My mom's birthday, or...

Day 15: Another French Saturday

My plan for today was to (1) come up with an abstract for a conference being held at UL (my MA alma mater in Ireland) in November, (2) plan this week’s classes, (3) mark some written work done by the students, (4) work on a translation piece I’m doing to improve my French & (5) finally get started on some grant work I wanted done before I moved... NATURALLY, that’s exactly what happened, hah.

Instead, I woke around noon and played around on the INTERNET & looking & maps of the city/region to get acquainted with bus/tram routes, etc. Turns out I can’t really do the grant-writing until I’ve printed stuff off & needed access to a printer... which is impossible to find, & my uni office bldg is locked on the weekends. SO...

I went into centre ville (town centre) to run some errands... another nice, sunshiny day... lovely! Needed an adaptor for my macbook to connect to the projectors in the classrooms & got lost in the winding streets looking for the Mac store (actually, it’s the “bemac” store... but whatever – it had my product!) & realized that it was right in the place de la Réunion that I’ve been talking lots about. Then I wandered the shops for a bit – went into H&M (it is GIANT) & got a flashdrive at Chapitres, bought some strawberries at a farmer’s market, & found some much-needed supplies at the grocery store, including a knife! I can now slice & dice tomatoes & cucumbers and be a part of the human race again. haha.

I returned home & was on skype with family for a while, then Caroline (the girl from Mulhouse who lived in SC last year) came by with more much-needed supplies (including a duvet & plates! It’s starting to feel like I’m living here & not just surviving...). Then I headed out to Claire’s place to actually try & plan.

We didn’t get much done, but we’re progressing – trying to come up with lesson plans for 6 levels of English over an 11-wk span in 2days is just not reasonable. The fact that (in the English-speaking world) she’s mostly been exposed to Brit Culture & I’ve mostly been exposed to everything BUT Brit culture (okay, not South African... but still) is both a Pro and a Con. We have a wide variety of subject matter to choose from, which makes it both fun & distracting... so it’s slow-going.

After an hour or so of “planning”, we headed over to a prof’s house for an evening with the faculty. The lady’s home we visited was beautiful! It had quite a lot of character and she’s only just moved in – cannot wait to see what she does with the place. The evening went well – a little painful at times, mostly because non of us really know one another and the guests spanned 22 year old lecteurs/lectrices right out of Uni to the Dean of the College of Arts (guessing around 60)... it was a little to “highbrow” for my comfort, but I’ll need to get used to that, eh? Thankfully, my family once again saved me and I had been “invited” to play a board game for my mom’s birthday.

The hostess had been offering to lend me a toaster oven since I arrived, but I’d never gotten around to picking it up, so while I was there, I took it with me... and since my tram wasn’t due for another 20 mins when I got to the station, rather than sitting in the dark alone with my toaster oven, I decided to walk home... took me about 12mins!

I got home in time to join the family on skype for a game of “Are you smarter than a fifth grader?” & had a blast! I heart board games. Such a nerd.

That took me until about 1am my time, when I joined Dracula before bed.

Notice how much I accomplished on my “todo” list??? le SIGH.

not too shabby

Day 14 was LONG... but fantastic!!!

I was at work by 8:30 preparing for my 9am class. The class was too big for the room & the temporary room I was assigned had another class in it, so it looked to be one of “those” days. First class – third year – was advanced beyond my expectations, so the class went by without much effort on their end, but they were all very sweet and seemed glad to be there, which was nice...

Next class was the Master’s class, which ROCKED. Well, as much as a class of 4 girls + me can “rock”. We, too, had a classroom conflict that was tougher to correct than class 1, so we didn’t get started until half past the hour, which left us with a 30-min course. Awesome. But then we talked the whole time about our research interests, places to get materials, and of COURSE, utopian studies! That last part makes me happier than usual because these students actually wanted to learn more about the topic – they were genuinely interested, yay!

Then I had a 5-hr break until my next class. I went back to the office and ran into N – the colleague I had met yesterday – and when I told her how excited I was that the students wanted to know about Utopian Studies, she was curious about it herself, so we talked and she is hoping to have me come in and talk with a few classes about the topic because it would be a good idea for a research project required by many of them... AWESOME! Then I had lunch with Claire, prepped for the evening class, and my break was over... wow.

The last class of the day was another LanSAD 2hr job, but this time I was ready. WHEW. It was another class of all girls – about 12 out of the 18 registered students – and everything went exactly according to plan!!! That never happens! I felt respected, which was fantastic, but we had fun, too... I think... they all fully participated and learned lots of new vocabulary and even took homework with them (we’ll see in a week if they actually DID it). I was bored with the generic intros and decided just to get right to work, but I integrated some “get to know you” questions in throughout the lesson... I think I pulled it off, whew! At the end of class, one girl did come to me concerned that she may not be strong enough in English to stay in the course and I asked her to keep trying and reminded her to not compare herself with the others in the class, but to look for improvement in herself - & she seemed encouraged... don’t know if she’ll return or not, but I feel like I handled things okay...

At the end of the day, X offered a few of us lifts home – so thoughtful! – and I had a supper break at home before heading into town for an evening in at Claire’s with some other lecteur/lectrices. We listened to music, did the tapas/snack thing (which is turning out to be quite an enjoyable tradition!), watched the Ministry of Silly Walks clip from Monty Python on YouTube and debriefed on our past couple days. I must say that after hearing the stories from other depts., I am really, truly grateful to be in the Dept of English!!!

SIDE NOTE: In the afternoon, I was able to talk to my bosses about possibly taking a Friday off in November for a conference in Limerick at UL... looks to be an option, YAY! Now I need to pull together an abstract and see if it gets accepted. It’s in Gender Studies, which is not my area of expertise (or even serious interest), but I did take a Gender Theory course last term and have recently written on Goldsmith at Judy Butler, which was “interesting”... so I am hopeful – and it would just be FANTASTIC if I had a reason to return to the campus!

the "i" word

Days 12 & 13

So things I’ve learned in the past few days include the fact that when I have the INTERNET, I am less likely to write journal entries and more likely to watch tv shows online or skype with people live.

SO.

I got the INTERNET on Tuesday (day 12). I was up early(ish) to go to the bank – got my bank card (PTL) and my own mobile phone, woot! I spent much of the day playing with the phone before I taught 3hrs back-to-back. One was another first-year course (last one of the week, whew!) and then right into a 2-hr LanSAD block. LanSAD = languages for students of other disciplines, which means that these are NOT English majors. But they are in Arts & Humanities, so either other languages (French, German, Comp Lit), history or “the science of education”. This class had 15 enrolled and 6 girls showed up. We did basic introductions, a writing warm-up, talked about the course, and went across the hall to the computer lab to look at the English websites I mentioned in my previous post. All 6 girls ended up on hotguysreadingbooks. Hilarious! So then we* all chose a photo, described what was happening in the photo, why they chose it, what the guy looked like, and if he really was “hot”. haha. SAD.

Then I went home to learn that my INTERNET was working!!!!!! So I talked on Skype with my niece & grandparents – what FREEDOM!!! And then I watched the latest episodes of Rizzoli & Isles and Covert Affairs before falling asleep to Dracula**+.

Day 13 was pretty uneventful – YES! – I had no courses to teach, which was lovely... but I went into the office for a few hours anyway. I prepared for the Third-Year classes & Master’s students that take up most of Thurs & Fri, planned a tiny-bit with Claire, met a new colleague – N – who’s offered to share some French music with me to help me learn the language... and started translating an article from English into French as homework for a class I cannot attend. But I still want to learn, so I’m doing the work for practice.

Then I went grocery shopping – bread, cheese, jam, chips & salsa, and dehydrated foods that I can fix with boiling water from an electric kettle (like soup packets, mashed potatoes & ramen noodles***) before going home to enjoy the INTERNET! I talked with my stepdad and sister today... gave a video tour of the studio apartment in which I live, the giant baguette I bought and a couple varieties of cheese that make me happy.

Then I returned home to study the IKEA website and create my wishlist for when I get paid, before watching Psych & True Blood before crashing. No Dracula tonight, but I got really distracted with the features of the new phone – including Bluetooth****.

*by “we”, I mean they.

