at UTT (from where the French students cyber connect with us every week), and the local TV station is here to do a piece on the UTT/USC exchange and our visit here. (We’ve had other media attention along the way…when we visited the little medieval town of Mussy sur seine, this ancient journalist came to take our photo in the church…apparently they had rarely had so many Americans in their midst at one time.)
Anyway, there is SO much to talk about, and I suspect that my classmates have already covered much of it, that I will hit some of the high spots and my personal favourite moments thus far.
We spent Saturday in the country – in Mussy (where we were greeted with croissants and coffee – tea, for some of us – at the tourist office), Essoyes (at Renoir’s atelier and gravesite), at Gyé sur seine (I’m pretty sure that’s right) for a tour of a champagne cave and a tasting, on the side of the road by a vineyard between Mussy and Chaource for a picnic, and in Chaource for a tour and tasting at a fromagerie. It was pretty much a day full of my favourite things…throw in an open air market and maybe a bookstore and some music and I’d have been set!! We finished off the day with dinner outside at this kebab place and a football match (which was FREEZING but still lots of fun!!)
Sunday was a little more laid back…slept late, then walked around Troyes a little bit with my keypal/host Thomas. Found an internet café, then tried to hook up with some classmates at the fair in town (much like our state fair, but a bit smaller and in French…and with nougat and brightly coloured marshmallows and crepes and…just better candy in general). We actually managed to run into Michelle and Thibaut, and headed back to the middle of town where we ran into even MORE American/French student combos, and had drinks at an outdoor café on the square. We were joined by more classmates, hit a bar, and then made our way to La Tourelle for an awesome evening full of crepes, cidre, and adventures in bilingual conversation!!
Monday started off early with a tour of UTT, followed by an English class (where the Americans spoke French and the French spoke English…go figure), and a champagne reception downtown with a French senator. We got lunch and took it to a courtyard in front of one of the many churches of Troyes to eat…then I quickly hit another cyber café before joining the rest of the group for a tour of the town.
I LOVE Troyes!! Apparently it has like the largest concentration of medieval houses in the world?! (Someone correct me if this is wrong…) Seriously…there are half timbered buildings EVERYWHERE!!!! And churches. We saw the church where Henry V married Catherine of France (yay Shakespeare for helping me remember history!!!!). After the tour we split up for a bit (got a crepe avec nutella…pour emporter, my favourite way to eat a crepe!!), then headed back to UTT to give a presentation about USC, and for the “Evening Afro-French,” (yum, plantains and beignets!!).
Okay…there’s more to talk about, but I’ll save some for later!!! Au revoir for now!

love & peace,
annie :-)

Tammy Speaks Again

Salut mes amis!

I'm back for another long retelling of my life in France. Let's just say that I love France and feel right at home. Last night I started writing in my personal diary and could not write in English. Since everything here happened in French, it was so difficult recounting them in English; typing in English is difficult now, sadly. My spoken English has taken on a French sentence structure, my English a light British accent. Ironic, huh? I came to improve my French and my English deteriorates. It's a wonderful feeling when you realize that you're understanding French without having to translate it in your head. Last night, Annie and I were listening to music, and I just casually mentioned that I'm understanding all the French without having to think about it. She exclaimed that she thought it was English--which totally confused me. She and I had to ask a French friend whether it really was French.

And French ducks sound like thugs in the night-- long story as Sandrine and I were going home last night. The ducks suddenly started fighting in the water. The street was dark. The loud noise--it made us scream! We were just a tad bit startled.... okay, scared us out of our wits!

Right now, I'm at a TV interview with the French TV station. Last night was an African dinner served in the French fashion. Yes, it took another 2 hours of my life. Amazing how long they take to enjoy the food. 8 hours of Sunday was spent eating; okay, so 90 minutes was at a café, but whatever.

And the politicians here are so friendly. Yesterday we had a reception with some senators of Aube ( the prefecture here). They food was wonderful--with very good champagne. I think the French drink champagne at all occasions. At least that's the gist of what I got from a conversation with a senator.

