The day after Normandy

Well, I owe you all be better update which I promise this week...after I get done with a paper and a presentation due on Monday! Curtsy of my classmate Mitchell, here's me and the very important ground of Omaha Beach. A real patriotic/international experience that I strongly recommend for Canadians, Americans, and British alike to have if they get the chance. Go!!!

Peanut Butter vs. the French. Oh, and International Day

Had a fun but busy day yesterday "sharing" American culture with a bunch of other fellow Americans at UCO's semester-ly Journée Internationale. Curtesy of Heidi who didn't forget her camera that day, I actually do have photos.


The American booth contained a slide show of several hundred photos from all around the States, various red, white, and blue decorations (stars included), a U.S. map showing where we're all from....

And samples of PB & J



The French are intersting and just plain fun to watch as they encounter peanut butter. To them, it is this crazy, exotic American thing. I do not kid when I say that almost every French student that came up to us at first gave a strange look and then looked amazing and shocked when we explained it was peanut butter and strawberry "jelly." In France there is only really confiture which is jam in our vocabulary. The idea of other ways to preserve fruits like in the form of jelly and marmalade is rather nonexistant.

The typical French college student has almost never had peanut butter before and considers it incrediably American and fattening and therefore not cool to eat. This is according to my host family's daughter who is my same age. Though I didn't say this, I find it weird that something would be considered American and fattening and therefore not cool to eat in France when McDonald's is more popular here than back home, Lady Gaga is like the new Virgin Mary, and Nutella, which actually has more calories than peanut butter, is eaten by EVERYONE, including my host family's daughter. Yet, poor peanut butter is looked down upon nevertheless.

After several reassuances and a couple of sniffs, almost everyone who came to our booth tried the peanut butter and said usually something like, "Well, it is certainly different! Wow, it is strong." I can't imagine what they thought at the Mexican booth. They had Jalopenos to sample.

Food was everywhere and free so I had the best lunch I've had since coming here! Omlettes over in "Japan," cheese and chocolate in "France," yogurt in "Holland," and a lot of I-don'tknow-what-it-is-but-it-sure-tastes-good from Poland, Thailand, and Korea were all there and it was just simply so good!





The day ended with the Americans showing off "mad dancing skills" including the electirc slide and, to the French's delight, "Thriller." They really, really love Michael Jackson, too.

La Rafle

Okay, this is a second, quick post. I saw my first French movie here finally with Madame and Monsieur. It is a well received native film called La Rafle which explores the round up and expulsion of several thousand Parisian Jews. Beautiful and well directed, I think it would be worth it for the U.S. to receive it at least in the art film cinema's. Yes, it is "yet another Holocaust film" but I found the interpretation and purpose french and non-cliché.

The official site: http://www.larafle-lefilm.com/

An English article about the film:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/09/la-rafle-film-france-war

Versailles: The Sun King's Domain

I first have to apologize because I think that I've been slacking on the blog updates. Perhaps appropriately enough at about the middle of my sejour I've hit a wall for my motivation that just really came out of nowhere. I don't plan for that that last long. I've still got a little over two months in France! Then, after that, there's "Elizabeth/Elizabet, Part 2" in England where I'm going to go back to being plain, ol' Elizabeth again and not be able to hear that charming inability for the French accent to pronounce the letter "H" in my name.

Concerning Versailles, it is absolutely essential to reserve an entire day to it at the very least. Now for everything I experienced, I can only say it with confidence for the base season which ends with the beginning of April. That is when the fountains turn on and the real tourist masses move in. I had chosen this time because right now one can experience high season weather at Versailles with base season prices and crowds. The biggest downside is that the fountains are not on yet and the famous Versailles Riding Academy is not open until May. I was already planning on being busy enough in May and I was able to make myself forget the fountains and get down to the essentials and I'm very satisfied with my choice.


Now, even though it was the Base Season, I made sure to get to the chateau first thing in the morning because:

1) I didn't finish until 3:15 in the afternoon (I started at nine. So that will give you an idea.)

