At the start of another month, moving along in my French classes. I'm thinking of taking Medical French classes the second half or the month, and try to arrange an observational experience at one of the public psych hospitals here. One of my classmates is a medical student from Colombia, who is in the process of doing her last year of school here, and she said it's pretty easy to arrange that for professionals. I have the number of a nearby hospital with 52 psych beds, so I will check out how easy it really is in the next week or so.
Had the opportunity to test my growing French skill 'in vivo'when I had to return some linens I'd bought from the nearby discount everything store. Yes, the mistake was mine and the package had been openned, but I was fooled by the picture that appeared to be the comforter cover I wanted, not the fitted sheet and flat sheet that were really in it...the man at the store initially refused "but ma'am the package is openned, how can I re-sell it?" I agreed, but he could see it was a lot of money, and not what I really needed. Then I suggested we use the packaging from the exchange to re-package the return. We spent about ten minutes folding and re-folding in order to get it back in, but 'tout d'un coup' it was done, both us smiling...it was as satisfying as taking a language proficiency test, and acing it!
Yesterday was Sunday, and for some bizarre reason I decided to go for a run, which I have not done since I've been here. Somehow the hours of walking I do each day had seemed enough, but I had noticed that there was another entrance to the Père Lachaise Cemetery right by my house, and running in the morning quiet of the cemetery seemed like a good idea. It was grey, and drizzling very lightly, but not very cold as I started out, and very few people wandering the cemetery, looking for famous resting places (Proust, Chopin, Piaf, Wilde, J. Morrison). I jogged past the memorials to the deported, the wall the final stand of the communards against the Prussians, monuments to the survivors of the various concentration camps where thousands, hundreds of thousands, French Jews, Polish immigrants to France and various others were sent in the early 40's...there is also a newish section of the cemetery, which caters to the growing popularity of cremation. A lawn where the ashes of loved ones are scattered, flowers laid in their honor...I ran past that, too. I passed several guards, mostly busy answering questions from the growing number of clusters of wandering tourists, brightly colored umbrellas adding a splash of color to the somber landscape, and continued my slow jog. As I came round the front entrance of the cemetery, I slowed to a walk, passed the female guard in the front, and as our eyes met, said "Bonjour, madame" to which she responded with a smile, 'bonjouring' back. I started to jog as I passed her, when I heard a scream behind me "On ne peut pas courrir, il est interdit!!" I looked behind me (it always takes a second or so to figure out unnexpected dialogue) and realized she meant me! I stopped in my tracks and apologized, saying I did not know, and to convince her I did not plan to continue running, I took out my camera and took a couple of shots of graves and trees, but I continued in her sights for the next while until I rounded the next corner. Whew! Glad I did not get kicked out! I checked later, and it's not exactly written down anywhere that you can't run in the cemetery, though picnics and alcoholic beverages are strictly forbidden; as is walking on lawns and leaving garbage...but I don't think I'll go argue my point.
Thanks to all for your comments and responses. For those that are having a hard time responding on the blog itself, since it's not one of those blogs that just anyone can see, I think the trick that you become a member before you can comment, that way there are no anonymous comments. You can get around that by just responding to me by separate e-mail at joellenbr@aol.com
Meanwhile,
Bises,
Jo Ellen
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The second month
Stan just left after 12 days, and I'm in mourning still...he had a lot of suggestions for improving my place (new shower curtain, get a microwave for instance), and in addition to his company in romantic Paree, helped me through what might have been a meltdown for me, when I lost my internet connection for a few days.
Thanks to all of you that are making suggestions...I'm noting them all and doing my best to follow through. Keep sending me homework, kathy C.!
Random observations in no particular order-
The markets are an event that anchors Paris to another time...rather than the precious nature of some of the street markets in SF, these are more like the market at Allemany, where the prices are good, about twenty languages are going on around you and you see produce that one sees nowhere else. I'll include some pix on my next web album so you can get a feel. They are all over Paris, on a regular schedule, and one sees families making an outing of it on the weekends. Everyone shops in small amounts and carries it home by hand, and the baguette in hand at the end of the day is almost universal. This seems like a hard place to be on a gluten free diet, though there are more and more choices in the 'bio' (health food) stores.
Fashion in the normal parts of Paris among the young resembles young fashion mostly everywhere, but there is a shabby-chic motif I've noticed more...an accent scarf, a pair of purple boots, chatreuse fishnets, wacky hats especially among teens and middle aged women (making me feel right at home!)
There are more homeless around, and more begging which is particularly poignant in winter...and being in a more working class neighborhood, I notice more how many people jump the Metro entry not to pay, or go into the bus through the back; trasportation being one of the big expenses here. A metro bus pass for the month is about 55 Euro or about $75. A lot if you have a big family or are poor, even with the reductions for youth and the retired.
