I apologize profusely for my considerable lapse in bloggage for the past few weeks. So much has been happening and most of it has been without internet. Now that my time here is coming to a close I have made an effort to set aside some time to catch up. I hope it will work to put everything in just the one post. I've taken so many photos I don't know where to start or end or or or...I'll try.
and in the beginning...there was...
paper before computers. When I realized I wouldn't have a computer for awhile I started writing on paper; something I wish I had done from the beginning. There is something about writing your thoughts out on paper. The physicality is satisfying and the art-icality is fulfilling.
le vingt-neuf juin, 2009. 20:48
Nous sommes arrivés avant-hier. Il est très bon. La maison est belle et il fait très chaud. Malheureusement, il n'y a pas d'Internet, et la ville est trop petite. C'est une dommage.
Il ya une piscine, jacuzzi et sauna. et le lac! Peut-être on y va au lac aujourd'hui. Maintenant, je vais à la piscine parce-que il fait vraiment chaud.
La Piscine
le trente juin, 2009
It seems utterly crazy that it is already the last day of June. That means 20 days left of France (for now). I find myself hearing someone say something that sounds like a sentence in English, and then my brain automatically translates it into French so I'm always unsure what was truly said and in what language. Did they really say that sentence and I just heard it in English? Or did my brain just try to make sense out of sounds I didn't understand?
excerpt from a book I'm reading; The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
My french was neither good nor bad. I had enough to understand what people said to me, but speaking was difficult, and there were times when no words came to my lips, when I struggled to say even the simplest things. There was a certain pleasure in this, I believe -- to experience language as a collection of sounds, to be forced to the surface of words where meanings vanish -- but it was also quite wearing, and it had the effect of shutting me up in my thoughts. In order to understand what people were saying, I had to translate everything silently into English, which meant that even when I understood, I was understanding at one remove -- doing twice the work and getting half the result. Nuances, subliminal associations, undercurrents -- all these things were lost on me. In the end, it would probably not be wrong to say that everything was lost on me.
Still, I pushed ahead...
while not all of this has been my exact experience, it resonates strongly with me.
I was sitting on the toilet, thinking about cheese, when I became aware of a though brushing the edges of my awareness. Upon inspection, I realized to my surprise and delight that it was in French. Demain est la derniere jour ici. (Yes, not sophisticated, but there it is.) I've had french words or phrases stuck in my head before, but it's always a repetition of something I've recently heard, and usually not applicable to anything current. But this! I started giggling on the toilet when I realized I'd had an unconscious, applicable french thought, however rudimentary. My awe of this might have faded considerably by tomorrow morning, as I've had champagne, but I am very excited at this progression.
The frenchman who owns these two chalets and the pool is entertaining in the extreme and hilariously french. The first day here we were invited to dinner at his and his wife's house. After 3+ hour meal, amid much gaiety and champagne, Pierre told me he was the mayor (!) of this town (later I learned this town is comprised of maybe 80 people) and that he would like to 'have relations between his town and mine.' I think this is something akin to sister cities.
Clapping me on the back (I think some of my fondness for him stems from this and my craving for physical contact) Pierre began to tell me about his trip to the US. Apparently after exploring the entirety of Route 66 (oh la la! tout doit, a droite - l'espace à gauche, droit, à droite - c'était magnifique! *kisses his fingertips in the most stereotypical french gesture* c'était superbe; magnifique!) he then spent four days in Las Vegas winning several thousand dollars at Black Jack. I think he might've gained a false impression.
Patrick, Pierre, Noe, Celine, Samuel, Moi, Alice, Alice's parents
le treize juillet, 2009. 16:20
Riding back to Paris in style. 1st class with the Cumberfords. I wish I had had time to record all that has gone on for the past several days, but everything has been extremely jam-packed.
Back on the 9th, I rode Dorlisheim->Strasbourg->Paris, where I had a joyful reunion with the Cumberfords. Katie gave me a hug from mom -- I hadn't realized how close tears were to the surface.
