The First Four Days...

Ok, there is a lot to write about, but let me start with the fact that everything is wonderful and beyond my imaginiation! Second, French keyboards are different, ex. the "a" and "q" are switched, you have to shift to type numbers, and you have to shift to type the period, not to mention that the blogger control panel is in French too, therefore, be patient with me. OK, now the plane ride:

It was mostly boring. The flight to Detroit was on schedule, and after that we had a three hour lay-over in Detroit (though some of the students had been there since 3:00, and we were scheduled to leave at 9:00 pm) that turned into a six hour layover when there was a mechanical problem. To pass the time, a few of the other exchangers and I rode the indoor train (which only went a few hundred yards before stopping) and ran through the tunnel that connects the other terminals together (it was a cool tunnel, with illuminated walls that changed color to the music that was playing). The flight was about 7 hours long, and mostly during the night, I had a seat in the middle of the plane, so I couldn't see out, it was pretty boring. When we arrived in Paris, we got off the plane and instead of being at a terminal, we were on the runway, where a bus met us and took us on a 15 minute ride around the airport, finally dropping us off at a terminal at ground level. We got our passports stamped and then went to claim our baggage. Then, we walked through some doors, and there were all of the French host families cheering and waving signs (there were about 25 exchangers on the plane, so you can imagine how many people were there). Dominique found me very quickly and took me to Frederique, Guillaume, and Danelle who is an Austrailian exchanger they brought along to help me the first day (although Dominique speaks English very well, and Guillaume too). It turned out to be a good idea, for although I understood much of what they said to me, and they understood what I said to them, Danelle was able to tell me, in more specific and clearer detail, what was going on. The Mamez's explained that, for my first day in France, we would go for a ride down the Champs-Elysses and around the Arc-de-Triomphe, perhaps stopping for a quick lunch on the way. (Additionally, we didn't have to go through customs, as there was none, so if you want to fly into Paris, I suggest De Gaulle Airport).

In Paris.

The airport was a little out side Paris, so as we were driving in, there was a lot of country-side that turned into suburbs and finally into the city. We drove past Sacre-Coeur, a magnificent white Church on a hill over looking Paris. Then, it was down to the Champs-Elysses, which is wonderful, and very large, Paris. I noticed that, unlike New York or Chicago, there are trees in the sidewalks, which, perhaps, is one of the reasons for it's rumored beauty. There are also flowers in almost every window, in the cities and in the country-side, which adds quantness and beauty to everything. We parked and Danelle, Guillaume, and I went up the Arc-de-Triomphe (there must be a million stairs in that thing! It was up, up, up, around and around and around a sprial-stone staircase) but the view was amazing. The Eiffel Tower is close-by, and you can see the towers of Notre-Dame, the Opera-Garnier, and the Musee d'Orsey from the Arc. This may be a good time to mention driving around the Etoile (the huge round-a-bout that surrounds the Arc). Ok, imagine a huge, five lane circle, around one of the most recognizable and visited monuments in the world, that connects to one of the most famous streets in the world. Now add a few thousand impatient and angry French drivers and stick shifts all around, shake well, and you'll get a ride worthy of a James Bond movie. In their defense, I think that the French are very skilled drivers to be able to navigate Paris streets without hitting anyone or thing. The stop lights are a single post on the right of the street and very hard to see, not to mention the fact that every few yards there are pedestrian crossings with lights. In the country, there are round-a-bouts, not intersections, and the roads are composed of three lanes, the middle of which changes between a lane for coming traffic and going traffic every few hundred yards. Strange. Perhaps it is the French system that causes crazy driving, not the French.

Lunch.

Ok, if you do nothing else in your life time, go to France and have a piece of bread. I am not kidding, it is THE BEST in the world. And it's good everywhere in France, the city and the country. For the record, I had a ham and swiss cheese sandwich on a baggette as my first encounter, and let me tell you about the best sandwich ever! It was 12 in by 2 in by 2 in and the ham was thickly sliced, the cheese was a perfect kind of swiss, not too bitter, not too strong. And the bread! Oh, it must be the butter of France, for, as far as I could tell, there were no witches or wizards there to cast a magical spell over the bread (unless all the French are magical, which would explain alot about their food). It was crunchy, but not hard, soft on the inside, yet substantial. So far I have had many pieces of bagette (they eat one to two every dinner and they are smaller than the ones at Panera) , one croussant (the perfect blend of sugar, flake, and butter), a pain-au-chocolat, a piece of bread with chocolat that was the single most amazing midday snack I have ever had, and a chocolate-and-bread roll type thing, also amazing. Dominique, after all of my exclamations over the bread, has suggested that I learn to make bread in France, and then open a Boulongerie (bakery) in the States. I told him I'd love to, and that I would have to import French butter all the time (which is way better than any in the States too). He laughed. Ok, enough about The Bread.

The drive home.

Ok, so on the way to Riviere Thibouville, there are many little villages, each with an old church and old houses. There are also many farms, and once you get outside Paris, the country-side looks exactly like Indiana. I'm not kidding, except for the fact that the felds are harvested and there aren't as many corn felds, it is the same. Forests, powerlines, and trees. We were listening to the radio, and on pops "Hotel California", giving me the sudden, if brief, belief that I was back in Indiana, and had not gone anywere yet. There is a lot of American music in France. In four days I have heard Michael Jackson, the Eagles, Alanis Morrisette, Usher, Avril Lavine, and, the funniest, "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen.

My new home.

