One item of interest in the news here has to do with the former president Perón, who died in 1974. Martha Holgado has been claiming for twelve years that she is his daughter, so recently they removed the body from its protection of 12 locks to take genetic material and make a comparison. Apparently this will take around 45 days. Perhaps I will find out and report the results before flying back.
Next Monday is feriado because it is Día de la Raza ("Day of the Race"). This particular Latin American holiday corresponds somewhat to Columbus Day. I believe the date has some connection with the discovery of America, and the 'Race' may refer to those of Spanish background, since this same holiday is known as Fiesta de España or Día de Hispanicidad in Spain. If you want to know more, go look in Wikipedia. Of course, the pertinent point is that we don't have classes. I expect it will be another study day, as there are at least three papers and three exams that will start coming due at the end of the month.
Speaking of exams, this week I received back all the grades for the four midterms. One 7, two 8s, one 10 - on a scale of 1-10. 7 does not sound that great to me, but everyone else informs me it's a good grade. Probably corresponds to a B in our system. Of course, in my opinion, a B is not a good grade, but then the midterm only partly counts toward the final grade. Anyway, grades are mere numbers; the important thing is becoming fluent in Spanish.
This Sunday is el Día de la Madre in Argentina! Silvina and her mother Miriam invited me to eat with their family in Miriam's house on Sunday. That will be a little more like home, but of course I will be thinking of you, mi muy querida mamá. :)
Everyone enjoy your snow up there... down here it's already practically summer!
Friday, October 13, 2006
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Saturday
Saturday morning I got up in order to arrive at the post office at 10:00, the hour it opens. This wasn't early enough because there was already a line outside. But fortunately it was only five minutes of waiting.
The next and last errand of the morning was at Coto, a grocery store. All I needed was shampoo and some cereal bars to keep me alive during long days of classes. When it was my turn at the register, I handed the cashier a note of 10 and patiently awaited my five-or-so pesos in change. The lady took the bill, opened it, looked it up and down, this way and that, against the light... I had seen them checking other notes, but never so long, and began to be very nervous that perhaps it was counterfeit. Finally she turned and asked something of another cashier, which I could not make it, then opened the drawer, lifted the tray and put it beneath - hmmm, how odd, I thought, maybe that's for the notes that are halfway suspicious - and started pulling out my change from the slot of 20s! Oh my, I thought, did I somehow hand her a 100-peso note and not see the extra 0? She gave me some 32 pesos. I tried to ask what I had given her, but was so surprised it didn't come out very correctly. She reopened the drawer and showed me the note of 10 Euros I had given her.
Ooops...
I tried to explain that I hadn't realized it and could return another time to buy my things in pesos, but apparently the Euro is plenty stable.
Later I realized what had happened. I had been keeping a 10-Euro note and a 5-Euro note with my checkbook (which I never carry with me), simply as souvenirs for the moment (with, of course, the design of waiting for an exchange rate of something around 100 or above) and when for some reason I had to look at something in the checkbook, happened upon these notes and somehow mistook them for pesos - despite the fact that Euros are made of stiffer paper with glossier embellishments; in other words, I was incredibly not paying attention - and stuck them in my purse ("oh, how lovely, look at these 15 pesos that I was forgetting about...").
Of course, this may not seem very funny to you, but after the first block and first shock, I kept laughing all the rest of the morning!
So much for the grand potential exchange rate. Instead I got rid of my lovely 10-Euro note in a little grocery store in Buenos Aires. When I got back home, my calculator and guesses at the exchange rates informed me that the change was correct.
Well, there's always the 5 Euros, just have to wait for a really good exchange rate...
The next and last errand of the morning was at Coto, a grocery store. All I needed was shampoo and some cereal bars to keep me alive during long days of classes. When it was my turn at the register, I handed the cashier a note of 10 and patiently awaited my five-or-so pesos in change. The lady took the bill, opened it, looked it up and down, this way and that, against the light... I had seen them checking other notes, but never so long, and began to be very nervous that perhaps it was counterfeit. Finally she turned and asked something of another cashier, which I could not make it, then opened the drawer, lifted the tray and put it beneath - hmmm, how odd, I thought, maybe that's for the notes that are halfway suspicious - and started pulling out my change from the slot of 20s! Oh my, I thought, did I somehow hand her a 100-peso note and not see the extra 0? She gave me some 32 pesos. I tried to ask what I had given her, but was so surprised it didn't come out very correctly. She reopened the drawer and showed me the note of 10 Euros I had given her.
Ooops...
I tried to explain that I hadn't realized it and could return another time to buy my things in pesos, but apparently the Euro is plenty stable.
Later I realized what had happened. I had been keeping a 10-Euro note and a 5-Euro note with my checkbook (which I never carry with me), simply as souvenirs for the moment (with, of course, the design of waiting for an exchange rate of something around 100 or above) and when for some reason I had to look at something in the checkbook, happened upon these notes and somehow mistook them for pesos - despite the fact that Euros are made of stiffer paper with glossier embellishments; in other words, I was incredibly not paying attention - and stuck them in my purse ("oh, how lovely, look at these 15 pesos that I was forgetting about...").
Of course, this may not seem very funny to you, but after the first block and first shock, I kept laughing all the rest of the morning!
So much for the grand potential exchange rate. Instead I got rid of my lovely 10-Euro note in a little grocery store in Buenos Aires. When I got back home, my calculator and guesses at the exchange rates informed me that the change was correct.
Well, there's always the 5 Euros, just have to wait for a really good exchange rate...
Friday, October 06, 2006
Tranquil Friday
Laugh of the day: Hearing some guy in the street saying, "Waiyt fo mee, waiyt fo mee..."
Nostalgia of the day: Was walking to the university and passed someone mowing the lawn. That doesn't seem to belong to the world of Buenos Aires!
Nostalgia of the day: Was walking to the university and passed someone mowing the lawn. That doesn't seem to belong to the world of Buenos Aires!
Monday, October 02, 2006
Qué lástima
Too bad, we don't have our Literature class. This means four hours of being stuck around here with free time, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., at which hour begins Art. Looks like I'll have to study extra or write a blog post - or maybe both.
It has already been a strange sort of day. If it weren't for my alarm clock, I wouldn't have woken up at 8 p.m. because it was raining very hard... and very loud on a tin roof... and we all know how the conscious struggles to take over the mind from the subconscious when it's raining. I didn't know if it was safe to take a shower, considering the lightning and thunder, so I got ready to study, only to discover a mini waterfall in the closet. Ran down to the kitchen and back up twice to get tupperware, which caught most of the dripping.
Silvina got up a little later. Originally she had Monday morning free; then her mother called Sunday night to see if she could work. (!) Emi was supposed to work, then turned out she didn't have to.
It had stopped raining at some point in the morning, but about noon, just when Ramón came to pick up the ladder (that infamous ladder that has been leaning against the wall for all the time I've been here and which I managed to knock over by barely brushing up against it that one time, causing it to bend up the gas heater and nearly knock out a kitchen window, of course while Silvina was gone for the weekend.) But it started pouring again and we had to wait for Silvina to arrive with a lampshade for Ramón to cart off as well....
--Don't worry, you're not expected to understand all the threads of this complicated story - I'm just trying to illustrate how oddly the day is going--
... so Ramón and Emi and I sat around and chatted for fifteen minutes while waiting for Silvina, then fifteen minutes more with Silvina while waiting for the rain.
As for the rest of the day, Silvina is working at the office, Emi is working (painting) at home, and they're both going off to play cards with a friend late in the afternoon. Then perhaps, possibly, Felipe comes over in the evening. But I won't know till I get back around 9:30 p.m., so I don't know if I'll end up making that dessert or not, and so I don't know if I'll have time to study later, and so, in short...
Don't make too many plans for a day because you never know what's going to happen. Just relax and keep working at the next thing, and remember that you have fifteen or twenty or however many minutes to deal with unexpected things, and especially to spend with friends.
It has already been a strange sort of day. If it weren't for my alarm clock, I wouldn't have woken up at 8 p.m. because it was raining very hard... and very loud on a tin roof... and we all know how the conscious struggles to take over the mind from the subconscious when it's raining. I didn't know if it was safe to take a shower, considering the lightning and thunder, so I got ready to study, only to discover a mini waterfall in the closet. Ran down to the kitchen and back up twice to get tupperware, which caught most of the dripping.
Silvina got up a little later. Originally she had Monday morning free; then her mother called Sunday night to see if she could work. (!) Emi was supposed to work, then turned out she didn't have to.
It had stopped raining at some point in the morning, but about noon, just when Ramón came to pick up the ladder (that infamous ladder that has been leaning against the wall for all the time I've been here and which I managed to knock over by barely brushing up against it that one time, causing it to bend up the gas heater and nearly knock out a kitchen window, of course while Silvina was gone for the weekend.) But it started pouring again and we had to wait for Silvina to arrive with a lampshade for Ramón to cart off as well....
--Don't worry, you're not expected to understand all the threads of this complicated story - I'm just trying to illustrate how oddly the day is going--
... so Ramón and Emi and I sat around and chatted for fifteen minutes while waiting for Silvina, then fifteen minutes more with Silvina while waiting for the rain.
As for the rest of the day, Silvina is working at the office, Emi is working (painting) at home, and they're both going off to play cards with a friend late in the afternoon. Then perhaps, possibly, Felipe comes over in the evening. But I won't know till I get back around 9:30 p.m., so I don't know if I'll end up making that dessert or not, and so I don't know if I'll have time to study later, and so, in short...
Don't make too many plans for a day because you never know what's going to happen. Just relax and keep working at the next thing, and remember that you have fifteen or twenty or however many minutes to deal with unexpected things, and especially to spend with friends.
Friday, September 29, 2006
late as usual
There, I finally put up a link for you, Jason. (At least you don't know my password.)
Everyone else, you should go visit my brother's site if you haven't yet! (Hint for dumb blondes like me: look under 'Kin' on the sidebar.)
Everyone else, you should go visit my brother's site if you haven't yet! (Hint for dumb blondes like me: look under 'Kin' on the sidebar.)
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Just a little commentary
When studying overseas, it seems like everything slows down. The class schedule is less hectic, for one thing.
When studying overseas, it seems like everything takes more time. Meals take more time (especially if you're eating with others). Transportation takes more time... Take the bus and you have to go to the correct bus stop, wait for the bus (late in the evening this could be a l-o-n-g wait), and wait for the bus to get through traffic if it's a busy hour; then of course you may have to walk again to reach your destination, or take another bus... Studying takes more time. Obviously because it's in another language, and also because the professor may have a different style, or you don't know exactly what he or she is expecting.
Business takes more time. Go to the bank and you may have to wait at least half an hour... go to the post office and you'll almost certainly wait an hour minimum. In the case of the bank it's mostly just a question of quantity of customers. In the case of the post office... I haven't figured it out yet. Maybe the employees just enjoy taking their time. It was the same over in France. There I would get up to arrive at 8 a.m. sharp and only have to wait behind 3 or 4 people, but the hours aren't as exact here.
In some ways, life is simpler. In both France and Argentina my host families don't have a dishwasher. In France I hung my laundry over a drying rack, here Silvina hangs it on a line. Both Mme. Josianne and Silvina buy groceries during the week as they think of them and need them... of course, for a family who has to drive at least 15 minutes to the nearest grocery store, one that turns out rather expensive, this doesn't work. We almost never used the family's DVD player in France, and here Silvina just bought a DVD player (and I got to help her set up the Spanish subtitles! - because, of course, all the 'good movies' (= ones that she likes) are in English).
In France if we wanted bread or dessert or a snack, we bought it, and here it's pretty much the same, though I've tried a few desserts that almost turn out right and that mostly everybody loves (it would help if the stores had things like cocoa or chocolate chips... for the latter, have to guess how much I need, buy the bar(s) and chop 'em up). In both homes we rarely turn on the oven, maybe once a week.
And there's probably a heap more, but as I'd like to pick up my VISA tomorrow and don't know how long that will take, and as Silvina's mother is coming for dinner tonight, better get home and study a little...
When studying overseas, it seems like everything takes more time. Meals take more time (especially if you're eating with others). Transportation takes more time... Take the bus and you have to go to the correct bus stop, wait for the bus (late in the evening this could be a l-o-n-g wait), and wait for the bus to get through traffic if it's a busy hour; then of course you may have to walk again to reach your destination, or take another bus... Studying takes more time. Obviously because it's in another language, and also because the professor may have a different style, or you don't know exactly what he or she is expecting.
Business takes more time. Go to the bank and you may have to wait at least half an hour... go to the post office and you'll almost certainly wait an hour minimum. In the case of the bank it's mostly just a question of quantity of customers. In the case of the post office... I haven't figured it out yet. Maybe the employees just enjoy taking their time. It was the same over in France. There I would get up to arrive at 8 a.m. sharp and only have to wait behind 3 or 4 people, but the hours aren't as exact here.
In some ways, life is simpler. In both France and Argentina my host families don't have a dishwasher. In France I hung my laundry over a drying rack, here Silvina hangs it on a line. Both Mme. Josianne and Silvina buy groceries during the week as they think of them and need them... of course, for a family who has to drive at least 15 minutes to the nearest grocery store, one that turns out rather expensive, this doesn't work. We almost never used the family's DVD player in France, and here Silvina just bought a DVD player (and I got to help her set up the Spanish subtitles! - because, of course, all the 'good movies' (= ones that she likes) are in English).
In France if we wanted bread or dessert or a snack, we bought it, and here it's pretty much the same, though I've tried a few desserts that almost turn out right and that mostly everybody loves (it would help if the stores had things like cocoa or chocolate chips... for the latter, have to guess how much I need, buy the bar(s) and chop 'em up). In both homes we rarely turn on the oven, maybe once a week.
And there's probably a heap more, but as I'd like to pick up my VISA tomorrow and don't know how long that will take, and as Silvina's mother is coming for dinner tonight, better get home and study a little...
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Mañana
Just to not go a week without saying anything. Tomorrow sounds like a good day to post, doesn't it? Because I don't have much time this afternoon, and the Internet is really crawling... at least on this computer.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
So much for that
Spring decided to leave us the day after it came.
Thursday the government suggested that Friday be a day of not driving autos (and taking public transportation instead, I suppose), since autos are damaging to the environment and congest the traffic. Apparently it didn't work very well, because traffic was horrible last night. When we took a colectivo in Cabildo, it took us as long to get from the street Olleros up to the street Juramento as I could have walked it.
Thursday the government suggested that Friday be a day of not driving autos (and taking public transportation instead, I suppose), since autos are damaging to the environment and congest the traffic. Apparently it didn't work very well, because traffic was horrible last night. When we took a colectivo in Cabildo, it took us as long to get from the street Olleros up to the street Juramento as I could have walked it.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Feliz primavera!
It's - the -- first --- day ---- of ----- spriiiiinnng!!
How's everything up in the Northern Hemisphere?
How's everything up in the Northern Hemisphere?
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
When walking...
Well, I did promise the post, so even though the university Internet turned very sluggish this afternoon, your BA correspondent is in the locutorio next door to her house in order to fulfill that promise. Besides, Silvina is cleaning and Emi is visiting with Ale. How am I supposed to study?
Speaking of studying, I realized today that there are only three midterms next week, one the week following, and then we just wait for the finals in early November.
The university is only a brisk fifteen-minute walk from our house, but fifteen minutes is nine blocks and plenty of time to see interesting things in Buenos Aires. By the way, whether you are out walking or in a colectivo, remember to keep track of both the name and number of the street. There are so many streets in Buenos Aires and the major ones are so long that they are numbered in hundreds, advancing a hundred with each block. So going from Cabildo 600 to Cabildo 5200 is 46 blocks... a good walk of perhaps an hour, depending on your rate and how many red lights you hit.
