Hello!
Sorry for taking such a long hiatus - I can't believe it's been almost 2 months since I last posted! So much has happened during that time that I don't know where to start. The perfectionist in me wants to write lots of detailed, chronological posts to get you up to speed with my life, but I never seem to have the time or energy to do that :( However, I think this blog is an important way to chronicle my time here, as well as share it with whoever's reading. So I'm gonna try... But at the moment I have a LONG to-do list to tackle, so this will have to wait. I'll just say that I am doing pretty well, and looking forward to seeing everyone at home in less than a month! :)
~Peace & Love~
Amanda
P.S. I've FINALLY posted some more pictures as I've been promising. The link below is to my album titled "Les amis de la nature" - chronicling my interesting hike in the woods a few months ago with the "friends of nature" :)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039781&l=e6712&id=55303150
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
God is GOOD! :)
It’s about time I give another update on my life, since my recent posts have been on more specific topics… On the academic front, I am slowly but surely narrowing down my list of possible classes, and I’ve also decided not to take the Grammar Block. It’s still a frustrating process, but the end is in sight! My advisor has been really great throughout, so I’m thankful for that.
In other news, I’ve been able to visit some neat places near Strasbourg...
The Sunday before last I went on a hike with a group called “Les amies de nature” – “the friends of nature” :) It was all older people (except for me and another BCA student), which made things a little awkward, but they were all very nice. We hiked through the forest which was really beautiful, and I took a ridiculous amount of pictures :)
This past Sunday BCA went on an excursion to la Foret Noire (Black Forest) …which is in Germany! Our destination was a carnival in a small town, which was a blast! Afterwards we went to a spa – I had never been to one before, and it was SO relaxing… :) The part we went in was outdoors, so we were completely submerged in hot, bubbling water while surrounded by trees and looking up at the stars!
The past few weeks I’ve been encouraged by some good conversations and time spent getting to know people – both American and French! :)
I’ve continued to go to the Bible study on Wednesday nights – the Bible study itself isn’t outstanding and I don’t always agree with their theology, but I really like the group of people. Two weeks ago it was a small group, but I enjoyed the discussion that we had. I had invited Seo Jin, this girl from my class who’s a Christian and studying poli sci, and she came, so that was cool. We’ve ran into eachother pretty often, and having been trying to figure out the IEP’s system together – a good bonding experience! Last week it was a much larger group, so I got to talk to a lot of new people.
I’ve also gotten to know some of the French people who live in the BCA building…
Last Friday one of them was having his 21st birthday party, so some of us went. It was pretty awkward in the beginning, but then I started talking to the sister of the guy whose birthday it was. It turns out that she’s studying at the IEP too, so we found plenty to talk about. I didn’t understand everything she said, but carried on a fairly good conversation.
This past Thursday I went to the community meal they have here every week. I didn’t really know what to do with myself in the beginning as people were mingling, but throughout the evening I met a lot of nice people, and had conversations with several of them. Although I was definitely out of my comfort zone, I’m really glad I went :)
After the meal there was a prayer/worship service at a local church. This week a group of Catholics had come to worship with the regular group of Protestants, and so on the walk over I talked to several of them. One, it turns out, is also studying at the IEP! It’ll be nice to see some familiar faces in the halls now :)
I’ve connected with the other BCA students through some good conversations…
Last Saturday my host family was away, so I had one friend, Charlie, over for dinner. It was a really nice evening – we made dinner together, and then just talked for a couple of hours! It was mostly her talking, but that was ok – she had experienced a lot of social drama last semester and needed to get it off her chest. I was happy to listen :) Although our personalities are very different (she’s much more extraverted than me) I think we’re going to be good friends.
Last Friday afternoon I watched Bush’s (last!!!) State of the Union address with my friend, Tim. After watching Bush speak (a painful experience, to be sure!) we had a long discussion about terrorism, which is where my last post came from. We also debated presidential politics – I’m for Hillary and he’s for Obama, so that’s always fun :) I think I would go crazy if he wasn’t here – he’s the only person here who is as passionate about politics as I am, and informed enough to carry on an intelligent conversation about it. Politics is so much in my blood that I think I’d explode if I didn’t have an outlet for it… We’ve had so many great discussions and debates, it’s awesome!
Last night was the most fun I’ve had in a while – Tim, Charlie, me, and two of our other friends went to the Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary! It was a whole evening of discussing and debating Democratic presidential politics and being surrounded by other Dems – I was in heaven! We also got to vote, which was really exciting – I proudly cast my ballot for Hillary! Afterwards we had a blast playing in a kids playground, then wandered around a bit, and ended up at BCA to chill and watch a good movie. It was such a great evening – we had so much fun, and no one was drunk!
So these are some things that have been encouraging to me, and I wanted to share them with you. Although logistics and stuff related to classes continue to be challenging, God has richly provided for my social needs. I should never doubt Him. Before I came I was so worried about making friends, but I am reminded that wherever life has taken me God has provided people to love and support me. He is awesome! I want to learn to trust Him more…
In other news, I’ve been able to visit some neat places near Strasbourg...
The Sunday before last I went on a hike with a group called “Les amies de nature” – “the friends of nature” :) It was all older people (except for me and another BCA student), which made things a little awkward, but they were all very nice. We hiked through the forest which was really beautiful, and I took a ridiculous amount of pictures :)
This past Sunday BCA went on an excursion to la Foret Noire (Black Forest) …which is in Germany! Our destination was a carnival in a small town, which was a blast! Afterwards we went to a spa – I had never been to one before, and it was SO relaxing… :) The part we went in was outdoors, so we were completely submerged in hot, bubbling water while surrounded by trees and looking up at the stars!
The past few weeks I’ve been encouraged by some good conversations and time spent getting to know people – both American and French! :)
I’ve continued to go to the Bible study on Wednesday nights – the Bible study itself isn’t outstanding and I don’t always agree with their theology, but I really like the group of people. Two weeks ago it was a small group, but I enjoyed the discussion that we had. I had invited Seo Jin, this girl from my class who’s a Christian and studying poli sci, and she came, so that was cool. We’ve ran into eachother pretty often, and having been trying to figure out the IEP’s system together – a good bonding experience! Last week it was a much larger group, so I got to talk to a lot of new people.
I’ve also gotten to know some of the French people who live in the BCA building…
Last Friday one of them was having his 21st birthday party, so some of us went. It was pretty awkward in the beginning, but then I started talking to the sister of the guy whose birthday it was. It turns out that she’s studying at the IEP too, so we found plenty to talk about. I didn’t understand everything she said, but carried on a fairly good conversation.
This past Thursday I went to the community meal they have here every week. I didn’t really know what to do with myself in the beginning as people were mingling, but throughout the evening I met a lot of nice people, and had conversations with several of them. Although I was definitely out of my comfort zone, I’m really glad I went :)
After the meal there was a prayer/worship service at a local church. This week a group of Catholics had come to worship with the regular group of Protestants, and so on the walk over I talked to several of them. One, it turns out, is also studying at the IEP! It’ll be nice to see some familiar faces in the halls now :)
I’ve connected with the other BCA students through some good conversations…
Last Saturday my host family was away, so I had one friend, Charlie, over for dinner. It was a really nice evening – we made dinner together, and then just talked for a couple of hours! It was mostly her talking, but that was ok – she had experienced a lot of social drama last semester and needed to get it off her chest. I was happy to listen :) Although our personalities are very different (she’s much more extraverted than me) I think we’re going to be good friends.
