Jan
17
Well, my first week of class is complete. I survived, but not without lots of confusion. Thursday I have four classes and it makes for one long day. The morning class is my favorite, phonetics, and I really enjoy it. My class at OU last semester was phonetics and it was definitely a good preparation for this. In the afternoon I have oral and written comprehension and writing practice. That’s when my Thursday went bad….oral comprehension. I wanted to cry when it was over. We watched these two videos and had questions and I honestly had no idea what was happening. I felt like a complete idiot and wanted nothing more than to get up and leave. It was terrible. The written comprehension and writing practice went much better. There were some small introductions and nothing too major for the first class, which lifted my mood a bit.
After class, Jacques, Lelani, Jacques, Kristen, Kelli and I all went to go get dinner. The first place was closed (even though it was only 7:00) and so our search began again. We walked all over finding nothing but closed places. When we would find a place, no one would decide if it sounded good or if it was what they wanted so I am sure we wasted quite a bit of time. Finally, Lelani mentioned a Moroccan restaurant that she had always wanted to go to when she lived in centre ville. We chose that, and our choices for food were couscous or…..couscous. We all found the menu very humorous. A bottle of red wine and a bottle of white wine later, our food arrived. It was a big plate of couscous, a bowl of cooked prunes, a bowl of some sweet raisin and onion mixture, a bowl of gravy, and two big plates: one full of sheep and one full of chicken, all with carrots, zucchini, and potatoes. I ordered some kind of shish-kabob that had steak and green peppers. It was all very good but we all started out somewhat confused. After drinking and eating to our fullest, we found out that was just the beginning. They brought out another menu with more options for meals and some dessert. Lelani and Jacques got dessert and I settled for another glass of wine for me. Kristen and I were feeling just wonderful at this point and my bad day was forgotten!
When we left there, we somehow ended up at another wine bar that Jacques and Jacques knew the owners of. All over Limoges are these “republiques” which are like town squares with nothing but cement in it, just a big open space. What better are they for than for cartwheels! I have this weird obsession with doing cartwheels in big open spaces. Even at the AOII Convention I did one in the hotel lobby. It is just perfect and seems so free. I definitely did quite a few on our walk that evening. We walked into the bar with Michael Jackson on the speakers and a crowded, popular place. It was very fun! Kelli was the smart one so she kept us all sane for the night. We talked about gold and silver, which Jacques is adamant about buying and becoming a millionaire, South Africa some more, skylines, and who even knows what else. Time flew by and it was so much fun. When we all decided we had had enough fun for one night, we start to walk back to the car, which at this point is somewhere not by where we were. Limoges has many cathedrals and I am dying to go see some, and just my luck, walking back we found one! Picture time!! I think everyone hates me for all my pictures, but my mama taught me well! Thursday was definitely a good day.
- St. Pierre
- For Nana & Rhetta, & Boomer and Sooner!
Jan
12
Wednesday is my off day from class so it has the potential to not be so exciting each week. Today I went with Kristen and Kelly (Kelly is the girl from OSU) to meet with Guy (our contact at Uni) to make sure we did enrollment correctly and to ask any other questions. He was very helpful and we even got this neat little mini messenger bags for class filled with goodies! There was a map of Limoges (FINALLY!) a student club book, agenda, notes on enrollment, and some other things. I was very excited to get it because it is a hassle taking my backpack when I only carry a spiral to class. We went to lunch at the restaurant here on campus and I must say, for 3 euro we get a really good lunch! We had all planned to go into centre ville today to get their phones, visit fnac, and walk around, but that changed. It was so dreary today. Rainy, but like an annoying heavy mist and drizzle, and cold! We decided we needed to go to Carrefour for sure so we all talked each other into going. My mission was to get nail polish remover because if my mom had seen my nails I am sure she would have died! They were terrible, and even I couldn’t deal with it. I searched high and low to find some stupid nail polish remover and it was nowhere to be seen. Finally, I got the courage to ask a lady who looked nice (and turned out to be as well) if she knew where it was. She did, and naturally I had seen it about 100 times but skipped over it. It was next to liquid eye make-up remover and there were only four bottles of it. What a random place to have it. We all got some school supplies and then headed back home. My mission for today was to do my laundry because I actually had a 2 euro coin! I did it while I was unpacking things from Carrefour and making my bed. After the wash was complete, I put it into the dryer which I found either A) doesn’t work very well or B) I needed to dry it longer (there is only one timer though so I can’t exactly change it) or C) I did something wrong. I am going to go with B but that is beside the point. I now have laundry all over my room and there isn’t much room to have it all over! I have a towel and the provided blanket that are practically soaked strategically over my closet door. Luckily my suitcases make for some “elevated” spaces I guess. Tonight will be pretty relaxed. I am going to shower and probably watch a movie while I wait for my mom to get home from work so we can Skype! I miss her so much!
