Week 18: Christmas in Lille!

Finishing a semester in France, getting to travel to more than a few new places, and making some amazing friends along the way has made this first semester in Europe such an unforgettable experience. Now that the first semester is over (already!), I’m moving into a new phase: transition. I have moved all my clothes, suitcases, and decorations out of my room in Vieux Lille, and I have moved in with Amandine and her family, who have so graciously accepted to let me stay with them over this Christmas break. It has definitely been a great one so far, what with experiencing an authentic French Christmas celebration and getting to hang out with Amandine and her friends!

Monday was a pretty eventful day, what with me saying goodbye to my residence where my friends and I had made such good memories. (FRL, you’ll be forever in my heart!) Since I hadn’t gotten much packing done before I went to Slovakia, I ended up staying up all night making sure everything was neatly folded and organized… or at least that everything fit in my suitcase. In the morning I went to AEU (the housing agency through which I rented my room) and signed off on the final documents saying that I was leaving, and got a nice surprise with all my deposit money back. Then I stopped off nearby at Fatima’s apartment to drop off her small suitcase that I had borrowed to go to Slovakia, and we chatted for a bit. After that, I returned to the AEU office to pick up Alex’s card to enter her building and key for her room. That certainly made her imminent arrival all the more real!

After that, I trekked all the way back to my residence, grabbed all my bags, met up with Amandine, and she and I lugged all my bags from my room to her dad’s car. We zoomed down the street to where Alex would be staying, and we once again lugged everything up to Alex’s room (thankfully, unlike my residence, Alex’s has an elevator). After we set everything down and made some kind of sense of everything, I took my pillows and blankets (and some that my friend from Norbs, Grace, had left) and made up Alex’s bed, and then off we went to Amandine’s house with my small suitcase and backpack (after a few errands). I breathed a sigh of relief once I got everything all set up, and settled in to start what would become one of the best Christmases I have ever had. We settled into bed, shared a little girl talk and talked with enthusiasm of our plans for the break, and then we settled in for the night.

Another morning of sleep was due on Tuesday, and so Amandine and I slowly rolled out of bed later in the morning, and then wandered downstairs to get some breakfast. (One upside of living in Europe - I’ve had some kind of breakfast almost every day!) It was entertaining to see the TV on and showing a variety of American cartoons dubbed in French. Eventually we snuggled in in front of the TV to watch some American Christmas movies again dubbed in French, and I realized that no matter how cheesy those ABC Family movies are, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for them.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to the Christmas market in the nearby town of Arras, and I experienced my third Christmas market of the season (preceded by many visits to the one in Lille proper and a couple to the one in Bratislava). It had much the same merchandise as the Christmas Markets I had already seen, but still, the Christmas lights everywhere and the general atmosphere of Christmas spirit made it a wonderful experience - and especially since I was with Amandine and her family. They all explained to me even more in depth about French culture and history - such as Amandine’s dad showing me a building where Maximilen de Robespierre, an influential figure in the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution (apparently right in Arras!). When we made it back to Amandine’s town, called Fournes-en-Weppes, we stopped at a place called Les 3 Brasseurs (“The 3 Brewers”), which reminded me a lot of Water Street Brewery back in the States, and had some nice flemmekueche for dinner as well as more wonderful conversation. We finally got home after dinner with full stomachs, and we slowly made our way to bed. What a great way to spend the day before Christmas eve!

A giant ornament made of lights at the Arras Christmas Market.

I had been anticipating Christmas Eve for a while, and on Wednesday it was finally upon us! Amandine and I had another luxurious morning of sleeping in (since I had been up until the wee hours of the morning chatting with my family), and then we watched some more cartoons along with breakfast (Totally Spies, anyone? :)). Amandine told me that I had to watch the second Narnia movie (Prince Caspian), since the third one would be on TV later that day, and so I more than happily agreed, and we watched Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia once again.

Soon enough, it was time to get ready for Christmas Eve Mass at 6pm, and then we walked down the street and around the corner to get to the town church. It was wonderful to participate in mass with Amandine and her family, and it was especially nice to see the relationships the people of the town have with each other - everybody seemed to have close friends all over town, and it warmed my heart to see all the catching-up and chatting going on seemingly between everyone. We then made our short way back home, had some dinner, and watched some more French-dubbed movies (Shark Tale and Toy Story 2), and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the French instead of English.

