January 2013
2 posts
I have to keep writing because it keeps my heart from breaking. However stupid and sappy that sounds.
Honestly, this whole thing might be stupid and sappy because I’m someone who, at this point, hasn’t the slightest idea of who I am or what I’m doing. At twenty years old, you’re still just a kid. And I’m someone made up of two very different cultures… which is...
Saturday, January 5, 2013
I haven’t written lately because I’ve been insanely busy and honestly right now I have maybe ten minutes to try to spit out everything I’ve learned in the past three weeks.
First of all, I’m leaving the day after tomorrow.
Crazy.
France has become a third home. I need to seriously stop aquiring homes all over the world because soon enough my...
December 2012
1 post
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
So I made the other two blogs private because, as much as this is an honest blog about my France experience, that doesn’t mean I need to have every single bit of my dirty laundry hanging out for the web to see.
Nonetheless, like I said, the responces were amazing. First of all, I didn’t even know that so many people read my blog. Gonna have to be more...
November 2012
5 posts
My computer is back and so am I!
So after a month of not having a computer, I’m finally back to being a part of the modern world.
Basically, my charger broke. After eight hours of searching for a basic Toshiba charger around Guillotiere (the shadiest neighborhood in Lyon) and finding nothing but stolen iphones, ordering a charger online and having it not fit, I finally met a very amazing human being who also happened to...
Back in Lyon!
Monday, November 5
Today I had my first Societe Francaise class, which means now I have class five times at week :( Boo. But at least it seems easy, even though we’ve learned pretty much nothing. The professor seems super knowledgeable though so it’ll probably get better.
I spent two hours trying to change my student status. So much for being productive.
And I spent the rest of...
Toussiant Chronicles (cont)
Thursday, November 1
This bright, beautiful morning we set out for Nice. By the time we left the Formulaire, it was twenty degrees out and the sun was shining over the beautiful azure coast. We stopped by a little village called Cagnes-sur-la-mer on the way to Nice. It was very touristy, but very sweet, with winding narrows streets and flowers tumbling out of every window. Renoir had chosen...
Toussiant Chronicles
Saturday, October 27
Spent the entire day packing and trying to plan out this trip. It’s ridiculous how expensive a week roadtripping can be. Paul and I agreed already to rough it out- sleeping in a tent every night, eating nothing but bread, ham, and cheese, no excessive purchases, no toll roads, etc…
It was still coming out to way more than we could afford. On top of that, the...
Catching up (pre-Toussaint)
Thursday, October 25
So exhausted. Woke up super early to study for my Spanish midterm. It ended up being difficult- only because I couldn’t understand the directions written in French. Fml.
Spent the evening working on my presentation for tomorrow. I can’t wait for break.
Friday, October 26
It’s the last push before break! I made myself pay attention in my first class...
October 2012
7 posts
Tuesday, October 23
Worked all day. Felt like I got nothing done anyway.
Class was incomprehensible.
Went over to Paul’s that evening. We made sushi and sat on his roof to eat. It was a beautiful, chilly evening.
I never want to forget the view from his apartment. It’s beautiful- a painter’s dream come true, if only because of all of the different levels. You can see the...
Tuesday, October 16 (cont)
I had my meeting with the program coordinators today. It was a typical “you need to sign your name and write the date before the month” conversation until Christine pulled out a paper I’d almost forgotten about.
“You have indicated here that you were interested in the possibility to extend your stay,” she told me, stabbing the paper with...
Sunday, October 7
Things seemed much bit better after a night of sleep. Still, we were totally exhausted from hiking the day before. It was cloudy outside so we spent most of the day watching episodes of Tin Tin. How French.
We did go outside for a bit, but since it was Sunday everything was closed. The view was gorgeous though:
Aaaand I had my first French kebab ever. To date, it’s...
October 5 (cont)
It’s amazing how different cities have absolutely different characters. As soon as I stepped off the train, I could literally feel the difference between Grenoble and Lyon, which is strange since they’re in the same region, barely an hour away from each other.
