a day I can't describe

In some of the past few posts I wrote that I was longing for some structure, for a schedule that laid out things I had to do. Well, yesterday was Orientation for all International Students and it was as structured as a day could possibly get. From 9h to 22h (10PM) there was something planned for us to do and it was exhausting.

We started out with a little bit of breakfast in the Maison de l'Universitaire which was nice and a good way to meet some of the other students (there are 11 different nationalities represented in the International Students, from Americans to Germans to Romanians).

They then separated us into two different groups (with red and blue name tags to differentiate who was with who) and proceeded to take us on a tour of the campus. Unlike guides at American colleges, ours said things with soft voice which made a good amount of the information hard to hear. In addition we stopped in strange places like the large scupltures around campus where we were then lectured on who made the art, what it meant and why it was at the University. Art is often beautiful and fascinating but when I'm having an Orientation at a University, I don't necessarily want to hear about it unless it's relevant to what I'll be learning and the places I have to know.

After the tour we finally got to eat lunch at one of the University Restaurants. The food was OK, but I think I've been spoiled with UNH dining (which even though I get tired of, is still rated as one of the best in the US as far as college food goes). One thing I don't really understand about the food is that there's a strong emphasis on carbohydrates and meat and less on vegetables and fruit. For 3 euros, I will say that it's still a pretty good deal.

Mirela and Laura

When lunch was finished we returned to the Maison de l'Universitaire where we listened to a Professor and then some students give us some information on life at the University of Burgundy and also on life in Dijon. Unfortunately the information was nothing new for us five from UNH as we'd already heard it back at UNH and from Elsa. As for the other students, I think the information was new and quite helpful. After talking with some we learned that most of them had not yet ventured into the city. Due to the fact that we're living with families, discovering the city is incredibly easy, but for those that live on campus and who don't have bus passes, I can imagine how difficult it might be to get around the city which was why the tour of the center of Dijon was probably very informative and exciting for them. For those of us that have been here for a week and a half? Not so much.

The day was rounded out with apertifs in the Palace des Ducs. We drank crème de cassis (which I now know is called "kir") and talked with the other international students. I personally talked with two people: Laura, a German who reminds me a lot of Luna Lovegood, and Mirela, a Romanian. They both spoke French better than me but were also able to speak English as well making them both trilingual but also incredibly nice and willing to help me out when I couldn't figure out how to express myself in French. In all, meeting some other international students was probably the highlight of a very hectic and extremely tiring day.

Lastly, I can't forget to mention that after apertifs we returned to the campus where instead of eating we were forced to dance. When I say dance, I mean line dancing, the sort of dancing that featured heavily at camp square dances (but less fun, with bad country music and with no opt out option). At first it was just confusing and slightly amusing, but when the dancing went on for over an hour with no reprieve in sight it got to just be ridiculous and exhausting when all we wanted to do was sit down and eat!

museums and some cuisine

After finally getting my University ID and buying a Culture Card (which gives discounts on everything from movies to opera) I am nearly done with all the paperwork and bureaucracy that goes along with staying in France for over 3 months. Yesterday we attempted to go to the Immigration Office to hand in our residency form. The first half was filled out in the US, stamped by the consulate and then stapled into our passports. The second half had to be filled out in France. We thought we could simply bring it to the Immigration Office but it turns out that they must be mailed in with copies of both visa and passport. How silly we were to think it would be that simple.

Our dinner table. We keep our napkins in little pouches.

After sending it in we will then receive a letter in a mail stating a time in which we can make an appointment for a medical exam. All this just to say "Hello, we arrived safely in France!". Honestly. Due to the fact that the Residency Form was important, we had the French Postal Service insure them. This naturally cost 4 euros. 

Apart from that one difficulty, I've found that most of my IDs that give me discounts and even my University ID are too large for my wallet. Printer paper is even slightly taller in France then in the US. I guess the French are just not an 8.5 by 11 people. 

A peak at the streets from the top of the Rue de la Liberté, with some added
grain on the advice of my dad.