Last Friday afternoon I watched Bush’s (last!!!) State of the Union address with my friend, Tim. After watching Bush speak (a painful experience, to be sure!) we had a long discussion about terrorism, which is where my last post came from. We also debated presidential politics – I’m for Hillary and he’s for Obama, so that’s always fun :) I think I would go crazy if he wasn’t here – he’s the only person here who is as passionate about politics as I am, and informed enough to carry on an intelligent conversation about it. Politics is so much in my blood that I think I’d explode if I didn’t have an outlet for it… We’ve had so many great discussions and debates, it’s awesome!
Last night was the most fun I’ve had in a while – Tim, Charlie, me, and two of our other friends went to the Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary! It was a whole evening of discussing and debating Democratic presidential politics and being surrounded by other Dems – I was in heaven! We also got to vote, which was really exciting – I proudly cast my ballot for Hillary! Afterwards we had a blast playing in a kids playground, then wandered around a bit, and ended up at BCA to chill and watch a good movie. It was such a great evening – we had so much fun, and no one was drunk!
So these are some things that have been encouraging to me, and I wanted to share them with you. Although logistics and stuff related to classes continue to be challenging, God has richly provided for my social needs. I should never doubt Him. Before I came I was so worried about making friends, but I am reminded that wherever life has taken me God has provided people to love and support me. He is awesome! I want to learn to trust Him more…
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Thoughts on Terrorism...
My friend Jane just posted a really good review of an article on terrorism on her blog http://evidence-not-seen.blogspot.com/ (the post titled “Enemies, Foreign and Domestic”). It’s funny because I was discussing this very topic with my friend Tim a few days ago after we watched the State of the Union. So with that fresh in my mind, here are my thoughts on terrorism and Bush’s “war on terror”.
One of the main things we were talking about was how “terrorism” is defined and who gets to define it. A state that holds power (i.e. the US) can use the tragedy of 9/11 to define “terrorism” in a way that serves its strategic interests – using it as a blanket term to target Arab “extremist” groups. Ironically, the term “terrorist” was first coined during the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution, and it was used to describe those in the government – not some extreme splinter groups. When the US does talk about terrorism in terms of governments, it is very selective – extending the term to Arab “state sponsors of terror” that are viewed as the “enemy”, while simultaneously funding the state terrorism of Israel and carrying out its own terrorist activities.
Bush talks about how imperative it is to steadfastly continue this fight against terror, but the truth is that as it stands now this is not a fight we can win. Our strategy has been and will continue to be a colossal failure unless we commit to address the root causes of terrorism. Simply trying to capture and kill individual terrorists won’t work because for each one we get there will be two more to take his place. This is not traditional warfare in which the troops are finite – unless we deal with the conditions that create terrorism we will never be able to win. One of the principle conditions is denial of basic rights. When a people group is oppressed and stripped of legitimate means of making its voice heard, it is perfectly rational for them to turn to illegitimate or violent means. But if given access to the political process, those violent methods hold less appeal, just as Roth said. Conditions of poverty, lack of hope for the future, and lack of opportunity are also key sources of terrorism that must be addressed. And of course our foreign policy… Osama bin Laden’s initial reasons for hating the US were based not on ideology or religion, but on our foreign policy – specifically, our stationing of troops in Saudi Arabia near the holy site of Mecca, and our support of the state of Israel which has mistreated the Palestinians for decades.
Our arrogant and unjust foreign policy must change, and deliberate efforts must be made to alleviate conditions of poverty and oppression if we ever hope to stop terrorism. Otherwise the cycle of violence will just continue… MLK (one of my heroes!) has an amazing quote that talks about that: "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil — hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."
Jane talked about terrorism in the context of human rights, which is very appropriate. The hypocrisy of our government is infuriating – apparently, the US only advocates human rights when it suites our strategic interests. Our citizens must be protected at all costs, but we can do whatever we want with those “suspected” of terrorism. We can heed or ignore international law whenever it is convenient or expedient for us. People will always make the argument that if the terrorists are trying to kill us we must go to any lengths to protect ourselves. While it is an important function of government to protect its citizens, in doing so we must not lower ourselves to the level of the terrorists. When we do, we lose our moral high ground and are really no different from them. Killing and torture are evil and wrong, regardless of whether they are done in the name of “Allah” or in the name of “national security”. Human rights belong to ALL people – regardless of their skin color, accent, or country of origin. And it’s about time the US starts respecting that!
(As a side-note, I was shocked – although not surprised – to learn in Jane’s post that Bush un-signed the International Criminal Court in May 2002, which is “a forum for prosecuting future cases of genocide”. When I told my friend Tim this, he immediately asked, “What strategic advantage would this have for the US?” concluding that either the US was planning to commit genocide or one of its allies was – bingo, Israel. Scary…)
One of the main things we were talking about was how “terrorism” is defined and who gets to define it. A state that holds power (i.e. the US) can use the tragedy of 9/11 to define “terrorism” in a way that serves its strategic interests – using it as a blanket term to target Arab “extremist” groups. Ironically, the term “terrorist” was first coined during the Reign of Terror that followed the French Revolution, and it was used to describe those in the government – not some extreme splinter groups. When the US does talk about terrorism in terms of governments, it is very selective – extending the term to Arab “state sponsors of terror” that are viewed as the “enemy”, while simultaneously funding the state terrorism of Israel and carrying out its own terrorist activities.
Bush talks about how imperative it is to steadfastly continue this fight against terror, but the truth is that as it stands now this is not a fight we can win. Our strategy has been and will continue to be a colossal failure unless we commit to address the root causes of terrorism. Simply trying to capture and kill individual terrorists won’t work because for each one we get there will be two more to take his place. This is not traditional warfare in which the troops are finite – unless we deal with the conditions that create terrorism we will never be able to win. One of the principle conditions is denial of basic rights. When a people group is oppressed and stripped of legitimate means of making its voice heard, it is perfectly rational for them to turn to illegitimate or violent means. But if given access to the political process, those violent methods hold less appeal, just as Roth said. Conditions of poverty, lack of hope for the future, and lack of opportunity are also key sources of terrorism that must be addressed. And of course our foreign policy… Osama bin Laden’s initial reasons for hating the US were based not on ideology or religion, but on our foreign policy – specifically, our stationing of troops in Saudi Arabia near the holy site of Mecca, and our support of the state of Israel which has mistreated the Palestinians for decades.
Our arrogant and unjust foreign policy must change, and deliberate efforts must be made to alleviate conditions of poverty and oppression if we ever hope to stop terrorism. Otherwise the cycle of violence will just continue… MLK (one of my heroes!) has an amazing quote that talks about that: "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil — hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."
