Confitures, not condoms

"Confitures, not condoms," my classmate whispered to me during my most recent, (and typical) embarrassing moment in class.

Learning another language, especially French, is always an adventure with lots of detours.  This past lesson I learned in class while trying to describe the French phrase "pur beurre" (pure butter).  To describe someone or something as "pur beurre" means they are true, authentic, french. (It's not really a surprise that the french would compare a true frenchman by the quality of their dairy foods, but I digress...)

In my misdirected manner I started describing "pur beurre" as butter without preservatives, or organic.  Typically some words in english translate fairly similarly to french- bureau, adorable, bizzare etc, including preservative (préservatif).  However, as I quickly deduced from my professor's shocked expression, the meaning did not translate.

Apparently préservatifs are condoms. ooops. Confitures, or biologique would have been better word choices. You can probably figure out why the word preservatif can work both ways.

Needless to say I was a bit embarrassed, but I learned a new word.  I still love learning this language despite its difficult nuances and grammar.  Just by talking with my host mom I can already see an improvement in my expression.  Although I am certainly not fluent, I can at least get by asking for directions, ordering food, and expressing simple opinions.

These are just some tips I have learned that have helped me learn the language.  Can't say that I will never make another mistake again, but that is the whole point really. Live and learn!


TIPS for learning a language in a foreign country:

1. TALK!!! - Honestly, people probably already know by your dress and accent that you are foreign. But at least making the effort to speak in their host language can get you farther. When people correct you, its usually not because they are angry, but genuinely want to help you learning their native language. 
2. Hang out with foreign students. There is a program at my French university that connects exchange students with french students.  Not only can you meet new friends, but apply what you learn in class to real life. Practice makes perfect. Plus, foreign students are a great resource for advice, and learning about everyday culture. Looking for the printer? Best cheap coffee place? They probably know, and may even go with you if you ask. 
3. Live with a host family The more you live with people who speak the language, the more you are forced to use it.  Host families can really become your surrogate family if you let them, and are more than happy to help you. They are host families for a reason, they want to teach and learn about students too. 
4. Read the paper, listen to music. Get your hands and ears on anything you can read or listen to.  Watching or reading the local news not only makes you more informed, but aware of the different types of tones and expressions.   

French Newspapers in the library

French Food

With this much bread and cheese, I wouldn’t be surprised if France invented grilled cheese.

The stereotypical image of a French person holding a baguette whilst riding a bicycle surprisingly holds very true. Every morning on the bus to campus I see people ride their bikes to one of the hundreds of patisseries or boulangeries (at times 5-10 on one street alone, rivaling Dunkin' Donuts in Boston) to get their fresh bread. Others, like my host mom will buy a couple loaves of bread and freeze them to have throughout the week. Bread is a dietary staple, almost more than water, and eaten at every meal of the day.

Just as important is cheese. In addition to the multitudes of curd products across the country, each region of France has its own specialty. In Normandy, the four main local cheeses are camembert, livarot, pont l’évêque, and neufchâtel. It's kind of hard to explain what each of them tastes like, because there is nothing to compare them to in the U.S. The FDA bans the sale of unpasteurized milk, leaving the states lacking bit with cheese gastronomy. I’ve tried describing cheeses as either kind-of-brie-or-cheddar-like, but with no success. At dinner when I tried describing a cheese that resembled something close to brie, my host mom quickly corrected my error and bought a 'true' brie cheese the next day to compare. I guess I committed some sort of French gastronomy sin.

Normandy cheeses and Cidre, part of a traditional normandy meal my host mom made

There are so many types of other French cuisine and recipes, that it would be exhaustive to explain them all.  My top favorites are below, and when I come home from class it’s hard not to pick up one treat when you smell them from at least thirty different patisseries.

• French Macaroons (raspberry, chocolate nutella, have even seen lavender and rose flavored)
• Chocolate Pain (really a chocolate croissant, but was promptly corrected after calling it that once)
• Croissants
• Crêpes (two different flours are used for savory and sweet crêpes)
• Tarte aux pommes
• Any fresh bread in general

French sweets, pieces of art 

But the most important characteristic of French cuisine and culture is that meals are meant to be enjoyed.  Food is not just to sustain and hold you over with a granola bar on the way to class or during a quick 30-minute meal. They are made to be beautiful and lasting.  My favorite part of the day is dinner with my host mom. We set the table, toast the bread, and enjoy a full balanced dinner while talking about our day.  For dessert, she cuts fruit and arranges them thoughtfully on a plate.  Meals don’t have to be fancy or last for hours, but it’s the idea that eating is a time for socializing and appreciating food and family.

Standard Meals in a Day

7-9am Breakfast: 
Toast and yogurt with jam. Sometimes fruit. A “cup” of green tea. (Cups for tea and breakfast are actually more like bowls, no handles. Great if you love tea or coffee)

12-1pm Lunch: 
Usually at the University. The government subsidizes student meals at universities, for € 3.25 you can buy a side, huge main plate and dessert. Bread and water are free.

*4-5pm Snack: 
So its not usual that people snack here.  If you are hungry it means that the meals you had were actually not enough.  But, given that it's France and I pass several patisseries on my way back home, it's hard not to pick up a small croissant or macaroon.  A cup of coffee or tea is common around this time or a little earlier.

7pm Dinner:  Meat/Chicken with a vegetable cooked on the stove. Usually the veggie has a little cream. Bread. For dessert, apples with small butter cookies or fruit salad.

