May
25
Good thing I wasn’t in Good thing I wasn’t in Oklahoma last night. I probably would have died for fear of the many tornadoes. Thankfully, everyone that I was really worried about is safe. I even got out my American phone and sent my sister a text because I was that scared. Tornadoes still scare the crap out of me, even in France. I think I have a serious problem!
Nothing much has been going on lately. I have spent lots of time outdoors. Klara, Lelani and I had one picnic out by this park with goats! It was like a mini petting zoo but so very fun! I was in love with the baby goats. I think I might have to get one. Hey, I would never have to mow again, right? Later in the week, Klara and I were going to take a trip to Orleans, but after a disaster at the train station with the tickets, we took a bus to some “lake” in Limoges. I use “lake” in quotes because it was more like a manmade pond with friendly ducks. We spent a few hours soaking up some vitamin D and chatting, then headed back home.
Sunday was the last rugby game for me. Limoges is in the semifinals right now and played the last home game (for me at least) on Sunday. They won by one point and it was an exciting game! It was always close and having Lelani and Klara with me helped make it even more fun; as always. This week has been pretty laid back. I have cleaned my room, packed one suitcase, and tried not to go stir crazy. As little time as class took up (only like 5 hours a day) it sure seemed better than having “weekends” all the time! Actually, I haven’t exactly done nothing; I’ve been planning (in my head) what is the first, second, third, things that I will do when I get home. Who will I call first? What will I eat first? What will I think when I go to Walmart and see things in English and hear people talking in English?! It will be different, but a good different.
Tomorrow is the other three parts of my DELF exam. The first part went very well (or so I think) and I am hoping tomorrow goes just as well, if not better. I don’t know if yall know this, but I don’t have to pass the exam to get credit for it, but I want to pass it. I will be extremely proud of myself if I pass. I want to pass. I know I can, and I want and hope that I do. I think it will allow me to finally be confident and comfortable with my French. I just know it will make me feel like I am on top of the world if I pass. Please say a quick prayer for me! Also, if I pass I promise to be the tutor for all of you who want it, at a small price of course! This certification will up my demand
I only have five days until I am home, and four more days in my little twin bed I’ve grown so comfortable with! I’ll save my thoughts on leaving for my next entry.
Lovelovelove,
Teryn
Apr
15
You know how in elementary school you always used to celebrate the 100th day of school? I am sure I will do that with my classroom as well, but day 100 is so cliché. Why not day 102? So, since I was busy on Wednesday (my 100th day in Limoges!) I am celebrating day 102, and giving out 102 facts about life in France, school, and my life since I left.
- One month and 9 days left in France.
- Cups of coffee per day. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It’s just so good!
- cost of my lunch (in euros) at the campus restaurant. I get an entrée, salad and yogurt, sometimes a dessert, but it all depends on what your entrée is for what sides you can get.
- Months I have passed without seeing my family!
- Croissants that come in a package at Carrefour market. It is 4+1 free! Big deal, huh?! Plus, Bus 5 is my bff.
- Months I will have spent out of the USA when I return.
- People who have used “I would love to speak English with you” or “I would love to learn American English” as their pickup line. Note to them: It’s annoying and doesn’t work. I don’t want to teach you English, especially if I don’t know you.
- Number of letters in “Bordeaux” which was my first trip I took in France where I made lots of friends and had a blast!
- Classses I take each week, now that I don’t have my 8:00am anymore!
- Usually the hour in which I wake up each morning. Except for Thursday’s since I have class at 9:30. Also, the bus I can take to get to the train station and to centre ville.
- The time at night I usually start to wind down and attempt to go to sleep.
- My favorite Skype time!
- Average amount of days between laundry that I do.
- Days it took me to recover from my adventures in Spain!
- Date of my first rugby game that I ever saw, back in January.
- Times I wished I could have driven to Wal-Mart.
- The day I spent the BEST St. Patrick’s Day ever with my very best friend!
- My favorite number and the day in April my family is coming!
- People who have came to my door/window and said “I lived here in past years” talking about my room. Sorry, creepers, but there is no way that many of you have lived here. I don’t believe you.
20. Euros will get you 3 DVD’s at Carrefour.
21. My age 🙂
22. How old I will turn in September!
23. Euros could get you baguettes for a lifetime. Okay, not really, but at least for a week or two!
24. Number of episodes in The O.C. Season 2, which I watched all of.
25. Number of episodes in The O.C. Season 3, which I also watched all of.
26. The date of my DELF exam in May. I am freaking out and need lots of luck!
27. Number of episodes in The O.C. Season 1, which I watched all of.
28. The first time I’ve thought this “102 facts” thing is a bad idea.
29. Times I’ve dusted my freaking room. It piles up so fast.
30. Day 30 was my first visit to a French waxing place to take care of my eyebrows. It’s the same in the US so don’t get excited.
31. Movies/TV Shows I’ve taken from Lelani.
32. On Day 32 is when I made my trip to Bordeaux.
33. Amount of euros it took for me to get from Limoges to San Sebastian, Spain by train.
34. The number of times I’ve had soup for dinner.
35. Day 35: Rent for February was due!
36. The number of times I’ve had pasta for dinner!
37. Thirty-seven plus times I’ve eaten at the campus restaurant.
38. Limoges faucet water is not too bad, surprisingly.
39. I hate the exchange rate.
40. Day 40 is when I began getting really sick and spent the next week in bed, coughing, and gulping hot tea or hot water with lemon.
41. I’ve made 15 new friends being here. Granted, I may never see some of them again (sadly) but I’ve enjoyed spending my time with them.
42. I do not like my class on Tuesday’s at 2:00. I’ve spent all semester in it and I still do not see the point. It’s the worst.class.ever.
43. The first thing I do when I get back from class each evening is check my e-mail. By this point, my mom has sent me 5 e-mails asking “Where are you??????”.
44. I hate doing laundry here. It is 2 euro 50 and there isn’t a change machine ANYWHERE in France, so if you don’t have it, no laundry for you and it sucks!
45. I still cannot believe I can get a bottle of French wine for 2 euro. It may not be the best, but it isn’t too shabby.
