The United Nations of Fun, and other reflections...

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Longtemps, pas voir! Woah, this blog still exists?

Well friends, it has been QUITE a while. I have not disappeared completely, I promise. I had busy classes then my first vacation, now back to the normal routine in Lyon but even busier. But I will write at least once a week from now on. I need to stay committed to my readers, you glorious individuals.

I will focus this shorter blog posting on the amazing feeling of being in Europe again amongst new friends from all over the world. As my friends who studied with me in Angers can attest, I feed off this energy, perhaps bordering on OCD with being surrounded with international students. But it’s not that I do not like Americans; I love them (well, the ones I know) and most of my best friends are American. But it is nice to get some global perspective in making friends from different countries.


The excitement and challenges of being abroad as an American

That being said, this year is a bit different than my time in Angers (already three years ago), when I was studying there with a big group from Notre Dame and an even bigger group from the all over the US. I believe there were about 100 Americans out of 500 total students, so I was in some company.
This year in Lyon, not only am I working instead of studying, but I am also the only American in my environment, which makes for an interesting situation. At times, it can be taxing in terms of being put on the spot about US foreign policy, US history, the dominating presence of American multinationals and the ‘belligerence” of the Bush Administration, and having to serve as an ambassador, whether I like it or not. Here is the stereotype of the average American in French eyes, probably in the eyes of many, of course most of whom have not met an American:

McDonalds eating, gun-wielding, religious, overweight, wealthy (the cost of universities in the US baffles their minds), relatively ungifted in languages, geography and world history, and arrogant.

There is a little bit of truth in every part of this generalization, as stereotypes come about. But it lacks so much perspective that it is laughable. And thankfully, my international friends know this.

With a country as diverse as the US, I cannot possibly represent the whole spectrum of views held by the 300 million Americans across different political ideologies, ethnic origins, religious faiths (or lack thereof), not to mention - to a lesser extent - loyalties to states and sports teams. To some Americans, the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is as important as the Democrat-Republican rivalry.


Nonetheless, I tend to embrace this opportunity, and I try to portray the diversity of the US in a positive light - which I truly believe is its strong point. E pluribus unum. Even the smallest things like regional accents in the US can really open up the minds of my students, who often think of one American accent. They especially get a kick of out of the Boston “pahk the kah” (park the car).


So it is in this role that I have found myself as an impromptu ambassador of the US in my roles of English assistant and also in my circle of international friends, whether it be in classroom discussions about the US Elections or at parties with a fine German brew, French wine or Russian vodka in hand (fruit juice is good too…).


The United Nations of Fun

Speaking of these latter instances (soirées), a few weeks back the German assistant at my lycée, Eva, had a party at her place outside of Lyon in the small town of Craponne. She lives with her good friend and classmate from Germany, Miriam, as well as a French and Spanish student. At the party, there was a lively and heartening group of Italians (Ugo, Pietro, Lucas, Michael, Valentina, Federica), some more Germans (Charlotte and Jan, and Rasheed was from Frankfurt but of Moroccan origin, fellow colleagues at MAC), Magda from Poland and other Spaniards. Many of them are studying this year at the Institute for Political Studies (IEP, or Sciences Po) here in Lyon.


It was quite eclectic, and that’s how I prefer it. We discussed our interests, studies, politics, music, travel, etc…one of my favorite parts was playing with Pietro and others on guitar. We may speak different languages (though English and French tend to be the common ones), come from different backgrounds, and not agree on farm subsidies in the WTO, but we were all able to sing Radiohead, Chili Peppers and Coldplay together. Music definitely bridges gaps and unites people.


They were all welcoming, and were also curious to meet an American and ask me questions about our political system and Iraq. Can’t I just finish my drink? Nope. Talk about the differences between Hillary and Obama on healthcare and Iraq. Excellent. It is quite funny, they have all seen Michael Moore’s films, but I have not. That will be my next endeavor.


These are the situations in which I have started to thrive. I have accepted my role and have in turn tried to keep ahead of the internationals on US current events, because they always seem to be in the know. “But Michael,” you ask, “how could you not be knowledgeable about your own country?” There is a dangerous tendency to become indifferent about US politics and events while abroad, at least in my case, because I like to absorb the local life and read about French and EU politics. But I am being persistent at keeping up to date, since with globalization, everything is intertwined anyway.


The next night, my friend Kate (who studied with me in Angers and is now a teaching assistant as well in Lyon, by the grace of Dieu), had a soirée at her place in Croix Rousse, which is Lyon’s version of Montmartre. She and some friends live in an old apartment…in fact, so old that it was once home to silk workers who made fabric there during the golden age of Lyon in the silk trade in the 16th century. Thus the ceilings were high and the woodwork was wonderfully rustic.

http://nd.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2119887&l=14b97&id=5604082


My friend Krysta from Notre Dame had come in for the week on vacation, and after spending the day around Lyon (and having lunch with my other ND friend Andrea who is teaching in France), we went to Kate’s place. I made new French friends, and it later turned into a music jam session with multiple guitars. Quite convivial.

Since then, things have been great, and I will write a separate post about my adventures over the Toussaint (All Saint’s Day) break, our first vacation of the year. Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment, ramble as I do, or just send a message. Cheers!

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