Midnight Musings

Well, it's 12:23 a.m. and I don't think I have enough intellectual stamina to continue my analysis of Aimé Césaire and his view of humanism. I think it would be wisest to leave that for tomorrow when my mind is fresh, as much as I wanted to have finished my homework today. I just have so much this weekend:

• Six modules of Gen. Psych.
• One chapter of Political Statistics and some homework
• Three French Grammar/Comp readings
• Several pages of French workbook exercises
• Twenty-something pages of "Discours sur le colonialisme" d'Aimé Césaire, and then a reread of the entire book
• A one-page response/analysis of Aimé Césaire's view of humanism, in French

And it's not that the work isn't interesting; it's just complicated and assigned in huge quantities over a very short period of time. I would love to have more time to delve into this study of Francophone culture, but as it is, I feel rushed. Just as a result of reading Aimé Césaire, I've discovered so many people and concepts, both pertinent and extraneous, that I would like to research if I had the time. Unfortunately, I don't. Gosh, tonight I felt like I was drowning in a sea of -isms: humanism, colonialism, surrealism, communism, fascism, racism, tribalism, capitalism, nazism. Each of them plays an integral role in 20th century Francophone culture; figuring out how is both fascinating and mind-boggling.

*sigh* It's one of the things I hate about the traditional college education system: it really isn't about education. Simply turning my assignments in on time doesn't mean I've learned anything. I think spending a day with Google and Wikipedia would be exponentially more productive, not to mention intellectually enriching.

Anyway, I suppose those are my thoughts for the night. My goal is to finish all of my homework tomorrow so that I can enjoy the rest of my long weekend, because I don't want to think about any assignments on Monday - none at all. I think it's an achievable goal.

first day back

It's time for a list post, because I'm too tired to write any more than that:

1. Nothing much changes in the family in 5 weeks.
2. Corollary to #1: grocery shopping with my brother is the same adventure it always was.
3. My luggage arrived at my door this morning.  :)
4. I remember how to drive.  Woohoo!
5. I'm scared of this week...

More tomorrow...enjoy the Olympics (and yes, Team USA is just better)!

Samedi - Coming Home!

Wow, it's over!  I'm done rushing through customs, running through airports, losing luggage...and, unfortunately speaking French every day.  I'm going to be hunting down francophones at UCA, so beware!!

It's funny, one of the first things I noticed during my flights home was how being immersed in French culture had trained my mind.  When the flight attendant started coming down the aisle with refreshments, my brain automatically kicked in to gear and started thinking of ways to ask for things in French.  "Puis-j’avoir du café? Est-ce que vous avez du café? No wait, I can just ask her if she has any coffee."  :P  (And I needed some, too, having not had time for lunch.)  

And that reminds me of another thing I've realized: I feel fearless.  I've dealt with so many difficult situations in French that dealing with things in English won't be a big deal.  Even talking to the UCA Housing Office... :P  And classes in English?  Yeah, I think I can handle those.  (At least, I'm hoping.  I just took a look at my new Statistics in Political Analysis book.  !!! )

Hopefully my suitcases will be delivered tomorrow...I wasn't too worried about it tonight (I was too busy enjoying my Italian Nachos and blackberry cream soda at Carino's).  They just got stuck in Detroit because there wasn't enough time for them to get them on my connecting flight.  I actually just made it to the gate in time for boarding.  Oh well.  I'm tired, so I'm going to bed - 'night!

Ps.  I CAN FINALLY USE MY PHONE AGAIN!  So...call me!!  :D

Vendredi

Whew, two exams, a party, goodbyes, shopping, and packing. What a day. These two exams were actually two of the easiest, I think because they required more synthesis than her other tests. After we finished those, everyone headed back up to the classroom for a final get-together brunch with muffins, coffee, fruit, chocolate (mmm!), and this awesome peanut butter/cinnamon apple dessert that Megan made. Of course, we exchanged Facebook names and took tons of pictures. I think my favorite part, though, was giving Suzanne her card and gift. We had all donated a few dollars to buy her a nice gift for her time and effort in teaching us over the last five weeks. She’s had a rough time of it, since her father has been in the hospital for most of that time, so the spa package that Lindsay chose for her was perfect.  

It was pretty funny: Suzanne also took the opportunity with me and Megan to gossip about the few students who weren’t there who had evidently driven her crazy throughout the session. It was slightly awkward and probably inappropriate, but it wasn’t like we hadn’t already come to the same conclusions. Some of the Anglophone Canadians in the program didn’t bother to study or even to respect the professors because the government was paying for everything. It was just a chance for them to party. Oh well. Whatever. It just goes to show that if you don’t earn it or pay for it, chances are you won’t value it. And, more importantly, if you don’t really want it, you won’t work for it.

