[Why is it Wednesday?! Tomorrow is Thursday! No!]
Today went a lot like yesterday. I woke up at 7 and left for school. I reviewed history while I was in english class and learned about how Stalin hated facism and how Hitler hated communism (and Stalin), despite the irony that "communism" at that time ran in a very similar way to facism (absolute dictatorship, nationalism, propaganda, etc). Then some more things like the rise of nationalism and Mao in China and the Akihabara Massacre in India. I spent some of my time casually analyzing the limits and cons of capitalism; we all want what is best for our world and country, I wonder what others political ideologies might arise in the far off future.
I recall a little someone--coughs, Yuen, coughs coughs-- saying that history isn't important. I don't know where to begin my argument on why it is. You can see the origins of opinions, philosophies, thoughts, ideas. It is vital in understanding current struggles today. Things haven't always been the way things are now.
School is so terribly long in France. The next time you want to make fun of the french, just remember that students your age here have to stay in class until 5pm. It doesn't sound so bad until you remember that you're stuck in the same setting classroom with the same classmates all day with like only four different teachers. Ouch!
But despite it all, the highlight today was definitely when I was asked to go answer some questions from another class by the english teacher. When the my classmates were performing an oral presentation later (one group just finished giving a talk on "La sexualite des jeunes"), I was taken out to go. It was a bright, beautiful classroom with a large window giving an incredible view of the nearby buildings. We was first told to sit down as the english teacher made the class copy down a passage from a text about Sherlock Holmes and his companion, Watson. Oh my god, it was brilliant. I was in complete awe as the passage went on and only thought to copy it down myself when it was almost over. Here, I got the last few lines, "[Sherlock and Watson] are an item against crime. They are loyal to each other. This is a love couple because both characters have opposite personality types."
Yup. Basically just a long text about how compatible the two are with each other. I also recall a line, "Watson is like a dutiful dog," and some more things about how the two were thrown together and couldn't be separated after. That was gold. Certainly not what I was expecting at all. I wished I read Sherlock Holmes and actually shipped it to appreciate it all the more. No shame in admitting that because I know no one reads my blog anyways. I can make a probably even make a post about how monkeys fly in France and no one would blink an eye. Because no one reads my blog. Haha! Get it? I like no one. Seems like an all about great guy when he's not mocking poor cyclops.
[Darn it, I want to analyze character's relationship together all day too. Preferably Achilles and Patroclus, but I'm not picky. ]
We were asked some typical questions like if we played any sports, why we decided to come to France, any differences back in America, what kind of music we liked...etc. They asked us if we tried to cafeteria food, which we had tried yesterday! I told them them to trust my words that it is loads better than the lunch served in our school (no offense). This was met with scrunched up noses and a laugh from the teacher saying that the students hate the food there. What can I say? Cafeteria food is cafeteria food, even in France.
Skipping the part about sleeping in class, lunchtime, an abnormally long break, back to class again, another break, and class once more would lead me to the end of school where I return home and do absolutely nothing. So let's go with the last class of the day. At that point, I was bored out of my mind and the economics teacher was kind of scary-strict. Despite my fears, I rested my head and fell asleep anyway. What? I wasn't included in the activities so what can I do? I hope I didn't snore. I might have drooled a little bit too which is odd because I don't drool.
I was picked up later and I went home and the end.
And thus concludes my last day. I never did get a chance to go to town...
-- Hannah Wu
(If I remember, I'll update with pictures!)
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
School in France! 22/4/14
It's spring break! Why must I suffer through classes? More importantly, why must I suffer through classes when I have no idea what's happening?
The day kind of went like this: woke up, ate some dried figs, school, suffered, lazed around, ate dinner, lazed around some more, procrastinated in sleeping (also known as "now").
The school I went to had an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all divided of course. What I found most interesting was that the classroom and classmates don't change with each class subject; the teachers change! French class was first, which I found incredibly boring. I was most impressed by the fact that the teacher wore like 4 or 5 inch heels while teaching. Afterwards, there was english class. Now, you think this one might be more fun but it was still kind of bland! The teacher spoke completely in french while teaching, a large contrast to the french class I take in school. At this point, I was sleepy and I had a headache. Oh, and I also ran out of tissues.
(One thing worth noting is that on the wall at the back of the classroom, the students did a bunch of posters on obesity and healthy eating...in english. Surprise, surprise! It's linked to America. One poster said, "[Obese people] have no friends, they are excluded from society and they have difficulty to move." Strong statement, haha! Audrey flipped her english journal and there was some pictures they had to glue in about unhealthy eating in America. Which reminds me, when I went to a bookstore, my host family brought an American recipe cookbook. It had a large flag in the center of the book, and the cover was a photo of a bagel hamburger! All the recipes looked fairly unhealthy. Is this what people outside of America think of us? I'm amused.
When math class came about, my eyes were bleeding tears of boredom, which happens when I get tired. Geeze, I felt kind of miserable. I slyly rested my head in my arms and fell asleep. That is the first time I fell asleep in class-- Well, not counting the time during SSR in middle school when I dozed off accidentally. I was latter woken up by my teacher and I felt immensely guilty. But might I emphasis "accidentally"?
