- home, a word which currently makes me very happy.
Thankfully, my second flight plan went without a hitch. I stayed in the hotel near Bordeaux for two nights, where they fed me dinner and breakfast and I was able to meet other travelers whose plans were also disrupted by the snow in London and Paris. We were able to swap intended travel plans, and I was able to meet a lot of interesting people, including a Hungarian guy who barely spoke any English and a large group of South African choir boys and their chaperones. Sharing a dinner table with the chaperones was particularly amusing because they kept confiscating the bottles of wine from the boys' tables and passing them around at our table.
The flights themselves went smoothly, if a little late due to having to get ice off the wings. It was a pleasant surprise to find that I'd been upgraded to business class for both of them, which had never happened to me before. And let me say this; business class is nice. There's tons of leg room, your seats tilt back really far, and the food is of better quality. And I got to try Dutch wine for the first time, and I found I liked it. People in Bordeaux never drink white wine, so having some was a nice change.
But the important part is that I made it home, and am now sitting on my own couch, in view of my own piano and Christmas tree, my laptop plugged in sans converter. Being home is a wonderful feeling, especially after having to wait for it for an extra day. I got to hug (not bisou!) my family immediately at the airport, and I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends. California, I love you.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Annuler
- to cancel, because it decided to snow in London today...
... thus my flight was annulé. I wish I could say it was exciting, I really do. You know, to have an impromptu adventure in France on my unexpected day off. But it really wasn't an adventure. All it was was waiting on the plane for hours, waiting off the plane for hours, then waiting in line for what seemed like hours while the airline people tried to sort everyone out. The guy in front of me in line was pretty mad about the delay, but I was just sad, because I'd really been looking forward to seeing my family. But I've waited 4 months, so I suppose I can wait one more day.
And you know, every cloud has it's silver lining. All of my meals are getting covered by the airline, and my hotel room is pretty nice. And if I go with my current itinerary, I'll be able to claim that I've been to Amsterdam, even if I won't have enough time to explore it. And my passport now has two crossed-out stamps in it, which is a story in itself. I've always wanted a cool passport; now I'm closer to having one.
Oh, and during the long wait, I saw this arcade game that amused me:
... thus my flight was annulé. I wish I could say it was exciting, I really do. You know, to have an impromptu adventure in France on my unexpected day off. But it really wasn't an adventure. All it was was waiting on the plane for hours, waiting off the plane for hours, then waiting in line for what seemed like hours while the airline people tried to sort everyone out. The guy in front of me in line was pretty mad about the delay, but I was just sad, because I'd really been looking forward to seeing my family. But I've waited 4 months, so I suppose I can wait one more day.
And you know, every cloud has it's silver lining. All of my meals are getting covered by the airline, and my hotel room is pretty nice. And if I go with my current itinerary, I'll be able to claim that I've been to Amsterdam, even if I won't have enough time to explore it. And my passport now has two crossed-out stamps in it, which is a story in itself. I've always wanted a cool passport; now I'm closer to having one.
Oh, and during the long wait, I saw this arcade game that amused me:
California Speed!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Fin
- end.
My last day in Bordeaux was spent:
1.) Eating at Entrecôte, a Bordelais restaurant known for having only one dish. This dish, steak with fries, is so good that people will wait in line to be seated for 2 hours.
2.) Checking out some Roman ruins that I never got around to seeing until today.
3.) Shopping on Rue St. Catherine.
4.) Packing and cleaning.
5.) Eating my last dinner with my host family.
6.) Preparing to wake up at a decent hour for my flight tomorrow.
My last day in Bordeaux was spent:
1.) Eating at Entrecôte, a Bordelais restaurant known for having only one dish. This dish, steak with fries, is so good that people will wait in line to be seated for 2 hours.
2.) Checking out some Roman ruins that I never got around to seeing until today.
3.) Shopping on Rue St. Catherine.
4.) Packing and cleaning.
5.) Eating my last dinner with my host family.
6.) Preparing to wake up at a decent hour for my flight tomorrow.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Liberté
- freedom, because my finals are OVER!
And to celebrate, as well as get in one last night out together before we went home, my friends and I went to the huge opera house in Bordeaux and saw a ballet: Romeo and Juliet. I've walked by the outside of the theatre before, but this was the first time I'd seen its interior outside of photos. It was traditional and classy; the lobby was wide and sweeping, and the audience seating area could have come out of a storybook. At least, it seemed picturesque until we realized that certain seats that our group was assigned couldn't even see the stage from their angle. But through a combination of standing, leaning, and kneeling, we all managed to see the ballet, which was as dreamy and graceful as I'd imagined. I realized only afterward that since ballets have no dialogue, I didn't get to use any of the French comprehension skills that I'd learned this semester. But even if I am leaving France soon, I am sure I will have the opportunity to use what I've learned during my lifetime.