46. Day of my first exam in my translation course. It was from English to French (which is difficult for me) but I passed!
47. Average time of a Gossip Girl or The O.C. episode that I watch, almost daily.
48. Times I’ve thought of how much I miss Chelsea Lately, and the hours it took me to read one of her books.
49. Even though I have a quarter of my clothes here and not many options, I still have trouble deciding what to wear each day.
50. I said I would “get ready” for class each day (ie, do my makeup, hair, look super cute) and that lasted about two weeks.
51. I miss my friends back at home so very much.
52. I miss AOII!
53. I’ve learned a lot while I’ve been here so far, but I’m definitely not fluent, although I could have a good conversation with a stranger.
54. I wish I had a refrigerator.
55. I still cannot believe that I am here. Who am I?! I never thought I would ever really do that. I’m quite brave, and that surprises me.
56. I finally found one of my favorite French films, Amelie, today for 5 euro! I’m watching it tonight.
57. I’m actually getting excited to be coming home, but don’t tell my mama!
58. Being in France has made me enjoy the warm weather and has almost changed my mind that I like Spring and Summer better than Fall and Winter.
59. On Day 59, I spent it in Madrid, Spain during my winter vacation.
60. Divide this by 4 and you have the number of decorations I have on my walls. I think “decoration” is a strong word. It’s more a mixture of cards and pictures my mom has sent me.
61. When I go home, it is going to be like I have a new wardrobe. No offense, but I am so sick of wearing the same pairs of underwear, shirts, and socks. I think I might be so sick of them that I will just give them away.
62. I’ve eaten way too many croissants and drank too much wine over here, but hey, isn’t that kind of the point of being in France?!
63. I am going to miss baguettes back home. They aren’t made there like they are here.
64. I’ve missed working. I know, I’m weird.
65. Every night I sleep at midnight I take an allergy pill, floss my teeth, and crawl into bed with my panda, Polly, and get situated for sleep.
66. I think where I live is so dirty and I do not like it. I think it is gross. I dread taking a shower and I hate walking to the bathrooms all the time. I always wear these little grippy-sock things because I cannot stand the thought of walking barefoot here. My room is my safe haven because I know I clean it and I know it’s to my standard.
67. Day 67 is when my bff Kara came to visit me! I also went to Le Bistrot Gournand for the second time and it is still my favorite restaurant I’ve been to so far.
68. H&M has my heart.
69. I would love to come back after I graduate and spend two years being a nanny or an au pair for a French family.
70. Or, I would love to come back and teach English or French in schools here.
71. I’ve already started looking into it 🙂
72. The second time I think this is a bad idea. I feel like I don’t have 102 things to tell.
73. I gave my “notice of departure” to the office today. It is bittersweet that I am almost leaving. I don’t know how I feel about it.
74. I love having my Wednesdays off of class, but then it is a little trick because I have a full day Thursdays.
75. I don’t like having afternoon classes because I don’t feel there is much I can do in the mornings before class, so I usually just sleep and then go have lunch and hang out.
76. I feel like I’ve seen hardly any of France, and even less of Limoges and the area around it. The busses are great, but they don’t take you everywhere.
77. I’ve seen one movie in theatres the entire time I’ve been here. It was a really good French film called “Les femmes du sixeme etage”. It was unlike normal love stories but it was funny and heartwarming. When I get home, I am having a Redbox marathon and stocking up on all the ones I’ve missed that I wanted to see.
78. I’m really good at painting my own nails now.
79. Lelani is my best friend over here and I am going to be so sad to not talk to her all the time. However, she is coming to the US next summer, and in two years I’m going to South Africa to visit her and Tros.
80. Cultures and lifestyles are such an interesting thing to learn about and I am so glad I’ve had this opportunity to experience so many and learn so much.
81. No matter what people say and how much I love being in France, I am very proud and happy to be an American.
82. Boomer Sooner! I haven’t said that in a while.
83. I still wanna sneak away and go to William and Kate’s wedding just to meet Prince Harry, but I’m being honest with myself in that that will never happen. Shucks.
84. I miss Sassi and Coco, my neice dog and my mom’s cat. Actually, I miss any animal because it is kind of taboo for the French to pet their animals.
85. I have 17 more facts to write and I am boring myself, so I pride you if you are still reading this!
86. 86-10 is the number of episodes of The O.C. I have watched total. Hopefully my mom will bring me Season 4 and that number will rise and I can finish the series.
87. Le Petit Prince is the sweetest French novel ever. I love it and my child is going to be read it growing up every night.
88. I’m going to miss public transportation (metros, bus) back home. It’s not the same there.
89. Only one dryer here works really well and so I have to be strategic to get my laundry done properly. I’m very sly in making sure I get to use that dryer.
90. Hot water with lemon and a dash of sugar is a really good thing to drink. I enjoy it.
91. If I were to get a car in France, I would get an Opel Insignia. I prefer the 2 door Opel Corsa, but I know I would hate two doors after two weeks. I’d even take the Opel Astra. Maybe when I am a rich teacher (yeah, right) I can buy it and have it shipped over. 😉 Go Google it.
92. I’m going to miss Kinder bars when I go home. That’s something I’m buy bulk of and packing up!
93. I listen to French talk radio. Gosh, I am an old woman.
94. Since Limoges has no souvenirs besides porcelain, I bought a rugby shirt from last year for 5 euro to save for my time here.
95. 7 more facts to go and I am running out of what to say!
96. Of the 102 days I have been here, I think I have made my bed 99 of them. Pretty impressive, huh?
97. I miss Aquafresh toothpaste and my good lotion.
98. I am obsessed with peach flavored iced tea. Here, Lipton, Nestea, and Carrefour make it and it is wonderful!
99. When I am done with this, I am going to take a nap. This evening, I am going to make dinner, watch Amelie (like I said before) and give myself a manicure and pedicure.
100. I have a test the first class period back after break and I think that is just harsh.
101. I made reservations in French yesterday and I felt so accomplished. I also like going to the post office, train station, Carrefour, wherever and when I do a small task, all in French, I get so happy! It makes me feel like I am improving, which I know I am, but still.
