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Published: October 6th 2008
The days are beginning to run together, and I can’t believe I’ve already been in France for one week. I woke up this morning to find it a beautiful, if not chilly, fall day in Brest. Sun shinning (which I hear is rare) and I have to say that things have much improved over the last few days. The heat situation is still pretty unfortunate, however. When I asked my school about it, they said “mais, it is cold in Michigan, non?” and I replied, “yes, but we have heat in Michigan”. The heat in France is, apparently, controlled by the government, (Thank you M. Sarkozy) and will not be turned on until Nov 1 (le sigh). There are however, small heaters which can be bought at the Geant (a sort of mall with a grocery store in it), and I’m definitely going to invest in one.
Last week my flat mates and I went to the movies (and may I say, the Dark Knight in French is not nearly as interesting as it is in English), which prompted a desperate need for a drink. We began walking, without so much as a hint to what we would find, and suddenly, a boy that I met in Paris for dinner at the fondue restaurant came walking in the other direction! This was more than a happy accident, it was une miracle! Brest is quite a large town, and the chances of running into someone you know, let alone another American is slim to none. Derek is from Michigan, which at that moment made my love for him even greater. He was going to meet with a few other assistants, who I had also met in Paris, at a small Pub down the street. Please allow me to paint a picture, as hole-in-the-wall doesn’t do this bar justice. It couldn’t have been bigger than 30x15, dark wood walls, a weird glass chamber for smoking in the corner that fit three drunk French men at a time… very snugly, and a man playing the bag pipes (officially the loudest thing I’ve ever heard in my life). Oui, you heard me. Bag pipes in France. As soon as he began to play, the Austrian girl, Julia, looked over and said ‘Ahhh ze doodlesac, yah!?’ and I quickly replied, ‘THE WHAT?’ followed, naturally, by a bout of laughter. Doodlesac. This is the word for Bagpipes. If you’ve ever heard a better word in your life, please share, but as far as I can tell nothing will ever top Doodlesac. I mean seriously. DOODLE SAC. It’s fantastic. Say it, just once, out loud, and you’ll know where I’m coming from.
I’ve also picked up some interesting tidbits from the UK. Sunnies are sunglasses, one magpie (which is a sort of bird that is everywhere here) is bad luck while two is good luck, and they really do say things like ‘blimey’ and ‘wanker’, oh, and they think American’s run around saying the word ‘dufus’ and watching MTV. Also, spring break in Miami is legendary.
Yesterday morning I went to the Lycee and observed some classes, I love the little French children…. well, actually, they terrify me. They sit around rolling their own cigarettes (which is seen more as a right than a habit), making out with each other (I suppose I should have expected this), and look like they just escaped from an Avril Lavigne music video (this is how they think American’s dress…sad day for America), and the day quickly took a turn for the worst in one of the senior classes when a male student asked me what I think of French kissing. Ahhh Frenchmen. They get started young.
Interestingly, many of the students wish to go to the States after high school, in what they refer to as a “gap year”. Teachers help to propagate the American dream to their students, which is really nice to see. All of the students seem to fully believe that the USA is a land of opportunity, beauty, and adventure. Unfortunately, the only cities they seem to know are LA, Miami, and New York. Everything else in the middle is just filler. I did, however, have a student ask me if I support the Lions. How he had heard of the Lions I’ll never know. My goal is to get them into basketball and to share my love for Rasheed.
All of my flat mates have finally arrived; there are three girls (including myself) and only one boy. It will be interesting to see how an Austrian, American, Columbian, and Englishman get along. Everyone seems so nice, it shouldn’t be a problem- I do feel slightly bad though for Matt, it would be nice for him, I think, if there was another guy in the building. They could watch sports and do whatever it is that men do together. I suppose he’s just going to have to settle for watching the girls paint their nails, drink wine, and watch Grey’s Anatomy, like last night. Yes, Grey’s Anatomy is on in French, and, I’m happy to say, it’s just as popular around the world as in America. I wish you could see the hilarity of American movies and TV shows dubbed in French. It’s fantastic. La Petite Maison dans la Prarie was on TV this morning, and I can honestly say it’s my new favorite show. In English, not so much. In French? FANTASTIQUE!
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Jess
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Yay!
Jules~ So happy to hear things have gotten better. I'm glad they sell heaters at the store (although it sucks that you aren't allowed to just turn on the heat in your house). I miss you girl!! I am working on coming to visit. I have found a ticket I believe I will be able to afford and am thinking of coming the last week in Feb and the first week in March. Let me know if you will be around. I will also remember to pack very warm clothes!! Glad that everyone you've met is nice and hopefully you will continue to get to know them and not to mention some cute French boys! Miss you and can't wait to hear from you!