On Tuesday I had dinner with my host family. We had salad (just lettuce) with some mustard-base dressing, a quiche, potatoes, bread and cheese and then oranges for dinner. Everything was delicious. My host mother bought me a little packet of soft French cheeses each of which was a different type. I had "les noix" which was cheese with a little bit of hazelnut in it. It was quite lovely.

On Wednesday we got the previously mentioned IDs and attempted to go to the Immigration Office. We also started a bit of the chouette trail and attempted to eat out at an inexpensive restaurant. Unfortunately the restaurant closed at 8PM (20h) which didn't give us a lot of time to eat slowly and talk. Instead we found a kebab shop. Kebabs aren't a very American thing, but they're everywhere in Europe. I feel like it's almost equivalent to a burger (in that they're everywhere) but connected to the Middle-East and even Asia. They were surprisingly filling and the owners of the kebab shop were incredibly nice to us.

Today we got breakfast at a cafe and I had an amazing grilled cheese sandwich. Where my grilled cheese at home just has cheese inside, this one had more cheese on top and also ham on the inside. The French call it a "croque monsieur". There is also a "croque madame" which has egg added to it. I also got my favorite cold drink in Europe: limonade which is part lemonade but also part carbonated and which I really enjoy. 

We then went to the Musée de Beaux-arts which, I'm pretty sure resides in part of the Palace des Ducs. We were actually there while they were putting in a few exhibits and re-painting the windows. I always find it extraordinary to be in a museum that is in itself in a building so decorated and old that it's a museum in its own right. The museum itself was focused solely on French art, in particular that of Burgundy which has had a rich history of art because it's rulers (the Dukes of Burgundy) were at one time more powerful than the Kings of France. The first floor (which is actually the second) was filled mainly with massive oil paintings but the second and third floors were modern art. 

After the museum we went and got crepes and then hot chocolate (which I will still never ever tire of). Tomorrow is orientation for International Students! Hopefully it won't be an overload of information. 

strangely enough, I long for structure

Just as I had  been informed, absolutely nothing happens in France on Sunday. If you're a Catholic (which I am not, but my host family is) there is mass, but other than that? Not much. I was quite prepared to read all day long and start some research on where to travel on weekends, but my host father decided to show me the Musée de la vie Bourguignonne. It was a short walk from where I'm living and like most museums in France, it's free and open to the public. Museums are strangely not open on Tuesdays but some of them are on Sundays. I don't quite understand the logic of it, but then again, my first week in France has proved that there is a lot that makes absolutely no sense.

The museum itself reminded me a lot of the Shelburne Museum in Vermont (which to date is my favorite museum). It isn't necessarily a museum that is a collection of different buildings - each of which is a different sort of exhibit - but it does show quite marvelously what life was like for the people of Burgundy generations ago. I also gathered that my host father knew quite a lot about the museum and perhaps about the history of Burgundy because he explained every exhibit to me. It was very nice of him, and I didn't expect it at all.

Even though the museum was quite interesting, I got tired of it after a while. The exhibits weren't less interesting, it's just that museums can become mind-numbing after a while. We didn't go through the entire museum though, so that'll have to be saved for another day.

Due to the fact that nothing is open on Sundays, my host family allowed me to store a little bit of food in the refrigerator. I bought myself a baguette and then some chicken  (deli style unfortunately, but you do what you must) and my host parents let me use some of their mustard so that I could have one sandwich for lunch and then another (this time on toasted baguette!) for dinner. I was glad I didn't have any trouble eating but I long to make a bit of pasta or have a grilled cheese sandwich and unfortunately I don't think that's a possibility.

On Monday we attempted to get our University IDs but found there was more paperwork to fill out. I had all the extra paper-work they needed there, but unfortunately we had to schedule an appointment to give the paperwork and to get the IDs. It's another lesson in French Bureaucracy, but one I'm beginning to just accept.

