Back in America

Well, I must say it is quite a thematic effect after you spend four months in a foreign country and then reenter the United States CAPITOL and the first thing you see is a stand full of American flags and Obama card board cutouts. As the plane was landing, I cannot express how wierd I felt. I was basically shaking as I retrieved my belongings from the overhead compartment, and my heart was pounding. It was strangely similar to how I felt when I entered Europe in August....Like I was entering somewhere new and unknown. Looking out the window as the plane was beginning to land, I felt a little disoriented. I saw some hills and forests and for some reason assumed I was in France or Belgium. I don't think it has really hit me yet that I won't be returning to Lille. Saying that out loud makes me feel like someone is holding my heart and turning it around. "I won't be returning to Lille." It's like pieces of me have been left behind somewhere and I desperately want them back but I know that I will never have them again. I think that's true though. Everywhere you go that has a significant impact on you, and where you meet people who you have a significant impact upon, you leave pieces of yourself. Because you leave those parts of you scattered all across the world, you change immensely upon your arrival home. I'm saying "you," when I really mean "me." I have no idea if it's the same for everyone, and maybe I'm just overly sensitive, but I keep going over in my head all of the interactions I had with people in Europe. I can remember so clearly every funny, hilarious conversation I had with my friends there. I never really thought much of Canadians, but now I know when I meet some I will have great respect because some of the most amazing, and most real girls I have ever met were Canadian and I met them in Lille.

So many things that I am used to doing in the US will never be the same for me, because I did them in France. Here's what I mean.

Going on runs, for instance. Running along a river having no idea where the hell you are going or where you will end up and having to ask people for directions in French gave me such a thrill. I had to sort out my own running route through the citadelle in Lille and past the zoo, and I will always remember the smell of the elephants, and running across the bridge over the river and the first thing I see on the other side are the swinging monkeys. Or texting my French friends, "Do we have volleyball today" and "Want to go for a run" in French and having to decipher their responses.

Just walking around. At Santa Clara, I feel like I am always with friends. In Lille, I was completely alone most of the time, unless I made plans with people. I'd go shopping alone a lot of the time, go to the post office alone, sort out administrative and finanical things alone, etc. I was thrown into the midst of a culture that I had all but forgotten since the last time I was in France, and had to make do on my own. I had no American University to support me, I had to speak ALL IN FRENCH.

Travelling. I feel like I am a pro at the metro and train systems. I used to be the girl that kind of tagged along and let other people figure out directions. Now I take over. I don't rely on other people to figure out those kinds of things because a lot of the friends I met at Lille relied on me for that. I'm not scared to ask people for directions in a foreign language. When my purse was stripped of me at Oktoberfest and I had to go to Oktoberfest to get a new passport, I walked from the train station to the Embassy right by Champs d'Elysses. It was a 50 minute walk, and I asked various people for directions and was able to understand their responses.

Being in mass groups of students. French university students are so juvenile but fun. When we went to Quimper for the weekend with the Freshmen integration for IESEG, I cannot even express how surreal and mindblowing it was to be among people my own age chanting and singing songs in different languages. They were so crazy and fun and I will always remember being known as "the American," or, more specifically, "the blonde Californian." I had to constantly remind them that I was from SEATTLE, which they all only knew because of "Greys Anatomy." They are also completely obsessed with the show "How I met your Mother" in Lille." It's really hilarious.

Watching youtube and listening to music. Friends in France showed me SOOOOO many hilarious French and English videos that I know watching anything on youtube now will just remind me of all of my experiences abroad. I would quote some of them, but it would take way too long. Most notably are, "Chocolate Rain" "Last Night OoOoO" and "Gummy Bear." Also, I am so obsessed with techno and house music now. It is just so upbeat and puts me in such a good mood, and even the most terrible dancer can dance to it.

Here's some French slang I picked up that I won't translate because some isn't very appropriate:

-Putain a merde

-Fais shier

-Tu m'emmerdes

-Cou-sec

-Chagezze

Clearly I misspelled some so I will have to ask Frenchies for corrections.

Anyways, I know that I will constantly be reminded of things that happened in France, but people won't really care about hearing about them. All I can do is smile, and laugh to myself, because I know that those memories will never go away. I'll always have a place in my heart for Lille and all of the people, things, and places associated with it.

God Jul!

It's so wierd leaving a place where people have come to really know one another and have come to appreciate their little quirks and to accept them for who they are. Especially in direct exchange, I have realizd the importance of acting the way you feel and of the importance of surrounding yourself with people who are always making you feel good. Although French people might put on a stiff facade, at least they are honest. Americans seem to have this stereotype of French citizens as being rude and cold to people who do not speak their language. I think that perception of them is completely false. When French people come to the US, do we try to speak to them in their language? No, so why should French people speak to English people in their native language when they come?

This might all seem pointless to discuss, but Christmas is a time when people should gather with the people who they love, respect, and cherish the most. There are people back home who I have frequently hung out with and I think they are friends, until being abroad and new, strange situations have made me realize various insecurities I have because of how those specific people have treated me for such a long time. I know this is vague, but I guess I'm saying it because my resolution for the New Year is to be completely open with people. To tell them how I feel rather than simply acting nice, and to avoid the people who make me feel inferior.

I was completely alone in Lille for so long. Alone, independent, and forced to find people who were in similar situations. I got close to people that I may never see again. The night before I took the train to Charleroi, it was snowing and I hugged some of the best friends I will ever have goodbye in a blizzard. It all went by so fast that I don't think I realized the signficant impact that each of those people had on me. I think I established stronger relationships with many of them than I have with my own family members. I know now that the reason is because they have seen me in my most vulnerable, scared, exposed, and isolated conditions. My family members have not seen me in such states because they have formed a circle of physical support. I don't need financial support...I need love. When my purse was taken from me at Oktoberfest, the first thing I thought was, "I just need a hug," and that's what my friends gave me when I returned to Lille. I don't need criticism, I'm already hard enough on myself as it is.

