Bonjour!
It's been a couple days and a lot has happened. Let's see...well, last Friday was the Abroadco welcome dinner. It was very nice. The thirteen girls went out with our program director and a student from last semester, Hugo. We had roasted red peppers, kind of a pork curry with rice and pineapple, and this great gooey chocolate dessert. Afterward, almost all of us went around the corner to the Irish pub, O'Shannon's. I got to show off my previous French bar knowledge since I knew what a 'monaco' was (beer, seltzer/orange juice, grenadine). Then we went over to a place called Le P'tit Bistro, where most drinks are only 2€ and there's outdoor seating. I didn't get anything, but it was fun.
Saturday was a free day, but it was rainy and gross. I did some exploring with a girl Sam from my program. Then Sunday, all of us went to Marseille, where Pamela actually lives. She took us to Notre Dame de la Garde, this gorgeous cathedral up on a hill looking out over the rest of the city. We also walked around a cute neighborhood by the Vieux Port and saw an old building that used to be a homeless shelter (I would've wanted to be a homeless marseillaise in the 19th century). Oh! And then I touched the Mediterranean for the first time. It was really cold, but there was an older French man swimming anyway!
This week is the first week of classes. And it's even more tiring than it will be normally, because in addition to my required 10 hour language class and 2 hour phonetics class, I have to sit in on all the elective courses for my level to see what I will take. So I think I've narrowed it down to these four:
-Regards sur les médias--basically a conversation class, but with emphasis on current events in France and Europe.
-Traduction--translation; it'll be difficult but useful, since it's kind of a review for grammar and writing.
-Contes populaires--the professor for this is certifiable, but interesting. I don't even know what we're going to read, but last semester they did the short stories of Maupassant, so maybe something of that genre.
-La Vème République--the only polisci-related course offered, about the current French government. We'll see, I have yet to actually go since it's tomorrow (at EIGHT AM!)
I guess that's it for now. I'll put up a link for the facebook album of Marseille (you don't have to belong to see it, no worries).
Bisous!
Maggie B.
1.29.2009
1.23.2009
L'espoir OBAMA
My dad has been bugging me for the French reaction to Obama's election. So I translated most of an article in the French magazine L'Express called "L'espoir OBAMA" (Hope OBAMA). For anyone who actually takes/reads French, the page for this exact article is kind of screwy, but here's the link to the "dossier" on Obama: http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/monde/amerique/l-espoir-obama_731579.html.
I think maybe I'll write a little more about my reactions to these reactions later, add some more personal examples. But this is long enough for now.
I think maybe I'll write a little more about my reactions to these reactions later, add some more personal examples. But this is long enough for now.
The foreign policy of the Obama administration should be in keeping with today’s America: the president wants to negotiate with traditional enemies of Washington, including Tehran. Not out of naïveté, but because he adheres to the belief of Kissinger, Secretary of State for presidents Nixon and Ford, that “diplomacy (is) the art of restraining power.” But he is inheriting errors of the past, errors made worse by the chaos in the Middle East and Afghanistan. With his departure from the Oval Office, George W. Bush has single-handedly reaffirmed the United States’ authority in the world. But he’s left very little breathing room for his successor.
Near East (meaning Israel and Lebanon?)
… “He has given some promises to Israel, but he’s one of the most ardent defenders of a “two-state” solution”, emphasized Joseph Nye, professor at Harvard and originator of the concept of soft power, a mix of using influence and seduction as persuasion. …The president isn’t ignoring the complexity of the Israel question. “The new president’s team has promised to approach head-on these interconnected questions of the Middle East” (Scott Lasensky, researcher at the US Institute of Peace). These include negotiations between Israel and Syria and their effect on Iran’s influence in the region.
Iraq
The removal of US troop from Iraq is ideally going to be complete before the end of 2011. This leads to optimism that some will think excessive: “the Bush era was characterized by liberation and security,” commented the Iraqi advisor on national security Mouaffak al-Roubaïe. “The Obama era should usher in a more complete strategic interchange in all domains—economic, cultural, scientific, and religious.
Guantanamo
The American “gulag” won’t be closed in the first 100 days of the new administration, contrary to what had been promised. The approximate 250 detainees still being held at the Cuban base should, for the most part, be transferred to their home countries, in particular Yemen, where Washington barely obtained control and surveillance guarantees for suspected members of Al-Qaeda. A dozen “important” prisoners should appear before American federal courts. Some of them may be released, considering their confessions were, in some cases, obtained through torture.