Christmas Eve mass.

Throughout the evening, I got Snapchats from my mom and sisters of our house back home with all its Christmas decorations, and especially the Christmas tree, which made me more than a little homesick, because as I’ve told my family numerous times, my absolute favorite thing to do at Christmas is when night falls, to sit in the living room with the tree all decorated with ornaments, garlands, and lights, and just bask in the Christmas glow. (Side note: my family got a real tree this year for the first time in a while, and I missed it! Oh well… I can’t really do much complaining, as I chose to spend Christmas in Europe - and oh how wonderful it has been!) Just before I went to sleep, I worked on my blog for a little bit (and fought through the slowness that my computer has decided to impose on itself), and then when my eyes started to droop, I snuggled in and fell asleep.

Then came Christmas Day! We actually had to get up earlier in the morning, so Amandine and I reluctantly got dressed and ready for the day, and I got to meet Amandine’s lovely sister, Audrey, who very kindly fixed Amandine’s hair and mine in some adorable curls. Before I knew it, many of Amandine’s relatives were flooding in the door, and I met so many people that day, and I certainly had my share of bises (cheek kisses typical in France for greeting new people)! We all sat down for a grand luncheon at the dining room table, and we shared lots of conversation in French, and I got in some great practice of my own French listening and speaking abilities.

All the members of the family present had their turns asking me all about my family, my studies, and my hobbies, and in turn, I listened to their extensive conversation about various subjects. We had a wonderful meal with many amuses-bouches (hors d’oeuvres) - including the traditional foie gras - along with a wide selection of cheeses, and with a spectacular dessert of another French traditional food: bûche de Noël - a yule log rolled cake. At the end of the meal, presents were distributed, and Amandine and her family were nice enough to even get me a couple of presents! I was touched, and I can’t wait until Alex gets here with a special surprise for Amandine and her family :). The rest of the day was spent finishing interesting conversations with and saying goodbye to relatives, digesting all the wonderful food we had eaten at lunch, and having our own discussions about how Christmas traditions differ between the United States and France. Oh, and I can’t forget - I did Skype into a Christmas celebration with my mom’s side of the family! It was so nice to say hello to everyone from France. I’ll see you all in no time :) Soon enough, I had to get myself to sleep, because early the next morning, I would be making my way to Paris.

 L-R: Amandine's sister Audrey, Amandine, and me.

Just the beginning of our wonderful Christmas Day luncheon!

Bûche de Noël - the traditional French dessert at Christmas.

I had received an email from the Spanish Consulate in Paris saying that they had approved all my paperwork, and they invited me to come back to Paris so that they could place the visa in my passport. Amandine’s dad very nicely woke up early and took me to the train station to catch my train to Paris at 6:40AM, and then before I knew it I was on my way. (At this point, I’m pretty used to traveling to Paris by myself - even navigating the metro!) After the one-hour train ride to the Gare du Nord, I made my way on the metro to the Spanish Consulate (and I finally figured out how to get a day pass on the metro instead of just 10 one-way tickets). Once I got there before 11:00AM, they told me to leave my passport and come back before 1:30PM to pick it up.

Gare du Nord train station in Paris. Such Christmas spirit!

I took advantage of the time I had to make my way to Sacré-Coeur, the famous white basilica on the top of the hill, taking photos all the way up the hill. When I entered the church, I looked and walked around for a few minutes and eventually just sat for a while in a pew, taking in all the mosaics and all the beauty. I actually took advantage of the opportunity to go to confession, since I hadn’t been to Mass in a while (and had purposely skipped it) and hadn’t been to confession in longer. It certainly was interesting trying to go through something as personal and humbling as confession with the added obstacle of speaking in French, but I just used the words I knew, and the priest was very nice, which made it a little less intimidating. Afterwards, I made my way back down the hill, past a whole street packed with tourist shops, and on the metro to the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs-Élysées. On my way down the famous avenue, I saw the Paris Christmas Market, which was unsurprisingly more commercial than any of the three I had seen before, but nonetheless it was still a nice sign of Christmas and the holiday spirit.