Another thing, I absolutely despise when people tell me "I'm sorry." If a person is sorry for something, they should act, not speak. It's just a really personal thing that bothers me. I guess part of it is that I do not like looking weak. I do have a lot of pride, whether people know it or not, so when I get sick or fall down or get a bad grade and someone tells me, "I'm sorry," I want to scream at the top of my lungs. It is my fault for what happened so why add your negative input to it? Instead, just say, "No worries! Cheer up!" or something of that sort. I also break things a lot, so what? Instead of making fun of me constantly and reminding me that I always break things, when it happens just make a funny comment and leave it be. There is absolutely no need to constantly pick at the parts of people that other people see as "weaknesses." For instance, my clumsiness I view as a strength because I don't buy expensive cameras, ipods, phones, etc. I buy the cheap ones and I'd rather have experiences. I'd rather go on trips and go hiking, rafting, skydiving, parasailing, and meet tons of new people from all over the world than spend my time with my eye glued to a camera lense. I'd rather hear a variety of accents rush over me while lying on the beach in some exotic country than listen to Rhianna and Lil' Wayne.

Most of it is culture, and I guess French has rubbed off on me too much. I was understanding of sororities before, but why associate with a bunch of girls when you might not even like the majority of them? They act all peppy and friendly when in reality they talk trash about eachother behind backs. What is the point of that when instead you can have a close circle of friends who really value you and would never put you down?

When I'm older I want to live in some remote place, like Hawaii or the south of France removed from such a culture. Somewhere isolated and independent, where I can live near people like the people I met in Lille. That is not to say that everyone in Lille was the same. On the contrary, they were all so incredibly different but still made me feel so good all the time.

I shouldn't rant about this now...but it is Christmas, and everyone should be with people they love. In a superficial world, it is difficult to find people who act how they feel and don't put on a false facade. Be yourself, and no one will get hurt.

Christmas Season in Lille

There's something about being in a cold place directly before Christmas time that makes the season oh so much more spectacular. Sure, at Santa Clara lights are put up and the various college houses bust out their blow up Santas, but Lille isn't only a university town; there are families here too. Walking to la Grand Place and seeing the giant ferris wheel and all of the Christmas exhibits just seems so much better. It truly is a winter wonderland here, despite the lack of snow! La Marche de Noel has so many cute, decorated booths selling all sorts of things, such as yummy Christmas food and vin chaud, and decorations. I've walked through it only once so far but plan on going back to buy some gifts!

Going on the wheel was amazing too. For once I could see all of Lille! I never thought the city was that big because I'm right in the middle so I don't really need to ever go anywhere else. I went on the wheel with Turner, Max, and Vero, and the entire time I wouldn't stop singing the Christmas songs. They probably wanted to strangle me by the time we finally got off. I guess that's what you get for doing Holy Names choir; you basically learn every Christmas song in the entire world.

Last week I also went to a language cafe at IESEG, the business school. I've become friends with more people there through Vero, Mike, and Josh, and the international club at that school is so friendly! All the students speak English fairly well, and are so nice to the exchange students. They started singing cute French carols such as "Papa Noel" and people were dressed up as elves and santa clauses.

I am getting so sad to leave. To think that I have made friends here from ALL over the world who I won't see on a daily basis again really makes me depressed. I was in Paris this past weekend for the Paris v. Bayonne rugby game and met up with Jenny who was telling me all about London and how it's basically a Santa Clara bubble there because it's a Santa Clara sponsored program. I feel so out of the loop and more Europeanized than many of the people from SCU abroad in Europe right now. I'm so out of all the activities of Santa Clara kids, but honestly, I could care less. Doing this program has helped me become incredibly independent. I have met people who I will keep in touch with my entire life, and who I will be able to go visit with my own family one day. I was basically silent when Jenny was explaining to me about her experience in London because it actually just sounded like she was talking about Santa Clara placed in London. I will never have this same experience again. To think I could be in Strasbourg right now instead with a ton of Americans makes me really grateful to have gotten my original decision messed up and placed here!

Paris was great this weekend. Tessa and I left Saturday at around noon, and it was a completely different experience compared to the the other 3 times that I've been in Paris! When people go to Paris, they clearly usually do touristy/site-seeing kind of things. Since I'd already seen everything in Paris 3 times, I wanted to get more of a cultural experience. So staying with Tessa's French boyfriend and all of his mates was so much fun. We went to the Bayonne v. Paris rugby game, like I mentioned, and it was really cool seeing it because I've never been to a rugby game! I actually enjoyed it much more than American football, which stops every five seconds. In rugby it is just continual action so the players look and seem much more athletic! I was really disappointed because it was a terrible game for Bayonne (they lost something like 37-10) but the atmosphere was still great. I was mad at first that I wouldn't get down to the south of France to see Biarritz again, but having Bayonne come up here definitely helped a little!

Where the Frank family spent such a long time in hiding.

This is really the only thing Anne Frank could see from her hiding spot in the Annex besides the sky. She constantly watched and heard the bells. It was her favorite sound in the world.

Freeeeezing! But oh so happy :).

More Beguine nuns! They follow me everywhere! Maybe it's a calling...

This was the coffee shop in Oceans 12...the scene was filmed here with Matt Damon and George Clooney and the people speaking a different language and confusing Matt Damon.

It was so cold! Luckily I had my hat and found my scarf that I'd left at a restaurant the night before :).

The door to the ancient "women's prison" the female figures above the tour guide are of women whipping themselves...typical Amsterdam.

One of the many beautiful canals.

I AMSTERDAM

I just spent a fantastic weekend in another city that has been coined "the Venice of the North.." and the title is honestly more applicable to this city than to Bruges. At least in my opinion.

