International Night

Last night we had so much fun at our apartment building. We decided to have a potluck and have everyone bring their favorite food, something from their heritage, or really, just anything they wanted. Since we don't have a lot of room, I decided I'd do a desert that didn't need the stove, and spent the beginning of the night helping Jenn make Bruschetta (a challenge without an oven, but we made due):

In the end, we had a fantastic meal. There were Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, American, French, and many more foods represented and everything was delicious. This is just one of the three tables of food! James and I made American Root Beer floats (well, Coke floats because we couldn't find Root Beer at the grocery store):

It was so much fun, and we invited several French classmates over to enjoy the feast, but I don't have any of those pictures yet because I was busy in the kitchen. Sorry for the short post, but it's late and I have an early class. Much love to you all!

Comments Update

Just a quick FYI about comments. Comments now must be approved by me before they go through. I've recently learned that when a blog reaches a certain readership (usually around 200 unique computers visiting the site) it becomes more susceptible to spam in the comments. As I have just reached 200, I thought I'd beat them to the punch. Speaking of, I am able to see how many different cities view my blog, and I thought it was really cool to see how many people around the world are reading along.
Since so many people are reading, I'd love to find out what you're interested in hearing about...and what you're not so interested in. As always, comments and questions are more than welcome!

My Weekend at Summer Camp

This weekend started out as a very difficult one. All 20 of the American students, went to the Ardeche region of France with 160 French students. We were at a "campsite" that was really a bunch of bungalows, and were separated into several bungalows. Simply trying to find our bungalow was difficult as 6 of the 8 girls in our bungalow speak French, and spoke French the entire time. French still sounds mostly like jibberish to me, so I had to rely on their intonations and gestures to understand what was going on. After we got settled, we were split into 10 groups for some team building games. The first two rotations were much like the bungalow experience, where 2 of the girls would translate for Michelle (the other American in my group) and I, but soon I was understanding more as they transitioned into "Frenglish". As difficult, taxing, and stressful as it was, I think it was really beneficial as it forced me to pick up more French. Here are some pictures of the games, including the traditional French game of Petanque.We then had a rowdy dinner that included renditions of the French and American national anthems. And a soiree which was a great way for us to meet and interact with the French students. After brunch on Sunday, we spent the late morning and early afternoon at the beautiful and expansive pool/waterfalls/slides/wave pools.
It was a really fun weekend, and it was nice to have today to get some much needed sleep and plan for the upcoming trips. Sorry about the lack of pictures, we were so busy that there wasn't much time. Also, we've been at sort of a loss this week in terms of cooking. Ovens are not considered a necessity in French kitchens, so we've been making a lot of stir fry dishes. If anyone has any great stove-top or no oven recipes, please send them my way! (elizabeth.erratt@gmail.com) Thanks! Much love you all.

Cheese Tasting

On Wednesday, about half of us (plus Paul, Sharon, and Helen) went to a nearby Fromagerie for a cheese tasting. For 5 Euros, we got to try and learn about 12 different kinds of cheese, 2 different wines, and learn about pairing the wine with the cheese, and of course, bread. Here's a sampling of the cheeses Jean-Claude (the shop owner) had:Everyone thought it was very funny that I was taking notes at the cheese shop. But, I wanted to remember their names so that I could purchase them.A group shot:I ended up buying Comte and a French Chèvres. They were fantastic, and resulted in a great lunch the next day:Tomorrow, we head to the Ardeche with CEFAM for an Integration weekend. So, look for those pictures on Sunday.

Gaudi Day

We named our second day in Barcelona "Gaudi Day" as most everything we did was in some way connected to Gaudi. The morning started off with Dunkin Donuts, something we don't have in France. Next, we maneuvered the Spanish bus system and went to Park Guell. Here, is a beautiful and expansive park with buildings and sculptures designed by Gaudi:

Including the world's largest park bench:
We then had a lunch of traditional Spanish tapas, and decided to wander towards some Gaudi buildings that we had seen on our bus trip. We ended up taking a tour of Casa Mila, a beautiful apartment building that Gaudi designed.