Jane talked about terrorism in the context of human rights, which is very appropriate. The hypocrisy of our government is infuriating – apparently, the US only advocates human rights when it suites our strategic interests. Our citizens must be protected at all costs, but we can do whatever we want with those “suspected” of terrorism. We can heed or ignore international law whenever it is convenient or expedient for us. People will always make the argument that if the terrorists are trying to kill us we must go to any lengths to protect ourselves. While it is an important function of government to protect its citizens, in doing so we must not lower ourselves to the level of the terrorists. When we do, we lose our moral high ground and are really no different from them. Killing and torture are evil and wrong, regardless of whether they are done in the name of “Allah” or in the name of “national security”. Human rights belong to ALL people – regardless of their skin color, accent, or country of origin. And it’s about time the US starts respecting that!
(As a side-note, I was shocked – although not surprised – to learn in Jane’s post that Bush un-signed the International Criminal Court in May 2002, which is “a forum for prosecuting future cases of genocide”. When I told my friend Tim this, he immediately asked, “What strategic advantage would this have for the US?” concluding that either the US was planning to commit genocide or one of its allies was – bingo, Israel. Scary…)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Mon 21 anniversaire
I am 21 now. Birthdays are odd things – one day you’re 20 and the next day when you wake up you’re 21. That’s the first thought I had when I woke up on Monday, and throughout the day it would repeat in my head – “I’m 21.” I didn’t feel any different, and yet here I was one year older.
Having a birthday here felt very strange – I was in a foreign country surrounded by people I had only met 3 weeks before. Since I didn’t know them very well I didn’t want to make a big deal about it – I’m not one to call attention to myself. I told some of the other BCA students and word traveled around, so most of them knew. I kind of wanted to have a little celebration with them, but didn’t want to spend the money to buy a cake. Plus it was on a Monday, so people were busy with classes and stuff. My one friend said something about making one, but that never happened. Secretly I wished that they would surprise me with a little party or something, but they really don’t know me very well so that’s too much to expect. Two of them gave me gifts, though, which made me feel special – a beautiful potted flower that’s purple (my favorite color!) and a bag of exquisite chocolates, both of which I’ve enjoyed :)
I didn’t tell my host family that it was my birthday – I don’t know them very well and I didn’t want them to feel like they had to do something for me… Plus Mondays are when their older son comes over for dinner, so they’re always excited to see him and talk up a storm. This Monday they talked even longer than normal at dinner and I felt kinda trapped, because I wanted to leave to go to BCA but I didn’t want to be rude. But eventually my host sister started clearing things away and I helped her, then made my exit.
But that’s not to say that my birthday was bad – there were plenty of little things that made it special. The weather was beautiful for a change, so I could enjoy meandering outside instead of shivering my way from one building to the next. I treated myself to a pastry, which I savored while sitting outside on a bench people-watching :) Spending time doing absolutely nothing except enjoying the day was nice after so much busyness. The best part of the birthday, though, was without a doubt all the e-mails and Facebook messages I got. Thank you! It was wonderful to feel the love from friends and family at home who remembered my special day :)
So turning 21 here wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it was a good day with simple pleasures. I didn’t have any desire to drink either – and even if I had wanted to it would’ve been anti-climatic because people here can drink at 18. It’s interesting how the meanings attached to birthdays are socially constructed – sweet 16 is special because that’s when you can drive, 18 is special because you can smoke and are legally considered an adult, and 21 is special because you can drink. If not for those socially derived meanings they would just be random numbers. That’s the sociologist in me talking :)
Having a birthday here felt very strange – I was in a foreign country surrounded by people I had only met 3 weeks before. Since I didn’t know them very well I didn’t want to make a big deal about it – I’m not one to call attention to myself. I told some of the other BCA students and word traveled around, so most of them knew. I kind of wanted to have a little celebration with them, but didn’t want to spend the money to buy a cake. Plus it was on a Monday, so people were busy with classes and stuff. My one friend said something about making one, but that never happened. Secretly I wished that they would surprise me with a little party or something, but they really don’t know me very well so that’s too much to expect. Two of them gave me gifts, though, which made me feel special – a beautiful potted flower that’s purple (my favorite color!) and a bag of exquisite chocolates, both of which I’ve enjoyed :)
I didn’t tell my host family that it was my birthday – I don’t know them very well and I didn’t want them to feel like they had to do something for me… Plus Mondays are when their older son comes over for dinner, so they’re always excited to see him and talk up a storm. This Monday they talked even longer than normal at dinner and I felt kinda trapped, because I wanted to leave to go to BCA but I didn’t want to be rude. But eventually my host sister started clearing things away and I helped her, then made my exit.
But that’s not to say that my birthday was bad – there were plenty of little things that made it special. The weather was beautiful for a change, so I could enjoy meandering outside instead of shivering my way from one building to the next. I treated myself to a pastry, which I savored while sitting outside on a bench people-watching :) Spending time doing absolutely nothing except enjoying the day was nice after so much busyness. The best part of the birthday, though, was without a doubt all the e-mails and Facebook messages I got. Thank you! It was wonderful to feel the love from friends and family at home who remembered my special day :)
So turning 21 here wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it was a good day with simple pleasures. I didn’t have any desire to drink either – and even if I had wanted to it would’ve been anti-climatic because people here can drink at 18. It’s interesting how the meanings attached to birthdays are socially constructed – sweet 16 is special because that’s when you can drive, 18 is special because you can smoke and are legally considered an adult, and 21 is special because you can drink. If not for those socially derived meanings they would just be random numbers. That’s the sociologist in me talking :)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Les photos! :)
Hey guys, I've finally uploaded all my pictures to Facebook, which you can view by following the links below even if you don't have a Facebook account. Enjoy! :)
Album: La Premiere Semaine
http://messiah.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036494&l=c5502&id=55303150
Album: Le Parliment Europeen!
http://messiah.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036924&l=a14e7&id=55303150
Album: La Premiere Semaine
http://messiah.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036494&l=c5502&id=55303150
Album: Le Parliment Europeen!
http://messiah.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2036924&l=a14e7&id=55303150
Beaucoup des cours...
This week has been really busy - classes started at Marc Bloch University and the politics institute (IEP). Being the overachiever that I am, I created a spreadsheet of all politics and sociology classes that sounded remotely interesting and went to as many as I possibly could. Monday this pretty-much killed me - I had gone to bed after 1am and went to my first class at 8am. All told, I went to 4 2-hour classes that day, and fell asleep in every single one! I was so exhausted...
The rest of week wasn't quite as bad - I made sure to get plenty of sleep, and didn't go to as many classes. The nice thing was that most of the 2-hour classes had a break in the middle, so if I had already decided that I didn't want to take it, I just left. That happened a lot, because many of the classes were not at all what I expected them to be. At Marc Bloch they didn't even give course descriptions, so I was going solely on the titles. I was looking for pretty specific material, too - I don't want courses on theory; I want information on how French and European political institutions work and how their systems address the population's needs for healthcare, education, employment, criminal justice, poverty, etc.
I did find some courses that gave this kind of information - 2 on healthcare, 1 on the European Union, 1 on International Institutions. Also 2 history classes were interesting - 1 on political changes in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism, and the other on conflicts in Latin America. And Thursday night I was really psyched after going to a class on Religion and Politics in the US. Granted, it's about the US and not Europe, but it's a topic very close to my heart, and it was in English which made it so much easier to follow! I've realized that it's definitely going to be a challenge taking these courses in French - I take notes and usually get the gist of what is being said, but I definitely miss some details. It also depends on the professor - some talk slower than others, and some write on the board which is very helpful. Our director recommended we make friends with someone in the class so that we can copy their notes. I think I'll need to do that to get a decent grade, but making friends is hard enough for me without a language barrier, so this will taking some doing...
