It is so very hard to believe this changed scene from when I was writing on this small blog during my first days in France. Darkness seemed to last longer than home. Over half the time I was tongue-tied and feeling culturally out of place. Now it is spring in both the literal and figurative sense for me. Daylight reigns from six in the morning to past ten at night and I’ve made the mental transition from being just a citizen of the United States to being a citizen of the world (aka not culturally ignorant in the middle of France).
This has been one busy week and next week will be even busier. Well, I can’t even say that. I’m already starting finals tomorrow. We had a class party in my General Language class. That is what the pictures are from save the ones with people on the stage. That is to be explained in a little bit. The "fête" was incredibly fun. I was trying all sorts of food like stir-fry, sushi, “rice made the correct way,” and quiche among other dishes.
My peanut butter cookies were very much appreciated by every one of the Asian cultures in my class, which was an honor. Many of the girls take cooking very seriously as was evident by their attention to their food that they brought and also how much food they brought. Much of their conversation between each other was on each other recipes and techniques. At least, that is what one Chinese classmate translated for me (Incredibly nice of him. He just started doing it when I expressed a curiosity about the Chinese language.).
We also got to exchange cultural information was well. Our Japanese classmate explained the fundamental rules of etiquette with chop sticks and our Taiwanese classmate explained that often women in her region will hold chopsticks in certain ways to show what sort of man they would be interested in marrying. It was a very multilingual scene, as those who spoke Chinese would sometimes have to converse with each other for translation help and then sometimes turn to Anglophones like me to ask what the French word was for some English words. Crazy, but fun.
Earlier this week I attended the International Soiree. One of the best activities I think that CIDEF offers, it is just necessary to go. It is not often one gets to live and study in such an international setting and have the chance to enjoy the cultural gifts of so many nationalities in one night.
After I post this, I’ll be returning to studying for my test tomorrow. I predict it to be the hardest so it is great to be able to get it over with from the start. After that, time is going to pass by very busy and very fast but I’m determined to write still. I need something to make me pause and reflect before I go crazy from stress.
For the weekend before finals (aka: last stress-free extended period of time), I went to the beach with a couple of Anglophones from CIDEF. I almost wish I could say we did a whole lot of exciting things but both Saturday and Sunday basically went like this:
Mid-morning: Arrive at the train station and take train to beach
Close to noon: Arrive at beach and find a market and bakery for impromptu picnic goods
After noon: Pick spot on beach and eat
Later: Sleep
After That: Go into the ocean…a really cold ocean
A Little After That After That: Eat a little more and promptly take another nap
Over An Hour Till the Next Train: Walk around the streets with ice cream stands and pretty vacation homes
Late Afternoon: Leave for Angers on train
Late Evening: Get back and have a late dinner at respective residences
Day one took place at La Baule, a well-to-do- beach town, and the next day was at Les Sables d’Olonne, also a vacation town but more family-friendly.
Sadly enough I didn’t take any photos. I forgot my camera for La Baule and the next day I thought that I should limit my number of electronics at the beach anyway between wind and sand ruining them.
Definitely, I’m ready for tomorrow and the rest of this final week of classes. Just this afternoon I made dozens of peanut butter cookies, another hit with my host family! The rest I will be bringing to the end-of-the semester party in my general language class. Finals begin this Saturday afternoon for me but then I don’t have any exams on Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday. I predict using at least Monday and Wednesday for balancing between studying and traveling. My last Sunday will be for final preparation but Saturday is a mystery. Perhaps Paris? We’ll see how well my packing has gone along throughout the week!
Well it certainly feels like the closing of the semester! I have about two weeks left until I leave for England and I’m amazed that I’m getting so close to it. Next week is my actual last week of classes and then come the “lovely” final exams. Had an Irish classmate the other day mention she thought it was weird and funny that Americans call end-of-the-semester exams “finals.” Apparently the Irish just call them “exams.” “Finals” are the exams you take at the very end of your degree. I had no good response for a reason behind it. “Finals” I admit does have a dramatic sense of, well, finality to it and in that sense is kind of silly.
This weekend I plan on going to another seaside Atlantic town called La Baule. I’ll be going with Halifax-native, Mitchell, who convinced me to go with him just yesterday. Originally he wanted to go to Poitiers, as that is where his ancestors are from before they came to Canada, but he hadn’t realized before that Poitiers is a three-hour trip.La Baule on the other hand is less than an hour to get to. Hope I have something good to share later!
In the meantime with my time in France ending, slowly I’m creating a list of things I’m going to miss here. The coffee for one thing and the plethora of small businesses are the first two that come to mind. This is not to say I have a rosy view of Europe and certainly not France. I just appreciate this country that has become more and more familiar to me. I will certainly not miss the train strikes or the eighty-euro budget hotel rooms (breakfast costing extra). I’ll gladly leave those behind.