The famous basilica on a hill, Sacré Coeur. So beautiful.

Breathtaking views looking out from the basilica.

Arc de Triomphe

Finally, I went back to the Consulate with plenty of time to spare, and got my passport and everything - I finally had my Spanish visa! (It only took a few different times going to Paris to get it right.) I had bought a return ticket for a later time, but it turns out I was ready to leave hours before my ticket, and so I grabbed my ticket and hopped on an earlier train, and got back to Lille with time to spare, where Amandine and her father picked me up to take me home. When we got back, we had dinner, and then we settled in to watch La Reine des Neiges! Unfortunately I was a little too tired to stay awake for the last half, and so once the movie was over we all sleepily made our way up the stairs and into our beds. What a long day - but what a relief, to finally be all set for next semester!

Saturday and Sunday were more relaxed, just as vacation should be. Amandine showed me her Zumba DVDs and we actually did some Zumba a little later (which I was VERY excited for!), and I worked on my blog a little more. And then, at midnight, I Skyped into another Christmas celebration, this time with my dad’s side of the family! It was once again so nice to chat with everyone, and it almost felt like I was there with everyone (as I would have been had I only been abroad for this semester). I had to speak softly, as everyone else where I was was asleep, but I said a quick hi to the many people at the party, and then chatted with my family for a few minutes before making my way up to bed. Then on Sunday, we went to a birthday party for one of Amandine’s cousins, Élisa, and I had a wonderful time meeting even more of Amandine’s family! Once we had lunch and Élisa opened her gifts, we all went up to her room and started on a 3-D puzzle of the Empire State Building that she had just received as a present. It was another great time to practice my French, but more importantly, I felt so welcome as the +1 to Amandine’s family, which was wonderful. We then returned home, where I tried to post pictures from last week, but unfortunately my computer has been acting up lately, and so I was not successful. But overall, the weekend was wonderful, and here I am.

Playing with Élisa's stuffed animals :)

This Christmas break has been magical so far! I’ve gotten to immerse myself in purely authentic French culture, practice my French, and spend time with some of the kindest people I know. I still have at least a few days left here at Amandine’s house, but I’m already so grateful to have had this opportunity. As the days pass, I’m getting more and more excited about Spain next semester, but mostly I can’t wait for Alex to get here! I haven’t really been able to push the concept of the future in my mind past that point - when Alex gets here. Which, by the way, will be New Year’s Day, January 1 - I hope she has the chance to see some fireworks from the plane! Anyways. I’m off to enjoy what I have left of my break, and I will write you all next week. Until then, à bientôt!

P.S. Facebook users, for more pictures click here!

Week 17: Finals, goodbyes, and Slovakia!

The last of my finals have come and gone, and here I sit, relaxed and relieved. I've said some temporary goodbyes to some great friends, and I’ve finally found a moment to sit down and write for this week… which has included a trip to Slovakia!

Monday and Tuesday were the last days of my final exams. On Monday I pounded out lots of paragraphs for Interculturality, History of French Literary Movements, and my French Writing Workshop. They all went better than expected, and the hope is that I finish out the semester with great grades! (I’ll be finding out my exact results toward the end of January, or so I’ve heard.) In the evening, I booked some very cheap transport for a trip to Lisbon with Fatima, to go visit Karla, our Portuguese friend! I cannot WAIT for that weekend. On Tuesday I had my final exam for Intercultural Communications after a brief meeting with the housekeeper of my residence to ensure that I hadn’t broken anything in my room, and then in the evening I hosted a farewell dinner at my residence! It was such a great way to celebrate the great times that we had had during the semester, and we all had such an amazing time. Facebook users, see the photos here!

What a wonderful dinner it was. Great times shared with all. <3

Hijacking the American picture!

Going out after dinner, to celebrate all the good times. 