I bought 2 pairs of French shoes yesterday, 4 necklaces, a scarf, and French novels at FNAC. I got Les Miserables in French ( 2 volume set!) I love French shoes, they're pointy and chic--just like how I like my shoes to be. (There, see, I forgot how to phrase that in an English structure--and I cant't remember!) Shopping in France is so exciting. I'm going on a shopping trip zith my host, Sandrine, tomorrow because she loves to shop too. And she is so fashionable and beautiful. She is your classic beauty. I have a feeling I'll be revamping my entire zardrobe. I do that every few years, and it's about time, anyways.

Troyes has so many churches and cathedrales. It holds 50% of France's stained glass windows, and the church where Catherine of France and Henry V married is here too. If you know English history, you understand how important that moment in history is. And I was there!!!!!!!

I saw the old Gallo-Roman quarter with the old wall, the church where Joan of Arc was, and other amazing spots in Troyes.

It's only been four days and my camera is already out of memory. I'll have to do some memory transfers...such as burning them onto a CD.

It baffles me that the French want to come to America so badly because I would do anything to come to France to work and live. Just standing by the Seine is a wonderfully tranquil feeling.

Yesterday, I gave my first presentation in French to a room full of people. It was a quite fun. Thank God for my speech experience or else I don't know how I would have survived.... and amazingly, I wasn't nervous. Speaking to a room full of native French speakers in their native language... very interesting experience. Yes yes, I forgot my sister Emilie's age. After I remebered, I had completely lost my train of thought that I forgot the French for fourteen. Just a little embarassing, n'est-ce pas?

à bientôt!

france.

Samatha Smith:
Hey Everyone...or just mom and dad...

France is awesome. I plan on getting a credit card and putting a round trip ticket for Paris on it for the summer...Since we've been here I have lived in my host's apartment alone with some french keys :) and a french telephone also. At first this worried me but now I love it. Everyday I have been able to hang out with my hosts and a lot of other French friends I have met because of our stay...My host 's name is Ghita, pronounced Rita. She is from Moracco and her boyfriend Chai, pronounced Shy, is from Cambodia... We have been around to the bars; the creperies, and Troyes in general. Outside of Troyes we visited other parts of the Champagne region: An older medival town, a fromagerie, and a champagne factory. Cheese is not my thing, but visiting the champagne factory and tasting the different champagnes was AWESOME. I think that has been my favorite thing so far.
The French do not fit the American stereotype. The only thing that they do more of is smoking. Everyone I have spoke to, whether in a cafe or at the local university has been very nice and accomodating.

Tonight we will go to the discotheque. This is going to be interesting because the French do not dance in couples and and far as I know they dance nothing like american teenagers and young adults.

The stay here has been very enjoyable. I have leqrned a lot about culture qnd especially politics in France. Although I love visiting the country, I do not think I could live here. The socialism and racism in France is almost overwhelming for an American who loves her capitalism very much. However, the food is extremely good and inexpensive. The French make events out of meals, which tend to last for several hours. This is hard and different for those who like to keep busy: most of the time americans eat to move on with their lives to other things; this is not the case here. The last difference is that the cars are very different from those in the US. There are car companies here like Puegot qnd Renault that usually one doesnt see in the US. Almost all cars are small and inexpensive. Also, 90% of the cars here are manual. I would've liked to drive in a french 'rue' but I'm pretty sure I'll be saving that for next time.

I think that's about it! See you in the states...

P.S. The French allow their dogs to poop in the street. I happened to step into one of these stinky piles. So I learned Rule #1. Don't ever window shop in France. Faites l'attention à la rue!

Hello all!

Salut!

