Ça va

            Surprisingly enough, I woke up to cloudy skies and the dry earth soaked in Mediterranean rain. While I was perfectly content in shorts and a t-shirt, the rest of my host family layered in long pants and long-sleeved shirts. I was even asked if I needed some socks! <<mais, non, ça va>> “but no, it’s going.” That’s actually a horrible-sounding literal translation, but this is a phrase signifying contentment, acknowledgement of the feelings of another person (<<Ça va?>> Means “how’s it going?” and you can respond with <<ça va>> “it’s going”), and also if you want to say you don’t need help.

For me, <<ça va bien>> it’s going well. I woke up around 11am (really late for me! But tomorrow I will be making pancakes with maple syrup so I will hopefully wake up earlier) and had an omelet for lunch with the family. It’s nice to have every meal together and to put everything away when we are done. That sounds insignificant but it’s one way that I feel like I am a part of the family.

Axel and Lucie took me to apply for my bus pass that will take me to school and the mall to get my school supplies. It was kind of like Target or Cub but with TONS of people due to the “weather”. And out of all the people there, I was the only one that I could see who had blond hair with blue eyes. I asked Axel and Lucie if that was uncommon and they said that many people have false blond hair, some people have lighter eyes (more hazel I think) but the combination of blond hair and blue eyes in the Mediterranean is different. It usually signifies that you are from the northern European countries… like my family. There were a few little kids who looked at me with curiosity and I just wonder what they were thinking…

I mentioned eating cereal and tea for breakfast and they were so kind asking me to choose what I would like to eat for le petit déjeuner (small lunch/breakfast). I explained that I’m not a picky eater and that I’d like to try having a more “French breakfast” so I chose some brioche (basically buns that eat with jelly, nutella, butter etc.) and, this is kind of embarrassing because it was such an impulse, English breakfast tea. I have to laugh because I have made a few English references already! As of now, however, I am on my way to be prepared for school that starts on Tuesday. I think I mentioned it being on Wednesday, but that was my mistake. My host sister, Diatou, who is on exchange in Northfield, will start school on the same day but in a different time zone. That is so strange. We were able to skype her and it’s funny to hear about the cultural differences, but those are for you to ask her about J. 

Strangely enough, I had a Senegalese dish for dinner that tasted like something I eat back home. It was like pork chops and sauerkraut with applesauce even though it consisted of lemon, meat, sauce and I forget all the rest! But that along with a tarte à la courgette (cucumber pie) made for a delicious dinner. Everyone agreed that I should learn how to make the dish and be able to re-make it when I return to Northfield.

I also had my first conversation in English with Axel. We talked about New York, basketball, how many of the Minnesotan sports teams are not very good (sorry guys) and he told me that he saw a basketball game between the Nix and Timberwolves in France! I was so surprised and even more so when he told me that the Timberwolves won that pre-season game. Thank you for not embarrassing me J. Axel wants to come to the United States one of these days and I hope that he does because his English is pretty good! Now it’s fun when every once in a while my host sisters and Axel will say an English phrase like “that’s coooool” or something like that and I can’t help but to realize how okay I am not speaking English because I can still make myself semi-understood. It is strange when I hear people talking in the other room and I expect it to be in English, mais non! Gosh, that’s weird.

My host father, El Hadj, has made a few calls to his family in Senegal and I’ve heard some of the language – it’s very different but I want to learn some phrases sometime. In fact, I’m glad that I get to see this part of the French culture because it’s very prominent where I live. On our way from the airport to the house on my first day Bob Marley was playing in the background. Last night at the street market, someone was singing a Bob Marley song. It goes quite nicely with the chill atmosphere of Puget and the surrounding area. Vive la France et le Sénégal!

When I become more acquainted with people and I begin school next week I will talk more about the clothes. For now, just know that I’ve seen as many popped collars as I did on “bro day”.

Bonne nuit,

Pouille (poo-wee) - the kitty!!!

Les omelettes with Axel

Tarte à la courgette

Maggie

It's time to do the kisses!!!