2) The ticket people weren't in a hurry and after looking at my passport and my UCO student ID card, they let me visit everything (the Château, the Châteaux de Trianon, and the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette) for free where the base season price is really 19,50€.

3) The lines later on are then avoided with an early start as demonstrated in the pic below. Do note that the line doesn't stop at the building but continues on inward.



Always carrying one's passport and student ID card (the French one, not the American one) on a side note is incredibly useful for at least two reasons that I have learned from other foreign students and my own experiences.

1)The French police have the right to ask to see your passport/visa if you are a foreigner. If you're unable to produce such, they also have the right to arrest you. Enough said. This tends to be done (so I've heard) in a raid-like style but usually only occurs in places where there is a large concentration of people and a good number are likely to be foreign such as at clubs and bars. As I don't hang out a clubs and the bars I frequent are low key and have a strong local vibe, I've not come across this situation at this point and I hope I won't ever despite my legit status in France.

2) As demonstrated with the price I paid at Versailles, nothing, this was possible ONLY because of the materials I produced. I was also able to do the same thing at the Louvre and also got in for free. If not for free, it may also give you an unofficial reduced price. Even if the tarif sign doesn't say it, quietly show your card, look polite and friendly, and ask in your best French possible. Save money, carry your passport/student card...and a charming smile.

Back to Versailles....

The Mirror Gallery cannot be done justice with photos. It is one of those "you-just-have-to-be-there" sort of places. Truly impressive and my only wish would be to have the chance to just for one time walk the gallery by myself. I can't imagine how awe-inspiring it would be then.




Another favorite of mine became the Domain of Marie-Antoinette which consists of the Petit Trianon and the hameau where she would play shepherdess in with her ladies-in-waiting. The hameau or hamlet is all original and a bit like walking through the fun but fake villages of an amusement park. That is probably very appropirate because this was essentially the amusement park of a queen.






It was very amusing to walk through and watch kids play with the animals who reside in the hameau and observe the grumpy bunnies of Versailles. I do not know why or if they really were actually grumpy but it was rather humorous all the same to see something so cute and furry with a very jaded and annoyed face. The brown one, I swear, raised a bunny eyebrow as I was taking his/her picture. As you can see, I had a lot of fun with animals on this excursion.




The gardens in Marie-Antoinette's Domain were incrediably romantic and magical. If you go, walk through them and you will be glad you did. It is just too beautiful to miss really and surprisingly isolated from the crowds, too, so it may be also good to have a romantic interest with you as I came across all sorts of hidden spots where....well you can see where I'm going with this.


Finally, I had noticed Ford cars around Europe but hadn't come across a dealership until recently! The European Ford cars in my humble opinion don't resemble "real" American ones at all but resemble something like from a Toyota factory interestingly enough.

In France they eat cornbread with a fork and knife

Well, this was an interesting weekend as well! Saturday was very pleasant and uneventful which I think I need once in a while and Sunday was, well, a cross-cultural experience for certain.

My very thoughtful parents sent me a U.S. care package in which among various things included the basic dry ingredients for chili, a pancake mix, and Grape Nuts. The Grapes Nuts were perfect and I’ve been having them for breakfast almost everyday now and am going to have to go on an aggressive search for other super healthy, high-fiber cereals because I love the way they fill me up and I don’t feel like I’m about to roll away from the dinner table. Once you taste the good stuff again, it is really hard to go back to some bread and coffee in the morning. I am way too much of a breakfast/morning person. Yes, I’m one of those. Feel free to stare with annoyance at the computer screen now. I understand. My kind can be ridiculous to put up with.

This is where I found myself in the middle of my first cross culture experience. My host family looked at me with raised eyebrows when I smiled and showed them the Grape Nuts. I didn’t understand why someone as old as me liked eating cereal. Doesn’t the sugar upset my stomach? What sugar? It is Grape Nuts, nothing but rolled up barley. They just shook their heads until I opened up the package and showed them to their surprise the very non-child-friendly nature of Grape Nuts. It seems to me that only elderly people with iron stomachs and problem colons and I eat this stuff. Then, because I’m a nerdy amateur historian on American History, I proceeded to explain the origin of cereal in America and that it started out as solely a health food. Much later did the sugary cereal for kids make its debut. I further learned that most cereal found in France is the sugary, Frosted Flakes and Coco Puffs, kind. When the Grape Nuts are out, I may have to switch to muesli. They do have a lot of that here.