102. I am done! If there was one thing I would like to do for the remainder of my trip, it would be to visit Nice and Monaco, but I’ve done that before, and I’ve done everything I’ve wanted to and more during my time here.
I am sure you are all sick of my facts and I know I wrote some pointless stuff. Anything you all want to know about my French experience, just ask and I will answer!
Lovelovelove,
Teryn
Apr
8
First, off, you may be wondering what I’ve been up to. Yes, I do still go to school! I have gotten lazy with my blog. To me, this is my life everyday, so it seems silly to write the same thing each day: classes, lunch, homework, friends, etc. I do realize though that one day I will probably forget this and I should keep my blog better in order to prevent that! I want to remember this trip forever!
La vie est belle!
So, school! It is going really well! We are preparing hardcore now for our final exam. Basically, the FLE program (the French as a forgein language) only requires you to take the DELF exam, which grades your level of French knowledge. There are four parts: oral comprehension, oral production, writing comprehension, and writing production. This is the test that I take at the very end of May, and my other classes are over the first week of May. I feel extremely confident on the writing parts, but the oral ones get a bit tricky. The comprehension will most likely be fine becasue we’ve been doing it since day one in that class, and my oral comprehension has improved tenfold. However, the oral production is a 7-8 minute speech that leads into a discussion, a real conversation, about one of two topics you choose from and have 30 minutes to prepare. I just might die! 🙂 I am sure I will be fine, but still, I am going to be shaking in my boots! Thankfully, that part of the exam is done individually (me and two professors) and is done sometime between May 9 and May 27. We have to turn in this form and then they assign it. I am hoping I get mine May 9 so I can get it over with! I plan to look cute that day so I feel super confident and will ace it! We shall see…
My French is improving a lot and I am very proud of myself. Still, I know there is more that I should do to continue improving, but I am happy with how far I have come. I go to classes and there may be 5-10 words throughout the whole period that I don’t understand. I am comfortable having conversations with people that I know, while strangers still intimidate me a bit. Here are some of my favorite *new* words that I am obsessed with:
- En fait: This is like saying “actually” or, more technical, “in fact”. People use it all the time and once my indecisive self learned the meaning, you know I became addicted!
- Paraît: My professors said this all the time and I was getting so frustrated because I didn’t know what it meant. After I found out, I LOVE it! It means “same” and I used to always say another phrase that means the “same” but didn’t always make sense. Now, I have a usual phrase and I feel cool!
- Non…plus: When I want to say “neither” I use this expression. It sounds better than disagreeing with someone and saying “me, too!” and it is also the correct way to dislike something.
- arc en ciel: a rainbow! I don’t use that word often, but I still learned it!
- La pendaison de crémaillère: It’s a housewarming party! We learned the origins of the words and it is pretty cool. Kara and I will have one for our apartment next year, and you are all invited 🙂
- boîte de nuit: a nightclub. Enough said!
- Marcher: This is a verb with multiple meanings. One, to walk, to step. Two, (and I feel more common than to walk) is to work. “Le video marche” or “The video works” and things like that.
- Guillaume Grand & Coeur de Pirate: Two French music artists I LOVE!
Also, after being in Limoges 4 months, I found out that over my sink there is an outlet. Who would’ve thought?! This whole time I sit at my desk with a hand-sized mirror trying to fix my hair. It was horrible and highly annoying. Then, one night karaoking with friends in Samy’s room, I discovered he had one and I nearly jumped with joy! I tried mine out, and of course it didn’t work. I put in a request thing to have it fixed and now it is my best friend. If there is one thing about the French and their work ethic, I can say this: I put in a problem, and not 24 hours later it is fixed. Not at 4:00pm, but at 8 or 9:00 am! Maybe it is just here and there aren’t too many problems, but I have had great experiences with my problem solvers here. Now, if only I could get the heat to go off. It’s been 70+ and beautiful in Limoges, but with no air conditioning, and the heat is still on. I swear I’ve turned mine off, but my room is still a million degrees. I have my window open a lot but then nature comes into my room and bugs, and creepers talk, and I don’t like it open. Nights are the worst sleeping. I practically sleep with hardly even a sheet it is so hot!
Spring is in full swing here in Limoges. It is beautiful almost every day, and it makes sitting in class that much harder! It’s pretty common here (so I’ve been told) to have a week or so of pretty weather and then a week or so of rain and clouds and ugliness. Exhibit A: Last weekend we had a picnic in a park at Limoges and then went bowling. We finished off the evening next to the river, playing “duck, duck, goose”, talking, and having a blast!
Lucas & me.
Martina & Klara & Me, The Czech girls
Limoges Beneditions.
Picnic in Champ du Julliet.
Kristen & me.
The girls!
The whole group after bowling.
My time in Limoges, and France for that matter, is quickly coming to an end. I have about 6 weeks left. What am I going to do first when I get home? Well, eat Buffalo Wild Wings, TAN!, get some Sonic ice (or any ice for that matter!), eat Ted’s Mexican, see my Nana, go see all my friends whom I’ve missed so much, and go to Wal-Mart. Even if I don’t need anything, I’m going! I’m actually surprised to see how little I miss of the US. I thought I would be dying, honestly, without silly little things, but I really am just fine.
What will I miss from France? Good public transport, hearing French all the time, fresh baguettes, the best cafe au lait, and all the friends I have made. What will I not miss? Having my own kitchen, shower, bathroom, and NOT living at Camille Guerin. 🙂 Oh, and I cannot forget the beautiful exchange rate that kills me every single time I spend money. Yay, I am so glad the dollar is worth .50 euros, if that! La vie est dure!
My family is coming to see me in 9 days. I am getting so excited to see them! If only they knew what all was in store for them! Heck, I don’t even know what is, so I sure hope they know what’s going on. I am just going to be the official translator and act like I know what is going on. Good plan? I think so, too.
I think I have written enough. My sister told me she doesn’t read these anymore because I write too much and I don’t want that to be the case for all 6 of my followers! I’m getting up there, you know? I promise to get better about updating about my life. Who knows, you might get two updates this week! Holllllllller!
JUMP!
