i leave for the university of bourgogne in twenty minutes to take my French language placement test. provided that i arrive there without issue, the compulsion to fully demonstrate my lack of language skills should be interesting. my host mom is accompanying me to school this morning, as today is my first day. it feels like kindergarten again, and i absolutely love it.
last night, my parents took me to my resident director's house, where students and their host families mingled. French children are most definitely my new favorite accessories. especially when they giggle with French accents--yes, that's possible.
anne and jean-claude have been fabulous to me. we laugh all the time, because i never know what i'm saying (or trying to say...). i feel that, even if we were doing this whole sha-bang in english, it would still be difficult, and, inevitably, awkward. my host sister blanche is incredibly helpful; yesterday, she walked me to the bus station and explained to me (about four times) the directions. we both love cats, stars, and naming random objects. she also thinks my "accent" is the most hilarious thing in the world, thank God!
after watching Grey's Anatomy with Blanche last night (sans subtitles!!!! YES), i slept deeply and well. my bed is comfortable and big, my room quiet, and the temperature entirely up to me. dorm life will definitely be a sad adjustment.
i love you all, and i'm sorry these posts are so random. i feel more random right now than i know what to do with. : )
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Je suis ici!
Lovely ones, there are a few things I've learned over the last couple of days, none of which happen to be particularly academic. Alas, no matter. I shall share them with you anyway.
one. dijon pigeons, albinos included, attack five-euro brie like there's no tomorrow. they fling it in the air, peck it to pieces, and end up absolutely brie-covered, feathery ruffs and all. if all the pigeons in dijon die of food poisoning, i hold myself personally responsible.
two. the man demanding two euros for entry into the Notre Dame Paroisse de Dijon is not an agent of the Catholic church. he is a scammer, and a hungry one at that. give him the euros if you want. the inside of the church is definitely worth it.
three. two red-eyes separated by and extremely long early morning layover is a bad idea. two nights of dijon night life following those red-eyes is an even worse one.
four. when all of our ships come in, we should definitely get a villa in france, one with its own terasse that overlooks the city. after all, Colby has one...why shouldn't we?
more to come. i apologize for the font troubles. je deteste la technologie, donc this blog is a stretch. love to all.
one. dijon pigeons, albinos included, attack five-euro brie like there's no tomorrow. they fling it in the air, peck it to pieces, and end up absolutely brie-covered, feathery ruffs and all. if all the pigeons in dijon die of food poisoning, i hold myself personally responsible.
two. the man demanding two euros for entry into the Notre Dame Paroisse de Dijon is not an agent of the Catholic church. he is a scammer, and a hungry one at that. give him the euros if you want. the inside of the church is definitely worth it.
three. two red-eyes separated by and extremely long early morning layover is a bad idea. two nights of dijon night life following those red-eyes is an even worse one.
four. when all of our ships come in, we should definitely get a villa in france, one with its own terasse that overlooks the city. after all, Colby has one...why shouldn't we?
more to come. i apologize for the font troubles. je deteste la technologie, donc this blog is a stretch. love to all.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
oops
correction (and grace, please): Dijon is six hours ahead of east coast time, and nine hours ahead of west coast time. that makes sense, yes? congenital spacial difficulties + being bi-coastal most definitely complicates time travel.
my "what i did over the summer paper" is not yet complete, so, sadly, the to-do list is still as long as it was this morning. ferociously crossing off items is not an option until they are one-hundred percent through.
it appears that zinke's shoe shop and von's pharmacy will have to await my patronage. as will best buy, sears, and the like.
oh, i do miss my desk job in small-town Maine on nights like this.
my "what i did over the summer paper" is not yet complete, so, sadly, the to-do list is still as long as it was this morning. ferociously crossing off items is not an option until they are one-hundred percent through.
it appears that zinke's shoe shop and von's pharmacy will have to await my patronage. as will best buy, sears, and the like.
oh, i do miss my desk job in small-town Maine on nights like this.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday is the DAY (slash night)
Hi family and friends! I leave for Boston on a red-eye Wednesday, August 26th, and will be heading to Dijon shortly thereafter. I plan on staying through mid-December and should be back by Christmas. A quick intro to the family I'll be staying with: My host mom is a professor of French and classical literature, and my host dad works in human resources. They have a sixteen-year-old daughter and two cats. I figure the blog-thing is more convenient than sending out mass e-mails, but I'd still love mail of any kind! I'll make a point to check my email (knparker@colby.edu), and would love to hear from anyone anytime...I believe Dijon is 9 hours ahead of East Coast time.Off to write a paper on my summer internship and then to tackle the rest of my to-do list. Love to all.
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