So I just hiked a mountain today. Yeah. Even though I was tired, it was well worth the effort to spend time with Simone, Mary, Lucie, Amy, and Fatou. We were literally climbing the mountain near the top and had to scuffle along the side of the mountain for a brief moment, but at long last (after an hour and a half or so) we made it to the top of the mountain. The view was breathtaking because I’ve been looking at my département on google maps was completely making an understatement. There are lakes where some people were boating or jet skiing, clearly radially-designed towns, and the rust-colored tops of buildings. Simone pointed out Le Muy where I will be going to school next Wednesday as well as the sea in the distance with the surrounding towns. After a lunch of baguette and goat cheese sandwiches we headed back down the mountain. It was sooooo much easier and I actually thought it was pretty fun. As we went up the mountain and took breaks, Simone showed me several plants and trees that I was able to recognize on the way back as we sang Disney songs, bien sur. One of the trees was the cork tree; Simone told me that when there are forest fires, the interior of the cork tree is burned to ashes but the shell of cork remains. They were everywhere, which is perfect to accompany the numerous vineyards along the way to the base of the mountain. She also showed me bay leaves, and of course she took a branch or two home to dry and put into soups. There were also mimosa plants and bamboo, pine trees and blackberry bushes. C’était manifique. Then, cièste (siesta), one that I took time to look at my pictures and nap in the sun poolside.

                  After my nap I had the pleasure of meeting my neighbors – Emma, who will be riding the bus to school with me, her brother, Théo, who gave me a card and traded a Yu-Gi-Oh pin for a Minnesota pin (cutest thing ever!!! And on my blazer it shall stay), and their mother. I learned that Emma will be going into chemistry and I will be in social sciences/humanities but a grade lower so that I can meet more people and have a little less homework. It’s too bad that I won’t be in the same classes as Emma, but I will be able to hang out with her pretty often.

                  Oh le dîner, it was wonderful. Everyone went to a crêperie, one with vines hanging through the ceiling… I met Lucie’s husband, Axel, and two family friends, Sabrina, and Xavier who were all very kind, but unfortunately we couldn’t sit with them because our reservations only had eight places. We made quite a spectacle trying to figure out if the small restaurant could fit an eleven person table J. I had my first savory crêpe, which was delicious – with vegetables, cheese, and a sauce, topped with an egg. We also had a dessert crêpe, but since I’m still not accustomed to the rich food, I tasted the crêpes that everyone else ordered – crêpe suzette, pineapple and chocolate, ice cream and chocolate… why even consider McDonalds, America??

                  Even though it was close to 10pm, we went to the beach where there was a market of some sorts across the street. It lasts for the summer but will soon come to a close. It reminded me of the Defeat of Jesse James Days in Northfield because there were vendors, carousel rides, and I counted eleven gelato stands! Amidst all of the people I realized that I was most likely one of the only Americans. It just hit me. It didn’t help that when I was walking on the sidewalk along the beach with everyone I heard two people talking about my blond hair! More than that, a guy and his friend came towards Amy and I but instead of going for my obvious blond hair, he went up to Amy and asked if her hair was real. He most likely had a little too much to drink with the bar being to our right. We passed by, but not two or three minutes passed and he had stopped a car and asked the woman the same question! Since there are many roundabout’s here everyone is used to the order of traffic moving efficiently. However, the woman and her friend decided to stop and backed up traffic multiple cars deep and not for a minute – it was several… les francais…

                  We returned at half-past midnight where I had to say goodbye to Amy and Fatou because they will be going home to Paris in the morning. I will miss their company but I was told to come and visit, so I guess I will if I have to J (Kiana!!!).

                  Right now it is about a quarter past two in the morning here and quarter past seven in the evening in Northfield. The cat, Pouille, is next to me being curious of the newcomer, but he’s so cute and way nicer than my cat in Northfield that even though he’s making a lot of noise at this hour, I don’t care.

                  Before I forget, there are important cultural differences, as in the media. They have no idea who the French really are! Just kidding – I mean the French books, movies, and characters that we think are French. Pépé le pew doesn’t exist. They have no idea who Madeline is. Only the people of  the Basque-pays, France region near the Spanish border wear berets (or at least that’s where they come from). Mr. Bean’s Holiday never holidayed here. My favorite movie, Chocolat, with Johnny Depp (he had or has a house in Cannes) isn’t a French film that my host family knows. Fellow Americans, this is crazy and I hope that I didn’t cause you to go into shock because I’m pretty sure that I experienced a little bit of that. Seriously guys, it’s not okay to make up existing, working cultures. But life goes on….