Janelle (a girl from Canada) and I departed on Friday evening after our midterms while everyone else had taken a train earlier in the day. I think we had the better end of the deal though because a couple drove us there for only 40 euros each both ways. We met them at this metro stop called "Porte de Postes" which was pretty sketchy, and we got there really early so we had to wait a while for them. Arabic men kept asking us to get in their cars and at one point, since Janelle didn't know what the couple driving us looked like, I pretended one of the creepy men talking to us was the person driving us. I think she nearly had a heart attack.

We arrived in Amsterdam around 10 PM on the dot, and it was completely pouring down rain. But even the mauvais weather didn't detract from the beauty of the city. We drove along canals trying to find the train station where Jean and Fatima would drop us off, and I actually think the rain added a little something to the city's atmosphere. The Christmas lights were up, and the look and sound of the drops pattering against the water in the canals was magical. So many people were out walking around, all bundled up and huddling close together. Once Janelle and I stepped out of the car and started walking towards "Bob's Hostel," I just knew it would be a great weekend.

Saturday morning we woke up after an interesting night of Laura shrieking and climbing into bed with Davika because a mouse had scurried across her. Some hippie guy in the same room as us started laughing and saying that he and his friends had been there a week and had become friends with the mice...Quel surprise! I think it was my first legitimate "hostel" experience. Our hostel in Bruges was so nice in comparison, but honestly, what can one expect in Amsterdam? Anyways, we ate breakfast in the hostel and walked to a square nearby for a free tour. We went all over the down town area...From the old women's prison to the old men's prison, to the china town, to the Beguin nun residence, to a place where a piece of bread had saved the life of an old man and when thrown into a fire had not burned (the magic of Amsterdam or something,) to the place where they used to execute criminals (in the heart of the redlight district) by splitting the men in two pieces then ripping apart their rib cages, then yanking out their hearts and throwing them into their faces. Sounds a bit like a horror movie to me! Then, the blood from these executions used to run down this street called "blood street," where there are actually prostitutes selling themselves in windows.

The prostitution is another thing. We took a Redlight district tour at night, and our tour guide was this Australian guy who was actually really funny and made the situation really light! We learned all about the city from him as well as the history of prostitution. As it turns out, the prostitution is really well regulated. It has been going on their for centuries despite attempts at outlawing it. When Amsterdam was merely a port town for sailors, it was extremely popular for the sailors who had been at sea for ages. The government detested the practice, but it kept going despite it being illegal so they decided to regulate it to make it safer.

I was completely shocked by it. Never in my life have I been exposed to something like that and as we walked by all the girls I couldn't help but feeling dizzy and overwhelmed because so many of the girls were younger than me! Something about the whole feeling of the place just really effected me in an inexplicable way. Our tour guide explained that many of the girls just couldn't get any other jobs because they came from such impoverished circumstances in Eastern Europe and were trying to pay their way through university many times. I think I was silent the entire tour because I just couldn't form the words at the moment to explain what was going on through my mind...To think that girls just like me would result to something so extreme and so completely degrading of their status made me nautious. Of course our guide kept cracking jokes to make the situation seem lighter, but I was still dumbfounded. And there were SO many men walking around! Thank God our tour group was safe because I actually felt pretty threatened...Men would hoot and holler at us, even whilst we were wearing about 10 layers of clothing as opposed to the half naked girls in the windows. We got offered 50 euros at one point and I had to gather up all of my energy not to yell at them for being so disrespectful towards women. All I can say is that I let out an immense sigh of relief once we got out of that area...

I guess the Red Light District of Amsterdam is a symbol of how different Europe is from the United States. Drugs and prostitution are so common there, that the inhabitants have simply adjusted life around such practices. To us North Americans, for the most part we are not used to such things, which was why I was speechless while walking around. We also went to the Heinkeken Brewery which was a bit more upbeat and I learned all about the history and origins of Heinken beer and even went on a ride which is "turned us" into Heineken. It was really fun and helped me clear my mind after being utterly traumatized.

Then, on Sunday morning we went to the Anne Frank House and I honestly didn't speak during that tour as well. I think it was the fact that Anne, like many of the prostitutes, was a girl not different from myself. We both have similar wants, desires, and needs. She wrote in her diary almost every day until she was deported to a concentration camp. What really got me was hearing a video recording of her father, Otto Frank, talking in the '60s. He confessed how it took him so long to actually open up Anne's diary after she died to read it and how after reading it, he realized that he had never really known his daughter. For him to realize that he would never have the chance to discuss with his daughter what was going on through her head must have driven him crazy. Yet did he really want to? How much of ourselves do we really conceal in life? We can go throughout our daily activities constisting of talking to people and expressing our concerns, woes, and feelings, but does anyone really attain an accurate understanding of you completely? You never know when you will die; it can happen so instantaneously. To think that there is a chance that some of your most private thoughts will go with you to the grave and no one will ever find out about them is baffling to me. Sometimes this can be good, and sometimes bad. Sometimes you want people to know these thoughts but cannot express them out loud. Some of these thoughts should remain confined in your mind, regardless of your desire to express them. In Anne's case, she wanted her story to be published. She did not necessarily indicate she wanted her DIARY to be published, but she had told her family and friends that she would one day have a book published about her experience, probably drawing from extracts in her diary. At least Otto was able to make part of her dream come true.

Other than the Bible, Anne Frank's diary has been sold and reproduced in more languages and more copies than any other book in the entire world. Its appeal is largely due to the fact that it does not simply give a laying out of facts and events of what occurred during World War II and the Holocaust. It expresses the emotions of a young girl living through such atrocities with which all people can commiserate regardless of their race, religion, sex, or age.