I have not cooked the pancakes yet though I think I’ll make the first batch this coming Sunday and we’ll see how that goes for reasons you will later see why, I think I’ll have to make it ridiculously clear that one eats pancakes with a fork and knife and not with one’s hands like their some sort of wannabe crepe. They’re not. We’ll see if I can help my host family see that. Pancakes are also a breakfast item but it doesn’t matter how many time I tell my host family this because they are always wondering whether we should have pancakes for after lunch or dinner for dessert. It is not a dessert. Pancakes are not like crepes like that. They are not like crepes besides that one makes them on a skillet and flips them over. The batter and cooked product are very different.

Maybe we can work on a compromise and have them for Sunday brunch.

In the meantime, I did cook a very basic meat-n-beans chili and cornbread lunch for them on Sunday. I had the chili going for hours and so it was at that wonderful thick stage where it is hard to distinguish meat from beans and traces or tomato have long gone away. Perfect. The cornbread was also incredible dense but soft with just enough sweetness to contradict the savory flavor of the chili just right. Gosh darn it, I can cook good ol’ American food even in France. It is a good feeling to have.

Then it was time to eat.

The parents exclaimed that I had forgotten the entrée (the first course). The poor girl it seemed like they felt had been so occupied with the main course. She forgot to have something with which to start off. I quickly tried to explain that one just only eats chili by itself. However, they insisted that, no, no, it must be that chili is served with an appetizer so everyone fills up more easily from the meal. That is why one has an entrée, of course, they explained to me.

Sure. Ignore the American who has been eating chili all her life.

Well, we had the entrée, me insisting on just having a bite, and it was time for the chili and cornbread. They began handing me their plates to have the chili served on them. I was very surprised and asked where the bowls were. They gave me a puzzled look and I said. Well, as I’ve been saying, chili has a similar nature to soup. It is thick but not served on a plate. Amazed, they got out the bowls where they all took a modest soupspoon sized portion eat, a slice of cornbread and some salad. Feeling a strange need, I quietly served myself with what I grew up as a real chili serving and cornbread, leaving the salad alone for the most part.

The mother suddenly looked up and observed that I was holding and eating my cornbread with my hands. Well, yes, I replied. After all, it is called corn bread and is to be treated like any other bread. It is just different from any bread one would find in France. I heard some silverware clinking and realized that up to that point the family had been eating the cornbread with a fork and knife! The daughter ignored the newly discovered fact and ate what she could of the chili and cornbread with her fork and knife. I guess adaptation to foreign customs comes at different times for us all.

I say she ate what she could because even the small serving the family had, made them all stuffed very quickly. They all wondered how I could be left with just a “satisfied feeling” in my stomach. I joked and replied that it shouldn’t be any mystery now how Americans have a reputation for being able to eat so much. So it ended rather well. Dessert was pineapple slices and ice cream. They were glad that I was very strong in saying that whatever the dessert was that it had to be light. It seemed to be a good experience for us all in the end I think.

Amboise was pleasant and, again, hugely uneventful. I totally missed Leonardo’s Da Vinci’s house, which I feel stupid about but I am content nevertheless to have visited his grave…surrounded by a dozen photo-happy people, but still it was a visit. I’m sure wherever he is, Leonardo wouldn’t really care whether people visit his remains in a quiet and respectful atmosphere or not.

I also met up with a bunch of CIDEF students again! They were on the last chateau tour offered by the university for the semester. It was a total accident and I enjoyed the company for a short while. This is Jamal on the right and Spencer on the left. Both of them are classmates and hail from Kansas University. They are standing in front of the chapel where Leonardo is buried currently.