Okay, maybe it’s not so strange. Lyon’s got over two million residents, a bustling...
October 4 continued
Sometimes you just need an evening of girltime, ridiculously expensive and not so good tourist candy (note to self: if there’s a giant Jack Sparrow statue in front of the store, don’t go in), beer, and getting hit on by creepy guys. Although I’m pretty sure we could have done without the creepy guys. We did meet an American though, a guy named Kyle who...
October 2 (continued)
I should probably get pictures from my walk up.
It was definitely a gorgeous day.
Coming down Fourviere Hill:
I am just so in love with this little church:
Loved this. Not sure why though.
One of the many statues that can be found on street corners in Presque-Ile
Have I mentioned that I love this city?
<3
Tiny courtyards
Another church:
Up the...
September 30, 2012
I accidentally deleted this entry.
Winner.
That’s okay because not much happened this day.
I did get to go to church with Paul’s friends, which was an amazing experience because it’s in moments like that you realize that God is God no matter where you go. It wasn’t exactly an easy experience because I had to face myself and I realized that I...
September 2012
18 posts
September 26, 2012
I never thought I’d be excited for a methodology class, but walking into a room of twenty other foreign students felt amazing. (Granted there were still only four Americans, but that’s still an improvement).
My day was pretty ordinary. It’s raining like crazy. I got my student ID at an administrative building that looks like a dungeon and spent the afternoon...
And we're back to playing catch-up...
September 22 (cont)
So of course the best thing to do when you’re completely unsure about someone and think that it might be best to avoid them at all costs is to see them again as soon as possible.
Surprisingly, I’m not being sarcastic.
Paul and I spent the evening exploring the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater.
It was probably not the best day to wear heels but I was...
Random Lyon Exploration Photos
Croix Rousse
Pont Rouge, with my favorite church, St. George’s
Inside St. George’s
Birdy Kids Graffiti (this stuff is all over Lyon, it’s kind of cool)
Fourviere
September 21, 2012 (continued)
I barely had time to make a quick snack and take a nap when I got a text from Paul.
“I know you were going to go out with your friends tonight, but if you want to stop by my place for dinner, I’d love to see you.”
Free food. I’m a college student.
Okay.
His roommates were all home. Everyone was downstairs, watching TV. They turned it...
September 21, 2012
First week is done! Wow I can’t believe it. I feel like my French has gotten ridiculously better just from trying to figure out what the hell people are saying.
I’ve also come up with a ridiculous amount of comfort food ideas to relieve the stress of being lectured in a language I barely understand.
Crepes are a given, but the salty ones are the best with hot...
September 20, 2012
I am so sick of French classes. My first one was at 8 am. The only thing pleasant about 8 am class in France is the five minute walk from the tram to the unversity. The air is cold, but in that crisp, perfect way that energizes you completely, like a fresh espresso. The Rhone sparkles in the morning sun- it’s almost neon blue. All of the ancient buildings on the...
September 19 2012 (continued)
Okay so a twelve-hour French lecture day is impossible.
On one hand, I guess I’m lucky that six of those twelve hours got canceled. On the other hand, I kind of wish I actually understood how this stupid system works and didn’t actually GO to those three classes.
Or that I didn’t go to that two hour Spanish class that gave me absolutely...
Resolution:
I’m going to be more honest in my blogs. Now that the people who are featured in them are my facebook friends, I’m scared to write about my real impressions/ feelings. Not because I’d ever reveal anything personal about anyone else (that stays confidential) but because I guess I’m afraid that they will see me differently.
But this isn’t an attempt to...
So apparently I lost track of days… the September 7th entry was supposed to be september 8th. Oops.
Getting back on track now. Here we go!
September 9, 2012
Today was the beginning of a month-long celebration of dance here at Lyon (now can you tell why I’m in love with this place?) It was kicked off by a giant street parade that happens once every two years, hence the name: La...