In France - at least, in Dijon - it is sometimes possible to walk by eye and not by the light. Don't try that too much here. Drivers are much less thoughtful and will bear down on you honking all the way. Of course, if you happen to be on the right side of the street you can often make it across before the traffic from the other side arrives, especially if you are crossing a street adjoining a larger one where the colectivos and some taxis and a few bold drivers keep heading through the first 15 seconds of red light, considered no man's land.
Streets that are tranquil in the afternoon are a little too tranquil when you are heading home from a class that finishes at 9 p.m., so if alone try to follow busier streets, even if it costs you a few blocks. If you walk with someone and don't like whistles try to make sure that someone isn't a girl who doesn't mind wearing a skirt that you wouldn't.
Despite afternoon and evening classes, if for some reason you leave on an empty stomach, there are plenty of little stands where someone is roasting peanuts and packaging popcorn and candy to sell... averaging about one a block on the major streets. There are also plenty of people hovering around subway exits and newspaper stands waiting to shove flyers and business cards in front of you. May as well take them, you'll feel generous and you'll probably pick up some with a blank back, which will save you from buying post-it notes.
As in France, there are plenty of dogs, and dogs leave gifts. Somehow Buenos Aires seems more dangerous in this aspect than in France. The best time to go walking is around 7 or 7:30 a.m., when the sidewalks have just been hosed off. You will often see dogwalkers with a group of dogs, anywhere from between four and twenty (well, okay, I've never counted...). This is a job invented during the economic crisis of 2002 and it sticks around. However, it sounds like some dogwalkers occasionally beat the dogs and take long smoke breaks in the park.
Consider it a great triumph when you are returning home one night and realize where you are not by street names or numbers but by recognizing the man at the newspaper stand one block from where you turn off. This means you're getting quite comfortable in Buenos Aires... at least in your little part of it.
Speaking of studying, I realized today that there are only three midterms next week, one the week following, and then we just wait for the finals in early November.
The university is only a brisk fifteen-minute walk from our house, but fifteen minutes is nine blocks and plenty of time to see interesting things in Buenos Aires. By the way, whether you are out walking or in a colectivo, remember to keep track of both the name and number of the street. There are so many streets in Buenos Aires and the major ones are so long that they are numbered in hundreds, advancing a hundred with each block. So going from Cabildo 600 to Cabildo 5200 is 46 blocks... a good walk of perhaps an hour, depending on your rate and how many red lights you hit.
In France - at least, in Dijon - it is sometimes possible to walk by eye and not by the light. Don't try that too much here. Drivers are much less thoughtful and will bear down on you honking all the way. Of course, if you happen to be on the right side of the street you can often make it across before the traffic from the other side arrives, especially if you are crossing a street adjoining a larger one where the colectivos and some taxis and a few bold drivers keep heading through the first 15 seconds of red light, considered no man's land.
Streets that are tranquil in the afternoon are a little too tranquil when you are heading home from a class that finishes at 9 p.m., so if alone try to follow busier streets, even if it costs you a few blocks. If you walk with someone and don't like whistles try to make sure that someone isn't a girl who doesn't mind wearing a skirt that you wouldn't.
Despite afternoon and evening classes, if for some reason you leave on an empty stomach, there are plenty of little stands where someone is roasting peanuts and packaging popcorn and candy to sell... averaging about one a block on the major streets. There are also plenty of people hovering around subway exits and newspaper stands waiting to shove flyers and business cards in front of you. May as well take them, you'll feel generous and you'll probably pick up some with a blank back, which will save you from buying post-it notes.
As in France, there are plenty of dogs, and dogs leave gifts. Somehow Buenos Aires seems more dangerous in this aspect than in France. The best time to go walking is around 7 or 7:30 a.m., when the sidewalks have just been hosed off. You will often see dogwalkers with a group of dogs, anywhere from between four and twenty (well, okay, I've never counted...). This is a job invented during the economic crisis of 2002 and it sticks around. However, it sounds like some dogwalkers occasionally beat the dogs and take long smoke breaks in the park.
Consider it a great triumph when you are returning home one night and realize where you are not by street names or numbers but by recognizing the man at the newspaper stand one block from where you turn off. This means you're getting quite comfortable in Buenos Aires... at least in your little part of it.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Short
This is a pretty pathetic blog for an overseas student, isn't it?
As it turns out, next week is midterms week, so I have an excuse this time. Midterms in every class except Spanish, but sounds like they will be pretty short and straightforward.
Tomorrow will be more tranquil with only one class, and I promise that there will be something more interesting to read.
As it turns out, next week is midterms week, so I have an excuse this time. Midterms in every class except Spanish, but sounds like they will be pretty short and straightforward.
Tomorrow will be more tranquil with only one class, and I promise that there will be something more interesting to read.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Wonderful day!
Happy 48th birthday to Mommy!
And congratulations to Daddy, who is retiring -- today is his last day at FedEx!!
How much lovelier can this Friday be?
And congratulations to Daddy, who is retiring -- today is his last day at FedEx!!
How much lovelier can this Friday be?
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Next vacation
Thursday of next week is another día feriado. This time it's El Día del Estudiante! Clearly a tradition that the U.S. should import.
I would have had Wednesday through Sunday free (just think, a 2-day week), but as one of my two classes that meets Thursday also has a Wednesday section that doesn't get off, it seems better not to miss a chunk of the material, even if I already have some of the notes. A one-class day isn't that bad.
Actually, it isn't a holiday for all students, just for most high school and university students. Sounds like the Argentinian students go party for one day. Me? Midterms are coming, I plan to study! At least un poquito.
I would have had Wednesday through Sunday free (just think, a 2-day week), but as one of my two classes that meets Thursday also has a Wednesday section that doesn't get off, it seems better not to miss a chunk of the material, even if I already have some of the notes. A one-class day isn't that bad.
Actually, it isn't a holiday for all students, just for most high school and university students. Sounds like the Argentinian students go party for one day. Me? Midterms are coming, I plan to study! At least un poquito.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Las noticias
Not that there's much news to report.
Let's see... Spring is coming. I haven't worn a coat all weekend.
The student life continues. Studying and homework take quite a long time some days, but drinking maté with salsa music in the background is generally a good combination! For those who don't know, maté taken in the traditional style is like tea leaf pieces (from a plant that isn't tea) in a little wooden vase. Add hot water (not boiling) from a kettle, a little at a time, and sip it with a sort of metal or wooden pipe. At the beginning it's stronger than green tea, at the end pretty bland... needless to say, I prefer the beginning, but as long as there's hot liquid it's quite good. Better than tea but not recommended right before bed, unless you're one of those people who fall asleep on stimulants.
Getting used to the Argentine schedule now... that is, never getting up before the sun, having afternoon and evening classes, eating supper at 9 on average, rarely going to bed before midnight.
Castellano (Spanish is what they speak in Spain) is coming along. However, I was slightly disappointed to wake up from dreaming in English and realize that I can't recollect dreaming in castellano yet. However (only English speakers studying abroad are allowed to use two "however's" so close together) the subjunctive mode is becoming more natural, almost a daily occurrence. The Spanish subjunctive is more fun than the French because there is always a change in the verb structure, not just one that hides in typical endings and unpronounced vowels.
Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow is a day off and I just might be able to give you a quick description of classes... something promised long ago, when the Internet connection was more reliable and private.
Let's see... Spring is coming. I haven't worn a coat all weekend.
The student life continues. Studying and homework take quite a long time some days, but drinking maté with salsa music in the background is generally a good combination! For those who don't know, maté taken in the traditional style is like tea leaf pieces (from a plant that isn't tea) in a little wooden vase. Add hot water (not boiling) from a kettle, a little at a time, and sip it with a sort of metal or wooden pipe. At the beginning it's stronger than green tea, at the end pretty bland... needless to say, I prefer the beginning, but as long as there's hot liquid it's quite good. Better than tea but not recommended right before bed, unless you're one of those people who fall asleep on stimulants.
Getting used to the Argentine schedule now... that is, never getting up before the sun, having afternoon and evening classes, eating supper at 9 on average, rarely going to bed before midnight.
Castellano (Spanish is what they speak in Spain) is coming along. However, I was slightly disappointed to wake up from dreaming in English and realize that I can't recollect dreaming in castellano yet. However (only English speakers studying abroad are allowed to use two "however's" so close together) the subjunctive mode is becoming more natural, almost a daily occurrence. The Spanish subjunctive is more fun than the French because there is always a change in the verb structure, not just one that hides in typical endings and unpronounced vowels.
Well, that's all for today. Tomorrow is a day off and I just might be able to give you a quick description of classes... something promised long ago, when the Internet connection was more reliable and private.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Comment in a Post
Since I can't visit the comments, I will just have to imagine them till I get to a locutorio sometime. But I did forget to include something yesterday. Why did the photography line take so long? There was one man sitting behind a desk, arranging numbers for us to hold against our chest, taking pictures, printing them off and then trimming them - by hand - with a scissors. How much it would take to pay an extra person to at least sit there and trim the photos, I don't know.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
... Getting the VISA ...
We're on a roll here: second day straight of blog access and this is even a different computer! (#1)
Today is Wednesday, which means no classes (for me) and normally an afternoon visit to the university for Internet. Usually I get here before 5 p.m., at least on days that we (international students) don't have to visit Immigration to obtain student VISAs.
We had to arrive at the university at 8:30 a.m. to take a bus. However, we stood or sat around for probably half an hour before.... either before everything was ready or before the bus arrived.
First stop was a different office in town where we had gone the week before to get our fingers all blacked up. That stuff was hard to get off. They had bottles of lemony-something gel and it took at least three batches to get most of it off. They needed our fingerprints in order to give us today's form announcing that we aren't criminals. So we showed up at this building and formed a line that was constantly being broken by other people trying to pass. It didn't take long to shout out names and hand out the forms, but afterwards some of us stood outside close to an hour while they finished up with a few students. It wasn't really cold, but just enough to be a little uncomfortable.
Then we took the bus to Immigration. This was more interesting. First we had to sit and wait for them to call us up to the desks one by one to fill out a form and cross-check information; then go stand in line at the cashier's to pay the 200 pesos; then return with the receipt to the desk of the same immigrations agent; then go stand in line to have our picture taken; then return to seats and wait till our particular agent was free to finish up with us; ... only to receive a form that we're instructed to keep with our passport till the day we can come back to receive our VISAs. Somehow I thought this was just a two-visit process. Oh well, nothing like the joys of waiting! Those of us who finished first were lucky. We only had to wait about an hour for the bus to arrive to take the first load of students back. Many of the others were still standing in line for photos, some of them at least an hour. One girl hadn't even been called up for the first time when we left!
I just hope the day we go back is another no-class day for me, or I may have to resign myself to actually missing.
Now that's quite enough sitting for today, time to head back home!
Today is Wednesday, which means no classes (for me) and normally an afternoon visit to the university for Internet. Usually I get here before 5 p.m., at least on days that we (international students) don't have to visit Immigration to obtain student VISAs.
We had to arrive at the university at 8:30 a.m. to take a bus. However, we stood or sat around for probably half an hour before.... either before everything was ready or before the bus arrived.
First stop was a different office in town where we had gone the week before to get our fingers all blacked up. That stuff was hard to get off. They had bottles of lemony-something gel and it took at least three batches to get most of it off. They needed our fingerprints in order to give us today's form announcing that we aren't criminals. So we showed up at this building and formed a line that was constantly being broken by other people trying to pass. It didn't take long to shout out names and hand out the forms, but afterwards some of us stood outside close to an hour while they finished up with a few students. It wasn't really cold, but just enough to be a little uncomfortable.
Then we took the bus to Immigration. This was more interesting. First we had to sit and wait for them to call us up to the desks one by one to fill out a form and cross-check information; then go stand in line at the cashier's to pay the 200 pesos; then return with the receipt to the desk of the same immigrations agent; then go stand in line to have our picture taken; then return to seats and wait till our particular agent was free to finish up with us; ... only to receive a form that we're instructed to keep with our passport till the day we can come back to receive our VISAs. Somehow I thought this was just a two-visit process. Oh well, nothing like the joys of waiting! Those of us who finished first were lucky. We only had to wait about an hour for the bus to arrive to take the first load of students back. Many of the others were still standing in line for photos, some of them at least an hour. One girl hadn't even been called up for the first time when we left!
I just hope the day we go back is another no-class day for me, or I may have to resign myself to actually missing.
Now that's quite enough sitting for today, time to head back home!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Surprise
What a miracle! My blog works. I don't know what happened. Maybe it only works on the fourth and last computer?
Last week we enjoyed much warmer weather, which promptly changed back to nearly frigid cold on Friday. Today is a little better. Just think, spring is coming in less than three weeks!
Here's an event of the week. A good-sized wooden ladder has been sharing the house with Silvina and Emi and I. It has been leaning up against the wall next to the door... the only place for it in this quaint little house... in a relatively stable position. Well, guess what happened Saturday night. I was unlocking for Felipe, a friend who was leaving (both the house door and the gate to our set of houses), and as we went out the door I barely bumped against the ladder. We were just outside when crash the whole thing came down, knocking over a good-sized fan with it. It knocked the gas heater and came within inches of hitting the windows to the kitchen. Of course, nearly everything's funny at such a dark and early hour, so Ale and Emi and Feli and I all had a good laugh over that. Wouldn't you know that this would happen to happen the weekend that Silvina was visiting relatives in Rosario. She is going to have someone look at the heater, but so far it has been working fine.
That's all the time available for today. Tomorrow, who knows... maybe the same computer will be free!
Last week we enjoyed much warmer weather, which promptly changed back to nearly frigid cold on Friday. Today is a little better. Just think, spring is coming in less than three weeks!
Here's an event of the week. A good-sized wooden ladder has been sharing the house with Silvina and Emi and I. It has been leaning up against the wall next to the door... the only place for it in this quaint little house... in a relatively stable position. Well, guess what happened Saturday night. I was unlocking for Felipe, a friend who was leaving (both the house door and the gate to our set of houses), and as we went out the door I barely bumped against the ladder. We were just outside when crash the whole thing came down, knocking over a good-sized fan with it. It knocked the gas heater and came within inches of hitting the windows to the kitchen. Of course, nearly everything's funny at such a dark and early hour, so Ale and Emi and Feli and I all had a good laugh over that. Wouldn't you know that this would happen to happen the weekend that Silvina was visiting relatives in Rosario. She is going to have someone look at the heater, but so far it has been working fine.
That's all the time available for today. Tomorrow, who knows... maybe the same computer will be free!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Briefly
As my wireless connection decided to take a vacation and I will have to depend on the university computers for a while, don´t expect too much. For one thing, I just can´t bring myself to spend an hour on this computer when someone else might be waiting to do legitimate research.
In other news which I just discovered ten minutes ago, Jason has a blog! This is great, except that I can´t access the comments. But you have a good blog, Jason, and the template is just fine.
In other news which I just discovered ten minutes ago, Jason has a blog! This is great, except that I can´t access the comments. But you have a good blog, Jason, and the template is just fine.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Time
That was a nice long weekend and this will be a nice short week.
Just to give you an idea of some of the crazy hours we've been keeping...
Friday night was a Bible study that didn't go according to plan and we went to bed around 1 or 2 p.m., despite the fact that it was at our house.
Saturday we got up relatively early, that is, before noon. All afternoon Silvina and Emi were getting their hair done at the peloqueria and dressing and such, because there was a wedding in the church that night. They left around 7 p.m. Saturday. They came back around 6:30 a.m.
Sunday, after spending all night at the after-wedding party which was mostly a lot of dancing interspersed with a lot of food (that's what I gather from what they told me). I, of course, went to bed long before 7 a.m.