Apr
3
After the end of every song, my Turkish friend Semih, without fail, would sit straight clapping and smiling as he said enthusiastically, “çok iyi ya!” “So good” he proclaimed! Semih, my tall, thin friend from Tokat, could not have described the notes and rhythms of Erkan Oğur any better.
Last weekend, a student group at Bogazici, working in collaboration with a Turkish organization called ILKYAR, invited the famous Turkish folk musician Erkan Oğur to perform at a concert benefiting ILKYAR. The organization travels to schools all across Turkey with the aim of promoting a broader world view and to encourage education in very rural areas of Turkey (http://www.ilkyar.org.tr/).
Erkan Oğur grew up in Southeastern Turkey where he showed a keen interest in traditional and folk Turkish music. Oğur mostly performs ancient Turkish and folk music using such instruments as the ‘bağlama’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%C4%9Flama) and ‘oud’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oud). I was amazed at the age of some of the pieces performed. “This is a song from Urfa during the 15th century,” Esad would inform me. Then even more astounding was listening to the audience, in perfect harmony and unison, singing along with the melody. Wide-eyed and smiling, I was blown away by the lasting impact each song seemed to have. The melody, rhythm, and lyrics were ageless, spanning generations and from one empire to the next to the Turkish Republic. During intermission, my Turkish friends, who had first informed me of the concert, taught me a little piece of folk music trivia. When many of these pieces were written, copyright, as we know it, did not exist. So, the composers would sneakily work their name into the lyrics towards the end of the song. Moreover, they said when you hear the name it is an indication that the song was coming to the end.
Watching Erkan Oğur play is fascinating. His eyes appear half closed, as if he is in deep thought. Between notes, his hand floats back and forth above his bağlama. At one point I felt myself drifting off into a dream-like state, not out of boredom but in meditation. Each note was weighted, emotional, played from the heart. Erkan Oğur seems to have a way to pull each of the listeners into his trance. You cannot simply listen to the music he plays, you must experience it.
If you are interested in listening to Erkan Oğur renditions of Turkish folk music, my personal favorites are: ‘Pencereden Kar Geliyor’ (Snow Comes From the Window), ‘Dersimde Dört Dağ İçinde’ (Dersim is in Between Four Mountains), and ‘Zeynebim’ (My Zeynep).
Mar
29
Russia is known for many things, not the least of which is her ability to produce incredible dancers. In fact, depending upon who you ask (whether or not they are Russian) it is pretty widely accepted that Russia wrote the book on strong, male principles. From to Baryshnikov, Russia has gifted the world with talented dancers who have not only excelled at ballet, they improved it. Yet for the past few decades, the Bolshoi and the Russian Ballet has been sans their usual brilliant star. Enter Ivan Vasiliev, a 17 year old fresh from Kiev. Ok, so technically he is not Russian, but over the past four years he has received the best in Russian training and has been adopted as a native. Sunday night, I was lucky enough to watch his performance in the ballet “Flames of Paris”. The word ‘phenomenal’ does not do his performance justice. The man could jump four feet in the air and land without a sound.
As a child, I took ballet (sometimes against my will) for the better part of eleven years, and I always dreamed I would one day attend a professional ballet in a fancy theatre. I never fathomed that ballet would be in Moscow, in the Bolshoi, performed by arguably one of the best companies in the world with a male principle that is quickly gaining Baryshnikov-like fame. And this, my dear friends, is why you study abroad…
Mar
28
The past few weekends in Turkey have been filled with exploring, cooking, and adventures. Despite a few cold days here and there, Spring is beginning to blossom. The days have been clear with a bright sun. I have heard Istanbul is incredible during Springtime when all the flowers begin to bloom. I cannot wait to have a picnic under blooming trees with the Bosphorous in the background.
On one particularly sunny Saturday afternoon, about a week or two ago, some friends and I, Daniel and Esad, decided we would visit the neighborhood of Uskudar, on the Asian side. We took the ferry across and since the weather was wonderful we sat outside, watching the waves and ships sail through the straight. The ride to Uskudar from Besiktas, a European neighborhood, is rather quick, maybe ten minutes at the most. We arrive in a bustling Uskudar and decided to walk to a hillside nargile cafe overlooking the Bosphorous and the European side. Walking north, along the mansion lined Bosphorous, Daniel, an Istanbul expert, pointed out all the mansions of the affluent Turkish families. We arrived at the cafe and sat with a beautiful view. We drank hot Turkish cay (tea) and smoked apple nargile. I have been working on my smoke rings, however it was slightly too windy to form them successfully. As the sun began to lower we headed back to Europe.
That night for dinner, I decided to introduce a little bit of Texas culture to my Turkish friends. For a few days, I had been bragging about how delicious Tex-Mex was. So, we stopped by a large grocery store where I was able to find most of the ingredients to make chicken fajitas. I was so excited to begin cooking! I had to make a few substitutions since not all of the ingredients can be found in Turkey. For example, I was unable to find cilantro or lime for guacamole, so I used parsley and lemon instead. Esad was my assistant and was very eager to see how the dish was made. I grilled green and red bell pepper, spicy peppers (similar to a jalapeno but slightly different in taste), and made Turkish-adapted guacamole. After everything was prepared and the tortillas warmed up. It was time to show my Turkish friends how to properly eat fajitas. However, before it was time to roll them, I had to give a lesson on the proper pronunciation of the word ‘tortilla’. “Say it ‘tortiya’ not ‘tortila’. Everyone got a kick out of the seemingly unusual pronunciation. I showed everyone how to properly wrap a tortilla before we enjoyed a Tex-Mex classic. It was so exciting to share something unique about my home to my friends, who have been so helpful in introducing me to their culture. Everyone seemed to enjoy the mix of flavors in the fajitas. After we finished eating, they asked if there were any other cultural dishes I knew how to cook. I have a growing list now, including chicken-fried steak and iced tea.
The next weekend was equally lovely. Saturday morning a group of us gathered at Daniel’s apartment and made a huge Turkish breakfast. Esad made menemen (eggs mixed with cheese, green and red peppers and pastirma which is dried beef), we had an array of different Turkish cheeses, olives, and fresh bread from the bakery down the street. My favorite part of the whole meal was sharing the skillet of menemen. We set the huge skillet in the middle of the table and used the fresh bread to scoop out the eggs. We have prepared these large Turkish breakfasts on several occasions and the ‘communal’ eating really enhances the experience. We all talk and laugh as we truly share a meal together. After we finished our large meal we decided that it was the perfect weather for fishing.