The only stain on my day was the fact that I lost my dark red leather gloves en route back to Angers. I do not remember putting them anywhere other than my trench coat pocket and I honestly wonder if maybe it was the result of a pickpocket attempt. It is a thought that puts me ill at ease but incredibly thankful that it was only the gloves that disappeared and the stuff of real value like my passport, credit card, debit cards, etc. were more safely kept.

I’ll be working the rest of the week finalizing what I’m doing with my two-week spring break if I can and making plans for my one night stay in Versailles this weekend. I will leave Angers to arrive at Versailles in the evening and have all day until 5:00PM to explore the chateau and grounds the next day. It is the very end of the base season so the idea is that I’ll get to enjoy the high season weather at this point with base season prices. It is getting nicer and nicer out. Tomorrow it will be a pleasant 14 degrees Celsius.

So while I’m basking in the French spring sun, how’s the weather back in Illinois, everyone?

Feel free to stare at the screen in annoyance again and enjoy the two new dog photos I came across in Amboise. Take the pug in good humor if you will. I certainly did.

10 Things

I think it is naturally after a little over a month in a different world to begin to really liking and disliking certain things in comparison to what is familiar back home. So I made a list! Well, really I made two. Specifically I have noticed things from France that would be wonderful to have in the U.S. and I have noticed things that are in American that France for its own sake should look into taking on. Almost every one of these things I wasn't expecting coming here and might be interesting to you. I've added hopefully delightful commentary as many of the things on these lists need explanation to be made clear.



10 things in France I wish existed in the U.S.

1) Boulangeries, patisseries, cafes, chocolateries EVERYWHERE. It is a magical scene passing them by on the streets for both the aesthetics and odors. Oh, dear, our obesity epidemic would probably go through the roof though…

2) Standard two-hour lunches (not like college students get those everyday though). I think enough is said right there. You all have jammed-packed and stressful days. You know what I mean.

3) Chevre, Brie, Camembert, etc. all being easily and more cheaply available. Cheese will never be the same for me again. I’m spoiled.

4) Dinners that regularly come in courses. Whether casual or formal every time to eat is something special. A starter is followed by the main dish and is followed by cheese and is finally followed by dessert every single night. America, land of the one-plate dinners, listen and maybe shake things up every one in awhile. I know I will when I get home! (Mom, Dad, and friends have been warned now.)

5) Menu Formulas at restaurants. They’re simple. They’re (usually) a good deal and you get to be served course by course which is just elegant for me coming from my background. I could do this every night if I could afford it.

6) Open air markets almost every day of the week and throughout the entire year. Yes, we have farmer’s markets but I see potential with the current organic and local movement for expansion. It is such a pleasurable experience carefully selecting and tasting fruit and cheese in partnership with the person who had an actually hand the creation of the product.

7) More Middle Eastern and African immigrants because that means the best Middle Eastern and African food I’ve ever eaten. In another blog I will have to explain that a “kebap” is but just trust me when I say a well-chosen kebap can mean the best, cheapest meal you’ll every have in France

8) More specialty shops being widely available. The independently own business still is going on here and I’m trying to take advantage of sales clerks who will always expertly know their products

9) Reasonable food portions. With the rare exception, the food portions in France are what they once were in the U.S. when my parents were growing up. It makes me feel better with every fatty and buttery thing I eat

10) The tradition of bringing a small gift like flowers, chocolate, or wine when visiting with friends and family. It is just incredibly thoughtful and seems a mystery to me why we don’t do that as well in the U.S.

11) I’m just going to also add French coffee which is some of the strongest, most robust stuff I’ve ever had and I think when I come back state side it will have to be an espresso or nothing in the morning because that is the closest we’ve got to a regular French cup of joe.