Even the chimneys are architecturally gorgeous!
Then, we walked over to Sagrada Familia. This is a stunning church that has been called the "world's most visited construction site." The design is so intricate and ornate, it's been under construction since 1882.

We decided to head near the restaurant that we were going to have dinner at. This restaurant had RAVE reviews. While still in the states, Caitlin randomly met a girl while in line at a store. This girl had studied abroad in Italy and after learning that we were studying in France, said that if we ever make it to Barcelona, we have to go to this restaurant. Since it was so bizarre that she recommended a Barcelona restaurant, we knew it must be good. The guidebook said that there were lines, so we decided to go to the plaza where the restaurant is early. The restaurant opened at 8:30 and by 7:15, there were 60 people in line! Here's a picture of part of the line at 8:15:The food was DELICIOUS and really inexpensive. The perfect way to wrap up our amazing weekend in Barcelona.

We interupt your regular schedule programing

Izzy's internet is currently down. She shall continue posting about Barcelona tomorrow. Remember to email her questions for her Thursday QnA.

Adoro Barcelona

Wow. What a weekend. This was the perfect first weekend trip. Barcelona quickly became one of my favorite places in our quick trip. I'm going to break this up into two entries. Today, I'll talk about our first day: Saturday. Caitlin, James, and I got in Friday night, had a great dinner, checked into hostal number 1, and went to bed. Saturday, we woke up very early to check into another hostal which had better reviews. The woman working there didn't know if the people in the triple were planning on leaving, so she told us to come back at 11:30. This gave us some time to exploring. First, we headed to the Boqueria Market. I know that I said Annecy's market surpassed Lyon's, but this one takes the cake. I don't know how any market could be more diverse and fun than this one.
And they had tons of interesting and delicious looking foods:After checking in, we headed to the Picasso museum. I don't have any pictures of this for obvious reasons, but let me tell you, it was amazing. They have over 3,600 pieces of Picasso's art, starting from his childhood doodles. After spending quite a bit of time admiring his works, we went to the Chocolate Museum. This didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it was really fun! They had chocolate sculptures:And, of course, a chocolate cafe, that we had to indulge in!
On our way to our next destination, we stumbled upon the Arc de Triomf, a beautiful arch built for the 1888 Universal Exposition:
After this, we went to the Teleferic de Montjuic. Here, we took a cable car across to Montjuic. It was well worth the hour wait! We got to see the city from a completely different vantage point, saw the Mediterranean for the first time, and had a great time!

From there, we went to the Olympic Stadium. They allow you to go in and see the stadium, which was pretty fun:

We saw this beautiful building from the stadium and thought we should see what it was. It turns out it is the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya. We didn't have time to go in because we were starving, but we were able to admire the architecture:

After that, we went back to Las Ramblas, a very fun street market near our hostal, grabbed dinner, and went to bed. It was a very fun, and very exhausting day. I'll blog about Sunday tomorrow.

Also, since I received a couple of emails about how much you liked the Q&A, I think I'll do it every Thursday since it's such a busy day, that'll be an easy thing for me to do. So, leave comments or send me emails (elizabeth.erratt@gmail.com) with any questions you have about what I've been up to, what I'm experiencing, the French food, culture, anything really. Much love!

The French...

Leaving for Barcelona tomorrow, so this won't be as long as I'd like. I just wanted to share some of my first impressions of the French and their culture.

One of my favorite things is that they have Boulangeries (Bakeries) on every block, most of the time there are several on a block. They're more frequent here than Starbucks back home! Here's a picture of the Boulangerie right downstairs of our apartment. We'll usually go down and grab a pastry in the morning and get a baguette on the way home. James has made me do all of the ordering so that I can practice my French.
Speaking of speaking French, the people of Lyon have been so helpful with this. I know the French have a stereotype of being rude, but I think most people would be rude if you came up to them and began speaking a language that was difficult for them. I've been trying to order and speak in French, but everyone here has been so great about speaking slowly and speaking "Frenglish" so that I can understand.

This is a random anecdote, but the dogs here are so well behaved. None of them are on leashes, and this one just sits inside the Butcher shop all day, not tied up and never moving from his spot.

