la vie française....

French Wishlist

2008-03-29T11:53:28Z

This weekend I have decided to make American-style pancakes for all my friends. I've been wanting to for a long time, but I had to wait til my mom gave me some Baking Powder... it just doesn't exist here. Neither does buttermilk (after type "Buttermilk in France" I realised a lot of americans have given up looking and have instead added vinegar to milk... I will try using creme fraiche.)

So I have decided to make a "wish this country had this" list. Things I love but must live without this year:

1. Sandwiches to go… they do make lots “à emporter” but nobody seems to actually eat them on the go.
2. Pepperoni Pizza! (They’re not even at Pizza Hut here)
3. Fresh Skim Milk
4. Pumpkin Pie
5. Goldfish crakers
6. Shrimp that don't come with the legs and heads.
7. Crispy Bacon
8. Buttermilk
9. Baking Powder
10. Sour Cream (especially for our Mexican food nights, which are VERY exotic here… most Europeans have never heard of a burrito.)
11. And most importantly… customer service. Not a part of the French vocabulary.

Hmmm… why does my entire list concern the supermarket? Speaking of which... here are some picture of my favorite grocery store: AUCHAN! I have spent too many hours here... I took these pics back in October, can't believe it's taken me this long to post them.

every week there is a different "theme" at the entrance... one of my first weeks it was CHOCOLATE

more chocolate.. other themes have included chinese food, easter, wine, different regions of france, electronics, comic books, etc.

don't forget to weigh your own fruit! otherwise you have to run back to the fruit section when everone is waiting for you at the checkout counter.

sticker

only in france would you find so many baguettes!

hmmm... what kind of horse meat will we eat tonight?

an entire isle for different types of "jambon" (ham)

wine is easily accessible, right in the grocery store (unlike alberta)

do not accidentally buy "viande POUR animaux" (meat for animals) which is right next to all the meat for humans.

an isle and a half for yogurt!

i've learned to love yogurt after a meal.. so refreshing!

Eggs aren't refrigerated, milk isn't refrigerated... There are plain-clothes supermarket workers acting as normal customers, then when they see you looking at a product, they start pushing it and trying to sell it! Crazy french people yell at passerbys about how great their products are (like in a real market.) Grocery shopping is quite the experience.

Back to work...

2008-03-02T13:00:27Z

I just got back on wednesday from two weeks in lovely Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where my parents just recently bought a condo. My mom, my dad, my sister, my grandmother and my uncle were all there, and we visited lots of things, did boat tours, ate lots of seafood and took in lots of sun.

Now I am back in Tours already, and have been extremely busy trying to organize my time. I have millions of little administration-type things to do, I have to try and not only catch up, but get ahead (my boyfriend is coming to visit in April and I want to get all my work done before he comes) but I am also being very "active" culturally: I visited the "musee de compagnonage" and saw lots of artisan masterpieces, I went on a walking tour of Tours, I am going to see a French movie tomorrow and a play later in the week, and last night my floor ordered Chinese for a big feast.
I feel like the amount of e-mails I have to send out never gets smaller, and I keep getting mail from different people who are missing "documents" from my "portfolio" and need a picture, a letter, proof of residence, etc. etc! By the time I work it all out I will be back in Canada!!!

Anyway, I am having a blast, still learning lots about Tours and France, and now I have to go write an essay! A plus!

epiphanie, chandeleur et carnaval

2008-02-10T13:06:57Z

The french seem to have a lot of holidays lately that don't involve much more than eating. Since Christmas, there has been Epiphany, where we eat a "galette des rois" (king cake) that has a bean in one of the slices. The youngest person has to sit under the table and as someone cuts up the cake, the youngest designates who gets which slice. Whoever gets the bean in their slices becomes king (or queen) and has to choose another to be their queen (or king.) We've done it three time already in residence, and today at the market the man we bought pattisseries from gave us a free big galette when we bought a small one.
Then there is chandeleur, where you make crepes. None of the french people seem to know what it's really about besides eating crepes.
And of course Mardi Gras. Because I'm on the residence council, I helped organize a party friday night, and it was lots of fun! I was worried not many people would show up because 1) we didn't advertise it very well and 2) it's on a weekend, and the vast majority of french people go home to their parent's house on the weekend. But it turned out to be great, we played music that some people danced to, lots of people got dressed up (I found a cheap mask the day of at 40 cents) and we played board games til 4 in the morning.