**this book feels like it is taking forever to read, but I am kind of glad because I can’t justify buying another book right now... so it’s all good! but if anyone wants to ship some English books just for fun, FEEL FREE!

+ I almost said “falling asleep with Dracula”, but figured that just wasn’t right...

***ramen noodles – the ones that cost like 7cents in the States – cost 1,05 Euros here, what?!?

****did I mention that I now have the INTERNET???????? :)

Lectrice!

Day 11

I wonder how long I can keep up the every day journaling... it would be wild if I was like, “Day 294”... but I don’t have that much dedication, haha! We’ll just have to wait and see.

Today was my first day of teaching classes, yay!!!

I repeated nearly the same introductory lesson 4 times, so there is really not much to tell, but I will try:

I had 2 L1 and 2 L2 classes today. L1s are first-year English majors and L2s are (logically) the 2^nd-years. The classes were an hour each and went like this:

1) Introduced my name & email address.

2) took roll – had them spelling their names in English, fun times.

3) explained the exam expectations

4) explained that this course is an oral class, that they would be graded on participation and that I wanted to make this experience open & comfortable – I also spoke a phrase or 2 in French to show them that my French is worse than their English, which helped them open up

5) talked about me for 30 mins, where “me” included: utopian studies, environmentalism & Jason Mraz

6) one of the oral exams will be finding an English source that they would consider a “favourite” and come prepared to answer questions about it in class... I am asking for websites, but am willing to accept any English source... I gave examples of my 3 fave websites:

www.superforest.org

www.yourjoyologist.com

www.hotguysreadingbooks.tumblr.com

and one blog: www.freshnessfactorfivethousand.blogspot.org (aka Jason Mraz’ blog).

7) After that, I told the story of how I prepared for France with various vocabularies, did not think about medical and ended up in the ER (as you’ve already read in great detail) and then

8) we talked for 15-20mins about injuries/accidents/going into labour/etc... except the few students who got distracted by

9) making up stories about crashing their airplane onto an island where they met Tom Cruise who broke one girl’s heart, kissed another girl... and the guy (who made it clear that he did not kiss Tom Cruise) got acting advice & was offered a part in his next film -- & the one guy to told me that he would “love” to talk about Ernest Hemingway*, but that his throat hurt. HAH.

10) during the conversations, I would note vocabulary words on the board that I noticed they were struggling with

Overall, I feel like it was a successful day. There were some shy students, some students who just joked around (but in English, so I didn’t mind), and other students who had to be reminded that this was an ENGLISH class – but only once and then they at least kept trying, which I felt was a great beginning.

Some students have already asked to meet with me for coffee to practice more, and want to stop by my office, and if that happens, then I will feel as though I am doing my job, because it means that they want to learn and feel comfortable enough with me to ask for help.

I do feel like I need to offer a more structured environment in future classes, because there were times when they were just at a loss for ideas, but I think I can do it ONCE I HAVE INTERNET and can prepare film/tv/music clips!!! argh.

We shall see how tomorrow turns out... I have a 2-hr class of non-English majors in the afternoon and I am a little concerned about how to fill up that much time on the first day of class... but I refuse to be anxious. I have been given such little guidance that I will not allow myself to worry about expectations.

In other academic-related news: I ran into D** after my last class and I want to take several of his classes, one of which is a sort of a translation from English-into-French course to help me with French vocab that conflicts with one of the classes I’m teaching, so he was like “just tell Ellen*** that you will be working with me on a big transatlantic project between Princeton and Sorbonne (I think? – some major French uni, at any rate) and that you need that block of time to be changed” and I was like do you HAVE a project like that, because count me in! I will ask Ellen if it is possible... people seem to think it is... and maybe that project really does exist, in which case, I will be so excited! I intend to attach myself to this guy in whichever academic fashion I can because he has so much I can learn... I intend to get as much out of this French experience as possible, & that includes networking in Academia. Even if I don’t get the schedule change, he has given me the homework for his class... should be enlightening! I hear from his students that he’s pretty harsh & his standards are really high... so I aim to seriously apply myself. And hopefully he won’t tell me I’m an idiot.

After all that, I met up with some colleagues at a pub in town (that also sold coffee, which rocked) and then we migrated to Sara’s place after a pit stop at the grocery store for what I called Alsacian tapas (a little bit of everything... sort of a sampler of Alsacian foods) and the group of us had a nice visit!

I have finished Firefly & Serenity, plus it’s late & I am exhausted after the teaching day, so I think I am going to read a bit of Dracula and then crash.

PS

Have I mentioned how I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL I GET INTERNET IN MYPLACE????

*I have no clue where he pulled Hemingway from... maybe because I’m American? But I found it entertaining... and he told me all of that in English, so it was alright :)

**D = the C18 Oscar Wilde/4 Weddings & a Funeral Scottish guy blend who fascinates me. In case you’ve forgotten. Or maybe you don’t care. oh well!

*** prob self-evident, but just in case: Ellen is responsible for the timetables and classroom assignments in our dept

Lazy Sunday

Day 10

Apparently, sunshiny weekends are unheard of here, so I am making up that this weekend was just for me!

Today, I slept in & watched more Firefly before heading out around 2pm to meet Caroline, a girl from Mulhouse who was attending school in SC last year – we had met up for coffee in Columbia (I know I blogged about her, but since I’m not online as I write this, I am not going to link to that post...) – and she’s back here completing her Master’s in English this year.

Turns out, Caroline works at the Chapitres I mentioned in my last post, which makes sense, seeing as how she’s a lit girl, haha. Also turns out that she’s hoping to write her thesis on dystopic fictions... when she used the word “dystopia”, I giggled. Also turns out, she’s read Tom Moylan’s work & quoted him in her thesis introduction... small world say “what?!?” So I gave her a few names & have told her about next year’s Utopian Studies conference in Cyprus. Yay!

As we talked, we also wandered the city... in the sunshine... SO MUCH BETTER than midnight strolls down prostitute row*. I took photos of the Onion Festival, a few buildings and old cobblestone streets, and some “art” in centre ville before we decided to walk along the river, which was beautiful. I will not be taking that walk any alone any time soon... and prob never in the dark... but for our purposes, it was a nice stroll. We came across a group of teens/young adults who had designed graffiti and were spray-painting their designs onto a wall along out path, so naturally I convinced Caroline to ask permission for me to photograph them! We walked past my apartment building, so I took some photos of the outside of the building from across the river, as well as some photos of the river itself... and a giant waterslide at the city’s outdoor pool (that’s right by my house) before we ran into Sara and Emma jogging on the paths... this city is like a crazy small-town!

After a little more wandering and a stop at the McDs for some wifi, we headed back to centre ville for supper.

We went back to where the festival was being held, because we figured there may be places open on a Sunday there (& we were right)... so I had my 1^st Alsacian meal. Let me just say that the Alsacian’s eat EVERYTHING. Brains, frog legs, veal head... so I had vegetable soup & salad with a cheese sampler.

I attempted to order in French & bombed. I ordered out drinks, but instead of saying “we would like”, I said “you (plural) would like” & told the server what to eat... but he loved that I’d tried... I think. Plus, every time he walked by our table (and only our table), he would burst into song, which I found highly entertaining!

Now I am home, packed & ready for my first day of classes, with my outfit all laid out & it sounds like there’s a storm a’brewin’. I am about to continue Firefly... Nathan Fillion... ‘nuf said. Not a bad day at all. :)

*FYI: I learned that there is not so much a “prostitute row” as several “prostitute corners” scattered around the city... the above phrase is more for poetic emphasis.

My 1st Saturday in France...

... where I was conscious!

Day 9

Today was a Saturday, which doesn’t mean much to me because I am not on any kind of schedule (yet), but it means that people who are on a schedule flood the streets... especially when it’s sunshiny. And it was!

I was feeling much better, and I needed to get some school supplies (chalk, non-permanent marker, notebook, file folders) and the only place I knew might have all of them together was Chapitres*. They did, but it literally took me 30-45 minutes to find a ruled notebook! All of theirs were either graph paper-ish or had a billion lines going in both directions... like nothing I’d ever seen... I did find a section of ruled paper, but the paper was grey and the lines were white & that just made me crazy. Plus, I was hopeful that if I just kept looking, I’d actually find recycled paper – I kept running across one or 2 in each brand... and sure enough: I was able to find what I wanted... patience is my primary lesson in Alsace, and I’m learning slowly. If I just take my time and look carefully, I am usually able to find what I need...