I'm wandering neighborhoods I had not seen before, and so far my two new favorite areas are the 19th Arr. near Butte Chaumont and the area around the canals Ourk and St. Martin, in spite of their gritty reputation.
On developing my peripheral vision-I read somewhere that 50 tons of dogshit is dropped on the streets of Paris every day...thankfully the street cleaning blasts it off with water hoses once a week, but even so, it's all over. Of all the people one sees walking dogs, I have seen only a handfull pick up after the dog, usually with a napkin that goes into a plastic bag. The inverted plastic bag trick has yet to get popular here. One person I saw used the napkin to wipe the dogs "cul" instead of picking up the detritus! I'm proud to say, I have yet to step in it (knocking on wood as I say this) and I think it's because I have trained my peripheral vision to include the floor. Stan might say not well enough, as I took a big spill when I was walking around with him...checking out the photos I'd just taken while walking, I missed two steps and went down hard on my knee...ouch! No serious damage, but hobbled over to the nearest cafe on Bastille, which may rank among the priciest in Paris and spent 5 Euro on a pain relieving cup of coffee while assessing the damage. Happy to say I'm doing well and did not have to test the medical system of France.
I'm back in school tomorrow!
Bises to all, Jo
Thanks to all of you that are making suggestions...I'm noting them all and doing my best to follow through. Keep sending me homework, kathy C.!
Random observations in no particular order-
The markets are an event that anchors Paris to another time...rather than the precious nature of some of the street markets in SF, these are more like the market at Allemany, where the prices are good, about twenty languages are going on around you and you see produce that one sees nowhere else. I'll include some pix on my next web album so you can get a feel. They are all over Paris, on a regular schedule, and one sees families making an outing of it on the weekends. Everyone shops in small amounts and carries it home by hand, and the baguette in hand at the end of the day is almost universal. This seems like a hard place to be on a gluten free diet, though there are more and more choices in the 'bio' (health food) stores.
Fashion in the normal parts of Paris among the young resembles young fashion mostly everywhere, but there is a shabby-chic motif I've noticed more...an accent scarf, a pair of purple boots, chatreuse fishnets, wacky hats especially among teens and middle aged women (making me feel right at home!)
There are more homeless around, and more begging which is particularly poignant in winter...and being in a more working class neighborhood, I notice more how many people jump the Metro entry not to pay, or go into the bus through the back; trasportation being one of the big expenses here. A metro bus pass for the month is about 55 Euro or about $75. A lot if you have a big family or are poor, even with the reductions for youth and the retired.
I'm wandering neighborhoods I had not seen before, and so far my two new favorite areas are the 19th Arr. near Butte Chaumont and the area around the canals Ourk and St. Martin, in spite of their gritty reputation.
On developing my peripheral vision-I read somewhere that 50 tons of dogshit is dropped on the streets of Paris every day...thankfully the street cleaning blasts it off with water hoses once a week, but even so, it's all over. Of all the people one sees walking dogs, I have seen only a handfull pick up after the dog, usually with a napkin that goes into a plastic bag. The inverted plastic bag trick has yet to get popular here. One person I saw used the napkin to wipe the dogs "cul" instead of picking up the detritus! I'm proud to say, I have yet to step in it (knocking on wood as I say this) and I think it's because I have trained my peripheral vision to include the floor. Stan might say not well enough, as I took a big spill when I was walking around with him...checking out the photos I'd just taken while walking, I missed two steps and went down hard on my knee...ouch! No serious damage, but hobbled over to the nearest cafe on Bastille, which may rank among the priciest in Paris and spent 5 Euro on a pain relieving cup of coffee while assessing the damage. Happy to say I'm doing well and did not have to test the medical system of France.
I'm back in school tomorrow!
Bises to all, Jo
Friday, February 15, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The first weeks
So much new to get used to. Living alone, the time change, the language...but the weather has been almost identical to San Francisco, providing a constant drizzle, cold, occasional peek of sun.
I have been in school at the Alliance Française for two weeks, getting homework and attending 9 hours per week. I go in the afternoon, which leaves mornings and nights free for whatever comes up. My French teacher, whose name is Anni, is a cultural experience herself, using a lot of shrugs and hand expressions to punctuate her talks. She is also very pregnant, so I anticipate a maternity leave during my stay here. I'm learning a lot, getting a lot of "travail a la maison, or exercises"as she says. Not the more common term of "devoirs" as we are 'all adults here' not enfants a l'ecole. The class has 2 Brazilians, 2 Americans, 1 Australian, 2 Turks, 1 Chinese, 1 Colombian, 1 Israeli, 1 Pole, 1 Japanese, 2 Hungarians, and 1 young woman for the Arab Emirate. Not everyone is there every day, but that is the crew at present. Since you can start on any Monday, new people come in then.
School has a fabulous multimedia center with French films that have French subtitles (a boon for the learner...Is that what they were saying???!!!) and lots of phonetic exercises, grammar exercises and studying aides for specific proficiency tests that you can take for bussiness, or other areas of study.