With our fishing pole and bucket, our little ‘family’ as we like to call it, headed down the hill from our neighborhood to Arnavutkoy, which translates to ‘Albanian Village’. Arnavutkoy is a historical area along the Bosphorous filled with old wooden Ottoman houses. We spotted a bench near the water and set up. Esad taught me the very different manner of fishing in the Bosphorous. Using a large pole with three to four small shiny hooks, Esad would through the line into the water and move the rod side to side as he reeled it in. I had never seen anyone fish in such a manner! But, as I looked at fellow fisherman, they were using the same technique. Unfortunately we were unable to catch anything. It seems we were not there at the right time of day since I have been told the fish usually feed in the early morning or in the evening, before sunset.
We decided that since our fishing endeavor proved fruitless to go to Beyazit, a neighborhood named after Beyazit Camii, to smoke nargile. We went to Çorlulu Ali Pasha, an old medressa (Islamic religious school) located behind Beyazit. Next to the medressa is the covered-patio nargile cafe. In all of Istanbul, it is one of my favorite places to go and enjoy nargile. The cafe is lined with chairs and people sitting shoulder to shoulder ‘drinking’, as you would say in Turkish, their water pipe. Green apple and melon are popular flavors, but I personally love rose. We all sat around a small table sipping cay and smoking. I again practiced my smoke rings and they proved quite successful!
We will have our Spring Break in the next month and a small group of us will go to the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Our main destination will be the ancient Greek city of Olympos, famous for its beaches and Greek ruins. I cannot wait for the warm sun and swimming in the Mediterranean!
Mar
26
Final pit stop on the week-long Spain extravaganza was Toulouse. A great French city that I wish I would have visited when I wasn’t exhausted from sightseeing and traveling.
We arrived on Saturday and spent some time walking around and seeing a few important things. We had a hotel far away from the center, so we wanted to go there last. We saw a couple things, had some dinner, and headed on back pretty early. This is when Klara and I began writing our “Les Vacanes d’hiver” rap. Maybe I can become famous like that 13-year old who sings “Friday” or whatever that annoying song is.
We saw the capital building, Congress, Sports center, and the Japanese Gardens which were my favorite. It was so pretty there and very relaxing. There was a cute, red bridge that connected one side of the park to this “island” type house. I even met the Zen master! We walked along the river and found the university, and pretty churches. One was Les Jacobins. The Jacobins were a big religious group in French history that would build these amazing churches. Not going to lie, it wasn’t Sagrada Familia but it was definitely pretty. One thing I really liked about Les Jacobins in Toulouse was that it was all so old. There wasn’t much remodeling done to it so you could see the oldness in the bricks and the paint. It was pretty cool!
We crossed Pont Neuf and found a patch of green grass to have our lunch in on Sunday. The weather could not have been more perfect. The sun was shining, a nice breeze, and right next to the river. La vie est belle! After an hour long lunch/sunbathing session, we continued on. We discovered an old hospital that was famous for helping people during what we think was the Black Plague. It was backed up right along the river at a point with lots of waterfalls. It was neat! We then ran into an art museum, and, since it was the first Sunday of the month, it was free! We decided we had nothing better to do so we went for it. It was all modern art. I don’t quite understand some parts of modern art, so it was different to say the least. I enjoyed it, but I am glad it was free!
We walked through another park that was huge! It had little cafes inside and lots of gardens and statues. People were everywhere profiting from the sunshine! It was crazy busy but still very pretty. After passing the Opera house, we discovered another museum that was also free! We went into it and I wish we had gone earlier. It was really cool and had lots of Roman sculptures and paintings. It was a museum with a bit of everything.
After sightseeing and being worn completely out, we went to the train station and caught our train home to sweet Limoges. Thinking we were all going to pass out from exhaustion, we all attempted but failed miserably. Poor Klara had some homework and my insistent self wanted to learn Czech. We ended up passing the last two hours on the train with my horrible pronunciation and sad attempts at words and trying (again) to teach me how to French braid. As we got closer to Limoges, Jacques was going to pick us up and we decided to play a joke on him. Okay, not “we”, just Klara and I. Kelli wasn’t too big of a fan of this idea. We had called Jacques on Saturday in Toulouse just to see how much he “missed” us (yeah right!) and we told him that we hadn’t eaten in three days and we had no money and just tried to make him feel bad for us! Klara and I decided also to tell him that our hotel didn’t have water (which it did) and to tell him that it was at the “end of the world” (which it really was!). We took some of my eyeshadow that was a black color and put it on our faces to make us look dirty and we messed up our hair to look like we hadn’t showered. It was a good idea in theory but we didn’t execute it very well!
When we arrived at 11:00 that night, Jacques claims he picked up “sewer rats”! I guess we pulled it off somewhat, but then again, Jacques is a man who probably thought we looked normal! We did get a free kebab out of the deal for dinner so Klara and I aren’t complaining. Our purpose was to drive home the idea to him that we don’t have to have money to have a good trip. We can find free ways to entertain ourselves and we can also eat cheap. It doesn’t take millions to have a good time. Klara and I decided to let him feel bad for us (since the man has no feelings!) for a few days, but then we kind of, okay we did, forget to ever tell him we were lying. I still don’t know if he knows….
All in all, my Spain experience was very fun! I am extremely happy that I got to visit Spain and that I spent it with who I did. What I learned from this trip was to plan out how to get to your hotels from the train stations before you leave, know what it is you want to see and sort of have a plan, and realize that everything on the map does not have to be seen. A vacation should be something to be enjoyed and not stressing if you spent twenty minutes at one shop instead of walking towards a destination. Also, keep in mind that after a week of traveling and walking everywhere, you are going to be tired and may not want to visit one more city “just because” the train stops there or just because you can. While you should see what you can, it is also important, in my opinion, to enjoy the city and see what the culture of that city is like. It isn’t all about tourism and monuments.