10 things in the U.S. I wish existed in France

1) Commercially alive Sundays! Darn it, people it is still the weekend and, guess what, I want to go out to a place that isn’t a chateau, museum, or market sometimes! In fact, I’d love to go shopping. I don’t care if it is a boutique or the mall. There are times I’d like to fulfill the female stereotype and just try on shoes all freaking afternoon! (And I’d like to get there with bus lines that aren’t shut down…)

2) Quality peanut butter. It is one thing to sigh and say, “Ouais, un chose très amèricain.” and meaning "Oh, that is such an American thing." *sigh* It is a totally different thing to do that AND try to sell this cheap disgusting stuff they call “peanut butter” in a way overpriced jar. Buck up and sell the good stuff like Jif if you’re going to be all snobby like that about it.

3) An embrace of sandwiches that don’t always have to have butter and/or mayo on them (yes, I mean it when I say “and”). There is a fat and carb concentration there that even my ironclad stomach can't handle let alone my colon.

4) An embrace of cereals as not being kid food. I just got my first care package from my parents and in it my dad sent me a box of Grape Nuts which I’ve yet to find over here. The Peaud’s just shook their heads and said that in France, cereal is a childhood thing! Grape Nuts is suddenly the equivalent to Lucky Charms or something? This morning at least when I opened the box finally, Monsieur was surprised to realize that, gasp, Grape Nuts have no sugar in them and it is made almost completely of BARLEY! He remains steadfast in his opinion though. I don’t care. I have my precious Grape Nuts.

5) An embrace on healthy eating in general like something as simple as using mustard instead of mayo in a sandwich. They have really, really good mustard over here, too. What I would give for a French vendor to hand me a sandwich slathered with hot and spicy Dijon mustard inside! I am going to sat again that I have never had such a high fat and carb content in my diet ever before. Thankfully, something they do have going on here is portion control (see previous list).
More reusable water bottles and other recession-friendly and green habits. I just went on an epic journey yesterday to find a reusable water bottle over here. I finally found a small but decent selection over at a sports store called Decathlon. It is a giant (1 liter!) but she’s a pretty white thing with soft and flowery print on her and I love it for that and the fact that I don’t have to constantly buy plastic water bottles like it is the beginning of the millennium when that first took off. I love doing what is ecological (and cheap).

6) Teachers who inform you of your faults in homework but don’t announce it in a loud voice in front of the entire class. This was the biggest culture shock I think for the other Americans and me. Yes, be honest. We’re not babies but must you announce it from the front of the class in great detail? I have now learned that this is a common practice among French teachers and have adapted fairly well to it as at least they announce the faults of everyone in the class. Maybe the advantage is that we can all be failures together?

7) Patriotism. It is almost nonexistent here. The French seem to care a lot about being culturally French but say “bof” to being politically French. The regional elections are coming up (that is like our state elections back home) and NOBODY CARES. In my socio-cultural class, the teacher explained that voter numbers are notoriously low and simply it is not a priority of the French to be particular about who is representing them in Paris. It is also a great controversy here whether they should bring the French flag back into public school classrooms or not. It makes me feel like a hard-core patriot in comparison and maybe I’m a hard-core patriot period (thank you, father). I have respect for our armed forces. I give my father the evil eye if he forgets to put up the flag. On the Fourth of July I’m one of those annoying people on Election Day who ask, “Did ya vote, yet? Well? If not, just know its whoever the new guy’s going to be who’s making the decisions about your life now! I hope you prefer *insert random party here*’s ideals!” etc. etc.

8) Clean bathrooms for students. I’m being serious when I say I trust a music festival’s port-a-potties as much as I trust the things they call toilets for students in France. They are barely maintained. There’s toilet paper strewn everywhere and some don’t even have those rims so one can sit properly. They should just save money and give us holes in the floor. It would be as well and probably more sanitary. What’s worse, Madame says students have bathroom like that from elementary on up. Scary.

9) Adaptation of fast-food restaurants that are not McDonalds. Really, they have several options from us, but they choose the one with the most infamous reputation in America. They have apparently never heard of “Super Size Me.” Though in McDonald’s defense, they have apparently cleaned up their act a little since then.

10) Not so many taxes. Forget currency exchange it is the tax included in everything from the restaurant to the boutique that kills my wallet. But thankfully I don't have to worry about oening a TV here yet as there is even a tax to have the right to own a TV. I might never complain about American taxes again. I put the "might" in there if I'm going to be honest though.


