Boys speak in rhythm...

... and girls in code...


That song doesn't really apply totally, and only one person should understand the meaning...


Well, another day down, and a little more French learned. I do think I’m starting to get the hang of everything here, though it still stinks for everyone around me to be talking and I don’t understand much at all. But the longer I’m here, the more I realize you just have to be thrown into the fire to learn how to deal with it. I know that in the end I’ll be the better for it if I succeed.

One thing I haven’t been doing is exercise. I spend a lot of time in my room doing stuff, and I don’t hardly get out and do much. I played tennis Saturday, Sunday, and tonight, so that was good, but I think I’ll get up tomorrow, run 3 miles, and do a boatload of push-ups and abs stuff. I’m sure it will wear me out, but make me feel great!

Last night was really good! I was able to talk to a friend and discuss some big things that have been on my mind recently. It was nice to talk with a friend from home. Though I’ve done it a few times, this was extra good for the day!
The rest of this week will be pretty boring, so I don’t know if I’ll update or not. I’ll see what I have to talk about.

Nathan



----------------
Now playing: UC Band - Cheer Cincinnati
via FoxyTunes


^ Does that surprise anyone?

Rough week one... 8 to go...

Okay, I’m sorry that I haven’t written in a few days, because like has been hectic. And anyone who has talked to me knows that it has been a real struggle. I say that because I really miss home, and by home I mean UC.

I guess you could say I finally realized how truly important my friends are to me, and how deeply connected I am with my friends. Not having them around is probably the biggest struggle right now, and when (and if) I can get past that, I’ll start to do better here. We shall see.

Anyways… the first week of classes was both good and challenging. The classes are really challenging, but I suppose it is better than if the classes were a breeze and I wasn’t really learning anything, no? The toughest part is the rigorous schedule or four straight hours per day. It really does take a lot out of me.

After class, my friends that I’ve made through API, which is the program I went through to get here, usually go into to town and just spend some time together; it really helps me to get past my homesickness and to start enjoying Grenoble. I only have one picture so far, and it is stuck on my camera because I don’t have a cable for it!

I should probably tell you I placed into A2.8, which is the highest beginner level French course that the offer here. The best way for me to explain it would be to say it’s a lot like French 106 at UC or the second half of French 103, but only 100% French in class and absolutely no English. I should move up to the next level in May, so we shall see. I have no idea what I will or will not get credit for.

On a side note, I figured out my schedule for the fall, assuming I take a couple summer classes. I’ve planned to take French 300 and 310 (Grammar, and literature), English 340 which is another intro to linguistics course that I need to take, Anthropology 230 I believe (it’s a class on the languages of the world), and the social history of baseball. I assume that when I make a final decision about the Army, I’ll change this around to either allow for those classes or to appeal me to my interests in learning. I’m also waiting to see which teacher will teach when so I can take a class with Lorman.

I have also been looking at my schedule for the next two months, and I have a couple breaks where I am totally going to travel! At the end of this Month, I have about 5 days off in which I will travel to Luxembourg, Belgium, and either the Netherlands or Germany. I suppose if I do all of that, I’ll come back the 28. The following weekend I have Thursday through Sunday off (Meaning I have class on Monday) so I’ll probably try to go to Berlin that weekend. I don’t know yet, but luckily I’ll have some time to figure it out.

Well, I suppose that is about all I have right now. If you could, be praying that I can get past my need for my friends so that I could start to enjoy my time here more.
I’ll post sooner next time.

Nathan

What a crazy couple days!

March 29, 2008

 

Well, today was a little different than yesterday. I woke up late again, about 1 I think, and got up and went to monoprix, which is a French grocery store. I bought some ham, bread, PowerAde, orange juice, and apple granola bars. It was like €10. Not too bad I thought. It should cover my meals tomorrow, unless my family makes something for my arrival, or I eat when I meet Matthieu, if I meet him, tomorrow.

After I got back here, and changed (I was dressed as if it were cold, and it ended up being a very nice day) and finished my subway from last night, I decided that I’d like to do a little more exploring. I went to this park on a hill overlooking Nice with a few wonderful views! It was well worth the trouble of climbing up the hill.  I kinda wish that I had not been alone. It actually is no fun at all to travel by yourself!

Oh well. After I got back down from the top, I found a quiet, or so I thought, place to sit and read. I must have read there for 2 hours. It was nice, with the exception of the drunk guy trying to attack a bird… poor guy.

Yesterday I mentioned that some stereotypes were smashed when I got to France. Well today, one was confirmed. I was on my way to the park on the hill, when I encountered a guy wearing aThe North Face jacket (like a fleece I guess) and I was like… “He thinks he’s a Miami student”, and sure enough, when he turned his head, there was the so infamous “M”. I definitely got a kick out of this. I suppose that I am easily amused.