Yesterday I went to visit Blois, a town not too far away that has a gorgeous castle. At the last minute, Elisa, a friend of ours who lives near Blois, decided she could drop us off on the way there. It was an absolutely beautiful drive there! The weather has been fantastic this weekend, which was nice after a week of torrential rain. Blois was so pretty, we had a picnic lunch by the river and spent the afternoon visiting the castle.

Today I woke up early and Helen and I went down to the Sunday market, we bought roast chicken and fresh vegetables for tonight to have before the galettes.

I have a lot of homework to do now. The professors expect us to spend the vacations doing our work, but because I am going to Florida to spend time with my family in our new condo, I need to work ahead and get it all done beforehand!

End of Strike and Christmas Shopping

2007-12-19T14:04:50Z

I apologize for the lack of entries recently... Classes finally resumed (well some of them did.) The strike happened on the 9th of November, but since I was in Marseilles for reading week, the last class I went to was on October 31st. Then the week of December 10th I had 2 classes, and then the semester ended. (Yes only two classes... in the other classes, my profs didn't show up!)
Now it is hitting hard, as I have to write numerous end-term papers [which each count for either 50% or 100% of my grade] and I DID have exams to study for. To add to the stress of exam week, they decided to push the exam dates back due to the strike. Then they pushed them back again. I e-mailed my prof to make sure the exam dates were set, and he replied that they were. Then when I went to class he announced that they had changed again, but not before I had already booked my flight back home to Calgary for Christmas. So basically I will be in Canada during the new and improved exam week. To get my grade, I will now have to pass my exams in May instead. Boy am I looking forward to that...
But it's okay, because I am going home for the holidays! It will be nice to see family and friends again and to be back in a familiar place. I have already packed my bag (25 kilos of presents!) and am enjoying things like window shopping for gifts, hot spiced wine at the christmas market, chocolate log for dessert, stuffed turkey at the university restaurant... it is very festive over here! Although since I am leaving from Tours in two days, I need to go finish my last essay...
I will try and post pictures of my Parisian adventures and everything else! I hope I find the time!

Barcelona Part 1

2007-11-29T11:35:40Z

Jacinthe and I had an amazing time in Barcelona!
I spent my frist day and a half alone, I visited the Boqueria market, the museum of contemporary art and the gothic quarter. Jacinthe and I went to the Monserat Monastery and saw most of Antonio Gaudi's work through the city...

My pictures are kind of messed up, but here is most of them... I will post the rest in another post!

I need to go back to Barcelona in 45 years when they (hopefully) finish the Sagrada Familia Temple and do things I didn't get to do (Montluic, see inside the Casa Bastilla, etc.)

before i got my hair cut in charles de gaulle

after haircut

a cathedral in the gothic quarter

dining area in my hostel

main entrance of the hostel

in the streets fo barcelona

pretty building with palm trees

fresh greens at the saint joseph market aka "la boqueria"

fruit cup! they were selling these all over the market

vegetable? seafood? i'm not quite sure...

chili peppers

huge mangoes

pitahayas! i had to have one. it tastes kinda like kiwi!

yummy

pig feet.

beautiful mountains of fruit

la boqueria

typical menu at a restaurant

at the museum of contemporary art... STRANGE

jacinthe and a camel

jacinthe taking a bite out of a fallafel pita! mmmm

on the beach at night

on a lion by christophe colombus statue

tarantos, where we went to see a flamenco show!

at tarantos

jacinthe and i!

flamenco dance

turned out there was only a guy and no girl... that's what we get for 3 euros!

returned to the boqueria at night... fresh fruit smoothies went on sale for 2 for one euro!

we bought a couple.....

catalan chocolate oranges

seafood so fresh it was still moving around

exotic fruit! lychees, starfruit, etc etc etc.

dried goods

pigs...

big pig head! eeeew

candied fruit

lots of candied fruit

jacinthe trying candied fruit and not liking it.

we took an hour and a half train ride to see the monserat monestary on friday.

monestary

more

jacinthe and i at the top

god shining down on a cross.

the view

in the chapel with the black madonna

the cable car we took to the top!

in the cable car

jacinthe in the cable car

arriving back down

on our way up half a dozen escalators to get to park guell

jacinthe at park guell

anotnio gaudi's bench at park guell

street performers blowing bubbles for the children

this parrot was signing away!