Europe
Europeans anxiously await the inevitable demands for reinforcements in Afghanistan, but they also expect Barack Obama to break with the Bush administration’s unilateral approach. There is also the issue of improving relations with Moscow following the announced installation of American missiles in central Europe.
Un peu d'histoire
Salut tout le monde,
It's rainy and cold today, so I took the time between my Abroadco walking tour and getting my student bus pass to relate what I've learned about Aix so far. Also, I wanted to change my socks.
This morning all the Abroadco kids met Pamela, our director, at the Cathédrale Saint Sauveur (loosely translated, the Cathedral of Our Holy Savior). She's an art history person, which she apologized for since she loves to talk about it, but I think it's great. I like hearing that perspective when sight-seeing. Saint Sauveur is considered ugly by many Aixois because it mixes several styles of architecture spanning many centuries. But I think it's interesting.
The oldest part is from the Roman era, the 11th or 12th century. Right outside the main entrance there are stones from the old Roman road that ran north to south past the cathedral (they let cars park there!). We were lucky and got to see the cloisters, too; they're often closed to the public because of vandalism. Then there is the part that was built during the Gothic period, so all of a sudden the rounded arches and columns from the older part become vaulted ceilings and kind of intricate decoration. There's this kind of garish (I think it is anyway) green, gold-trimmed organ on one side, and on the opposite wall there's a fake one that looks just like it, except it's just a façade. Oh, what we do for symmetry.
After some time in the Cathédrale we looked at a few "hotels", which aren't really hotels but old, humongous town house type things that wealthy families used to live in. The Institut where I will take classes is the Hotel Maynier Oppède. We also tried calissons, the specialty of Aix. Calissons are made with almond paste and have a layer of some kind of icing on top. I'm not a huge fan because they remind me of marzipan and I once ate too much marzipan and felt sick for the rest of the day.
Our next stop was the Palais de Justice. I can actually see the Palais de Justice from the kitchen window in Mme Orsoni's apartment. Inside was a statue of Mirabeau, for whom the Cours Mirabeau is named. Apparently he was quite the character. He wasn't a looker, he had smallpox or something when he was young, but he was persuasive or charismatic enough to be Aix's representative for something in Paris. He was pursuing the prettiest woman in Aix and he played a nasty trick on her. He left his carriage outside her house one night and kept it there until morning, when the town woke up and started gossiping about what was going on. So the girl's father forced her to marry Mirabeau to avoid any scandal. Mirabeau, whose family had run out of money, proceeded to spend all of the girl's money and she filed for divorce. He refused a lawyer for the hearing and argued on his own behalf. It is said there wasn't a dry eye in the courtroom after he presented his defense.
I still don't really know why the Cours Mirabeau was named for him, even though he was Aix's representative. Maybe it's just because he was a 'rascal' and the French kind of liked him. I wouldn't be surprised.
That's about it for now. Tonight is our welcome dinner with Pamela, I'm sure I'll be writing about the wonderful food.
A bientôt!
Maggie B.
French Fun Fact: I pulled this from my guidebook and haven't found a dictionary with this word in it yet to verify, but apparently part of the reason French people may laugh if they hear an American say "Oh my God" is because godde means vibrator in French. I must find a French person I will never have to see again to verify this...stay tuned.
It's rainy and cold today, so I took the time between my Abroadco walking tour and getting my student bus pass to relate what I've learned about Aix so far. Also, I wanted to change my socks.
This morning all the Abroadco kids met Pamela, our director, at the Cathédrale Saint Sauveur (loosely translated, the Cathedral of Our Holy Savior). She's an art history person, which she apologized for since she loves to talk about it, but I think it's great. I like hearing that perspective when sight-seeing. Saint Sauveur is considered ugly by many Aixois because it mixes several styles of architecture spanning many centuries. But I think it's interesting.
