Where to Begin...

Where do I possibly begin? I apologize for not blogging at the regular pace that I was at the beginning of the semester, but obviously the past two weeks have been pretty jam-packed.

My 21st Birthday was obviously on Monday March 21st. I had six hours of class that day, and was generally overwhelmed with the workload that is piling up at GEM. Really, I did not know what I was getting myself into at the beginning of the semester. We are now bombarded with group project after group project and assignment after assignment as we continue to study for final exams in a month. I'm really not a fan of all of this work at the very end of the semester when I scheduled most of my traveling. Anyway, that Monday, after six hours of class, our super outgoing British friend Charlie told the whole class to go get drinks at the restaurant by our school in honor of my birthday. Everyone showed up! I really enjoyed just hanging out with the people I see in class everyday, getting to know them better, and to be honest, seeing some of them let loose a little bit. By the end of the night we got to talking to some of the French students (see note below). It was great to talk in French a bit with locals and meet some of the fancy, smart MBA and Masters students.

By around 10 PM I got some weird cheesecake/flan French concoction with raspberry sauce free from the bartender. I think I took two bites and decided the texture was not for me (see second side note below). We then ordered three pizzas with spinach and mushrooms, because I said that was my favorite. It was a very fun night, but I really had in the back of my mind that I had so much to accomplish before I could leave for Spain on Wednesday.

I had a really great Birthday mostly due to the many Facebook wall posts. My parents sent a great care package with tons of granola bars, which served as my breakfast on-the-go for the past week and a half, some hot chocolate, a new toothbrush, and some other great items like a pair of FABULOUS earrings that I've worn ever since. My grandparents also sent a great card in the mail, which I really enjoyed. So, really I got Happy Birthdays from people all over the world, and even though a 21st Birthday in Europe isn't that big of a deal, I still had a beer in honor of the idea of drinking in the States when I get back!

Notes
1. Grenoble Ecole de Management is split into two very different sections. There is the international side where the business classes are all taught in English and there is the French side where all the classes are taught in French. I'm obviously part of the international side where there are students from all over the world and some French students who want to take business classes in English. It's just a business school so there is no need for anything else to be taught, but there are language classes. Obviously, I take French, but some of the French students take Spanish, Italian, German, or Chinese. Those students amaze me.

The two sides of the school don't have a huge amount of interaction so any time that we get to talk with the cool French people from the French side is time well spent.

2. It is fact that certain people avoid certain foods for whatever reason, rational or irrational. I have an irrational disgust for mayonnaise and anything that is too much like pudding, also some creamy dairy products like créme brulée. Créme Brulée is most certainly not my thing I'm sorry to say. It may seem weird, but consider this... Kate and I had a lovely discussion about food, as usual, in Barcelona, and we were talking about foods that just freak up out, foods we love, and foods we will never try to matter what. It all seemed really random at first, we both love veggies, love chicken, aren't wild about red meat, and then there were a few individual preferences. We started talking about our Moms and how they don't eat those things or how they can't go through a day without a vegetable. So, I officially attribute my irrational disgust for mayonnaise to my Mother. Comments from parents make a difference growing up, whether they are supposed to or not. Also, the fact that my favorite pizza is spinach and mushroom says a bit. Yes, I was raised by a nutritionist, thank you very much.

Bisous!

Le Premier Examen Français

J'ai mon premier examen français aujourd'hui. I'm not too worried because all of the material we have covered so far in my lowly level 2 French class has been review. I pay attention in class, do the homework, haven't done many computer lab exercises, but I think I will be able to read, write, and comprehend well enough. The listening comprehension aspect will truly be a bit of a challenge. The professor will play an audio of a French speaker telling us something very important or asking a question, and we have to respond. The problem is that the speaker talks way too fast!

Yesterday, our GEM Bachelor of International Business group had a de-briefing so the professors and administrators could get a feel of what everyone thought about the classes. We talked for about 30 minutes on the completely unorganized nature of most of the classes, the confusion of having more that one professor for each class, and the crazy schedule. Most of us had complaints, but I really feel glad that I am going to a very prestigious school taking difficult classes while studying abroad. I could have easily chosen a program studying "wine and culture" or "art history" and getting International Business credit, but I am learning a lot about business and culture which I am truly thankful.