Then, on Wednesday, I started my big trip to Slovakia! Linda, one of my Slovak friends, was kind enough to agree to put me up for four nights at her home not too far outside Bratislava, and show me around the city. Linda and Milan had already been planning to return home to Slovakia over the break, and when I found out that the flight they had booked worked with my schedule, I immediately pounced on the opportunity - after all, who wouldn’t want to visit the land their ancestors came from years ago? So I packed my little suitcase, went to the bus station to meet up with Linda and Milan to catch a bus to Brussels Charleroi, and from there hopped on a Ryanair plane. When we got to the airport, Linda’s and Milan’s parents were waiting, and I had the pleasure of meeting all of them. After a lovely dinner and trying a little of Linda’s dad’s favorite cognac as well as some authentic slivovica, I made my way up to bed to get my beauty sleep for the next day.

Since I had known that some of my Slovak ancestors at one point lived in Trenčin, I had requested that we go there during my five-day stay, and Linda graciously agreed. So, in the morning, we hopped on the train for around an hour or so, and we stepped out into the city.

Main train station in Bratislava.

Dobry den, Trenčin!

We first just walked around a while to get our bearings, and then we made our way to the Christmas Market. It was about the size of the one in Lille, if a little bigger, but we found some really neat things there. I hand-picked some souvenirs, and we window-shopped around for a while. We got some cigansku for lunch, which was a like a Slovak version of kebab, and before we left I made sure to grab some warm medovina, the best honey wine in the world. Before I knew it (after more than a few stairs), we were on our way up to the castle on top of the hill, taking in the beautiful sights and the ancient history - including the story of a well of love into which many people are said to have wished for their own fairytale ending. It was such a wonderful experience, getting to see where part of my family once lived, long ago.

Trenčin Christmas Market!

Enjoying some mulled wine and the Slovak atmosphere

Almost all the way up to the castle entrance!

Looking up at the main building.

The Well of Love!

Breathtaking views of the whole city.

Soon enough, our time in Trenčin came to an end, and we hopped on the train back to Bratislava. Milan joined us a few stops later, and we made our way to the city center to see the Christmas Market in all its glory. I had seen a picture of the Bratislava Christmas Market on Facebook before arriving, but the photo hardly did it justice - it was such a wonderful experience! It really helped me to get in the Christmas spirit! (Despite the fact that the temperature for the entire weekend frequently reached 60 degrees Fahrenheit, haha.) After a leisurely stroll, we met up with a good friend of Linda’s, and we all made our way to a restaurant aptly named The Slovak Pub, where I got to try some bryndzove halušky, little pasta dumplings with a typical Slovak cheese on top. It was delicious! And a great way to start the night. We made our way over to Bratislava castle, where we enjoyed the views of the city and had one hell of a night (starting with some borovička and Sprite, then a bar chatting with friends, a heart attack over my presumed-lost passport which turned out to be just fine/completely unwarranted in the end, and a drum & bass club into the wee hours of the morning). At the end of the night we caught a cab and crashed back at Linda’s place.

Bratislava Christmas Market. What a cool place!

Zlaty Bažant (Golden Pheasant) beer, brewed in Slovakia. Because, of course. Na zdravie!

Bryndzove halušky. It was delicious!

First taste of borovička :)

It was glorious getting to sleep in in the morning, and we got to relax well into the afternoon, watching Dodgeball. After a nice, sunny, relaxing afternoon, we returned to the city center, this time to meet more of Linda’s friends, and we had a blast exploring the ancient Christmas market. We made our way back to the modern Christmas Market, where I tried some frndžalica, a mix of medovina with a little bit of slivovica, and had some lakša, potato crepes, for dinner. After a few turns around the ice rink (on skates that were almost dangerously dull), we made our way out for another night on the town, filled with tequila, hruškovica (pear spirit), becherovka, and my first taste of Jaeger. And of course, we all danced the night away to more drum & bass! (I learned very fast how much Linda loves that kind of music, and definitely got lots of exposure to it over the weekend. It was a cool experience that definitely opened my ears to new-to-me music!) After a night full of dancing and partying, we crashed at a friend’s place for what was left of the night.

Ancient Christmas Market - right across the highway from the castle.