On Saturday I will be going to Emma’s house for une petite soirée (kind of a get-together) where we will have some chamallow (marshmallows haha) and I will possibly bake some cookies to go with the Hershey’s chocolate that I brought in order to show everyone how to make a s’more American style.

As for the title of this blog, I just wanted to touch on this briefly. Les bis, or the kisses. I'm hug deprived but I've had way too many kisses from the French (see how I worded that? No French kisses per-say) to count. Every time you see someone you know or are meeting you do the kisses (that's just the literal translation and just "kiss" is not the same thing). You touch cheeks and kiss the air if it's with strangers and maybe even give a mini-hug by way of your hand touching their shoulder, but that's it. But if it's between family, sometimes you kiss on the cheeks. It really depends. At least I haven't had the awkward "is it two kisses or four?" moments! It's actually quite sweet though, and respectful to acknowledge everyone in your immediate group. Even when everyone has to go their separate ways, <<on fait les bis>> "you do the kisses". Apparently it's the same at school when everyone arrives, <<c'est les bis encore>> "it's the kisses again" and you greet all of your friends. What a great way to start out the day.

bis,

Maggie

steps up to the house

My house!

Flowers that smell incredible - all the way from Senegal

They have bamboo, cacti, and palm trees all in the same place. What??

Amy and I at the crêperie (among other photos with my host family)

I'm the only one without nail polish :( that won't last long...

First savory crêpe mmmmm...

The only beret I've seen. Seriously, not everyone in France carries a baguette, wears skinny black pants, has a mustache , wears a black and white striped shirt, and has a beret on their head. 

Frenchified

I’m still waiting to wake up and find all of these wonderful people to be just figments of my crazy imagination (Kiana…) but the little culture differences have begun to make me realize my luck. First, my computer has been “frenchified” meaning google.com is no more – a more sophisticated and efficient version has been appearing on my computer, il s’appelle (it’s called) google.fr. All of the houses and buildings compliment each other in color and style similar to the Italian cities. No joke. All of the shampoo bottles and toothpastes are (surprise, surprise – what was I expecting?!) in French. I’ve maybe spoken three sentences of English upon my arrival and am now thinking in French. Granted I have been taking French since seventh grade and I’m pretty much obsessed because French is awesome, but that’s pretty amazing. I would bet anyone a warm croissant all the way from France that I could have written this entire post in French because in the beginning I was translating things from French to English. Heads I win, tails you lose.

            I think it’s impossible to bet against the luck I’ve been having lately. On my flight from Paris to Nice (final destination) I thought I was going to have a window seat with two extra seats open next to me. That was kind of depressing. As I was about to fall asleep, a couple came down the aisle in a rush and sat next to me. It wasn’t until I started to nod off when the woman tapped me on the shoulder to inform me that the flight attendant was serving drinks. I hadn’t been feeling very well and my stomach was, and still is, in knots so I declined and said <<merci>>. I stayed awake after that hoping to get to know the woman and her husband but not wanting to be the pushy American. However, every once in a while I would see them look over at my rotary blazer and I was becoming hopeful. I forget how we started to talk, but I remember them asking me if I was English and I said that I was American but in the most English accented French! That was completely weird but they didn’t seem to mind and I was so tired that I couldn’t have cared less. After our conversation I rested my eyes but continued to hear them moving around and writing stuff down probably for their next flight or destination. I was utterly astonished and my breath was taken away by their compassion when Nadia turned to me with a business card that had their cell phone and home phone numbers written on the back. Nadia told me to call her if I had any problems and to come and visit her and her husband in Cannes whenever I was around. Can I just say that I could have cried out of happiness and would not have cared one bit because I had some people who cared about me already (not including my host family although I hadn’t met them yet). Going with my instincts and excitement to share my culture with them, I opened a scrapbook that I brought along just in case this happened. They were astonished when I showed them a picture of when I threw hot water in the cold Minnesotan air and it exploded, as was my family when I shared the book with them as well! Even after we had to get our leave the plane, Nadia and her husband looked back to check on me and it made me so excited to meet my real host parents.

