(no subject)
well my friends. because i am so lazy, i'm goign to copy and paste bits of e-mails to people to update my trip to france.
i am still in france. i have extended my stay until august 9. i'm going to take french lessons in the city (strasbourg). who knows if i'll actually learn anything, but contrary to popular belief; everyone does NOT speak english and i'm tired of being the stupid american.
i saw the first part of the tour de france yesterday. very fun. we stood qround for two hours waiting to see 10 seconds of action. but it was seriously very exciting.
i have a room in one of the dormitories at the university here. it's hilarious. my room is the size of a closet. smaller than art's downstqairs bathroom. (however, i do have a personal sink) they give you a sheet and blankets, but no toilet paper in the bathroom. i keep forgetting the damn toilet paper even though i've put it right next to the door. i'm on the eight (really the ninth) floor and the elevator is broken. however, my window open wide so i can throw things out to the street below.
i can't sleep for my life. it doesn't get dark until 10:30 and the sun comes up at 4:30. i never thought i would get tired of the sun, but oh it's possible:
....this is me. in the moment. i would like to add to the no one speaks english comment. EVERYONE speaks english, the just dont' use it until you try to speak in french. and then rather than suffering through your (my) accent, the quickly switch to english.....
sunday i spent with sarah and renaud and renaud's family at a retirement party for his father. so fun. i got to serve food and drink endlessly. the have this delicious thing here called picon that you put in your beer to make it stronger and sweeter. i just love it. it made being the american so much more tolerable. everone there is a farmer or a factory worker who rarely leaves the country and not many tourists stop in for visits so i was a novelty. it was highly akward. the all talked about me and stared at me and pointed at me from accross the room and any new person who came in was instantly told about me. i felt like a celebrity. (or something) thank god for all of my video skills. i had to work the video camera for the party. i loved it. i couldn't talk to anyone and it gave me somethign to do.
i got to drive renaud's car ( sarah's fiancé) the other night....retirement party night..... he was to drunk to sober up so i had too. it was highly exciting. the roads are even smaller when you're actually driving the car. so funny to because the day before i went with sarah to practice her written exam for her driving lessons and i got 17 wrong out of 40. more than half right, huh?
yeah. that stupid elevator. it's begun working again but i still take the stairs. i force myself to count every step in french. there's no possibility of my working up a sweat that way. i always get stuck at 40. there are 132 stairs by the way. cent trente deux. (in case you were wondering) i paid extra to have more lessons and cultural experiences? it's good. the other night i harassed some poor italian man into talking with me. he nodded and staired, but i don't think i made any sense.
On the weekends i go to sarah's house. at first i thought i should stay in strasbourg and try to speak french, but if i stayed here, i would hang out with all the kids from alliance francais and they all speak english. 3 spanish kids, one polish girl, one (annoying) tchecque girl. so i dont' practice a thing. however, at sarah's house, only her family speaks english and we spend a lot of time at her fiancé's house and not one soul speaks english (except sarah, and not her fiance, renaud) so i get lots of practicing in.
today was the second day of class......we're much farther along now...... it's going very slowly. i'm doubtful of how much i'll learn, but we'll see.
as for my french, well, let's not talk about it. i can whisper plenty of sweet nothings about how to find the train station. still having fun though.
....still true......
anyway. things are good. i have a tiny room in one of the dormatories here. 8 floors up and the elevator is tempermental. howevwer, the window opens wide (i could lie sideways on the ledge if there was one) and i have a great view of the cathedral. and the 7 or 8 cranes for construction, but hey, whatever. i don't have a room mate buti do have a sink and little fridge. all good things. sarah showed me where the cafeteria's are gave me her card so i can eat there for cheaper. wonderful, huh?
tongiht i think i'm going to watch the world cup. if france wins they go on to the finals. france and brazil played last week and i was torn because everett is all brazilians and well, i'm in france.
(i rooted for france, i ddint' want to get hurt, but sarah's brother matthew wanted brazil so i wasn't alone)
....france lost in the work cup incidentally. i was watching the game with renaud's family. it was tragic. the star player had a little out burst and that all they've been talking about in the news. STILL! by outburst, i mean he head butted one of the italians in the chest. it was amazing. incroyable! hilarious really. moron. and then they lost. i blame him.....
anyway. have i told you it doesn't get dark until 10:30 and the sun comes up at 5? i can't sleep for my life.