And yet this was also such a joyful moment. My first friends I was actually able to fully be with in 2 long months! This was exhilarating. I had been wondering every day up until this moment what it would be like to suddenly be able to speak the subtleties of my thoughts fully and completely. It was pretty much what I expected. I felt like I was born anew into the little pleasures of life, unable to stop using this miraculous tool to express myself. I think I talked a lot those first days. An interesting side note about this language "switch" was the tendencies for french words or phrases to slip easily and almost unnoticed by me into my speech. Definitely for the first day, and less so for the days after, I would have to consciously speak English. I would almost say a French word before catching msyelf -- usually just the ands/ors/buts, but sometimes bigger, complex words.
After laughing, crying, squealing and giggling in Paris l'Est, we then rode Paris->London in 1st class through the Chunnel (where we are right now, except in the opposite direction). Since arriving in England everything has blurred into perpetually hauling ass through hordes of people, trying to navigate trains above and below ground. All while lugging more stuff than maybe was necessary (like the 2lb sack of gluten-free flour I just had to buy).
The switch to English took less time then I'd expected. After the first day, I feel completely english-oriented once again (my 'likes' and other annoying english-ism having crept back in against my wishes). It will be interesting to see how completely confused I will be when we arrive in Paris this afternoon. (I LOVE british accents!!!!)
Estella completely loved Writtle College (we visited friday the 10th and saturday). I feel very glad to have been able to have visited with her, as it seems she will be at Writtle for at least 3 years starting fall 2010. It has all made me very excited about colleges once again. Once I get some time with internet I really want to research colleges in Germany and Sweden (as they have little to no tuition cost, and more importantly are in a foreign country).
In London I got to see Westminster Abby, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and rode a double-decker and the Eye (w/ Estella) -- all in one afternoon. Jam packed, but a good experience. I'm ready and excited to get to Paris!!!
Another though, ever present in my mind: 7 days til Frankfurt. 7 days til home.
15 Juillet, 2009.
Craziness.
I have never been around so many people as I was yesterday and night. I have no idea the exact number, but it was upwards of 2 million people in attendance of the spectacular performance of Bastille day in Paris. Johnny Hallyday played (holy crap, did I really see Johnny Hallyday play in front of the Eiffel tower for the 120 anniversary of Bastille day?!) and then there was an out-of-this-world fireworks/light display on and around the Eiffel Tower. The technology is such that, with lighting effects, it was as if the Eiffel Tower was dancing. And the fireworks! C'etait vraiment magnifique.
We were out in Paris the entire day. Francois and his family are extremely nice people and took us on a boat and bus tour. Also, they have with them an exchange student from Mexico -- Aurora. She is one of those amazing points of light in the world. We only got to see her for a day, but hopefully she will come to NC and both Estella and I are invited to Mexico!
Paris is all I thought it would be and more. I haven't had time to really explore, but just the buildings and the magnificent architecture makes it worth it to have come. Anywhere else just one of these buildings would be spectacular, but here every single one of them are historic works of art. I'm itching to be exploring toute seul right now, but it's so nice to be able to sit in one place and write. Francois was very kind and invited me to stay for one extra night, even though their apartment is very small. Everyone speaks english so well here (including Aurora! So in awe and jealous!) that I haven't had much chance to practice french. A shame, as I'm Leaving! in fives days. C'est fou, ca.
My most amazing moment thus far, maybe out of this whole trip, was today when I realized I was speaking to someone whose native tongue is Spanish, while my native tongue is English, and we were talking in French. That is absolutely amazing to me.
I realize a lot is missing. However it is impossible to retrieve everything from the shadows. I have had such a truly amazing time here. I also feel like I am still in the thick of things; a lot is happening in the next 5 days. Tomorrow I am with Francois, his two daughters, son, and Estella. In the afternoon I go off on my own and stay for the next (and last) two nights in l'Auberge de Jeunesse, which is like a hostel. On the 18th I take the train back to Strasbourg, and on the 20th I take a bus to Frankfurt and...FLY HOME! !!!!!!!!!! !!!!!notre chalet
La Piscine
Pierre, Alice, Sam (tout le monde joue la guitar!)