Now it’s around 8 o’clock, and I’ve just finished my dinner, which consisted of a baguette and ham, one of the apple bars, and some OJ.  I think I may head back to the beach, this time with my jacket as it’s cool off, and find some gelato. I also found a nice little restaurant that I may go to for a cup of tea or something. It’s right on the beach and seems like a nice place to go.

Tomorrow I’ll catch a bus around 11 and go to Cannes to catch my train to Grenoble.  When I get there, I’ll finally meet my family and get settled in.  I’m not sure when I’ll have a chance to be online between now and then, so you may be reading this after I have settled in.  

Well, I think I’ll be heading out now…

Adieu

 

 

 

 

March 30, 2008

 

So, I’m on the train from Cannes to Valence TGV, where I will catch a bus to Grenoble. However, this is not the ticket that I had purchased back home. I was supposed to go from Cannes to Lyon, and Lyon to Grenoble all by train. Oh, and it was supposed to leave at 1:55, not 6 like it is now! Ahhh, the fun of traveling!

So what happened, you may ask? Well, I’m not sure if today was the day when we change our clocks back home, but I think we already did. Today in France however is the day the set their clocks ahead an hour. No one thought this would be valueable information for me to know, so when I woke up at 10:10, it was actually 11:10 and my bus had already left me! “Don’t worry” says the guy at the hostel, “there are trains to Cannes every 20 minutes.” After checking, he tells me that there is a train to Cannes at 11:48. Unfortunately by the time I get everything down to the first floor and to the train station, it is too late. The man working tells me that I can take the 12:43 to Antibes, so I wait.

When the train arrived in Antibes, we found out that it would not be continuing on to Cannes due to some issues with construction; we would have to go by bus. The problem with buses is that they cannot hold the number of people that a train can, so I had to wait for the third bus. By the time I arrived in Cannes, my train had long since departed (it may have even left by the time that I had caught my bus.) Thus, I would have to find someone who could help me make my way.

So after a few minutes waiting in line, I had been given the ticket to Valence and Grenoble. Then I realized that I didn’t have the number of the Resident Coordinator in Grenoble! How can I call he to let her know what has happened? Well, I suppose I could call the contact in the US and then have her forward the info to the RC. But I don’t have her number either, because it’s on my cell phone and my cell phone is dead. Crap. I’m in a sticky situation, and unlike the US, free wifi is not everywhere.

Anyway, after finding a internet café and looking online and at my emails, I didn’t have her number there either. Finally I called the family I will be staying with and they had my RC call me and work out the details. Thank goodness the French speak English!

So, what was I to do with a couple hours and 70lbs (or so) worth of luggage? Sit in the train station and wait for my train. You can see below some subtle relief that I found in the train station. Definitely worth the €2 that I paid for it!

I thought that a little reading might do the trick to propel time faster, which it did. However, each time I would start to get into my book, I would be interrupted. First by a group of very young girls (14, 14, 18?) and we talked some French and some English. When they left, I made my way onto the platform to wait for my train. Again, I started to read only to be found by a Student from Audencia in Nantes, Fr. who had studied at Miami! How crazy is that? He saw my UC Bearcats sweatshirt and decided to talk to me. It made the last 20 minutes pass so much faster.

 

March 31, 2008

 

So last night I arrived safely at my host family’s house, and was able to access the Internet for a few minutes, but that’s about it.

After I got up and shaved this morning, I went down for breakfast. It was like a normal day for me, and a normal breakfast. Except that I’m on the other side of the world! So after eating and brushing my teeth, I went out and caught the bus to school.

After meeting the API contact, I made my way to get signed in and take the tests. I did fairly well I think, but I have no idea where I’ll place into; the higher the better so that I can get credit for what I need at UC. So tomorrow morning I’ll go at like 8 o’clock and check to see which class I’m in.

After that I grabbed a sandwich at the cafeteria (the caf) and I met back up with Anna (girl from API) and checked out the API office. Turns out I’m the only intensive student through API this month, and one other comes next month… yay. There is another girl from UC here, but I don’t really know her all that well. I talked to her a little bit before the exam.

While in the office, I met a bunch of the yearlong study people, and I was able to hang out and get to know them. Kinda makes me wish they weren’t all leaving me at the start of May. We walked around downtown and went to a couple places they needed to go to. I still feel lost and out of place, though having some people to be with sure helps. I definitely miss my friends and wish they were here.

After that I met up with another friend from Grenoble and we walked around and she talked French to me, and I looked like an idiot! Oh well… I will get better at French.

We said goodbye at the tramway, and I made my way home. I talked, all in French, with my host mom for about 45 minutes to an hour, and that was nice. She’s definitely trying to make me feel at home, which is nice.