On Sunday the girls were waking up around 3 p.m. Around 5 p.m. we left to go to church. We
came back with friends and didn't go to bed till at least 2 a.m. for me, 3 a.m. for the others.
Monday was much more tranquil and I promise I was asleep before 1 a.m.
Monday was a holiday commemorating the death of one of the great liberators of South America - José de San Martín, commonly known (here) as El Libertador. The widest street in the world is la Avenida del Libertador in Buenos Aires. The actual anniversary of his death was last Thursday - 17 August - but they conveniently adjusted it for a long weekend. However, there was no mention of him the entire day. But then it's true I didn't get out much.
Just to give you an idea of some of the crazy hours we've been keeping...
Friday night was a Bible study that didn't go according to plan and we went to bed around 1 or 2 p.m., despite the fact that it was at our house.
Saturday we got up relatively early, that is, before noon. All afternoon Silvina and Emi were getting their hair done at the peloqueria and dressing and such, because there was a wedding in the church that night. They left around 7 p.m. Saturday. They came back around 6:30 a.m.
Sunday, after spending all night at the after-wedding party which was mostly a lot of dancing interspersed with a lot of food (that's what I gather from what they told me). I, of course, went to bed long before 7 a.m.
On Sunday the girls were waking up around 3 p.m. Around 5 p.m. we left to go to church. We
came back with friends and didn't go to bed till at least 2 a.m. for me, 3 a.m. for the others.
Monday was much more tranquil and I promise I was asleep before 1 a.m.
Monday was a holiday commemorating the death of one of the great liberators of South America - José de San Martín, commonly known (here) as El Libertador. The widest street in the world is la Avenida del Libertador in Buenos Aires. The actual anniversary of his death was last Thursday - 17 August - but they conveniently adjusted it for a long weekend. However, there was no mention of him the entire day. But then it's true I didn't get out much.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Friday...
Ah, what a beautiful lovely day. I only wore a jacket to the university!
Next week will bring Sharon's personal take on her Argentine classes.
Not much to say. Life is great, weekends are super and now I've spent enough English time on the Internet, time to get back to the Spanish world (too bad I save the blog for last, huh?).
Next week will bring Sharon's personal take on her Argentine classes.
Not much to say. Life is great, weekends are super and now I've spent enough English time on the Internet, time to get back to the Spanish world (too bad I save the blog for last, huh?).
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Miscellany
Today was the day planned for the London-U.S. flights.
As they love to say on NBC's Today, "on a much, much lighter note", today also marks the first full month in Argentina. Three more to go!
Instead of the French double-cheek kiss, the greeting here is a single, usually on the right side. This beso is used to saludar not just friends and family but almost anyone you talk to (except the locutorio worker and other business situations, of course...), and is given on meeting and on departing. Sunday is a good practice day, with a minimum of 20 or 30 people. Yesterday was too, since it was Silvina's birthday...
When I got back from class at 9:30 p.m., she was still at the birthday party with her family. Emi had returned around 9:00, and we both ate supper while watching one of our favorite novelas. I am pretending not to like it because it's mostly just a bunch of stupid relationships... however, much funnier now that I understand more. Soon Dardo (a friend from church) came over with a present for Silvina and stayed since we expected her back soon. When she did arrive, her mother and aunt and cousin came along with her to visit for a few minutes. Soon after they left, Ale (Emi's novio) showed up. The five of us chatted a while and then Dardo left. Silvina and I were about ready to go to bed when Noellia and Ramón (Noellia's novio), more good friends, dropped in for a visit. Some of us then hit the sack around 1 p.m. However, it didn't matter for me since I don't have classes today.
Tomorrow is my day to give a 15-minute presentation in Spanish class. My professor left the topic up to me, so I eventually decided to briefly describe the homeschooling movement in the States and our family's own experience.
I have exciting news. Well, it may not be exciting for you, but it is for me. My brain is treading water in the stream of Spanish comprehension!... now it's generally a minority of words, phrases, expressions that go underwater.
The great disappointment to counteract this occurred on Sunday afternoon, during a trip made to Carrefour in pursuit of the same cheap dark chocolate (Carrefour brand, 74%) that I found in France. Apparently the store here stopped carrying it recently because it was not popular enough.
What?! I could have kept up their sales with at least 6 bars a week. Why couldn't they have hung on a couple more months till I got here?
There's another brand here, but it's a little more expensive and only 60%.
Well, just so I don't end with the sad news, here's some more good news: next Monday is a holiday. That means no sticking it out 6 hours at the university and a no-guilt sleep-in!
Till the next time, thinking fondly of you all!
As they love to say on NBC's Today, "on a much, much lighter note", today also marks the first full month in Argentina. Three more to go!
Instead of the French double-cheek kiss, the greeting here is a single, usually on the right side. This beso is used to saludar not just friends and family but almost anyone you talk to (except the locutorio worker and other business situations, of course...), and is given on meeting and on departing. Sunday is a good practice day, with a minimum of 20 or 30 people. Yesterday was too, since it was Silvina's birthday...
When I got back from class at 9:30 p.m., she was still at the birthday party with her family. Emi had returned around 9:00, and we both ate supper while watching one of our favorite novelas. I am pretending not to like it because it's mostly just a bunch of stupid relationships... however, much funnier now that I understand more. Soon Dardo (a friend from church) came over with a present for Silvina and stayed since we expected her back soon. When she did arrive, her mother and aunt and cousin came along with her to visit for a few minutes. Soon after they left, Ale (Emi's novio) showed up. The five of us chatted a while and then Dardo left. Silvina and I were about ready to go to bed when Noellia and Ramón (Noellia's novio), more good friends, dropped in for a visit. Some of us then hit the sack around 1 p.m. However, it didn't matter for me since I don't have classes today.
Tomorrow is my day to give a 15-minute presentation in Spanish class. My professor left the topic up to me, so I eventually decided to briefly describe the homeschooling movement in the States and our family's own experience.
I have exciting news. Well, it may not be exciting for you, but it is for me. My brain is treading water in the stream of Spanish comprehension!... now it's generally a minority of words, phrases, expressions that go underwater.
The great disappointment to counteract this occurred on Sunday afternoon, during a trip made to Carrefour in pursuit of the same cheap dark chocolate (Carrefour brand, 74%) that I found in France. Apparently the store here stopped carrying it recently because it was not popular enough.
What?! I could have kept up their sales with at least 6 bars a week. Why couldn't they have hung on a couple more months till I got here?
There's another brand here, but it's a little more expensive and only 60%.
Well, just so I don't end with the sad news, here's some more good news: next Monday is a holiday. That means no sticking it out 6 hours at the university and a no-guilt sleep-in!
Till the next time, thinking fondly of you all!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Why not be optimistic?
"After all, let's remember that in the beginning was chaos. And if the crisis doesn't consume us first, the cosmos will impose itself sooner or later."
Isn't that amusing?
What fun to find that at the end of some dry sociological study after 11 p.m.!
The writer of the (non-included-above) article just got done explaining how Argentinians have some hope that their protest marches with saucepans will call attention to current employment difficulties. Right before the above quote he says, "The savage (and ephemerous?) music of the saucepans sometimes becomes chaotic and out of tune." (to explain the "chaos" bit)
By the way, I'm not really sure what he's talking about. I haven't seen anybody with saucepans. (or "casseroles" for that matter.) I assume the idea was 'no jobs, no food.'
In case you want to check the original Spanish:
La música salvaje (y efímera?) de las cacerolas resulta a veces caótica y desafinada. Pero recordemos que en el principio fue el caos. Y que si la crisis no nos consume antes, el cosmos se impondrá tarde o temprano.
(Notice the Spanish version of "sooner or later" is actually "later or sooner". Interesting, huh?)
Isn't that amusing?
What fun to find that at the end of some dry sociological study after 11 p.m.!
The writer of the (non-included-above) article just got done explaining how Argentinians have some hope that their protest marches with saucepans will call attention to current employment difficulties. Right before the above quote he says, "The savage (and ephemerous?) music of the saucepans sometimes becomes chaotic and out of tune." (to explain the "chaos" bit)
By the way, I'm not really sure what he's talking about. I haven't seen anybody with saucepans. (or "casseroles" for that matter.) I assume the idea was 'no jobs, no food.'
In case you want to check the original Spanish:
La música salvaje (y efímera?) de las cacerolas resulta a veces caótica y desafinada. Pero recordemos que en el principio fue el caos. Y que si la crisis no nos consume antes, el cosmos se impondrá tarde o temprano.
(Notice the Spanish version of "sooner or later" is actually "later or sooner". Interesting, huh?)
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Weather
Before I left, they told me that Buenos Aires winters were cold and humid, but with lots of rain, not snow... rain that goes right through any Argentian umbrellas. So I packed my little cheap American umbrella that somehow made it through the spring rains of Dijon, plus the recommended layers. It was funny to carry a coat to the Des Moines airport in the middle of July.
Whether it's Delta or the Boeing 767, the plane from Atlanta to Santiago had screens that periodically informed us what was the speed of the wind or what was the current degree of longitude and latitude, and other interesting information obscure enough that I can't recall it right now. One thing I did understand was the exterior temperature, so low you don't even want to think about it. Planes tend to be cool so the coat came in handy before we even hit the right latitude.
The first week in Buenos Aires was similar to pleasant fall days in Iowa. Then the temperature dropped the weekend before classes started. Three layers plus a light coat and a good scarf and maybe a hat is about right. Even the buildings are rather cool.
However, in the last couple days we've had rain and somewhat warmer temperatures. I hear that tomorrow it might be getting up to 14 degrees Celsius. Judging by experience in France, this could be exciting... we might be passing the threshold from cold to cool! But then even cool tends to feel cold when it's humid, at least it has a way of burrowing down to the bone.
There's nothing like central heating in our house. Instead there are gas heaters in the two main rooms plus a couple regular (plugged-in) heaters, including one in mine which keeps it plenty toasty at night. But we can't leave the gas heaters on overnight or when we are gone, so the house keeps moving from cold to warm to cool, not to mention every room is a different temperature...
Gas heaters and gas ovens and stoves are fun to light. If it weren't for the lighter that Silvina bought to replace the old one that wasn't working, I would already have used more matches than I ever have at home, even burning trash those couple months that Daddy and Mommy were at Mayo. There's a neat long stick that can be used to transfer the flame from one gas burner to another, or can be lit with a match to start the heaters or the oven. The trick for these latter is keeping up the gas long enough for it to 'catch'. (Don't worry. So far I haven't burned the house down.)
Speaking of weather, we're thankful that the hail didn't break our roof like it did many other roofs in the same departamento. All you can see from inside the patio are nice choppy undulations with the paint knocked off.
Well, spring should be coming along in September. In the summer we get to open the roof on the patio / dining room. Kind of cool in that room in winter, especially in the morning when the heater hasn't been on all night - but then it's nearly perfect for judging the outdoor temperature (adjusting for wind and rain). Besides, there's nothing like stepping out of your cosy little heated room into a big cold one to wake you up in the morning. Better'n coffee!
Whether it's Delta or the Boeing 767, the plane from Atlanta to Santiago had screens that periodically informed us what was the speed of the wind or what was the current degree of longitude and latitude, and other interesting information obscure enough that I can't recall it right now. One thing I did understand was the exterior temperature, so low you don't even want to think about it. Planes tend to be cool so the coat came in handy before we even hit the right latitude.
The first week in Buenos Aires was similar to pleasant fall days in Iowa. Then the temperature dropped the weekend before classes started. Three layers plus a light coat and a good scarf and maybe a hat is about right. Even the buildings are rather cool.
However, in the last couple days we've had rain and somewhat warmer temperatures. I hear that tomorrow it might be getting up to 14 degrees Celsius. Judging by experience in France, this could be exciting... we might be passing the threshold from cold to cool! But then even cool tends to feel cold when it's humid, at least it has a way of burrowing down to the bone.
There's nothing like central heating in our house. Instead there are gas heaters in the two main rooms plus a couple regular (plugged-in) heaters, including one in mine which keeps it plenty toasty at night. But we can't leave the gas heaters on overnight or when we are gone, so the house keeps moving from cold to warm to cool, not to mention every room is a different temperature...
Gas heaters and gas ovens and stoves are fun to light. If it weren't for the lighter that Silvina bought to replace the old one that wasn't working, I would already have used more matches than I ever have at home, even burning trash those couple months that Daddy and Mommy were at Mayo. There's a neat long stick that can be used to transfer the flame from one gas burner to another, or can be lit with a match to start the heaters or the oven. The trick for these latter is keeping up the gas long enough for it to 'catch'. (Don't worry. So far I haven't burned the house down.)
Speaking of weather, we're thankful that the hail didn't break our roof like it did many other roofs in the same departamento. All you can see from inside the patio are nice choppy undulations with the paint knocked off.
Well, spring should be coming along in September. In the summer we get to open the roof on the patio / dining room. Kind of cool in that room in winter, especially in the morning when the heater hasn't been on all night - but then it's nearly perfect for judging the outdoor temperature (adjusting for wind and rain). Besides, there's nothing like stepping out of your cosy little heated room into a big cold one to wake you up in the morning. Better'n coffee!
Monday, August 07, 2006
This won't be long
First: Derek's heart is back to a normal sinus rhythm. Praise the Lord who answered our prayers.
As the subject line announces, this won't be long because, for some reason, I did not get anything typed up for you over the weekend! What happened?
Friday: I went to a museum as homework (that was a real annoyance). In the evening two friends of Silvina and Emi came over for supper and TV and canasta and conversation, till about 1 a.m.
Saturday: I got up relatively earlier to hit the school's WiFi before 2 p.m., when the building closes. For the rest of the afternoon and evening we watched two movies, spent time with friends, and I made cookies for
Sunday:, when we got up to go work on the bathroom of a friend from church. Did some minor painting and some prepping of the walls and ceiling for more. Nice to keep in practice and help someone out. We got back home in time to get ready for church that evening.
Now I'd better go study before my 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. class, since a friend may be coming over to visit this evening. Everyone stay out of trouble and enjoy your August heat!
As the subject line announces, this won't be long because, for some reason, I did not get anything typed up for you over the weekend! What happened?
Friday: I went to a museum as homework (that was a real annoyance). In the evening two friends of Silvina and Emi came over for supper and TV and canasta and conversation, till about 1 a.m.
Saturday: I got up relatively earlier to hit the school's WiFi before 2 p.m., when the building closes. For the rest of the afternoon and evening we watched two movies, spent time with friends, and I made cookies for
Sunday:, when we got up to go work on the bathroom of a friend from church. Did some minor painting and some prepping of the walls and ceiling for more. Nice to keep in practice and help someone out. We got back home in time to get ready for church that evening.
Now I'd better go study before my 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. class, since a friend may be coming over to visit this evening. Everyone stay out of trouble and enjoy your August heat!
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Let the weekend begin
First the numbers.
Argentina: 38 million people
Buenos Aires: 2 million
Let's see, that would make 5% of the population!
As for Belgrano University, it has several buildings in the neighborhood of its main one, which is 19 stories tall. My Contemporary Argentinian Art class is on the 19th floor. What do you think, will I be able to take the stairs by the end of the semester? I remember how exciting it was for us kids that the Iowa City Hospital had 8 floors and Daddy was on the 8th. Or maybe it was the seventh. Anyway, both buildings need elevators. The elevators here (at least the ones we students are allowed to use) only stop at about 5 or 6 different floors, so you do have to use the stairs sometimes.
As it happens, this is Thursday around 11:40 a.m. I didn't get around to typing last night. First I had a little bit of homework, just reading a basic review of Spanish verbs. Then I finished catch-up reading for our small group on Friday night. Then Alejandro came over, we ate and the four of us played Phase 10 and watched a Spanish TV show. Ale won. However, I was just glad to make it to the last phase after being stuck on a run of 8 for four rounds. Funny how you can enjoy a game yet have the worst luck in it.