What has added to the difficulty of this week is the disorganization of Marc Bloch's system, which is really frustrating. Nothing's online - you have to go to each department and read the posting of times and places. I did that at the end of last week, but then some of my classes changed rooms and others I had difficulty finding the rooms. To add to the confusion, some courses have the same course code and alternate every other week, so if you don't look carefully enough you can easily end up in the wrong one (which I did several times). Things at the IEP are much easier to navigate since it is much smaller, and I think I'll take the majority of my classes there.
I also have to decide whether I'm going to take the Grammar Block at the foreigner's institute - 12 hours of grammar and conversation instruction each week. I went the first week and really like the group of people, but I skipped most of the sessions this week to visit classes at Marc Bloch and the IEP. I went on Friday and was frustrated again by the grammar lesson - they're teaching us all of this complicated stuff that I will never use when what I really need is a good review of the basics. So I don't...so many things to figure out yet!
But the week ended well...yesterday morning the professor never showed up for my class, and when I went to check with the registar this girl who's been in several of my classes introduced herself to me. She goes to school near Philly and so we talked (in English!) for a few minutes. She's a Christian and is also studying poli sci, so it seems like we have a lot in common :) It was exciting to meet a new friend here...
Friday afternoon I ran some errands - I discovered that buying bread, apples, and yogert at the grocery store for my lunches is much cheaper than buying a sandwhich everyday, so I can save money for travel :) I also got my hair cut, which was an adventure in itself! I had asked around for the cheapest place and brought a picture of how I wanted it cut. I didn't understand what they were saying to me and I was really nervous, but they were very nice and did a great job. The shampoo they gave me first was really relaxing, and there was something comforting in the fact that they cut my hair the same way as at home. I finished out the day with a very relaxing evening - watching "Under the Tuscan Sun" in my PJ's in my room. All of my friends got drunk again, but I was very content to have some quality alone time and go to bed early :)
On a more sober note, I found this morning that the man from my church who had leukemia died yesterday. What his wife wrote made me cry - to lose the love of your life must be the worst thing that could happen to you. If it were me I would be so angry at God - I just can't imagine finally finding the person I was meant to be with only to have him taken away. But she was so eloquant, talking about her fond memories of him and how he will live on in her and in their sons. She said how thankful she is to God for allowing him to be in her life for the past 10 years. That attitude just blows me away - I wish I could have that level of faith and trust in God amidst difficulty and heartache. But He's not done with me yet...
Hope you all are well, and I'd love to hear from you! :)
~Peace~
Amanda
The rest of week wasn't quite as bad - I made sure to get plenty of sleep, and didn't go to as many classes. The nice thing was that most of the 2-hour classes had a break in the middle, so if I had already decided that I didn't want to take it, I just left. That happened a lot, because many of the classes were not at all what I expected them to be. At Marc Bloch they didn't even give course descriptions, so I was going solely on the titles. I was looking for pretty specific material, too - I don't want courses on theory; I want information on how French and European political institutions work and how their systems address the population's needs for healthcare, education, employment, criminal justice, poverty, etc.
I did find some courses that gave this kind of information - 2 on healthcare, 1 on the European Union, 1 on International Institutions. Also 2 history classes were interesting - 1 on political changes in Eastern Europe after the fall of Communism, and the other on conflicts in Latin America. And Thursday night I was really psyched after going to a class on Religion and Politics in the US. Granted, it's about the US and not Europe, but it's a topic very close to my heart, and it was in English which made it so much easier to follow! I've realized that it's definitely going to be a challenge taking these courses in French - I take notes and usually get the gist of what is being said, but I definitely miss some details. It also depends on the professor - some talk slower than others, and some write on the board which is very helpful. Our director recommended we make friends with someone in the class so that we can copy their notes. I think I'll need to do that to get a decent grade, but making friends is hard enough for me without a language barrier, so this will taking some doing...
What has added to the difficulty of this week is the disorganization of Marc Bloch's system, which is really frustrating. Nothing's online - you have to go to each department and read the posting of times and places. I did that at the end of last week, but then some of my classes changed rooms and others I had difficulty finding the rooms. To add to the confusion, some courses have the same course code and alternate every other week, so if you don't look carefully enough you can easily end up in the wrong one (which I did several times). Things at the IEP are much easier to navigate since it is much smaller, and I think I'll take the majority of my classes there.
I also have to decide whether I'm going to take the Grammar Block at the foreigner's institute - 12 hours of grammar and conversation instruction each week. I went the first week and really like the group of people, but I skipped most of the sessions this week to visit classes at Marc Bloch and the IEP. I went on Friday and was frustrated again by the grammar lesson - they're teaching us all of this complicated stuff that I will never use when what I really need is a good review of the basics. So I don't...so many things to figure out yet!
But the week ended well...yesterday morning the professor never showed up for my class, and when I went to check with the registar this girl who's been in several of my classes introduced herself to me. She goes to school near Philly and so we talked (in English!) for a few minutes. She's a Christian and is also studying poli sci, so it seems like we have a lot in common :) It was exciting to meet a new friend here...
Friday afternoon I ran some errands - I discovered that buying bread, apples, and yogert at the grocery store for my lunches is much cheaper than buying a sandwhich everyday, so I can save money for travel :) I also got my hair cut, which was an adventure in itself! I had asked around for the cheapest place and brought a picture of how I wanted it cut. I didn't understand what they were saying to me and I was really nervous, but they were very nice and did a great job. The shampoo they gave me first was really relaxing, and there was something comforting in the fact that they cut my hair the same way as at home. I finished out the day with a very relaxing evening - watching "Under the Tuscan Sun" in my PJ's in my room. All of my friends got drunk again, but I was very content to have some quality alone time and go to bed early :)
On a more sober note, I found this morning that the man from my church who had leukemia died yesterday. What his wife wrote made me cry - to lose the love of your life must be the worst thing that could happen to you. If it were me I would be so angry at God - I just can't imagine finally finding the person I was meant to be with only to have him taken away. But she was so eloquant, talking about her fond memories of him and how he will live on in her and in their sons. She said how thankful she is to God for allowing him to be in her life for the past 10 years. That attitude just blows me away - I wish I could have that level of faith and trust in God amidst difficulty and heartache. But He's not done with me yet...