My friends Valerie and Glenn reccomended a Yoga studio not too far from here, run by a guy named Gerard who heads an official Yoga Alliance recognized foundation focusing on Yoga Dynamique...flow style, or Ashtanga. So far have tried 3 teachers, including him, and find the classes quite lovely. A good workout, and vigorous but with the quality I love from Kripalu of pausing to dip into the experience.
I have made a few friends in school, as well as recconnecting with some I knew before, and among them is the wife of a fellow student who is also into Yoga, so we are checking out classes together and talking about it. I'm going to start writing down Yoga terms in French as they are a great way to add to the body parts and movements in spoke French...maybe do an oral presentation in class of a yoga class ;-)
Paris is a great movie town, with not only the new films from all over, but revival houses with all kinds of festivals. Just this week, film series focusing on Sean Penn, the Cohen Brothers, Antonioni, Tim Burton as well as focusing on genres like Gothic, etc. So far I have seen 9 films, Russian, Chinese, Australian and of course French.
I'm trying to pick a new part of the city to check out several times a week, and that has been fun, as well as making very aware of what shoes can take that kind of walking...I'm averaging about 2-3 hours a day, but on some put in 4-5. I have made friends with the family of a friend in San Francisco, and the woman in the couple is wanting to practice English, so we have a regular Friday date to explore some sight in the City. So far we have gone to a Klezmer concert, walked all over the Pere Lacheise Cementery, and are going to the Catacombs next week. There is a theme there, maybe?
Other random observations are how different the news is here...there are actually regular reports about the Middle East, Asia, African countries, and the US is of course another foreign country. Journalists are fairly clear about the grain of salt they add to the analysis that comes from the US about the economy, the war and peace efforts, etc.
I'll add pictures to the blog as soon as I figure out how to upload them!
Meantime, bises to all...don't be afraid to respond if you feel like it, as well as to ignore the postings.
Jo
I have been in school at the Alliance Française for two weeks, getting homework and attending 9 hours per week. I go in the afternoon, which leaves mornings and nights free for whatever comes up. My French teacher, whose name is Anni, is a cultural experience herself, using a lot of shrugs and hand expressions to punctuate her talks. She is also very pregnant, so I anticipate a maternity leave during my stay here. I'm learning a lot, getting a lot of "travail a la maison, or exercises"as she says. Not the more common term of "devoirs" as we are 'all adults here' not enfants a l'ecole. The class has 2 Brazilians, 2 Americans, 1 Australian, 2 Turks, 1 Chinese, 1 Colombian, 1 Israeli, 1 Pole, 1 Japanese, 2 Hungarians, and 1 young woman for the Arab Emirate. Not everyone is there every day, but that is the crew at present. Since you can start on any Monday, new people come in then.
School has a fabulous multimedia center with French films that have French subtitles (a boon for the learner...Is that what they were saying???!!!) and lots of phonetic exercises, grammar exercises and studying aides for specific proficiency tests that you can take for bussiness, or other areas of study.
My friends Valerie and Glenn reccomended a Yoga studio not too far from here, run by a guy named Gerard who heads an official Yoga Alliance recognized foundation focusing on Yoga Dynamique...flow style, or Ashtanga. So far have tried 3 teachers, including him, and find the classes quite lovely. A good workout, and vigorous but with the quality I love from Kripalu of pausing to dip into the experience.
I have made a few friends in school, as well as recconnecting with some I knew before, and among them is the wife of a fellow student who is also into Yoga, so we are checking out classes together and talking about it. I'm going to start writing down Yoga terms in French as they are a great way to add to the body parts and movements in spoke French...maybe do an oral presentation in class of a yoga class ;-)
Paris is a great movie town, with not only the new films from all over, but revival houses with all kinds of festivals. Just this week, film series focusing on Sean Penn, the Cohen Brothers, Antonioni, Tim Burton as well as focusing on genres like Gothic, etc. So far I have seen 9 films, Russian, Chinese, Australian and of course French.
I'm trying to pick a new part of the city to check out several times a week, and that has been fun, as well as making very aware of what shoes can take that kind of walking...I'm averaging about 2-3 hours a day, but on some put in 4-5. I have made friends with the family of a friend in San Francisco, and the woman in the couple is wanting to practice English, so we have a regular Friday date to explore some sight in the City. So far we have gone to a Klezmer concert, walked all over the Pere Lacheise Cementery, and are going to the Catacombs next week. There is a theme there, maybe?
Other random observations are how different the news is here...there are actually regular reports about the Middle East, Asia, African countries, and the US is of course another foreign country. Journalists are fairly clear about the grain of salt they add to the analysis that comes from the US about the economy, the war and peace efforts, etc.
I'll add pictures to the blog as soon as I figure out how to upload them!
Meantime, bises to all...don't be afraid to respond if you feel like it, as well as to ignore the postings.
Jo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)