Lastly, I really want classes to start, or at least for activities organized by CIEF to start because while wandering is nice, the structure of classes or an activity would be greatly appreciated.

first glance at the university and the joys of wandering

Yesterday I finally saw the University. In comparison to the center of Dijon which is old and lovely, the University itself is primarily new and therefore lacks most of the charm. Walking around it I couldn't help thinking of the UNH campus (Durham) and how classically New England it is, which is one reason I feel lucky to call it my home campus (although the charm of New England doesn't always cover for very cold classrooms or incredibly hot ones such as Ham Smith or Horton). Still, I suppose it isn't where I physically sit when I take my classes, but what I take away from them.

Taken at Elsa's last night. Elsa is the person in focus.

As for when that in particular will be happening, it is not the one week away I thought it would be, but two. I thought I'd be starting my classes on the 7th of February, but it turns out that that is the day we take our SAT-length exam which tests our competency in French and then places us in a level accordingly. Actual classes will start the 14th, which right now feels like eons from now. Interspersed between now and those two dates there is

• getting my University ID card (carte universitaire)
• give my housing information to the Immigration office
• getting my bus pass for the first month
•  an official welcome day for all International Students at the University of Burgundy (and subsequently CIEF) on the 4th
• a trip to Beaune
• several tours of Dijon
• who knows what else

The long wait to finally starting classes aside, I do now know when and where all my excursions will be to (Lyon, les Châteaux de la Loire, roman France/Provence) and when my spring break is (two weeks in April) so there is all of that to plan for.

There was nothing planned today, so at the beginning of the afternoon, I skyped for the first time with my parents. It was without incident, which was a relief, because I know a few other students have had some difficulties skyping for long periods of time.

I also wandered around Dijon with Amy. I bought myself a croissant aux abricots (apricot) which was as delicious as it sounds. I like wandering around Dijon because it's a great way of getting to know the city. Tours are one thing, but really knowing the twists and turns of the streets can only be discovered by wandering.

Amy at the sort of open-air market we wandered upon.

At one point we were following the trail of owls (chouette) which mark certain pieces of interest in Dijon when we turned down a street to discover vendors selling old history books. As we walked further we saw scarves (écharpe), hats, mustard (moutarde), jewlery and all sorts of other lovely things. The vendors were all very close to the actual market of Dijon, which was designed by Gustave Eiffel. The market itself was over for the day, but I know that in the future I'll definitely want to see it, and certainly buy some things from it.

a little bit of culture, some firsts

I mentioned some immediate concerns for living in France in the last post, but there are also very many wonderful things so far. One of them is that everyone is very nice, or at least everyone I've come across.

My host father and mother always take time out to talk with me and even though I can't always understand them (my host father talks incredibly fast) it's nice to know that they're trying to make me feel welcome. They always keep their door open and told me that I'm welcome to come in and talk to them or ask them anything.

For a gift I brought them a framed photo of my house that I took a few weeks ago. Instead of putting it somewhere in their room, my host father made some sort of stand so that when I'm at my desk I can look at home (which I am doing right now and which I find very comforting).

My old fashioned keys.

And though I only get one meal (repas) per week (and by this I mean one dinner, I always get breakfast), the one I've had so far was quite delicious. We had Ratatouillee over pasta, bread and cheese and then galette for dessert. Everything was delicious. The galette itself is called "king's cake" because hidden inside the cake is a little trinket. Whoever gets the piece with the trinket inside it is crowned the king (roi) or the queen (reine). As I was the newest person at the meal (there were two other students from UNH both of whom have been here since October, one who lives with another family and one who lives above my host family's apartment) so I chose who got each piece. I picked myself last because I thought it would be most polite and so I was very surprised to cut into the cake (which has a puff-pastry base) to find a trinket. Traditionally it's a baby Jesus, but mine was a small Toy Story 3 ceramic piece.

Aside from my host family, the other students I've met through Elsa (our sort-of-tutor who I mentioned earlier and who is a student at the University) have all been very nice. Everyone is very patient when we stumble over our words and they are all very nice when correcting us with our grammar. It's very encouraging and a good environment in which to ameliorate my French. I'm quite grateful for it.

