Another Day in Grenoble

16 October 2012

What a fantastic day! In my French Language class, I did my presentation about equality between girls and boys in school in front of the class, and it went very well! My professor said I did a good job, and the class was able to have a decent discussion in regards to what I presented. And now that this presentation is over, I don’t have any more presentations to do until my exams in December – I’m off the hook and I can relax until then! I feel like such a weight has been lifted, I can’t wait to have this free time to explore Grenoble some more! I suppose I stressed myself out a little too much about my presentations, but I’d rather worry and do well than be over-confident and fail miserably! Although maybe one day I’ll be able to walk into a classroom with no practice and just nail a speech…I can only hope! After my language class I came back to my apartment with Julie and we studied a bit before heading back for vocabulary class, and lucky for us we were let out early. We took advantage of the time by taking some gorgeous pictures of the snowy mountains and some pictures of the campus, and we might have taken some rather ridiculous pictures of ourselves as well!

After taking pictures, Julie and I split ways, and I went into downtown to meet up with Lise for our weekly language-exchange-coffee-date, and I had an amazing time as always. I was really confident with my French, and Lise also spoke a lot in English. She speaks really well! She’s a little afraid of her accent, but I hardly noticed it; I was able to understand everything she said, and I hope that with our coffee dates she becomes much more confident! We also talked about visiting Annecy one of these upcoming weekends, and I am really excited. I’m going to be able to talk with Lise a little bit more, visit a beautiful town, make some amazing memories…I can’t wait; I really hope we end up going! In fact, I really hope that Lise and I become close enough that we’ll be able to be pen-pals once I return to the States, which would be really nice! 

Rue St. Laurent Sidewalk Sale

14 October 2012

Today I went to the Rue St. Laurent sidewalk sale! Before heading into the crowd of shoppers, I dropped in for a coffee and a scone at the Bookworm café. After this delicious mini-breakfast, I went out to search through the market and find some loot! I was really impressed by this flea market. I had heard it was a big deal here in Grenoble, but I didn't believe it until I saw it in person. This sidewalk sale stretched on for what seemed like forever, with tables and tents set up all alongside the river, between stores and apartments, even stretching across some of the bridges. My craft-show-obsessed mother probably would have fainted if she saw all of these tents and kiosks, they had selections upon selections of crafts, clothes, trinkets, furniture, games, books, paintings, kitchenware…absolutely anything I could imagine finding here, I found it. And talk about a really nice place to buy souvenirs! I bought some Pokémon cards in French, I bought some French comic books, I bought some novelty and old-fashioned postcards (one of them is actually a postcard with an image of the square I live by!), I bought some French movies, I bought some adorable little puppy figurines, and I also bought a few clothing items here and there. Even things I didn’t buy, it was really nice strolling up and down the street and searching through all the trinkets and knick knacks. I really hope that I’ll stumble upon more of these great markets while I’m here in France, and I know that I will for sure be searching hard for some nice little markets like this when I am back in the States! After gathering all of my loot and calling it a day, I went out to lunch with Julie, Jessica, and Paige, and Julie and I shared a delicious pizza. We also had some of Paige’s salad, but we think they threw some rabbit meat in there. We’re hoping for the best that it wasn’t a poor little bunny… L After lunch, it started to rain (talk about nice timing – we just finished our outdoor shopping!), so we all went our separate ways, and I went home to give Fadila a small turtle figurine I bought for her (her favorite animal), and then I went upstairs to enjoy a pleasant nap, drifting asleep to the soft pitter patter of the rain.