This time was different because I consciously fell asleep on purpose. I think I most definitely offended the teacher.
When it was lunch time, Audrey and another student asked me if I had a nice rest. Oops. In my defense, I was seriously feeling miserable and sick. Am I allergic to France? I sure hope not, since it's a beautiful country. I deliriously thought "J'ai mal a la tete," to myself all day.
Lunch came about, and I think most (if not all) buy lunch here to eat. It seemed better prepared compared to the cafeteria at our school. It's also definitely true that the french eat a lot of bread with their meals!
I would write more but it's late. And here ends the blog post that sounds like it been written by an annoying, immature, quirky kid. Sorry. It's 2am here and I need to sleep. Maybe it'll be updated tomorrow?
Bye!
The day kind of went like this: woke up, ate some dried figs, school, suffered, lazed around, ate dinner, lazed around some more, procrastinated in sleeping (also known as "now").
The school I went to had an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all divided of course. What I found most interesting was that the classroom and classmates don't change with each class subject; the teachers change! French class was first, which I found incredibly boring. I was most impressed by the fact that the teacher wore like 4 or 5 inch heels while teaching. Afterwards, there was english class. Now, you think this one might be more fun but it was still kind of bland! The teacher spoke completely in french while teaching, a large contrast to the french class I take in school. At this point, I was sleepy and I had a headache. Oh, and I also ran out of tissues.
(One thing worth noting is that on the wall at the back of the classroom, the students did a bunch of posters on obesity and healthy eating...in english. Surprise, surprise! It's linked to America. One poster said, "[Obese people] have no friends, they are excluded from society and they have difficulty to move." Strong statement, haha! Audrey flipped her english journal and there was some pictures they had to glue in about unhealthy eating in America. Which reminds me, when I went to a bookstore, my host family brought an American recipe cookbook. It had a large flag in the center of the book, and the cover was a photo of a bagel hamburger! All the recipes looked fairly unhealthy. Is this what people outside of America think of us? I'm amused.
When math class came about, my eyes were bleeding tears of boredom, which happens when I get tired. Geeze, I felt kind of miserable. I slyly rested my head in my arms and fell asleep. That is the first time I fell asleep in class-- Well, not counting the time during SSR in middle school when I dozed off accidentally. I was latter woken up by my teacher and I felt immensely guilty. But might I emphasis "accidentally"?
This time was different because I consciously fell asleep on purpose. I think I most definitely offended the teacher.
When it was lunch time, Audrey and another student asked me if I had a nice rest. Oops. In my defense, I was seriously feeling miserable and sick. Am I allergic to France? I sure hope not, since it's a beautiful country. I deliriously thought "J'ai mal a la tete," to myself all day.
Lunch came about, and I think most (if not all) buy lunch here to eat. It seemed better prepared compared to the cafeteria at our school. It's also definitely true that the french eat a lot of bread with their meals!
I would write more but it's late. And here ends the blog post that sounds like it been written by an annoying, immature, quirky kid. Sorry. It's 2am here and I need to sleep. Maybe it'll be updated tomorrow?
Bye!
Monday, April 21, 2014
21/4/14 Log 1. In France
[ I am in a small town near Toulouse, France right now living with a host family and I'm slightly confused on how to do this assignment. Nonetheless, I'll try my best. ]
I woke up in a room that I am still growing accustomed to. The time is 8am, a large improvement compared to the last two days when I woke up at noon.
I ate breakfast, a cracker infused with soymilk and dried figs. Since coming here, I have never eaten figs before although I've heard of them. It's very sweet. Audrey, a girl in my host family around my age, also sat down next to me for breakfast. She ate cereal with milk. The silence was a bit unnerving, so I asked in very broken french, "En general, qu'est-ce que tu as fait sur le weekend?" (Generally, what do you do on weekends?), to which she answered something along the lines of "J'ai fini mes devoirs et je suis allee au gymnase." (I finish my homework and I go to the gym.)
Afterwards, I wandered around the house and took some pictures of the family's cute pet turtle. Her name is Yoco. She ate the little plants we fed her. She enjoys getting her chin rubbed, the darling turtle.
Around this time, my allergies were getting worse. I don't know what I'm allergic to here, (it could be anything, since the list of what I'm allergic to is quite long.) but it's embarrassing constantly using so many tissues!
Later, Audrey and I went cycling around the town. She led me on a trail to a river; it was so pretty. However, being a complete loser and not changing into proper shoes, I scratched my left foot on some plants that I think is poison ivy. It felt like it got stung by many tiny needles. I went back and washed my foot.
Then it was lunch. My host family eat bread-- the baguette-- with their meals for lunch and dinner. They eat lightly first (a salad and maybe some other things) before moving on to the main course (pasta or rice, for example). For dessert, they eat either cheese, yogurt, fruits, or pastries. My host parents drink a small amount of red wine with their meals too.