So, Megan, Amy and I had to say our goodbyes after lunch, and then David and I stopped in at the farewell picnic with the animators and some of the professors. I wasn’t interested in going, but a couple of our classmates told us to check it out because my name had been called in a prize drawing. I did, indeed, win a CD of Québecois music. Then, they started passing out souvenir ‘license plates.’ And a few minutes later, they started handing out tickets for another drawing, and my number was the first one called. It was crazy. The prize was a nice hardcover book about Québec, which I was more than happy to get. So…after I’d won just about everything I could win, I headed over to the campus store to grab a hoodie, and then I walked home – in the rain again. Lol 

Mme. F is so thoughtful : she gave me a book about Québec to help me remember all of the places I visited, and a calendar with pictures, so that I could see it every day. :) I think I know what I’m going to send her as a thank-you gift for taking care of me: a recipe book. She adores cooking (and loves looking up cooking-related vocabulary), so I think it’ll be perfect. Oh yeah, it was really amusing watching her make a list of fish and seafood in English. Half of the vocabulary was so specific that most Americans would never use it. I’d never even heard of a couple of the types of fish. But, whatever!

Jeudi

It must be these jeans. When I wear them, I end up getting soaked. :P I love walking home in the rain.

Anyway, the longer this week lasts, the more exhausted I am. I thought I would feel like going to some more museums, but I’m too tired. (It’s probably for the best, because it gives me more time to study.) It’s also still raining, like I said. Mme. F says that she can’t remember a summer when it’s rained this much. They received a record-breaking amount of snow last winter, and they’ve already received a record-breaking amount of rain this summer.  

Megan, Amy, and I attempted to say our goodbyes today over lunch, and then we decided that we would be able to meet again tomorrow, so we put that off. This afternoon, I wanted to go to Vieux-Port again, but it wouldn’t have worked very well with all the rain. Mme. F offered to drive me, though, since she already had somewhere to go. Unfortunately, there was a huge traffic jam on the highway, so she ended up dropping me off at the bus stop instead. Oh well, I finished my gift shopping at the Marché du Vieux-Port and enjoyed walking through the Fête de Nouvelle France on my way back to the bus stop. Everything was decked out in a celebration of French Canadian history (including the people – the costumes were interesting!). I loved the traditional music they were playing, too; it reminded me of the square in Mountain View. It was a good end to my last afternoon in Vieux-Québec.

Mercredi

It’s cold, rainy, and windy – in other words, it’s a perfect day for some Starbucks. I never thought that I would be craving a Cinnamon Dolce latte in the middle of summer, but I am! :P I’ve only seen one Starbucks here, though, and it’s on the other side of campus. I don’t have a bus pass either, so my movements are rather limited.

Making coffee at home works, too…so that’s what I did this afternoon. That, and a lot of studying. I have more tests to take this week, and the subject matter is a little more complicated: future/conditional and subjunctive/indicative. There are two big tests coming up on Friday, and I have a couple of oral exams to take as well. I’m not too concerned about them, though; on the contrary, I think they’ll be rather easy.

Mom sent me this link this morning to give me a laugh. I think you’ll enjoy it, too. The horse cake was at the top when I checked it. My favorite is the “Nov/Dec Birthdays” cake.

Tonight, I wanted to go to the international fireworks competition finale, but it was still rainy and damp, and Mme. F and I decided that it wouldn’t be worth it, especially with all of the clouds and fog. So, we had a girls movie night instead! We watched a Belgian film called “Les Choristes.” It was such a charming movie. I really enjoyed it. :)  

Mardi

Today was absolutely gorgeous. The sun was shining, the temperature was just right, and it wasn’t raining! I was really tired, though, so I enjoyed the day from the comfort of my easy chair and did some studying. (No, I don’t think I missed out on anything; I love the sunshine and the breeze coming through the window just as much as being outside sometimes.)  