Picnic at La Bastille

13 October 2012

Today I went hiking up the Bastille with Katie, and we brought with us some lovely little treats so we could have a picnic up at the top. It was really beautiful hiking up the mountain, especially now that autumn was starting to kick in and the leaves in the trees were starting to change colors a little bit. It was also a very clear day, so I could see the entire city of Grenoble as I got higher up the mountain. It was very nice walking up with Katie too, it gave us some time to spend some quality time together and appreciate each other’s company. One of the best moments we had on the way up was passing this little elderly woman who was taking her time walking up the mountain, walking her tiny little dog that I could have probably held in one hand. As we gawked and squealed at the adorableness of the little pooch, we passed the old woman with a nod and a “Bonjour” and continued up the path. A little further up, Katie and I took a quick break on a bench to rest up, recharge, and chat a little more. A few minutes later, the elderly woman made her way toward us again, but we noticed there was no dog anymore. We panicked at first, scared to death that the dog ran away and she didn’t know about it, but when she passed us, we saw the puppy’s tiny little head poking out from her backpack – too cute! We continued up the path, went through some of the fortress hallways and staircases, and ended up on a terrace right in front of the Bastille, and it was the perfect spot for our picnic. We sat down at a bench and unpacked our lunch, and munched on our treats while we gazed out over the city of Grenoble and at the gorgeous mountains in the distance. The best feeling on top of this mountain though, no matter when I go or whom I go with, has to be the mountain breeze. It’s such a cool breeze, and it carries with it a gentle whistle. I like to imagine all of the places these gusts of wind have been, how many memories they must carry with them…as long as they don’t take my memories with them, I’d love to remember this picnic forever! After enjoying our lovely sandwich-and-chocolate picnic and taking a few pictures for our up-in-the-mountains photo shoot, we started to hike back down the mountains. Katie enlightened me with some stories of her time living in Alaska, and she told me about when she would visit the Iditarod races and when she would see the Northern Lights, and other amazing stories like that. I suppose Alaska will be the next place to visit on my list, she made it sound just so wonderful! I can stop by Canada on my way there, visit Quebec, speak some French; it would only be just too perfect! But until then, I shall be full heartedly enjoying La Belle France! Once we got to the bottom of the mountain, we walked a little ways down Rue St. Laurent and found a place known as “Little Italy”, the part of Grenoble inhabited by a large number of Italian immigrants. It was so pretty! We also visited the Musée Dauphinois there, and we saw a few really interesting exhibits, such as an exhibit that showed the history of the nuns that used to live in the area, and there was also the chapel on display that had been there for years, untouched. I really enjoyed this little chapel; it was small, quaint, and really peaceful. Another exhibit we visited was Un Air d’Italie, an exhibit dedicated to the history of Italian immigrants, and they also had a section that showed photos of Italians and Italian families that currently live in Grenoble nowadays with small plaques that described the family’s history. I thought that was really interesting. Even in France, a beautiful country rich with French history wherever you go, you can find little bits and pieces of foreign histories as well. In this exhibit we also ran into Jimmy (what are the odds!), and with him we visited some of the gardens around the museum, and then the three of us went back into town and grabbed a tram to go find a bite to eat. We settled down at a hamburger restaurant that served novelty hamburgers (no Big Macs here!), and I fancied myself to a delicious Canadian burger with chicken, cheese, bacon, tomato, and a mayonnaise and ketchup sauce. It was really good! Overall, I would have to say this day was a wonderful day! 

The Bookworm Café - My Little Getaway

12 October 2012

What a fantastic day! In the morning, I went out souvenir shopping with Katie in downtown Grenoble. I bought some books, some jewelry, some postcards…I really hope everyone back home enjoys their little Grenoblois gifts! After shopping, Katie and I went to a restaurant called Wokbar (which is pretty much a mini French Noodles & Company!) to enjoy a delicious lunch. I fancied myself to penne pasta with a four-cheese Italian sauce. It was absolutely delicious! And lucky for me, this restaurant is right down my street – I will definitely be back there again! After our delicious lunch, Katie jumped on a tram and went to class, and I returned home to take a quick power-nap and finish up some homework. After passing some time at home, I went out to meet up with a friend Maddie at the Bookworm Café for a delightful little coffee date, and it most certainly was delightful. Maddie and I met at Katie’s birthday party, but this was our first time alone together, so we were able to have an actual conversation. I extremely enjoyed my time with her. We talked a lot about friends, school, what we expect from the future, and basically just about us. This coffee date was just too wonderful. I really hope that we will be able to spend more time together, both here and France and back in the States when the grand Grenoble adventure is over. I actually missed talking to her while she was still there! Incredible! But the night only got better from there! Later in the evening, the Bookworm Café hosted a language exchange for French and English native speakers, and of course Maddie and I joined in. Jimmy and Jessica also managed to make their way to the café to join us as well! The entire language exchange was a success. Mag really set it up nicely with snacks and condiments and ice breakers, and everyone just got along so well. Jimmy, Maddie and I were in a small group with two French students named Lauren and Micael, and it was really fun speaking with them in English and French and getting to know them. I thought it was just so great that a bunch of students, some of them growing up, studying, and living on the other side of the world from the others, all sipping tea together and just hitting it off splendidly. Mag is going to be hosting these exchange nights every Friday from now on, and I definitely plan on attending each and every one of them! 

Language Exchange - My First French Buddy!

9 October 2012

Today I went to the Bookworm Café and met with a French girl named Lise who responded to my language-exchange posters that I put up at campus. It was really nice to meet her! We spoke French pretty much the entire time (she’s still pretty nervous when it comes to speaking English), but she is super fun, hilarious, and she’s just so alive and in-the-moment. We’re really going to get along, I just know it! Also, she was telling me about all of the beautiful places in France that are really close to Grenoble, and she wants to drive me to them and show me around. Sign me up!