park guell

casa di gaudi

more of gaudi's work

again

again

jacinthe and the famous lizard!

lizard

under the benches...

we went to the pablo picasso museum... would you believe me if i told you this was one of his works?

everything in barcelona was first written in catalan, the dominant language in the region, then translated into spanish.

sagrada familia temple

Residence Floor

2007-10-27T13:06:57Z

The British girls and I have been basically speaking to each other only in English, and sometimes I get really afraid that we are alienating ourselves from the rest of the people on our floor. I really do make an effort to try and chat them up in French! Most of them are actually studying English at the university, and they are finally starting to open up to us. Last night we all stayed in the kitchen til 11pm, then moved to my room and played UNO til 2am, it was lots of fun. Most French students go home to their parents' house every single weekend, so those of us that can't or don't decided to have a pizza party tonight! We are going to try and make a tradition out of it.

I am also going to meet my mother at the train station tonight, I hope she knows I am coming!!!

one day walking along in tours, france.

2007-10-25T10:42:56Z

there is a flower/clothes market every wednesday downtown, which i decided to stroll through yesterday.
it looks like the pictures are small, finally.... except now they seem too small :(
you can click on them, they will open a new page with a bigger version of the picture.

view from the pedestrian bridge

le chateau de tours

cathedral i walk by everyday...

the pig festival is coming up!

flowers for sale

roses

halloween in france!

transaction in the market

herbs

lots of garlic! mmmmm!

clothes market.

rainbow of scarves...

berets! lots of em!

after the market i passed by hardoin's, an expensive bakery with AMAZING treats!

the monster!

a french woman walking down an alley with a bouquet

rachel's wellington boots.

Busy week

2007-10-25T09:49:18Z

Monday Night there was a little "Pot D'Acceuil" at the town hall, some pople got dressed up expecting to meet the mayor... I think they got the French words for town hall "Mairie" and mayor "Maire" mixed up though, because he wasn't there, and it was a little disorganized (like most of the little pot d'acceuils we have been to.) But we have now all been here for well over a month, so I don't think there will be as many. We went to a chinese restaurant afterwards and had fun there. We tried frog's legs!!! They really do taste like chicken!
When I went to the bank machine to get some money out, I discovered that I had completly forgotten my password. Instead of spitting my card out, the machine asked me to try again... I didn't know there was a maximum of three times. The ATM "captured" my card!! It was humourous. I have backup plans so I'm fine, and my bank should be sending me a new one within a week.

Tuesday Night Helen, Rachel and I went to see a play. It was AMAZING! The actors were really talented, and it was really inspiring. It was called "Je suis Allain..." Going to the theatre always makes me realize how much I love live theatre. We ended up buying these "Cultural Passports" that are only 6 euro and will get us into a lot of plays for free or discounted.

There is also a new "Franglais Club", where French students studying English have asked to meet some of us anglophones to chat in either language, and every week we switch language... it's lots of fun. I am desperate to meet more francophones.. One girl, Charlene, may be going on exchange to Calgary next year!

jessicainfrance @ 2007-10-21T01:52:00

2007-10-20T23:58:52Z

I finally had a productive day today and got a lot of things crossed off of my to do list (writing e-mails and letters, completely cleaned my room, etc.) I made myself dinner: pan-seared salmon with forked-mashed potatoes and mixed green salad. Who says you need an oven to eat well? All you need is a little imagination... We went to an irish pub to watch the rugby match. The square was deserted (as opposed to when France was still playing) but the pub itself was packed and everyone was standing around the TV. Thankfully we only got there halfway through the game so we didn't stand very long... we just had some nutella crepes and had fun taking the night bus home. I am still meeting new people everyday, the French students on my floor are finally starting to socialize a bit more, and I feel more comfortable now because of it!
Thursday night we had some people come visit us in our residence (I live in Saint Symphorien, which is a 20 minute walk away from downtown. Most of the British Exchange students live in the hostel which is only 2 mins away from downtown.) So for once we were the hosts, and we had a wonderful burrito and chocolate fondue night!

No big plans for tomorrow, just going to be a homework day. My mom and my grandmother are coming into Tours next Saturday, I can't wait to show them around. Then we are going back down to the south of France. I also have plans to go to Strasbourg and Barcelona in November, hurray!