I didn't think that such an exhibit would arouse tears in me, but I think it was the mix between walking up and down the stairs where Anne once hid away for so long, and seeing the Church bells and listening to them chime that she had also seen and had written about, and realizing that the poor girl was not able to live as good of a life as she could have that created such feelings within me. We talk about our ambitions and wants so often, but all that Anne wanted was to live. She was physically incarcerated in a place where she could not live up to her potential. A situation such as that is worse than things such as the death penalty and abortion. Fortunately, Anne was able to use her mind and brain to set herself free when she physically could not run around outside shouting, "I'M FREE!" Think of what that must have been like...To want so desperately to go outside and ask a Nazi "Why are you doing this to us?" And she simply couldn't...I think I would have gone crazy. It takes great strength to keep yourself from making dangerous and wreckless decisions when placed in an unfair situation.

Amsterdam was truly an experience. And I don't mean this insane, drug-induced mind boggling experience, because despite portrayals of Amsterdam in such a manner, the city is so much more than that. I learned more about myself over this past weekend than I think I have my entire life, as wierd as that may sound. I saw women completely emaciated physically and mentally. While these poor prostitutes, some attempting to financially support their families (there is actually a preschool in the redlight district in between windows of women selling themselves and the children are told that the women are "selling kisses,") are trapped mentally in this world of anguish from which they will never escape because sex will never be the same for them, Anne was physically stuck. I never will be in either of those conditions, and I view myself as being extremely lucky. I wonder what the prostitutes think when girls such as myself and my friends walk by. Do they wonder what is like to be like us? I honestly cannot even imagine such a world as that.

Destination Culturation

For finances sake...I stayed in Lille this past weekend. A lot of people actually went to Paris, but I realized that I still needed to do touristy/cultural things in Lille since I've been to Paris many times before. So on Friday I went out for Korean food with some other Erasmus/Exchange students (yeah so I guess that wasn't TOO European ha ha) and then on Saturday me and my Swedish friend Lovisa went to la grande fete du vin! It was about 5 metro stops away in a place in Lille by la grande palais. It was really extraordinary walking in there and seeing all 700 wine stands from all over France. Just in the two hours that Lovisa and I were in there I felt like I'd seen the entire country of France! We were even walking around with a map deciding which region we wanted to try next...I learned a lot about how they made the wine too, and since Lovisa is fluent in French it really forced me to speak it and learn the terms in their language. There was also a huge chocolate and cheese stand...Of course being Scandinavian, Lovisa and I both love chocolate. We bought A TON. No wine, just chocolate and cheese. My guilty pleasures!

So that was quite the experience...When we got back I went over to my Romanian friend Catalina's apartment and she and I went to la gala de la catho...which is basically like prom for Le Catho. I didn't know that, nor did I know that it was a date event, but it was fun being there with Catalina because she also is fluent in French so it forced me to speak the language even more! I guess I must look pretty American because people kept coming up to me and screaming "I LOVE AMERICAAA!" in my face...I'd reply in French, "Bon, mais je suis francaise," and really shock them!

Sunday morning Lovisa woke me up to go to the Wazemme market which was really interesting and exciting! It goes on every Sunday and there are food booths along with booths consisting of the most random things you could imagine...ranging from used clothes to used USB cords. We went into a cute little coffee shop and had cappucinos and then bought some chicken and potatoes which were both DELICIOUS.

So it was a very pleasant and relaxing weekend overall. I think I spoke more French than English, which is exactly what I wanted. At the wine festival people would start speaking in English to me and I'd stop them saying that I really wanted to speak in French. It seemed like they really liked hearing that!

So it's off to Amsterdam on Friday for the weekend. I'm going with some of my Canadian friends here in Valentine Charondierre so I'm really excited for that! Then la weekend prochain I am going to Paris on Saturday to stay with Tessa's boyfriend and go to the Paris vs. Bayonne Rugby game. Finally going to see a sporting event in France! I absolutely love this country. People ask if I miss the US and I miss the people but that's about it...I could probably stay here for an entire year if I didn't have a house back at Santa Clara to go and occupy.

But I guess all good things must come to an end eventually, right?

Bruges: The Venice of the North

I have come to formally accept that I will not be able to go to every country in Europe. Before coming here, I thought I'd be able to get to Italy, Spain, Prague, Austria, etc, but I have had to narrow down my travelling to places that I will probably never visit again. To go to Italy I would want to take at least two weeks to visit Rome, Florence, Milan and Siciliy, and probably pair that trip with one to Spain as well. I realized that since I am studying in Lille, a student town of 1 million inhabitants (125,000 of them being students), I might as well take advantage of my northern location. I mean seriously, who travels around Belgium? I don't think I'll ever visit that country again in my life! So that was why Tessa and I decided to wander up to the "Vence of the North" this past weekend. The city really lives up to its title.

Just from the train ride up North I realized it would be an interesting but exciting weekend. Anyone who says that Bruges is simply a romantic town with not much history is completely wrong and obviously did not spend enough time dabling into all of the quaint village's wonders. We arrived at around 5:30 PM on Friday evening, after an entertaining train ride there in a carriage full of mostly English speakers. A group of older British men got on the train, one of them dressed in a Hawaiian woman fat sack...Little did we know that Bruges was such a small town that he would be kind of the "trade mark" or "symbol" of our trip because it just so happened that for that weekend vacation out of England he had planned out different costumes to wear every day. When getting off the train Tessa and I were overjoyed because we thought we'd never see the man again who heard people speaking a different language next to him (which turned out to be Dutch) and thought it was French and kept speaking to them in French.

Our hostel, the Bauhaus, turned out to be very nice, and it was only 16 Euros a night with breakfast included! There was a pub/restaurant below it that we ate at every night, and it had the most AMAZING Belgian specialties. There was a meat stew we had the first night that really tasted like something my mom would make at home...so filling and delicious! Just thinking about it is making my mouth water! The next night there we ate what was called "Belgian pastry with potatatoes and meatballs..." sounds like kind of a random mix of food doesn't it? Well it turned out to be pretty darn good too! And there were even mushrooms in it...which normally I refuse to eat but given me being in a different country where I wanted to try new cuisines, I decided to eat them too!

