Journal for cconzatt

How the French love their Politics

2008-12-11T00:38:16Z

So I didn't write about it when it first happened, but I guess even thinking about it now is kind of funny since it's still such a big deal here, and my book buying experience shows it. So the other day I went to buy a book at a used book store that they have here and was looking at books trying to figure out which one I should try and read in French (I decided on Harry Potter). But I asked the store lady if she had an recommendations for me because I was American and didn't want something too hard. Anyway she started pointing things out and talking to me, and then all of the sudden she congratulated me/the US on the election of Obama. Which is something that I've found pretty amusing since the day that it happened.
The opinion that Europe has of the US has changed so much since the elections, or at least I think it has. I think that being back in the states would have been great for this big of an election, but then at the same time seeing what happened here was pretty amazing as well. Now that Obama has been elected its as if we've somehow regained some type of footing within Europe again, there's a little bit more respect. The day after the elections there was a full front page on Obama in the newspaper that services Angers. I swear that it was the only thing that people could talk about for a week, and even now I still get the congratulations every once in a while. People love to talk to Americans about how its such a great thing about Obama being elected and how America is going to do so well, and I just find it a little amusing, but in a great way because they take such an interest in whats going on in the states. And in the US it's not that big of a deal who gets elected over here, definitely not front page worthy. I kind of can't wait until Obama is inaugurated but I think that there will be a huge interest in that as well.

Would you like to Study a little?

2008-12-05T20:32:06Z

So, I've started talking with people about what's going to be happening next semester when I'm enrolled in the Catho, and well its a little worrying...Basically I'm completely positive that the French school system is insane. I started out by talking to Marrion and Sue, Marrion went to the Catho, but its been a couple years since she's been there, so I'm really hoping that maybe a couple of things have changed. One of the reasons that I started asking her about it, is beacuse I'm planning on taking a trip to Germany to see a friend the first weekend in March, so I asked Sue if it was going to be easier to miss school while I was at the Catho, and she was saying that it's basically going to be the same. And I was saying that I was just probably going to miss one Friday, and then she was like there aren't really classes on Friday, and I got really excited about that. Then she followed that up with, "that's usually because they have test's on Fridays". And according to Marrion there short tests are three hours long! That's not short! Oh and it gets even better, I was talking to a couple of French students because I was helping out in their class, and apparently all class are 3 hours, and you tend to go to them one after the other after the other until the end of the day. I guess I'm not really going to know until I'm completely enrolled but the thoughts are a little terrifying because well I come from Willamette, where I only take 12 hours a week. Even right now the schedule is very different then what I'm used to. For example, on Mondays I don't start until 1:30 and then I only have 2 hours of classes. But on Thursday I start at 8:30, have one hour of class, and then I have a five hour break, where I do nothing, because its not that beneficial to go home, and I tell myself that I'm going to do homework or something productive, but I tend not to. And then on Friday I have classes from 10:15 straight to 4:45. I know that I'm here to learn and all that fun stuff, but I'm also here to experience the culture and sometimes don't see how I'm doing that when I'm stuck in a classroom for 16 hours a week. I can see how it could be beneficial to French students, but at the same time I feel like if I was a student here that I would get burnt out so quickly having to be in the class that long. I guess I'll have to see how things play out next semester...At the very least it'll be interesting.

Sadly this is true...

2008-09-20T21:20:17Z

Ok, so I'm a little embarrassed about this, but I thought that it would provide some entertainment for those of you who are actually reading this...

If you know me at all you know that I"m insanely afraid of spiders. Spiders of all shapes and sizes. They're just nasty and gross and crawly. Ick. Fortunately I've been able to kill most spiders I see in my house with minimal squealing and jumping. But today was just too much. So today we went on an excursion to the North of France and it was really pretty and I came back in a pretty good mood. As I was walking down my street I ran into my host mother and so we walked in the garage together. She told me that she was going to start fixing dinner so I should come down when I was ready. So I got upstairs and put my stuff down and check my mail and browse the internet for a minute before I decide to go downstairs. Well I opened my door and on the side wall for the stairs that lead down to the garage so that I can get into the house is the biggest spider that I have ever seen. It was about the same size as one that I had killed a week ago. (One thing that I've noticed in France is that everything is smaller here, except the stupid spiders...) So It was on the side of the wall and I wasn't sure what to do, but then I remembered that Gisele had told me that there was bug spray under the sink so I went searching for it, and thankfully found it. Unfortunately for me the spray was very close to being empty so I went back to the door and started spraying the spider but the spray didn't seem to be working on the spider so I come back in my room and close the door and think about what I could do to kill the stupid thing. I finally decided that I was going to be brave and just run downstairs and see if there was anymore spray.