This afternoon I have two classes, from 1 to 5 p.m. This evening will be a lot of fun because we are renting a movie to watch with some friends from church. Sometimes friends come over to Silvina's house to watch movies because she has a VCR player. 36 Quai des Orfèvres is a police film starring Gérard Depardieu. We're going to watch it as El Muelle with Spanish subtitles, but still the original French. I can't wait!
We won't be staying up too terribly late since Silvina and Emi work tomorrow, but that's okay... maybe I'll get an early start on the weekend for a change. No classes tomorrow!
Argentina: 38 million people
Buenos Aires: 2 million
Let's see, that would make 5% of the population!
As for Belgrano University, it has several buildings in the neighborhood of its main one, which is 19 stories tall. My Contemporary Argentinian Art class is on the 19th floor. What do you think, will I be able to take the stairs by the end of the semester? I remember how exciting it was for us kids that the Iowa City Hospital had 8 floors and Daddy was on the 8th. Or maybe it was the seventh. Anyway, both buildings need elevators. The elevators here (at least the ones we students are allowed to use) only stop at about 5 or 6 different floors, so you do have to use the stairs sometimes.
As it happens, this is Thursday around 11:40 a.m. I didn't get around to typing last night. First I had a little bit of homework, just reading a basic review of Spanish verbs. Then I finished catch-up reading for our small group on Friday night. Then Alejandro came over, we ate and the four of us played Phase 10 and watched a Spanish TV show. Ale won. However, I was just glad to make it to the last phase after being stuck on a run of 8 for four rounds. Funny how you can enjoy a game yet have the worst luck in it.
This afternoon I have two classes, from 1 to 5 p.m. This evening will be a lot of fun because we are renting a movie to watch with some friends from church. Sometimes friends come over to Silvina's house to watch movies because she has a VCR player. 36 Quai des Orfèvres is a police film starring Gérard Depardieu. We're going to watch it as El Muelle with Spanish subtitles, but still the original French. I can't wait!
We won't be staying up too terribly late since Silvina and Emi work tomorrow, but that's okay... maybe I'll get an early start on the weekend for a change. No classes tomorrow!
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Mid-week break
I'll post tomorrow. No classes today, so I'll type something out tonight. Last night I had class up till 9.m.
If there's something you want to hear about or ask about, please do. Then you aren't stuck with Sharon's boring entries.
In the meantime, you can guess some numbers: how many millions of people live in Argentina, how many of them live in Buenos Aires, and how many floors the University of Belgrano has.
If there's something you want to hear about or ask about, please do. Then you aren't stuck with Sharon's boring entries.
In the meantime, you can guess some numbers: how many millions of people live in Argentina, how many of them live in Buenos Aires, and how many floors the University of Belgrano has.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Back to school
Before classes start tomorrow (today) may as well remember some of the fun things from this past week-and-a-half.
One of the fun things is the prices. (Multiply prices by 3.06 to get the amount in pesos) Taking a colectivo (city bus) for 45 minutes costs about 26 cents, a tren to another side of the city only a few cents more. So going to church costs me about 52 cents every week. There are three very good ice cream places (Chungo's, Persicco, and Freddo) that give two nice-sized scoops for $1.63. Of course, one can get more by paying more, but the stuff's so richly good that two scoops are plenty (especially flavors such as chocolate amargo and dulce de leche con brownies). And the movies? Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays the cinema costs around $3.92; Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays it's a whopping $2.29, including IMAX theaters. That's less than I pay to rent a new movie at our local grocery store!
Speaking of movies, that's another fun thing. Sunday night I watched Pirates I... for only about the seventh, eighth, ninth time... on the Disney channel with Silvina and Emilse and Alejandro (Emilse's boyfriend)... It was dubbed into Spanish, which was interesting since I know nearly all the English lines by heart and could analyze the change in sense. And it was fun to explain parts of the plot to a first-timer. Not to mention we had some really yummy sweets from the birthday party of Silvina's sister-in-law to eat up...
Monday night last week I went with some people from church to see Pirates II for the second time. It had just come out down here, July 20, almost two weeks after the States. I think it was an IMAX theater. I'm not exactly sure what an IMAX theater is because I never bothered finding out, but it was a nice big screen and great sound. There were some people sitting on the steps, preferring that to the row way down front.
(warning -- movie spoilers ahead)
Now I understand the movie a little better, but I'm not sure if I could see it nine or ten times in three years like the first one. We had a great audience that broke into applause when Jack popped out of his tomb-canoe and when Captain Barbossa appeared, then again after the end. There may have been more clapping at one of the other high points, such as one of those rare victories over the kraken, can't remember now. Only thing was that we thought the movie started at 9:30 p.m., only to find it started at 10:30, so some of us didn't get to bed before 2:30 a.m. that night ... morning... that's what sleeping in is for.
Oh, that's right, we also went to see a movie Tuesday night... Silvina, Amy and I. We went not knowing what might be showing and ended up choosing Superman Regresa. Of course, since it didn't start till 10 p.m. and we got there around 9, we were forced to eat ice cream first. The movie's pretty good, but frankly, Superman is too perfect and too good. I prefer Spiderman.
Now back to real life and classes this week. All my classes are on Monday (3 p.m. to 9 p.m.) and Tuesday and Thursday (1 p.m. to 7 p.m.), leaving Wednesdays, Fridays, and mornings free.
One of the fun things is the prices. (Multiply prices by 3.06 to get the amount in pesos) Taking a colectivo (city bus) for 45 minutes costs about 26 cents, a tren to another side of the city only a few cents more. So going to church costs me about 52 cents every week. There are three very good ice cream places (Chungo's, Persicco, and Freddo) that give two nice-sized scoops for $1.63. Of course, one can get more by paying more, but the stuff's so richly good that two scoops are plenty (especially flavors such as chocolate amargo and dulce de leche con brownies). And the movies? Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays the cinema costs around $3.92; Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays it's a whopping $2.29, including IMAX theaters. That's less than I pay to rent a new movie at our local grocery store!
Speaking of movies, that's another fun thing. Sunday night I watched Pirates I... for only about the seventh, eighth, ninth time... on the Disney channel with Silvina and Emilse and Alejandro (Emilse's boyfriend)... It was dubbed into Spanish, which was interesting since I know nearly all the English lines by heart and could analyze the change in sense. And it was fun to explain parts of the plot to a first-timer. Not to mention we had some really yummy sweets from the birthday party of Silvina's sister-in-law to eat up...
Monday night last week I went with some people from church to see Pirates II for the second time. It had just come out down here, July 20, almost two weeks after the States. I think it was an IMAX theater. I'm not exactly sure what an IMAX theater is because I never bothered finding out, but it was a nice big screen and great sound. There were some people sitting on the steps, preferring that to the row way down front.
(warning -- movie spoilers ahead)
Now I understand the movie a little better, but I'm not sure if I could see it nine or ten times in three years like the first one. We had a great audience that broke into applause when Jack popped out of his tomb-canoe and when Captain Barbossa appeared, then again after the end. There may have been more clapping at one of the other high points, such as one of those rare victories over the kraken, can't remember now. Only thing was that we thought the movie started at 9:30 p.m., only to find it started at 10:30, so some of us didn't get to bed before 2:30 a.m. that night ... morning... that's what sleeping in is for.
Oh, that's right, we also went to see a movie Tuesday night... Silvina, Amy and I. We went not knowing what might be showing and ended up choosing Superman Regresa. Of course, since it didn't start till 10 p.m. and we got there around 9, we were forced to eat ice cream first. The movie's pretty good, but frankly, Superman is too perfect and too good. I prefer Spiderman.
Now back to real life and classes this week. All my classes are on Monday (3 p.m. to 9 p.m.) and Tuesday and Thursday (1 p.m. to 7 p.m.), leaving Wednesdays, Fridays, and mornings free.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Weird weather
Yesterday afternoon Amy came over to visit. After making those famous chocolate oatmeal things (no-bakes for you uninitiated) we started playing Phase 10. An odd banging noise. Another. Was someone throwing rocks at our windows? Then more and more, so we walked over and discovered it was hailing. Pretty soon it was making a horrible racket since part of Silvina's roof is some relation of tin. It was so loud we could just barely hear enormous blasts of thunder overhead. Afterwards a neighbor knocked on our door to find out if our roof was broken. No, just dented, with paint chip dust all over the dining room and almost on our precious cookies. Here are three hail photos in the little corridor in our apartment area. Three hands holding hail: the man sweeping it up, me, Amy.
This was the first time some Argentinians had seen hail in their entire lives!
This was the first time some Argentinians had seen hail in their entire lives!
Traveling tales
Ahh... tantas cosas a contar...
Oops, was that Spanish?
It was a very interesting trip. Saying good-bye at the airport was much easier this time, with no tears... at least on my part. After going through security I glanced back to see a man putting his shoes back on, wondered briefly, walked on in my own untouched footwear. The signs for my terminal number sent me down to a basement level. It would have been boring to sit where one couldn't see takeoffs and landings except that the doors were occasionally open to let in plenty of noise, especially when those two military jets zoomed past, almost too loud to bear! We passengers boarded our dinky Canadian jet by stairs, you know, like the president, except for some reason they forgot the cameramen. And I was going to include take-off videos, but some de-bug program isn't working at the moment. The flight from Des Moines to Atlanta was perfect, beautiful, scenic all the way. Here's what Iowa looks like from a couple thousand feet up. If you look hard enough you might find the blacktop road in that photo. Yep, those are clouds.
The Atlanta airport was a little bigger, even had a 'train', which was more like a subway, my first since Paris six or so weeks ago. As soon as we got to the international terminals there was more Spanish than English. The Boeing 767 flight from Atlanta to Santiago was very long, longer than from Paris to home, but seemed a lot shorter. Could be because – you're never going to believe this – I actually slept on the plane! - nearly THREE HOURS! Not consecutively, but it still deserves capitals. I had a window seat... here are the Andes, not sure if the white is cloud or sea. Two more.
Santiago was a long wait of around four hours, most of it spent sitting in Terminal 15 as directed, wanting to fall asleep without missing the flight, waiting for some flight agent to come around, till 45 minutes before departure I decided to check and was redirected to 16 just in time to go plead for a boarding pass and get on the waiting 777. This one was operated by Air France, since Buenos Aires was just a stop on the way to Charles de Gaulle in Paris (thought about stowing away... French was sounding pretty beautiful by then...). You could tell it was Air France by the trim hair-up flight attendants and the four-course lunch they served us plus bread offered twice. Too bad they didn't have time to serve us coffee because some pilot got us to Buenos Aires faster than intended.
The Buenos Aires airport was a little easier than Paris but with a super-long line for customs (why didn't we have to go through customs in Paris?), baggage much faster. Then I headed out to find the man from church who was supposed to pick me up and saw a sea of waiting people, many with names on signs. Thank the Lord that just before I began feeling very lost, Carlos found me. He drove me back on huge six-laner BA avenidas to Silvina's house in a bumpy little manual that refused to start up the two times he stopped (in town and at Silvina's).
BA is one of those places where our study abroad program arranges for students to stay with host families, in this case with members of the same church. Silvina is a single girl ('single lady' makes her sound too old) with a lovely little apartment which she shares with another girl, Emilse, and now me. It is all ground level with tall ceilings except for a little staircase up to a room just my size.
The first evening was tough. Everything was new (duh), I couldn't understand much Spanish and could speak even less. However, some friends from Grace came over to visit and we had a good chat. Next afternoon was better after sleeping extremely late. Speaking of sleep, I'm getting into some great habits. Bedtime averages around midnight, with past 2 a.m. twice in one week and till-noon sleep-ins when possible... the schedule probably won't change much because church is at 6 p.m. on Sunday and none of my classes are before 1 p.m., with Wednesday and Friday completely free. We're two hours ahead of Central in the States so I figure I'm just keeping to my normal Iowa schedule.
Well, what do you know... the first week here has passed. How did that happen?
Oops, was that Spanish?
It was a very interesting trip. Saying good-bye at the airport was much easier this time, with no tears... at least on my part. After going through security I glanced back to see a man putting his shoes back on, wondered briefly, walked on in my own untouched footwear. The signs for my terminal number sent me down to a basement level. It would have been boring to sit where one couldn't see takeoffs and landings except that the doors were occasionally open to let in plenty of noise, especially when those two military jets zoomed past, almost too loud to bear! We passengers boarded our dinky Canadian jet by stairs, you know, like the president, except for some reason they forgot the cameramen. And I was going to include take-off videos, but some de-bug program isn't working at the moment. The flight from Des Moines to Atlanta was perfect, beautiful, scenic all the way. Here's what Iowa looks like from a couple thousand feet up. If you look hard enough you might find the blacktop road in that photo. Yep, those are clouds.
The Atlanta airport was a little bigger, even had a 'train', which was more like a subway, my first since Paris six or so weeks ago. As soon as we got to the international terminals there was more Spanish than English. The Boeing 767 flight from Atlanta to Santiago was very long, longer than from Paris to home, but seemed a lot shorter. Could be because – you're never going to believe this – I actually slept on the plane! - nearly THREE HOURS! Not consecutively, but it still deserves capitals. I had a window seat... here are the Andes, not sure if the white is cloud or sea. Two more.
Santiago was a long wait of around four hours, most of it spent sitting in Terminal 15 as directed, wanting to fall asleep without missing the flight, waiting for some flight agent to come around, till 45 minutes before departure I decided to check and was redirected to 16 just in time to go plead for a boarding pass and get on the waiting 777. This one was operated by Air France, since Buenos Aires was just a stop on the way to Charles de Gaulle in Paris (thought about stowing away... French was sounding pretty beautiful by then...). You could tell it was Air France by the trim hair-up flight attendants and the four-course lunch they served us plus bread offered twice. Too bad they didn't have time to serve us coffee because some pilot got us to Buenos Aires faster than intended.
The Buenos Aires airport was a little easier than Paris but with a super-long line for customs (why didn't we have to go through customs in Paris?), baggage much faster. Then I headed out to find the man from church who was supposed to pick me up and saw a sea of waiting people, many with names on signs. Thank the Lord that just before I began feeling very lost, Carlos found me. He drove me back on huge six-laner BA avenidas to Silvina's house in a bumpy little manual that refused to start up the two times he stopped (in town and at Silvina's).
BA is one of those places where our study abroad program arranges for students to stay with host families, in this case with members of the same church. Silvina is a single girl ('single lady' makes her sound too old) with a lovely little apartment which she shares with another girl, Emilse, and now me. It is all ground level with tall ceilings except for a little staircase up to a room just my size.
The first evening was tough. Everything was new (duh), I couldn't understand much Spanish and could speak even less. However, some friends from Grace came over to visit and we had a good chat. Next afternoon was better after sleeping extremely late. Speaking of sleep, I'm getting into some great habits. Bedtime averages around midnight, with past 2 a.m. twice in one week and till-noon sleep-ins when possible... the schedule probably won't change much because church is at 6 p.m. on Sunday and none of my classes are before 1 p.m., with Wednesday and Friday completely free. We're two hours ahead of Central in the States so I figure I'm just keeping to my normal Iowa schedule.
Well, what do you know... the first week here has passed. How did that happen?
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Adiós
We're leaving in about thirty-five minutes. Goodbye. I'll miss you heaps.
Oh, did you think I was talking to you? No, that's for my computer. Last post from the Pinecrest PC home network till December. But this blog will be getting posts again by the weekend, Lord willing.