Then I wandered through a festival of sorts!

I was in the Place de la Réunion that I mentioned in my previous post – the place with the historic buildings and round courtyard and fountains... and there was an Onion Festival today! Yep... basically there were lots of tables selling stuff (mostly wine, plus a really great farmer’s market), a dance floor set up for some traditional dancing of some sort, about a thousand people (not exaggerating), and people throwing onions, haha! It was a joyous occasion & I do not understand the cultural importance, but I did notice how happy all the people were, which was lovely!

Then, after a stop at my local McDs for wifi access, I went home to do some planning.

Later, Claire texted me for coffee so I went back to Réunion to join her – the festival was still going strong – and we discussed plans for the term – I think we’ll be alright, whew! We shall see when the students are involved just how good our term will go, but I feel okay for now, which is a good sign. Right?

After coffee, Claire & I wandered Chapitres (again), then she introduced me to a fantastic grocery store (I’m going there as soon as I get paid!) and we visited her flat** before going over to Sara’s place.

At Sara’s, we were joined by Emma (another Scottish girl) and the four of us enjoyed some pizza*** and girl-time (read: creating identities for Sara’s stuffed animals, watching YouTube videos, and talking about boys, while listening to the “nostalgie” radio channel in the background...) before we were joined by others a couple hours later. By then it was already 11 and I didn’t want to miss the last tram, so I only stayed until 11:30.

Overall, a good day, completed by 2 lovely episodes of Firefly (Out of Gas and Ariel) and a few pages of Dracula. I love days like this!

NOTE: One thing I’ve noticed while wandering the stores in Mulhouse is the fact that each place has its own, very specific, style of music that defines the attitude of the shop. It’s not Muzak, like back home... but the atmospheres are very distinct and the music choices are (mostly) enjoyable. Well, there is one grocery store that plays teenage club music – reminds me of Cilena & Brittney, and makes me roll my eyes (in fun)... haha!

*Chapitres is the French “Chapters” – a bookstore similar to Barnes & Noble, but without the Starbucks inside.

**apartment for the non-British inclined

***trivia: French pizza does not include pepperoni, fyi. tonight’s pizzas were (1) white sauce, sliced potatoes and ham and (2) tomato sauce, red & green peppers, onions and what looked like chunks of pepperoni stick, but not.

It's about time!

Day 8

Today wasn’t much of a tale, but I guess that’s a good thing considering all the junk that’s happened in week one, right? I, myself, am grateful for the change of pace and the opportunity to share a very UNremarkable day... whew!

From 9-4 I was in meetings. The End.

hah.

But I really was. As far as stories go, I met another couple of faculty members in the English Department, and one of them is my official “new favourite person”. There has to be one in every group, right? So this guy’s name does NOT begin with an “M”, which makes my attempt at using initials easier... his is “D”.

D is a C18 guy, which naturally makes me happy... on top of that, his attire screams “fashion” (complete with the latest fashion of patent vinyl man purse in bright orange, which kills me) and his attitude screams... well, it just screams... the man is so flamboyant that I just find him pure entertainment, but he is also one of the few people who speak with perfect eloquence. When he speaks, it is said with purpose and excitement and makes one just want to stop and listen to whatever he has to say! Plus, his dark hair and ruddy complexion create a perfect backdrop for his brilliant blue eyes... yes, yes it is probably a good thing for my professional health that he is so obviously gay... but what a loss for the female kind.

Believe me when I say that – assuming my schedule accommodates, I will be sitting in on his C18 courses!

Other than my introduction to D, my day was pretty uneventful – WHEW!

We met with 3^rd-year, 2^nd-year, Master’s, and 1^st-year students, respectfully, back-to-back, with the usual French 2-hr lunchbreak in the middle (during which I pretty much just networked & tried to breath through the pain of the previous few days)... after the meetings, I stopped by the local wifi spot, also known as McDonald’s, before coming home to enjoy a few episodes of Firefly.

I forgot how much I loved Firefly! I am watching them in order again, & I never get bored... and they always make me smile! So overall, today was much less dramatic than previous moments in the previous week, but still memorable to warrant a little journaling. I mean, I don’t want to forget my first impression of D, that’s for sure! He’s kind of like a cross between what I imagine Oscar Wilde to have been like... and the Scottish guy in 4 Weddings and a Funeral... if that helps... ? haha

I put on my Facebook status that I find it amazing how easily my culture shock dissipates once I’m in Academia. If I have books, people and people who love books... my world is happy, regardless of language, location or loneliness... that’s a reassuring thought: that I might be in the right field after all! Seriously, for the 5hrs of meetings I was in today, I spoke for about 5mins total all day, and over 4hrs of it was in French – and I understood the VAST majority of the conversation... what a great feeling.

Thank you for sharing in my ups & downs... and for sending the prayers up on my behalf. They really are keeping me afloat! Now I am off to read some Dracula before I crash... hmm...

I MISS YOU ALL!!!

Hugs & Kisses from France

Kidney Stones, part deux

Day 7

First of all, can I just say how much better my days get when there is a nice cool breeze & lovely sunshiny weather? Not freakishly hot, not freakishly wet... juuuust right!

I began this day with an 8am visit to the physician, who doesn’t make appointments on Thursday mornings, but rather leaves it open for surgeries and walk-ins, which was lovely. This physician spoke very good English (I was referred to him by a British colleague) & was able to explain everything to me. I had already figured it out, but it was nice to hear confirmation from someone who knew both French and Medical Terminology. He prescribed me a new medication, specific to the pain I was having, which does not make me drowsy – woohoo!

This afternoon was the first time in the past 2 days when I could walk without holding my breath... what a great feeling!

Also, because I am not confident enough in my French to take a taxi, I asked for directions to the tram station and wandered through the town centre (centre ville) for a bit. I saw a post office for the first time since I got here & was able to get a very important government paper sent off registered mail. I was also able to purchase a calling card (first place I’ve seen that sold them!) so that I can finally hear my family’s voices!!! Then I found the most beautiful area, “place de la réunion”, & stopped in a pâtisserie by myself for the 1^st time and ordered my very first French pastry for breakfast all by myself! Place de la réunion has a garden in the centre, with a fountain and lots of shops surrounding it in beautiful old buildings... I also noticed that there is both a Sephora, a Bata, AND an H&M in the “place”, so I will definitely be returning (when I have funds, haha)!!!

I slowly found my way to the tram, which happened to be right where the tram office was as well, so I went in and finally got a pass. Having a pass is like a newfound freedom! I can travel unlimited now, rather than worrying about tickets that only last 1hr and I have to pay 1.30E every time I step on... and I found a little shopping mall similar to the ones back home, which will be nice for wandering around when I get bored and the weather is bad!

On the way home, I knew I needed an ethernet cable because my internet was supposed to be connected today, so I stopped in a couple stores on the way. I’d never been in any of these shops before, but a girl, Cynthia, who’s lived here a couple years now & used to live in my building referred me to them. One is a little home furnishings store with really inexpensive items, which is nice, and the other is kind of like Superstore in Canada (or Winn-Dixie Marketplace for the southerners)... I found my cable in the 2^nd store. They are only one tram stop from my apartment, or about a 10-minute walk, so I am sure I will return when I am feeling 100% and get paid!

My internet is NOT working however, so that trip was not as urgent as I’d hoped.

I spent the rest of my afternoon trying to get internet (no luck yet), but before I got too far, I stopped at a payphone and made calls to NC, whew!!! It was soooo nice to hear familiar voices and tell them about the ER visit/kidney stones before they read about them online! Of course, I ran my mouth too much talking to my sister & mom and ran short on minutes for my grandparents and my niece... I will probably talk to them before this gets posted, but regardless: “I LOVE YOU MA-MA, PA-PA & CILENA!!!!!” I also think the pay phone stole money. I started out with 53 minutes, but only actually talked for about 40. boo. but I don’t now enough French to call & complain, so OH WELL. I guess I need to get cracking on that French fluency thing, eh??? Whatever. I’ve only been here a WEEK. Not even.