Christmas Market round 2

In the morning, Linda’s parents came and picked us up, and we were informed of our plans for the day: a day trip to Austria to do some shopping! We went to a gigantic shopping center not too far across the Austrian border, and we spent a few hours in Primark (the best department store in Europe! or at least the cheapest, haha). Linda’s dad informed me that this was a once-a-year kind of occasion, so  after having lunch, we all browsed around, picked out our select clothes items, and made our purchases. After Linda’s parents got a few groceries, we all got back in the car and headed back to Bratislava, where we had an absolutely lovely dinner. Then, thanks to the wonderful wifi, we were actually able to Skype my grandparents! This sounds a little random, but for those of you who don’t know, my mom’s dad is fluent in Slovak, and so I thought it would be cool for him to speak in Slovak with Linda and her parents. It was fun, and they even discussed the association of which my grandpa is President, the Wisconsin Slovak Historical Association! All in all, it was a pretty great way to spend a Saturday, and certainly a great Saturday in Slovakia!

Slovak-Austrian border!

After some discussion the previous day, on Sunday we headed out to see some last sights in and around the city. Our first stop was a very windy one: a priehrada (dam) on a very big river. It was incredibly blustery there, but it was worth it to see the kayak course that they have there. Apparently Slovaks are really good at kayaking, as in they get medals in the Olympics most every time. (You learn something new every day, I guess!) Then we drove by the Rusovce mansion, which will apparently be the residence of the President of the Slovak Republic in the not-too-distant future, and we stopped by and looked around a little bit. We also stopped at another shopping center, this one a little smaller than the Austrian one, and Linda and I set out to find a book for me to learn Slovak, but unfortunately the only such book the store offered was too expensive and not very good quality, and so I passed on it for the moment (but I still do want to learn Slovak!). I did end up getting some Christmas cards for certain Slovak-speaking people in my family, and then we made our way back to Linda’s place, where we had a wonderful lunch, and Linda’s mom was so kind as to give me an early Christmas present! And I tried the last new type of alcohol for the weekend, demänovka. The last event of my trip was to go on a pretty long walk through nature with Anabelle, Linda’s dog, and the family, during which Linda and I discussed the Slovak language, teaching and teachers, and I incessantly asked Linda how to say this and that in Slovak. We eventually made our way back home so I could collect my things, and then it was off to the airport and on my way back to France. Overall, the weekend was an amazing combination of partying and experiencing my heritage as it exists today!

Right by the Rusovce mansion, there was this building that belongs to a Slovak organization that keeps traditions alive in the current community. How cool to see an organization doing something that I've basically been doing for all my life!

The dam. It was quite a windy day!

A nice long walk in the woods.

Overall, I’m both glad and sad to see that my semester in Lille is already over. I have no idea how it passed by so fast! I was told all year long before I left for Europe that my time would fly by, and of course my first two years of college have flown by...but I guess it’s just another taste of reality to keep my feet on the ground and my head out of the clouds. But it is good to have a break and get to travel a bit - it just keeps reminding me how much I’m blessed and so lucky to be having this whole experience. It’s definitely a cool experience having been in a country I’m interested in getting to know, but not knowing the language (thank goodness for my wonderful guide, Linda!). It makes me appreciate all the more all my time in France, and gives me motivation to seize the opportunity I still have left in France to speak French. And this trip to Slovakia has definitely renewed my interest in learning the Slovak language! I’ve tried to do so a couple times before on my own, but I hope now to actually realize my goal of having at least a functional knowledge of the Slovak language. And with that, I’m off to pack up all my bags and move to Amandine’s house for the next week and a half or so for Christmas - I can’t wait to see what comes next! Until next week - à bientôt!

P.S. Facebook users, click here for more photos of my Slovakia trip!

Week 16: An international finals week

This is it. Finals week. (Or at least the start of it, anyway.) I have lots of studying to be done still, and so this week has been relatively low-key…except for a few international dinners with friends from so many different countries! What a week it has been.