Julie's Housewarming Party

2007-10-12T11:38:02Z

Last night I went out to my friend Julie's place. I met her in Calgary when she did the same exchange I am doing, but reversed. It was really nice, a good opportunity to speak a lot of French. I think I need to create more opportunities like it. We went out to a nightclub afterwards, and I didn't get home til about 5am. There isn't really a "last call for alcohol" here. Thankfully the Designated Driver drove us home, it would have been a 2 hour walk otherwise...

Although it seems generally hard to make French friends, a couple people in our building have been really nice to us. Elisa lives on our floor and has helped us do things like go grocery shopping or go down to the internet company to ask serious questions. She even downloaded a lot of music for me, both in French and English! Most people go home for the weekend, so weekends are really quiet in Residence, but we keep ourselves busy! Marine is another really sweet French girl, we make dinner with her sometimes or watch "Friends" in French!

Tonight I am going to a hockey game... I don't think it'll be quite the same as a Flames Game, but I think it'll be fun either way!

Pictures of Paris! Beware slow computers...

2007-10-09T07:58:47Z

My highly anticipated photos..

September 21st-23rd, my weekend with Olivier, Andrew and Pamela

the first thing i see when i get to paris.

olivier walking down his street in paris

typical stairs in a paris apartment (olivier's sister's apartment.)

paris

olivier at the chinese restaurant

me eating chinese! mmm it was so good

notre dame cathedral

me at the notre dame!

from the top of the notre dame

point of view of a gargoyle

cloudy eiffel tower

inside the notre dame

inside the notre dame

side of the notre dame

eiffel tower during the day

andrew, pamela and i

we are sad because pam lost her ring and we couldn't find it....

andy and a sparkling eiffel tower

taking pics with la tour in the background is harder than it looks!

sparkly

eiffel tower at night

eiffel tower from the second floor.

andy, pam and me in the elevator going up the eiffel tower!

these bracelets cost us..... THIRTY euro!!!

pam and i at the upside pyramid at the louvre

yay

palais du louvre from inside the pyramid

a rugby player made entirely out of chocolate

in the insanely long lineup to versailles (only took about 2 hours!)

welcome to the palace of versailles!

portrait of marie-antoinette

king louis' bedroom

famous hall of mirrors (it was a little bit busy..)

private tour

this clock still correctly displayed the day, date, month and year!

tour guide

in the palace

the joy of audioguides!

andy and pam... the paintings were BIG.

ceiling

many big paintings

napoleon kicking ass

AND la nuit blanche with 8 British people!

train station in Tours

on the train (rachel, matt, tom, josh and becky)

mmmm time for escargot!

matt giving a "menacing" look

josh giving a "manly menacing" look

becky giving snails a shot

proof that they really are edible

the crowds starting filling the streets immediately after france beat new zealand in the quarter finals

me taking a picture

this is the picture i took! rugby ball from the eiffel tower

group pic in front of a sparkling eiffel tower (sarah, madeleine, helen, matt, tom, rachel, becky, and josh kneeling in front)

centre pompidou

light show by the louvre

someone waving a canadian flag at the louvre!

someone displaying drunken debauchery in the fountain at the louvre...

strange fire display in the jardins des tuileries

champs elysees after the big win

rachel and i

group photo in front of the notre dame

back in trous for the sunrise

how pretty!

Classes so far; La Nuit Blanche in Paris

2007-10-06T09:45:39Z

So two weeks of classes down! I absolutely love my classes. Most of them are really hard to keep up. I understand everything except for the odd technical jargon, but trying to take down notes at the speed the teacher is speaking is difficult! luckily at least one of my profs has offered to send all the Erasmus (The name for European exchange students, I am called "Erasmus" the same way a canadian might just be called "American"... it just means exchange students here though.) Anyway, she offered to send all the Erasmus students her notes over e-mail, which will make the class that much more enjoyable. I love my option course Boire et Manger, I am learning all about Greek banquets, Greek ways of life based on their mythology, we even got some recipes to try at home.
I even love my French grammar class... I feel like i am learning so much in each class! I have already switched my timetable around, so I am going to be taking a new class (compared literature) on Monday.