Now it’s 4:15pm & I am exhausted (again). Tomorrow will probably be a long day, so I will probably head to bed soon. Preferably without a 2^nd trip to the ER.

love & hugs from France!

colique néphrétique

PREFACE: As frustrating as the language barrier was, I am grateful this happened outside of the States, b/c I am only insured for overseas emergency medical coverage... so praise the Lord for the little inconveniences!

Days 5.1 & 6:

I went to bed at 6:30pm on day 5, with the intent of rising early & preparing for classes in the morning before a meeting with colleagues. 45 minutes later, I was in the worst pain of my life. I went from completely unconscious to standing with tears in my eyes in about 3 seconds.

It felt like some internal organ had exploded – so naturally, I assumed appendix. But I didn’t have the internet to talk myself out of it... and I had no credit on my phone. And there was no doubt that this was more pain than I’d ever had. So I knocked on my neighbours’ door (whom I have never met) and explained that I think I need a hospital, but that I want to phone my American “friend”, Sara (whom I had only met 2 days earlier) for advice – she’s lived in Mulhouse over a year. After much panic on (their part) and laboured explanations (on my part), including them trying to phone for an ambulance on one phone & not understanding that I had no credit, but still trying to phone Sara on it regardless... Sara phoned back and we were able to make a plan: Sara would phone M & they would both come get me in a taxi (as neither of them drive) & we would all go to the hospital.

Okay, that’s settled.

Now I have made 2 (maybe 3?) new friends – on Erasmus* study from Germany & Italy, one of whom stayed with me until my ride to the hospital arrived, and one of whom stopped me in the grocery store the next day (day 6) & asked how I was doing... way to make an impression, Stephanie.

M didn’t answer her phone, so Sara phoned the next best option: X**, who had a vehicle, but was a man - & a man who was uber-polite/not fond of hospitals(?) & refused to go into translate for me... so Sara (who’s only recently began French studies, even though she’s lived here for a year... she’s been teaching English) and I (who did not brush up on my Medical vocab before taking this trip) struggled for 4 hrs to explain my pain & understand ER-speak. FUN TIMES.

Ultimately, I was told that their best diagnosis is “colique néphrétique”, which almost means “kidney spasms” when translated into English, possibly “calculs rénals” (kidney stones), but they had no radiology department, so I would have to get that confirmed the next day. They sent me home with an IV of what I think is ibuprofen & prescriptions for the same med plus 1000mg Tylenol. woot...

Day 6

This day was pretty much spent in pain. I had to meet M and Claire (to whom I will devote more time in a near-future post) for some HR paperwork. This is much-needed so that I can get a “carte vitale” and be reimbursed for the medical treatments I am receiving (which are not NEARLY as expensive as one would think – my total bill so far (as I write this) is under 150E!)... after that, M sent me home, made appointments for the radiology centre, and offered to be my translator for the visit – what an ANGEL!

We went to the radiology centre where the differences between French & Americans have been made MOST evident... people walking around semi-nude & all the doors are left open during exams... weird... a little unnerving if you have ANY indication of how modest I am... the two best parts about this visit were: (1) the confirmation of actual stones, so it was not all in my head, WHEW! and (2) the crazy tilt-a-whirl xray table they placed me on: I started out standing and they spun the table until I was nearly completely upside-down – awesome!

Then they sent me to a physician to recommend treatment. Since it was already nearly 6pm, that visit didn’t happen until Day 7. M & I took a taxi to my place, I walked to the grocery store & decided on cheese for supper (vive la france, eh?) – where I ran into my neighbour – and turned in for the night at around 8pm.

* I know I mentioned it in my Irish posts, but for those of you who are new to this broadcast: Erasmus is an exchange program between Universities in all of the EU countries, where humanities (history, languages, cultural studies) students are required to spend a certain amount of time attending Uni in a foreign-language country. Usually one year per each foreign language in your degree. My friend Jonathan did Erasmus in Paris for his French & a work-study in Japan for his Japanese (since Japan is obviously not in the EU).

** X is mentioned in my Day 5 post... I asked him if when he offered to give us a lift any time earlier that day, did he have 4 hrs at “les urgences” that night in mind??? He laughed & said that he hops we can have more enjoyable trips next time... how is this guy not taken? A better question would be why am I not interested??? (I have several theories about that, none of which will make it on this post, haha)

before the ER...

Day 5

Okay, so I’m settling into what semblance of a routine I can manage... sort of... I don’t know how long I will be processing my daily adventures, but I’ll keep at ‘em until I run out of stuff to say or get too busy to sit down at night. Here is my schedule starting next week:

Monday: I teach 12-5 with a 1hr break @ 3.

Tuesday: I teach 3-6pm

Wednesday: off

Thursday: I teach 1hr @ 10am, then back again from 4-6 (the other lectrice & I will have team planning in the middle)

Friday: I teach 1hr @ 10am & then again from 2-4.

Overall, I will be teaching 11 different groups, once a week, ranging from first years to Master’s students. I figure, if NOTHING else, I am getting a decent range of teaching practice! And ideally, I only need to create lesson plans for 5 classes, but I am sure I’ll at least start out with back-up plans, since we have been given very little re syllabus/curriculum... basically, we are supposed to help them “improve” their English, but we haven’t been told any specific objectives about what levels they should reach by end-of-term, so this should be... “interesting”.

This Uni is extremely small – smaller than UL for sure, but quite comparable with regards to resources... UL did have much nicer facilities, I must admit! I haven’t visited the library yet – that will be the true judge – but I have not heard raves about it, so my hopes aren’t high. I did learn that I have access to several other Uni libraries in the region – including some in Germany & Switzerland, which doesn’t suck...

In addition to the scheduling and meeting with profs re their “expectations”*, I also got keys to the offices, found out the Uni computers are unfun, learned that I need an adapter for my Macbook in order to use my laptop with the classroom projection, requested internet for my apartment (now that I know which apartment I am in), and was able to visit with several members of the FLSH faculty... here is an overview of some of the peeps**:

1) M – the lovely leftist Frenchie with a Brit mom; spent time in the UK as a French lectrice; takes care of everyone; only slightly high-strung, possibly due to her tendency for procrastination, possibly due to her tendency to keep too much on her plate (we’re kindred spirits, she & I); average height & weight & appearance & always wearing long flowing skirts & ballet slipper-style flats; and so paranoid re social networking sites that she’s created a separate email and a pseudonym for Facebook that she refuses to share with anyone... curious... but oh so thoughtful! Half of the domestic items in my studio are hers (borrowed until I can afford my own).

2) X*** – the toughest French accent for me to follow, I think because he uses more slang and contractions that I am familiar with (for now), but he has the most beautiful British accent ever when he speaks English!; Tall, thin, ginger, blushes very easily (for example, when he was showing us the A/V connections, went onto youtube and played the first video on the screen... which happened to be a well-endowed seductress wearing a low-cut tank top & demonstrating the difficulty of performing 10 push-ups, with the camera placed at a dramatic angle, he made a small remark about his choice of videos, but then continued his instructions with the video playing in the background as though it were invisible... and he turned the brightest shade of red I’ve ever seen); he’s also the only person who refuses to initiate conversations with me in English... always starts off French until I get lost, which is a HUGE help!; and in addition, offered to drive us anywhere (including nearby towns in other countries) for errands, if we needed a lift... I approve.

3) S – Swiss German who commutes to work 3 days/week from Switzerland (crazy-cool!); an academic through & through: 3pc suit, slightly outdated, a little spastic, but extremely generous; he was by far the most helpful re expectations – we met him & in the same breath, he gave us a run-down of how we should run the classes connected with him (English for non-English majors, to be taught in 2hr blocks once a week... FUUUN), but he threw out so many ideas and ways to prepare, in like a 30-second spiel – it was great!; he also informed us that he does not speak French, that Alsace (the region of France in which we are) is actually Low-German, and that he gets paid way too little for someone who has written 2 books and numerous publications... then he invited us to join him & M & X for lunch, haha!