Tuesday’s classes went well but it will definitely be a long day. Same goes for Thursday since it is the same schedule practically. Tuesday I am in the same classroom all day and that is a drag. Due to that, I tried to coffee vending machine and it was really good! The perfect amount and temperature of coffee. I must say, I am becoming addicted to coffee. I mean, I have always liked Starbucks with all the sugar and flavors, but I am talking dark, sugar and milk, if that, coffee. Weird, huh?! I have some “methods” class that, by the looks of it, will be really important. There was this one section of our assignment we did aloud where we named all the phrases or verbs with “mettre” and this one girl would not stop naming verbs! After we named about 15 (really) and thought we were all done, we went on for literally 20 more minutes naming more! I decided this girl has either already taken the class or is a human dictionary. It was nuts. The other two classes were about the language and one on proper writing techniques or something. I am still trying to figure out exactly what to expect with that class. Thursday classes should be good. I have my phonetics class in the morning and I am excited for that! I loved learning the phonetics of French this past semester so I cannot wait to learn more. The afternoon classes are for writing, and comprehension of stuff. It will probably be a long day! Oh well, after 6:30 tomorrow it is my weekend!
I was supposed to go have coffee today with Xasin (the painter who showed me around Limoges) but it was rainy and cold and I did not feel like walking around centre ville. I told him we should reschedule for Friday so that, along with rugby Saturday, is my big weekend plans! It looks promising that this weekend will be a good one!
Lovelovelove,
Teryn
Jan
10
So today was my first day of class and I was freaked! I had no idea what was going to happen. I walked over there early and couldn’t find the place we were supposed to be at. They had changed the room and told no one, and of course I looked like an idiot trying to find out where I needed to go. I found another lady who was going with me as well so we tag teamed it and figured it out. After going in, they discussed the prices of classes, schedule, and some other business. I placed into FLE 3, and the highest is 4! I was very proud of myself and I guess I know French better than I thought. I was very surprised at this, but I feel a little more confident now. Kristen and Jacques are also in FLE 3 with me so it will be nice to have friends! We get the forms for registration and after this meeting, Kristen and I sit down to fill them out and get WAY confused. There was stuff about insurance, degrees, all this information we had no idea about. We decided it was best to leave it alone, e-mail our higher powers, and go to lunch. It was SO nice to have a real meal and be around other people. We ate and had about a two hour break before class. I will have class Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Monday I go from 3:30-6:30, Tuesday from 2:00-6:30, and Thursday I go from 9:30-11:00 and 2:00-6:30. I am taking “Pratique d’oral, societe francaise, methodolgie universitaire, langue, techniques d’expression, phonetique, comprehension de l’oral, comprehension de textes, and pratique de l’ecrit”. Of course there are accent marks there, but I do not know how to do that on the computer yet 🙂 My first class went well. We did an introduction activity that was typical of any first day. I had a South Korean partner named Martial who was 25, liked the color black, and actually had his birthday today. I also became the running joke of the class and the day because I said where he lived. I got really excited because he lived in my building so I thought, “New Friend! Yay!” but the class thought “stalker”. It was quite entertaining, and I guess everyone knows who I am now. Next was my societe francaise class. We took some quizzes on French history, politics, cinema, science, and the like. I knew nothing and felt oh so smart. Jacques was a know-it-all but would claim he knew nothing so he got to be the joke of this class. Kristen and I felt it was adqeuate to make educated guesses which worked out just fine….ish. We then were given a map of France and had to label different cities and then ALL the provinces, and there are like 30. That’s my homework and Google Maps is going to become my friend shortly.
