Missing the people in France

Lately I have been really missing all the people that I met in France. I was able to meet a lot of cool people and make new friends which I will remember for a lifetime! I especially miss the Cesar Milano gelato place that opened up down the street from where we were staying in Nice and the people who worked there. Our frequent visits came to a point where the workers expected us daily. I remember one day we went to get gelato and then the guy behind the counter said "À demain!" It was awesome and something I will definitely miss because you don't get that kind of relationship with people working at the store like you do in France where you recognize each other and decide to talk for no reason other than you are a frequent customer.

Exploring art in France

Spending so much time in France exploring museums I have learned so much about art that I didn't know before. I was able to explore artists that I haven't heard of until this trip such as Chegall and Matisse. Although my favorite artists that I discovered was at Musée d'Orsay such as Degas and Renoir and of course I loved Monet and Van Gogh also but I was absolutely in love with Degas ballerinas! I also discovered modern art which I didn't love at first but after seeing different styles and work, I'm a fan. It was also an amazing experience seeing all the art in the Louvre and seeing history right before your eyes.

Remembering Paris...

I have just been looking through my pictures and I came across all the pictures I took in Paris and remembering how different it was from Nice. Looking back I think that the biggest difference I noticed about Paris from Nice was that in Paris if I started to speak French and the person I was talking to heard an American accent they would revert to English most the time. As in Nice if I started speaking French to someone then they would make more effort to try and speak French with me which was really nice and helpful. Also the city and seeing all of the history of Paris was an amazing experience!

The Scent of Cigarettes

Where did all the cigarette smoke go? After being in France for only 7 weeks there were already some things that I started getting used to. The smell of the cigarettes was something that I noticed right after arriving in France, but it didn't take long before it became just a part of every day life. There seemed to be no type of people that smoking was most identified with though, it was rich, poor, men, woman, natives, immigrants, you name it. People smoked at the cafe, during the short breaks at school (which I was told are secretly just for the teachers to smoke), at the beach, and even on the metro (although I believe that is not allowed). The cigarettes also came in all shapes and sizes including the Eco cigarettes, which are becoming increasingly more popular.



Now I don't claim to know all the reasons why smoking is so much more prevalent in France, but something that we had the chance to talk about during are cultural discussions is how the French have a strong sense of freedom, and peoples ability to do what they want and choose for themselves. So despite the large print on the front of the cigarette package stating the danger contained it doesn't seem to stop many at all, and especially in comparison to the amount of smoking that goes on in Utah. Although the smoking population isn't as high here as it is there I have noticed the few times I do get a whiff of it the nostalgia hits me and for a moment I am back in Nice again.

Leaving

    It feels strange leaving Nice. Right now the biggest improvement to my that I notice is I hear and understand it better. There are things I am going to miss, if course pastrys and gelato. But also the buildings, hearing French everywhere, and the people I've met.

Remembering France

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in France! Although I have been home for over 2 weeks now, there are some things that still stand out in my mind. In addition to some of the differences others have discussed, I found the locks on doors rather annoying. Unlike what I am used to, all the locks - interior doors included - are completely separate from the door knob. Considering my host family also seemed to like keeping doors closed even when a room was unoccupied, you would never know if someone was in the bathroom until you turned the knob and pushed the door only to find it was occupied and locked!

Another personal annoyance would be the lack of carpet - anywhere! Sure, they had rugs on tile or hardwood floors, but I never saw actual carpet while there. I was happy to enjoy the comfort of my soft padded carpet once I returned....who would've ever thought about missing carpet?

Last of all, one thing I do miss from France are the coffee and hot chocolate vending machines everywhere. Also, never until France had I seen one of these - 

'freshly squeezed' orange juice from a vending machine anyone? 

Nice

    Nice is beautiful and seems more laid back than Paris (but there is still tons of honking from cars.) It is not as bustling and more open. The architecture of older buildings is different due to its history of being apart of Rome and Italy. Plus the weather changes so much it is almost like home.

Quick Rant

I'll make this brief: the horns of French automobiles need to be turned down several notches. That, or people should stop driving in a constant state of rage and impatience, like this cat. That is all.