4) C**** – For lunch, we got pasta from the “cybercafé” nearby (I have no place in my memory with which to compare this adventure), but we just grabbed the food & went back to the offices. Earlier, we had been introduced to C as “the man who is always 1^st to arrive and last to leave” and that he “never forgets anything!”... everyone who mentioned him raved about him... and a couple hours later, we were sitting down for lunch, when C walks by and asks if we would like grapes. huh? yep, I heard correctly – he had grapes in his fridge upstairs that he would like to share... oh! and he’ll bring down some wine. FOR LUNCH. So he goes upstairs, brings out 2 bottles of wine (for 5ppl) & a bowl of grapes, sets them down, and announces that he has a meeting so he can’t join us, but he really wanted us to enjoy our meal... wild! I don’t know much about C, except that he is very well-dressed (not expensively, but stylishly & well-put together), always prepared, has many academic responsibilities, is a wine aficionado, British (I think? okay, at least speaks with an impeccable British accent & I haven’t heard him speak French yet - & his suit made me think “Brit” – I’m such a “nation”-ist, haha), and I was informed today that he is also a bachelor... okay, sign me up! KIDDING. I am pretty sure he’s gay, which covers a depressingly high statistic of “bachelors” in my age range*****

I think that’s all for today... maybe tomorrow I will start descriptions of the other people I meet... lecteur/lectrices... random crazy people on the streets... that might be a fun game to keep me from going crazy in my internet-free, Dracula-filled, moneyless existence...

ALSO: I managed to finally unpack today! I only brought 1 suitcase, but I was sincerely unsure of whether I was prepared to stay during those 1^st few days... Now everything has a home & I’ve gone grocery shopping (not that I have had an appetite all week...) and I even sat down to watch a DVD this afternoon, but it won’t play. *sigh* AND I have placed my going away cards & Nantahala photos on my table, but I can’t bring myself to read them again because I cry way too easily this time around (re international moves & homesickness)... but they cheer up the place, so I will read them again when I am feeling a little stronger!

*"they have none". that’s a direct quote. sort of.

**I am using initials because I have learned that some of these people are extremely protective of their privacy - & I mean EXTREMELY! – so I am trying to be respectful... please forgive any confusion. I would just “change their names”, but I have a feeling I’ll be writing about some of them in future posts & I don’t feel like recalling their pseudonyms.

***his name starts with M too... oops...

**** Dangit! He’s an “M” too! Boo. Whatever.

*****I find it funny that I had the most to say about the person I spent with whom I spent the least amount of time.

taking care of business*

Note: I have been trying to write about my days before I go to sleep each night, but since my internet access has been unpredictable, I haven't been able to post the stories daily... I will try to only post one tale per day until I am caught up, but know that these are several days removed from the actual events... :)

Day 4

Today, I woke at 1:30pm & met M at the Uni. We first went to the residence to request that I stay in the single studio apartment. I couldn’t justify spending the extra $$ for a 2^nd bed & a door to the kitchen. It was a little bigger – freshly painted – but still... we’re talking a pretty big chunk ‘o change, so it was worth asking. And they said “Yes!”, what a pleasant surprise!

We rushed to meet the other lectrice with whom I’ll be working – Claire – so that she & I could receive our timetables & go over some departmental expectations/suggestions. I learned that I will be teaching 4 days/week: MTRF. I will have all day Wednesdays off every week this term, unless something drastic happens with the schedule in the next few days. Mondays, my first class is at noon, the earliest classes I have are @ 10am Thursdays & Fridays, and also on Thurs/Fri, there are pretty big breaks between classes, so Claire & I are hoping to schedule planning meetings on Thursdays... not too shabby.

I also learned that I am not required to be on campus on school breaks, which is wild, because there are a LOT of those!

After that brief meeting, M & I had to run to the bank to set up an account. This evolved into buying the required renter’s insurance & subscribing to a mobile phone as well – a very productive meeting! I will have my new phone a week from tomorrow & I can receive texts from all over the world for FREE... HINT. HINT.

The bank meeting took 2hrs, so it was after 6 before we left & I hadn’t eaten yet today, so M & I went on a search for a restaurant when we immediately ran into 4 of our colleagues who were out for a drink... so we all sat down together and had a lovely visit!

There is this girl, Sara, I met yesterday & who was in the group we ran into tonight that I wanted to mention special on here – partly because I decided I wanted to & partly because I told her I was... haha: She is SO sweet! She is also this crazy blend of all 3 Hingston sisters, which is just so lovely and reminds me of “home” (she had Bron’s hair, wears sweaters similar to Ky’s and her sense of humour is only slightly-less-sarcastic than Lynnie’s)... AND one of the 1^st words I heard her say was “uff-da”, which doesn’t necessarily scream “Hingston”, but it does scream “Canada” (She’s from Midwestern US, fyi), and it’s also a word I’ve gotten my niece to start saying, so it’s a little piece of two of my worlds... *sigh*

At the end of this day, I can say that I am not planning to hop on the plane just yet, things were a little more encouraging... but this is my very first “homesick for NC” feeling ever... and that is a big deal. If I stop, I tear up, so I hope that doesn’t last too long... or at least I hope I can get internet access SOON and feel a little less isolated. I think I am going to survive this adventure – didn’t think that was an option 3 days ago! Baby steps... please keep praying – this is scarier than anything I’ve done before...

also, fyi: my French is not great, but it is not as horrible as I’d feared, which is a blessing!

*feel free to sing the song in your head as you read... unless you just saw this note... in that case, feel free to REread this post while singing the song! :)

Waning Tears... :)

Didn't want to leave the past post on such a crappy note... since time has passed & I have more to share... and I don't know when I will be on the internet again (hopefully, I can at least check email/facebook once a day in the office, but no skype/chatting yet)! Anyway, here are days 2-3:

Days 2-3

Okay, so the last update was a leeetle dramatic. hah. if you’re reading this, you should already assume it would be. Since writing my Day One reflection, I have managed to muddle through a few days of adjustment... here’s a glimpse of my life in Mulhouse, Days 2-3:

After crying for another hour & reading the biographical info before reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula for the first time (yep, vampire novels are a nice distraction in times of trauma, apparently), I began a 9-hr routine of shivering while huddled under a sheet & resetting the 45-minute cycle on my noise machine. Good times. But I managed to get a couple hours’ rest – enough to not immediately go to the nearest airport and quit.

Instead, I went to my pre-arranged 9:30am breakfast with M, where I regaled her with my dramatic evening. She was equal parts sympathetic & encouraging; obviously, she’s had previous lectrices encounter similar shocks... minus the marching band – that was a new one.

After breakfast, M phoned the Uni to see about my heat/hot water & made an appointment with the bank to set an account up with me on Monday. Then she packed up a bedspread, an electric kettle, leftover pastries from breakfast and a FAN, and we trekked back to my place where she managed to find the elusive hot water switch. I was unconscious by 12:30pm.

I awoke at 8pm, took a BATH & read Dracula for an hour or so before crashing again for the night.

After 26 hours of sleep, I felt rested & ready to face this new experience. Praise the Lord!

At 4:30 the afternoon of day 3, I went to a “tea” at M’s place, where I met the other lecteur/lectrices and a few of the English faculty. They are as follows: a lecteur from Scotland working in the school of business, 2 other American lectrices working in other depts (both of them were here last year), 2 other Scottish lectrices (one new, one’s been here for 2 years; I will be working closely with the new one), 1 American faculty who’s new to Mulhouse but has lived in Paris for 14yrs, 2 British faculty (husband & wife) and 2 French faculty (with whom I’ll be working closely). The tea consisted of about a thousand varieties of pastry, beer, wine & juice. After the tea, the American faculty member & I went for pizza (the only place open at 8:30pm on a Sunday) & I was home by 10.

Oh, & I fell while walking (SURPRISE!) on the way to pizza, so I made it a whopping 2days of consciousness before injuring myself, haha.

Warning: I am a BIG baby

This post was written at the end of Day ONE in word document, fyi.

Day One, France:

I remember when I moved to Saskatoon. I got off the plane & went straight into a Aarrestad Family Christmas party held at Dave & Sonja’s. About 5hrs into the day, I was in tears, hysterical, wondering “what have I done?”. That homesickness lasted about an hour.

I remember when I moved to Ireland. It was slightly different for two main reasons: 1) Ky was with me as a tourist for 2.5weeks before I actually moved into my place and 2) I had been obsessed with Ireland for 15 years. Any homesickness I had was for Saskatoon (I had made a home there) & that didn’t last long.

I missed Charlotte & Stoon, but I never regretted my decisions to make those moves. Ever.