Saturday morning we got up at a pretty reasonable hour and rented rickity old bikes from our hostel. I was finally able to absorb the city's grandeur. The architecture is so unique! Even the houses all look like they're from some medieval movie, and there are canals with old boats circulating through the place. We yanked out our "fun sites" map that we had marked up the night before of places we wanted to see, and our first stop was the cathedral of "Our Lady" where Michelangelo's Madonna is located. It is the only place outside of Italy that holds any of the famous artist's work. After a series of crazy wrong turns and bumping down old, cobble stone roads, we made it to the grand cathedral. When we walked inside, we were greeted by a recording of monk's singing. It has really been a long time since I've attended a Church service, but for some reason this particular Church really captivated me. I think it was because there was less of a presence of Jesus and more of one of Mary, which I really liked. Most Catholic churches have looming statues and paintings of Jesus, and here the emphasis was on Mary being the important figure. Granted most of the artwork depicted of her in the place included baby Jesus, but it was still interesting to see her as the more prominent person. At first we couldn't find Michelangelo's artwork, so we spent about 30 minutes wandering around looking at different paintings and sculptures and taking pictures...Until we uncovered a part of the church we hadn't seen and there was an enormous sign saying "MADONNA" directly next to the thing.

Right after that we went to the Beguine nun residence, which was also very awe-inspiring and Mother Mary oriented. I have many pictures of it and for some reason it is hard for me to describe in words...It was like a setting for a fairy tale, with swans and ducks gliding over the little canal surrounding it, and a bridge to carry you across into it. The square itself was surrounded by cute, Bruges style houses were the nuns themselves live, and we saw about 5 of them leaving the church in the square. They looked so old and so little and cute! I really wanted to talk to one of them but there were signs saying that no one was allowed to speak in that holy area. It was really a breathtaking sight. I felt like I could connect with them because of my Holy Names Academy, all girl, nun, experience.

Then it was off to the musee de chocolat (chocolate museum)...of course. It was a bit of a disappointment because it wasn't a chocolate factory, so we didn't get many free samples, but it was pretty interesting learning about the different uses of chocolate and a lot of the myths of chocolate as well. In the Aztec times, people used to be buried with pots full of chocolate because it was a sign of happiness and pleasure which would be carried on to the afterlife!

Apres ca, we went to the oldest pub in Bruges, which has been there since 1515 and since it was packed, we didn't stay long, but it was really cool to see! Then it was off to the brewery tour...after a near tumble off my bike into the canal because it was so windy going across a bridge! It was called De Halve Maan brewery and had some unique beers that no other local pubs have. The whole brewery was like a tour basically, and we started at the bottom and worked our way up. The stairs got SO steep the farther up we went! And at one point, Tessa fell on her bum down an entire flight.

I have to go do some homework now...Obviously as usual there is so much more I could write but it would take too long! Here are some pictures to capture some of the places I described. I really received a good impression of Bruges from visiting!

Les Vacances de Touissant (Autumn Break)

A couple of weeks ago I had my mid-quarter break. Instead of going somewhere warm like Tuscany or the south of France, I decided to head on up to Scandinavia to visit some relatives of the Lorentz family. Honestly though, people always go to Italy, Spain, and Provence. When can you say that you went to Scandinavia? I figured the only time I'd do it would be as a broke, wandering exchange student.

Fortunately I was not going solo on my adventures. It turns out that my friend Mike here from New York needed a travelling companion for the break because Josh's girlfriend was visiting and they were travelling together. So that Friday morning of October 23rd, we woke up bright and early and went to catch a train to the Charleroi airport in Brussels. Why did we wake up that early to go to the airport? I have no idea...but I do know that we waited in the airport for our flight for a good 10 hours. To make matters worse, the flight into Oslo was delayed! I felt so bad for my relatives Ingrid and Arve that were picking us up! But finally we arrived, and there was no passport/visa check getting off the plane which had really worried me because I have no visa anymore, someone in Germany is in possession of it (Grrr). I recognized Ingrid and Arve at once when we stepped outside and clearly from the way Ingrid's face lit up when she saw me, the recognition was mutual. We climbed into the car and commenced the two hour drive up North to Gjovik in the shroud of night. I tried so hard to keep my eyes open as we went, but sleep soon took hold of me. Obviously there wasn't much to see anyways since it was pitch black out!

The next day was pretty cloudy and I was able to attain a more accurate view of our surroundings. There house was so adorable. It looked like a little mountain lodge with traditional Norwegian decorations. Ingrid had prepared a great breakfast for us which included tons of yummy Norwegian cheeses, flat bread, elk sausage, home-made jam, and of course, coffee. Plenty of coffee. We drove up to the mountains after that, which was absolutely freezing, and then to Lillehammer where the '94 Olympics were. It's funny because whenenver I'm looking at train tickets online for my various trips, whenever I type in "leaving from" and try to put down Lille, France, Lillehammer always pops up. I never thought I'd visit the place! So we got to see where the ski jumping happened and then also back in Gjovik where the ice hockey and speed skating went down. The ice rink was this crazy cave like thing dug out from the mountain! Apparently if nuclear warfare were ever to break out in Gjovik that is where everyone would go. Too bad we don't have something like that in the US...

Just over three days Ingrid and Arve became like a new set of parents for me. They were so friendly and Ingrid rarely didn't have a smile on her face. Arve is so intelligent and knows basically everything about Norway's history. I learned all about the controversy between the reindeer owners and the farmers whose crops the famous animals destroy. I also learned about how humble Norwegians are, both from personal experience as well as a story Arve related about how instead of being escorted to Sweden on a private jet, the King of Norway bought a train ticket like everyone else. Apparently his Majesty's security is very light as well. Arve said that if we had wanted in Oslo we could have just walked in and talked to him like he was any other person!

On Sunday night, the night before Mike and I were to leave Oslo for Stockholm, Ingrid and Arve had tons of family over. I felt like an ambassador for the Lorentz family! I was catching everyone up on the goings with my family, Don's family, Sanch's family, and Doug's family. It was cool to see Ingrid and Arve's two sons as well...They have the cutest kids!

