Normandy

Day Eighty-Two

Less than three weeks until I'm back in NY!  Man.  I honestly haven't posted on here because there's just too much to say and I know it'll take too long to type it all out...so maybe a quick snapshot (sorry it's not giving these experiences justice but I do need to get to bed sometime soon!)

-Trip to northern France was AMAZING.

1. Visited Rouen on Friday and was able to walk by the old residences of key French literary authors and most signicifant of all, this is the city where Joan of Arc was put on trial and later burned at the stake.  This spot is still intact and there is a garden with a cross and a church in her honor right next to it.
2. Spent two nights in Bayeux, France (first French town liberated by the Allies after D-Day) by couchsurfing with a French married couple and their two little girls.  Sweetest deal because I was able to practice French, have a nice futon to sleep on, have breakfast and dinner--all for free.  It's a network all around the world to help those eager to explore, travel, and share experiences.
3. Visited key historic places in Normandy: Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, Pointe de Hoc, Airborne Museum, American Cemetery, German bunkers, 12th century church that was turned into a first aid center (where 2 American medics saved the lives of 82 soldiers in one day), field of the Brécourt Manor Assault by Easy Company, and other cool places following the actions of Easy Company (part of the tour was a Band of Brothers tour of Normandy focusing on their unit)
4. Literally almost missed two of three trains on our way to Mont Saint-Michel, spent the day there, and then barely missed the last bus to the train station, so we "faire du stop" aka hitchhiked 7 kilometers with a van of college students passing through (thank goodness!)
5. Spent Sunday night in Rennes where we ate at a crêperie and had a galette and a crêpe sucrée with cidre (all of which this region in France is known for)

-Had my last full week of class, two days left (following my spring break)
-Found the BEST bouchon in Lyon (look up bouchon to read up the history of the term, they're the specialty of Lyon gastronomie) which is "Chez Georges" where they served us family-style Lyonnaise cuisine of their plate of the day, which changes all the time, and only for 17 euros!  I had roasted rabbit and it was divine!  First time having that.  Plus I finally had the chance to taste tarte aux pralines (made of red pralines that is another Lyon specialty)...this picture says it all (http://lacuisinedannie.20minutes.fr/recette-tarte-aux-pralines-517.html)
 -Spring has finally arrived and literally EVERYONE is outside.  It's awesome!
-This week Dave and I are going to be training with the French military, that our university set up for us.  Looking forward to it!  A bit anxious but it'll be a great opportunity!  I'll post something about it after..and then

-THIS SATURDAY MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO FRANCE!  Cannot WAIT.  So many great plans to show them around.  :)


Sorry, no time for pictures tonight. 

Time Flies

Day Seventy

One month left.

It's sad to think about that.  It's especially hard when I'm just starting to find my niche here and am really discovering the wonderful things about Lyon.  Today I had a group presentation in our French news class.  It went really well.  Here's the article, if anyone's interested in trying google translate to get a rough translation of it: http://etudiant.lefigaro.fr/le-labeducation/actualite/detail/article/niel-lance-42-une-ecole-pour-denicher-les-genies-1528/

Basically, the 6th most wealthy man in France is opening a new higher education school specialized in information technology that is open to anyone.  No matter what your background, income, even education.  The only criteria is that you are between 18-30 years old.  In France the "grandes écoles" which are the specialized higher education schools in France (equivalent in reputation to Harvard, Yale, etc) are extremely selective and if you didn't go to the right high school and get top grades, it's impossible to get ino them.  Xavier Niel had a problem with that and so he started this innovative project.  Selection consists of applying online, having preliminary classes in the summer of 15 hours per day, and whoever can hang and perform--gets in.  The only catch is that you don't graduate with a diploma.  However, they do graduate with 4-5 years of training in a growing specialization with the best connections for the industry.  Xavier Niel is the founder of Free (the leading telecommunications company here) and is the co-owner of the French journal, Le Monde.  He's a powerful man and he's even paying for this entire thing out of pocket himself!  ~70 million!  Whewwww jeez!  So yeah, it was an interesting article to explain and discuss with our class. 

Afterwards, I went to the other campus for the Catho (10 mins away) because today and tomorrow there is a dance challenge between the different schools within the university.  Of course, our school for French language and culture study is competing, so I went to watch them and what an experience.  It was so fun to watch.  I took some pictures and videos.  These people are CRAZY!  And French guys are VERY confident in themselves, haha.  But I guess I could say the same for a lot of American guys too when it comes to competition.  Each group had themes.  One of them was childhood tv shows, like Rugrats for example...yes, there were guys in adult diapers..haha  Or animated movies like Lion King, Jungle Book, etc.  Ours was a tour around the world with famous songs/dances from the different continents.  It was really creative.  After on my way to my afternoon class (I was going to just buy a panini from the reliable Tasty Toast) but I found a small café for students with a menu of side salad, quiche/croque-monsieur (simple toasted sandiwch), and drink for 3,50 euros!  WHAAT??!?  That's the price of a panini!  It was so cute and I was the only one there for a little bit so I talked with the girl working there and she's from Allemagne (Germany!) and so I told her I had just been there last weekend, haha.  I'm planning on going back tomorrow to talk some more and have a great deal for lunch. 