            On my way to the baggage claim I saw some people with a rotary sign who looked at me excitedly. But since I was on the other side of the border I smiled and shrugged my shoulders meaning “I have no idea if I’m your exchange student but I’m talking to you regardless when I get my bags because you look really nice!” It turns out that I had seen my host mother and the wife of my district officer who were accompanied by my district officer, Fatou and her sister Amy (I’m spelling her name wrong but I’ll correct that soon!), and my host sister, Lucie. I think you will all be pleased to know that I did NOT screw up <<les bis>> or the kisses and it wasn’t awkward J.

            Right off the bat I was trying to speak French, after having some excellent practice with Nadia and her husband on the plane. I was happy because both Nadia and my new host family understood me and complimented me on my French! After an hour long ride on crazy French roads where things are in perfect harmony and chaos at the same time with lots of conversation in between on culture differences, I arrived at my new home. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL! I don’t feel out of place even though it’s very different. They think that it’s small, but I think that it’s perfect and completely adorable! There’s a bathroom separate from the toilet, large living room, an outdoor kitchen which is gorgeous and always smells wonderful thanks to Simone, my host mother’s fantastic cooking. I have my own room that I am now fully established in and I have more than enough space. One thing that I appreciate is the use of space here. Things are more compact but perfectly portioned. Even the gelato is in smaller dosages but it’s all the better if you want a few flavors.

            Flavors – les goûtes – the gelato, nutella crêpes, fish, meat, figs, peaches, chocolate mousse yogurt things, tomato salad – I can’t get enough of it! My stomach is still not used to a lot of food right now, but I’m still trying all of the yummy food that my host family has to offer me. I gave Simone a packet of wild rice and she made a wonderful white rice and wild rice dish that had some French/African flare to it.

            One thing that made me happy today was giving my family gifts (I’m including Fatou, Amy, and their mother, Claire, as family) and sharing stupid stereotypes, candy, and stories. These people are amazing. They knew exactly what to ask and repeated questions when I couldn’t understand – <<Mah-gee, do you want to go to sleep? Go to the beach? Skype your parents? Eat some food?...>> I am so grateful for their questions because at that point I had no idea what I wanted.

            Once I had my bearings and took a nap (they were also kind enough to wake me up so that I would be able to sleep through the night) my other host sister, Mary, Amy, Fatou, Lucie, and I went to <<La Mer>> or “the sea”. We basked in the sun (I am going to either burn to a crisp or come back incredibly dark), talked, took pictures, and stepped into the Mediterranean Sea. It’s so blue! They think it’s cold but I told them about Lake Superior and that they are so lucky to have a beach so close! After <<se baigner>> or “swimming” which was more like chillin’, we ate nutella crêpes, and banana and mango gelato. Yummmm! And just in time for supper haha! That’s not normal, but today was a special day so dessert before supper was fine by me.

            Before supper I was able to meet my host father, El Hadj. He is so incredibly nice! I am excited to start fitting into the Gueye family routine and for each day that I will spend with them in the future. Tomorrow, or in seven hours, I will be getting ready for a four-hour hike in the mountains! I was able to catch a breathtaking view of the mountainous skyline illuminated by the sunset tonight. Wow. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

            Until next time and bonne nuit (goodnight),

            Maggie

"welcome to France"

I just wanted to show the time difference... it was so tiring!

At the beach for the first time!

La mer (the sea)

first crêpe and gelato - they're as good as everyone says they are :)

Hiking up in the mountains - post coming soon

A view from about halfway up the mountain

A view from the top of the mountain (I also met a family with two little girls who were really curious about me being an American and speaking French :)

My friend Amy and my host sister, Lucie

The mountain has three crosses on the top of it dedicated to three artists from French, Italian, and Spanish origin.

Somewhere between here and there

I am struggling with where to begin – I am currently on a plane that is over the Atlantic Ocean that will then bring me to the lovely country of France, which I will soon call home. Hmm… let me take that in for a minute. Apparently osmosis doesn’t work through airplane pillows. It’s almost like my brain knows that going on a long plane ride must mean something extraordinary but beyond that I’m a nervous wreck, scared of the unknown. The flipside to this is that there are waves of energy that rush through me because I know that I don’t know anything – that is so exciting!