Needless to say, after nine days of being away, Limoges and my miserable twin-sized bed felt just right. I was so glad to be home and even use my push-on-every-thirty-seconds-shower!
Lovelovelove, Teryn
Mar
26
Barcelona was the city in Spain that I loved! After San Sebastian, it was a big, lively, fun city that I would glad go visit again!
By this point in our trip, it was Wednesday through Friday. Keep in mind, still three girls spending 24/7 together and tired. I think Barcelona showed us (or at least mine) the grumpiness. We stayed at this nice hostel that was a big apartment with many rooms. We had one room with a cute balcony that looked right over Gran Via, which is apparently a hopping street in Barcelona. We were about a twenty minute walk from La Rambla and it was a great location! The only problem was our stupid door that no one could open, close, or keep locked because it was so temperamental. When I got up to go to the bathroom at night, (which we all know is like five times) I guarantee I woke up half the hostel. Oh well. It had a full kitchen so one night we bought microwave pizzas and salads, and another night we made a form of chicken stir-fry and salad. It was fun!
After we got settled into our hotel, we wanted to being our adventures in Barcelona! We walked Gran Via which eventually turns into La Rambla and some other popular streets of Barcelona. We found La Pedrera or Casa Mila which became our reference point for the rest of the stay. Antoni Gaudi built a TON of things in Barcelona. He did many houses, parks, building, and the most beautiful church I have ever seen. More on him later. Gran Via was lined with designer shops. I was so excited to go into one, that I kind of ended up going into about 10. DG, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and many others. It was fun to “pretend” what we would buy if we wanted to throw out 500 euros for a scarf. After boring Kelly, we continued on and found some pretty fountains and La Rambla. This street is like the Champs Elysees in Paris or any other main street in a city. It was PACKED with people. Shops were set up on each side and you couldn’t miss the street performers. We found this awesome fresh market that, even though it was closing, was wonderful to walk through. There were fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, candies, breads, chocolates, everything. It was beautiful: all organized, colorful, and since it was closing, 2 for 1 euro! I bought a mix of fruit that was the absolute best. It was so fresh and flavorful! I could have spent hours in that place, as well as the rest of Barcelona since it was so packed.
Thursday was the day to accomplish all of our sights to see! We started the day early and learned quickly that Barcelona does not know how to make a map. In fact, I think it was the WORST map I have ever used in my whole life. We would take a street, looking for a huge monument, and the next thing we knew, we would be on a different street, without turning, that would not be on the map. It was a disaster. We probably wasted a lot of time walking around trying to find each thing. That’s why, in my opinion, use the metro, get to where you want to go, and then walk later. Especially when there is a lot we all want to see, and no one knows the city well. Klara was 100% against taking a metro and I wasn’t about to split up, so walk our little hearts out we did, getting lost all along the way. J We saw lots of little churches and statues in the center of streets and even found a darling shop called “Barceloning” that had everything Barcelona and the cutest gifts! After passing some time there (and out of the rain that followed us our whole trip) we headed towards La Sagrada Familia: the MOST BEAUTIFUL thing I saw in Spain. Gaudi was the original designer of it, and today, it remains only 50% complete! We spent three hours walking through the church, the museum, and the taking in the beauty of it. It was negative twenty degrees in all of the whole place but that was the only complaint I had! There is stained glass inside that represents the virtues Gaudi had and believed are important. It became a basilica just last year, and the Pope was there to do it. It was a very interesting place and a must-see if you go to Barcelona!
After that we headed to the Arc de Triumph of Barcelona. Kind of disappointing, but still cool it see. We found a park and other cool building just around there, so it wasn’t a total waste. We found Port Vell which had lots of boats and a neat walking path along the sea. It was rainy but we still walked along and enjoyed the view. The water had buoys in it that were like little people. It was cute! Next we found a statue of Columbus that we thought we could climb to get a cool view of Barcelona, but not without a price we didn’t care to pay. After passing a wax museum (creepy looking at night, but I want to go to one!) and finding another church, we headed home to find a nice surprise! A parade, happening up and down Gran Via and loud as can be! Naturally we had to join in on the phone! It apparently was for some Saint or something that is important. Candy was thrown everywhere, streets were packed, and it was 100x better than the Sapulpa Christmas parade. Sorry, peeps, but it was. I did learn that no one in Barcelona cares to wave at people. My mom always waves at the randoms during a parade and I always laugh, but there I was, in the middle of Barcelona, waving at strangers who just looked at me weird. Oh well!
Friday morning we ventured to Park Guell, a famous park inspired by Gaudi that had amazing views of Barcelona, street bands, and mosaics all over. It was a fabulous experience. We found the FCBarcelona stadium, but decided to skip it since we had already seen Real Madrid. Turns out, Klara’s dad said that FCBarcelona is actually better than Real Madrid and we should have gone in! Oh well, one soccer stadium was enough for me! We then walked around and found some more things by Gaudi, a monastery (with bad signs from Barcelona telling us how to get there!) and the Royal Palace where we saw people taking their wedding pictures. I guess I am going to have to fly to France for mine since everywhere I go people are taking wedding pictures.
That night, we walked La Ramblas once more, and headed to the Olympic Stadium and to see the Magic Fountains. Barcelona hosted the Olympics in 1992 and most of the buildings are still there. We went at night, which probably wasn’t ideal, but it was still cool! We saw the main stadium which now I am assuming is a concert hall since ads for Justin Beiber’s visit were everywhere. It is right behind an old art national art museum which is followed by the Magic Fountains. Best experience of my entire Barcelona trip: the magic fountain show! It is so cool. They play different songs and turn the water different colors, heights, shapes and stuff with the tune. It is awesome! After watching that, we headed to the beach! We wrote in the sand and collected some sea shells. It was a successful night!