September 4, 2012
Today was our first day of class. I woke up at Lydia’s. She has the most beautiful view from her apartment, hopefully it’s not completely creepy that I’m putting this up online:
Today was pretty fun. Class was challenging- I had ecrit and oral and I honestly felt like an idiot the whole time since there was so much I didn’t understand, but I definitely...
Let's see if I ever catch up...
August 31, 2012
To be honest, I completely forget what happened today.
We woke up super late, since this was the first day in a long time when we could sleep in.
Here’s the view from the room we’re staying in by the way. Apparently this is the “ghetto” of Lyon:
The rest of the day was pretty busy. Katrina, Alex and I got our bus passes which let us use the amazing...
Salut, Lyon!
August 29, 2012
I’m sitting in the train station in Paris. Wow. What a weird feeling. I’m not going to lie, I miss Russia like crazy. I won’t let myself cry because I’m afraid of losing control, but I feel… well. I’m not sure there’s a word for it. Like something in me is broken. Hollow. I don’t know. I don’t want to think about it, because...
Good-bye, Russia!
August 25, 2012
Today was my last day in Nigny so I decided that Yulduz and I needed a sisters’ day out. We took the bus over to Naberegnaya to a viewpoint near the statue of Fedorovsky. There were many weddings since it was a Saturday and my sister and I spent the morning being girls, talking about boys, and planning our dream weddings.
The incredible view:
Statue of Fedorovsky:
We...
Anonymous asked: Oh why didn't I try dating you when you were in the states? :(
August 23, 2012
My parents offered to take Yulduz with us today. They’ll never admit it, but I think they’re on her side. The five of us took a bus beyond the Kremlin to ride the Air Tram that goes over the Volga from Nigny to Bor. Yulduz taught me to look at the bus tickets to see if they were lucky or if they promised a date. There are three numbers on either side- if you add them...
August 20, 2012
Nigny is cold and rainy. We arrived at around two. My sixteen-year old cousin, Yuldus, greeted us. You would never give her sixteen years- she is an amazing hostess and is as mature and serious as any adult. My dad jokes about how she’s probably more reliable than I am. I think he’s right.
That evening was really mellow. We visited my grandmother in the...
Catching up on Blogging... as usual
August 15, 2012
Today was really mellow compared to last night. I slept in late and Nastya called me soon after I woke up. “I’m walking around with Senya,” she said. “Come with me.”
We walked circles around the derevnya, bumping into everyone we knew, including the guy who invited us to go fishing. He was pretty surprised to actually see us with a child and Nastya and I almost died of laughter....
August 2012
15 posts
Duality
This experience has become painful. I can’t explain it. I’m counting down the days until I have to leave, and the dwindling hours fill me with horror. I can’t sleep. I eat only the things I feel I won’t have access to again- black bread, kvas, Russian candy. I wish Russia was a tangible thing so that I could grab it, hold it, never let go. Take it with me. I can’t...
Russian song translated
There’s a song that I heard here that I absolutely fell in love with because of the lyrics. It’s called Цени Любви by Пауло Коэльо and I tried my best to translate it.
If, just for a moment, God forgot that I am nothing but a marionette made of rags and gave me a moment of life, I probably would not say all that I think, but I would think of everything before speaking. I would value...
Now that I'm finally connected to the internet...
It’s literally been weeks since I’ve been connected to the internet on my own computer. It’s crazy how we take basic things like a wifi connection for granted back home.
Anyway, I’ve done my best to write everything down butI’m sure that my self-discovery rants aren’t going to be of much interest to anyone, so here is the concise version of everything that has happened in the past few weeks....
Catching up on Pictures 2
At the Moscow Zoo^
Moscow Zoo, View of one of Stalin’s towers
Russian bear at the zoo
Zoo
the same Stalin’s Tower up close
On the streets of Moscow
Dinner at the Kabak
Lighting the lanterns
Catching up on Pictures
Day One: maksim is waiting for our airplane in his pj’s
Day 2: In Chehov; The view from my sister’s apartment
World War II Memorial in Chehov
WWII Memorial
With my brother and aunt
Day 3: All the Reasons I Love This Country
It has been an incredible day. My sister and I went to sleep super late last night so I woke up at eight feeling like a zombie but I had to shake it off so that my parents, Marina and I could take Maksim to the Moscow zoo. We took the bus to Moscow, where a boy kept trying to start a conversation with me, especially when he overheard Marina asking me about America. People are really curious here,...