After class, went on a run and this time I took my camera and went in a completely new area.  Took some pictures because there are always beautiful things to discover.  Also found the grandfather of Hayes' Gym stairway to heaven...had to take 2 breaks on my way up to try and find Parc des Hauteurs...it sure was high!  Literally at the highest point of the city, haha.  I found one of the Lyon cemeteries.  Boy, I would love to look through there to find the oldest grave!  ...is that weird?   Made my way back down and yep, the pain behind my knee after last week's 6-mile run has not gone away...not too sure what else to do but stretch it. 

For dinner tonight we had la salade lyonnaise.  I almost squealed when I walked into the kitchen, haha.  I LOVE this salad, especially when they make it--and be assured, they know that because I always compliment them when they make it!  It was absolutely delicious..and also had my new food obsession: natural yogurt with chestnut cream.  Sounds extremely weird--but it's really sweet and delicious!  It's a product made in France but I really hope I can find it in the states...maybe Adams' Farm would have it..not sure.  I had it for dessert when I was in the Alps with my host family and my host-aunt served it to us.  Also, I talked a storm during dinner haha.  There was just so much to say!  Oh I forgot to mention, yesterday I had a very fascinating conversation with my host parents about certain phrases and French nuances with words.  I genuinely love when I learn something new about French grammar that just clicks.  Especially nuances because now that I know them, that's one less thing to define myself as an outsider to the language.  The more I learn, the closer I am to becoming fluent...or at least more competent, haha.  I'll just give one example since this update is getting long.  We were on the subject of marching and I was trying to say how at WP we do parades.  So I used the verb "parader" but in French, that verb is primarily used for when someone parades like in a circus.  It almost has a negative connotation to it because it's like a joke.  Something like that.  So I learned the more appropriate verb to use in my case was "défiler."  Things like that--google translate doesn't catch.  ;)

Lunch today!  Plus they had a little library so I flipped through a French National Geographic

The first veterinarian school in the world, created in 1761 (if I remember correctly)

View of the basilica and our mini eiffel tower from the northern side of the city

After climbing the stairway to heaven, I ended up walking down a steep/hilly bike descent for the brave!  Managed to catch this guy in mid-air!

View of the city from the bike descent

What an amazing salad!  And so simple but when my host dad makes it, it's just so good.  Eggs, greens, baguette pieces, mmmm...

Le Pire Film

Day Sixty-Seven

Today I wanted to try a French church service so I went to the 0930 service at the eglise évangelique de pentecôte--lyon.  It was two-hours long and quite different from what I'm used to--definitely not what I was expecting of a church in France.  The first hour was essentially a time of praise music and people praying out loud for everyone to hear--you definitely don't see that too much around here.  The second hour was the sermon and sadly, I only understood about 50% of it.  But it was a great experience.  It was JAM PACKED in there.  Afterwards, I came back to the apartment for lunch and met my "host-grandparents" and they were very sweet.  Apparently, my host parent's brother lived in Seoul, South Korea for 3 years so they were talking to me about kimchi and seaweed, haha.  It took me a while to understand what my host grandmother was trying to say when she said "chou" and it took about 5 minutes because no one knew the English translation haha. 

Then I ventured out to the northern part of the city to find the Hillsong Lyon church.  I took a wrong turn and the only way to make up for it and be on time was to go up a stairway to heaven lol.  But totally worth it!  It's a small group because they're just now starting up but seriously, I couldn't have felt more at home there.  I really wish I had discovered this place when I first arrived in Feburary.  Everyone was so nice and hospitable.  The music was amazing--most of the same songs that I've actually been listening to on youtube for French Hillsong!!!  Very cool and ironic haha.  The sermon was so powerful.  The pastor was visiting from Hillsong Paris and honestly, one of the most convicting pastors I've ever heard--and it was in French.  Everything was translated into English/French and the translator for the pastor was impressive!  She spoke with the same passion as the pastor and literally would say the translation right after he spoke a few sentences.  What an amazing talent!  But yeah, I could've listened to him for hours.  Afterwards, I met newlyweds where the girl is just finishing her senior year at the University of Washington and she has a French husband!  They help lead one of the Bible studies during the week and they were so sweet.  Like I said, mannn I wish I had found out about this church earlier!  But what can you do.  We exchanged numbers so I'll hopefully have the chance to try a Bible study (they're once every 2 weeks).  But yeah, I'm glad I was able to open my horizons on discovering Christianity here in France.  I had so many misconceptions but the Spirit is absolutely working in this country. 