Tonight my friends and I have spontaneously decided to go to Paris, there is the "Nuit Blanche" (all-nighter) Festival going on. Lots of places should be open from 7pm to 7am, with shuttle buses running as well. I participated in the Nuit Blanche in Montreal last year, and I loved it! Museums were open all night for free, and I had a great time. Unfortunately I can't find much information about Museums on the Nuit Blanche Paris website, but I'm sure everything will work itself out when we get there.

P.S. Internet seems to be working in my room! Only problem is it's not my WiFi box, it's my neighbor's.... And my phone isn't working. I just hope we get this all figured out soon!

First few days!

2007-09-14T12:03:15Z

My trip here went well... I sat at the very back of the plane. I met two girls that spoke NO French whatsoever and were both going to travel by themselves for a month/ a couple months. They are even braver than I am! although I wouldn't mind visiting many other European countries while I am here...

As soon as the train got to Tours, I was amazed at how beautiful all the buldings werre.... the streeets by my hostel were all made of cobblestone! and Was it ever busy! there were so many people walking around (keep in mind this is a city of about 150,000.) Drviers are crazy... and so are pedestrians. It's like New York City but worse!

Yesterday I moved into my new dorm room, and I love it. the 9m squared is all I need. Although I also need a towel... I am planing on getting a lot done today (shopping, bank account, internet connection.) Yesterday I realized how bad jet lag can get: I woke up suddenly at about 2am, couldn't get back to sleep til 5:30am, then slept til 2pm! And I was bragging about how easily I usually slept!
But everything happens for a reason: when I went to make breakfast at 2:15, I met a German girl, Katherine, in the kitchen. She took me to meet some British girls and we walked around downtown. She showed me more of the university and of the city, and it was really nice to get to know some other international students. I also met some French girls inthe TV room. I've already learned loads of new words... Now I need to make opportunities to use them!

The link below leads to a "cut" where you will be able to see some pictures I posted... I apologize for the huge size of the files... I still haven't figured out how to make them smaller, but I promise that I will!

my plane

the high-speed train

one of the many quaint streets in Tours

on my balcony in the hostel

fresh toasted croissant with ham and cheese! mmm!

sun setting on the loire

hahaha

a man and his dogs sitting along the river

my friend katherine from Germany

walking along the river

me!

le chateau!

my dorm room

mini fridge

bed

shower/sink/toilet all-in-one!! haha

the view from my window.... not too bad!

thanks for reading... don't be afraid to comment of to e-mail me!

Quick Post from an Internet Cafe

2007-09-11T17:32:10Z

I will keep this short since the keyboard is half backward and I cannot figure out the punctuation

And also I keep getting dizzy spells
I havent slept since I left Calgary
It was a very smooth flight
I have no shampoo
My calling card isnt working so I just bought a different one to contact my mother with!
Expect a proper post about my journey, complete with pictures

And oh yeah, WOW! Tours is wonderful!

Ready to Go

2007-09-07T04:43:05Z

Well, I'm all packed and ready to go. I have my visa and any other important documents I need. I have a room booked in a hostel for my first night in Tours. I know what to do when I get there (which trains to take, where to set up a bank account, where city hall is, etc.) There is a LOT to do... it's gonna be nonstop for a while when I get there.

I'm nervous about leaving my family, friends and boyfriend behind and going out into the big, wide world alone. I still live at home, so this is a really big leap. But I am very excited to live in residence (I've always wanted to) and can't wait to meet lots of new people. It's gonna be one crazy year :)

First Post! Still Preparing...

2007-06-27T19:20:17Z

Well, this is my first post in my online journal.
I will be leaving in just over 2 months (although I haven't bought the plane ticket yet!) for Tours, France. I will be attending the Universite Francois-Rabelais for the entire school year. I have high hopes to travel around Europe... Italy, Greece, Germany, England, etc. etc. Maybe even Northern Africa, if money and time permit. And of course around France itself!

This weekend I met with the Friends of E. Catherine Barclay, those who awarded me the bursary to go study in France. It was a lot of fun, I really appreciated meeting with them and chatting about memories and anecdotes! Nada was there too, I haven't seen her in a few years...

So now I am still trying to figure out dates and such... so that I can get a plane ticket and then go get a Visa... I may have to go back to Vancouver to do that. I have a meeting with M. Mocquais on the 4th to discuss a bit about classes in France.

I look forward to relating all my adventures on here, as well as sharing some of the many pictures I will take!

Thanks for reading...