Then it was off to Stockholm...We arrived late there too but David Weckner was there to pick us up wearing the "green jacket" that he said to look out for. We drove about 20 minutes out of Stockholm to his ADORABLE house at a suburb called Guda, and met his fiance named Gunilla. I don't think I've ever met as interesting of a person. She is the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Sweden and talks non stop, and is VERY articulate! Both in Swedish and in English! We stayed behind the main house in this kind of tree-house with Swedish horses all over it. One of the days, Gunilla actually gave us a tour of Parliament! Stockholm was hosting the European Union congression that weekend so we met all these really important European officials. Gunilla has met Obama multiple times, has "exchanged political views" with Hilary and Bill Clinton, is friends with Al Gore, and has talked with George Bush senior. She travels ALL over constantly, in places like Africa, India, and elsewhere in the Middle East, and really gets to know the inhabitants of such countries on an incredibly personal level. She was telling us about this house in Ghana that asissted woman and children ages 3-30 who had been raped and abused in their lives. She must have learned some terrible stories! Mike and I also went to this cool museum called the Vasa Museum that has this huuuge ship that the King of Sweden many years ago had thought he could engineer the construction of on his own and which sunk about 15 minutes after it set sail in the harbor of Stockholm. I also got to go into David's work with him one morning out in the countryside. He's a horse vet, so it was really interesting to see how that work differs from my mom's with dogs and cats!

There's so much more I could say about my travels that week, but I have a lot of work to do so I have to run...but I'm going to Marseille this weekend in the south of France so I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say apres-ca! A bientot :)

The Alps (Basel, Interlaken, Grindelwald, Lucern)

I went all over this weekend! Just in a short but seemingly endless 2 days I have been from Lille to Paris to Strasbourg to Basel to Interlaken to Grindelwald to Lucern and back from there. My dad's place in Basel is gorgeous. They have a flat at the top of a condominium complex which is surrounded by windows and a long balcony. When I arrived in Basel on Friday Sue and I walked around the city. It was much colder there than in Lille! We walked through the center of Basel where they had this cute little market and indulged ourselves in some traditional Swiss food for lunch. Mine was some sort of meat in between delicious rolls, so I guess it was kind of like a hamburger! Then we walked up a hill to this beautiful old cathedral where Erasmus is buried. Two things to note about that: First of all, I am not used to hills because Lille is completely flat although I do walk everywhere around here, and secondly, I was reading "Gulliver's Travels" on the train going to Basel and theres a whole section on where Erasmus is brought back from the dead and Gulliver speaks to him. In a way I feel like Gulliver travelling so much, only Gulliver was constantly mocked throughout the story by Swift who used Gulliver as a major target for satire throughout the book. Then again, I can be mocked too since I was stupid enough to carry around valuables at Oktoberfest! And I am a huge spazz over here, constantly tripping and getting lost and looking like a fool in front of Europeans. But hey, what would life be without some wierdness? I guess this blog should be called "Claireivers Travels..." Wow I will definitely be made fun of for that one!

Anyways back to Switzerland...the weekend was very relaxing which is exactly what I needed, as my dad said, "to recharge my battery." I slept in a nice bed and took warm showers without worrying about wearing sandals. My dorm here resembles a prison cell, and I might sound like a spoiled American saying that but if you saw it then you would say the same thing! The walls are peeling and I sleep on a tiny little cot. No complaints though because I'm usually out and about, but it is just interesting.

On Saturday we took our time getting up, and a chorus of bells from the church right next to Dad's place woke me up. After bundling up (but not quite well enough), we hopped into Dad's car which they call "The Turtle" and drove South to Dad and Sue's friend's place on Lake Thun. My breath was literally taken away as we neared the lake. Their house was situated on the hillside so that we had a view of Interlaken and the lake and the alps behind both of those. It was pretty rainy and "narly" as Dad would have put it, but I still could not believe how stunning everything was. I couldn't stop looking around, there was too much to see! Dad's work friend and her husband Roberto were very geniale. As a traditional Swiss couple they had wine, coffee, and all kinds of snacks ready for us when we arrived! So we chatted upstairs in their cute little weekend home while looking out onto Interlaken.

When we left their home, it was still raining, but I honestly could have cared less. We drove on a windy road up past Interlaken and into the alps. How cool is it that I can say that!? "We drove into the alps." I could say it over and over again and it would still sound just as cool to me! We drove through quaint Swiss villages that had such Anglo-Saxon feels to them, and passed huge cows and bulls and at some point I thought, 'This is definitely the kind of place where you would have to stop your car to let cows cross the road!" I felt like running up the snowy mountain slope and start yodeling!

Up and up we climbed, past trains scooting up the mountain side and hooting their horns. As we kept going up, it started snowing, so that when we at last reached Grindelwald it was basically blizzarding. If you think Whistler is amazing, you clearly have never been to Grindelwald, Switzerland. Sort of a mix between Whoville in "The Grinch," and the town in the movie "Heidi," it was set on a hillside and was touristy but at the same time so Swiss! We parked in this garage and walked upstairs to find ourselves in some fun center with an iceskating rink where people were practicing Curling. We heard noises above and looked up at this crazy rope obstacle course set in the air and attached to the ceiling. I think its purpose was to prepare people for intense mountain hiking. All I could think of was that a day was not enough to discover this amazing town. I have to go back and spend some time there! It is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when. We went to a cute cafe and ate pumpkin soup and hot chocolate. If it had not been snowing so hard we would have gone for a hike but I was only wearing a fleece and had no hat and was freezing just walking from the car to the cafe. Like I said, it is absolutely necessary that I return soon.