Tomorrow (just before midnight for you American night owls), I'll be going to Amboise but will be back in Angers by mid afternoon. I just want to get to that chateau already and I'm determined to do it. Also for this weekend, I'll be making chili for my host family on Sunday. I'll be starting them off on the super, super basic meat-n-beans type of chili and cornbread. Later I hope to be able to cook white chili to which at least I'm really looking forward.

And Sunday Night When I Got Back

It felt neccessary to give this even its own post. When I returned to Angers, I had dinner with the Peauds. At dessert, Madame disappeared and returned with a chocolate Charlotte with twenty candles on it and everyone began singing Bon Anniversaire to me! It was one absolutely touching.



The Peauds even gave me another gift of a recipe book called Tante Marie. I had eariler expressed a wish to find a decent and basic French cookbook to start working with and exploring French cuisine. They told me that this book has been a part of French everyday cooking for decades and would be the best way to start. I even have an adorable cooking-themed French book mark for it.



Madame's mother who I had met two weeks ago for a very short visit sent a birthday card and a homemade travel sewing kit as she was very happy to meet a young mademoiselle who liked to work with her hands and since I seemed to be a true traveler to her, she felt something like this would serve me well.




Best 20th birthday ever. It would seem to be true that as the French say, this 20th year of my life is la belle âge.

Week-end à Paris pour mon anniversaire!

Wow! So I had an amazing weekend. That is simply it. It was absolutely the best birthday a new twenty-year-old could ask for. I got two days in Paris, two fabulous people to bond with, and the grand finale of the kindest and most thoughtful host family in France.

I spent Friday night, all Saturday, and most of Sunday with my two new favorite traveling companions, Tyler Sohl and Chad Horne. Here they are at Monmartre at the Scare-Coeur which I have to say I loved because of the atmosphere and all the touristy artists everywhere. There was a grand allure about it.



This is the view from our hotel window on a street called Le Rue Cignecourt. It was out of the way but not too much so it was perfectly close to the sights but still only friendly for French speakers.


On Saturday, we actually spent most of our time at the massive Louvre. Hence most of my photos are from there.



I had the biggest blast finding all of these pieces of art I've studied in Art History. I basically turned into Miss Tour Guide and chatted Tyler and Chad's patient ears off as I rattled off about this movement and that techinique and kept on saying, "OH! OH! Take my picture at this one, too! OH! OH!"



Hmmm. I wonder what all this chaos is for.....


Yep. Saw her, too. (Felt so sorry for the only paintings around here. So obnoxiously ignored.)

Before heading back to the relaxed streets of French-only parts of Montmartre, Chad, Tyler, and I paid a visit at sunset to a must-see in Paris.



We discovered by the end of the day that Tyler is simply a foreigner magnet. He was getting German couples and droves of Japanese girls asking to take their pictures not just at the Eiffel Tower but everywhere we went. Most curious and entertaining! (Just not really for Tyler who was getting tired of it by the Eiffel Tower)


Sunday was very low-key. We checked out of the hotel and and took the metro to cross one of the bridges to explore the islands in the middle of the Seine. Just one tiny problem stood in our way...


It turns out that there was a huge charity marathon in Paris that day. We had to take the Metro to the middle of the bigger island where one can find Notre Dame and right after lunch we visited the famous Montparnasse cemetery. As I had a train to catch at three, our stroll was short and brisk. I still got to visit who I wanted to visit the most, two of my favorite philosophers to study and they are buried together as they lived together in life.


On the way to the cemetery, we stumbled onto a real Parisian outdoor art market which occurs in Montparnasse every week. I didn't get anything. It was all really expensive.







I'd like to end with new editions to my two collections of American Things in France and French Dogs. Paris, after all, has a lot of both.



McDonald's, the new world empire, is ridculously popular and chic in France. Tyler, Chad, and I shook our head in wonder and confusion and had a McCafe while doing it. Ha! Hypocrites, we are!


And now for the grand finale of French dogs!