Please do pray for safe flights: Des Moines, Iowa to Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta to Santiago, Chile; Santiago to Buenos Aires, Argentina, which arrival should be around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, their time. Think of Daddy too, who's working long hot hours this week. Thank you!
Oh, did you think I was talking to you? No, that's for my computer. Last post from the Pinecrest PC home network till December. But this blog will be getting posts again by the weekend, Lord willing.
Please do pray for safe flights: Des Moines, Iowa to Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta to Santiago, Chile; Santiago to Buenos Aires, Argentina, which arrival should be around 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, their time. Think of Daddy too, who's working long hot hours this week. Thank you!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Well,
this weekend Ardith and I locked ourselves into a dark dungeon to undergo self-experimentation on reactions to bright flashing lights and booming noises. If you feel like it, you can translate that into this: Ardith introduced me to the Firefly series (notice the user rating on the linked site? how could They cancel it?) and somehow we ended up watching the whole thing, plus the movie.
Of course, that's not all we did. Friday evening we had a yummy supper (actually, every meal was yummy!) and went to see A Prairie Home Companion. By the way, just to warn you, Garrison Keillor doesn't look at all like he should, from which we get the moral "Never try to imagine a radio person's appearance from his voice." Saturday we slept in (a little) and protected ourselves from heatstroke by relaxing in a darkened basement with said Firefly series, plus we got plenty of exercise by running up and down stairs for various things like food and drink. Sunday we went to church and finished the series and watched a movie. And of course every day involved Internet surfing and discussing the latest world news, especially Middle East developments.
Hopefully you got to read this before bed. It'll put you right to sleep.
(By the way, thanks for the comment guesses for the previous post - they were very funny!)
Of course, that's not all we did. Friday evening we had a yummy supper (actually, every meal was yummy!) and went to see A Prairie Home Companion. By the way, just to warn you, Garrison Keillor doesn't look at all like he should, from which we get the moral "Never try to imagine a radio person's appearance from his voice." Saturday we slept in (a little) and protected ourselves from heatstroke by relaxing in a darkened basement with said Firefly series, plus we got plenty of exercise by running up and down stairs for various things like food and drink. Sunday we went to church and finished the series and watched a movie. And of course every day involved Internet surfing and discussing the latest world news, especially Middle East developments.
Hopefully you got to read this before bed. It'll put you right to sleep.
(By the way, thanks for the comment guesses for the previous post - they were very funny!)
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Summer vacation
I'm at Ardith's for the weekend and we're having a blast. Bet you'd never guess in a million years what we're doing.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Skip two
Yes, I really did do that post on our trip. Only it was a draft started before the last post and I can't change the date. So skip these two shorties to get to it.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Overloaded
The computer room was rewired today and the power decided to shut down. You understand that I don't want to risk my computer.
There and back again
If a picture's worth a thousand words, I'll give the photos and get off easy!
Last weekend, as you might know from Mommy's blog (on which I'm developing an alarming dependency), Jason and Kendra and I went out to Indiana to visit friends - Uncle Rene, Aunt Vici, and Rachel, Isaac, and Hannah, who are roughly the ages of us three travelers. We kids have been friends since before we were born, before we were even imagined, since our dads "bached" it together. In the good old Hoosier days of Warsaw, our families lived five minutes apart and got together for Christmases, Thanksgivings, and lots of times in between.
So I figured that as long as I was going out to see Rachel, I might as well take Jason and Kendra along to keep me awake on the drive... then maybe they could have some fun too.
The driving was great fun. Jason drove through most of Iowa both times and I took the rest, including that exciting traffic on I-80 south of Chicago. Only they were doing construction near Chicago and our already finicky car decided to overheat. We took an exit and a little detour that let us stay above 40 mph, then got back on just in time to miss the rest of the stop-and-start.
We had heaps of fun learning card games like "Crazy Eights" and "Schwimm" and "Skip-bo", went swimming and bowling, ate good grilled food and lots of ice cream, made weird chocolate fructose cookies, dragged Jason along to Act II of Swan Lake (Isaac didn't get back till late that night so Jason was stuck with the girls, but he was a good sport), watched National Treasure (I'd always thought it was just another horse movie, till we saw it, shows how much I'm up on things)... etc. etc. etc.
Here are the six of us without flash and with flash - me, Jason, Rachel, Isaac, Kendra, and Hannah on the footrest.
Then Sunday afternoon and evening we headed up to Goshen to visit Uncle Doug and Aunt Cindy - real blood relatives this time - and some of their kids, and Grandma came over. More swimming and grilled food and laughing and ice cream. Some of the laughing was due to our traditional Dutch Blitz mini-tournament.
I got Jason to take some pictures for me (Can you tell he's standing on a chair?). Here's a game with Uncle Doug and Kendra and me - four photos in succession to let you experience the speed!
#1 - Calm start
#2 - Blur
#3 - Second lull
#4 - Uncle Doug and Kendra get ready to whap down and blitz out
(I don't remember who won that round.)
Then I snapped the others. These two of Kendra, Jason, Aunt Cindy, and Uncle Doug were just before I started a great video that got some glares from Jason when he found out about it... afterward. Sorry, that's personal family property for us to laugh at. Jason should be thankful to have such a kind sister.
So that's a synopsis of the trip. On the first gas stop en route to home Monday morning, I discovered I'd left the gas cap in Morris, Illinois. In Morris I went through the lost-and-found at the same station and picked out the closest I could find, which probably isn't ours but works great.
Jason had the bright idea to stop in at Ardith's while passing through Cedar Rapids, so after two calls to Mommy and some hunting around, we found it. Worked out great because Ardith had only just got home, so we tried the doorbell that didn't work and then went in and surprised her.
Here's Ardith's new couch.
Here's Ardith's new couch with her on it. Yep, that's her making faces.
And on that sweet note I bid you good-night.
Last weekend, as you might know from Mommy's blog (on which I'm developing an alarming dependency), Jason and Kendra and I went out to Indiana to visit friends - Uncle Rene, Aunt Vici, and Rachel, Isaac, and Hannah, who are roughly the ages of us three travelers. We kids have been friends since before we were born, before we were even imagined, since our dads "bached" it together. In the good old Hoosier days of Warsaw, our families lived five minutes apart and got together for Christmases, Thanksgivings, and lots of times in between.
So I figured that as long as I was going out to see Rachel, I might as well take Jason and Kendra along to keep me awake on the drive... then maybe they could have some fun too.
The driving was great fun. Jason drove through most of Iowa both times and I took the rest, including that exciting traffic on I-80 south of Chicago. Only they were doing construction near Chicago and our already finicky car decided to overheat. We took an exit and a little detour that let us stay above 40 mph, then got back on just in time to miss the rest of the stop-and-start.
We had heaps of fun learning card games like "Crazy Eights" and "Schwimm" and "Skip-bo", went swimming and bowling, ate good grilled food and lots of ice cream, made weird chocolate fructose cookies, dragged Jason along to Act II of Swan Lake (Isaac didn't get back till late that night so Jason was stuck with the girls, but he was a good sport), watched National Treasure (I'd always thought it was just another horse movie, till we saw it, shows how much I'm up on things)... etc. etc. etc.
Here are the six of us without flash and with flash - me, Jason, Rachel, Isaac, Kendra, and Hannah on the footrest.
Then Sunday afternoon and evening we headed up to Goshen to visit Uncle Doug and Aunt Cindy - real blood relatives this time - and some of their kids, and Grandma came over. More swimming and grilled food and laughing and ice cream. Some of the laughing was due to our traditional Dutch Blitz mini-tournament.
I got Jason to take some pictures for me (Can you tell he's standing on a chair?). Here's a game with Uncle Doug and Kendra and me - four photos in succession to let you experience the speed!
#1 - Calm start
#2 - Blur
#3 - Second lull
#4 - Uncle Doug and Kendra get ready to whap down and blitz out
(I don't remember who won that round.)
Then I snapped the others. These two of Kendra, Jason, Aunt Cindy, and Uncle Doug were just before I started a great video that got some glares from Jason when he found out about it... afterward. Sorry, that's personal family property for us to laugh at. Jason should be thankful to have such a kind sister.
So that's a synopsis of the trip. On the first gas stop en route to home Monday morning, I discovered I'd left the gas cap in Morris, Illinois. In Morris I went through the lost-and-found at the same station and picked out the closest I could find, which probably isn't ours but works great.
Jason had the bright idea to stop in at Ardith's while passing through Cedar Rapids, so after two calls to Mommy and some hunting around, we found it. Worked out great because Ardith had only just got home, so we tried the doorbell that didn't work and then went in and surprised her.
Here's Ardith's new couch.
Here's Ardith's new couch with her on it. Yep, that's her making faces.
And on that sweet note I bid you good-night.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Summertime is movie time
Okay, I decided not to go on strike after all, especially since I won't be able to sleep for a while tonight. Blame the pirates and the deer.
Jason and Kendra and Derek and I went to see Pirates II tonight. It was very intense - although that might change after five or six more viewings. I got several good jumps out of it, the hardest one hitting when the native popped out of the bushes. Yep, as Jason said, the same old trick, and it gets me every time. Trying to restrain a jump like that in mid-jump hurts. I think we were all pretty much glued to our seats during the movie, then spent the half-hour drive home analyzing it and arguing about it (and its prequel) up and down, till we spotted the deer crossing the road ahead of us. After that I made myself dizzy scanning the ditches the rest of the way back. Pirates and deer can make a person jumpy, especially in the same evening. Besides, I want to attain my goal of keeping the car from changing hood color for the next year.
That was today. Tomorrow you'll hear about last weekend, which I'm saving because my camera is in a room of three sleeping girls and the adrenalin is finally winding its way down.
Jason and Kendra and Derek and I went to see Pirates II tonight. It was very intense - although that might change after five or six more viewings. I got several good jumps out of it, the hardest one hitting when the native popped out of the bushes. Yep, as Jason said, the same old trick, and it gets me every time. Trying to restrain a jump like that in mid-jump hurts. I think we were all pretty much glued to our seats during the movie, then spent the half-hour drive home analyzing it and arguing about it (and its prequel) up and down, till we spotted the deer crossing the road ahead of us. After that I made myself dizzy scanning the ditches the rest of the way back. Pirates and deer can make a person jumpy, especially in the same evening. Besides, I want to attain my goal of keeping the car from changing hood color for the next year.
That was today. Tomorrow you'll hear about last weekend, which I'm saving because my camera is in a room of three sleeping girls and the adrenalin is finally winding its way down.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Home
Safely.
Post?
Maybe tomorrow.
Actually, I'm thinking about going on strike till readers start leaving comments.
Post?
Maybe tomorrow.
Actually, I'm thinking about going on strike till readers start leaving comments.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Oh, by the way,
we're traveling home tomorrow. I meant to post the night before we left. Thankfully, Mommy remembered. If you think of praying for our Monday trip from Warsaw, Indiana to somewhere-out-in-the-country-by-Ackley, Iowa, that would be very kind.
But hey, everyone needs a vacation, even from blogging.
But hey, everyone needs a vacation, even from blogging.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Good ol' Memomail
Memomail has started sending me titles like "Your complimentary baby carrier awaits!" or "Snatch a stroller and designer baby bag".
Of course, you can't expect Yahoo account junk mail to know that your youngest brother has recently turned four, been potty-trained, and really is past the baby carrier stage. He's even tough enough to walk around the fair a couple hot sunny hours - between backrides.
Of course, you can't expect Yahoo account junk mail to know that your youngest brother has recently turned four, been potty-trained, and really is past the baby carrier stage. He's even tough enough to walk around the fair a couple hot sunny hours - between backrides.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Dix-sept ans
Happy birthday to my sister Kendra who is now 17!
Thankfully I forgot to post this first, which means you'll see it first, which is just right.
We celebrated her birthday tonight, and you can see photos at the above link! (she'll love me for passing that bit of info on)
Thankfully I forgot to post this first, which means you'll see it first, which is just right.
We celebrated her birthday tonight, and you can see photos at the above link! (she'll love me for passing that bit of info on)
A tale of OPIs
This morning I called my French professor from Grace in order to have my OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) with her. This was my second French OPI... or actually the third, since the first was a practice to estimate student levels during the Intermediate French class, which was in a galaxy far, far away, many, many lightyears ago. Oops, lightyears measure distance and not time, right? Wrong. They measure both, given the theory of relativity. But I'm getting off subject (which I have a perfect right to do on a Friday night, right? Wrong... well, okay, I'll stop being annoying. By the way, can you tell anyone's had to write a lot of French style dissertations lately: thesis-antithesis-synthesis?)
The second OPI, late in the fall 2005 semester, was to determine my level before leaving to study abroad in France. Somehow I attained Advanced despite having spent a several-hours-long Language Table lunchtime of speaking French and German, followed by the Spanish OPI (in the cafeteria), followed at last by the French OPI, all on several hours of sleep. Afterward my brain felt tired.
Today's OPI was post-study-abroad and resulted in Superior, the highest level attainable. Praise the Lord!
(For those curious, ACTFL describes what characterizes the various OPI levels.)
The second OPI, late in the fall 2005 semester, was to determine my level before leaving to study abroad in France. Somehow I attained Advanced despite having spent a several-hours-long Language Table lunchtime of speaking French and German, followed by the Spanish OPI (in the cafeteria), followed at last by the French OPI, all on several hours of sleep. Afterward my brain felt tired.
Today's OPI was post-study-abroad and resulted in Superior, the highest level attainable. Praise the Lord!
(For those curious, ACTFL describes what characterizes the various OPI levels.)
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Never too little time
Oh, how sad. I had to spend most of my free time this evening working with other languages.
Writing an email to the lady who will host me in Argentina was a real exercise, especially after four-and-a-half months of a similar language (it will take a while to switch from et to y). In fact, it was such an exercise that it will have to be finished tomorrow, with the help of my handy little nineteen-years-outdated Spanish-English dictionary.
After that was helping Derek resolve the last and deepest questions encountered in his German textbook. Good thing we did it tonight, since he's been done with that subject for a while and much of the German in his head is clearly undergoing deactivation, that perfectly normal process which kicks in at school year's end to make brain room for more important things, like enjoying summer vacation.
Writing an email to the lady who will host me in Argentina was a real exercise, especially after four-and-a-half months of a similar language (it will take a while to switch from et to y). In fact, it was such an exercise that it will have to be finished tomorrow, with the help of my handy little nineteen-years-outdated Spanish-English dictionary.
After that was helping Derek resolve the last and deepest questions encountered in his German textbook. Good thing we did it tonight, since he's been done with that subject for a while and much of the German in his head is clearly undergoing deactivation, that perfectly normal process which kicks in at school year's end to make brain room for more important things, like enjoying summer vacation.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
A more-or-less real post
Well, the last three or four posts haven't been much of anything, just fillers to prove that I still exist and go online for at least a few minutes a day. You try working all day and sitting down in front of your computer after supper without feeling like falling asleep.
Just to be redundant, it's really good to be home. Two weeks have already flown by. Since this summer is a mere five weeks long, I set three simple goals:
1) Sleep, so I can
2) Work and
3) Study Spanish
It's hard to sleep a lot when your only free time is the evening and then you want to get up and do things the next day... especially since the sun come sup before six. It takes discipline to be lazy. Or instead of laziness, we could just call it reparation for past sleep loss and preparation for future sleep deprivation.
Yup, it's good to be home and be a real countrified girl again and do all those important things: do hard physical work, watch Lone Ranger episodes with my siblings (you have to have enough people: some to laugh at it and some to protest the laughter), try to help Carolyn decide which car color should go with which day if she were to have a different car for every day if the week, dig trenches with Jason, and eat real home-grilled burgers and huge bowls of ice cream (instead of, say, a nice cut of meat or a little bowl of ice cream - refined, I suppose, but sometimes you want the burger or the big bowl).