Hope you all are well, and I'd love to hear from you! :)
~Peace~
Amanda
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Un bon weekend :)
I spent such a long time talking about the European Parliment that I never got to the rest of my week... Most of it has been really good, even though I haven't been doing anything terribly exciting. Thursday I only had one class, and then went with a friend to this awesome place called Emaus, which is like a big indoor flea market/antique store. She wanted to buy a bike (so many people bike over here!), and I browsed the books. The mission of the place is pretty sweet too - it was founded by a Catholic group to create work for the poor. So it was pretty exciting to go there :) It was a bit frustrating to figure out how to get there on the transit system, but we ended up walking all the way back because they wouldn't let her bring her bike on the bus. It was a really nice walk - I love walking here! There's so much to see, and it never feels as long as it is :)
Friday wasn't as good of a day - I found out that someone from Oxford Circle who's been battling leukemia has stopped responding to treatment and there are no more options for him. I wasn't expecting that because he had been doing better, so I let the tears flow down by the river - a very comforting place. He is at peace and is ready to go, but my heart is breaking for his wife who will have to raise their two little boys alone. And I couldn't help asking God "why?" Why them, such wonderful people who've been so involved in the church? Why did this have to happen to them? It also made me think about my life - if I were dying, would I be able to look back on what I've done and see it as valuable? Have I used the time God has given me well? There are still so many things I want to do with my life, but I feel like so often I trap myself in a routine of obligations and responsibilities. From now on I want live more spontaneously and seize the moment and take advantage of opportunities! :)
Friday night I was feeling kind of down and didn't really feel like going out, but a bunch of the BCA students were getting together for drinks and movie, so I didn't want to be anti-social. I went, but the movie never happened and instead everyone got REALLY drunk. I had soda, and it felt pretty weird to be the only sober person in the room. I only stayed because I wanted to make sure the one girl was ok - she'd never been drunk before and was letting loose. Around midnight they were all plastered and decided to go to a club and dance. I parted ways at that point, disgusted with how stupid drunk people are. I really don't understand why people would want to drink so much that they make fools of themselves and do things that they'll later regret. I never want to be like that. I hated how my friends became totally different people when they were drunk - I really missed all my sober friends from home that night.
Saturday was a very productive day - I had made a long list of things to do and had the satisfaction of checking many of them off :) I finally finished unpacking all of my stuff, and I decorated my room with pictures - now it's finally starting to feel like home. It also feels nice to have settled into a routine with my host family - after class I go home and walk the dog, help get dinner ready, eat with them and talk about my day, watch the news, help clean up, and then go to the BCA office to use the internet. It's nice to have settled into that rythmn after feeling so out of place in the beginning.
This morning I went to a really great church with a friend. The people were very friendly - greeting us and asking where we were from, etc. There was a meal after the service that was free for students, so we stayed for that, and I really enjoyed talking to the people there. The man I was sitting next to spoke nice and slow and asked lots of good questions. I may visit other churches, but I'll probably end up back there. It was really encouraging to find a welcoming church :)
So that's about it - I need to get some sleep since I have class in 8 short hours :) Hope you all are well!
~Peace~
Amanda
Friday wasn't as good of a day - I found out that someone from Oxford Circle who's been battling leukemia has stopped responding to treatment and there are no more options for him. I wasn't expecting that because he had been doing better, so I let the tears flow down by the river - a very comforting place. He is at peace and is ready to go, but my heart is breaking for his wife who will have to raise their two little boys alone. And I couldn't help asking God "why?" Why them, such wonderful people who've been so involved in the church? Why did this have to happen to them? It also made me think about my life - if I were dying, would I be able to look back on what I've done and see it as valuable? Have I used the time God has given me well? There are still so many things I want to do with my life, but I feel like so often I trap myself in a routine of obligations and responsibilities. From now on I want live more spontaneously and seize the moment and take advantage of opportunities! :)
Friday night I was feeling kind of down and didn't really feel like going out, but a bunch of the BCA students were getting together for drinks and movie, so I didn't want to be anti-social. I went, but the movie never happened and instead everyone got REALLY drunk. I had soda, and it felt pretty weird to be the only sober person in the room. I only stayed because I wanted to make sure the one girl was ok - she'd never been drunk before and was letting loose. Around midnight they were all plastered and decided to go to a club and dance. I parted ways at that point, disgusted with how stupid drunk people are. I really don't understand why people would want to drink so much that they make fools of themselves and do things that they'll later regret. I never want to be like that. I hated how my friends became totally different people when they were drunk - I really missed all my sober friends from home that night.
Saturday was a very productive day - I had made a long list of things to do and had the satisfaction of checking many of them off :) I finally finished unpacking all of my stuff, and I decorated my room with pictures - now it's finally starting to feel like home. It also feels nice to have settled into a routine with my host family - after class I go home and walk the dog, help get dinner ready, eat with them and talk about my day, watch the news, help clean up, and then go to the BCA office to use the internet. It's nice to have settled into that rythmn after feeling so out of place in the beginning.
This morning I went to a really great church with a friend. The people were very friendly - greeting us and asking where we were from, etc. There was a meal after the service that was free for students, so we stayed for that, and I really enjoyed talking to the people there. The man I was sitting next to spoke nice and slow and asked lots of good questions. I may visit other churches, but I'll probably end up back there. It was really encouraging to find a welcoming church :)
So that's about it - I need to get some sleep since I have class in 8 short hours :) Hope you all are well!
~Peace~
Amanda
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Le Parlement Europeen!
In my last post I sounded pretty down, but the rest of the week has turned out to be much better!
Wednesday was the highlight - I went to the European Parliment! Ever since I found out they were in session this week I had been excited about going, and three other students from BCA ended up coming with me. We skipped class, but it was totally worth it! Normally I would feel really guilty about skipping class, but here I don't want to spend all of my time in a classroom - I think I'm going to learn so much more by going places and taking advantage of these once in a lifetime opportunities! It felt good to not do what I should for once in my life, and instead seize the moment and take part in something extraordinary. Lyrics to Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" and Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" were running through my head all afternoon :)
My first glimpse of the building was awe-inspiring. It wasn't just the architecture (which was impressive) - it was a sense of the incredible amount of power concentrated here, the world leaders in this building at this moment making decisions that will impact people around the globe. It's hard to explain, but it gave me the chills.... When we got inside we found out that although they were in session it was not open to the public until for another hour and a half. We ended up killing time by walking around - it was a beautiful day, and we discovered a lovely little park nearby. What could've been a really frustrating wait ended up being a really wonderful afternoon :)
When we finally could go into the Parliment session, it was amazing! They were debating the situation in Kenya, which I had just read an article about in TIME magazine. In case you're not aware, there has been a lot of conflict in recent weeks following their presidential election at the end of December. Violent protests erupted after disputed election results were released, and over 600 people have died so far. The killing has been mostly along ethnic lines, making swift action even more imperative to stop it from spiraling into the kind of ethnic cleansing that has plagued other parts of Africa. Already 250,000+ people have been displaced, most fleeing to neighboring Uganda. The debate in the Parliment about this was fascinating, and centered around what to do about the European Union's budget. One day after the election $40 million had been transferred to the Kenyan government, now largely believed to be corrupt and potentially illegitimate. Some members supported cutting off funding, saying that the European Union needed to make it clear that good government is a prerequesite for financial support. Others said that would be inhumane, and that funding should continue with better monitoring and transparency. Still others argued for re-routing money to agencies that provide services directly to the people instead of putting it into the hands of the government. I think I like that option best, but no specifics were discussed as to how that would look on the ground. I definitely agreed with those who said that the root of this conflict is poverty - although the country as a whole has experienced economic growth, the wealth created has not been evenly distributed, leaving the vast majority of the population in abject poverty. The EU (and presumably the US also) had sung Kenya's praises for being peaceful and democratic while turning a blind eye to its corruption and social ills.