On Monday, as I mentioned last week, I had Teaching French as a Foreign Language class in the morning for three hours, and then I had the exam for the class in the afternoon, which ended up being an oral exam with 15 minutes of preparation for 5 different questions and then 15 minutes of talking. I did just about how I thought I would, if a little better…we’ll see how my grade turns out when I get that back. After the exam was over, the only plan I had for the evening was to make a cake for the lovely Yuli, who would soon be leaving to travel Europe with her family. A few friends and Yuli and I all got together and reminisced about all the good times we had had during the semester, and we ended up having a great night.

On Tuesday, I had my two intercultural studies classes, which were both reviews for the exams, and those were both pretty information-heavy and therefore pretty boring on the whole… but I did have a nice break in between the two classes, so at least I didn’t have four straight hours of statistics and theories and facts about intercultural communication. Dina and Ellen then came over to study for one of the intercultural studies classes, which I really appreciated because I always retain information better when I get a chance to talk it through with others. After that, there was the German dinner, made by Anna, Dina, and Nele, which was absolutely marvelous! It was all so delicious, and we shared an interesting discussion during the meal about differences in German and Austrian culture, and different cultures in general. And lots of laughs of course (but that was mainly just me :)). It was also a really cool event because there were so many people! A lot of people came from my residence, and also others were invited, and we all had a great time with great food. A cultural experience with interesting and wonderful people – what more could you ask for from a Tuesday night? (Facebook users, for more photos, click here!)

A bunch of friends around a German table for the night. Such fun!

The beautiful meal: Schnitzel, dumplings, red cabbage, and sauerkraut.

The chefs hard at work!

And to finish the meal, some lovely chocolate and hot cocoa.

I had basically nothing to do on Wednesday, and so I spent a lot of the day holed up in my room trying to catch up on my blog. It kind of worked – I got two or three entries written that had been holding me up (amongst getting distracted by Facebook). It was nice to feel like I was doing something at least semi-productive. The one thing I had had planned for Wednesday was another international dinner, this time Japanese, and then a Secret Santa exchange afterward! This time the chefs were the wonderful Ayano, Kana, and Willy, and they made us a wonderful meal of sticky rice, eggplant with ginger, and other Japanese delicacies. It was another event with lots of people, and it was another fun night! It is so cool learning about other cultures through food, and it’s just the best when your friends are the amazing people willing to teach you about their culture. What a great night. (For more photos, click here!)

We all got to help make rice balls!

The chefs plating their wonderful food :)

All of us together.

Secret Santa gifts!

Speaking of cultural experiences, the most interesting part of my Thursday this week was going to a LOSC football game! LOSC stands for Lille Olympique Sporting Club, and it’s the soccer team of the city. Apart from an exam in French to English Translation class that afternoon that I feel I did pretty well on, this soccer game was the best part of my day! Even though LOSC ended up losing, it was my first European soccer game, and so I enjoyed cheering with the fans and watching the opposing team try to get their cheers in as well. It was all good fun, and my friends and I had a great night!

The stadium - or, in French, Le Stade Pierre Mauroy

The field (pitch?)

LOSC fans waving their spirit flags

The main event of my Friday was a grueling four-hour final exam on 17^th century French literature, which went alright. I don’t think I was as coherent as I was on the midterm, but we’ll see how it pans out. Saturday was similarly bland, with the high point being a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup for dinner (and my low point was actually sitting down and trying to study… oops). So my weekend got off to a vanilla start, but Sunday was a little more interesting. I headed to the market with Rob in the morning to grab some supplies for the upcoming Farewell Dinner for our friends that I’ve just started planning (thanks to the idea from Manon and Amandine!). After a long walk all the way to the Wazemmes market and back and a lovely chat, I headed to mass at the Cathedral, which I really enjoyed. When mass finished, I headed to a nice brunch with Manon at Paul right in the Grand’Place, where we talked about our friends’ impending departures and her imminent trip to America, and in fact she will be going to my school for the next semester! And so finished my weekend, along with some studying sprinkled in along the way.

So, finals “week” has gotten off to an okay start. Christmas break is almost all set as far as travel plans go, and I’m very excited! I can’t wait to see what Christmas in Europe brings – hopefully all the best and then some. With finals officially started, it’s difficult to think about anything else, and so I’m off to go study (and make some more travel plans). Have a great week everyone, and à bientôt!