Notre repas
Notre repas
le trente juin, 2009
It seems utterly crazy that it is already the last day of June. That means 20 days left of France (for now). I find myself hearing someone say something that sounds like a sentence in English, and then my brain automatically translates it into French so I'm always unsure what was truly said and in what language. Did they really say that sentence and I just heard it in English? Or did my brain just try to make sense out of sounds I didn't understand?
excerpt from a book I'm reading; The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
My french was neither good nor bad. I had enough to understand what people said to me, but speaking was difficult, and there were times when no words came to my lips, when I struggled to say even the simplest things. There was a certain pleasure in this, I believe -- to experience language as a collection of sounds, to be forced to the surface of words where meanings vanish -- but it was also quite wearing, and it had the effect of shutting me up in my thoughts. In order to understand what people were saying, I had to translate everything silently into English, which meant that even when I understood, I was understanding at one remove -- doing twice the work and getting half the result. Nuances, subliminal associations, undercurrents -- all these things were lost on me. In the end, it would probably not be wrong to say that everything was lost on me.
Still, I pushed ahead...
while not all of this has been my exact experience, it resonates strongly with me.
Les Cygnes
le deux juillet, 2009
I was sitting on the toilet, thinking about cheese, when I became aware of a though brushing the edges of my awareness. Upon inspection, I realized to my surprise and delight that it was in French. Demain est la derniere jour ici. (Yes, not sophisticated, but there it is.) I've had french words or phrases stuck in my head before, but it's always a repetition of something I've recently heard, and usually not applicable to anything current. But this! I started giggling on the toilet when I realized I'd had an unconscious, applicable french thought, however rudimentary. My awe of this might have faded considerably by tomorrow morning, as I've had champagne, but I am very excited at this progression.
The frenchman who owns these two chalets and the pool is entertaining in the extreme and hilariously french. The first day here we were invited to dinner at his and his wife's house. After 3+ hour meal, amid much gaiety and champagne, Pierre told me he was the mayor (!) of this town (later I learned this town is comprised of maybe 80 people) and that he would like to 'have relations between his town and mine.' I think this is something akin to sister cities.
Clapping me on the back (I think some of my fondness for him stems from this and my craving for physical contact) Pierre began to tell me about his trip to the US. Apparently after exploring the entirety of Route 66 (oh la la! tout doit, a droite - l'espace à gauche, droit, à droite - c'était magnifique! *kisses his fingertips in the most stereotypical french gesture* c'était superbe; magnifique!) he then spent four days in Las Vegas winning several thousand dollars at Black Jack. I think he might've gained a false impression.
Patrick, Pierre, Noe, Celine, Samuel, Moi, Alice, Alice's parents le treize juillet, 2009. 16:20
Riding back to Paris in style. 1st class with the Cumberfords. I wish I had had time to record all that has gone on for the past several days, but everything has been extremely jam-packed.
Back on the 9th, I rode Dorlisheim->Strasbourg->Paris, where I had a joyful reunion with the Cumberfords. Katie gave me a hug from mom -- I hadn't realized how close tears were to the surface.
And yet this was also such a joyful moment. My first friends I was actually able to fully be with in 2 long months! This was exhilarating. I had been wondering every day up until this moment what it would be like to suddenly be able to speak the subtleties of my thoughts fully and completely. It was pretty much what I expected. I felt like I was born anew into the little pleasures of life, unable to stop using this miraculous tool to express myself. I think I talked a lot those first days. An interesting side note about this language "switch" was the tendencies for french words or phrases to slip easily and almost unnoticed by me into my speech. Definitely for the first day, and less so for the days after, I would have to consciously speak English. I would almost say a French word before catching msyelf -- usually just the ands/ors/buts, but sometimes bigger, complex words.