After class, Jacques asked Kristen and I if we wanted to go get coffee with Lelani and Jacques. I’ve noticed that the French drink coffee like Americans drink pop. It is a social thing, and it is done before meals, after meals, with meals, whenever! It can come in teeny-tiny cups or big ones, and there are even coffee vending machines! Crazy, but soon to become my best friend I am sure! We said yes and went to this palce called “La Royalty” (I think) and enjoyed hot chocolate and good conversation. I will be going to my first ever rugby game this weekend! I am excited! We also talked about planning trips and horror hostel stories. A couple hours later it was time for dinner and we went to a buffet called Buffet du Monde. It was very good! I wasn’t sure what some of the stuff I ate was, but it was very good. I was a tad adventurous and am going to make it a priority to try new things each time I go out. We all shared a bottle of red and white wine. The red was good but the white was SO much better. I am just a white wine drinker I guess. Of course, coffee followed after all this! Time flew by so fast, and the next thing it is 11:00 and we are just leaving. As we walked out, we heard cows being slaughtered. It was sad, but interesting because I have never seen the type of place where it happens, much less hear the sounds of the cows.
Today was a very good day. Classes will be good, and I feel much better talking to people in my classes because we are all on the same level. In the classes we can only speak French, and so regardless of if it is good or not, I have no choice but to talk to the other students in French. I am surprised by the amount of Korean and Chinese students in my class. Out of the 30, about 25 were Korean or Chinese. Obviously I do not know any Korean or Chinese so French sounds pretty good most of the time. Although I don’t quite understand all the teacher is saying, I know it will click after a few weeks of class, and I can catch on for the most part. I am beginning to really like it here 🙂 It is going to be wonderful and I am excited to see what else this week brings!
lovelovelove,
Teryn
Jan
10
Friday, January 07, 2011
Day Five
Safe and sound, and finally with internet! Today I slept in and read a book for a couple of hours. I then went to Carrefour to get food for the weekend. Everything is closed on Sundays, so I thought it was good to prepare beforehand! I bought some noodles and what I think is spaghetti sauce so that I can make some spaghetti. I also bought boxed milk? Weird to me, and I hope it is decent, but since I have no refrigerator but I do have cereal, I needed what I could get! They also sell eggs that are not refrigerated and I think that is weird! I may have to try it out. I bought a phone card and was so excited to call my Nana and let her know I was safe, when I guess I ran out of credits on my cell phone! That sure didn’t last long. I need to figure out how to check it so I can avoid doing it next time, but I guess I will soon be visiting Carrefour once more to get credits. I do have Skype though and while my internet is slow and I cut out often, I still can talk and it is nice to see people from home. I am about to go shower, where I still need to figure out how to keep the water continuously going because it goes in one-minute spurts, read a book, and go to bed. Nothing too exciting going on today!
Lovelovelove,
Teryn
Jan
10
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Day Four
Today was quite eventful! I slept in really late, but I decided I would go into the centre ville (city center) and explore more of Limoges. It was about two before I left my room. I went down the street and got a bus pass for ten trips and was going to get a phone card but the post office didn’t open until 2:30. I waited for the bus, after figuring out where it went, what time, and how late it ran. I got off at Churchill (the main bus station area) which is smack dab in the center of Limoges. My adventure began. I tried to remember where it was Sami had taken me, but of course I forgot. I was looking for the fnac store because I knew that that was a central place and I could navigate (somewhat) from there. Well, after walking a couple blocks and being nowhere near the fnac, I must have looked lost because a guy about my age began talking to me. Like I knew what he said, but eventually I understood that he was asking me where I was going. Again, against my mother’s wishes I started to talk to him because he could direct me where the fnac was, and he did. I figured my journey would end there, but oh no, he showed me most of Limoges. I found H&M, along with a whole mall of other stores in Saint Marsiel, and I found le Galeries Lafayette, a huge department store that is very expensive. Saint Marsiel has a C&A, H&M, pimkel, and some other stores that looked very cute. If I can find my way back there, I am for sure going shopping! I also went into the Monoprix, which is another Wal-mart store similar to Carrefour, but it is more expensive. I saw some cheap wine that looked really good that I will have to try out sometime. I also found the movie theatre, opera house, and a chocolate shop that looked like it was to die for! Eventually my new friend, Xasin, who I found out was 23, from Limoges, speaks Spanish and French, and is a painter, had to leave me. He gave me his phone number and told me to call him for coffee sometime or if I had any questions. He was very nice and I wouldn’t mind to have a friend, but at the same time all I could think about was my sister’s voice saying “sex trafficking” or my mom saying “do NOT trust anyone!” I was smart though and said that I did not have a phone yet so that I couldn’t give him my number, although it was right inside my jacket pocket. After he left, I went into fnac and decided to get a TV show series that I know well to watch in French with English subtitles to help my listening skills. My professor from last semester recommended this strategy and I figured now is as good a time as any to try it out. Naturally, I bought Jonas and Hannah Montana to try this method out! I also bought “le petit prince” which is a classic French novel that is about a little boy who lives in his “own” world. I’ve never read the whole thing, but we read an expert in one of my classes back at OU so I thought it would be encouraging to me to read something I actually understood. I thought it would be best to take the bus back about 6:00 even though I think it stops at 8. I decided I wanted a warm dinner instead of a sandwich so I went the this place that Sami recommended called “La Bibliotheque” but apparently they weren’t serving food yet or else I just didn’t get the menu so I enjoyed a Coke Zero and the toilets and was on my way.