On Sunday my dad took me on a vespa ride around the area that he lives in. It was breathtaking as well, in fact I think I was just in complete awe the entire weekend. Never have I seen such a prestine, serene, and cheerful place! Now all I have to do is crank out this week so that I can enjoy my time in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark next week. I ordered a new camera from dad's so HOPEFULLY it will reach me in time. If not, then I don't care, I am buying disposibles. I almost went crazy in Switzerland without a camera! I looked long and hard at everything so that I would remember things vividly. I know people say that it's your memory that counts, but when memory fails, what do you do? Look at pictures!

Alright I still need to unpack. At least I got a lot of sleep this weekend! I hope everyone's well back home in the US and no one has climbed into any hot air balloons recently that have spontaneously taken off and stopped air traffic and the like (ba ha ha). Ciao! xxxxx

Frenchification

So I feel like I'm in my element...I'm going to be going to see Carmen at Lille's Opera in December with some fellow music nerds, and I've joined an equipe de volley (volleyball team!) And the girls on the team speak only French except for one, so it's been exciting learning how to call certain things in French. Like to call for a hit you go, "LA LA LA LA!" and when the setter wants to run a play she goes "OUI OUI OUI ou ALLEZ ALLEZ!" It's pretty self-explanatory though, but whenever I play volleyball I get REALLY into it and scream and cheer all the time, and of course I don't know how to scream those things in French so they think I'm this psychotic American girl. But they're really nice and laugh at me which is good. If they just stared then I'd feel even wierder. One of the girls has never ever played volleyball before so I was the one asked to teach her, and strangely enough, she actually improved throughout the course of the evening. I just used very simple French and a lot of hand gestures and body movements. It's funny how useless words can be at times...You can read a lot more about a person by how he or she reacts with the environment around him or her.

Needless to say, I feel like I've found a spot for myself here. It would be way different if I wasn't hanging out with French students because in the beginning when I was just with all American, British, and Australian people it felt like some sort of utopia removed from the world of Lille where the only language spoken is colloquial English. I still hang out with them but I am the most restless person in the sense that I cannot confine myself to a group of individuals with whom I relate well. I must be constantly on the move, which probably explains why I want to travel so much here! One of the funniest French people I've met here is my friend Clement's roommate "Coucou." I think his actual name is Ediouardo or something, which is way too sophisticated of a name for him judging by his character! He is such a goof and his English speaking is limited to slang, so we're constantly laughing at him.

Time to do my French homework. I'm off to Switzerland demain pour passer un weekend chez mon pere et ma belle bere a Basel. J'espere que j'amuserai la. Il sera un peu bizarre parce que je suis avec les eleves mon age ici! Donc j'ecrirai a une autre heure. A bientot :)

Plus de photos

The many flags of Europe (Brussels, Belgium)

Inside our quaint waffle shop above la grande place a Brussels

Poor dog in Brussels...people pay his owner to watch him sit like that for entire days

Inside the huge cathedral on rue sulfurino

Galen and I right before I left for Europe! :)

The "Outsider"

It's so wierd being an exchange student. In the United States the "exchance students" are always in their own group, somewhat ostracized from all the others. Now I know exactly how it feels to be in that situation. It is an immensely humbling experience in some ways. I have such limited possessions over here and no one understands how I act because I am such an American! I feel like I've gradually become more understanding of different cultures. Obviously I'm not somewhere like Africa where I would have an incredibly moving experience, but I definitely feel as though my life is changing...a lot. That's pretty deep, I know, but this past weekend on Saturday, me, Jambo, Jamie, and Vero drove to Brussels for the day. While we were driving there amongst cow and horse pastures, it suddenly hit me that never in my life had I thought that I'd be in this position. I mean, especially visiting Belgium which I will never go out of my way to visit. If I weren't studying abroad in Lille or somewhere close to Belgium, I'd never go out of my way to explore it. My mom sent me an e-mail about a man she met at a store who had worked in Belgium and had explained that it was such an undermined country. It DOES have spectacular sites, waffles, beer, and food! Additionally, the people there are SO cheery and friendly towards people from different countries, which I love.

I know it's pretty wierd, but before coming here I viewed all French people as the same. I thought they all acted the same way in various situations, but clearly now I see that they are humans just like everyone else. They have their social hierarchies and various prejudices towards people. I feel like I was so naive and ignorant before! I was talking to a group of French students the other day and one of them was gay and Arabic. We were going to go do some salsa dancing at this place called Le Palace and because they were so talkative and sociable we invited them to come with us. The Arabic one looked at us and said he would never step in there because he was a different skin color and various Arabs have been beaten up there. I was completely appalled by this and asked my friend Clement if that was true. He said, "Mais oui, c'est normale." The Arabs here have a reputation for violence, and to the residents of Lille, it is completely normal to discriminate against them. He asked if it was like that for African Americans in the US and I was completely shocked. 50 years ago it was like that all over the US but not now! French people are very proud of their culture and do not like when people infiltrate it.

I also met this really cute French girl named Zoe. I was talking to her on facebook the other day and she lives in Paris. I've hung out with her and her friends like three times now, and she was telling me how none of the exchange students from America ever hang out with French students there and that I was one of the first! That is very surprising! All I ever wanted to do here was meet tons of cool French people that I can always keep in touch with. She also said that she has friends with houses all over France, in the South and on various coasts, and that she is going to do her best to take me all over. Oh, and my friend from Bordeaux is going to take some of us down there after the week long break too! I am SO excited about all of the amazing people I'm meeting here. I seriously don't want to leave, even after the disastrious event of my purse being stolen. I feel like I'm really growing and will forever remember this extraordinary experience. xoxoxo a bientot mes amis.

Les photos de la grande continent

Basically I love Europe and never want to go home...Now all I need is a new camera. I'm going to go crazy without one! I need to photograph my experiences in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark coming up!

An update on the last two crazy weeks

I have literally travelled the last 4 weekends in a row...it started off with magical and oh so happy Brussels, then Manchester, then the fun weekend that turned into a nightmare in Munich, and finally Quimper in Brittany on the French coast. I'll try my best to work my way through them all!