In terms of fashion, everyone is so well dressed. One of the first days we got here, my friend Masin and I went to the bakery downstairs in our sweats. BIG MISTAKE. I have never been glared at more in my life. We definitely felt out of place. Even if they're just running to the grocery store, they are always dressed up. Here's a picture of me in the jeans we bought to look more European. After we dissect their fashion a little more, I can post more.
It's fascinating to me what my classmates think about America. In my American History class (taught by a German professor) each student was asked why they want to study American management and work in America. Some answers include: I want to make a lot of money, I want to move to the Promise Land, I want opportunity, everything is possible in America, I love the language, I want to be successful. He then asked us to respond to this, and our general consensus was that they had a very idealistic view of America, but that you can be successful, it will just take a lot of hard work. In France, they're accustomed to having 2 hour lunches and taking the entire month of August off. I think we gave them a pretty good idea of the differences. It's been fun meeting our French classmates, they all want to practice their English with us and learn all about life in the US, so we're becoming quick friends.

I wrote a lot more than I was planning on! I better get to bed. Sorry, no blogs until I get back on Monday. I'll write about classes next week too. Leave comments!

Questions and Answers

Not much time to post, so I thought I'd answer some questions that have popped up in comments and emails:

I feel like I should know but CEFAM?? stands for?
CEFAM stands for the Centre d'Etudes Franco Americain de Management. It's the name of the school we are studying at. Basically, it's an American Management school for people from all over the world. The students are required to spend part of their collegiate time studying and working in the US. More on that later- I have some very interesting information about their views of the US.

The floor differences- what do they have like a ground floor- then start numbering on the 1st floor?
Yep. They have a ground floor, called the Rez de Chaussee. So, if you ever want to go to the ground floor and you're on the elevator, you'll want to push the button for "RC" or "RDC"

that keyboard is weird. i wonder what the reasoning was for keeping most of the letters in the same places except the edge.
Like Julia mentioned in the comments, the letters are placed for ease when typing in French. They're located in the best and most convenient places for that language.

Why are their coffees named different things?
Here's all I could find on that subject:

The French coffee drinks

• Café (kuh-fay) is plain coffee with nothing added, but is strong as it is brewed like espresso.
• Café au lait (kuh-fay oh-lay) is a popular French coffee style that has been popularized in America, as it's served in tres francais New Orleans at Café du Monde. In France, this is simply coffee with steamed milk, and it's almost always wonderful. You will sometimes get the coffee served in one pot or in the cup, and then a pitcher of steamed milk to pour in as you please.
• Café crème (kuh-fay khremm) is, as it sounds, coffee served in a large cup with hot cream.
• Café Décafféiné (kuh-fay day-kah-fay-uhn-ay) is decaffeinated coffee. You will still need to tell them you want milk (lait) or cream (crème) with your coffee.
• Café Noisette (kuh-fay nwah-zett) is espresso with a dash of cream in it. It is called "noisette," French for hazelnut, because of the rich, dark color of the coffee.
• Café Americain (kuh-fay uh-meyhr-uh-kan) is filtered coffee, similar to traditional American coffee.

Dad said he couldn't post so I am testing without signing in...if it works he can leave you messages too :)
Anyone should be able to leave comments. If you're not a google or blogger member, you can use the Anonymous or Other settings.

I want to know what kind of clothes you bought or will buy so that you don't look so "American". I'm sure you will include some pictures.
Tomorrow, after my French culture class, I plan on writing about my observations of the French culture and will include pictures and observations of their fashion. If you want to know anything specific about my experiences with the French culture, ask in the comments or in an email and I'll be sure to include it in tomorrow's post.

I'm making tacos for everyone this evening, so I better get to grocery shopping! I'll leave you with a couple of pictures. The first is a group shot from Annecy. And the second is a picture of one of the subways we take to class each day. But, this one has no driver! It was rather disconcerting the day we figured that out, but it's pretty cool none the less.

CEFAM

In honor of my first day of classes tomorrow, I thought I'd post about our school here. It is a very small school with 208 students in total. The building has a library...with no books. All of the CEFAM classes, and those of 16 other schools are housed in this building:

The big group of people standing right outside form what we've named "the wall of cancer". There are always tons of kids standing outside and smoking. It is very frustrating.