I passed a Quick, the Dutch version of McDonald’s and chose to try that out for dinner. Cheap, fast, and easy. Plus, how hard can it be to mess up a hamburger and pomme de frites? That is exactly what I got, sat down in the corner facing the window so I could people watch, and I enjoyed some warm food that felt like home. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t the best food in the world either. I’d eat there again. They also have free Wi-Fi so I may have to go try that out soon while I am still waiting to get internet here! Apparently I need to fill out this paper that will allow me to get internet, but only after all my housing paperwork is completed, which I need insurance to get. Back to my excursion, I finished dinner and waited for the bus, Ligne 5, to take me back. After waiting about 10 minutes at the WRONG station, I was told, after I asked the conductor, that Ligne 5 to Roussillon is across the street. I went there and waited about fifteen minutes for the bus to finally come and prayed it was the right one. It was, and after many stops and recognizing some places I had passed, I thanked God when I saw the Carrefour market and the strip of stores that marks my bus stop! Even though I was only out for about four hours, I am exhausted! Maybe because I was afraid of getting lost and taking it all in, but I was so happy when I made it back to my room. I plan on watching an episode of Jonas tonight, showering, and going to bed. I may go back into town tomorrow and explore some more, or I may just hang around here. Who knows!
Jan
10
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Day Three
Today has been much better. I had my exam this afternoon that will determine which level I will be placed into for my classes. It went well, but it definitely showed my strengths and weaknesses, which I already had a basic idea of so that was good. It started out easy and then got harder as you went on. I will find out Monday at 10am (when we start classes) what I will be in. Kristen, the other OU student, was also there and it was nice to finally catch up with her. Her boyfriend is studying in Germany but is still on break so he is here with her this first week. We met a lady named Heather who is American, and is teaching English to French kids in a town about 30 miles North of Limoges. She gave lots of good advice and offered to show us around town so I am sure we will take her up on that. After talking with them a while we met three people from South Africa! They were so very nice! One girl named Lilianah (I think?) and two boys named Jacque (or Jack). Both of the boys play rugby for UniLim and I am in love with Jack, the one who is taller. He has been here for two years and speaks French really well. He is tall, big like muscles, and has brown hair. I have found my first French love! Just kidding. The girl was very nice and very excited to hear people who speak English. I’ll see her again Monday and she already wants to get coffee and stuff. I think they might be my new friends! When I returned to my room I found that my light (the one and only decent one) was out, and that I needed to go speak with the director of housing ASAP. I turned in a notice for my light and then I did just as my note said. It was to fill out all my forms (which I already had done) and to pay my rent. I did it, all in French, even though there were some struggles. The woman was very patient and nice with me, and I got 99% of the business part done. I have to get insurance for the room, which you do downtown and Sami said he would take me and Kristen to do that. I then made a trip to Carrefour (yes, again) with Kristen and her boyfriend, Nick, and as we were walking out we ran into Sami who offered to drive us. After two meals without plates or napkins, I decided I should probably get some so I did. I also got the brilliant idea for future meals of spaghetti and mac and cheese from Kristen. I just will need to buy a pot and bowl and I should be good! I can even grill chicken I guess on the stove-thing with a skillet so I will have to do that. I called my sister and talked to her where she just laughed at all my misfortunes. She even encouraged me to go explore and get lost because that is all part of it. I think tomorrow I may get up and go into the centre ville (city center) and walk around, eat at a restaurant or bar, maybe see a movie, and just be out and about. I figure once classes start I won’t have that much time to do that anyway, so I better do it now! It was rainy and colder this evening so tonight was out of the question for me to do it. I did not want to be lost (if that happens) and in the rain! Plus, I want to take the bus and that runs only during the day mostly. Another day down and it was MUCH better than the past two have been. I found out I have to have a form to get internet in my room, so I am going to fill that out and get me a sandwich for dinner!