We left on Saturday for Toulouse so our time in Barcelona was up! I liked the city a lot, and would have liked to spend some more time on the beach during the day! If you are going to go to Barcelona, bring your own map and plan on where you want to go before you go! Also, they do have gelato so bring 2 euro for that! 🙂
Lovelovelove,
Teryn
Mar
23
I have now been in St Petersburg for almost two months, and after two months of freezing temperatures, slushy snow, and Russian grammar-related headaches, I have reached the point that I think most exchange students can relate to. The point where this is no longer new and different and exciting. The point where you miss your family, you miss your car, you miss being able to engage in intelligent conversations. More than anything, you realize that you miss your way of life. But before you become either overly concerned or disinterested, fearing this will soon devolve into depressed rantings, allow me a spoiler alert: this is a happy post.
At first it was difficult to admit to such longings without feeling a bit ethnocentric or even ignorant, but I have realized that this too is part of studying abroad, this too is important, and there is no shame in finding an appreciation for your own culture and way of life. That is the beauty of study abroad; it enables you to develop a true appreciation and understanding of differing cultures, both foreign and domestic.
Of course, as an exchange student, this process is not always the most enjoyable part of your experience. At home, it is easy to turn to habitual comforts when you are in a funk, to immeadiately call a friend, visit a favorite retaurant, (or sometimes both simultaneously) to alleviate your melancholy. Yet when you find yourself far removed from the comforts of home, quite literally a stranger in a strange land, your feelings of isolation are compounded by the fact that you are without your old stand-bys. You cannot call your friend because it is 3:30 in the morning in the States, and somehow, you have managed to find the one place that Starbucks has not managed to infiltrate. And suddenly you realize just how much you miss home, and what exactly ‘home’ means.
I must admit, it wasn’t until I studied abroad in Mexico that I finally began to appreciate what it means to be an American citizen. And no, I do not mean to suggest that America is superior or that the way of life I am used to living is better than the life I have found abroad. It is just different. It is unique. It is where I feel most comfortable.
I am pretty sure most exchange students feel this way at one point or another. maybe I am wrong. Regardless, I felt that it would be appropriate to mention for those students looking to study abroad. No, it is not always sunny beaches and incredible food (unless you are in Italy :). But you have not failed as an exchange student if you find yourself missing home. Just try and focus on the good things, appreciate the amusing cultural quirks, and realize that six months goes by extremely quick. I do not for a moment regret the time I spent in Mexico, and I can guarantee I will feel the same about Peter.
Mar
23
Well, followers..Sorry for the lack of updates.I’vebeen busy and a little lazy! Okay, a lot lazy. Oh well, here is more of Spain!
Don’t get me wrong; I liked Madrid, but it was definitely the least favorite city we visited in Spain. We left San Sebastian bright and early and began our four hour train ride to Madrid. After arriving, we searched forever for our hotel. The directions said it was on San Leonard Street and we could only find San Bernardo Street. We even asked the tourism office (again, our favorite place!) and they didn’t even know. We were freaked that we were going to be staying in some sketch place. Alas, we found it. The “university residence” of Hostel Arti II. I won’t recommend it to any future travelers. First, the man did not understand that we had a reservation and kept saying “no space. No space”. Then, when he finally understood, we got a two bed bedroom when we had three people. It wouldn’t have been a problem except 1) we already paid for three beds, 2) they were twin beds and 3) there wasn’t space for a person on the floor. After spending time figuring out how to say “We have a problem” in Spanish, we just went down there and said “Two for sleep, we are three”. It was interesting. We then were transferred to a nice room (hmmmm yeah…) with two bunk beds and an aisle about the width of my hips. The door, however, was about three times the size of my hips. I am pretty sure our room (I would hardly call it that) used to be a janitor’s closet that was changed into a room.
Since it was late in the afternoon, we decided to go see a few things close to our place. We first had to find an internet café to see if everything was okay with Klara’s bank and to tell my mom I was alive and well. Klara was very disappointed and upset that her wallet was stolen (obviously) so she was trying everything in her power to change our trip to save money. It ended up being more of a hassle but more on that later. Since we bought our tickets in France with SNCF, it was impossible to change our tickets in Spain (or so we were told) but we “found” and SNCF station in Madrid. First, it said it was in this building right by our hotel (awesome!) and it wasn’t. The woman there told us it was at the airport. A thirty minute metro ride later, we arrived at the airport of Madrid. We found an info desk where a funny woman said “I am metro” (which later became the running joke) and told us to go visit the visitor center. When we got there, there was another funny woman who said “No. SNCF is not Spain. We only are Renfe.” So after an hour and a half of searching for SNCF in Madrid we were told that it was possible to change them in Barcelona and decided to forget about it for the night. Kelli and I didn’t really see the importance or purpose of changing our trains and trip because the money wasn’t that big of a difference and there was only a possibility of getting our money back. Klara understood it though so we vowed to try again in Barcelona. In my opinion, we were already on stop 2 of 3 for our trip, we had it all planned so we may as well have continued. Kelli was in agreement but we still said we would try again. Remember this for my entry in Barecelona.
Back to the sightseeing: We stayed directly across from Plaza d’Espagna. It was this nice square with a fountain, statues, and even two statues of Don Quichotte. Kelli was fascinated by that and she spent minutes trying to explain to me why he was so important to her. It was cool, but I still don’t see the wonderful importance of him. Oh well. When we visited the Tourism Office we got all these maps and I discovered there was a Hard Rock Café. I knew immediately that I had to go to get my mom a shirt. The address was 2 Place Caballos. We took the metro to a place close by and saw some of the modern parts of Madrid. We came across the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu..yes, soccer fans, the REAL MADRID stadium! We took some pictures and continued on, noticing that the addresses we were by were 187, 185, 183 and later, 163, 161. After walking for at least thirty minutes, I realized we were never going to make it there by foot. I was hungry and tired at this point and wanted to take a cab. No one cared much for that idea, but I said I wasn’t going to walk two hours to buy a shirt. Thankfully, after seeing the biggest, most inviting mall ever, they agreed to come with me in the cab. We saw the biggest Spanish flag I have ever seen (okay, and maybe the only one, too) and a cool statue. Turns out, Hard Rock Café was the furthest point from anyway any hidden on a street corner. We went inside and got our shirts and decided to have a nice warm dinner. I had ranch for the first time in three months and our drinks had lots of ice and free refills. You learn to appreciate the small things in life when you don’t have them J Just kidding, but it was a really good meal and my shirt/shot glass collection is quickly growing!