Coming back from church, I had to run back to Place Bellecour to meet Josephine (girl from class) for dinner and then the movies.  Being short on time, I thought I could rely on my own sense of direction (thinking I was going in the right direction)...of course when I ended up at the river to help guide myself, I had completely gone in the OPPOSITE direction.  Seriously, just my luck.  It's fate that just when I thought I had a nack for finding my way around, I lose it.  So I asked someone on the road how to get to where I wanted to go and he said about 1-2 km along the river in the opposite direction...with 10 minutes to go.  Sooo, I ran like a crazy person and ended up getting there before she did--sweating a storm, of course.  Haha but still it was a great time.  We had pasta and wine at Pizza Pino then met up with Jihui from class and watched A La Merveille.  A serious contendor for worst movie ever.  No joke.  There was no plot and there were several times I was about to just leave because it was a waste of time.  And this was after a friend highly recommend I saw it--so of course I made a date of it with some other friends.  lol, oops.  Even more dissapointing is that Rachel McAdams and Ben Affleck are in it!  So of course I thought that validated her recommendation.  Nope.  Haha oh well

eglise évangelique de pentecôte--lyon.  I wanted to take a picture inside but it was so crowded, I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable taking a picture of them lol 



Hillsong Lyon!

Little card they gave us to help spread the word!

Yummy :)

She's so tiny and she ate all that pasta!  I told her bravo!  haha

Genève, Suisse

Day Sixty-Six

I spent the day in Genève with Amelia today!  The weather called for cloudy and rainy but thankfully it was just a little chilly with sunshine.  We walked into centre ville (center of town) and found the Mur des Réformateurs (Wall of Reformation) of Guillaume Farel, Jean Calvin, Théodore de Bèze and John Knox who were all pioneers (internationally) for the Protestant Reformation.  It was a very cool monument in tribute to their efforts.  The wall was in a huge park and they had five or six human-size chessboards with chess and checkers pieces.  They also had ping pong tables!  It was a sunny day so everyone was out playing games and enjoying the good weather.  Amelia and I played a game and we didn't realize until the end that what we thought was the "king" was really the queen...so I had lost a couple moves before haha.  We also walked in St. Peter's Cathedral which is where John Calvin preached from 1536-1564!  It became a Protestant church in 1536 and so the cathedral's altar, furniture, paintings and statues were removed. 

Had lunch at a café and it was so delicious!  I am going to miss european bread.  Something about it just tastes so good and makes all the difference!  Then we took the bus out of centre ville to visit Les Palais des Nations (Nations Unies = United Nations).  Originally where the League of Nations was located and later became the United Nations.  I was initially confused because there's a United Nations in NYC but learned during our guided tour that the one in NYC is where the Security Council and General Assembly meet (mostly focused on political issues), whereas the one in Geneva has a focus on humanitarian issues (the WHO, ILO, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights/Refugees and many more) are located there.  If I pursued a civilian route--that would be my dream career.  However, I could never live in Geneva (more on that later).  We took an hour tour and it was so interesting!  I've visited the UN in NYC so it didn't have the same "wow" factor as the first time I was able to see the large conference rooms but it was still a treat.  We saw the initial assembly hall for the League of Nations.  It's just humbling to think of the great people who have passed through these rooms, who made such a difference in world history to demand international cooperation for the promotion of human rights.  Amazing, absolutely amazing.  Forgot to mention, when we were walking through centre ville, we happened upon the Hôtel de Ville (town hall) where the first Geneva Conventions was signed!  Again, INCREDIBLE!  We couldn't go inside but just to read the plaque marking the room where this document was signed was an experience. 

Some interesting facts I learned today:

• the UN working languages are English and French.  Some meetings are in French/English/both and whenever they have delegates come, the seating arrangements vary depending on which alphabet is used.  For example:  Germany in English = Allemagne in French.  However, this has posed a problem for Iraq and Iran because their names are so similar and no other country comes between them, so they always sit next to each other which in itself can cause tension. 
• the 5 official lanuages of the UN are English, French, Chinese, Spanish, and Russian.  Every UN delegate must be able to speak at least one of these five.  There are translators for delegates and they translate in real time.  Like they hear French or English and are translating the speech into their native language at the same time.  Their shifts are 30 minutes followed by a 30 minute break and so on because of how grueling their job is.  I can't even comprehend how this happens!  It's not like they read off a script.  Incredible!
• Not really interesting, more like depressing--across from the UN is the International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.  I was SO excited to see it and guess what?  It's closed until May for renovations.  :(  So I did the next best thing, take pictures of the building.  Nothing in comparison but I guess that just means I'll have to visit there again someday in the future.  If I could work in the humanitarian field after I retire, I would be one happy person. 
• SWITZERLAND IS EXPENSIVE!  You cannot be a penny pincher there or you will go out of your mind.  Everyone had already told me it would be so expensive, so good thing we only spent the day there.  Lunch (sandwich and drink) was 14 franks which is around 12 euros.  And worst of all, buying our train ticket back to Lyon was equivalent to $48...It was about $15 when we came from Lyon to Geneva.  We never knew, but fair warning to anyone traveling to Switzerland and planning on using the trains, there is a 10 frank automatic tax on foreigners for the trains.  Say whaaa?  They don't even do that in Paris.   So we didn't have dinner in Geneva as we had planned haha.  We decided to wait until we made our way back home.  So lesson learned?  Buy return tickets in advance IN france and realize that "you live and you learn."  When I look back on today, I probably won't remember the frustration of 35 franks in comparison to the experience of visiting Geneva.
• be more thankful for France!  I learned this after coming back from Italy where everything was more expensive and there were a lot of hidden charges targeting tourists.  Today I was once again reminded that I have it so much better in France.  Yes, it's more expensive than the US but in comparison to other countries in this area, I've got it made.  Crêpes are 2 euros and not 4,50.  Sandwiches are 3,50 euros and not 10.  Be thankful for what you have, that's for sure! 

St. Peter's Cathedral

Plaque outside the room where the first Geneva Conventions was signed!

Chess!

Wall of the Reformation



Les Nations Unies

Jean Jacques Rousseau!

 

Allemagne

Day Sixty-Four

This past weekend I visited my cousin and her husband at Vilseck, Germany.  Completely worth the trip.  I left Friday afternoon so I had Saturday, Sunday, and half of Monday to spend with them.  I haven't seen her in a few years so that was a real treat.  Saturday we visited the nazi party rally grounds ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_party_rally_grounds ) in Nuremberg.  Wow.  They have turned it into a museum that I felt was very well-done.  Really showing the history of the party and how Hitler came to be in power.  It was crazy to see how enormous the rally hall was as well, only one part of the huge architectural display the nazi party intended to show its power.  Much of the building material was brought from a work camp nearby...just the magnitude of the numbers of those who went through the concentration camps is unfathomable.

Later that day we tried this restaurant called 's Baggers.  Don't ask me about the name but it's the closest experience I've had to seeing the life of the Jetsons.  There are no waiters/servers.  You recieve a card and each person has a designated number at the table.  You order everything on a touch screen with your card and then it is delivered by a metal railing where the food from the kitchen (on the 2nd floor) slides down the railing straight to the table!  say whaaa?  Yeah, it was really cool--and the price of a normal restaurant too.  Get ittt!  On Sunday we went to Easter Sunday service and that was nice--a reminder of home being at a military post chapel.  Then we had a BBQ with bratwursts and sauwerkrawt and some of their friends and talked for hours.  A great time.  Monday we walked around downtown Nuremberg before dropping me off at the airport.  I was able to try a schnitzel sandwich!  Those things are way too messy & delicious to eat while walking.  Plus, it was freezing and my hands were numb when I finished eating haha.  Ohh, forgot to mention!  Had a reunion with a close family friend from Korea!!  What are the chances??  I found out he is stationed at the same base so we met for breakfast and attempted to catch up over coffee in an hour!  lol.  I also found out that I know two other people stationed there--one being an old frog grad and another being the older sister of my best friend at WP!  Once again, what a small world--small Army! 

Back in France, things are still going very well.  It's really starting to feel like spring.  Let me just mention that Wednesdays here are pretty much just like the weekend.  Middle/high school students have a half-day every Wednesday and elementary students don't even have school (a law was just passed saying that they will have a half-day as well starting later this year/early next year).  And it seems like a lot of people get off work as well too.  So I decided to go on a long run after class and it was so crowded around the city!  Everyone was outside hanging out, laying on the grass, having picnics, etc.  It was just too picturesque!  I should've taken my camera on my run.  I went exploring and ended up doing a 6.2 mile run!  Obviously I feel sore today haha.  But I love when everyone is outside because you just know that the weather is getting warmer and there's more options to be active. 

This weekend I'm going to Genève (Geneva) on Saturday.  I cannot WAIT!  I'll give an update after that.  I have to make the most of my last few weeks here!  No pressure or anything haha.

What the nazi party rally hall once looked like and the remains today.

downtown Nuremberg and a huge market

Coolest restaurant I've been to.  You can see the touchscreen and the railing!



View of the city from above

Beautiful city.

My cousin and I!  Plumley reunion in Germany :)  I'm pretty sure our last name is German too...

Korea reunion with Josh.  He gave me a tour of his office because he works with AFN! (that's the Army radio/tv broadcasting station for bases overseas)