Jan
10
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Day 2
I am home, and everything is beginning to feel a lot more like it! I arrived last night, and Guy, the man who I have been in touch with since acceptance, picked me up at the airport. Limoges countryside is beautiful. Although it was dark, I could see most of it. It looks like a quaint little city, simple and pretty. About 15 minutes later we pulled up to my dorm and it was definitely just like the pictures…on the outside. After getting my keys, dropping off my luggage, and going over my paperwork, Guy took me by where the FLE (French langage étranger) classes will be held, the library, some of the eateries, and then let me off! I walked back to my dorms and noticed a huuuuge puddle of water on my floor, like from the air/heat almost to the head of my bed, which in my room is pretty big. I went to the front desk and it was no help. First, it was all in French and second, it was about 100 miles an hour. Yes, I just said that it was fast, and we all know how I talk. Basically all I understood was that a “note” was made and it will be taken care of tomorrow. Tomorrow it was, bright and early at 8:30. It got fixed and I went back to sleep…until 12:30! Not my plan at all, but oh well! I’ll blame it on jetlag. After I got up I went to talk to the International Relations woman to find out where my test is, and to make sure she knew I was here. It made me very upset when I did this because I felt totally incompetent. It is really hard and I guess I didn’t expect that. She brought in another woman who spoke some English so that helped, but after I left I wanted to cry. I realized that the amount of French I know is seemingly none. It’s normal, I know, but I feel like I know nothing! I can say “bonjour, je voudrais, merci, bon soir, de l’eau « and I guess that gets me what I need! It is just really different not understanding hardly anything, and I didn’t get that part of France when I first visited. I will get better, but these first couple weeks will be very hard. So after I got back from the office, I decided to go explore a tiny bit of Limoges, and go to the Carrefour market. It is basically a French Wal-Mart but smaller. Since I had nothing to do all day, I took my time and went down all the aisles and looked at everything. I do not have a refrigerator in my room and there isn’t one, as well as a microwave, anywhere. Due to that, I need to eat non-refrigerated things until the café is open and I can eat there. I bought some bananas, fruit cocktail, pain au chocolat (basically a croissant with chocolate in the middle….soooooo good!) cereal for breakfast, and kinder bueno bars (the BEST candy bars ever made. I will eat one every single day I am sure, and bring back tons of boxes) and then I needed some girly essentials: hair dryer, flat iron, hangers. I also needed to get a blanket for my bed. The room gets really cold at night and in the mornings, and what I brought doesn’t quite suffice. I bought this thing that looked like a small comforter, so I assumed it was a blanket. Remember this part for future reference. When I got back from visiting Carrefour (my new fav place!) I began to unpack all my stuff. I won’t lie; the room looks a lot better and feels SO much better with everything up and not boring. I do still need pictures or something on my walls. As I was unpacking, a knock came at my door. I opened it and saw a short little guy with glasses and a scruffy beard who introduced himself as Sami, the guy in charge of all the international students and he wanted to see if I needed any help. Boy, did I ever! He spoke English and I wanted to hug him because I could actually talk and get the answers I needed! I asked him about some housing papers that I didn’t quite understand and then we chit-chatted about when I got here and small talk. I mentioned needing to get a French phone and he offered to take me into town to get one. So, against my mother’s wishes I am sure, I said yes and we got into his car and went downtown Limoges, about a ten-ish minute drive. We walked through Central Limoges and he pointed out stores and things I would probably need to know: fnac (bookstore, music, movies) Quick (the Dutch version of McDonald’s which is “sh*t” according to Sami) salons, theatre, and other things. There are a TON of clothing and accessory stores that are just waiting for me to bombard. I have planned now to go explore there Thursday or Friday. I got my phone for 25 euro, and I pay like credits or something when I run out. I have no idea honestly. It has an alarm though and that is good! We visited a small bakery and then headed back to the dorms. I