My Train Ride to Lyon

The weekend of May 15-17 I decided to take the first solo train trip of my life. I have traveled with my family and friends quite a bit, but I had not gone out into the world completely by myself before. I originally wanted to visit the CERN Super Collider in Geneva Switzerland, but after some Web investigations I found that individual tours are now suspended and no tours are given in the subterranean sections of the facility. So I looked for alternatives. I wanted to stay in France to continue practicing the French language, so I decided to try Lyon. The bottom line is that I had fun and all worked out well, but there were a few hiccups along the way. Once I located my connecting train in the Marseilles St Char train station, I quickly found a seat labeled according to my assignment, second class seat number 61. There I happily remained until some new passengers boarded at a subsequent stop and confronted me with the assertion that I was in their seat. Upon showing them my ticket I received a free explanation about the importance of knowing your CAR number as well as your seat number. I could see that my new found teacher was indeed right, his ticket specified car 6 seat 61, whereas my ticket did not have the car number specified. He suggested that I try the next car over, car number 5. I apologized for the inconvenience, gathered my things, and headed toward car 5. I followed the numbers up to seat 61 and found that it was also already occupied by a handsome twenty something year old European male. I approached him with my ticket and explained my situation hoping that he could clear things up. He compared the ticket with his own and noticed that the departure times on the two tickets differed by 10 minutes. Hearing the words “mauvais train” come out of his mouth sent my mind into a tailspin, preparing myself to deal with ending up in some other random city in France and having to pay for another hotel room in addition to the one that was already reserved, and calling my parents to explain to them how I was not competent or adult enough to make it to Lyon by myself. All the worries were more or less put to rest however when I remembered that the conductor had announced at the beginning of the train ride that this train was indeed bound for Lyon, so I was going the right direction regardless. Unsure of my next move, I found a folding chair in the “between cars” area and took a seat to asses the situation. There I remained until our next stop in Avignon where the influx of new passengers forced me back into the train car. I sat down in the first empty seat that I saw, just to get out of the way. It only took a couple minutes before somebody showed up to kick me out of that seat as well, at which point I went in search of the conductor. This took much longer than it should have, but I eventually found him towards the front of the train and explained the situation as I had done several times before, in french. He took my ticket without saying anything and looked at it a bit puzzled. He scanned it, waited a second, then pointed back the way I had come saying “Car 8” in English. I thanked him and made my way back through the train. The remainder of the train ride was uneventful as I felt confident that I was in full compliance with train riding etiquette. I’m still not sure why the departure times were different on our two tickets, but the conductor didn’t say I was was on the wrong train, and I seem to remember the train leaving right on time according to my ticket, so at this point I am assuming that I had not made a mistake. And on the train ride back to Nice, I went to the conductor straight away to make sure I was in the right seat in the right car and on the right train.

Au Revoir, Mon Sandwich!

Irony is a funny thing, though usually only after the fact. In this case, it was funny instantaneously.

The group and I were in Monaco and had just been given a few pieces of advice by our tour guide of sorts: don't walk on the grass, don't be late for meeting back with the group, don't let seagulls steal your food because they're not shy about it... Things like that. Basics, things you can easily follow through with, right? Of course, that was a bit easier anticipated than done. Not long after, Devin, Travis, and I decided to get food. After a bit of looking, I settled on a sandwich and was very much looking forward to eating it in its entirety. As it would happen, irony stepped in in the form of a not-so-shy winged animal. Though aware of the advice given, I unthinkingly had the sandwich essentially advertising thievery by holding it out in the open. Before I had time to even process what had happened, I felt something on my shoulder: it was a seagull foot. A fraction of a second later, I felt its beak powerfully extract and fly away with a good portion of my sandwich. I stood dumbfounded and looked back at Devin and Travis, who started laughing, which, of course, made me laugh. I decided it was best not to continue eating my seagull-tainted-sandwich and parted ways with it, feeling both amused and cheated.

Moral of the story: it could happen to you. Never think you won't be "that guy", because you could be, especially when irony is involved.

Au revoir, mon sandwich.

Entrevaux

A few things I noticed in Paris.

   I noticed a few things in Paris, like what Spencer already talked about with the toilets and using the magic words. I have also noticed and missed drinking fountains, I only saw one drinking fountain my week in Paris.
 I have also noticed that it seems like practically everyone smokes. Drivers here are different as well, I have seen parking on side walk and the guard poles are bent from being hit and they are less concernered for the rules of the road. I must also say the metro is incredibly useful for getting around. You can get to practically anywhere in Paris. Paris was fun but I am now looking forward to Nice.