And each move had its share of problems once I arrived: in Saskatoon, I couldn’t figure out the busing system to save my life & more than once found myself wandering the streets of the city in -30+C looking for something familiar. Limerick was more of a culture shock than I’d hoped because of the gang population – I witnessed more than my share of pickpockets, beatings, etc... I am no stranger to fear.

So why am I sitting in an apartment in France, exhausted, terrified and in tears? Nothing about this feels comfortable; nothing makes me think it will all be alright. All I can think is “what have I done?” (again), but I don’t have the support system here that Stoon offered.

Part of it is leftover concern from all the troubles I had getting here:

1) The university lost my visa application

2) The university lost my housing application

3) The consulate made me reapply for my visa for a 3^rd time the week before I was due to fly out

4) Because of the visa delay, my buddy pass options were quite restricted

5) When I wanted to quit b/c I was so stressed out, my body reacted with & head cold, eczema & pink eye – all at once.

I had 11 months to prepare for this move. The previous 2 moves were made on 8-weeks’ notice (and those were LITERALLY problem-free). But even with all of these problems re France, things kept working out... maybe not according to my plan & maybe not according to my timeline, but they always worked themselves out. I would be ready to give up & stay in the Carolinas, and the door would open again for France.

So I got on a plane yesterday.

And thanks to my buddy pass, my overseas flight was in first class – awesome!

I got to Zurich and felt like all was well & transferred to my train commute into Mulhouse, where I arrived @ 11am and have been here ever since.

I spent the morning visiting with my University contact here, we’ll call her M. M explained the university system, what will be expected of me here, some of the things about the French she thought I’d like to be aware of (nothing extreme) and we ate a French lunch. There was a wall of cheese @ the store.

Finally, it was late enough to get some business taken care of (2pm is apparently the going time for taking care of business), so we headed over to the Uni to get into my apartment. And then it all began again. I will make another list:

1) my assigned apartment didn’t have power – I have to get it connected myself & they won’t be available until Tuesday

2) b/c of this confusion, they gave me a temporary single room

3) it may be me, but since I can’t ask anyone, it still sucks: in this room, I cannot get hot water or heat

4) no internet yet, either

5)and when I finally crashed, after being up for 26hrs, I thought I plugged my fan in properly & it overloaded in about 20 seconds

so now I have no sleep, no fan, no heat, no hot water.

I wake up at 730pm to get to the grocery store nearby for things like... I don’t know... toilet paper... only to find out that the store closes at – you guessed it – 730.

So I try to sleep for another few hours. Wake up at 1030. Keep in mind, this is with my noise machine that turns off every 45mins.

At 1030, I am freezing & I think, “well, maybe there are cafés open in France on Friday nights” so I go to take the tram into town but I only have a 1euro coin and a 20euro note. And the tram ticket kiosk will not accept any of my bank cards from 3 different nations.

So I begin to walk – to see if I can find a convenient store or café nearby – or someplace where I can get change for my 20... and I walk all the way into town. But it doesn’t stop there!

I cannot find a SINGLE place open at 11pm on a Friday night*. I finally find a street with some pubs, so I head in that direction, get turned around, end up in an internet café run by a man from Kuwait who spends 10mins telling me that people from North Africa will run by & grab my shoulder bag before he gives me change. And then I start back “home”.

I am so lost, but I don’t want to show others that I am lost – or that I am American – so I wander... and wander... and wander... until I find myself on prostitute row. I spoke to a prostitute for the very first time in my life – in French, no less! – to ask where the tram was.

I arrived at the tram line to learn that not only was I at the wrong tram line, but also that the tram was out of service.

Not every Friday night at this time, mind you... JUST TONIGHT. They were servicing the intersection of both lines.

So I walked until I got to that intersection & headed back toward my place. The whole time, I am getting more & more stressed out & about 5 blocks from my place – after being yelled at by drivers’-by – a crazy (literally) teenager RUNS – I mean, like he’s being chased! – straight at me. And then stops to ask me for a dime. I FLIPPED OUT. Started explaining that I am NOT stopping, that I don’t speak French well, and that I am NOT STOPPING... when another man comes by, hands him a dime, and starts walking beside me.

He explains that the boy was “sick” and not to worry. And then continues on.

I hold my breath for the last few blocks... get upstairs... sit down on my bed... and cry.

AND CRY. AND CRY.

I am still crying. I am tired, I am scared, I am alone, and I am seriously regretting this decision to move to France. I don’t like regret.

The grocery store opens in 6 hrs & 30 mins. I have a meeting with M at her place an hour later. If I thought I could, I would be on a plane tomorrow back to the States & I have never felt that way.

Please pray.

PS

I just turned my US phone on for the 1^st time so that I could talk to family... and it doesn’t work here... I forgot... crap.

*I did manage to witness an 11pm drunken marching band wandering the streets of Mulhouse... apparently that's not common... it was special, just for me, complete with 3 giant drums, 2 mid-sized one, and several horns, including 2 or 3 trumpets... and it's own random crowd of boo&hissers... (what are those people called???)... fun times!

living on the shore of storks

I'm back!

SOoooo sorry that I've been such a slacker, but if you know me at all... or even if you only read this blog, you'll note that I have a habit of not posting when life gets too repetitive or boring, then I pretty much just avoid posting. bad habit, I know, but to be fair, my life does have some stories to tell, even if there are some bare spots every once in a while. right? haha.

here's a mini-update - I have lots that I would love to update, but most of it involves paper-writing... except THIS...

Here's what happened:

I had just written a 20pp paper* the day before, and was beginning to write my FINAL 20pp of the year (WHEW!) a few days ago, when I received an email from the university where I'll be teaching this school year & learned that there was a problem... OF COURSE.

The application for university housing I sent in April had not been received. & they were just now telling me in mid-July**. (surprised? not if you know me. or read this blog.)

Not only had my application not been accepted, but the residence I was applying for required a guarantor & that had not been mentioned in the many conversation I'd been having over the previous 8mos.

I quickly replied and asked what previous lectrices visiting from U of SC had done - or if they just chose not to live on campus - and learned that this was a new situation because the apt I was requesting was a new bldg and hadn't been built the last time a U of SC student was here...

so I re-turned in my applications (scan to PDF this time) and waited.

the following day (yesterday), I got another email from my contact at the French Uni and she had done some research.

The last lectrice to live on-campus had stayed in another bldg, one with apts specifically for visiting professors, and one that did not require a guarantor...

and THEN I learned just how awesome this little 'hiccup' in my plans really is!!!

View Larger Map

YES! This is a GoogleEarth snapshot of my residence in France! WHEW! I received the confirmation in writing by email today. All is well again in Stephland :)

And since we all know how much I love listing things:

• all of the little bldgs in the centre of this photo is the residence complex.
• the larger bldg in the top of of the photo (surrounded by the parking lot) is an hypermarché (kind of like a superWalmart)
• right under the 'e' in Charles is a tram station that takes me to both campus and centre ville (city centre)
• a sports field in the bottom left corner***
• that dark green line down the right side is a river...

and information on the actual apartment (with comparison to my original plan):

• 270 sqft / 25 sqm -- compared to 165 sqft / 16 sqm
• 3 rooms (bedroom, living/kitchen/dining, bathroom) --- compared to one room for all
• halfway**** between both campus & centre ville --- compared to right on campus
• 2 twin beds (the apt was originally planned for couples, I'm told?) --- only one in the first place... vistors welcome! :)

I cannot believe how much of a blessing this is! God is great. As usual. :)

I am also beginning to think that I might be getting a little excited over this new adventure!!! Will try and be more diligent in my updates...

xoxo

PS:

the title of this post comes from the street name of the complex - well, it's english translation...

*just realized I started talking about writing almost immediately after I said I had other things to talk about...

**I had been asking about it for a couple weeks, but couldn't really do anything until the aforementioned essays were complete

*** like I'll ever use it... but it may be nice for watching cute French soccer players, right?

****it's a 20min walk to both

Shaggin' on the Brain

(entrance to the Free Public Library)

Hello!

So today will include a MUCH happier post than the day of breakdowns... but it did start off a little rocky:

Basically, I woke up at 9:30, checked out @ 10am with the intention of grabbing a Cheesesteak (Cheeses Teak, for some*!) on my way out of town. I didn't want to leave Philly without trying one & I don't think my sister would have spoken to me for a while if I had. Friends from the wedding mentioned a place that I checked out 1st - closed on Sunday. Day's off to a great start!