I'm having a great time in France! I have been doing so many interesting things here! Friday a bunch of us met up at a bar, then a few of us went back to Thibaut's for dinner. We had pizza and pasta, and it was very amusing that the three girls were sitting on the couch watching TV while the guys were cooking. It was pretty comical - they were arguing over what to do and how to do it, giving each other directions left and right. But, despite all that, it turned out great!! Saturday, We all went and visited some historic sites around Troyes, like Renoir's workshop and grave site. We went to a champagne tasting, and to a cheese tasting. Saturday evening Thibaut and I took Amanda to the train station to send here off to Paris to meet Christian and spend the night at his parents' house. Then, we met up with the rest of the group to go to a "football" match. That was a lot of fun- those players are brutal! There were at least as many injuries as during an American Football game. After the game, Thibaut and I went to a party with a group of his friends. It was a lot of fun, even though i got a little queasy at one point from all the smoke. The French smoke so much!! But then they opened a window, and it was much better. After, I went back to Thibaut's apartement with him, his roommate, and three of their friends - David, Bruno, and Florent. thibaut fell asleep on the couch, but the rest of us stayed up and talked - they were very interested in America, and the school systems, the universities, the dorms, and everything else!! They had so many questions. I was proud of myself for being able to talk in French for several hours straight, and I only had to look in my dictionary once - for the word for "application". I was having trouble explaining the selection process for the Hoonors College, and they couldn't figure out what word I was looking for.
Sunday I slept late, then went to the fair with Thibaut and Jeremie. It was so much fun - there were crazy things going on all around us. I got a crepe with nutella, and it was so good! I rode one ride - one that spins in a circle and swings side to side at the same time. It was great - better than our fair! The rides last longer, too. After the fair, we went to a cafe, then to another cafe. We spend a lot of time sitting outside cafes, but it's fun - it gives us a chance to talk and get to know everyone better. We all got together for a crepe dinner, hosted by the university. I got a crepe with smoked salmon for my main course, and one with mint chocolate ice cream and hot chocolate syrup for my desert. It was delicious!
Monday we toured UTT, then went to M. Legaut's English class. We met with the President of the Conseil General, then went to the centre of Troyes for lunch. I got a wonderful sandwich - the Gourmet Bacon Poulet. We had a little free time, so we went shopping and I bought a few French novels that I've been wanting, then we went on a tour of the city. There are so many beautiful old buildings here, and churches. After that we came back to UTT and presented our slide show to the French students, and anyone else that happened to come to the cafeteria. Phil had sent out an email to the entire school, so a lot of people showed up. Thanks a lot, Phil. We made it through okay, a few trips over our French, but nothing catastrophic. We then had an Afro-French dinner, which was fantastic. My favorite part was the chicken. When we got back to Thibaut's apartement, we and Jeremie played darts for a while. I actually got pretty good by the end of the night! I beat Jeremie once! Jeremie and Thibaut are so funny! They sing so much - they love Disney songs, and seem to know them all by heart, and they insisted on finding them in English so I could sing along too!!
That's what we've done so far, and all of it fun. I'll update again later!!

Grosses Bises,
Michelle

Riding in a boot! (Ashley Cole)

Yesterday, our class spent the majority of the day in the cork. What is the cork? The center of Troyes is shaped like a cork…voilà.

Okay, so anyway, we went on a tour guided by Peter from the language department in Troyes; it was long but interesting. An ADC tour…ask Andy if you don’t quite understand “ADC”; I don’t want to steal his thunder.

After the tour, we went our separate ways to do a little bit of shopping. First, Haley and I had to use the bathroom—a problem because there aren’t public restrooms in France. We had to go into a bar where Julien ordered a beer so we could use the facilities.

We left the bar, feeling relieved. Annie, Haley, and I bought crepes at a to-go stand. Alas, we ran out of time and had to meet Alison so she could take Annie, Andrew, and Jason back to UTT for the presentation. When we got to her house, she told us that Fabien was going with her to UTT too, so she only had room for two American students.

But we had five students left over, and Julien could only take four (we were meeting with Mary and Tammy for the return trip.) So, of course, I am the smallest and bravely volunteered to ride in the trunk of Julien’s car.

I now know what it feels like to be kidnapped or stowed away! I fit perfectly inside, like some luggage and placed my head on the hub of the wheel. Needless to say, it was the longest ride of my life!

I can now say that I rode in a boot! A life-altering experience.

Jason's Post the First

Hello. So, we have been in France--in Troyes--for a few days now. It has been very interesting and very busy. Friday we arrived here and were received by the French students; I a, staying with Jerome. He is very nice and very neat--in the sense that his appartment is clean and everything is in its proper place. At 6 pm, I went to take a nap, and Saturday morning, Jerome woke me up at 7.
Saturday was the busiest day yet--we visited many small towns along the Seine. We went to a vineyard where they produce Champagne (because Troyes is in the region of Frqnce where they make Champagne). The owner then took us to his store/cellar and we had a tasting in the cellar. Then we went to a place where they make Chaource, a cheese. Saturday night, we went to a soccer match between Estac-- the Troyen team--and Valencienne. They play in Ligue 1, the highest league in France, but both of them are near the bottom of the standings. Monday, we had a tour of UTT, a tour of Troyes, and an Afro-french dinner.