Actually, thinking of expensive hotel rooms, France in general I have to say is expensive.Perhaps a rule of thumb would be that Europe just gets more expensive the farther West and/or South you go. Italy from my CIDEF classmates can be worse than France. Spain isn’t so cheap either. Ireland makes France look not look so bad anymore. England (thanks to their rejection of the euro) can be just simply painful to the student’s budget.
It is funny how the end of the semester is putting personal budget dread on almost everyone. Suddenly spending one more night at the bars, an afternoon shopping, or a day trip with the train suddenly has lost spark with many. I’m doing the same as always but with more attention as I’m trying to avoid any more visits to the ATM. I’ve budgeted and set aside the rest of the money I owe my host family on extra rent meals, food not at the host family’s house, stamped postcards, treats for the folks back home, future TGV reservation fees (I would really like at least one last day trip to Paris!), Metro fees, extra Angers bus tickets for June and so on. I think I can do it but it shall indeed be close!
Of course one cannot but look back and wonder, “Okay, where was it where I would have done things differently or could have cut back earlier?” This is not to say I’m full of regret. I can’t change my past mistakes and it was them that taught me some very good lessons about France.
Things I wish I had known for my own financial benefit before coming to France:
Sundays and a plethora of holidays can really put a damper on your travel plans if you don’t know how to work with them. Know the system.
Speaking of knowing the system. ALWAYS and I do mean ALWAYS be on the alert for a train strike. France is known for them. The French tend to pay very close attention if they use the trains frequently. When traveling in France, it is advisable to pay just as much attention as them.
Bakeries but especially grocery stores are your best friends when it comes to getting cheap eats that doesn’t come with fries
Makeup and hygiene products with few exceptions such as hair removal products can kill the wallet with prices an American can never conceive of without seeing it for themselves. In Angers, very close to the Monoprix, I highly, highly recommend SAGA for such things if at all possible. They act as an outlet for multiple name brands makeup, cleansers, shampoos, etc. These are very good brands at that.
A hotel or hostel easily having just as good of a deal as back home for the price will probably not happen as long as you are in Western Europe. It is best to accept and grab one or more travel buddies to split the cost with you.
When buying a rail pass, go conservative. There will be times when you just want to chill in Angers. I overestimated how much I would be able to travel but can at least say that though I probably saved no money with my rail pass, I generally broke even. I can live that that….or at least I have to live with that. For the most flexibility, if I could do it all over, I’d forget getting a rail pass in the States and go with SNCF’s student card which takes 50% over any and all train tickets you buy from them. In the end, it is probably a better and certainly more flexible situation. I didn’t realize that my pass would limit me as much as it did.
I traveled to the well-loved town of La Rochelle for Friday and Saturday. It was rather perfect timing because there was an international cliff diving championship at the main port all weekend. Artists, farmers, and antique owners took advantage of the large number of people and I had many markets to peruse on both days.
I took this picture at one of the two food markets going on mainly for my mom who loves olives. Olive stands like this one are very personal with customers naturally and are always happy and proud to have their olives tasted before bought. There was only one metal artist I found at the art fair. I loved the wine bottle holders with their very supple and improvised designs. At 25 euros each, they weren't too bad in price as well! Didn't buy one though. I really don't know what I'd do with a wine bottle holder upon returning home even with my new-found love of wine as when I come back I still have a bit of time til I'm of legal drinking age. On Saturday I spent all morning at the Aquariam at La Rochelle. It is a wonderful and well-varied collection of fish from almost all over the world. I apparently came at the exact time and day that all the French families in La Rochelle had choosen to come as well. Children were EVERYWHERE. Both sometimes annoying but incredibly cute, they certainly were as fun to watch as the fish.
I've been really neglecting my collection themes of dogs and American things so here I have at least some more French dog pictures. My favorite was finding the Pomeranian in the comic book store.
It is easy to say that it is countdown time at CIDEF. Yet, I don't know if I can say I'm feeling that things are getting any livelier around here. We have two and a half weeks until finals but this weekend is a four day weekend due to the Ascension and the next weekend is three days due to Pentecost. As a result, there is this mixed and confused sense of not having much time and yet a lot simultaneously. As a heads up, I'll been heading off on Friday to the seaside Atlantic town of La Rochelle. It isn't well known by the foreigners but it would seem to be a French favorite. I reason that if it inspires French sighs of envy when I mention going there, it has got to be worth my time. The forecast does call for rain which inspires no shock or sadness in me as the weather has been miserable for the past week and a half. The natives are as disappointed with the weather as the foreign students. This May has been exceptionally cold and wet. Thankfully La Rochelle is more than just the beach. It has one of France's best maritime museums and one of its largest aquariums. I don't swim all the great anyway and my skin's so pale I'd probably burn before I getting a decent tan.