On the tram ride back we were discussing the session, particularly the dilemma of how Western nations should involve themselves in conflicts in parts of the world where their colonialism and neocolonialism created the situation in the first place! One representative had been adament that the EU should not impose its solutions on Kenya, seeing it ultimately as a Kenyan problem that needed a Kenyan solution. Although I certainly agree that Kenyans must be actively involved in reaching a solution for their country, I don't think the EU (or the US) should just pass it off as a Kenyan problem, when the roots of poverty and inequality can be traced directly to our meddling there. I feel like we have a responsibility to fix it - yet if we have screwed things up in the past so many times, would we really do more harm or good by being involved now? I don't know...
Wednesday was the highlight - I went to the European Parliment! Ever since I found out they were in session this week I had been excited about going, and three other students from BCA ended up coming with me. We skipped class, but it was totally worth it! Normally I would feel really guilty about skipping class, but here I don't want to spend all of my time in a classroom - I think I'm going to learn so much more by going places and taking advantage of these once in a lifetime opportunities! It felt good to not do what I should for once in my life, and instead seize the moment and take part in something extraordinary. Lyrics to Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" and Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" were running through my head all afternoon :)
My first glimpse of the building was awe-inspiring. It wasn't just the architecture (which was impressive) - it was a sense of the incredible amount of power concentrated here, the world leaders in this building at this moment making decisions that will impact people around the globe. It's hard to explain, but it gave me the chills.... When we got inside we found out that although they were in session it was not open to the public until for another hour and a half. We ended up killing time by walking around - it was a beautiful day, and we discovered a lovely little park nearby. What could've been a really frustrating wait ended up being a really wonderful afternoon :)
When we finally could go into the Parliment session, it was amazing! They were debating the situation in Kenya, which I had just read an article about in TIME magazine. In case you're not aware, there has been a lot of conflict in recent weeks following their presidential election at the end of December. Violent protests erupted after disputed election results were released, and over 600 people have died so far. The killing has been mostly along ethnic lines, making swift action even more imperative to stop it from spiraling into the kind of ethnic cleansing that has plagued other parts of Africa. Already 250,000+ people have been displaced, most fleeing to neighboring Uganda. The debate in the Parliment about this was fascinating, and centered around what to do about the European Union's budget. One day after the election $40 million had been transferred to the Kenyan government, now largely believed to be corrupt and potentially illegitimate. Some members supported cutting off funding, saying that the European Union needed to make it clear that good government is a prerequesite for financial support. Others said that would be inhumane, and that funding should continue with better monitoring and transparency. Still others argued for re-routing money to agencies that provide services directly to the people instead of putting it into the hands of the government. I think I like that option best, but no specifics were discussed as to how that would look on the ground. I definitely agreed with those who said that the root of this conflict is poverty - although the country as a whole has experienced economic growth, the wealth created has not been evenly distributed, leaving the vast majority of the population in abject poverty. The EU (and presumably the US also) had sung Kenya's praises for being peaceful and democratic while turning a blind eye to its corruption and social ills.
On the tram ride back we were discussing the session, particularly the dilemma of how Western nations should involve themselves in conflicts in parts of the world where their colonialism and neocolonialism created the situation in the first place! One representative had been adament that the EU should not impose its solutions on Kenya, seeing it ultimately as a Kenyan problem that needed a Kenyan solution. Although I certainly agree that Kenyans must be actively involved in reaching a solution for their country, I don't think the EU (or the US) should just pass it off as a Kenyan problem, when the roots of poverty and inequality can be traced directly to our meddling there. I feel like we have a responsibility to fix it - yet if we have screwed things up in the past so many times, would we really do more harm or good by being involved now? I don't know...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Je commence des cours...
I am exhausted after my first 2 days of classes. It takes so much energy to concentrate on understanding what the profs are saying while at the same time taking notes on the material...
In House Church we sometimes share by saying "highs" and "lows", so I'm going to do that for the past 2 days since I've had a lot of ups and downs...
-HIGH: Monday morning I went to 3 hrs of French language instruction - which sounds awful but was actually really good. It's part of my Grammar Block that I'll have 12 hours a week with the same group of students. It was really easy - the prof spoke slowly and clearly, and we spent most of the time introducing ourselves and getting to know the other people in the group. I came out of it feeling encouraged in my French skills because I was able to understand almost everything the prof said.
-LOW: Monday late afternoon I went to two literature classes which were pretty boring. I had some difficulty understanding the profs, and by the end was starting to zone out. I started to wonder if my other classes would be like this...
-LOW: Dinner Monday night was the most awkward thing in the world! The 29-year-old son of my host family came to visit, and he spoke so quickly that I could barely understand anything. When I was introduced I had to "bise" him - in France you kiss people on both cheeks as a greeting - which I had only done twice before and was weird. When all of us were at dinner the three of them talked non-stop at such a pace that I quickly gave up trying to understand. I just concentrated on my food and tried to be invisible. It was nice in a way because I didn't have to put forth the effort of trying to formulate sentences in French, but it totally blew my confidence of the morning in my French skills. French spoken in a classroom in very different than French spoken in casual conversation! After dinner I opted to read a magazine (they get TIME here - that was actually a HIGH because I like knowing what's going on in the world. I read about ethnic cleansing in Kenya and the situation in Pakistan, which were both very interesting.) But I could hear all of them in the next room talking and laughing and having fun, and it made me wish I was with my family and friends at home where I was part of that group. When I went up to my room I was feeling pretty down, so I decided to look at some pictures I had brought. They really cheered me up, and I got inspired to use some to decorate my room. I also got inspired to do some more unpacking - I hadn't unpacked everything when I first arrived, and then hadn't gotten around to it in the past week. So I guess the evening really turned into a HIGH...God's cool like that :)
-LOW: In my French language class this morning I was really frustrated with the grammar lesson we were doing. I was trying hard to understand it, but having a really difficult time. The prof came over and explained it to me again, so I think I understand the concept, but I'm not real confident that I can do the exercise. The most frustrating part is that it is NOT grammar that I'm going to use in conversation - it's too complicated. I had hoped that the Grammar Block would give me a refresher on some of the basic stuff that's I've forgotten - different verb tenses, negatives, conjunctions, etc. But instead of reviewing that stuff, we're moving on to harder stuff! So my confidence in my French skills plummeted yet again...and any review of useful grammar will have to be on my own.
-HIGH: This afternoon was really good - I had a class on French Society that turned out to be really interesting, and then went to a "Litterature Desinees"class that turned out to be about cartoons! I was going to go to a class on European Institutions, but it turned out that it was a continuation of a fall class and new students weren't allowed in. I was kinda bummed about that, but while waiting for my next class I got into a really good political discussion with another BCA student. We have the same views about almost everything, and our discussion meandered from how to work for change without getting too discouraged, the US's abysmal foreign policy and how it has caused pretty-much every problem in the world, terrorism and who gets to define it, globalization, and the presidential election. I love discussions like that! :) I guess that's one thing that's been hard about speaking French (a LOW) - I can't articulate my thoughts in an intelligent manner. Like our director said during orientation, I have the vocabulary of a child and that's how I sound when I talk to French people. It's frustrating not to be able to say what I'm thinking, and it's difficult to form relationships when my ability to communicate is so limited.