The security guard in the building mentioned a "Gino's Cheesesteak" within driving - but not walking distance - and gave me some crossroads. On my way back to the car, I ran into Tina, Scott & their families returning to their hotel from a walk, and they also suggested "Gino's", so decision made. Got in the car, couldn't find "Gino's Cheesesteak" in my GPS. Or in a phone book. Or on the crossroads. 2hrs later, after trying 4 locations around the city, I end up back where I started.

Stopped to ask a bellhop at a hotel for directions - turns out "GENO'S CHEESESTEAK" is about 12blocks away. HAH.

Got the hoagie - it pretty much rocked. My day isn't filled (I mean, I would like to get some work done, but whatever), so I am not stressing out about the delay.

Hit the highway. GPS predicts a 430 arrival in New Haven, Connecticut - my next destination. I'll be staying here tonight before driving to Providence, Rhode Island to pick up a friend from the airport & continue this little adventure.

BUT.

I had to pass by NYC to get to New Haven. HAHAHAHAHA. For details, feel free to check with Lyn, but the overview includes 13 lanes one way of standstill traffic (plus another 4 lanes in the other direction) where 4 highways merged into a toll booth**, another ghetto detour - this time in the BRONX, nearly running over a skateboarder -- in the BRONX, 2hrs wandering NY boroughs because the GPS kept telling me to turn when I didn't need to... again... all of which was witnessed verbally by my abovementioned patient friend, who bore with me through every encounter with mean NY drivers, pedestrians with no concept of crosswalks... through every yell, near-swear, and squeal... the girl's a saint. :)

Finally, I get past NYC, hang up with Lyn, and I make it to New Haven at 720! My day was finally looking up, whew!

Checked into a hotel - same price as in Philly, but much nicer... on a canal... 5min drive from Yale...

so I took a drive to see what an Ivy-League school looks like in real life - and I must say:

I've rarely had anything to say to my "younger self" - you know, those "things you wish you knew then so your life would be better" moments, but tonight was one of those times.

I try to live my life with as few regrets as possible & I can honestly count on 2 fingers the regrets I truly have. #1: should've gotten those braces when I had the chance (I knew I'd regret it the moment I made the decision...) and #2: should've been more ambitious in school...

(I've referenced uncountable publications printed here)

School always came so easy for me that I never had to study and usually set the curves. And I felt badly about that, so I tended to be as slack as I could get away with in order to keep my friends.

To be fair, I still have many of those friends today. and also, it is important to note that changing anything in my past would probably have resulted in my not moving to Canada... or Ireland... or now France... so I am not "complaining"... BUT...

when I saw that university, I FELL IN LOVE. Not only is it extremely prestigious, but it is also incredibly charming - great architecture, a blend of cultural, academic and lifestyle venues organized in a very user-friendly fashion, nearby parks... and this incredible sense of peace enveloped the entire area! When I arrived on campus, I heard music outside - and noticed that there was a festival going on in one of those nearby parks.

("International Festival of Arts & Ideas")

So I parked my car and wandered around a few blocks looking at buildings, and people-watching at the festival. What a fantastic way to end my day!!! And there were still so many students around and they were all so... well... they looked like people I would like to know... approachable! That's the word!

If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be that one day I will regret not having at least TRIED to get into an Ivy-League school. But it's not realistic, because if I had maintained the academic track I was on in secondary school, I'd be in maths & sciences and that's just depressing! :)

So I will be happy with my few hours of peace in an idyllic New England town...

(steeple on one of the residence halls)

and maybe one day I'll teach here or something, woot! -- I mean, if USask falls through, OF COURSE.

So yeah. More drama, but so worth it to spend 2 hrs quoting the film "SHAG***" in my head... a TRUE Southern movie! for my FB friends - sorry for the repeat, but to set the scene a little:

set in the 60s, there are 4 girlfriends about to graduate high school - Pudge & Luanne are going to college, Carson is getting married, and Melaina is a preacher's daughter who plans to run away to Hollywood... the 3 girls kidnap Carson for her "last weekend of freedom" and take her to the beach, where she meets and falls in love with Buzz - who's going to Yale in the Fall.

So in a scene where Carson is trying to decide how to leave her fiance & date Buzz, the conversation goes as follows - with a THICK Southern accent:

Carson: What d'ya want to go to New Haven for?
Buzz: That's where Yale is.
Carson: "Oh, well, then I'll come with you!"
Buzz: "Silly! Girls don't go to Yale!"

then she pushes him off the bed.

I've been quoting those lines for hours & it fills me with so many happy memories of times I watched that movie with friends over the years... and now I know I'd want to be going to New Haven too! Plus, it helps that I saw an enormous amount of attractive men - of all ages - here... bonus points, haha :)

now I'm off to read and sleep - no major cities to get lost in tomorrow****, PRAISE THE LORD!!!

*FYI, the gps navigation system in my car also says "cheeses teak" :)
**approx 10,000 vehicles, no exaggeration.
***for those Brits (or likeminded) reading this, the Shag is a Carolina Beach dance (state dance of South Carolina - the ONE good thing the state has going for it that I can find), originally made popular in the 1950s and still danced today... it knows no generational or gender bonds... I like!
**** of course, that also means less opportunities for blogging topics...

this one's a doozy.

You know, for a while there, I had found a way to be genuinely happy - stress & all... and then yesterday hit. Okay, I had a full-blown meltdown at the end of spring term, but that was self-induced stress & fatigue. Today is a combination of stress, fatigue, people and circumstances. Those last two are SO not my fault.

Anyway. Yesterday pretty much sucked - it included 3 hrs of sleep, completing a 10pp paper, 6mos of planning a car rental thrown out the window, the car rental fee more than doubling (once I'd arrived at the airport and after I paid taxi fare to get there), being stranded at the airport with no rental car, a return taxi home with no cash (wasn't planning on double cab fare!), being yelled at and reprimanded by the taxi driver TWICE (1st b/c he didn't like the fact that I was asking what the penalty would be if I just told my fave rental car agency that I was only driving in the Carolinas but actually took it to Philadelphia - the agent said the only way they'd know is if I got pulled over and I flippantly said "dude, I go 4 miles over the speed limit, I'm not getting pulled over - to which the taxi driver responded* "YOU DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE GONNA GET PULLED OVER! DON'T LIE TO THOSE PEOPLE - YOU NEED TO STOP TALKING TO THAT PERSON RIGHT NOW" to which I replied "umm... this (indicated "this" by sliding my hand around in a circle in front of me, like I was spinning discs or DJing or whatever they do)... is not your conversation?" & 2nd b/c when I realized I had no cash & phoned my roommate to see if she had $15 for the fare and she said she didn't think so and I said "are you sure?" and he (once again got in my business) and yelled "SHE SAID SHE DOESN'T HAVE THE MONEY. STOP BOTHERING HER") REALLY????**

So we get to my apartment, my roomie (who DID have the $15) gave me the money, and the rest of the story included a VERY redneck scene with me half-in/half-out of the vehicle yelling "RYANN*** CALL 911!!!" and subsequent police response... while he held my luggage hostage in the trunk over a scam fee of a $2 trunk charge.

The day ended with a new rental car reservation - with the good company - 2hrs from where I live, a Father's Day dinner (which was great, but we all got a little food poisoning, yay?), and not finishing that aforementioned 10pp paper until 2am.

so that was yesterday.

Today, my road trip began! Keep in mind, after the redneck scene, I was ready to cancel the entire trip. But then I got excited about it again after talking with family, and thought "maybe I just wasn't supposed to rent from that company... hah.

Did I mention my trip? No? okay. I mean it's only been a thousand years since I posted on here... sorry tonight's so whiny.