Every night, Jerome and I watch Turkish music videos, and he translates the lyrics into French for me. I have learned both new words and an aprreciation of Turkish music. In terms of food, I have enjoyed it all, but for the most part (ie except the Afro-french dinner) it isn't new for me. The people are all very nice and it is interesting to see the difference in English skills between the students here; some speak nearly perfect English and some know very little.

Today, I finally received an e-mail from Quentin, un de mes amis francais. Hopefully I can call him tonight and I will be able to meet him when we go to Paris.
I think that tonight, we are going to a discotheque. That should be interesting...

I am hoping that at some point during our trip, I will be able to watch 300, either in Troyes or in Paris.

Notes from the first weekend.....what not to do in France!

My first days in France have been exciting. I have seen a lot of interesting differences and had a lot of cultural experiences here ! Ordering things can be complicated, I have found. This morning Samantha and I tried to get two pieces of chocolate bread and ended up with four, and this was after we accidentally grabbed it illegally ! When you order un cafe here you will get an espresso shot, even if you ask for it with milk. I know because I tried twice today and got two shots that I did not want for about five dollars. An expensive lessson !
The meals here Sunday were very long, even for the french Alison says ; they lasted two and a half hours. I may never be able to eat again I am so full. After all of that, I think I can say that the food here is incredible. Saturday night we went to a football match for troyes and another city in the north. The fans really are as crazy as they seem in the american media ! They had the loudest, most obnoxious chants ever. They were much more interesting than the game. At the match I met some new people and learned an shocking lesson : if you ask a guy how old he is, he will think you are checking him out in a very promiscuous manner. Yeah, it was very awkward.
I played a little game today ; I wore lavender pants and I wanted to see what the french would do. Did they pull the -I am french and therefore more chic- card ? No ! France attacked my pants ! French mud was slung on them when I cleaned some garden chairs to be used for lunch. I washed my pants, they dried, and half an hour later a little girl knocks my hand really hard and two thirds of my coffee lands squarely on my pants. So, it was back to the bathroom for another emergency cleaning, but the coffee stains were much more extensive and I spent the rest of the day with brown and purple pants. I just finished dousing them in laundry detergent, but today may have been the last day ever for shockingly lavender pants. France got them.
-Mary

The First Part of the Trip (Continued)

I'm back!!!! This is Haley. As I was saying before I had to go take the tour of UTT, was that Sunday morning I, and 6 other USC students, went to church in Troyes. It was a small church that held its services in a hotel because they do not have an official location yet. It was interesting to see that there are churches like this in France like there are in America. Church was a little long and a little unorthodox, but overall it was enjoyable. What was really great was the lunch at the pastor's house afterwards. The pastor wasn't there, but his wife made us a great, huge, french meal. She was a great host and we ate so much food!!!
After lunch we went walking throughout Troyes to try and walk off that huge lunch. We walked for a while and ended up metting up with the rest of our group of French and American students unexpectedly. We got some drinks together before going to a crepe restaurant for dinner. (Laura, this is for you - the crepe that I had was a crepe with mushrooms, onions, cheese, bechemel sauce and ham. It was so good. The dessert crepe that I had was a crepe with nutella and almonds, that was also wonderful!) I love crepes, so this meal was definitely one of my favorites so far! I also had a lot of fun talking with the students at the table. I know that we are here to speak and learn french, but it can be very comforting to speak english amongst ourselves because it is exhausting to constantly struggle to communicate and comprehend. By the time all the activities on Sunday were over, I was exhausted!