Having hardly any expectations besides knowing someone will be in the Nice airport to greet me is the first time in my life that I can remember living day by day. Yes there were times as I was preparing to leave when I thought, “this is the last time you will ever…” ending with things such as “do the laundry” or “fill up my car with gas.” But it got to a point where things were so specific (it’s embarrassingly minute!) that I had to let go. I began to take things into account, even the small things, but also live in the present moment. That is something that I’ve struggled with for oh, the last eighteen years of my life because I feel so programmed and so tied down with a load on my back on a straight path. So I let myself think differently; it’s not like I’m dying or being exiled, because that only happens in movies, duh. My decision to put on my big-girl pants, hike them up and keep on trudging with my pack on my back towards “life” was the best decision I have ever made.

You must be curious as to what actually has happened, although I think that the emotional part of leaving your parents, siblings, and friends for an entire year is a difficult thing to fathom but worth understanding. Here we go. The past week and a half have been filled with many goodbyes (which I turned into a hopeful “see you soon” bye) including some people whom I couldn’t seem to say goodbye to enough. There were moments where the only way to describe them is with a “woosh” where your body is elevated just over you and your friend or family member and you seem to be watching everything in slow motion. I am now proud to say that I am a professional mental photographer with a private gallery all to myself. Only until this last month or so did I have the slightest idea of what going through the motions of saying goodbye as an exchange student was really like. Aish, Mathilde, Felicia, my fellow 2012-2013 Rotary Youth Exchange members past and present, I now understand how it feels to miss something so greatly even though you don’t know when yet long for something so close but unknown. My thoughts go out to you.

I had the privilege to meet Diatou Gueye, my host sister now living in Northfield! She will be a fantastic addition to the community and I can’t wait to share stories with her. My attempt at a conversation in French was pretty successful (but I’ll have Diatou be the judge of that) except for the fact that I’d been saying her last name wrong the entire time and probably have a horrendous accent (DEE-AH-TOOO!).

It was difficult enough leaving my parents and sister at the airport, but when I forgot that my cellphone was in my pocket when I was standing in line to go through security and had to run back to my dad, it was the saddest, most cliché thing in the world but it was greatest thing to be hugged one last time, keep my head facing forward and meet up with the other American exchange students.

            Ingrid, Nicole, and I all made it through security fine, but Singer unfortunately had her tightly packed bags searched and a pat down. However, that was the only glitch and we were off to our gate. We ended up meeting a guy from Washington on his way to Charles de Gaulle airport in France who will actually be in the district next to mine!

            Now as I’m sitting here with a snoring Frenchman to my right and Singer on my left, I can’t help but realize how quickly this will all pass now that I’m on my way to my host country. The Frenchman chatted with us before the plane took off and always, always started out with, “Een, een, een your country…” and proceeded to make well-educated, yet crude notions about Americans. I tried not to take on the stereotypes he was matter-of-factly stating such as our poor eating habits, the maddening constant road speed changes, and that I had no idea what the map of France looked like, and discovered that I had experienced my first French “argument”. Little did I know that this easy conversation was the true French way of getting to know another person. You do not ask about the person’s job, lifestyle, or list of accomplishments but test their wit and opinions. I now realize that it is a much more genuine way of judging a person’s character by the way they back up their beliefs than how much proof they have that they are a worthy person – so American. Needless to say, he was an interesting character and I appreciated his company and insight.

            At about 2 AM your time (11 AM my time) I will be stepping off a plane thousands of miles away in Nice, France where I will then drive to my new home with my host family! I have imagined it many times in my head and knowing that tomorrow all of that will turn into complete falsities and something new will take its place is all the more exciting.

P.S. Heather, your gift was very much appreciated and when we skype I will have to show you some pretty hilarious things!!! Thank you J

Note: I wrote this on the plane and now had the chance to put it up. I’ll be writing about meeting my host family and some friends as soon as I take a nap – 26+ hours of no sleep is not doing me any good right now!