Ok, random musing: I was thinking today while I was walking to school that I really want to be an old lady someday. (Bear with me.) There's just something about them, with carefully coiffed hair, a little bit of red lipstick, a neatly tailored skirt, high heels – not too high, but just high enough - tastefully chosen jewelry, and a demeanor that exudes a certain surety that I both admire and covet. Looking into their eyes, I see a coexistence of self-confidence and humility that seems to say that they've learned that are strong enough handle life’s storms, but fragile enough to be human. They don’t pretend to be more than they are, and they seem content and at peace with life. They aren’t striving. There’s just something about old ladies that makes me feel like everything is alright.  Alright, end of random musing.  ;)

I had a consultation with my oral expression teacher today, and I was extremely encouraged by the feedback I received from her. After making some corrections and comments on my last oral test to help me improve, she told me that my “phonetique” (pronunciation, intonation, etc) overall was excellent. That made me quite happy, because speaking is what gives me the most trouble. I was also elated when she told me she thought I was speaking at the “advanced” level now. Of course, I already felt like I`d made a lot of progress over the past 5 weeks, but having it confirmed by the teacher was encouraging. Now I know it`s not all in my head.  :) 

Another interesting comment she made was in regards to the speed of my spoken French. She actually told me that I speak quickly, which surprised me. I feel like I speak at a turtle’s pace, but I suppose she`s talking about the instances when I know what I want to say and I’m not searching for a lot of words. Anyway, she said that I speak clearly at the same time, so my spoken French is very understandable. She finished the consultation by noting that my oral and grammar skills seem to be more or less at an equivalent level now. Closing that gap was actually one of my goals while I was here, so I’m satisfied with the progress I seem to have made toward achieving it.

I think the most encouraging thing she said, though, was that she hoped I would continue to study French.  :D

Lundi

I never really noticed before how much of an age difference there seems to be between me and the other students here. Of course, there’s an obvious difference between me and the people over 30, but for the most part, the other students are 21-25 years old. I wasn’t expecting that. It’s interesting to be talking with someone and ask them what they’re majoring in, and have them tell you, “Oh, I’m about to enter medical school” or “I’m graduating with a degree in ___ next spring.”  

Anyway, I decided to capitalize on one of my last afternoons here and visit some museums. I found the Augustine museum and the Sœurs de Bon-Pasteur museum; unfortunately, they were both closed on Mondays. I did realize that I now have a good sense of where most things are, which makes my outings much more enjoyable. Now I can find my way around the little streets in Vieux-Québec without getting lost! Woohoo!  

 Rue Couillard, I think.

Augustine Church/Museum

So, I decided to walk down to the Vieux-Port area to find the Musée de la Civilisation, browse the exhibitions, and check it off of my list. Happily, no one tried to speak English with me while I was there, and the exhibition on the history of gold was quite intriguing. I was so proud of myself: I went on the guided tour in French, not English. I didn’t understand everything, of course, but I picked up on a lot more than I would have 5 weeks ago. I was also one of the only ones in the group who knew the name of the sports team named after the Gold Rush (the 49ers) and could really pronounce it. It was pretty funny: when she asked who knew it, I said “49ers” with my lovely English accent, and for the next minute or two I kept catching people in the group staring at me. I found it amusing.

By the time I had finished a walk around the exhibit on my own, it was nearly closing time, and I was starving, so I decided to head back to the house for dinner. Mme. F had sliced avocado on the table, a salad, and shrimp that were about to come out of the oven. (It smelled so good.) Unfortunately, as soon as Elizabeth and I had seated ourselves at the table, we heard this awful explosion in the kitchen. Mme. F was alright, thank goodness, but dinner wasn’t. She had added cold water to the hot pan under the shrimp in the oven, and it had shattered into a million pieces. So…we got sushi.

(Btw, I'm addicted to sushi now...are there any good places in Conway?)

Elizabeth left after dinner for a trip to Maine with some friends, so it looks like it’ll be pretty quiet around here for the rest of the week.

Sunday - Dimanche

Today was my last visit to St. Mark’s Church. It was sad; however, I did have the opportunity to share in Communion with the congregation here. That was a very special experience for me, not because there was anything remarkably different about it (it was very similar to Sylvania), but because it signified the unity of the Church. Amy, Megan, and I were all visiting from different places in the United States, and there were other visitors from other locations as well, but we were all remembering and identifying with Christ together. Another thing that struck me this morning was the significance of the elements. (That is to say, another aspect of their meaning.) They’re like baptism: a symbol of dying and being raised to life again. When you eat the bread, it’s a representation of dying with Christ (for I was crucified with Christ…), and when you drink the wine, it’s a representation of living in His life (…and yet I live…). I suppose I’ve realized that before, but for some reason it was in the forefront of my mind today. Perhaps God was just asking me to apply it.