Today, monday we started off the day with a tour of UTT, then we drove to Troyes and had a champagne end hors d'hourve reception with some local politicians. Then we had lunch, I had a croque monsier (Laura, thats a sandwich of cheese, bechemel and ham) and for dessert, a pain au chocolat. We have to keep buying bottled water because the tap water is disgusting!!! I feel so dehydrated because I usually drink at least 12 cups of water a day and it is hard to drink that much here. Anyway, after lunch, an English professor from UTT gave us a 3 hour walking tour of Troyes. It was interesting, but tiring. I can't believe how old all the buildings are here! There are buildings here from the 13th century, I cant even imagine how old that is!

After the tour, we returned to UTT and gave a presentation of USC and different aspects of student life to a large group of students and teachers. Finally, after that we had a dinner of African food, which was organized by the student that I am staying with. The food was great, it was fried fish balls... it sounds gross, but it was great, couscous, chicken, fried bananas and an african version of beignets. It was all great. I liked the african beignets more than French beignets but less than the beignets that I had in New Orleans last year. That was pretty much it for today, I am really tired again today, I just can't ever seen to get fully rested here. Bye, talk to ya'll soon!

Haley

The First Part of the Trip

Hey ya'll (back in the US)! Sorry if this blog has lots of spelling errors, but the keyboards here are different! I think that all the students are having a hard time with that.

So far on our trip I feel like all we've done is eat! I'm not complaining though, if you know me, you know how much I like food, especially French food. Our first full day here, Saturday, was very busy! We visited a town called Mussy that was very small and SO old. It was really pretty and very interesting. We were given a tour of the town and the local church by Estelle, Phil's very friendly and gracious girlfriend. After that, we went to another small town called Essoyes where Renoir lived most of the second half of his life, where his great-granddaughter still lives in his home, and where he is buried. After that, we stopped at Jean Josselin Champagne to learn about how Champagne is made and to have a tasting. I think that this was my favorite part of the whole day!!! We got lunch after this at a park that overlooked acres and acres of vineyards. I think that it would be fun to come back here in August or September when the vineyards are full, not bare like they are now. After this, we visited a fromagerie and saw how cheese is made, specifically Chaource cheese, a regional specialty. After ALL this we went to a Turkish restaurant for dinner. The food got mixed reactions from the Americain students, but I liked it alright. The last event of the day was the soccer match between Troyes's soccer team end the team from Valenciennes. Troyes lost pretty badly and Ashley and I have decided that soccer players are all wimps and aren't half as tough as Americain football players!

The next morning, Sunday, ... oops we have to go take a tour of UTT, I'll finish this later! Au Revoir!

Haley

Ashley Attitude

The trip has been wonderful so far, and I have had a great time. I didn't get any sleep on the plane; therefore, I have been trying to catch-up...here's my story:

We arrived in Troyes on Friday morning (late Thursday in the U.S.) and were greeted by our French friends. I must say that they all are so nice! Anyway, Serge wasn't there to meet me, and Eliezer wasn't there to meet Haley. We waited with Phil and Michel. When they came to get us, the four of us, Julien (a great friend) and a new friend, Landry, took my things to Serge's apartement.

Serge had class, so Julien took the rest of us to Eliezer's house so Haley could get settled-in. Bynow, we are both very tired (très fatiguée), but the guys wanted to show us around Troyes. Poor Julien, he drove us to this great store called Carrefour, which is like a Wal-Mart with a gourmet grocery section. Somehow, the guys talked Haley and me into cooking dinner. We decided to cook hamburgers after we realized that they don't have ribs for sale or pork-n-beans. Eliezer bought the ingredients, and we went back to UTT to meet Serge.

Meanwhile, it's been like 20 million hours since Haley and I slept, and the students just want to talk and have a great time with their friends. Finally, we explain that we are hungry and tired, so we bought pizzas from this place called Fast Rabbit Pizza.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, I went to bed.

WAIT!!! There is more...

On Saturday, we had a full schedule--another reason to be tired. I was falling asleep between destinations and so was Annie...bobbing her head in the back seat! That night, Serge wanted to talk and look at pictures, and we did, but I was about to die of the lack of sleep.

On Sunday, I went to church. The service was way too long...I wanted to eat and sleep. Then we did a lot of nice things, but for dinner, all of the students (American and French) had dinner at a creparie. By the time the third hour had rolled around, I had developed an attitude. I was so tired and furious that dinner could take so long! After all, what did we have left to talk about??? NOTHING!!