thanked Sami and hoped he meant it when he said “let me know if you need anything else” because he is my new best friend. I finished unpacking and unloading from my trip to Carrefour when I one) ran out of hangers and two) bought an entire sheet set instead of a blanket. Joy. I decided when I was done I would take it back (or try to) and get dinner and some other things I decided I needed from Carrefour. Just across the street from Carrefour is a pharmacy, tobacco shop, post office, bank, bakery, and some other small shops. It’s about a 5-7 minute walk from the dorms so not bad at all. I went into the bakery to get dinner in case they closed first, and wanted anything BUT a sandwich, my meal for the past two days. I decided on a pizza! I got a square piece and put it in my bag. I went to Carrefour and was able to return my sheets (yay, I can say “I bought this today and it is not right for me”) and I bought a blanket (or so I think…it is still on the floor right now!) I walked back, unloaded and finished making my room homey, and decided it was time to eat. I pulled out my pizza and noticed a lemon, which I took off and then I saw raw bacon, but it turned out to be fish! I am still not sure if it was salmon and tuna, or just salmon on all my pizza but we all know how I do not do fish, except for shrimp. I tried to eat it and tell myself “mmm chicken” but it didn’t work. I ended up pulling off half of it and just eating the lower bread part, but I also had some fruit cocktail and I got the fishy taste out of my mouth with a pain au chocolat! It is very cold here. During the day it isn’t too bad (still very cold though) and at night it gets worse. I have noticed everyone smokes. That doesn’t quite bother me, but it is just weird to me. The market sells wine and liquor. I guess that is just an Oklahoma thing where we don’t sell that stuff at the supermarket because Kristen told me you can buy it in Louisiana. Also, American music is VERY big here, more so than French music. Sami told me that the lyrics could be complete crap, but if the beat is good, the people will love it! I have heard Lady Antebellum, Madonna, Taio Cruz, Britney Spears, Rhianna, Pink, just about all the popular music in the US. Walking here, even by yourself, is very safe. I have asked many people, Guy included, who all say it, and really it is the only way to get around. I will get a bus pass that can take me to the center city though. My dorm is situated in the corner room off of the courtyard. There is one entrance and then it separates into two buildings. I am in building B! My room is on the corner, first one as I walk in. All the rooms are around the bathroom, showers, and mini-kitchen. Maybe it is because of this, but the outside smells like urine or cooking pasta. I cannot decide which it is so maybe it is both! The kitchen has a sink and two warmers for cooking, but I think like ramen type meals. The bathrooms are on the right (from my room) and the showers to the left. There are two in each. The bathrooms are fine and I have visited many times, but the shower will be my experience for tonight. The laundry is off to the side and is 2 euro 50, and it only takes 1, 2, and 50 euro pieces. I found that out today after I went to wash the towels that mopped up the water, poured in the detergent, and then realized I didn’t have a 50 euro piece. So, back into a bag it went and now my room smells like detergent. Better than urine/cooking pasta I guess! Here are some pictures of my room, completed, of course, so it looks a lot more like home!
The Sink, and the other side of my closet, which I keep shampoo, laundry detergent, make-up, and other things in. My bed and one side of my closet. My closet, which is perfect for the amount of clothes I brought. It is about two feet wide, and I have my socks above it on a shelf.
My bed and one side of my closet.
My closet, which is perfect for the amount of clothes I brought. It is about two feet wide, and I have my socks above it on a shelf.
Jan
8
And so it begins! Here I am, sitting in the Orly airport, hungry and needing to use the restroom. It’s 11:00 am here and I cannot check my bags until 2:25 because that is two hours prior to my flight to Limoges. I need to use the restroom and I am staring at these sandwiches that look so good (probably because I am really hungry) but I am afraid to walk the five steps there for fear of having all my luggage stolen. Yeah, right… No person in their right mind would take all 120 pounds (roughly, although it is probably more) away. I already plan on shipping half my stuff home before I leave. There are silver carts everywhere so those are a major, major help!