After laughing, crying, squealing and giggling in Paris l'Est, we then rode Paris->London in 1st class through the Chunnel (where we are right now, except in the opposite direction). Since arriving in England everything has blurred into perpetually hauling ass through hordes of people, trying to navigate trains above and below ground. All while lugging more stuff than maybe was necessary (like the 2lb sack of gluten-free flour I just had to buy).
The switch to English took less time then I'd expected. After the first day, I feel completely english-oriented once again (my 'likes' and other annoying english-ism having crept back in against my wishes). It will be interesting to see how completely confused I will be when we arrive in Paris this afternoon. (I LOVE british accents!!!!)
Estella completely loved Writtle College (we visited friday the 10th and saturday). I feel very glad to have been able to have visited with her, as it seems she will be at Writtle for at least 3 years starting fall 2010. It has all made me very excited about colleges once again. Once I get some time with internet I really want to research colleges in Germany and Sweden (as they have little to no tuition cost, and more importantly are in a foreign country).
In London I got to see Westminster Abby, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and rode a double-decker and the Eye (w/ Estella) -- all in one afternoon. Jam packed, but a good experience. I'm ready and excited to get to Paris!!!
Another though, ever present in my mind: 7 days til Frankfurt. 7 days til home.
15 Juillet, 2009.
Craziness.
I have never been around so many people as I was yesterday and night. I have no idea the exact number, but it was upwards of 2 million people in attendance of the spectacular performance of Bastille day in Paris. Johnny Hallyday played (holy crap, did I really see Johnny Hallyday play in front of the Eiffel tower for the 120 anniversary of Bastille day?!) and then there was an out-of-this-world fireworks/light display on and around the Eiffel Tower. The technology is such that, with lighting effects, it was as if the Eiffel Tower was dancing. And the fireworks! C'etait vraiment magnifique.
We were out in Paris the entire day. Francois and his family are extremely nice people and took us on a boat and bus tour. Also, they have with them an exchange student from Mexico -- Aurora. She is one of those amazing points of light in the world. We only got to see her for a day, but hopefully she will come to NC and both Estella and I are invited to Mexico!
Paris is all I thought it would be and more. I haven't had time to really explore, but just the buildings and the magnificent architecture makes it worth it to have come. Anywhere else just one of these buildings would be spectacular, but here every single one of them are historic works of art. I'm itching to be exploring toute seul right now, but it's so nice to be able to sit in one place and write. Francois was very kind and invited me to stay for one extra night, even though their apartment is very small. Everyone speaks english so well here (including Aurora! So in awe and jealous!) that I haven't had much chance to practice french. A shame, as I'm Leaving! in fives days. C'est fou, ca.
My most amazing moment thus far, maybe out of this whole trip, was today when I realized I was speaking to someone whose native tongue is Spanish, while my native tongue is English, and we were talking in French. That is absolutely amazing to me.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully I will get another chance to write while I'm still in France. I have so many photos I'm terrified to go through them all. But I'll post them up as soon as I get the chance. I also need to write more about this wonderful city PARIS! I hope there aren't too many type-o's.
I hope all is well with everyone, where ever they may be in the world right now. (That's another thing -- tied for first as the most amazing thing on my trip -- ............no one knows where I am. Yes, generally you all know I'm supposed to be in France, and now you know I'm in Paris...but..........no one knows where I am. That's a mind-boggling realisation. I like this whole no-cellphone thing.)
So much love.
Micaela
Viviane, moi, Paul-Eric, Jean-Luc, Florent (il y a un autre fils, Jean-Baptiste, qui n'est pas là)
I apologize for not commenting on your blog earlier/more often but I'm going to thoroughly read all of it soon. I could really relate to this, "Since arriving in England everything has blurred into perpetually hauling ass through hordes of people, trying to navigate trains above and below ground." I had particular trouble with this in Tokyo while I was trying to hop trains.
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