To make a long story short, I hinted, rather boldly, that it was time to leave. I was so ill, and I felt bad, so I later apologized to Olivier, Julien, and Serge. Julien said that he felt the same way when he was tired; he said he liked my "Ashley Attitude"!

The Countryside according to Tammy

So, it seems that I am monopolizing this blog since all my friends are too busy flirting with all the cute French boys here. It's true. The boys are crazy, fun, amusing, good-looking for the most part, and very fast (if you catch my drift).

Today I spoke so much French, that I find myself naturally lapsing into it, which is a good thing. And I made a couple French language faux-pas that amused everyone quite a bit. "Produits du terroir" = product of terror.... no! And others.....

Now, about "les WC", it's true that it is an adventure in itself trying to figure out how to flush those things. They are not dirty; they are not non-existent. All the French that I have met are very clean and more modern than many Americans. They do take showers everyday. It's my friends from America who are too lazy to shower; ironically.

The countryside: just like how I imagined. The villages are so charming; life is slow; the air is fresh; the land is tranquil and rich; the landscape is all vineyards and red-roofed villages as far as the eye can see. The champagne here is very good--that cannot be overstated. (And I discovered that I'm quite the picky drinker!) I'm so glad that my first champagne tasting ( goûter de champagne) was in Champagne-Ardenne, France. How much more perfect can you get?! The cheese factory is not as good per se. Smelled and tasted weird. And the soil where we picnicked was white!!!!! Maybe that's good for champagne?

I also saw Renoir's studio and final resting place. He lived in a small village that is surrounded by beautiful landscapes and chateaus. There's a good reason for his genius. His hometown is full of artistic inspiration!

The French do eat a lot. And the food is very good. Everything is better; even the milk. Usually, I will not drink cow milk because it has a raw taste. But here.... not the case.Chocolate in the cereal. Crackers with chocolate. Everything is chocolate. All the food is rich and tasty, but not heavy. They even manage to jazz up Fanta and Schwepp's! They party a lot, but they dance in groups, not couples--which I find interesting, since France is the land of love.

The soccer game was fun. I had quite an experience buying a souvenir. I was communicating fine until the lady asked my size. I realized that I had never learned how to say "size small". My friend Annie and I kept saying "petite" "plus petite pour adultes". We all got so confused. The lady took out all the baby clothes she had. Cute, but not what I wanted. And Annie and I were totally lost about what to do. But thankfully, the ladies were nice and understanding. I love the people of Troyes! And no, Valenciennes won the soccer game, not Troyes. Oh well. I still saw a game of two of France's best teams.

I love Troyes! It is such a perfect city for French life. America is really inefficient, immobile, and so backwards compared to here. Ugly too... Even the Rockies and California don't compare. It's true: the French are right when they say that. And I am a pure-hearted American who loves America saying this. The people are wonderful--forget the stereotype. Please!

Okay that's all for now. Oh did you know that euros are so pretty!?!? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm easily amused. :)

Tammy's First Day in France!

Hey y'all! I arrived at Charles deGaulle this morning and was immediately greeted by a hot toasty croissants by my dear friend Julien. (And a couple kisses...it's the culture) Amazingly, after very little sleep I'm still wide awake!

We drove for three hours into the countryside of France northeast of Paris. The land is so vast, so green, so lush, and so beautiful! Troyes is a charming small city filled with history. I spent the day walking the cobblestone streets and chilling in a French bar. I even ordered in French! And yes, the bakeries smell delicious! The most exciting thing was sticking my debit card into a French BNP ATM and seeing the euros come spitting out! The French people are so nice and thoughtful. But pedestrian crossing can be a hazardous event. The cars just don't stop. The weather is nice and wet: just like I have always imagined my first day in France....strolling the streets. I love this place! The buildings are actually so old that they lean.....

I had my first vodka today; just a few sips but amazing stuff. The hot chocolate is infinitely tastier also. They even come with sugar cubes! Sandrine, my host, made the best chocolate mousse today. The two of us ate the entire bowl!

The French keyboard is so different; very hard for me to adjust to. And amazingly, I'm having a hard time having to think in English for this; I think French is rubbing off on me!