-LOW: When some friends and I were walking back from the university they wanted to see which way was faster, but they walked so fast that I couldn't keep up. Instead of waiting, they left me to walk about a block behind. They thought it was funny, but I didn't. I hate the feeling of being left behind...
-HIGH: Tonight I took the dog for a walk as usual, and that helped clear my head. At dinner the awkwardness of the night before was gone, and we had a very pleasant time. I was even able to talk coherently in French about my day :) Afterwards we watched the news, and now I'm here at BCA writing to all of you! So it was a good evening.
Thanks for listening to my highs and lows...although this post was not any shorter as I had promised. Hope all is well on the other side of the pond, and let me know what's going on with you! :)
~Peace~
Amanda
In House Church we sometimes share by saying "highs" and "lows", so I'm going to do that for the past 2 days since I've had a lot of ups and downs...
-HIGH: Monday morning I went to 3 hrs of French language instruction - which sounds awful but was actually really good. It's part of my Grammar Block that I'll have 12 hours a week with the same group of students. It was really easy - the prof spoke slowly and clearly, and we spent most of the time introducing ourselves and getting to know the other people in the group. I came out of it feeling encouraged in my French skills because I was able to understand almost everything the prof said.
-LOW: Monday late afternoon I went to two literature classes which were pretty boring. I had some difficulty understanding the profs, and by the end was starting to zone out. I started to wonder if my other classes would be like this...
-LOW: Dinner Monday night was the most awkward thing in the world! The 29-year-old son of my host family came to visit, and he spoke so quickly that I could barely understand anything. When I was introduced I had to "bise" him - in France you kiss people on both cheeks as a greeting - which I had only done twice before and was weird. When all of us were at dinner the three of them talked non-stop at such a pace that I quickly gave up trying to understand. I just concentrated on my food and tried to be invisible. It was nice in a way because I didn't have to put forth the effort of trying to formulate sentences in French, but it totally blew my confidence of the morning in my French skills. French spoken in a classroom in very different than French spoken in casual conversation! After dinner I opted to read a magazine (they get TIME here - that was actually a HIGH because I like knowing what's going on in the world. I read about ethnic cleansing in Kenya and the situation in Pakistan, which were both very interesting.) But I could hear all of them in the next room talking and laughing and having fun, and it made me wish I was with my family and friends at home where I was part of that group. When I went up to my room I was feeling pretty down, so I decided to look at some pictures I had brought. They really cheered me up, and I got inspired to use some to decorate my room. I also got inspired to do some more unpacking - I hadn't unpacked everything when I first arrived, and then hadn't gotten around to it in the past week. So I guess the evening really turned into a HIGH...God's cool like that :)
-LOW: In my French language class this morning I was really frustrated with the grammar lesson we were doing. I was trying hard to understand it, but having a really difficult time. The prof came over and explained it to me again, so I think I understand the concept, but I'm not real confident that I can do the exercise. The most frustrating part is that it is NOT grammar that I'm going to use in conversation - it's too complicated. I had hoped that the Grammar Block would give me a refresher on some of the basic stuff that's I've forgotten - different verb tenses, negatives, conjunctions, etc. But instead of reviewing that stuff, we're moving on to harder stuff! So my confidence in my French skills plummeted yet again...and any review of useful grammar will have to be on my own.
-HIGH: This afternoon was really good - I had a class on French Society that turned out to be really interesting, and then went to a "Litterature Desinees"class that turned out to be about cartoons! I was going to go to a class on European Institutions, but it turned out that it was a continuation of a fall class and new students weren't allowed in. I was kinda bummed about that, but while waiting for my next class I got into a really good political discussion with another BCA student. We have the same views about almost everything, and our discussion meandered from how to work for change without getting too discouraged, the US's abysmal foreign policy and how it has caused pretty-much every problem in the world, terrorism and who gets to define it, globalization, and the presidential election. I love discussions like that! :) I guess that's one thing that's been hard about speaking French (a LOW) - I can't articulate my thoughts in an intelligent manner. Like our director said during orientation, I have the vocabulary of a child and that's how I sound when I talk to French people. It's frustrating not to be able to say what I'm thinking, and it's difficult to form relationships when my ability to communicate is so limited.
-LOW: When some friends and I were walking back from the university they wanted to see which way was faster, but they walked so fast that I couldn't keep up. Instead of waiting, they left me to walk about a block behind. They thought it was funny, but I didn't. I hate the feeling of being left behind...
-HIGH: Tonight I took the dog for a walk as usual, and that helped clear my head. At dinner the awkwardness of the night before was gone, and we had a very pleasant time. I was even able to talk coherently in French about my day :) Afterwards we watched the news, and now I'm here at BCA writing to all of you! So it was a good evening.
Thanks for listening to my highs and lows...although this post was not any shorter as I had promised. Hope all is well on the other side of the pond, and let me know what's going on with you! :)
~Peace~
Amanda
Sunday, January 13, 2008
La premiere semain (the first week)
Well, I've been here almost a week (since Tues afternoon) but it seems like so much has happened...it's hard to know where to start!
Before I left, the thing I was most worried about was making friends. As an introvert, this is not something that comes easily to me, and the thought of being in a strange country where I knew NO ONE terrified me. But as I finished packing on Monday and headed to the airport, my worries gave way to excitement - I was going to France! And as it turns out, I needn't have worried about friends... I've clicked with some of the other American students in my program - especially 2 who live near me - and am excited to get to know them better.
The group of BCA (Brethren Colleges Abroad) students are different than I expected, though - most notably in that they like to drink. I guess I had thought because it was a Brethren program that would not be as present, but students here definitely go out to bars and buy wine to drink in their rooms. I've made it clear that I don't drink, although that's a lonely position at times. But my dad's family is alcoholic and I'm scared to death that I'll have that gene. And even if not, I don't want to risk impairing my judgment, especially in a strange country with people I don't know well. All in all, there's really no good reason for me to drink, so I am committed to sticking to my l'eau (water) and jus (juice).
The most challenging part so far has been the language. My first night with my host family (Wed) I felt so out of my league - they were talking French very fast and I had no idea what they were saying most of the time. I would have this confused look on my face most of the time, and then often they would switch to English. I felt so stupid, and the second night I didn't want to go home for dinner. But I'm glad I did, because this time my host sister (who's 22) spoke slower and forced me to speak in French more instead of switching to English for me. So it's gotten progressively better - I still don't understand everything, but I do understand more and am able to express myself better. They keep telling me that by the end of the semester my French will be so good - I hope so! The difficult part is that spoken French is way different than written French - when a French person speaks at the normal speed all of their words run together so it's hard to recognize what words I know. So it's a challenge, but it is getting easier :)
As for my host family themselves, they are very nice - it's just a mother and her daughter. Things were pretty awkward in the beginning, and still are at times, but I like them. They live in a flat (apartment) that's really cute and comfortable. Both me and the daughter live in rooms that used to be maid's quarters 2 floors up. To tell you the truth, it's kinda creepy - it's the very top floor and is always dark. There are lots of doors but we are the only ones who live up there, and the silence freaks me out. But the room itself is nice, and I have a great view of the city from my window!