Inside the crypt of the Saint Benigne's Cathedral.
Some more information about it on flickr.

Last night in particular, Elsa invited us new students out to a bar with her and her friends. Yesterday was the last day of their exams and so they were out celebrating. We drank crème de cassis mixed with white wine, a specialty of Burgundy. The students alternated between buying pitchers and we all had small glasses. It was very social and relaxed. I know I enjoyed myself and I'm pretty sure everyone else did as well, something I was very happy about as it was my first time in a bar (only being 20). When Elsa came back to the table at one point with many shots, it was also my first time for those. Upon finishing it (and after learning that it was my first) the entire table broke out in cheers and proceeded to sing a local song.

All in all the atmosphere was a welcome contrast from some of my recent worries.

Some other minor little tidbits I wanted to write down so that I wouldn't forget:

1. The hot chocolate (grand chocolat) here is amazing. It will never ever get old.
2. I still have not had a croissant!
3. The French name for Twilight is "Fascination" which I find incredibly amusing and all too fitting.

just need to find a rhythm

I won't lie and say that France is a little less intimidating than I thought it would be, because it is, but I am beginning to envision a way in which it is not as intimidating as it is now. My main concerns for the moment are

one: food - I have breakfast every day (this morning it was toasted bread with nutella and then a cup of tea) but I only get one meal a week. The rest I have to figure out for myself. Just a few weeks ago in the US I bought a cookbook called Power Foods and successfully made a few recipes from it so it's not that I don't know how to make my own food, it's just that I don't think I really have access to a kitchen. Three other students get every meal every day if they want it, so that isn't so much a worry for them, but I'd rather not eat out every single day. It isn't a matter of not having the money (although it can get quite expensive) I'd just rather find a more sustainable way of eating. I've gathered some information on some inexpensive cafés at the University (referred to, I have learned as "les facs") but I'm not completely convinced and I'm not sure if everyone I know right now will be eating there as well (and right now I'd rather not eat alone).

Today we had a little tour of Dijon (although I certainly don't know the city and it will take much more wandering around for me to know it) and met with two other students from UNH who have been here since September. Due to the fact that they are here for a longer period of time they have access to hot plates and their own refrigerators so they are able to make some basic meals on their own. They also have at most one dinner in town ("en ville"), one dinner with their family and seem to find ways of eating at apartments of friends.

I'm sure I'll figure out something, but for now it's a concern.

two: CIEF - The two other students we met today (Nick and Kayla) both go to the University and don't seem to know much about CIEF because it's a different program and separate from the University. They are learning alongside other French students (though not meeting any French students) whereas I will be learning alongside other International Students.

None of us are quite sure how we choose our classes, when our placement exams are and when we really begin to the semester. Like the food, I'm sure it'll work out in the end, but I like having more of a plan than I do know so it's quite strange not knowing what is going to happen. The French school system in general is very confusing. We were talking to Elsa, a French student who is our appointed tutor, and she has an exam tomorrow but she doesn't know when and she doesn't know what it is on. The idea of this is completely mind boggling as in the US I know when my exams will be months before they even take place. They also don't know what classes they will be taking the next semester (which starts for the University on Monday) whereas we in the US traditionally find out halfway through the semester before.

For all the hoops it seemed I had to jump through to get here, it seems incredibly bizarre that everything in France is unplanned.

three: the keys - This is just a minor one but the keys for my apartment are quite honestly the keys I picture when I think of old things. For anyone that's read Harry Potter the flying keys in the Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone are shaped like the keys to my house. Aside from the fact that that I cannot believe they are still in use, I have had some difficulties getting into the apartment building itself with them (though not getting into the apartment). I got them both this morning but this afternoon someone else coming into the building had to help me.

four: cycling - This one, is mostly for Mom and Dad, but so far I have not met anyone (my host parents included) who know anything about cycling beyond the Tour de France. I think I had this idea in my mind that cycling was embedded in the French National psyche but so far: nothing. I'm not sure if this is because Dijon is not in an area which has a classic each year (such as Paris-Nice or Paris-Roubaix) but I was not able to gather much information regarding any spring classics or any other bike races...which was not something I expected to be stumped by.