I actually understood the majority of the service today; I’ve made a lot of progress. I plan on looking up some of the songs we’ve sung in French when I get back. I wonder if French hymnbooks are readily available on Amazon…

Anyway, I talked with the pastor’s wife for a little while before I left. (I wish I had a picture of her and her family, because you guys would not believe how much they look like my own pastor’s family.) She and her husband had just returned from a family vacation to Ontario, where they were immersed in English once again. (They are originally Anglophones.) She said it’s still difficult coming back – even though they speak French fluently now. We shared our frustrations, because she’s been through the same things I’m experiencing, and it was nice to know that someone understood. After all, I think that one of the most important (and helpful) things I’ve learned since I arrived was just how much I don’t know. Another things we talked about was how you feel so stifled sometimes when there are things you want to say, but you have no idea how to say them. And then there are those things that fall by the wayside when you’re trying to communicate in a foreign language – like courtesy. Sometimes you just have to say, “Forget the please and thank you, and all the polite conjugations. Just tell me where the bathroom is!” And I loved the other example she used: “You know, when you call tech support and you get that stupid twirp in India who you can’t understand, and you’re so irritated…well, now you’re that stupid twirp.” We both agreed that learning a second language is indeed a humbling experience. (I wouldn’t trade it, by the way.)

We also started talking about my home church, Sylvania, and the different issues we’ve been facing there with the influx of young families in the area but an aging congregation. She said that they’ve encountered similar difficulties in finding ways to reach out to the community, and her advice was to find ways to meet the people where they are, perhaps by providing a babysitting service once a month, or something like that. I’m going to talk to Mom about it when I get home, because I know the Ladies Circle has already started doing some community outreach like that, so maybe they would be interested. 

Oh, and the pastor’s wife also told me that if I ever wanted to come back to Québec to study and work to send them an e-mail. They might be able to hook me up with a job and an apartment. I’m definitely going to keep that in mind, because Québec occupies a special place in my heart now.

Samedi - le derniére

This morning was wonderful : j’ai fait la grasse matinée.  :)

So yeah, I slept in, and then I whipped up some oatmeal pancakes and blueberry sauce for Mme. F. Yum! She really seemed to like the recipe and wanted me to give it to her so she could share it with her sister. So, unless she’s on bad terms with her sister, I’m inclined to think she really did like it. ;) The French was flowing freely this morning, and I enjoyed our conversation in the kitchen and over breakfast. It was nice to have the time to just talk.

She was kind enough to drive me to the local convenience store to buy bus tickets, and then over to the bus stop to meet Amy and Megan for another afternoon of sight-seeing and shopping. When they arrived, we spent 10 minutes weighing their options: would it be better to split a day pass, buy individual tickets, or renew the monthly pass? It was a bit confusing, and in the end, none of the options were very affordable. But they decided to share a day pass and we were on our way.

We found a traditional folk artisan exhibit in the Maison Chevalier during our wanderings today. I was fascinated by this booth, where the man not only makes violins; he decorates them as well. His etchings and designs were so intricate and ornate. Beautiful!  

We also spent a lot of time in the Marché du Vieux-Port again, trying blueberry/raspberry/chocolate crêpes, buying jewelry and gifts, and talking to the vendors.

Among our other discoveries:

They like meat pastes here...it's weird.

This is one of the smallest named streets I've ever seen.  It was really an alley, named after the dogs that used to run through it.

Here was a fountain we found near the Rue St. Paul.  We stopped to take pictures of the cute little kids who were splashing in it.

This is one of the cute kids.

And the same cute kid - I have lots of pictures of him.

This just made me laugh.
Unfortunately, Megan had to leave us before dinner because it looked like it was going rain, and she had promised her host mom that she’d take down the laundry from the clothesline. Amy and I looked around for a little while for a restaurant, since I hadn’t eaten out in Vieux-Québec before, and we found this one:

Saint James

It was a lovely little bistro, and we decided to order their “forfait” – which is an all-inclusive meal for two. We discovered that the restaurant’s specialty was its in-house pasta chef, who makes all of the pasta dishes to order. Our meal included a choice of escargot, Caesar salad, or soup as an appetizer, two pizzas/one pizza & one pasta/two pastas for the main course, bread, ½ liter house wine, and crème brulée. We both had the escargot (yum), and then we ordered a veggie pizza and designed our own pasta dish with all sorts of delicious things (it was awesome). Speaking in English, it was crazy how many things Amy and I found that we had in common. We had plenty of time to talk, since the staff gave us a lot of time between courses, and we had to wait for thirty minutes after we finished to get our bill. I’m not really sure why…it was strange. Anyway, by the time I got off of the bus at the University and started the walk home, it had started raining again. It figures.  

Oh yeah, and I set off the smoke alarm in the house tonight. :P I turned on the fan in the bathroom downstairs after my shower as usual, but it evidently didn’t take care of all of the humidity this time. Elizabeth, Francis, and I couldn’t figure out what it was at first, because there weren’t any lights flashing on the alarm upstairs, and it wasn’t the house security system, but it finally dawned on us.
Ah well.