The CEFAM classes are on the 3rd floor (that's the 4th floor to people from "The States"). Here's a picture looking down from the 3rd floor.

And, for Megan: Here's a French keyboard.

It looks very similar but has proven to be very difficult to use. The 'A' and the 'Q' are particularly confusing, along with the 'M'. You're all sitting at the computer comparing now, aren't you?

Sorry for the short post this evening, but I have an 8 am class. Pictures and stories about the French style, attitude, and customs coming soon! Also, my apologies for the slow responses to emails, our internet isn't always that great here, and I know I can reach more people this way. As always, please leave comments. Much love.

French Cafes and Quiet Sundays

UPDATE: Comments have been fixed! So, feel free to leave one.

This weekend has been pretty relaxed, definitely the only quiet weekend we'll have!

Saturday we met up with Sharon and Helen. Sharon and her husband, Paul, are basically our surrogate parents while we're here. They've been so great helping us with anything and everything we need. Helen is their amazing 15 year old daughter who is always willing to translate and help out. Anyway, Sharon and Helen met us at Part Deux, a huge mall, where we did a little bit of shopping so we don't look so "Americain". After we were shopped out, Helen went with Caitlin, James and I to the travel agency to purchase tickets for this weekend's trip to Barcelona (!!) and our trip to Paris in a couple of weeks. We then took Helen out for a cup of coffee at a cute cafe around the corner from their apartment. Here are James, Caitlin, and I enjoying our coffee:
Today, we woke up late as result of still being in the wrong time zone, and didn't leave the apartment until close to 2. We thought we'd wander around and check out the shops and cafes around us, but soon we realized that EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays. We found one cafe that was open and ordered a cappuccino, which is what we consider a coffee. (If you were to order a coffee, they'd give you a shot of espresso).

After our coffee, we decided to go to a park. Now, yesterday, Masin and I had seen a map of Lyon and there was this really neat looking park with a lake in the middle. We had no idea how far it was, but knew the general direction, so we decided to check it out. It was a lot further than we thought, but definitely worth the hour walk. The park was huge and bustling! We were able to sit in the grass and see people boating in the lake, walk around the gardens, and just relax. It was really quite fun.


The rest of the night has been pretty quiet as some people start classes tomorrow. In the coming days I'll post pictures of our school building (Megan- I'm taking pictures of the keyboards tomorrow!) and Villeurbanne, the suburb we live in.

Annecy

This morning, we woke up very early to get into Lyon and catch a train to Annecy. To give you an idea, Annecy is a city in the Rhone-Alps region of east central France (Lyon is in the same region), on the shores of Lake Annecy, 22 miles south of Geneva. We have this great card called a 12/25 card that gets us 50% off most train tickets, so it was really fairly inexpensive to explore today.

When we got to Annecy, we walked around and wound up at one section of Thiou, Annecy's famous canal:
We then stumbled upon a market that put Lyon's to shame! It was huge and filled with people and vendors. The vendor's booths were also very unique in the way each one was set up and decorated.

We then went up to the Chateau d'Annecy, which had breathtaking city views

Then we wandered back down to the canals and walked around down there and found a place to eat near the beautiful Palais de I'lsle which "was the primary residence of the Lord of Annecy as early as the 12th century, and later became the Count of Geneva’s administrative headquarters, then alternately a courthouse, the Mint, and finally a jail, from the Middle Ages until 1865 and once again during World War II."
After lunch, we checked out Lake Annecy and got some beautiful pictures of the scenery and the Jardin de l'Europe d'Annecy.
After that, we got come ice cream, did some souvenir shopping, and caught a 5 o'clock train back to Lyon. We were actually scheduled for 7 o'clock train, but with all the walking we did, and being out late at dinner last night - by the way, most French dinners don't start until 8 and then last several hours - we were so tired, that we caught an earlier trip back. We're all pretty exhausted as the week comes to a close, so it's been a quiet night here. I'm meeting some really great people and friendships are forming very quickly. This weekend, it looks like we're going to get everything together for classes, which start next week.