We sat around the living room talking for maybe, another hour. I got my computer out to charge it and to show them a few things. After which we ate dinner. It was good. Potatoes au gratin (something I never, ever eat at home.)

After dinner, I tried to catch the Reds game, but MLB.com was having problems, and being overseas didn’t help I don’t think. I hope to see the final score either before I go to bed, or tomorrow on campus.

Anyway… I should really head upstairs, unpack my stuff and try to get to bed soon. It’ll be a long day tomorrow.

 

It’d be nice to hear from anyone who is reading this. It is somewhat lonely on the other side of the world.

Nathan

oh, maybe i'll get a couple pictures of my family and post them tomorrow?

A little bit of heaven during a stressful time... yup.

The view from the hill mentioned above...

... me on said hill.

The view at the end of a long quiet time at the beach. I may or may not have stayed just for that.

I arrived

That's all I will put today. I'll put the stuff for the last couple of days down soon.

My journal from France

So it’s 4:30 PM (or 11:30 in the US) and I’m in Nice, France. I’ve been here almost a whole day, and have done relatively nothing. But the coolest part of my journey here has been the people I’ve met and the stereotypes that were destroyed.

I suppose I must explain that one. While in the air between Chicago and Paris, I asked the French man that I had switched if he could direct me to the Gare SNCF (Train station) that I would be leaving from to come to Nice. Not only was he helpful in getting me direction to there, but also help me navigate my way through the airport up until that point. French people = rude… not so much. 

So after a couple hours at the airport, my train finally left for Nice. It was a quiet 6-hour journey through the heart of France. I saw a lot of cool places on the way.  When we were approaching our stop in Nice, I asked a woman sitting by me if she knew where my hostel was. She did not, but she offered to help me find it because she had parked around there. After walking around and asking a bunch of people, we finally arrived at my hostel. Thus French people 2, stereotype 0. 

After lugging my stuff upstairs (to what would be the 3^rd floor in the US) and into the office, I was able to get checked in. I went into my room, only to find two English girls also in there.  That was a bit of a shock, but I figured that I should expect it because they were listed as mixed. We ended up going out around 8 for tea, dinner, and a drink (a small joint for a tea, and restaurant for dinner, and a pub for a drink). I love France. I honestly loved that I could have a glass of wine, and that there wasn’t a lot of drunkenness around me. It was a good night.

So onto today, I got to bed around midnight (probably a little before) and slept (with a 5 minute or so interruption) until almost 3. It was a very, very good sleep! After finishing this, I think I’m going to walk down to the beach and to the bus station to figure out my bus for Sunday. I will probably grab a quick bite to eat somewhere also. Seeing as it is almost 6, I think I’ll head down that way now. I don’t want to waste my entire day up in my room!

Until later or tomorrow, adieu!

Okay, now it’s 9:10, and I’m sitting in Subway, because they allow people who eat here to access the internet. I’ve called a few people, though nobody answered! I’m in the process of making on final call. I think that after I get off the phone I’ll take my stuff back and maybe walk to a bar and have a glass of wine. I don’t know… I figure I’ll get another good night sleep and explore more tomorrow.

Until I write again…

Nathan 

300

So, I went to see 300 tonight. What can I say but that it was amazing. The action scenes and all that jazz were amazing! I can't even begin to describe how awesome they were, but I must say that this is one of the best movies I've seen. Except one thing.... The sex and nudity! Holy crap.... It has an extreme amount of it. That's the one reason I won't recommend it to anyone.

My question is this, Why did this director find it necessary to add this to the movie? I know that I did not find it necessary to add this to make it complete. Honestly, I would have preferred extended battle scenes rather than extended sex scenes!

So, My rating is Great Movie, too much sex, so it's up to you whether you struggle with sex and nudity in films enough to not see it. I won't be seeing it again in theaters though.

It's hard at times..

So, being a Bearcat fan seems to be difficult these days. But, I don't understand why people don't support their team anyway? I mean, sure it can be disappointing when they lose, and most people don't like this feeling, but why allow that to stop you from showing your support. I hate when I go around campus and see tons of OSU, Michigan, and other school clothing ( I know I have an OSU sweatshirt, but I don't root for them over UC). It's aggravating that people can go to UC, and be die hard Buckeyes fans, to the point that when we played them, they wanted us to lose! Please people, pick a school and stick with it. We don't want you as a fan if you're only around during the good days. I see this all to often with Cincinnatians. Most of you support the Bengals now, but where were you in the 90's? I didn't see many of you? Now that we're winning again, you have popped out of the woodwork. I understand it may not be worth spending $60+ to watch a game, but at least support them however you can. And the Reds, you can't give up in June, even if the team is falling apart!