Ok, so we get home and I am amazed. The Hotel is on a hill overlooking the valley and village, a very nice, old style home, whose first story is a very elegant restaurant owned by friends of the Mamez. Up a stone-spiral staircase that goes all the way to the third floor, the second floor has hotel suite (I saw inside one the other day, and it was amazing. The first room was a spacious dinning room, connected to a lavish bedroom with three huge double windows, done the hall from which was a bathroom with a hot tub sized jacuzzie and shower). The suite in which I am staying is beautiful. My room is about 20 ft by 15 ft by 15 ft, very spacious, with a fireplace of beautifully decorated wood with a huge mirror over it, wood floors, a LCD TV, mini fridge, queen-sized bed, three huge double-door windows with a beautiful view down the valley and over the town, and an hyper cool chandelier that is stainless steel with lightbulbs at the end of 16 arms; it looks like a sun). The bathroom has two sinks with really cool faucets, track lighting, a shower with six different shower heads that squirt at your body, and those cool glass bricks used in showers. Across from my room is the toilette which is separate from the bathroom. It's got a cool seat with a rat eating cheese for the lid. Sophie's room is down the hall, and is very cute as well.

The third floor is the living quarters of the Mamez's and includes a kitchen, dinning room, living room, bedroom, toilettes, and bathroom. The fourth floor is where Guillaume and Marie have their rooms, along with a computer/sitting room. It is all very spacious and I am quite mistaken if it will not be hard to leave.

Second day.

Dominique and Guillaume went with me to see a Medieval castle near the Hotel, but it was closed, so we went to Rouen instead (let me mention here that the word "Rouen" is one of the hardest words to pick out of a French sentance. It is one sound, by itself, and when pronounced correctly, comes out as a sort of nasal quack, try saying "rahn" without letting any sound excape your mouth, and you'll get it). Rouen is beautiful. We went to the great Cathedrale first and it was amazing! A huge, gothic ediface greats you when you turn the corner from the parking lot, and they have just finished cleaning most of it, so it is glittering white. Inside, a magnificent hall, lined with huge stainglass windows and towering columns, streches for (I think) more than two hundred yards. The ceiling flys above you with great, pointed arches, and you wonder how it has stayed up all these years. Dominique explained to me that in WWII, the roof fell in, but was later restored. Amazing.

Then we went to a square of anicent buildings, that is now the L'Ecole des Beax-Arts Rouen, the University for Painters, Sculpters, and other Artisans of Rouen. It surrounds a square of large trees and a cross that Dominique says was the site where a great number of people burned themselves because they had the plague and prefered a quick death to that of the plague. the ancient buildings surrounding the square were carved with skulls, crossbones, and grave-digger tools because of it. It was morbid, but so fascinating. Then it was off to the site were Joan of Arc was burned (marked by a large cross) and her new church which holds the stained glass of her old church. Dominique explained that, during WWII, the Germans wanted to destroy her Church, but the French took out the windows and hid them underground, so that, although the old Church was destroyed, the stained-glass windows were saved, and are now part of a new church. Then we went to see the famous clock of Rouen, a favorite with tourists (by the way, the French are amazingly patient with tourists, they are every where in the big cities, blocking traffic, crouding monuments and streets, and I have not heard one single complaint). Also, there was a really cool street performer who was dressed in gray, with gray face and hair, but instead of standing still the whole time, whenever someone dopped a coin in his tray, he moved like a robot, making a bunch of whirring and wistling noises, as if he were rusted. It was way cool. Lastly, we visted the Palais de Justice or the Justice Palace. It was a beautiful gothic building, and they still use it for carrying out the law. We saw a criminal being escorted inside by the police.
We went home, and had dinner at 8:30 (the French eat late) and went to bed.

The next day.

Frederique, Guillaume, and I went shopping. Not much to report except that the exchange rate is really bad, I got 71 Euros for 97 dollars, Levis are really expensive here, 70 to 100+ Euros a pair. We saw a wedding at a Cathedrale and I commented that it must be expensive to have your wedding in a monument that was so pretty and old, and Frederique said that it doesn't cost anything to use a church for a wedding in France, you only have to paid for the priest to do the services.

When we got home, Frederique and I had dinner at the restaurant, which in in the town, away from the hotel, while we watched "The March of the Penguins" (a perfect film, as there is no dialoge to be translated) and Dominique took our orders. I had duck paté, with sparkling water and salad, to start (it was very good, very sweet, cold, and served on bread), after which, I had rabbit in sauce with potatoes (it was amazing). For desert I had nougut glacé, iced nougut with rasberry dipping sauce, which was the single best desert I have ever had. It tasted like those pecan shortbread cookies, in ice cream form, with a wonderful sauce. And the portions (though not as huge as places like Denny's etc. in the States, are well sized and plenty, not the tiny things you see in movies. They have a very cool restaurant, with glasses that are angled sideways, and a toillette that has a seat made of clear plastic, covering some dangerous-looking tacks, so that you aren't quite sure if it's safe to sit down or not. After dinner, the whole family went to a club, owned by a friend of the Mamez's, (don't worry, in Dominique's words "It is not a very lively club, it is a club for us," smiling and pointing to himself and Frederique, "a club for old people," I laughed). And that's exactly how I would describe it, though it did have a plesant atmosphere.

Yesterday, we went to Etretat, on the English Channel, where there are beautiful white cliffs with green grass fields and a beach of rocks. The weather has been wonderful the whole time, not too cold, not too hot, sunny, and perfect.

Future plans include Marie returning from Corsica this Wednesday, Sophie returning from the South of Africa on Friday (the whole day of which we are going to spend in Paris, sight-seeing) and going back to school on Moday, which, I have learned, is not a business school, but a regular French high school were, I have been informed, I will study Premiere (12th grade) L (the literature track-sorry mom and dad, I didn't have a choice).

I could go into more detail, but I've been on the computer for three hours now, and my bum hurts! Hope you guys are having fun, (I'm having a blast).

Much love,
Tara

PS: I'll probably write every week or so from now on. The computer is in the restaurant and a little slow, so don't expect daily journal entries.