....still can't sleep.....
ok. i should study. i'd probably be able to speak now if i studied more. good to know i'm a terrible student in any country.
by the way. i'm having a terrible week. if any of you have been thinking of e-mailng, please do this week. i want to shoot myself. yesterday i slept for 14 hours and another one today.
long story. it has to do with my feeling like a stupid idiot on a tour we went on on monday. i'm trying to get over it, but it's a slow process.
anyway. miss you all.
i am still in france. i have extended my stay until august 9. i'm going to take french lessons in the city (strasbourg). who knows if i'll actually learn anything, but contrary to popular belief; everyone does NOT speak english and i'm tired of being the stupid american.
i saw the first part of the tour de france yesterday. very fun. we stood qround for two hours waiting to see 10 seconds of action. but it was seriously very exciting.
i have a room in one of the dormitories at the university here. it's hilarious. my room is the size of a closet. smaller than art's downstqairs bathroom. (however, i do have a personal sink) they give you a sheet and blankets, but no toilet paper in the bathroom. i keep forgetting the damn toilet paper even though i've put it right next to the door. i'm on the eight (really the ninth) floor and the elevator is broken. however, my window open wide so i can throw things out to the street below.
i can't sleep for my life. it doesn't get dark until 10:30 and the sun comes up at 4:30. i never thought i would get tired of the sun, but oh it's possible:
....this is me. in the moment. i would like to add to the no one speaks english comment. EVERYONE speaks english, the just dont' use it until you try to speak in french. and then rather than suffering through your (my) accent, the quickly switch to english.....
sunday i spent with sarah and renaud and renaud's family at a retirement party for his father. so fun. i got to serve food and drink endlessly. the have this delicious thing here called picon that you put in your beer to make it stronger and sweeter. i just love it. it made being the american so much more tolerable. everone there is a farmer or a factory worker who rarely leaves the country and not many tourists stop in for visits so i was a novelty. it was highly akward. the all talked about me and stared at me and pointed at me from accross the room and any new person who came in was instantly told about me. i felt like a celebrity. (or something) thank god for all of my video skills. i had to work the video camera for the party. i loved it. i couldn't talk to anyone and it gave me somethign to do.
i got to drive renaud's car ( sarah's fiancé) the other night....retirement party night..... he was to drunk to sober up so i had too. it was highly exciting. the roads are even smaller when you're actually driving the car. so funny to because the day before i went with sarah to practice her written exam for her driving lessons and i got 17 wrong out of 40. more than half right, huh?
yeah. that stupid elevator. it's begun working again but i still take the stairs. i force myself to count every step in french. there's no possibility of my working up a sweat that way. i always get stuck at 40. there are 132 stairs by the way. cent trente deux. (in case you were wondering) i paid extra to have more lessons and cultural experiences? it's good. the other night i harassed some poor italian man into talking with me. he nodded and staired, but i don't think i made any sense.
On the weekends i go to sarah's house. at first i thought i should stay in strasbourg and try to speak french, but if i stayed here, i would hang out with all the kids from alliance francais and they all speak english. 3 spanish kids, one polish girl, one (annoying) tchecque girl. so i dont' practice a thing. however, at sarah's house, only her family speaks english and we spend a lot of time at her fiancé's house and not one soul speaks english (except sarah, and not her fiance, renaud) so i get lots of practicing in.
today was the second day of class......we're much farther along now...... it's going very slowly. i'm doubtful of how much i'll learn, but we'll see.
as for my french, well, let's not talk about it. i can whisper plenty of sweet nothings about how to find the train station. still having fun though.
....still true......
anyway. things are good. i have a tiny room in one of the dormatories here. 8 floors up and the elevator is tempermental. howevwer, the window opens wide (i could lie sideways on the ledge if there was one) and i have a great view of the cathedral. and the 7 or 8 cranes for construction, but hey, whatever. i don't have a room mate buti do have a sink and little fridge. all good things. sarah showed me where the cafeteria's are gave me her card so i can eat there for cheaper. wonderful, huh?
tongiht i think i'm going to watch the world cup. if france wins they go on to the finals. france and brazil played last week and i was torn because everett is all brazilians and well, i'm in france.
(i rooted for france, i ddint' want to get hurt, but sarah's brother matthew wanted brazil so i wasn't alone)
....france lost in the work cup incidentally. i was watching the game with renaud's family. it was tragic. the star player had a little out burst and that all they've been talking about in the news. STILL! by outburst, i mean he head butted one of the italians in the chest. it was amazing. incroyable! hilarious really. moron. and then they lost. i blame him.....
anyway. have i told you it doesn't get dark until 10:30 and the sun comes up at 5? i can't sleep for my life.
....still can't sleep.....
ok. i should study. i'd probably be able to speak now if i studied more. good to know i'm a terrible student in any country.
by the way. i'm having a terrible week. if any of you have been thinking of e-mailng, please do this week. i want to shoot myself. yesterday i slept for 14 hours and another one today.
long story. it has to do with my feeling like a stupid idiot on a tour we went on on monday. i'm trying to get over it, but it's a slow process.
anyway. miss you all.