Well once I opened the door the spider wasn't there anymore and had fallen. Onto the stairs, I could see it moving around but I didn't want to go down the stairs now for fear that it would crawl up me or something. And when I looked farther down on the landing I saw another freaking spider that was just as big crawling around down there. Then I look up and hiding in a little crack in the ceiling is another spider, this one I thought was smaller so I sprayed it with the spray. I'm inhaling all of the fumes so I shut the door because I don't want to smell them anymore. I wait a little while and then open the door again, and guess what I see, that so called "little" spider was actually a big fat ugly black spider that made me want to scream. I can't see the other one on the stairs so I have no idea where it is, and the other one was tucked away in the corner of the landing.

I shut the door again not wanting them to come in or to look at them anymore. I finally decide that there's only one thing left for me to do, and I call my host mom on the house phone and ask her if she'll come rescue me or send one of the boys to help. She come and as kills the one on the landing and then as she's walking up the stairs to get the one on the ceiling it falls onto the stairs and misses her by like 6 inches. I, of course, scream and jump back, which makes her run up the stairs. She kills that one and then we find that the third one is already dead on one of the stairs.

So I was literally trapped in my room for about thirty minutes by three spiders, I inhaled so many fumes that I can't stop sneezing, and my nose is running like crazy. And I can't stop thinking of the spiders or how there could be more wandering around my room without my knowledge. This has to be the worst experience with spiders that I've ever had. Though thankfully they're going to go and get some spray that will keep the spiders from coming in and if they do they're be killed by the stuff. Who ever invented that stuff should be hailed as a saint in my opinion.

First Week

2008-09-04T17:44:15Z

Ok, so I've been here for less than a week, and I think that I'm holding up really well! When I first boarded the plane in tears I thought that I would hate being here and want to come back as soon as I got home, though I think subconsciously I always knew that I was mean to go here (however dramatic that sounds). There have only been a couple times throughout the time that I've been here that I've really had the urge to go home.

I think that one thing that's really helped me is that I got placed with the perfect host family! The mom and dad are both really nice and then they have three children, two are in middle school, and the other one is starting his first year at the University. Both of my host parents are teachers, the mom is an high school English teacher, and the dad is a PE teacher I'm pretty sure... All of the children are really nice and the youngest one is so cute! Oh! And what makes this family even better for me is that they have an adorable cat who loves to be held, but can also spend hours chasing his tail, he is one of the cutest things that I've ever seen!

School so far has been an interesting blend of complete and utter frustration, and going over stuff that is way too easy! I know that the school put me in a level that is way to low for me, and the reason that they did this is because I do horrible on French tests, especially ones that last for two hours. To start things off it was the second day here when we took the test, so I was still kind of jet lagged. And then the first part of it was Oral Comprehension and I didn't know that it had started until we were like three questions in, I was not happy when I realized that. And then as the time went on I just continued to get more frustrated and so I started not paying attention and rushing through things because I just wanted to be done. Also it doesn't help that the test was like the stupid SAT's and you're marked down if you get the wrong answer, I've always found that system to be stupid. I'm hoping that the teacher will realize that I should at least be one level up and change me, but if not, I can say that it will be an easy class that I'll be able to pass with flying colors.

In away I still can't believe that I'm here and that I'll be staying here for a while. I'm not sure when or if it'll ever sink in that nine months can be a long time. I'm hoping that the months will fly by and I'll be able to speak flawless French and come back to the States and be with my loved ones! That would be really nice! Though on the plus side I found out yesterday that when I apply for my carte de sejour the French government is basically going to give me free money that covers for my living expenses, though I think that it only covers my rent, but considering that I paid for all of that beforehand it'll be really nice to get that when it starts coming. Though it'll be a pain to go through the application process (especially since i was also told that I'll probably have to do it twice, once in Angers, and then again when I move up to Lille, how annoying is that?). But I guess I'll live as they say "C'est la vie"