My french family speaks to me completely in french. The people in the midi-pyrenees area speak very fast, and I can only catch a few words here and there when they're conversing on the lunch or dinner table. I remember when I first arrived that the dad told me that in his house, you speak french! I marked beginner for language proficiency, and I truly am a beginner. My biggest advice to you is to not stay in a foreign country until you are at least proficient in the language. You'll get the most out of it that way.
I had a headache now, and we were meant to go to a cave to see prehistoric paintings later. I searched my suitcase for some allergy medicine. I checked the back and it said not suitable to make someone asleep but it also said that it might induce drowsiness. I was kind of fixed on the "might" part, so shrugging, I popped the pill into my mouth. It wasn't until later when I was feeling pretty sleepy. Darn it.
The tour was completely in french, and I almost fell asleep when we finally reached the paintings. I was thinking something along the lines of, "it's so quiet here. What I wouldn't give to take a nap...", especially since the presentation was completely in french and I couldn't understand what she was saying other than a few key words like "cochon" and "cheval". I felt horrible later because these are the markings of people that lived before everything we knew in history happened. Farming, society, civilizations, innovations, wars...
I think the most significant thing I found in the cave was the writings from all different points in time. There were messages and marking dated 1500s, 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s... There is nothing more fascinating than seeing a groups of messages from all different points in time and lives. At first I was confused because I always believed that the number of people that could read and write were a minority, but then I remembered that around the 1600s, Martin Luther translated the bible into German so it's more accessible. If western europeans could read around that time, can't they write too? Silly me for not realizing that sooner.
The most endearing thing was that despite writing in lovely cursive, the fact remains that those guys don't have perfect handwriting either. It's a little messy and shaky, much like the handwriting we see today.
Tomorrow I will go see what a french school is like. I'm pretty nervous...
Until then!
I woke up in a room that I am still growing accustomed to. The time is 8am, a large improvement compared to the last two days when I woke up at noon.
I ate breakfast, a cracker infused with soymilk and dried figs. Since coming here, I have never eaten figs before although I've heard of them. It's very sweet. Audrey, a girl in my host family around my age, also sat down next to me for breakfast. She ate cereal with milk. The silence was a bit unnerving, so I asked in very broken french, "En general, qu'est-ce que tu as fait sur le weekend?" (Generally, what do you do on weekends?), to which she answered something along the lines of "J'ai fini mes devoirs et je suis allee au gymnase." (I finish my homework and I go to the gym.)
Afterwards, I wandered around the house and took some pictures of the family's cute pet turtle. Her name is Yoco. She ate the little plants we fed her. She enjoys getting her chin rubbed, the darling turtle.
Around this time, my allergies were getting worse. I don't know what I'm allergic to here, (it could be anything, since the list of what I'm allergic to is quite long.) but it's embarrassing constantly using so many tissues!
Later, Audrey and I went cycling around the town. She led me on a trail to a river; it was so pretty. However, being a complete loser and not changing into proper shoes, I scratched my left foot on some plants that I think is poison ivy. It felt like it got stung by many tiny needles. I went back and washed my foot.
Then it was lunch. My host family eat bread-- the baguette-- with their meals for lunch and dinner. They eat lightly first (a salad and maybe some other things) before moving on to the main course (pasta or rice, for example). For dessert, they eat either cheese, yogurt, fruits, or pastries. My host parents drink a small amount of red wine with their meals too.
My french family speaks to me completely in french. The people in the midi-pyrenees area speak very fast, and I can only catch a few words here and there when they're conversing on the lunch or dinner table. I remember when I first arrived that the dad told me that in his house, you speak french! I marked beginner for language proficiency, and I truly am a beginner. My biggest advice to you is to not stay in a foreign country until you are at least proficient in the language. You'll get the most out of it that way.
I had a headache now, and we were meant to go to a cave to see prehistoric paintings later. I searched my suitcase for some allergy medicine. I checked the back and it said not suitable to make someone asleep but it also said that it might induce drowsiness. I was kind of fixed on the "might" part, so shrugging, I popped the pill into my mouth. It wasn't until later when I was feeling pretty sleepy. Darn it.
The tour was completely in french, and I almost fell asleep when we finally reached the paintings. I was thinking something along the lines of, "it's so quiet here. What I wouldn't give to take a nap...", especially since the presentation was completely in french and I couldn't understand what she was saying other than a few key words like "cochon" and "cheval". I felt horrible later because these are the markings of people that lived before everything we knew in history happened. Farming, society, civilizations, innovations, wars...
<<Salon Noir>>
[photo not mine]I think the most significant thing I found in the cave was the writings from all different points in time. There were messages and marking dated 1500s, 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s... There is nothing more fascinating than seeing a groups of messages from all different points in time and lives. At first I was confused because I always believed that the number of people that could read and write were a minority, but then I remembered that around the 1600s, Martin Luther translated the bible into German so it's more accessible. If western europeans could read around that time, can't they write too? Silly me for not realizing that sooner.
The most endearing thing was that despite writing in lovely cursive, the fact remains that those guys don't have perfect handwriting either. It's a little messy and shaky, much like the handwriting we see today.
Tomorrow I will go see what a french school is like. I'm pretty nervous...
Until then!
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