The oldest part is from the Roman era, the 11th or 12th century. Right outside the main entrance there are stones from the old Roman road that ran north to south past the cathedral (they let cars park there!). We were lucky and got to see the cloisters, too; they're often closed to the public because of vandalism. Then there is the part that was built during the Gothic period, so all of a sudden the rounded arches and columns from the older part become vaulted ceilings and kind of intricate decoration. There's this kind of garish (I think it is anyway) green, gold-trimmed organ on one side, and on the opposite wall there's a fake one that looks just like it, except it's just a façade. Oh, what we do for symmetry.
After some time in the Cathédrale we looked at a few "hotels", which aren't really hotels but old, humongous town house type things that wealthy families used to live in. The Institut where I will take classes is the Hotel Maynier Oppède. We also tried calissons, the specialty of Aix. Calissons are made with almond paste and have a layer of some kind of icing on top. I'm not a huge fan because they remind me of marzipan and I once ate too much marzipan and felt sick for the rest of the day.
Our next stop was the Palais de Justice. I can actually see the Palais de Justice from the kitchen window in Mme Orsoni's apartment. Inside was a statue of Mirabeau, for whom the Cours Mirabeau is named. Apparently he was quite the character. He wasn't a looker, he had smallpox or something when he was young, but he was persuasive or charismatic enough to be Aix's representative for something in Paris. He was pursuing the prettiest woman in Aix and he played a nasty trick on her. He left his carriage outside her house one night and kept it there until morning, when the town woke up and started gossiping about what was going on. So the girl's father forced her to marry Mirabeau to avoid any scandal. Mirabeau, whose family had run out of money, proceeded to spend all of the girl's money and she filed for divorce. He refused a lawyer for the hearing and argued on his own behalf. It is said there wasn't a dry eye in the courtroom after he presented his defense.
I still don't really know why the Cours Mirabeau was named for him, even though he was Aix's representative. Maybe it's just because he was a 'rascal' and the French kind of liked him. I wouldn't be surprised.
That's about it for now. Tonight is our welcome dinner with Pamela, I'm sure I'll be writing about the wonderful food.
A bientôt!
Maggie B.
French Fun Fact: I pulled this from my guidebook and haven't found a dictionary with this word in it yet to verify, but apparently part of the reason French people may laugh if they hear an American say "Oh my God" is because godde means vibrator in French. I must find a French person I will never have to see again to verify this...stay tuned.
1.21.2009
A Aix enfin!
Bonjour!
I am finally in Aix-en-Provence. After 11 hours in transit I made it to Marseille where two Abroadco students from the past semester greeted three of us from the Munich flight. They took us on the bus to Aix, where we briefly met our program director, Pamela, before she sent us off to our homestays and apartments.
Before I go any further, I must discuss my travel. First, I booked with Lufthansa this time since British Airways lost my luggage and I didn't want to deal with Terminal 4, Terminal 5 nonsense in Heathrow. The Munich airport terminal was alien to me. Maybe if I hadn't taken French first I could do it, but I do NOT understand German at all. But I was so hungry when I got to Aix because once I finally found a place to buy food in the Munich airport, the only food I wouldn't have to ask for over the counter was cut up pineapple. I know I could've tried English, but it's the first time I've ever been in a country where I wasn't at least operational in the native language and it wouldn't have felt right.
While I don't understand a word of German and never endeavor to try, Lufthansa beats British Airways hands down. Better food, absolutely doting flight attendants, maybe even better selection for in-flight movies. Also, there were no delays, even though it had been snowing for hours when we left Munich.
So my program director sent me to meet my host mom with the two students who greeted us at the airport. Madame Marie-Dominique Orsoni lives in (or perhaps right on the fringe of) the old city. The streets are incredibly narrow and are filled with pedestrians, except when the occasional car comes along. I played around with paint and Google Maps to try to give an idea of how Aix is laid out. The green lines are the old city, the outer orange ring marks what I think is considered the "centre
ville", and the purple line is the famous Cours Mirabeau. The biggest fountain "La Rotonde" is at the western end (the circle to the left labeled D17). Pictures of these places are to follow eventually.
Last night I got settled in in my room. Madame Orsoni lives in her apartment with her cat Miya (I don't know if that's how it's spelled). She has one son who has a 4 year-old daughter Anna. Marie-Do is very talkative and likes watching TV, even reality shows like the French version of Survivor (same title, just say it Frenchily). She seems very laidback and gets along well with my program director, whom she knows from hosting other Abroadco students.