First wave of homesickness setting in a bit. It was kind of just a bleh day. I slept through most of it, because I don’t have an alarm clock and my thirty minute nap turned into three hours. My sister and I were going to go to Moscow, but the traffic jam was too intense. Instead, we hung out with our old group of friends, which included her ex, whom she had dated for six years. He decided to...
Went back to my hometown today. Strangely enough, no real feelings about it. Compared to Chehov, it’s pretty dirty, with cracked pavement everywhere and people living seemingly not very happy lives. At least everyone looks really tired.
We tried to get my internal passport updated, but none of the places that we went to could (or particlary wanted to) help us. We had to go through the...
Day 2
I woke up at one today, even though we were supposed to get up early. Marina made my parents sleep in so I had a pretty calm morning. Having her around to mediate has definitely been helpful. Timofei is going after my hands again as I type and I’m covered in mosquito bites and ridiculously happy.
Russians eat most meals, except for breakfast, in two courses, so I’ve had to try and eat...
VDV day
I almost forgot to write about one of the coolest things I learned this day. Today is VDV day, which celebrates parachute pilots. They basically take over Moscow, set off fireworks, drink and fight with local cops.
They also swim in the fountains, which is why all of the fountains in the city today are drained and all of the pilots are in Moscow instead of here.
Pictures from Day 1
Waiting for the plane
On the road to Chehov
Timofei the cat
Outside of my sister’s apartment
WWII Memorial
Outside with brother and Marina
Family Dinner with my mom, brother, and sister
End of the day in Chehov
My mom, aunt (dad’s cousin), brother and I went to the store after I wrote my post and I remembered why traveling wit my family was going to be a problem. My mom nagged the whole time, rambling on about how horrible the flight was, how I’m not going to survive in France, etc. Maksim was using the diversion as an opportunity to run out into traffic, howling with joy. Finally I snapped...
Update (in Chehov 2)
Wow it’s been a long day. After 6 hours in cars and 16 hours on planes, I’m happy to be safe and sound in a little military town an hour away from Moscow where my dad’s cousin lives.
Since I don’t know when I’ll have wifi, it’s likely that I’ll post here whenever I can, maybe only a few days at a time. I’ll probably go back and add pictures once I...
Here at LAX!
I don’t know when the next time that I have wi if will be, so I’m going to update now. It’s 5:45 am and I haven’t slept all night. We were picked up at 2am by the shuttle. He spent a while driving around looking for a girl in VDC, who turned out to be one of my friends from French class, which was a really cool coincidence. It definitely calmed my nerves a bit.
Check in...
Last Night in AMURICA
I am going to miss this country. A ton.
If you’re reading this right now, please bear with me because I’ve been packing all day and I didn’t really sleep last night so I am LOOPY!
But I had to update my blog with my adventures before I left for Europe. It’s kind of like a finishing stamp on America I guess.
So yesterday Michael and I went to Cook’s Corner, which...
Last Sunday in California
Wow. Life has been totally crazy lately… everyone’s asking me if I’m excited to leave, but right now I’m mostly just nervous. And my friends have been so amazing that quite honestly… I don’t want to leave. I know my attitude will change as soon as I’m on the plane, but Irvine’s become home.
It’s funny, because I’m always the “token...
July 2012
5 posts
So I'm leaving in two days...
Crazy. It’s been an amazing week. My friends are absolutely phenomenal and I’m going to miss every single one of you.
Over the past few days, I’ve also discovered that I own nothing but summer dresses, shorts, and t-shirts. I guess I’ll represent the quintessential California girl and freeze in the French winter.
So this past week was filled to the brim with adventures,...