Monday we were set for a full day of getting the best of Madrid. We first visited the Temple de Debod, an old Egyptian temple devoted to gods Amus and Isis which the Egyptian government gave to Spain in 1968. It was cool and gave a nice view of Madrid. Of course the museum was closed on Monday so we couldn’t go in. Next we walked and played through the Jardines de Sabatini. They were very pretty! Lots of trees and shrubs that were cut neatly to make designs, more statues, and, who guessed it, fountains! We continued our streak of spelling the places with our bodies and attempted “Madrid”. Not as easy with only three people, but we succeeded. We continued on to the Royal Palace of Madrid where the line to visit was at least 300 people long, the cost was high, and the building was gorgeous. We opted to just walk around it and peek in through the gates. The line would have taken all day. Across the street from it was the Opera House with a garden in front of it that invited us ever so nicely to visit.
We wanted to visit the actual Tourism Office to book a flamenco show. Enter Plaza Mayor: a huge plaza with shops in every hole and people all over. Street entertainers were in abundance: men with no heads, “statues”, a horrible fat, ugly, Spiderman who did the dumbest things, and some weird sparkly dog/camel. The things people come up with! On to our next destination, we ate gelato in Puerta del Sol, saw more smaller plazas with statues, some churches, The Palace, and the Cibelles Fountains. It was this time that the funny tourist man said “How many fountains do you want to see?” that also became quite the joke of our trip. After discovering there was no show about the fountains (it’s in Barcelona) we headed home for dinner.
Tuesday our first stop was the Real Madrid Stadium. Eat your heart out soccer fans! I toured it all, and even kissed Cristano Ronaldo! Okay, not a “real” kiss but still! This stadium was way cool! You start off with a view from one of the highest points of the stadium to get a full view. Very neat! Then, you continue on through the museum. I’ll just say this: The Real Madrid club is not shy about their greatness, history, or any of the accomplishments. I mean, they have a right to be, but I have never seen it so blatantly stated. Every other sentence was “Take a good look at these 9 trophies: It is the only time they will ever be in the same room” or “The best club ever in history”. The museum was really interesting though. It talked about the accomplishments of the club, both in soccer and basketball, the history and the changes of the uniform and crest, the awards, the best players in the history, trophies, pictures, philanthropy things, and lots more. It took us forever to go through it! After the museum part we got to go around the field and visit the “box” seats which were practically recliners. We got to go on the field (somewhat) and sit in the most comfortable bleachers for the players ever; again, like recliners! Then we toured the Visitor locker room (we couldn’t do the Real Madrid one because of “privacy”) and it had a huge shower, hot tub, and all sorts of goodies. We saw the press room and got to sit on the stage being “interviewed”. The store finished off our tour where they have even more Real Madrid things than OU. Hello, Real Madrid luggage. Get on that Sooners! Just kidding, please don’t.
After three hours in the stadium, we went to the Plaza de Toros where they have bullfights. I was excited to visit it, but of course the entrance hours were 1:30-3:30 and it was 4:30. We had a late lunch and decided on what else to see. Madrid has a “Tour d’Espange” which I thought would be really cool! I imagined an Eiffel Tower type thing, but not in that much glory. Well, not any glory is what we got. It was a huge disappointment and, in my opinion, was a satellite tower. Why it was on the map of “things to see” still confuses me. After that letdown, we headed back towards Puerta del Sol to see our flamenco dance, but cut through the Jardines del Buen Retiro. They. Were. Beautiful. A huge semi-circular moment thing that looked across a manmade “lake” was the perfect spot to soak in the park and the sights. We then we to the flamenco show. I pictured just a man and a woman, with all this emotion and big, flow-y dresses, all passionate and cool. Not what I got, but I didn’t walk away disappointed. It was at a theatre and so we got more of a show. It was still wonderful! The dancers’ legs more SO fast and their upper bodies stay completely still. It was a little over an hour of pure entertainment and amazement at how they do some of the stuff. There were flow-y dresses, fans, and the noise clapper things, great dances, and a very good performance!
Overall, Madrid was a very fun city, but, like I said, not my favorite place. It was very commercialized. There was a Starbucks about every corner (surprisingly, I refrained and drank normal coffee from Jamaica Café instead J) a TGI Fridays, McDonald’s and Burger King next to the Starbucks, and just not a pretty city. I mean, it was pretty, but it wasn’t as beautiful as I imagined. Maybe it was that it was a bustly, busy, go, go, go city that I wasn’t fond of. I’m not sure, but I found San Sebastian and Barcelona better. I would visit Madrid again, but for now I have my fill!
I also learned from Madrid that maps are harder to read than you think. Somehow, I (of all people) got stuck navigating and guess who doesn’t know north/south/east/west in Oklahoma, let alone Spain?! Yep, Moi! There’s some French for ya! We survived but sometimes I am sure we took the world’s longest ways. Also, three girls can be as opinionated or as un-opinionated as we want to be, same with decisive and indecisive. No one wanted to say what they wanted to eat for lunch, what to do next, or to walk or take the metro. I was even making decisions (big surprise, huh?!) but I didn’t want to decide everything! I know it was the fatigue, stress of being in a new place and such that made it irritate me, but it would get so frustrating! I didn’t want to be rude and decide everything, but with two almost mutes it was necessary.
Thanks to Klara, who comes from the Czech Republic, I am not only learning French, but Czech as well! Okay, “learning” may be a bit of a strong word, but I am trying and definitely helping Klara get some abs by laughing so much. I can say “I am American”, “hello”, “I love you” “Goodbye”, “He/She is Czech/French/American”, “They are Czech/French/American”, “roller skates”, “thirsty” and some words I probably shouldn’t type J. I later learned to count to five and the different sounds the accents make, but that was Toulouse and I don’t have much practice with those. Don’t ask me to say it because I want to perfect all my skills before presenting them to the world.
I cannot figure out how to get the pictures on this blog without messing up what I’ve already written. I know, I’m not very technologically advanced! Anyway, you can look at the pictures here: http://s1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa345/Teryn0655/Madrid/
As you can see, Madrid was quite the learning experience!
Lovelovelove,
Teryn
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