So here's the trip: Charlotte to Philadelphia for TINA'S WEDDING (WOOT!), 2 nights in Philly, one night somewhere between Philly & Providence, Rhode Island, pick a friend (Nicole, from my time in Ireland) up from the Providence airport, one night staying with another friend (Brian, from Ireland) on the Rhode Island coast, a couple days drive back down the East coast with Nicole (who's only ever seen DC - she's from Los Angeles), travel around the Carolinas/Georgia & host Nicole's visit until the 29th (with reading and writing mixed into that last part)...

and here's how it's going so far. I wasn't intending to inundate people with yesterday's drama, but oh well. When I signed in, I was planning to give you a list - my day in numbers (Ev-style), so here goes:

3: hours of sleep for 3 nights in a row
1: rock star tour bus (Brett Michaels, haha)
15: bare feet in windshields or hanging out windows
4: stalled vehicles that jammed traffic directly affecting me (which is pretty minor considering the sheer number of vehicles I encountered)... probably about
2,000,000: I think that is a fair assessment - not an exaggeration. seriously.
8: other vehicles stalled on roadsides - still not bad!
1: crazy-cool bridge
1: horrible stench of factory and dump
3: toll booths
11: dollars paid to continue driving beyond tool booths
5: hrs of energy from a 5-hr energy drink
2: bathroom breaks
1: fill-up
6+1: state & district lines crossed
2: memorial photo opportunities
5: unexpected detours
20: minutes lost in the projects/slums of Washington, DC
5: plane landing as I sat in DC traffic
9: lanes of standstill traffic in DC
2.5: hrs spent trying to traverse DC
1 +1: meal + blizzard (banana split = my new fave!)
2: decent-looking guys - the whole trip
1 +2+3+4: diesel, hemi pickup truck with the entire rear window covered with a GIANT American Flag/Eagle decal +# of time I saw it + # of hours that separated sightings + # of States we spanned between sightings = hilarious, and a little sad!

hmmm... what else?

oh. right. the BEST part.

1: hacked bank account mid-trip****
1: canceled bank card mid-trip
1: night without a place to sleep mid-trip

on the upside (for me, at least):
12: hrs spent listening to Jason Mraz in one sitting (not counting the 4 times I got out of the car) - AND STILL LOVE HIM
69: # of songs in my Mraz playlist (some repeats, but in different acoustic venues - stalker much? WOW)

and finally (since I began this list, actually), reminders to be happy:

1: lifelong friend marrying the love of her life
1.5: years it's been since I saw the friends I've visiting in Rhode Island
infinite: guardian angels in my life - 1 of whom just spotted me the funds to pay for a place to stay the night I was going to be stranded

there. that's a better way to leave this email!

DRAMA. welcome to my world. well, Drama and Jason, apparently. :)



* not verbatim
** me yelling in my head, but probably showing my outrage on my face
***my roommate's name
**** I originally thought it was a porn site based on the name - not publicizing it because it makes me seem like I have a dirtier mind that I really do - but turns out it's a fake health product company. hmmm...

Yep, welcome to my world.

Copied & Pasted from a FB message I sent some classmates:

So I took my MA in Ireland, right? In Limerick. I had a class of 11 people; 9 of us became bestest, lifelong friends. One of those friends is named Muireann*.

SO.

Muireann has spent this past semester in Boston on a practicum exchange with her Uni in Ireland. She went on to take another MA in Journalism at UCD (Dublin) after our Comp Lit program. We've been talking/texting since she arrived in January, but weren't ever able to actually meet with each other in person.

This week, I was thinking about how sad it was that we were both on the same side of the Pond, but couldn't get a visit in - not realistic, but still... and then yesterday she FB messages me to tell me she'll be in Cola** visiting her cousin next weekend, so yay!

And why do I think this is worth a long tale, you ask?

Because I invited her to come to a Green Quad pool party at my apartment complex the Friday night she's in town. And this was her reply (paraphrased, my emphasis):

well, I don't think my cousin would be up for a pool party, as she's a little older... you may know her... her name is Mary Anne Fitzpatrick & she's the DEAN of the college of Arts & Science at USC. Is that where you go to school?

IS THAT WHERE I GO TO SCHOOL? HAHAHAHA! I replied to her and told her that her cousin was still invited to the pool party, but even if they didn't come, Muireann was more than welcome to tell Mary Anne how awesome I am and that she is more than welcome to throw some funding my way!

Yes, I did say that.

So there you go! My world is sooooooooooooo small sometimes!

xoxo

*pronounced "mweerin" - I love Irish names!
**apparently the way we "locals" short-hand Columbia... who needs an "umbi" if you can avoid it?

Mostly just for me...

I just went to the wedding of one of my longest friends ever. Nicola is amazing - vibrant, compassionate, charming, entertaining, but most of all, she takes friendship seriously. Once you're her friend, she keeps you around for as long as she can. She is honest and dramatic and loyal and she lives each moment - never taking life for granted. She found this amazing guy who gets her. He's gentle and fun and considerate. And the wedding was beautiful!

But the reason why I decided to write a post was because of how surprised I am at how emotional I got tonight. The wedding was lovely and the reception was fun - I don't think anyone reading this knows Nicola, but there was obviously dancing - including Thriller, Dancing Queen, Amazing, the Chicken Dance, the Electric Slide & traditional Irish dancing. I believe this eclectic combination of music may give you insight into Nik. Never a dull moment!

Before the ceremony began, I found some friends to sit with... it grew into 3 rows of friends, most of whom I hadn't seen in nearly 10 years, the most recent visit was 2007. Most of us became friends between the ages of 16 & 21, some of us married into the group. We were all best friends: no secrets, lots of drama, and more memories than you can count. And they all came flooding back to me tonight. These were people I loved, no matter what. People I still love. People who taught me what true "unconditional love" means, how to understand & appreciate differences without judgment. They treated me with respect & dignity, protected me, and offered a never-ending supply of hugs.

Tonight, I found those hugs again... and the people behind them. There is the couple who are bankers who can't have kids, so they adopted twins from overseas. The gentle giant who got his heart broken when he found out his fiancee was a lesbian 8weeks before their wedding. The pixie with a heart of gold. The naval officer who flew in from Japan for this wedding. The gay man with HIV whose smile lights up the room. The lesbian couple whose genuine natures and true joy help remind me that it is so not my place to judge others. The twin brother of one of the lesbians who just picked up his white chip today, showing me (again) that it is never too late to improve our lives - that we can, and should, always try to become better persons. His wife, one of the kindest women I know - not an exaggeration. The twins' mom, a sweet tender-hearted angel whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack while out on a jog nearly 10yrs ago - all of our hearts were broken for her that day. She & her husband were our surrogate parents during those formative years. They took us in and made us a part of their family - they opened the door to their home and, with that, their hearts. We belonged.

These people were my family when mine was falling apart. The rocks in my stormy adolescence. The laughter through my constant stream of tears. None of them were devout Christians, none of them prayed with me or quoted bible verses to me. All of them drank. A lot. Some experimented with drugs. Most (all?) of them experimented with sex. I had NOTHING in common with them. But they loved me - REALLY loved me. At an age when virginity is almost profane and non-drinkers were the butt of many jokes, they took me in and accepted me - as different as I was from them, they didn't want me to change to be more like them. They embraced our differences and folded me into their family.

Now, apart from the drinking, drugs, sex & sexual preference... these people are role models for me. They have shown me over the years that we really can love one another unconditionally & that friendships really can last forever.

Tonight, it was like 3 to 7 years hadn't gone by. It was like we were teenagers again, with the same open hearts & the same smiles... and the hugs... I missed those hugs... and I missed their honest words. I needed to hear that I was missed too. Our love is beyond anything any of us can comprehend. It doesn't require us to stay in constant contact - although it would be nice to see one another more often. It doesn't even require that we go down memory lane. It was in the eyes & smiles & hugs of each of us tonight. It was in the pain we shared when we silently remembered the father (figure) we all lost. It was in the winks of support and the nicknames we still answer to after 17yrs.

In the past 17yrs, a lot has happened. Weddings, Deaths, Births, Diseases, Peace Corps, International Travel, New Friends, New Dreams, New Lives...

But tonight, because of a woman who doesn't let go of something as valuable as true, authentic friendship, Nik, Gooblet, Spic, Stin, Philly, Fraze, and more were together once again -- and I was reminded of a life that I had left behind. I don't regret leaving it behind. I wouldn't be who I am today if I had stayed where I was. But the raw emotion that I felt tonight was intense. I have learned so much from being a part of that family, about life, about myself, about my faith... but most of all, about love.

Post-Script:
I went to superforest.org after I wrote this and the first post I read began with this quote. I think it fits well:

“A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities.” - William Arthur Ward