At last, I have arrived

At last I am here in Dijon. It has seemed like I have waited eons from the time it was confirmed that I would be coming to Dijon until I actually took the plane. The plane ride itself was long and extremely tiring. I don't know if I was able to sleep when I was younger and took a Trans-Atlantic flight but I was not able to get comfortable enough to sleep this time even though I desperately wanted to.

Five of us came from UNH to Dijon, four to go to the CIEF (Centre International d'Etudes Françaises ), one to the Université de Bourgogne and so there were five us on the flight (or flights: one from Boston to Reykjavik and one from Reykjavik to Paris) . I was extremely thankful for this, particularly once we reached Paris and had to navigate our way from Charles de Gaulle to la Gare de Lyon because what was already overwhelming would have been terrifying.

It was a massive relief to finally reach Dijon with (most) of our host families there waiting for us. Amy, one of the other students, did not have anyone waiting for her at the station but lived close enough to me that my host family was able to take her with us. On the way to their apartment my host mother and father pointed out various streets and buildings of Dijon, notably the churches (one Cathedral, two other churches one of which I believe is now a theater).

When we finally arrived at Place Wilson (which is where I am staying) it was past 5:30 (17h30). Given that I had little sleep on the plane and had been traveling for about 11 hours, I just wanted to collapse. Instead Monsieur and Madame de Regloix sat Amy and I down in their sitting room and then once they were able to contact Amy's host mother, invited her over for drinks. They talked for about an hour about an exhibition at Versailles on Sciences during the time of Louis XIV. Amy and I occasionally asked questions and answered others but really just attempted to stay awake.

When Amy and her host mother left I thought "finally, I'll get to sleep!" but oh no, not yet. I was given a tour of the apartment and then had a small dinner with Monsieur de Regloix. There were several parts of the meal but I wasn't too hungry and ate as little as I could to go to bed as soon as I could. Of course, the French don't eat like we do in America where everything is ready to eat at one time and then eaten together. They have courses. We had a small salad (which was really cabbage - nothing done to it) and then some rice with onions. Whenever M de Regloix asked if I wanted more, I said no and he always made this little face and this noise as if to indicate that I was crazy. I told him (to the best of my ability) that I normally ate more but that I was very tired.

It did not speed anything up. After the rice he asked if I would like some pâté, to which I said that I had never had, but would be willing to try. He toasted a bit of baguette and we spread it across. I liked it but it wouldn't be my favorite dish. We then had some cheese with the bread (from the package I believe it was brie) and finally (finally!) I was able to go to bed. At this point it was around 8 o'clock.

My room itself is quite nice. There is a great window which overlooks the street and Parc Wilson. There is a desk, a dresser and a bed. It is unadorned but the rest of the house has few embellishments.

Before going to bed, Monsieur and Madame de Regloix told me that I could sleep as long as I wanted to and I promptly slept until 1PM (13h).

Today (once I was awake to experience it) I had lunch with M and Mme de Regloix and afterwards they showed me maps of Dijon and some information of the surrounding area. Dijon, like most of Europe, is quite old, but has largely survived the many wars and therefore many of the buildings are ancient. I think there will be quite a lot to discover in the months that I am here next and I can't wait to begin.

At 5PM (17h) we had a meeting with Elsa, who will help us in navigating Dijon and with some aspects of the University. Today we purchased cell phone, bought some toiletries (I needed tissues) and then had dinner. We would have done a bit more but Michelle, another student, seemed to have some difficulties getting to the meeting place. We eventually found her but by then we were quite cold and definitely hungry.

I realize that this entry has gotten to be quite lengthy so I'll have to stop for now and then write some more tomorrow. A bientôt !