As I finish up my stay here in France I feel I should post something.  It has been a great experience to come here to France.  I was surprised that in many ways the French really aren't that different from us.  There are a few differences that I did note though, some of which I've posted in this blog.
I find it interesting that the French really are closed of to strangers as French or Foe states.  It seems that if they have no business with you, you don't really exist to them.  If they do have business with you they seem reluctant to have it.   However, also stated in French or Foe, if you play your cards right the French will fall all over themselves to help you.  There have been several times that I've had to ask people for help, and it's kind of like waking them up.  They don't seem to notice you at all until you say the magic words, then suddenly they not only notice you, but seem happy to see you.  They answer any question in have in great detail, and will go through a lot of trouble to find the answer if they don't know.
I've enjoyed my time here in France, and I'm sad to leave.  I'm excited to go back to America, but I'm very grateful for the chance I've had to be here.

The Louvre!

Toilets

I figured someone needed to mention the public bathrooms here in France.
In America we take for granted that every major public place has a bathroom for us to use, and for free too.  We kind of feel that that's normal and we're entitled to it. Not so much in France.  Restaurants and stores don't seem to feel that it's a good idea to provide a bathroom.  It's almost like that's a personal problem and you needn't bother them with it.
The place that surprised me the most was the public Library in Nice.  They have this big library that everyone in Nice was so proud of, but there wasn't a bathroom!  I mean the Library at UVU has 6 bathrooms for its patrons, but this library not so much as a unisex toilet room to use.  And that's normal!
Every once in a while you will find a bathroom. Usually they're not connected to a business, but seem to be something the government has set up.  When using these bathrooms, more often than not you'll have to pay for it. 50 centimes is the norm.  Having to pay you'd expect it to be a pleasant experience right? Wrong.  Truthfully I haven't seen a public bathroom here that's not gross.

Excited to be in France

                 

   I arrived yesterday to France bit when I got back to the hotel from Château De Blois (pictures shown) and dinner I was to tired.
   Today we had a 14 mile  I through the French countryside. We also visited two castles Chenonceau and Amboise. I like see the beautiful castles and paintings. They are so full of rich history and is fascinating to learn. I am excited to be in France and explore it's history and culture.

Le Château de Blois

Au revoir, Nice!

Nous adorons Nice !

Windows, who would have thought they would be so different here in France? I mean windows really have only so many functions, right? So wouldn't they be the same from country to country? Here in France windows are such a big part of the incredible architecture that can be found all over the city. Big ones, small ones, square ones, and round ones too, French windows come in so many different ways. A pot of flowers may be just the touch to personalize your window or maybe some colorful shutters or stained glass, what ever it may be windows seem to me to be so much more than just a looking glass to the outside world for the French. Windows seem to be more of a statement for who they are and a glimpse of the personality of the person to who they belong. French windows are always open too, letting in the sweet (and sometimes not so sweet) smells of city life. And when it comes to screens...I don't think a French person would be caught dead with one of those, and why would they when they have such a beautiful city right out side bustling with the cute little French people. I hope this gave you another look into the lives of the French and the beautiful culture that accompanies them.

Musée Masséna

We roamed Rome!

Givemesomespace

Still the thing that surprises me the most is the size of things here.  Everything here is so small, from their streets to their food size.  Personal bubbles too.  There have been a few times that I've had to invade what I thought was someone's personal bubble, but then realized I was probably bothered more then they were.  Apartments are small, parking spaces are smaller, this has definitely taken some getting used to for this American.

Cannes during the Festival

In an olive grove next to the Henri Matisse Museum

Sent from my iPhone

Transportation

During my first week in France I have noticed a large difference between the use of transportation in Nice and back in my hometown. The French use their public transportation much more than the people in Orem. Also, Europeans are much more inclined to walk through their city than are people back home.

In Orem I see large empty buses driving through the city. People don't use the public transportation because they all have private cars and the bus routes don't cover much of the the city nor do they come frequent enough to make their use practical. A typical drive from home to work would mean entering a car inside an attached garage, using the automatic garage door opener, driving to work, and then walking the short distance from the parking lot to the workplace. This results in a very hidden populace because there are very few pedestrians. If you were to see your neighbor walking along the main street in Orem, you would probably be “concerned” that something is wrong and they need help.

Quite the opposite appears to be true in France. I see many very populated buses driving through the city. The buses come often and the people depend on them for their basic transportation. Also, since a fewer percentage of people own private cars, they are much more visible in their community. There are many people walking on the streets. This makes for a more “community” feel rather than the empty streets of Utah.