Today I took my placement test at the Institut (des Etudes Françaises pour les Etudiants Etrangers...l'IEFEE). There are probably at least 5 private study abroad companies who have brought students to this one school. To explain the exam instructions there were translators for English, Chinese, and Japanese. And I know there were at least a few Germans and a group of very chic, overly tanned Italian girls. So even though I won't be taking classes with French students, being with people who speak a different native language should prevent me from speaking too much English. That's the plan anyway.
The test was fine. The written part took probably an hour and a half and then the oral exam was just 5 minutes with a professor. After I did both of those I kind of wandered around Aix on my own, got lost a couple times, bought some pasta for lunch. It's not too warm but the sun is really nice. I can't wait to see the Cours Mirabeau when the trees get leafy.
That's it for now. Tomorrow I have a free day and will be figuring out my cell phone situation. Then Friday I find out which level I placed into for classes, and all the Abroadco students are going out to dinner on our director's bill. Saturday is free again, and Sunday I'm going to Marseille with the Abroadco kids again.
A bientôt!
Maggie B.
French Fun Fact: In French, a woman "tombe enceinte" or "falls pregnant".
I am finally in Aix-en-Provence. After 11 hours in transit I made it to Marseille where two Abroadco students from the past semester greeted three of us from the Munich flight. They took us on the bus to Aix, where we briefly met our program director, Pamela, before she sent us off to our homestays and apartments.
Before I go any further, I must discuss my travel. First, I booked with Lufthansa this time since British Airways lost my luggage and I didn't want to deal with Terminal 4, Terminal 5 nonsense in Heathrow. The Munich airport terminal was alien to me. Maybe if I hadn't taken French first I could do it, but I do NOT understand German at all. But I was so hungry when I got to Aix because once I finally found a place to buy food in the Munich airport, the only food I wouldn't have to ask for over the counter was cut up pineapple. I know I could've tried English, but it's the first time I've ever been in a country where I wasn't at least operational in the native language and it wouldn't have felt right.
While I don't understand a word of German and never endeavor to try, Lufthansa beats British Airways hands down. Better food, absolutely doting flight attendants, maybe even better selection for in-flight movies. Also, there were no delays, even though it had been snowing for hours when we left Munich.
So my program director sent me to meet my host mom with the two students who greeted us at the airport. Madame Marie-Dominique Orsoni lives in (or perhaps right on the fringe of) the old city. The streets are incredibly narrow and are filled with pedestrians, except when the occasional car comes along. I played around with paint and Google Maps to try to give an idea of how Aix is laid out. The green lines are the old city, the outer orange ring marks what I think is considered the "centre
ville", and the purple line is the famous Cours Mirabeau. The biggest fountain "La Rotonde" is at the western end (the circle to the left labeled D17). Pictures of these places are to follow eventually.Last night I got settled in in my room. Madame Orsoni lives in her apartment with her cat Miya (I don't know if that's how it's spelled). She has one son who has a 4 year-old daughter Anna. Marie-Do is very talkative and likes watching TV, even reality shows like the French version of Survivor (same title, just say it Frenchily). She seems very laidback and gets along well with my program director, whom she knows from hosting other Abroadco students.
Today I took my placement test at the Institut (des Etudes Françaises pour les Etudiants Etrangers...l'IEFEE). There are probably at least 5 private study abroad companies who have brought students to this one school. To explain the exam instructions there were translators for English, Chinese, and Japanese. And I know there were at least a few Germans and a group of very chic, overly tanned Italian girls. So even though I won't be taking classes with French students, being with people who speak a different native language should prevent me from speaking too much English. That's the plan anyway.
The test was fine. The written part took probably an hour and a half and then the oral exam was just 5 minutes with a professor. After I did both of those I kind of wandered around Aix on my own, got lost a couple times, bought some pasta for lunch. It's not too warm but the sun is really nice. I can't wait to see the Cours Mirabeau when the trees get leafy.
That's it for now. Tomorrow I have a free day and will be figuring out my cell phone situation. Then Friday I find out which level I placed into for classes, and all the Abroadco students are going out to dinner on our director's bill. Saturday is free again, and Sunday I'm going to Marseille with the Abroadco kids again.
A bientôt!
Maggie B.
French Fun Fact: In French, a woman "tombe enceinte" or "falls pregnant".
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