Of course, sitting at an outdoor café in the sun and drinking an expresso while chatting with a friend and people-watching isn't bad either. And I do miss speaking French. I just get 'looks' around here if I try that, especially (how typical) from the boys.
That's as much of an update as I'm coming up with for now. Updates are boring anyway.
Just to be redundant, it's really good to be home. Two weeks have already flown by. Since this summer is a mere five weeks long, I set three simple goals:
1) Sleep, so I can
2) Work and
3) Study Spanish
It's hard to sleep a lot when your only free time is the evening and then you want to get up and do things the next day... especially since the sun come sup before six. It takes discipline to be lazy. Or instead of laziness, we could just call it reparation for past sleep loss and preparation for future sleep deprivation.
Yup, it's good to be home and be a real countrified girl again and do all those important things: do hard physical work, watch Lone Ranger episodes with my siblings (you have to have enough people: some to laugh at it and some to protest the laughter), try to help Carolyn decide which car color should go with which day if she were to have a different car for every day if the week, dig trenches with Jason, and eat real home-grilled burgers and huge bowls of ice cream (instead of, say, a nice cut of meat or a little bowl of ice cream - refined, I suppose, but sometimes you want the burger or the big bowl).
Of course, sitting at an outdoor café in the sun and drinking an expresso while chatting with a friend and people-watching isn't bad either. And I do miss speaking French. I just get 'looks' around here if I try that, especially (how typical) from the boys.
That's as much of an update as I'm coming up with for now. Updates are boring anyway.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
A note to the girls
Do you want your fingernails filed? If you don't mind a slightly flattened look, may I suggest at least two hours of sandpapering, especially a good bumpy stretch of plaster-patched drywall.
(Warning: Frequent pauses to check progress are highly recommended)
(Warning: Frequent pauses to check progress are highly recommended)
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Drywalling is fun
It's also long work. Trevor came up to the partly-done 2nd-floor-addition bathroom to watch me for about ten minutes. Then he slid off the stool and left, announcing, "You not very far yet."
Thanks a lot, Bud. You're a big encouragement. Don't you know job security when you see it? The longer the project, the longer I have work.
Actually, I think he got bored because Jason wasn't there to trade smart remarks.
Thanks a lot, Bud. You're a big encouragement. Don't you know job security when you see it? The longer the project, the longer I have work.
Actually, I think he got bored because Jason wasn't there to trade smart remarks.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Time
It isn't that there aren't enough hours in a day. It's that we try to do too much. Or too little.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Down with homework
It's already almost 10:30 and bedtime, so I'll just leave you with some quotes from this NYT article.
"And when parents are told that their children's skills will slip without summer homework, we have to wonder: if those skills are so fragile, what kind of education are they really getting?"
"Most studies have found little correlation between homework and achievement (meaning grades and test scores)..."
"... many [teachers] told us homework assignments are an 'afterthought'."
That last one makes me glad I missed out on experiencing homework till college. If I ever teach, I'd rather skip homework altogether than waste my students' time and neurons.
"And when parents are told that their children's skills will slip without summer homework, we have to wonder: if those skills are so fragile, what kind of education are they really getting?"
"Most studies have found little correlation between homework and achievement (meaning grades and test scores)..."
"... many [teachers] told us homework assignments are an 'afterthought'."
That last one makes me glad I missed out on experiencing homework till college. If I ever teach, I'd rather skip homework altogether than waste my students' time and neurons.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Help wanted!
I need some kind of Most Recent Comments system for my blog. Who can help me? I'll find you a suitable reward if my nearly-eternal gratitude isn't enough.
[Update: read Comments for Wilson's helpful suggestion. Just scroll down past the "Recently" section on sidebar to view the end result. Let other Blogger users profit!]
[Update: read Comments for Wilson's helpful suggestion. Just scroll down past the "Recently" section on sidebar to view the end result. Let other Blogger users profit!]
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Modern language
Did you know that obstaculizar is a real Spanish verb? Reminds me of the French bloquer. You can easily imagine the translation. Language makes me laugh, it's so often... rigolo, marrant, drole. (Sorry, "funny" just doesn't cut it.)
Good clean dirt
Here in Iowa we take pride in our good black soil, rich enough to make this state one of the most fertile areas in the world. But underneath we've got our share of clay. Try digging in the stuff for six hours - especially when it's damp. After one or two tries, there's more sticking to your shovel than you're taking out of the hole, which suddenly renders digging a great alternative to weight lifting.
(Jason and I are getting the necessary holes, pipes and trenches ready in the addition and breezeway basements in order to move the sump-pump from the former into the latter, which will become the Grand Central Pumping Station for the mansion, I guess.)
I handed a couple good clay-ey clods up to Ethan and Nolan because I remembered the happy hours we older ones used to spend making our own pottery. Clay was a precious commodity. We would hunt for 'clay mines' in the piles of dirt dug up from the addition and garage basements. The clay veins would always be lighter - kind of golden. Once found, the clay had to be molded quickly before it dried into crumbly orangey dirt.
But it passed... the age of the dirt mountains and the rock piles covered in glorious forests of weeds... and boring civilization took over.
Of course, some things don't change. Like the dead mouse Jason found and buried.
(Jason and I are getting the necessary holes, pipes and trenches ready in the addition and breezeway basements in order to move the sump-pump from the former into the latter, which will become the Grand Central Pumping Station for the mansion, I guess.)
I handed a couple good clay-ey clods up to Ethan and Nolan because I remembered the happy hours we older ones used to spend making our own pottery. Clay was a precious commodity. We would hunt for 'clay mines' in the piles of dirt dug up from the addition and garage basements. The clay veins would always be lighter - kind of golden. Once found, the clay had to be molded quickly before it dried into crumbly orangey dirt.
But it passed... the age of the dirt mountains and the rock piles covered in glorious forests of weeds... and boring civilization took over.
Of course, some things don't change. Like the dead mouse Jason found and buried.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Foreign policy pop quiz
"We should recognize that, in this new twilight world of global terrorism, conventional standards of government conduct will have to be rethought as we adapt our security agencies and our laws to the threat. Pre-emption is better than punishment. Much better."
Hmm. And do you know who said this?
"It is not enough to do one's best. What is required is rather that one do what is necessary for success."
Hmm. And do you know who said this?
"It is not enough to do one's best. What is required is rather that one do what is necessary for success."
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
28 hours
Saturday was a long day.
I got up at 4:15 a.m., took the 6:01 three-hour train to Paris, took two metros to the Charles de Gaulle airport, took a bus to the terminal, took a flight to Philadelphia, missed my connecting flight to Chicago, took another one a couple hours later and arrived in Chicago, where Ardith met me and drove me to her house... my dear sister who probably waited three hours for me and drove eight hours total and didn't get to bed before 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Needless to say, we were good Christians and skipped church to observe a day of rest.
(Can you tell that I started to write a long detailed description and got sick of it and decided you would too?)
I got up at 4:15 a.m., took the 6:01 three-hour train to Paris, took two metros to the Charles de Gaulle airport, took a bus to the terminal, took a flight to Philadelphia, missed my connecting flight to Chicago, took another one a couple hours later and arrived in Chicago, where Ardith met me and drove me to her house... my dear sister who probably waited three hours for me and drove eight hours total and didn't get to bed before 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning.
Needless to say, we were good Christians and skipped church to observe a day of rest.
(Can you tell that I started to write a long detailed description and got sick of it and decided you would too?)
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Friday, June 09, 2006
Just saying au revoir
And don't worry, I won't drag it out too long 'cause I'm typing this on a French keyboard in La Maison de l'Université. Why, you ask? Because for some reason my WIFI card decided to quit working this morning. Or maybe it's just the laptop failing to recognize it. Must be getting tired, since the same thing happened the last couple days... only this time it really happened! Too bad, but no big deal, since I leave tomorrow.
So this is the last post from France!
Everything's ready for the trip. All my tickets bought - except for the two metros between the train station and the airport - and my plane's still on the same schedule according to the automated voice on the phone yesterday.
Now the rest of the day will just be buying a gift for my host family and spending time with them.
Bye from Dijon and enjoy your Friday!
So this is the last post from France!
Everything's ready for the trip. All my tickets bought - except for the two metros between the train station and the airport - and my plane's still on the same schedule according to the automated voice on the phone yesterday.
Now the rest of the day will just be buying a gift for my host family and spending time with them.
Bye from Dijon and enjoy your Friday!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Party pictures!
First, la pique-nique after our last class together on Friday (which happened to be Grammar):
What a spread!
Everybody (mostly) digging in.
Second, la grande fete Friday night of the three classes of Niveau 5 and one class of Niveau 3 (because we all had the same professor).
Our table
Group of four; left to right: Korakan, laosien, whose camera is responsable for all these fine pictures; Isabelle, notre chère professeur; Tina (seated), franco-danoise, and the other Isabelle, a student this time, canadienne.
Three of us: me, Tae (japonaise, a very good friend), and Korakan.
Bigger picture
Another group picture: Korakan, me, Tina, and Sarah - the other student from Grace at Dijon.
Yep, that's me, the party girl. I was laughing so hard while they made me hold the champagne glass and the wine bottle!
And this was Wednesday night after all the exams and a theater production put on by our friends, including Korakan: Tina, me, Tae, and Korakan.
Hope you enjoy. :)
(and hope you don't have too many problems, i.e. getting back to the blog page from the pictures - sorry, I don't know how to fix that)
What a spread!
Everybody (mostly) digging in.
Second, la grande fete Friday night of the three classes of Niveau 5 and one class of Niveau 3 (because we all had the same professor).
Our table
Group of four; left to right: Korakan, laosien, whose camera is responsable for all these fine pictures; Isabelle, notre chère professeur; Tina (seated), franco-danoise, and the other Isabelle, a student this time, canadienne.
Three of us: me, Tae (japonaise, a very good friend), and Korakan.
Bigger picture
Another group picture: Korakan, me, Tina, and Sarah - the other student from Grace at Dijon.
Yep, that's me, the party girl. I was laughing so hard while they made me hold the champagne glass and the wine bottle!
And this was Wednesday night after all the exams and a theater production put on by our friends, including Korakan: Tina, me, Tae, and Korakan.
Hope you enjoy. :)
(and hope you don't have too many problems, i.e. getting back to the blog page from the pictures - sorry, I don't know how to fix that)
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Touristing is hard work
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I probably walked at least 2 hours total each day. Then this weekend... between walking around Paris (with or without my friend) and visiting la Musée d'Orsay (I'm so nice - got you the English site) and le Louvre and standing in lines, it was not a vacation for my feet, which are about dead now.
But it was a super great weekend. I didn't make it to London but Paris was plenty, and it was lovely to come back to Dijon. Dijon seemed huge when I first arrived, but it's very homey after four months and compared to Paris.
I just don't see how the tourists do it - visiting all the sites and seeing all the museums and touristing in general. Three days was nearly too much. Maybe everybody understands the bus and metro system better than I do so they don't end up walking everywhere.
Since I slept in late today, it's now time to go back and have lunch around 3 p.m. Sounds great, huh?
But it was a super great weekend. I didn't make it to London but Paris was plenty, and it was lovely to come back to Dijon. Dijon seemed huge when I first arrived, but it's very homey after four months and compared to Paris.
I just don't see how the tourists do it - visiting all the sites and seeing all the museums and touristing in general. Three days was nearly too much. Maybe everybody understands the bus and metro system better than I do so they don't end up walking everywhere.
Since I slept in late today, it's now time to go back and have lunch around 3 p.m. Sounds great, huh?
Friday, June 02, 2006
notice
I'll be in Paris for the next couple days visiting a friend and seeing museums for free (not sure yet about London).
Everybody have a good weekend!
Everybody have a good weekend!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Yippee!
Done done done, and it feels so good - I just don't know what to do with myself!
I got through exams with the help of several chocolate bars and lots of kleenexes. You know, I never thought much of those little kleenex packs, but it's really handy to throw a bunch of them into the backpack.
Hard to believe the semester's done!
Now I'd better go before I die of thirst, since I already finished my water bottle, and before I drive everybody here nuts with this beautiful cough.
I got through exams with the help of several chocolate bars and lots of kleenexes. You know, I never thought much of those little kleenex packs, but it's really handy to throw a bunch of them into the backpack.
Hard to believe the semester's done!
Now I'd better go before I die of thirst, since I already finished my water bottle, and before I drive everybody here nuts with this beautiful cough.
Monday, May 29, 2006
One down, two to go
Hi everybody!
The first and hardest day of exams is done. I came down with a cold Friday night and spent all day Saturday and Sunday studying reams of notes for today's four culture exams in four hours. The next two days are two exams each for French language courses.
Thank the Lord this cold isn't worse, or I would have been in misery this morning. But I hope you'll excuse me if I leave now, have to study for Tuesday and Wednesday, plus I'm running out of kleenexes.
Happy Memorial Day to everyone in the U.S.! And have fun together today, Ardith and the rest of the family. :) Think of your poor sister who's suffering through exams in France while you're partying during vacation.
Nah, on the other hand, don't feel sorry for me, I'll probably be visiting Paris and London this weekend.
The first and hardest day of exams is done. I came down with a cold Friday night and spent all day Saturday and Sunday studying reams of notes for today's four culture exams in four hours. The next two days are two exams each for French language courses.
Thank the Lord this cold isn't worse, or I would have been in misery this morning. But I hope you'll excuse me if I leave now, have to study for Tuesday and Wednesday, plus I'm running out of kleenexes.
Happy Memorial Day to everyone in the U.S.! And have fun together today, Ardith and the rest of the family. :) Think of your poor sister who's suffering through exams in France while you're partying during vacation.
Nah, on the other hand, don't feel sorry for me, I'll probably be visiting Paris and London this weekend.
Friday, May 26, 2006
My adventure with the Deutsche Bahn
Yes, I am very happy to announce that the train ticket problem has been completely resolved!
Here's the story:
I was going to visit two friends in Germany, one near Bremen and one in Leipzig. So I bought a bus ticket to Bremen (which I thought at the time was a flight, but enough of that), then hunted around the Deutsche Bahn (German national train) site for a ride between Bremen and Leipzig. What do you know, there was a discount that saved me 30 euros! So I took it, naturally.
It was supposed to come in the mail... which it didn't for a week, a week before I was to leave. This was probably because I simply gave my name for the mailing address and not c/o Jane Smith, which was pretty stupid of me. At my host mom's advice, I sent an email: to leave evidence of my problem, and to ask them to either send another ticket or cancel the first. Then several days before was finally able to get through on the phone (it was Easter weekend, what do you know) to someone in the right place, after trying several different offices. He spoke English decently well and explained to me that if the ticket didn't come, I could buy another one at the Bremen station, then after the trip send this second ticket back for reimbursement.
That sounded good to me. The ticket never came and I bought another, as I was advised to do.
I got back to receive the next day an email from the Deutsche Bahn informing me they had cancelled the first ticket. Oh no. That was perfect timing on their part - right before I had a chance to send back the second ticket! I wasn't sure they would refund the second if they had cancelled the first. But I sent my ticket anyway with an explanation, and copies of everything carefully filed away.
And waited...
...Finally, about a week ago, I was informed by email that the 30 euros had been refunded...
...And finally today it showed up in my account. Yippee! Of course I sent them a thank-you email.
What a victory! What a great way to end the week. :)
Oh, and one more piece of good news: for the flight to Buenos Aires in July, departure from Des Moines is as cheap as Chicago. Not hard to make that decision!
Here's the story:
I was going to visit two friends in Germany, one near Bremen and one in Leipzig. So I bought a bus ticket to Bremen (which I thought at the time was a flight, but enough of that), then hunted around the Deutsche Bahn (German national train) site for a ride between Bremen and Leipzig. What do you know, there was a discount that saved me 30 euros! So I took it, naturally.