Also during the meeting, one of the French girls, who is obviously fluent in English and French, spoke about how much she was learning in her Chinese class at GEM. I'm amazed. I'm trying very hard to learn two languages and many are way above me on a totally different level learning their third or fourth language. If there is one thing that I have truly learned it is that I am a stereotypical American who doesn't know the capital of Sweden, the name of the currency in Hungary, or what language people from Moldova speak, I only know English, and I am convinced that businesses save the world every single day. Working on changing mindsets and educated myself in, well, "world."

One more thought: I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE couples who study abroad together. I found out that at least two GLSers are getting the divine opportunity to study in their respective countries WITH their significant others. I HATE THEM!!!!! To further get my point across, if I were studying abroad with significant other, I would not hate other couples and my life would most certainly reach the idealistic goal of being "perfect." Really, my life would be perfect, and that's hard to do.

Bisous! Je vais prendre mon examen!

Tourbiére du Peuil

This past Saturday, Kate and I went on a little adventure to Seyssins. It is a suburb of Grenoble and gets pretty into the mountains, but I know it's not part of the Alps themselves. We started walking from the tram stop up windy roads, fields, and paths. Luckily, Kate "borrowed" a book on Grenoble trails from our CEA office so we could keep referring to the map and directions in the book. However, it wasn't much help.

In the U.S., trails are clearly marked, signs are positioned at regular intervals, and you always know which direction to go at forks in the path; however, this is not the case in France. We had to constantly switch paths, take a different road, try to look for a sign, and just kind of wander sometimes. It was totally worth it though, because once we got to the top (about 7 miles uphill) there was a beautiful tourbiére. A tourbiére, our book explained to us is a marshy piece of land on the top of a hill or mountain. It was very lovely to be up so high and just be really exhausted from the climb. Snow covered the ground even though it was not very cold that day in Grenoble itself. We could seriously feel the temperature change as we got to the top where we quickly tried to bundle up and put on all of our layers. I would love to go up there in the summer when there are flowers everywhere too!

This is the church we found from the 11th century on the way up the mountain!

It was unfortunately a very foggy and misty day; we couldn't really see Grenoble from the mountain. It was very nice, however, to get out of the city and out into more of the country. We paid for this hike with sore legs and calves the whole week!

Bisous! Plus bientôt!

Les Baux de Provence, Saint-Rémy, Van Gogh

On Sunday the 20th of February, our CEA group spent our last day in Provence in, what many viewed, as the best possible way imaginable. We essentially got to experience the rich, relaxed culture of the Provence region by touring Les Baux de Provence, eating lunch at a wonderful Frenchman's house which happened to be carved out from Roman times, and visiting where Van Gogh spent the last years of his life.

In the morning, we left with the Aix-en-Provence CEA Director, Vivienne, to go travel out into the true French countryside. The countryside is an absolutely gorgeous part of France that many tourists and visitors overlook it simply because, obviously, the locals are not going to speak English, it is not particularly tourist friendly, and is simply France's hidden treasure. The countryside has rolling hills of olive trees usually and then fields and fields of lavender, spices, and herbs. The rocks, which are pure white and very jagged, really remind me of pictures of the Mediterranean coastline from Greece or southern Italy. It seems like a totally different, magically world straight out of a fairy tale book.

We first traveled to les Baux de Provence (Boh-deh-Provahnce). It is known as one of the most beautiful villages in France for good reason. It is actually a very small group of villages in the Provence region that was controlled by the Baux family in the Middle Ages. The true Baux-de-Provence is the main village built on a hill mainly as a fortress. Thus, presently, one can visit the village where shops, restaurants, and houses line the bottom of the hill and the top of the hill is a preserved area of ancient dwellings. Vivienne, on the way there, claimed that the ancient dwellings were like "Disney land without all the people." As we soon found out, we truly felt like we were in a private amusement park where we could tour around these massive ruins full of tunnels, caves, stairs, and towers. The shops were absolutely exquisite as well. Many of the girls bought herbes de provence, jelly preserves, and other items, but I stuck with simply buying my usual patch!