Speaking of which, Strasbourg is absolutely gorgeous! Our first night here (Tues) we did a walking tour of the city, and I went a little picture-happy with my new digital camera :) I'll post some of the best pics here and put the rest on Facebook. The buildings are old and beautiful, and there's so much history and culture here. There's also an amazing public transit system - one of the many things Europe does better than America :) One of my goals for this semester is to learn as much as I can about how the French system compares to the US, in terms of their provisions for the poor, healthcare (that one's a no-brainer!), education, criminal justice, etc, so look for further posts about that! Oh and by the way, I got into my first political discussion Friday night at dinner - Hillary Clinton is the most recognized American political name here, and so I was saying that I liked her. Then they asked me about Bush, and I said he was "mal" (bad) and tried to figure out how to explain in French why I don't like him. It was fun :)
I would be remiss if I did not mention the food - it's AMAZING! I get a home-cooked dinner every night, comprised of several courses: a soup or salad, a main dish, bread and cheese, dessert, and fruit. Although it sounds like a lot, the portions are not American-size, so I can eat 1 or 2 servings of everything without feeling too full by the end. Plus I walk everywhere here and climb 6 flights of stairs to get to my room, so I may even lose weight while I'm here!
I hit perhaps my lowest point so far this morning after I came home from church. I visited the Mennonite church around the corner, but no one talked to me or welcomed me, which made me miss my church communities at home. But I talked to some other students who visited different churches, and people were really welcoming there, so that made me feel better. Finding a good church community here is really important to me...I don't want it to be a semester of spiritual slump for me.
Tomorrow classes start, although I still don't know exactly what I'm taking. The university system is different here, so the first week we're just supposed to go to a bunch of classes and decide which ones to take. Most of them are 1-credit, so we have to find 3 related ones to transfer as a 3-credit class. So it'll be interesting to figure all of that out... The classes will be in French, so that will certainly be a stretch for me. They offer some really cool politics and sociology classes, so I'm excited about that :)
Well, I think that's about it...sorry this post is so long. I'll try to write more frequent shorter posts in the future :) Hope all is well with you back home!
~Paix~
Amanda
Before I left, the thing I was most worried about was making friends. As an introvert, this is not something that comes easily to me, and the thought of being in a strange country where I knew NO ONE terrified me. But as I finished packing on Monday and headed to the airport, my worries gave way to excitement - I was going to France! And as it turns out, I needn't have worried about friends... I've clicked with some of the other American students in my program - especially 2 who live near me - and am excited to get to know them better.
The group of BCA (Brethren Colleges Abroad) students are different than I expected, though - most notably in that they like to drink. I guess I had thought because it was a Brethren program that would not be as present, but students here definitely go out to bars and buy wine to drink in their rooms. I've made it clear that I don't drink, although that's a lonely position at times. But my dad's family is alcoholic and I'm scared to death that I'll have that gene. And even if not, I don't want to risk impairing my judgment, especially in a strange country with people I don't know well. All in all, there's really no good reason for me to drink, so I am committed to sticking to my l'eau (water) and jus (juice).
The most challenging part so far has been the language. My first night with my host family (Wed) I felt so out of my league - they were talking French very fast and I had no idea what they were saying most of the time. I would have this confused look on my face most of the time, and then often they would switch to English. I felt so stupid, and the second night I didn't want to go home for dinner. But I'm glad I did, because this time my host sister (who's 22) spoke slower and forced me to speak in French more instead of switching to English for me. So it's gotten progressively better - I still don't understand everything, but I do understand more and am able to express myself better. They keep telling me that by the end of the semester my French will be so good - I hope so! The difficult part is that spoken French is way different than written French - when a French person speaks at the normal speed all of their words run together so it's hard to recognize what words I know. So it's a challenge, but it is getting easier :)
As for my host family themselves, they are very nice - it's just a mother and her daughter. Things were pretty awkward in the beginning, and still are at times, but I like them. They live in a flat (apartment) that's really cute and comfortable. Both me and the daughter live in rooms that used to be maid's quarters 2 floors up. To tell you the truth, it's kinda creepy - it's the very top floor and is always dark. There are lots of doors but we are the only ones who live up there, and the silence freaks me out. But the room itself is nice, and I have a great view of the city from my window!
Speaking of which, Strasbourg is absolutely gorgeous! Our first night here (Tues) we did a walking tour of the city, and I went a little picture-happy with my new digital camera :) I'll post some of the best pics here and put the rest on Facebook. The buildings are old and beautiful, and there's so much history and culture here. There's also an amazing public transit system - one of the many things Europe does better than America :) One of my goals for this semester is to learn as much as I can about how the French system compares to the US, in terms of their provisions for the poor, healthcare (that one's a no-brainer!), education, criminal justice, etc, so look for further posts about that! Oh and by the way, I got into my first political discussion Friday night at dinner - Hillary Clinton is the most recognized American political name here, and so I was saying that I liked her. Then they asked me about Bush, and I said he was "mal" (bad) and tried to figure out how to explain in French why I don't like him. It was fun :)
I would be remiss if I did not mention the food - it's AMAZING! I get a home-cooked dinner every night, comprised of several courses: a soup or salad, a main dish, bread and cheese, dessert, and fruit. Although it sounds like a lot, the portions are not American-size, so I can eat 1 or 2 servings of everything without feeling too full by the end. Plus I walk everywhere here and climb 6 flights of stairs to get to my room, so I may even lose weight while I'm here!
I hit perhaps my lowest point so far this morning after I came home from church. I visited the Mennonite church around the corner, but no one talked to me or welcomed me, which made me miss my church communities at home. But I talked to some other students who visited different churches, and people were really welcoming there, so that made me feel better. Finding a good church community here is really important to me...I don't want it to be a semester of spiritual slump for me.
Tomorrow classes start, although I still don't know exactly what I'm taking. The university system is different here, so the first week we're just supposed to go to a bunch of classes and decide which ones to take. Most of them are 1-credit, so we have to find 3 related ones to transfer as a 3-credit class. So it'll be interesting to figure all of that out... The classes will be in French, so that will certainly be a stretch for me. They offer some really cool politics and sociology classes, so I'm excited about that :)
Well, I think that's about it...sorry this post is so long. I'll try to write more frequent shorter posts in the future :) Hope all is well with you back home!
~Paix~
Amanda
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Bonjour from Strasbourg! :)
I know I've told many of you that I was going to have a blog while I was in Strasbourg, and now three days after I left, here it is! I hope to not only keep you updated on my life (ma vie!), but have this serve as a form of journaling/reflection for me as I process my experiences here. I'll also post some pictures - although more will be on Facebook :) So that's my plan. Also I would love to get comments from you, and have enabled anyone to post comments - not just those with Google accounts.
Right now I need to go to dinner - although it's only 1:30pm in the US! Strasbourg is 6 hrs ahead, just so you know. I will post much more tomorrow - for right now I will just assure you that I am here, I am alive and doing fairly well, and the city is absolutely gorgeous...
A bientot! (See ya!)
~Paix~
Amanda
Right now I need to go to dinner - although it's only 1:30pm in the US! Strasbourg is 6 hrs ahead, just so you know. I will post much more tomorrow - for right now I will just assure you that I am here, I am alive and doing fairly well, and the city is absolutely gorgeous...
A bientot! (See ya!)
~Paix~
Amanda
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