It was supposed to come in the mail... which it didn't for a week, a week before I was to leave. This was probably because I simply gave my name for the mailing address and not c/o Jane Smith, which was pretty stupid of me. At my host mom's advice, I sent an email: to leave evidence of my problem, and to ask them to either send another ticket or cancel the first. Then several days before was finally able to get through on the phone (it was Easter weekend, what do you know) to someone in the right place, after trying several different offices. He spoke English decently well and explained to me that if the ticket didn't come, I could buy another one at the Bremen station, then after the trip send this second ticket back for reimbursement.
That sounded good to me. The ticket never came and I bought another, as I was advised to do.
I got back to receive the next day an email from the Deutsche Bahn informing me they had cancelled the first ticket. Oh no. That was perfect timing on their part - right before I had a chance to send back the second ticket! I wasn't sure they would refund the second if they had cancelled the first. But I sent my ticket anyway with an explanation, and copies of everything carefully filed away.
And waited...
...Finally, about a week ago, I was informed by email that the 30 euros had been refunded...
...And finally today it showed up in my account. Yippee! Of course I sent them a thank-you email.
What a victory! What a great way to end the week. :)
Oh, and one more piece of good news: for the flight to Buenos Aires in July, departure from Des Moines is as cheap as Chicago. Not hard to make that decision!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Back to the Sound of Music
Americans in France don't just get to translate the words, they also get to translate the notes.
Chords in French are lots of fun. Intead of plain old C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, you get do, ré, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do (I think that's how you spell them in French). I guess it's more sophisticated, but improvising on the melody becomes a lot more work. The key of the piece would look like si bémol mineur instead of G flat minor. I had to look bémol up, which is pretty pathetic. Anybody who knows two things about music could have figured that out.
The concert last Friday night finished extremely well: l'Ensemble Baroque de Limoges played la Symphonie no. 40 en sol mineur de Mozart. Your exercise is to translate the italics and find the piece. I'll give you a French 20 if you send me a link for a site with the music file, or a link for the music file itself... but of course that's just if you have nothing better to do. At least that way you would get to hear the music yourself.
Chords in French are lots of fun. Intead of plain old C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, you get do, ré, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do (I think that's how you spell them in French). I guess it's more sophisticated, but improvising on the melody becomes a lot more work. The key of the piece would look like si bémol mineur instead of G flat minor. I had to look bémol up, which is pretty pathetic. Anybody who knows two things about music could have figured that out.
The concert last Friday night finished extremely well: l'Ensemble Baroque de Limoges played la Symphonie no. 40 en sol mineur de Mozart. Your exercise is to translate the italics and find the piece. I'll give you a French 20 if you send me a link for a site with the music file, or a link for the music file itself... but of course that's just if you have nothing better to do. At least that way you would get to hear the music yourself.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Guess what I killed today?
Oops, that was yesterday - but 'today' sounds better in the title. Anyway I was planning to tell you about it yesterday, when it was still today... but I forgot.
It was a little after 6 a.m. and I was about ready to take a shower when what should pop out but a good-sized centipede! It started scampering around the tub and I just watched it for a while, working up the courage to squash something with so many long fluttery little legs and such a nice hard spiny body... ugh. (You can tell this moves me deeply since I'm overusing the italics)
My host mom informed me that it was just a vers de jardin (a garden worm), that they tend to come out in the spring through the bathroom and other strategic parts of the ceiling, as is often the case in old houses, and that it lives in the wood (how it can be a garden worm and live like a termite, I have no idea), which means it's not a dirty animal. Oh, that's such a comfort to know that leggy thing isn't a dirty animal. My reaction is still - ugh.
It was a comfort to hear that it won't be barging into my room. Supposedly.
Tomorrow you get a music lesson, French-style.
It was a little after 6 a.m. and I was about ready to take a shower when what should pop out but a good-sized centipede! It started scampering around the tub and I just watched it for a while, working up the courage to squash something with so many long fluttery little legs and such a nice hard spiny body... ugh. (You can tell this moves me deeply since I'm overusing the italics)
My host mom informed me that it was just a vers de jardin (a garden worm), that they tend to come out in the spring through the bathroom and other strategic parts of the ceiling, as is often the case in old houses, and that it lives in the wood (how it can be a garden worm and live like a termite, I have no idea), which means it's not a dirty animal. Oh, that's such a comfort to know that leggy thing isn't a dirty animal. My reaction is still - ugh.
It was a comfort to hear that it won't be barging into my room. Supposedly.
Tomorrow you get a music lesson, French-style.
Monday, May 22, 2006
The countdown begins
To tell the truth, I have been counting down the days ever since I got here - but now it's less than three weeks!
Alistair is a young British guy spending the year doing research work at the University of Bourgogne, and he attends my church. Well, this Sunday two of Alistair's friends (Steve and Edward) were there on a visit, so they and some of the French young people of the church and myself all went out to lunch and spent the afternoon doing things like drinking tea and eating Tiramisu and walking by the lake. I enjoyed speaking English for a change and especially enjoyed British humor... more jolly-ness than the usual French social get-togethers!
This week will be full of studying for exams, which take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week - the last three days of May. So there won't be much exciting to report.
Alistair is a young British guy spending the year doing research work at the University of Bourgogne, and he attends my church. Well, this Sunday two of Alistair's friends (Steve and Edward) were there on a visit, so they and some of the French young people of the church and myself all went out to lunch and spent the afternoon doing things like drinking tea and eating Tiramisu and walking by the lake. I enjoyed speaking English for a change and especially enjoyed British humor... more jolly-ness than the usual French social get-togethers!
This week will be full of studying for exams, which take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week - the last three days of May. So there won't be much exciting to report.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
J'adore cette langue
Despite going to a concert last night, I did wake up long before noon, so I came back to the university today to enjoy a little tranquil Internet time, and of course to post the answer - it's in the comments of the preceding post.
French is beautiful but it can sometimes be annoying. Here's a paragraph from last night's program, desribing the accomplishments of Christophe Coin, director of l'Ensemble Baroque de Limoges:
Egalement professeur, Christophe Coin est chargé des cours de violoncelle baroque et de viole de gambe au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris et à la Schola Cantorum de Bale. Il participe tous les ans aux Acamédies Internationales de Granada et d'Innsbruck et donne des masterclasses dans différents conservatoires français.
That's nearly English. You can understand it. Here's what I want you to notice:
Egalement professeur, Christophe Coin est chargé des cours de violoncelle baroque et de viole de gambe au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris et à la Schola Cantorum de Bale. Il participe tous les ans aux Acamédies Internationales de Granada et d'Innsbruck et donne des masterclasses dans différents conservatoires français.
You see, they can't just say "Christophe Coin directs baroque violoncello courses..." - they have to say "Christophe Coin has charge of courses of baroque violoncello..." I could have dug up a more extreme example.
Let's face it, French is wordy. It has lots of ofs, and lots of passives: e.g., the above verbal construction est chargé de (has charge of) instead of simply dirige (directs) or enseigne (teaches). Furthermore, a French person will often repeat the same phrase two or three times for no apparent reason... maybe for emphasis, maybe to taste again those words he (or she) so masterfully strung together. Didn't you know it's elegant to speak and write like that?
In English, you're guilty of murder before the WEP (written expression police) if you say something like this:
This girl, whose brother plays on the highschool soccer team with my brother, plays the piano.
But that's how you do it in French.
Culture experts and culture books always told me that conversation is an art for the French. I think maybe they just like words, spoken or written.
No doubt that French is a little wacky, at least to an English speaker. But I'm going to miss it. J'adore cette langue.
French is beautiful but it can sometimes be annoying. Here's a paragraph from last night's program, desribing the accomplishments of Christophe Coin, director of l'Ensemble Baroque de Limoges:
Egalement professeur, Christophe Coin est chargé des cours de violoncelle baroque et de viole de gambe au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris et à la Schola Cantorum de Bale. Il participe tous les ans aux Acamédies Internationales de Granada et d'Innsbruck et donne des masterclasses dans différents conservatoires français.
That's nearly English. You can understand it. Here's what I want you to notice:
Egalement professeur, Christophe Coin est chargé des cours de violoncelle baroque et de viole de gambe au Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris et à la Schola Cantorum de Bale. Il participe tous les ans aux Acamédies Internationales de Granada et d'Innsbruck et donne des masterclasses dans différents conservatoires français.
You see, they can't just say "Christophe Coin directs baroque violoncello courses..." - they have to say "Christophe Coin has charge of courses of baroque violoncello..." I could have dug up a more extreme example.
Let's face it, French is wordy. It has lots of ofs, and lots of passives: e.g., the above verbal construction est chargé de (has charge of) instead of simply dirige (directs) or enseigne (teaches). Furthermore, a French person will often repeat the same phrase two or three times for no apparent reason... maybe for emphasis, maybe to taste again those words he (or she) so masterfully strung together. Didn't you know it's elegant to speak and write like that?
In English, you're guilty of murder before the WEP (written expression police) if you say something like this:
This girl, whose brother plays on the highschool soccer team with my brother, plays the piano.
But that's how you do it in French.
Culture experts and culture books always told me that conversation is an art for the French. I think maybe they just like words, spoken or written.
No doubt that French is a little wacky, at least to an English speaker. But I'm going to miss it. J'adore cette langue.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Beloved Friday
I was thinking about going to Paris this weekend (doesn't that sound great?.... 'oh, maybe I'll run up to Paris on Saturday'), but changed my mind just a few hours after a friend lent me the metro map. Just too tired. Every evening has been occupied: opera, Bible study, cinema, tonight a baroque concert that I very much want to attend, and I just don't feel like getting to bed around midnight and getting up before 5 a.m. to get ready and take the train.
Important notice: tomorrow Ardith moves to her new house! Everyone should wish her a happy moving day. My family will be heading down to help her out, so she'll have her own personal moving van and her own personal crew of workers to cart all those millions of books and DVDs she's collected.
Oh, my brothers and sisters will never believe this, but just guess what I ran into on television last Saturday night! I'll give you all weekend, unless of course I happen to wake up before noon tomorrow.
Important notice: tomorrow Ardith moves to her new house! Everyone should wish her a happy moving day. My family will be heading down to help her out, so she'll have her own personal moving van and her own personal crew of workers to cart all those millions of books and DVDs she's collected.
Oh, my brothers and sisters will never believe this, but just guess what I ran into on television last Saturday night! I'll give you all weekend, unless of course I happen to wake up before noon tomorrow.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Education à la française
A while back Daddy sent me the link for this article (two-page from NYT, you may need to sign up to read) which discusses the state of higher education in France. You might be interested in reading it if you haven't already.
My personal observation and discussions with French people agree with this article. I'll run the risk of sounding like a typical American and French-basher to say that French education would scare me away from living in France - especially with a family. From the age of five or six on, French children have to make school their career if they want to succeed. Problem: there is no guarantee they will succeed, if success equals obtaining a job (notice the lack of modifiers for this last noun, such as 'rewarding', 'well-paying', 'interesting', etc.)
But what else do you expect when you have free university education? Apparently, some people expect a lot, such as this fine fellow: At Nanterre, Alexandre Frydlender, 19, a second-year student in law and history, complained about the lack of courses in English for students of international law. But asked whether he would be willing to pay a higher fee for better services, he replied: "The university is a public service. The state must pay."
I'm sure he meant to say, "The university is a public service. The citizens must pay. Let's raise the taxes!" Which will include him too... unless he prolongs his nearly-free education indefinitely. There's a French expression that hits the nail on the head: vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre = to want the butter and the butter money - that is, wanting to have at the same time the butter and the money one would receive for selling it. Except, obviously, you can't have both. I'm thinking that free education and quality education may be another such case.
To study is a right, not a privilege. What do you think of that? (I'm especially anticipating the comments of my brothers and sisters - especially my younger brothers and sisters - okay, so all my brothers are younger than me anyway...)
My personal observation and discussions with French people agree with this article. I'll run the risk of sounding like a typical American and French-basher to say that French education would scare me away from living in France - especially with a family. From the age of five or six on, French children have to make school their career if they want to succeed. Problem: there is no guarantee they will succeed, if success equals obtaining a job (notice the lack of modifiers for this last noun, such as 'rewarding', 'well-paying', 'interesting', etc.)
But what else do you expect when you have free university education? Apparently, some people expect a lot, such as this fine fellow: At Nanterre, Alexandre Frydlender, 19, a second-year student in law and history, complained about the lack of courses in English for students of international law. But asked whether he would be willing to pay a higher fee for better services, he replied: "The university is a public service. The state must pay."
I'm sure he meant to say, "The university is a public service. The citizens must pay. Let's raise the taxes!" Which will include him too... unless he prolongs his nearly-free education indefinitely. There's a French expression that hits the nail on the head: vouloir le beurre et l'argent du beurre = to want the butter and the butter money - that is, wanting to have at the same time the butter and the money one would receive for selling it. Except, obviously, you can't have both. I'm thinking that free education and quality education may be another such case.
To study is a right, not a privilege. What do you think of that? (I'm especially anticipating the comments of my brothers and sisters - especially my younger brothers and sisters - okay, so all my brothers are younger than me anyway...)
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
A night at the opera
Yesterday after spending most of the day in class, I rushed home (well... walked at a good clip) and ate supper and got all dandied up in about three minutes for the opera. I had bought the ticket the day before with the special culture card for students that lets us get in anywhere for no more than 5,5 euros - provided there are places left. The opera was playing in le Théatre Vaillant, which is three minutes' walking distance. Extremely convenient!
My seat was in the third balcony. Maybe that explains why it got a little warm near the end. The only other problem was that, if I sit correctly in the seat, I'm just a little too short for my feet to rest on the 'floor', so near the end of two-and-a-half hours my knees were starting to tell me about it.
The opera was Eugene Oneguine, by Tchaichovsky, here's a little description in Wikipedia.fr. Sorry, my Google page is automaticcaly google.fr. I will leave it to you to translate or find the English or do what you like. The story was a little stupid, like all operas, but then that's just my personal opinion; and then it was a lot simpler than the storyline of Carmen, so it will stick in the memory better. The music was quite beautiful, but then what else would you expect - it's Tchaichovsky.
My seat was in the third balcony. Maybe that explains why it got a little warm near the end. The only other problem was that, if I sit correctly in the seat, I'm just a little too short for my feet to rest on the 'floor', so near the end of two-and-a-half hours my knees were starting to tell me about it.
The opera was Eugene Oneguine, by Tchaichovsky, here's a little description in Wikipedia.fr. Sorry, my Google page is automaticcaly google.fr. I will leave it to you to translate or find the English or do what you like. The story was a little stupid, like all operas, but then that's just my personal opinion; and then it was a lot simpler than the storyline of Carmen, so it will stick in the memory better. The music was quite beautiful, but then what else would you expect - it's Tchaichovsky.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
What I did this weekend
Not too much, actually. Saturday I slept in a little and discovered that 10:00 a.m. on Saturday is a bad time for the post office, not to mention FNAC (where they sell all kinds of technology and DVDs and tickets for concerts). So instead I took the bus to Carrefour to stock up on dark chocolate (aren't I just like my mother?) and other cheap and handy snacks for those days - like today, what do you know - when we get theoretically 30 minutes break but between one class going late and walking between buildings and chatting, maybe 5 to 10 minutes to pause and munch something, and that's all the lunch break before 5 hours of class (if you're ridiculous like me and choose to follow all the courses).