Both of these future long weekends are French national holidays with obligatory paid vacation with they fall on a working day as with all others. These past two Saturdays were national holidays as well. Meaning? France is as closed down on those days as if it were Sunday. Needless to say perhaps, I didn't use the train yet again this past Saturday but my good luck landed me an invite to the Cointreau distillery with AHA (American Heritage Association in association with the University of Oregon. This whole time I've forgotten to explain that.)
Cointreau is a French hard liquor and is made only in Angers. The tour ended with a taste test and here myself and other female Americans who have gone to the French bars had a good comparison talk between of a French girl's and an American girl's attitude to hard liquor. For almost all of us, we found Cointreau to definitely be a hard liquor but an incredibly sweet and rather feminine in taste because of it. That is not to say that that is a bad thing. In fact, I fell in love with it. In contrast though to our reaction, while drunk by both sexes in France Cointreau has traditionally been more popular with French men than women. Currently, the Cointreau PR people have explained, they are studying the ad campaigns of American liquor companies to try and attract a more feminine group of buyers.
The building of the distillery itself is deceptive on the outside. It looks incredibly small for what it houses. Unfortunately, you'll have to either take my word for it or go to Angers yourself because photography the majority of the tour is forbidden. I still have the distillers themselves to put up!
Well, if you have been following my statuses on Facebook you know that my life hasn’t been so boring as not to write about it. The stress of final exams is rising and the countdown probably started as soon as we all got back from spring vacation. Yesterday I was having an awful time trying to figure out what was wrong with my battery and/or power adapter for my Macbook. It kept on saying that the battery wouldn’t charge but the computer was using whatever energy the power adapter was giving. After some advice from a Macbook whiz friend from EIU via Facebook I realized that I would probably have to look into a new power adapter or at the very least a new two pronged extension for it. As many Macbook users probably know, a Macbook power adapter comes with two different prongs to attach to it, a two pronged short one as in it is like plugging the adapter itself into the wall and then a longer more “typical” looking three-pronged extension cord. It is the two pronged one that is in the worst shape. Monsieur and I discovered that until I return home and look into the two-pronged attachment, I can still use my three-prong with my two pronged European plug converter. I look on this paragraph and see how complicated it can be with computers.
During the day itself while trying to figure out my problem, I must have looked more upset than I was because Madame later said she was certain I was ready to cry any minute the morning I made the discovery. Later, I cursed up a storm at life itself in the AHA office only to stop myself and feel like an impolite idiot when Sue looked at me and said, “You realize of course that it isn’t the end of the world if you just don’t happen to have a computer with you? It isn’t like we’re not surrounded by computers and Internet already.”
Feeling rude and somewhat dejected I took up the offer of another American to walk and talk with her into downtown so she could get a set of headphones for Skype and we could both get lunch. Taking her up on the offer was the best decision I’ve made all week at least. I felt so much better and it reminded me of talking about my favorite places to grab lunch in Angers. While we didn’t go to any of these places, these are my regular places to go and some of them are very popular with other students, too.
Ali Baba
Ali Baba is one of the few havens a vegetarian can go to in Angers. It is also the most lusciously decorated place I’ve eaten at for just a sandwich. The ceilings are draped in lush yellow and blue oriental cloth. Intricate Lebanese artwork is all over the walls with Middle Eastern lamps flanking them. It is just incredibly nice looking for such a laid back eatery. Being a vegetarian (not to actually say I am one) in France and going out to restaurants isn’t always easy. At least that is so if one is outside of the larger cities like Paris. The French have a passion for meat that I believe could rival many Americans. So it is a good idea to be assertive in order to find food that isn’t only meatless but nutritional. As much as I love cheese, I doubt if I were a vegetarian I would want to eat cheese and tomato sandwiches almost every single day when going out. While Ali Baba may be the only one I’ve got one this list for being veg-friendly, I can add that vegetarians in France have their best bets going ethnic while dining in France. The Lebanese restaurants are a good bet as well as the Indian restaurants. Any basic Sushi establishment should have something and generally as long as you shoot for heritages with some sort of Buddhist influence, you’re good to go. Good luck in a traditional French restaurant. At least it should be interesting.