Manchester was so much fun. It was awesome to see my friends I met in Biarritz again in their own home town! We went to Chatsworth House on Friday after I got in at 6 AM in the morning and stayed nearby at a hotel one of my friend's families owns. Chatsworth was more like a fairy tale castle. There were so many cool little things to see, like a massive hedge-maze and tons of fountains and caves. Saturday night was my friend Jonny's going away party before he left for Dubai for two years and it was literally me, one other girl, two moms, and about 50 rugby player guys. They are all like brothers to me so it was fun but very hectic with all the singing and dancing!

Going to Oktoberfest was one of the most impulsive decisions I've ever made. Was it worth it? Yes, of course, but the ill circumstances that befell me were not too appreciated. First of all, it is basically a Disney Land for adults. The tents are literally insane, and the food and drinks are over priced but good. I really like the German language and culture. The people are so cheerful and although the language might seem a little lengthy, it really is cool to listen too. I really wanted to get one of those German dresses that all the girls wear there but the cheapest one was like 100 euros! Geeze Louise! I met tons of cool people there, but I have no way of remaining in contact with them because my purse was stolen on Sunday, our last day there. I felt like SUCH an idiot because at the last second I decided to put my passport into my purse in case the terrorist attacks that had been predicted actually happened so I could prove who I was, but of course, that decision came back and kicked me right in the ass. Needless to say I had my purse stolen from me right out of the bathroom and because of the drunken mess that was the crowd, I had no way of chasing after the person. People kept telling me to smile and be happy when all I could do was sob and yell at them that they would not be so cheerful if they were in my place. I honestly could have hunted across Oktoberfest for the person and used my kick boxing skills to beat them to the ground, but I'm sure I would have been knifed or something like that. So we went back to the train station and I was smuggled illegally across the border into France. It was an overnight train, and that night military officials did security checks to make sure there were no terrorists abord. LUCKILY everyone in my carriage was dead asleep. Except, of course, myself, who was shaking in terror pretending to be fast asleep. The military guy opened the door and barked something in German, and when no one responded he slammed it shut and went on to the next carriage. I kept thinking that they'd come back, but they never did. I was getting ready to throw myself under one of the seats and hide away. Fortunately it never came down to that! Arriving back in Lille was a mess especially because my room and dorm key had been in my purse. Why hadn't I taken them out!? I keep kicking myself for not taking enough precautions but honestly, I know for next time, and if I keep giving my self enormous guilt trips like I did ALL last week when I was practically depressed and close to suicide the entire time then I wouldn't be able to enjoy my time here. I keep telling myself that I need my passport to travel when I keep forgetting that I am in one of the most gorgeous countries in the world...le France. It was great to see all the Santa Clara students that I know there! I ran into Alexandra, Austen, Michelle, Sam Seely, Brian Whitfield, Blake Martinez, etc. It was a nice little reunion! I wish I could say I have my own pictures of the experience but of course, my camera was in my purse so some stranger out there can enjoy the pictures for himself. UGHHHH

So last weekend, as in three days ago, me, Vero, Josh, and Mike embarked on a trully integrational adventure. We went to this kind of orientation/ hazing for Freshmen at the IESEG Business school here in Lille. It was in Quimper or Quimpy I forget the exact name, as opposed to La Rochelle where I originally had been told we were going. The bus left at midnight instead of the anticipated 9:00 departure, and it was a grand total of ten hours abord a bus full of screaming French people. Needless to say, I think my French has perfected itself. When we got there, the four of us international students immediately went to our room and crashed, and when we got up there were tons of activities for us to engage in, like sumo wrestling, slip and slides, enormous twister games, etc. It was a once in a life time experience, that's for sure, and luckily I met TONS of really cool French people which I don't think many SCU students abroad can say. I feel like all the American students in American programs abroad only hang out with English speakers. It was really cool to chat with tons of French students who have studied abroad in America and are willing to talk both in English AND in French.

So I've gone through a lot these past 4 weeks. I went to the Embassy in Paris last Friday to apply for a new passport, and honestly, whenever I think of urgent trips to Embassies in foreign countries I envision Americans in rags and without shoes throwing themselves upon the doorstep, and I guess I was a little wrong. I made my situation seem incredibly urgent, though, so I was one of the first people to get in :) I was just my usual charming self. This weekend will be much more low key, especially because I can't leave the country...and then the next weekend Vero and I are hopefully going to visit my dad in Basel, Switzerland and go to Grendelwald, and then the next weekend is my Nordic adventure up in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. I cannot wait!

I don't know how a suicidal or pessimistic person would have handled what I went through last week. I basically wasn't a person. I had no ID, no passport, no money, not even a phone. I have never felt so alone and so empty in my entire life. I have no close friends here and no family in Lille. People were willing to help me financially but it was mostly in a "oh you poor thing!" Kind of way. I hate when people feel sorry for me so I kept trying to make my situation seem way better than it was while talking to people, when in reality it was the worst possible mess I could get myself into. To make matters worse, I was INCREDIBLY sick. I had bronchitis and a high fever of about 102 at least one day, so I couldn't even explain to people my dilemma. When I went to make the police report I couldn't talk, so luckily one of the French teachers came with me and helped. My throat has been unusually achey...I thought that the pain there would have diminshed with my tonsil surgery but I guess not. I went to the gym again today though and was fine so hopefully it's all downhill from here :)

Ugh, I got to go finish up some homework now. I have an Introduction to French Institution for Exchange students IN FRENCH tomorrow so I have to be perky and alert for that. When you're really tired in the morning its hard understanding English let alone French. Then Wednesday I have my British Literature class and then Thursday, my busiest day of the week, I have American Literature, British Slavery, and my French class. None of them are TOO bad though which is good! And my professors are all really cool. Anyways, I'm out for now. I could say a lot more about my travelling adventures but it would take up an entire novel.

Bisous pour tout le monde xxxxxx