About my flight…I left Tulsa where my mom began to cry (which I expected) and I tried not to be sad, but then my cold-hearted sister even cried so that got me a bit going. Jason, of course being the man that he is, didn’t shed a tear. I went on through security and was on my way. My flight to Houston was in a teeny tiny plane. If you were over 5’10″, you would have been in trouble. The poor guy in front of me was crouching the entire time. I was in a seat by myself (they had one seat to the left and two to the right of the aisle) so I passed right out. That flight was quick! Then, just as my luck would have it, my terminal for my flight to Paris was at the other end of the Houston airport. Someone said the farthest gate was E1, and I was E2. Whoo hoo! I hopped on the “Terminalink” which took me to gate E, then I had to proceed forever and five days to find my gate. I enjoyed my last bit of American life with some football that was on TV and Wal-Mart trail mix! Yummy! We boarded our plane for Houston and I had seat 39A, so I was a window and there was one person next to me. It took forever for him to get on so for awhile there I thought I was going to be sitting alone. Never fear, a 15 year-old boy from Seattle who is a professional dancer in Paris at some school that has been around forever sat on down. At first I thought it was going to the most awkward flight because I didn’t know how to start conversation because I wasn’t sure if he spoke English or French, and I was by no means ready to initiate a conversation in French! Luckily he was American and we talked about what each of us was doing there and the like. It turns out he has been dancing since he was eight, starting going to schools in D.C. at 11, and then is in his first year at this school in Paris. His brother is a professional dancer in Germany and he hopes to become one, too, eventually. He told me all about the good and bad of French life; food portions, expensive and cheap cheeses, places to go, French verb conjugation books, and even how much a pair of Levi Jeans costs….90-120 euro! Can you believe that? We can get Levi’s for like $30, and they are $100+ over here! I am so taking a picture of that price tag when I see it! Sadly, I never got his name, so I will just call him “dancer boy”. I watched the first half of the movie “Easy A” prior to dinner and then I enjoyed my “fabulous” meal of chicken, rice and green beans, Caesar salad, and hard-as-a-rock bread that I didn’t eat, but randomly good Milano cookies! There was about five and a half hours left of my flight so I decided it would be perfect to go to sleep. Naturally, I couldn’t. I slept for about forty minutes, and then woke right up. I had this terrible headache but of course, I packed my Excedrin in my checked baggage. Note to self: Pack melatonin and Excedrin in your backpack so you can go without a headache and SLEEP! I decided to finish the second half of “Easy A” and then attempt to fall asleep to Continental Airlines “Kids Hits” which played a Jonas Brothers song every other song. It was right up my alley J I fell in and out of sleep for the next couple hours, but I for sure woke right up with an hour and five minutes left of the flight. I really needed to use the restroom but my dancer boy next to me was fast asleep, and I didn’t quite know how to be polite and wake him, so I waited, hoping he would wake up, and of course he never did…until the plane landed. Joy. I got off and then headed to find my way out of Charles de Gaulle airport, calling my mommy, getting my luggage, and praying to find the bus to Orly. I did it all! Yay! I only missed one piece of my luggage once before I realized the luggage moving thing went on for another block before coming back around. Oh well, no rush for me. I then headed to the bus, gate 18, bus number 3 for 19 euros that took me to Orly….after making six other stops picking up other people for the same place. After thirty minutes of doing that, I was in fear of getting in a car-bus wreck because the peeps here drive crazy! It was nuts. The lanes are small and people just cut in and out and then randomly break. For a minute there I thought my mom was driving in front of me…Just kidding. After about forty minutes I realized I needed to use the restroom but sadly there was none. My small bladder does not do well on this trip. Note to self: Get the medicine for over-active bladder for the next trip. 😉 I waited patiently for the bus to arrive at Orly-Sud, while checking out the buildings of North Paris and telling myself I needed to visit Disneyland Paris. Sounds like fun, huh? I made it off and then couldn’t find a silver buggy so I only dropped my luggage and looked like a total American for a total of ten minutes. No big deal, who do I know here anyway?
So that leads me to where I am now: sitting at Columbus Café, in front of gate C, eyeing the signs for the restrooms and watching my clock slowly tick on to 2:25. This is so different and I honestly cannot believe I am really doing this. I don’t think I know what I am in for. Seriously. It’s not that I am scared; it’s just that I am so out of my element right now, and feel that I am so inadequate with my French. It’s like my entire mind went blank and the only thing I can say is “merci”. I guess that’s good enough. I know it is going to take time to adjust and I know I will love it, but I think it just hit me that I am here alone. When I was waiting for my baggage, there was no one to talk to, and it hit me that it was my first time doing this and I told myself I was crazy! I know I will be fine, but the stress of trying to get it all right quickly and making sure I make my flights made me doubt myself. I can do this, I will do this, and I will love it. Once I am well rested, in Limoges, and not with all my freaking luggage, I will be perfect. Like my Aunt Sherre told me, the world is at my fingertips, and I am ready to grab it with both my hands.
The card from my Aunt Sherre that gives me motivation each day to live this experience to the fullest.
After being settled in, and finally getting internet, I uploaded one big blog site. I like to call it a “Collection of the past four days!”
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