9-10pm: Herbal tea with my host mom

*Tips I have learned*

Bread and une carafe d’eau (water pitcher) is always free at restaurants. Also, asking the waiter to split the bill is highly not recommended, it’s a bit of a faux pas.  Talking about money can be seen as - pun intended- distasteful  

Life in Caen

I have been in Caen for almost a month, and I don’t think I ever want to leave.  Surprisingly with the exception of peanut butter and country music, I don’t really feel homesick. (Shout out to mom and dad who are probably the only people read this, still love you all)

For those who are interested about Caen, Normandy and why it’s so hard to leave, this is what I get to see everyday when I go to class:

View of St Pierre circa 13th century, from Chateau de Caen 

Chateau de Caen, built in 1060 by William the Conqueror

Church ruins, never rebuilt after WWII

Despite almost being completely destroyed after WWII, Caen still holds a lot of history in its buildings and monuments, some dating back as far as the 11^th century. The city was largely rebuilt to still resemble what it used to be before the war, with a traditional Normandy style. The main road in Caen for example, St. Pierre has many modern shops and restaurants but still showcases older relics from its rich past.

The most striking is how normal this is to many people. Just across from a French bakery that I go to are the two oldest wooden buildings in Caen.  As if my accent and backpack didn’t scream American already, I stood there with my French macaroon for a good 20 minutes just staring at them amazement that by a miracle, was not destroyed 70 years ago.   

Circa 16th Century, photo:www.namericanlogcrafters.com

When I’m not completely geeking out with all the history here-WWII, Charlemagne, William the Conqueror-  I love to sit in a café and just people watch or do homework for a couple hours.  The Starbucks and Panera in my hometown don’t compare to the cafés here. For one, nobody rushes you- the French like to take their time with food (see other blog post).  Secondly, it's so interesting to see the different people, professors, students, and people walking the streets. The way of life is so much more relaxed, and enjoyable.  C’est la vie, translation: “what happens, happens” seems to be the motto. Although living this way does have its quirks.Worker strikes or closed shops on Mondays for example seem to happen with no rhyme or reason sometimes.

Favorite Café: Mémoranda 

Probably the better French phrase that my host mom comically likes to say is “La vie est belle”.  And after living in France for almost a month, I have to agree that life is certainly beautiful.   

Paris Has An "Identity"

A statue near the Panthéon. Hard to see but the writing reads: "FRANCE A UNE IDENTITE".  'Graffiti' such as this can be found everywhere and carries a strong message. Almost a piece of art in itself that echoes the legacy of the old walls and statues it rests on.  Below: the statue. 

I have always been interested how stories and histories make a place, or in this case a city.  

Undeniably, Paris holds rich and well-known histories.  Traces of the French Revolution(s) are visible everywhere, almost any building pridefully displays Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité.  Napoleon's(s) mark lives on in the Arc de Triumph and the city's dominating, extravagant architecture and gardens. 

These landmarks, the louvre, the effile tower, art, and food (SO.MUCH.CHEESE.AND.BREAD) create the popular and recognizable Paris image and story. 

But what I found even more interesting was the street art and marks of people who made paris part of their experience. They recorded their past and stories on Paris's walls, locks, and alleyways. Some marks were about love and art, while others showed doubt and violence that questioned tolerance and identity. Paris was not only a physical place, but an idea that held people's thoughts, dreams, and pieces of themselves. 

Sticker on a stop sign that reads: "J'EXISTE", I exist

Shakespeare and CO. *technically* English
but visitors from around the world write
poetry here

Street Art 

Walking through Paris I tried to understand the city's appeal that pulled so many authors and artists such as Oscar Wilde, Monet, Hemingway into its cafés and streets.  Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris (one of my favorites-) captures the nearly cheesy nostalgia but beautiful idea of Paris. The film depicts an awkward aspiring author (Owen Wilson- above all people) time traveling into 1920s Paris where literature legends aid him on his journey of self-discovery.  It's actually more lighthearted than my film description may seem, but more importantly I think Woody Allen nails the appeal of Paris on the head.  People seek Paris to create and relish in its history. The stories of other artists, seen in paintings, buildings, architecture collectively form a story of a romantic city that people hope will rub off on them- and inspire to create their own mark on Paris too. 

Degas 

Although the city is rich with its history, art, culture, and food- I think even more important is how Paris will continue to collect and reinvent stories, and what marks they leave.  

Versailles, hall of mirrors. So beautiful, but also a bit eerie with 

its empty halls that once held the richest people in the world, silenced

by the guillotine. 

 

 

Paris, on the Seine. 

Off to France

 

Aaaaannnd I'm off! As I am rushing this post before I leave in a half hour, I first want to thank my family and friends for always supporting me, and continuing to as I start a new adventure in Normandy, France.   

I have never blogged before, so bear with me...I will try to be least boring as possible and, to use a French phrase, cliché.  Although, it's hard not to be when you are staying in one of the most historic and artistic culture hubs in the western world. 

My goal: use this blog to a) not inundate facebook with pictures and provide more backstories to anyone who is interested b) be more creative c) enjoy writing 

The best adventures are never planned, and I hope to capture them on here. I can't promise this will be regular/everyday- after all who knows what will happen (hence not planning).  But, I hope that this blog will at least make some of you smile or laugh- even if its at my not-so-arsty-overphotographed-instagramed-pictures-of-Europe. 

With that, and allowing myself to be cliche this one time,  BON VOYAGE! 

Above, what I am carrying in my "personal bag": 

1. Sunglasses, courtesy of UVM freebies
2. A New York Times Pen a friend gave to me
3. A new journal- went a little nerdy here and got one that Oscar Wilde had
4. Deck of cards, courtesy of UVM freebies...slight theme here
5. Favorite Candy- thanks auntie Faith!
6. Granola bars
7. Passport/Visa