"Fetchez la vache!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey0wvGiAH9g

Pickpocketing is real. Title by Klarissa, yes I give her credit to avoid plagarism

Now let me begin by noting that my day started off beautifully. Me, Klarissa, Laura, and Denise had all made plans to go to the beach in Villefranche which I was quite looking forward to as it would have sand (when I say sand I mean smaller rocks compared to the ginormous rocks used at the beach here in Nice).  Now between listening to Abba on the beach and continuing to tan through the stages of white the trip was going great until the train. I had everything in my bag coming back from the beach on the train happy as a clam when at some point on the train my wallet was borrowed with no intention of a return. Of course I didn’t realize it until I came home and realized my wallet was gone along with the about 350 euros, my debit card, and my driver’s license in said wallet. My face just about looked like this:

Now what should be taken away from this post is that pickpocketing is real people and NEVER keep all your money with you in your wallet. Now I did know this before this trip but in my naïve little mind I thought “oh this will never happened to me” and then it did. I also didn’t empty out my wallet beforehand as a result of laziness and overall poor choices. So take it from me and watch your stuff.

Gelato...need I say more?

La Queue

Standing in line is serious business here in France. If you thought the cars on the street were close well be prepared for people to get even closer. I noticed this curious disconect in my use of proximity compared to the French almost as soon as I touched ground in this lovely country. At the airport in Paris I had given the gentleman in front of me his space while standing close enough that people would know I was following him in line, or so I tought. After a couple minutes in line a lady just steped in front of me. I was a little bit confused at the time, but thought that maybe she assumed I was just unaware of her doing it and that she was in a rush to get through at the airport, but then it happened again.

                 

I was standing in line at a bakery across from the train station in Nice and here they came a nice looking coupe that parked themselves right in front of me. This time I was sure it wasn't coincidence, and I remembered reading up about this unique trait of the French in the book "French or Foe" by Polly Platt. My fantastic French friends really just like to get through the line I guess and want to be clear about who is in and who is out of it, so since then I have learned to stand just a bit closer, even if that means I need to "pop my own bubble." 

Les voitures et les vélos

The parking here is insane! Although the cars here are much smaller than in the US, as you can see they park along the streets nearly bumper-to-bumper (which seems to be normal by the way)...better be good at parallel parking!



A few other interesting things to note about the transportation are the 'underground' gas station we found and many places along the streets in Nice where electric cars can 'park and plug'. Commuting by bicycle also seems popular, thanks to the numerous 'Vélo Bleu' stations around town where bikes can easily be rented .Considering the parking nightmare, and fact travel by bike is much safer than in the US because the bike lanes are separated from the street traffic by small island curbs, getting around by bike isn't a bad idea! Vive le France!

Musee de Beaux Arts

I learned quite a bit culturally from le Musee de Beaux Arts.  The French would often paint their authority figures a little dainty looking.  I figured it was probably because to them, especially in the past, you're either born into greatness or you're not.  You don't have to do anything, and by such they don't get strong or tan or scared.  Americans on the other hand will show their authority figures as strong battle proven leaders.  I figure this is because America needed to work for everything it had, it wasn't born with anything.
There was also a section in the museum for old Chinese artworks.  Looking at those art works it kind of reminded me of anime cartoons like Pokemon.  I can easily see how it could've evolved into it.  I realized from these discoveries that things don't just come out of nowhere.  Everything has a past that it stems from.

Au jardin exotique de Monaco

Musée Jules Chéret de Beaux-Arts Nice

Sent from my iPhone

La visite de Vieux Nice

Sent from my iPhone

Nous y sommes! / We're here!

Sent from my iPhone

Speaking French

What I'm looking forward to. . .

Speaking French.



What I'm worried about. . .

Bon Voyage!

Seulement une semaine et ce ne sera pas juste une image sur mon ecran d'ordinature! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D6GXwieDdw8

The French Riviera

CÔTE D'AZUR

...bientôt notre maison loin de la maison...

Des Conseils d'Emy, une "Youtuber" Française

Typiquement, je ne regarde ni suit des "Youtubers" sur Youtube, mais j'ai la découvert depuis trois ou quatre semaines. Elle parle à beaucoup de choses, parfois en français (comme dans ce vidéo). Dans ce vidéo, elle parle avec sa sœur "ce qui ne faire pas en France", quelque je trouve approprié parce que nous partirons tôt (bien que je parte plus tard que tout le monde). D'ailleurs, jouiez!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RQvzBtBKQQ

Dreaming of gelato!

Sent from my iPhone

Et ça commence ...

Very soon we will live, explore, taste, probe, cherish, question, enjoy, ponder, discover the beauties, quirks, treasures, subtleties of the gracious land of France.

Notre-Dame de Paris au moment du printemps.