And to celebrate, as well as get in one last night out together before we went home, my friends and I went to the huge opera house in Bordeaux and saw a ballet: Romeo and Juliet. I've walked by the outside of the theatre before, but this was the first time I'd seen its interior outside of photos. It was traditional and classy; the lobby was wide and sweeping, and the audience seating area could have come out of a storybook. At least, it seemed picturesque until we realized that certain seats that our group was assigned couldn't even see the stage from their angle. But through a combination of standing, leaning, and kneeling, we all managed to see the ballet, which was as dreamy and graceful as I'd imagined. I realized only afterward that since ballets have no dialogue, I didn't get to use any of the French comprehension skills that I'd learned this semester. But even if I am leaving France soon, I am sure I will have the opportunity to use what I've learned during my lifetime.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Cinq
- 5, because that's the number of full days I have left here.
5 things I'm going to miss when I leave:
1.) The cheese. Oh my goodness, the cheese.
2.) Being able to practice my French all the time.
3.) Professors who don't feel the need to assign homework.
4.) Restaurants that don't have a single spicy thing on the menu.
5.) Nutella.
5 things I always have in my purse (that I don't usually)
1.) Umbrella
2.) French/English Dictionary
3.) Camera
4.) Tiny Notepad (for new vocabulary words)
5.) Photocopy of Passport
5 things I learned about the French school system:
1.) Even though the grading scale is out of 20, no one will get anything higher than a 17. Ever.
2.) When French students take notes, they copy every word the professor says. With color coding.
3.) Some professors will scold you when you're late. Others will happily waltz in a half an hour after class should have started every week.
4.) If you actually want to hear the lecture, you need to sit in the first three rows.
5.) Deadlines don't really matter.
5 phrases I hear frequently:
1.) "Á table!" ("Come to the table!" AKA "We're in for some tasty eatin's now!")
2.) "Prochain arret: Barrière Judaique." ("Next stop: Barrière Judaique." I'm pretty good at imitating that voice now.)
3.) "Tu viens d'ou?" ("Where do you come from?" They all think I'm French... until I start talking.)
4.) "Elle n'aime pas le café, elle." ("She doesn't like coffee." This comes up like every other day; I don't know why.)
5.) "S'il vous plaît!" (Literally "Please!" but the French way of telling a class to quiet down.)
5 things I'm looking forward to when I get home:
1.) Chips and salsa. I don't know why that in particular, but I've had this craving all semester.
2.) Being able to walk to class.
3.) Knowing what's going on.
4.) Not thinking about the exchange rate every time I buy something.
5.) Seeing all the people I've missed.
5 things I'm going to miss when I leave:
1.) The cheese. Oh my goodness, the cheese.
2.) Being able to practice my French all the time.
3.) Professors who don't feel the need to assign homework.
4.) Restaurants that don't have a single spicy thing on the menu.
5.) Nutella.
5 things I always have in my purse (that I don't usually)
1.) Umbrella
2.) French/English Dictionary
3.) Camera
4.) Tiny Notepad (for new vocabulary words)
5.) Photocopy of Passport
5 things I learned about the French school system:
1.) Even though the grading scale is out of 20, no one will get anything higher than a 17. Ever.
2.) When French students take notes, they copy every word the professor says. With color coding.
3.) Some professors will scold you when you're late. Others will happily waltz in a half an hour after class should have started every week.
4.) If you actually want to hear the lecture, you need to sit in the first three rows.
5.) Deadlines don't really matter.
5 phrases I hear frequently:
1.) "Á table!" ("Come to the table!" AKA "We're in for some tasty eatin's now!")
2.) "Prochain arret: Barrière Judaique." ("Next stop: Barrière Judaique." I'm pretty good at imitating that voice now.)
3.) "Tu viens d'ou?" ("Where do you come from?" They all think I'm French... until I start talking.)
4.) "Elle n'aime pas le café, elle." ("She doesn't like coffee." This comes up like every other day; I don't know why.)
5.) "S'il vous plaît!" (Literally "Please!" but the French way of telling a class to quiet down.)
5 things I'm looking forward to when I get home:
1.) Chips and salsa. I don't know why that in particular, but I've had this craving all semester.
2.) Being able to walk to class.
3.) Knowing what's going on.
4.) Not thinking about the exchange rate every time I buy something.
5.) Seeing all the people I've missed.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Neige
- snow, because this is the closest to a white Christmas I've ever had.
I could list all the firsts I had today, such as first snow grocery shopping and first snow school day, but I'll just post the picture. :)
I could list all the firsts I had today, such as first snow grocery shopping and first snow school day, but I'll just post the picture. :)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Noël
- Christmas, because Bordeaux is decked out.
I don't think Californian cities have nearly this many decorations for Christmas. But on all of the major streets and intersections (and even some of the smaller ones) there are lights, stars, trees, and sometimes all of the above. It's incredible. And beautiful. And sometimes funny, because you can see when a person who put them up really didn't care about what it looked like.
My hands were super-cold when I took these, and it was night-time, so the quality isn't very good. I tried my best though!
I don't think Californian cities have nearly this many decorations for Christmas. But on all of the major streets and intersections (and even some of the smaller ones) there are lights, stars, trees, and sometimes all of the above. It's incredible. And beautiful. And sometimes funny, because you can see when a person who put them up really didn't care about what it looked like.
My hands were super-cold when I took these, and it was night-time, so the quality isn't very good. I tried my best though!
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