Go for: the best-priced falafels in Angers, handmade Lebanese bread, Lebanese fries, a decent vegetarian menu in general, a well-decorated room for a casual lunch, charming Lebanese cooks
Avoid it for: sometimes-drafty rooms, a sandwich no cheaper than 3.50 euros
Sidi Bou Said
They guys got me into their restaurant early on in the semester and I do believe my initial interest was their warmer than average kitchen in the middle of February. Enough said there. How this husband-wife duo kept me coming was their fries, the cheap sandwiches of which I can choose not to have mayo and/or cheese, and mint tea with everything I order. Their tea in particular is done in something of a Moroccan style.
The Albanians, the Moroccans, and the Lebanese all serve mint tea in their eateries in France but they all do it slightly differently. By my experience, the Moroccans serve a sweeter tea. The Albanians serve a stronger tea. The Lebanese serve it not too sweet, not too strong, but always with lots of fresh mint leaves pounded and placed in the cup before pouring the tea itself. I like them all for their little nuances.
The fries and the bread in this establishment are done “a la maison.” This is always a good sign on a menu because that means they make it themselves by hand. It is one of the few places that I can eat fries without too much guilt besides Ali Baba only because though I’m eating junk food, at least it is really good junk food.
Go for: some of the cheapest, hot sandwiches in town (2.20 euro for a ham and veggie sandwich that for once has NO cheese and NO mayo), the fries, tea that comes with every meal
Avoid it for: the preteens who crowd in here at noon time so it can be better to just get your sandwich to go
Asia Wok
This is a place that just opened this semester. I pick it for best place to go when you’re just sick of eating bread. This is a stir-fry establishment and also vegetarian friendly. Woks are ordered custom made with choices of rice, different noodles, veggies, sauces, and meat. If you’re looking for a spicy stir-fry in this French-tailored “Asian” eatery, you wont get it. I mean, yes, they do have “spicy” on the menu but it is impossible to find spicy amongst the French. I only find this an issue because spicy is my favorite taste. I’m not happy until I’m looking for a gallon of milk. I’ve just accepted that French cuisine, while rich and full of flavor will never be able to touch the world of spice. Thank heavens for the North African, Middle Eastern, and Asian immigration wave in France yet again.
Go for: the meat choices that include kangaroo, a meal guaranteed with no bread, the only place I’ve found in Angers where you can eat mung beans and soy noodles.
Avoid it for: lack of seating except the four-stool bar…stuck in a corner, sodium intake, crowds at noon
Grignotine (forgive me as I’ve probably misspelled it somewhat)
Might as well ignore those other sandwich-selling bakeries if you want to stretch your euro. For the price of just a sandwich at a bakeries, you can get a sandwich, a pastry, and a drink here.
Go for: a quick, well-priced lunch, a sandwich with whole grain bread, some of the cheapest pastries in town
Avoid it for:the inevitable, mayo (this is no “Have It Your Way” joint)
Resto-U
This is the University Restaurant but everyone calls it the Resto or Resto-U. This is where you will get the best meal at the lowest price possible. The food it typical French and is sometimes an adventure. If you won’t eat it if you can’t recognize and/ or pronounce it, I wouldn’t suggest ever coming here. If you want to eat what the French typically eat on a budget, come here as much as you can. There is also dishes here that you will not typically see in an American cafeteria simply enough. How often really can one pay just 2.90 euros for salmon served with a white wine cream sauce as the main dish? Not very often.
Go for: the best priced meal to be had for a student, trying new food
Avoid it for: really noisy setting, mysterious dishes
I can't believe I'm doing this, but towards the end of the week I had to make the decision to not travel this weekend as today is France's version of Labor Day. That means that everything runs about as much as on Sunday so the country is on semi-shutdown for two days in a row.
At least I'm getting used to it.
It is four weeks until finals and five weeks until I go to England. I'm about halfway through my reading list now, having made myself just sit down and finish Wuthering Heights already.
This weekend is not to be completely wasted though. I've got a writing assignment for my general language class to do, Dracula to start, and my family finally requested White Chili for Sunday lunch. White chili sounds great I have to say for this weekend. Another good reason to not be traveling somewhere right now besides the lack of working things is the rainy forecast. All the wonderful, warm weather from this past week is gone unfortunately.
I'd say that is enough to keep me busy.
For the blog, I'm in the middle of coming up with two other lists. One concerns itself with my favorite "cheap" eats in Angers and the other is about what I will miss here. One of my Canadian classmates is right along with me and we spent all of dinner before Mardi Cafe talking about things we will be sorry to leave behind here. It is great that I've loved this place enough to have a list about it! It will also be something of an extension of an earlier post about 10 things in France I wish existed in the U.S.
For this moment in time, I'll just share a quote from Nelson Mandela. I think it sums up what I'm experiencing right now.
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."