Saturday afternoon I happily walked to the university for some free time on the Internet. It was still sunny. When I arrived, all the critical buildings (read: all the buildings providing WiFi access) were closed. It started raining. Fortunately I have learned by now to always carry an umbrella. I made up for it later that evening by going to see a Korean film which would have been good except it disappointed me excessively by forcing me to close my eyes during two scenes. I think I just don't trust movies anymore. I'll take a little break till the DaVinci code, which a friend and I are going to see sometime next week. She's read the book and I haven't.
Sunday I went to church as usual, and afterwards out to Flunch with three other friends from church. Then, because I've already been in France three months and haven't been proposed to by any dashing French guys yet, I decided to come along with them to the singles group. (Okay, that isn't all true - you can delete the middle part). It was a little conference on communication aimed at singles at least 30 years old, but there were some couples as well. But I think I was the youngest one there. Mostly it was two-and-a-half hours of discussion, so I'm glad I went because it was good practice for our controle de compréhension orale on Wednesday.
That evening a Swiss student arrived to stay for two weeks, so I had supper with her and we spoke mostly French and some German and English, and she tried to talk to me in Swiss German but I couldn't follow it very well... it really is different.
Saturday afternoon I happily walked to the university for some free time on the Internet. It was still sunny. When I arrived, all the critical buildings (read: all the buildings providing WiFi access) were closed. It started raining. Fortunately I have learned by now to always carry an umbrella. I made up for it later that evening by going to see a Korean film which would have been good except it disappointed me excessively by forcing me to close my eyes during two scenes. I think I just don't trust movies anymore. I'll take a little break till the DaVinci code, which a friend and I are going to see sometime next week. She's read the book and I haven't.
Sunday I went to church as usual, and afterwards out to Flunch with three other friends from church. Then, because I've already been in France three months and haven't been proposed to by any dashing French guys yet, I decided to come along with them to the singles group. (Okay, that isn't all true - you can delete the middle part). It was a little conference on communication aimed at singles at least 30 years old, but there were some couples as well. But I think I was the youngest one there. Mostly it was two-and-a-half hours of discussion, so I'm glad I went because it was good practice for our controle de compréhension orale on Wednesday.
That evening a Swiss student arrived to stay for two weeks, so I had supper with her and we spoke mostly French and some German and English, and she tried to talk to me in Swiss German but I couldn't follow it very well... it really is different.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Caution
When walking on a French sidewalk, watch out for:
Gifts the dogs have left
Cigarrette smoke
When walking under trees, watch out for:
Gifts the birds leave (yep, one got me in Paris)
Crossing streets used to scare me. Now it's an adventure - let's see how soon I can cross and how often I can do it on a red no-walking sign. No, don't worry, I don't run (much of) any risks, but then it doesn't take anyone long to figure out that if you follow the signals for pedestrians, you are going to have to wait twice as much. The key is learning how the traffic lights and the pedestrian lights don't synchronize, and more importantly, how much of a time lapse you have at each intersection - because no two are alike.
I hear it's much worse in Greece. Some girls from my class who traveled there during spring break informed us that Greek drivers drive as if pedestrians don't exist - even if they're right in plain sight. I just thought you might like to know in case you're planning on visiting Greece soon.
[Intermission: if I am forced to cut this post short soon, it is the fault of some sharp continuous ringing sound that is about ready to puncture a very fine hole in my eardrums]
... Believe it or not, I was going to post this yesterday. The first ringing stopped, then one minute later an alarm went off for the fire drill. So we all had to exit, but fortunately I saved the post first. Then after ten minutes of waiting and chatting, I came back into the building only to discover that my Internet connection didn't work, as it occasionally has the quirky habit of doing if I disconnect and then attempt to reconnect soon after. Tant pis. Too bad.
Gifts the dogs have left
Cigarrette smoke
When walking under trees, watch out for:
Gifts the birds leave (yep, one got me in Paris)
Crossing streets used to scare me. Now it's an adventure - let's see how soon I can cross and how often I can do it on a red no-walking sign. No, don't worry, I don't run (much of) any risks, but then it doesn't take anyone long to figure out that if you follow the signals for pedestrians, you are going to have to wait twice as much. The key is learning how the traffic lights and the pedestrian lights don't synchronize, and more importantly, how much of a time lapse you have at each intersection - because no two are alike.
I hear it's much worse in Greece. Some girls from my class who traveled there during spring break informed us that Greek drivers drive as if pedestrians don't exist - even if they're right in plain sight. I just thought you might like to know in case you're planning on visiting Greece soon.
[Intermission: if I am forced to cut this post short soon, it is the fault of some sharp continuous ringing sound that is about ready to puncture a very fine hole in my eardrums]
... Believe it or not, I was going to post this yesterday. The first ringing stopped, then one minute later an alarm went off for the fire drill. So we all had to exit, but fortunately I saved the post first. Then after ten minutes of waiting and chatting, I came back into the building only to discover that my Internet connection didn't work, as it occasionally has the quirky habit of doing if I disconnect and then attempt to reconnect soon after. Tant pis. Too bad.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Germany
Oh, I bet you thought I was finally going to tell about spring break, didn't you? Actually the title is just to inform you that Friday about 25 minutes before class isn't the time to tell you about a week's worth of vacation, and I won't be here Saturday or Sunday. However, good news: I just realized how I can paste from an editor into here. In Edit HTML mode, not Compose mode. I guess that's the most obvious thing in the world, but hey - still a victory. Now if I want to post something extremely long or complicated, I can type it at home and post it whenever. How great is that!
Bon week-end, tout le monde!
Bon week-end, tout le monde!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Exam training and other Thursday joys
This morning we spent our two hours of Written Expression doing just that - writing a dissertation, to practice for the final (and to get a grade). It was only five paragraphs: introduction, thesis, antithesis, synthesis, conclusion; so not too difficult. If the final exam is similar, it'll be a breeze. I even had five minutes to re-read and add a missing 'r' and fix a few words.
Afterwards, when I tried to boot up my laptop (wow - I almost forgot the word! - almost said ordinateur or portable), it seemed that my keyboard and 'mouse' had decided to take a vacation. That was pretty scary! But it was just being quirky. A nice refreshing little plunge into the darkness of computer unconsciousness fixed everything.
There is a lot of noise coming from the front of the building, the other end... I think they're having some reception, saw a lot of wine glasses set out earlier.
Well, I really don't know what to do with myself now that I have a whole afternoon and no homework to do for tomorrow. Maybe I will start studying for finals, after some other lightly pressing business. Of course, we do have those three controles next week in Oral Comprehension, Stylistics, and Grammar. And then the week after is the last week before finals. Incidentally, there will be another holiday that Thursday. I should find out what it is.
It is finally sunny and blue skies today! It was like that this morning starting before 6 a.m. when we were still in bed, then changed its mind during class, then finally improved again during lunch. Do you think we have finally turned the corner? Do you think I can finally mail my winter coat home? (well, I haven't worn it for over a week, guess it's safe)
This has been Thursday's pre-2:00 p.m. report. Y'all have a lovely day now! (And don't tell anyone I'm an American northerner saying that in France.)
Afterwards, when I tried to boot up my laptop (wow - I almost forgot the word! - almost said ordinateur or portable), it seemed that my keyboard and 'mouse' had decided to take a vacation. That was pretty scary! But it was just being quirky. A nice refreshing little plunge into the darkness of computer unconsciousness fixed everything.
There is a lot of noise coming from the front of the building, the other end... I think they're having some reception, saw a lot of wine glasses set out earlier.
Well, I really don't know what to do with myself now that I have a whole afternoon and no homework to do for tomorrow. Maybe I will start studying for finals, after some other lightly pressing business. Of course, we do have those three controles next week in Oral Comprehension, Stylistics, and Grammar. And then the week after is the last week before finals. Incidentally, there will be another holiday that Thursday. I should find out what it is.
It is finally sunny and blue skies today! It was like that this morning starting before 6 a.m. when we were still in bed, then changed its mind during class, then finally improved again during lunch. Do you think we have finally turned the corner? Do you think I can finally mail my winter coat home? (well, I haven't worn it for over a week, guess it's safe)
This has been Thursday's pre-2:00 p.m. report. Y'all have a lovely day now! (And don't tell anyone I'm an American northerner saying that in France.)
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
The day after (the big project)
I've decided to not organize all my photos till I get back. It's fun to do, especially adding commentary, but not when I have exams in two and a half weeks. That said, most of the semester's work is done, feels good to have a little loose time! Now, if it would just quit raining, I could happily spend hours and hours outside studying. They say we need the rain. I say it has been a very long winter and a very cold and rainy spring and we need some sun.
Today we would normally have three hours of class: two hours of Oral Comprehension and one hour of Stylistics; however, last week these courses were cut short due to our professor's doctor appointment. In fact, we didn't do any O. C., so we should get plenty of that in today's four or so hours. As long as it's not a controle day, the class is fun and interesting, especially since I just realized that I understand a lot more now than at the beginning of February.
Yesterday Sarah also gave her oral presentation - on elderly people in France. She visited a home for retired people where they had an 'American' day, and she discovered that the stereotype for Americans there was cowboys. Only the French say it very differently, in fact, I can't even recall it exactly to try sounding it out for you.
Then Bo (an American student in our class, William) became un Western for the rest of the day because he tried using 'Western' as an adjective to describe Western (versus Eastern/Asian) customs. But of course, a Western is a cowboy film - the adjective he wanted was occidental. Our professor had fun with that one, especially since he had us for the next class as well!
Bonne journée!
Today we would normally have three hours of class: two hours of Oral Comprehension and one hour of Stylistics; however, last week these courses were cut short due to our professor's doctor appointment. In fact, we didn't do any O. C., so we should get plenty of that in today's four or so hours. As long as it's not a controle day, the class is fun and interesting, especially since I just realized that I understand a lot more now than at the beginning of February.
Yesterday Sarah also gave her oral presentation - on elderly people in France. She visited a home for retired people where they had an 'American' day, and she discovered that the stereotype for Americans there was cowboys. Only the French say it very differently, in fact, I can't even recall it exactly to try sounding it out for you.
Then Bo (an American student in our class, William) became un Western for the rest of the day because he tried using 'Western' as an adjective to describe Western (versus Eastern/Asian) customs. But of course, a Western is a cowboy film - the adjective he wanted was occidental. Our professor had fun with that one, especially since he had us for the next class as well!
Bonne journée!
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Happy Tuesday!
I gave my exposé today and it went WELL! Praise the Lord! 70% of the semester stress vanished around 11:45 a.m. today. Not to mention my professor thought it would be worth about a 16 (on the 20-French-perfection-scale).
It's late, so I hope you'll excuse me for skimping on this post and going home for supper, especially if I leave you with two pictures from vacation.
At Mareika's in Sandburg
With Doreen in Leipzig
It's late, so I hope you'll excuse me for skimping on this post and going home for supper, especially if I leave you with two pictures from vacation.
At Mareika's in Sandburg
With Doreen in Leipzig
Friday, May 05, 2006
Five minutes on Friday
Well, as usual, by the time I've gotten to the university and taken care of my other business online - which today was mostly reading the family's blogs, reading my emails, downloading everything too long to read, trying to track down a mailing address for the Deutsche Bahn in order to resolve this ticket story which I'll be delighted to recount to you once it's done - there isn't much time left to post.
No problem, there isn't too much to tell. This morning I finished copying the 4th dissertation that we have to hand in for Written Expression. Our professor moved the date from yesterday to today - today is actually Grammar. Grammar is just about my favorite class, maybe because it's the easiest and most varied.
This morning I also tried some 99% chocolate. Mmm! Lindt really makes it too smooth, not very strong in my opinion.
Tomorrow Anja (a student from the Netherlands) and I are taking the 15-euro Saturday train to Paris to see Montmartre and whatever else we have time for.
Monday is a holiday, so I may not post before Tuesday.
Bon week-end!
(yep, that's really truly French. If you say <<Bonne fin de semaine>>, "end of the week" literally, it means Thursday and Friday, not Saturday and Sunday.)
No problem, there isn't too much to tell. This morning I finished copying the 4th dissertation that we have to hand in for Written Expression. Our professor moved the date from yesterday to today - today is actually Grammar. Grammar is just about my favorite class, maybe because it's the easiest and most varied.
This morning I also tried some 99% chocolate. Mmm! Lindt really makes it too smooth, not very strong in my opinion.
Tomorrow Anja (a student from the Netherlands) and I are taking the 15-euro Saturday train to Paris to see Montmartre and whatever else we have time for.
Monday is a holiday, so I may not post before Tuesday.
Bon week-end!
(yep, that's really truly French. If you say <<Bonne fin de semaine>>, "end of the week" literally, it means Thursday and Friday, not Saturday and Sunday.)
Five minutes on Friday
Well, as usual, by the time I've gotten to the university and taken care of my other business online - which today was mostly reading the family's blogs, reading my emails, downloading everything too long to read, trying to track down a mailing address for the Deutsche Bahn in order to resolve this ticket story which I'll be delighted to recount to you once it's done - there isn't much time left to post.
No problem, there isn't too much to tell. This morning I finished copying the 4th dissertation that we have to hand in for Written Expression. Our professor moved the date from yesterday to today - today is actually Grammar. Grammar is just about my favorite class, maybe because it's the easiest and most varied.
This morning I also tried some 99% chocolate. Mmm! Lindt really makes it too smooth, not very strong in my opinion.
Tomorrow Anja (a student from the Netherlands) and I are taking the 15-euro Saturday train to Paris to see Montmartre and whatever else we have time for.
Monday is a holiday, so I may not post before Tuesday.
Bon week-end!
(yep, that's really truly French. If you say <<Bonne fin de semaine>>, "end of the week" literally, it means Thursday and Friday, not Saturday and Sunday.)
No problem, there isn't too much to tell. This morning I finished copying the 4th dissertation that we have to hand in for Written Expression. Our professor moved the date from yesterday to today - today is actually Grammar. Grammar is just about my favorite class, maybe because it's the easiest and most varied.
This morning I also tried some 99% chocolate. Mmm! Lindt really makes it too smooth, not very strong in my opinion.
Tomorrow Anja (a student from the Netherlands) and I are taking the 15-euro Saturday train to Paris to see Montmartre and whatever else we have time for.
Monday is a holiday, so I may not post before Tuesday.
Bon week-end!
(yep, that's really truly French. If you say <<Bonne fin de semaine>>, "end of the week" literally, it means Thursday and Friday, not Saturday and Sunday.)
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Herzlichen Gluckwunsch zum Gerburtstag!
Happy 15th birthday, Derek! (yesterday) I hope you don't mind that I thought you were 16 when I wrote the card?
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
La rentrée
In other words, back to class after two weeks of vacation and one Monday of Labor Day. Next Monday is another holiday - Memorial Day, I believe. A lady from my church told me that last year, both of these holidays fell on Sundays (always the 1st and 8th of May), so there were no extra days off. Personally, I prefer our system - spread out in the year and always on Monday - we are always guaranteed time to celebrate the holiday and reflect on the reason behind it. (of course, in the case of Labor Day, it's just a day of rejoicing in not working!)
I'm working on organizing my pictures from Germany... when that's done, I hope to bring you some vacation stories. However, till then and till next Tuesday there is plenty of work waiting for me... and tonight there's supper, so I'm sure you'll excuse me if I tell you that it's 6:45 p.m. and I still have a half-hour walk home and have not eaten much since breakfast around 7 a.m. and am getting pretty hungry...
Happy May!
I'm working on organizing my pictures from Germany... when that's done, I hope to bring you some vacation stories. However, till then and till next Tuesday there is plenty of work waiting for me... and tonight there's supper, so I'm sure you'll excuse me if I tell you that it's 6:45 p.m. and I still have a half-hour walk home and have not eaten much since breakfast around 7 a.m. and am getting pretty hungry...
Happy May!
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