For lunch, we enjoyed the great privilege of meeting a Frenchman named Lulu who serves people in his house which was carved out and built by Roman soldiers. His house is carved out of rock on the side of a hill, and in his backyard, is a giant 20 to 30 foot stone "pyramid" which the Roman soldiers dug out. The ground was around 20+ feet higher in ancient times, so the Roman soldiers essentially dug out this man's entire living area which included a full house, a large patio, a large backyard, and a huge garage (which Lulu likes to fill with his favorite collectible, old cars). His ancient house has been in his family for over two hundreds years, so when he passes away (he does not have a huge amount of time left) his house and property will most likely be turned into a museum. We really felt very lucky to experience the type of life he has lived and look at his house, collectibles, and such. He has such a beautiful place that is just full of French collectibles, old wooden ships, books, wooden dolls, and crafts. Iron pots and pans line the entire house, there is a fireplace in almost every room, and the whole place feels very old, preserved and part of a much different time. (Vivienne, who has gotten to know Lulu a bit more, told us that he has one tech indulgence in his house: a massive flat-screen TV in his bedroom, hilarious!). His life really just seems very beautiful, very relaxed, very pure just living off the land, staying in Provence and trying to preserve his very simply way of life.

For lunch, Lulu made the most amazing meal. We started with a few aperitifs, which usually involve some sort of very strong wine or a sweet liquor. Lulu had made his own, very strong red wine for us to enjoy. We started the meal with traditional French bread baked in the region which was absolutely to die for by itself (We think Ana could have eaten her weight in that bread). Then, we were served a rosé wine. We next started working on an omelet which was made with crushed olives, pure pepper, and some sweet veggies. It was delicious! We also had some pasta salad with tomatoes and mushrooms, a delicious green salad with a very creamy cheese dressing, some sort of foie gras, and a great chicken dish with red peppers, onions, and lots of spices. Dessert was simply a course of cheese and some fruit. The whole thing was just great. Every dish was simply perfect, and we all could have eaten a whole thing of each individual dish. I think my personal favorites were the chicken dish and the olive omelet.

After lunch, we were to the last "hospital" where Van Gogh stayed. Vincent Van Gogh, after going insane and cutting off his ear, committed himself to the hospital at Saint-Paul-de Mausole which was a former monastery in Saint-Rémy. This was a short five minute walk from Lulu's house, so we just strolled over through the olive tree fields and cobblestone roads. Van Gogh painted the most while here, mostly of the fields, the hospital itself, the flowers, and the rocks. He even painted the famous Starry Night here in Saint-Rémy. It was really nice because the preservationists would post signs and small pictures of his paintings in the approximate place where he painted them. So, one could walk around the grounds to see the signs and know that Van Gogh had sat right there painting such and such painting. Very neat.

It was a great day, but we were glad to be back in Grenoble that night. Bisous, plus bientôt!

Yes, I have failed.

I have indeed failed at keeping a steady blog, and I have also started to get pretty relaxed in writing diary entries as well. I have generally felt very lazy, lethargic, and way too French lately. I eat too well, mostly Nutella, croissants, pastries, and paninis, I read a lot of fiction books, which is nice and extremely relaxing, I go running a lot on a riverside track, and I try desperately to avoid going to class.

I'm absolutely dreading starting the process to get my Carte de Séjour, which is a stamp that I need along with my Visa to legally permit me to live in France for over three months. I'm not sure what happens if I don't complete the process, so I need to start as soon as possible, really I should've started yesterday. I sound completely pathetic, but I am really excited to travel and make plans with friends and classes are, in fact, still pretty good.

My next trip is to Madrid to see Ava and Asher and to Barcelona with Kate! I am so terribly excited and am seriously ready to take on another country! I just hope that it's shockingly different, that I'm up all night partying with my favorites, and that I eat lots of tapas. I'm sure Spain won't disappoint. That will be our Spring Break trip, but it might not prove relaxing because we have two major group projects the week we return. Also, traveling in general is stressful. I bought a Eurorail pass with my CEA travel stipend to travel for free for seven days during a two month period. If I hadn't had the stipend it would have cost me a whopping $350, thus I assumed that I wouldn't have to pay anything else when I wanted to travel. I was wrong. To get from Grenoble to Paris, Paris to Irun, and Irun to Madrid by train, I had to pay 40€ in fees. Of course, typical. Also, it would have cost 50€ in fees to get from Barcelona back to Grenoble at the end of the week, so I decided to fly with EasyJet for 35€, which just generally upset me since I have a stickin' Eurorail pass.

My next blog will be brilliant. I'll be discussing our last day in Provence, so don't change that channel.

Bisous.