When I Said "I love homework!", and the Reasons Why I Shouldn't Have Said That

8 October 2012

Well, if there’s one thing I learned today, it’s that I would be very busy this week. In my morning class, French Written and Oral Expressions, we were doing an exercise where we all read an article, and together the class had to create a rough draft as if we were going to write a paper on the topic. I suggested my own rough draft to the professor, and she was really impressed by it. I was so happy – I’m doing something right! However, because of this, she asked me if I would be able to prepare a 10-15 minute oral presentation on another topic. On Wednesday. Two days from today. I suppose once everything is all said and done and I finish my presentation, I’ll be able to relax and I won’t have to worry about a future presentation in the class (every student presents one oral presentation)…but two days to prepare?! Alright, Life. I’ll dance your dance. 5-6-7-8, here we go! One full night of reading, writing, voice recording and practicing, let’s do this! However, I did get to spend some time with Julie today, and I had a very nice dinner with Fadila and we talked a lot, and I can really sense my French improving…although, I can only hope that it really is improving and I’m not just hoping for the best!

Vienne, France - Land of the Romans

29 September 2012

Today was the big CEA trip to Vienne, France! Despite having to wake up at 5 in the morning to get ready, pack up some stuff, meander to the tram stop, and taking the tram to the train station to catch a 7 o’clock train, I was really excited for this trip! We ended up arriving in Vienne in less than two hours by train, and the city was really pretty! I only wish it wasn’t so overcast – I can’t imagine how gorgeous the city would be bathed in sunshine! We started our Vienne adventure by visiting the sidewalk sale / flea market they were having in the middle of town. I love this flea markets, or brocantes, because they have so many different things for sale, and for decent prices: clothes, jewelry, shoes, scarves, makeup, food, ornaments, trinkets, and basically anything you’d think of buying, you can find it at one of these flea markets! Me, I bought I nice silver necklace that I added to my souvenir list (I won’t mention names – souvenirs are a dish best served secret!). They had some really nice scarves too, but I didn't buy any. I've found maybe 200 scarves here in France I’d like to buy…it’s going to be quite some time before I finally settle on buying one!

After scouring the flea market, we all gathered back up and visited the St. Maurice Cathedral, a gorgeous chapel that stretched out for what seemed like forever. I didn't dare speak inside – I felt like my echoing footsteps were disturbing the peace enough! It was really amazing to see such an impressive cathedral and imagine the masses they hold. On the outside of the cathedral, I noticed something else interesting: Missing and /or damaged statues fixed on the walls of the cathedral, and they were removed or damaged during the French Revolution when the citizens of France rebelled against the Clergy and defaced their churches. It seems like everywhere I go in France, there is a touch of history – I love it!

After exploring through the cathedral, our group went to a very quaint restaurant to sit down for lunch. I fancied myself to a delicious salad with St. Marcellin cheese and chicken on top of a creamy lemon sauce, with a glass of white wine. Even our little American student tour group spent two hours around this delicious lunch… it’s as if we’re becoming French!

After our delicious lunch, we walked to the other side of town to visit the Gallo-Roman museum, where there was a site of an ancient roman city. This place was just too cool! It’s so hard to believe that Romans actually lived here at some point long ago, just living their everyday lives, going shopping, doing laundry, visiting saunas… aside from having public bathrooms with no privacy, they were sort of just like us! (Sort of.) The site also had the remains of one of the larger Roman houses that would have belonged to someone very important, and this house looked absolutely gorgeous, even if it hasn’t been in its prime in quite some time! It had stone benches in huge gardens, small fountains, small wooden terraces, it was fantastic! After visiting the site outside, we went back inside the museum to view the mosaics, statues, and other Roman artifacts that were on display. I was really impressed by the mosaics. I can’t imagine how much time and patience must have been put into making these works of art. Little itty-bitty tiles all coming together, hundreds of them, to make one large work of arts, as if it were painted on stone…it is truly remarkable! Speaking of remarkable, the museum also had a lot of fantastic statues, one of them being a statue of Aphrodite! Even if the statue of her does not have any arms, it is still a pretty remarkable work of art.

After visiting the museum, we travelled back across the river again and back into town where we visited an ancient Roman outdoor theatre that has been kept pretty well intact. Granted the stone stairways and seats used to be coated in marble way back in the day, it was still a fascinating structure. I climbed all of the steep stairs all the way to the top of the theatre (these Romans must have had fantastic legs), and I was welcomed by a beautiful view of the entire city of Vienne. Sort of like the view I get of Grenoble from the Bastille, only this time I was on top of a mountain of stairs! It really was such an incredible day. I learned a lot, got to saw a lot of amazing things, and best of all, I really got to take a moment and realize that humanity has been around for a very, very long time, and even in the times of the Romans they just lived their lives, day to day, much like we do nowadays: No big deal, just going to wake up, go shopping, make dinner, do some laundry…yet I wonder if one thousand years from now, people will look at my dinner table, look at my washing machine, or look at a coffee shop just down the street from my house and think “Wow, INCREDIBLE!” like I did today.

Just a nature harp in a garden, no big deal.

You can see the indents made in the cobblestone from the wheels of Roman carriages!