After a long day of travel, I decide to rest my weary eyes.I have big plans for my day tomorrow:I must buy a power converter and the French equivalency of a “go-phone”.Before I go to bed, my mom tells me about this store called the FNAC (it’s basically the French version of Best Buy).With no alarm clock to wake me, I awake to find that I have slept until 1:45 p.m. (or about 15 hours).A bit disappointed, I fix myself some breakfast (my mom left me a tray with some cereal, juice and coffee) and get ready to leave the apartment for the FNAC.I have mostly forgotten the directions that my mom gave me the night before, but I have every confidence that I can find the FNAC.I prepare to leave my apartment and discover that my key does not lock the door.Not wanting to leave the house unlocked, I decide not to leave just yet (it is already 3:00 p.m. and my mom will be home soon anyway). When my mom gets home, I tell her that I did not go out because my key doesn’t work.She asks me, “you pulled the handle up, didn’t you?” as if, of course, I knew that I must do so to lock the door.I tell her that I did not and she willingly escorts me to the door to show me how to lock it.Not long afterward, I go in search of the FNAC.Before leaving, mom directs me to leave the apartment and go “tout droit” (straight ahead).I, being ever so proficient in French (or so I think), proceed to go “toute à droite” (all right).I quickly become lost and begin to panic a little.After a few moments, I regain my composure and about an hour later, I find the FNAC.I shout the name out with glee when I see the signs and I am sure that the people around me think that I am completely crazy.In any event, I mosey on into the store wide-eyed.I wander around aimlessly looking at unnecessary electronic devices before finally deciding to ask someone for help.I find a nice saleslady (women are generally easier for me to understand than men and I often find them less intimidating).I explain to her what I need and after a few minutes of language difficulties, she finally figures out what I am looking for.She is EXTREMELY patient with me and leads me all around the store to gather the items on my wish list.This is, by far, the BEST customer service that I have ever received.I leave the store about 45 minutes later with my bag full of goodies feeling very proud of myself.Not only did I find the FNAC, but I managed to also find everything on my list and more or less communicate with the saleslady.Soon after exiting the FNAC, I begin to realize that I have NO idea how to get home.It is beginning to get dark and all the streets are name St. this and St. that.Everything looks the same….cobblestone streets, old buildings.I begin to panic.I stop several times to consult the maps that are conveniently located throughout the city of Angers.They are of absolutely NO value.I have NEVER been able to find the street where I need to be on the maps.It is not long before I find the Rue de la Madeline, which I know that I walked along to get to the FNAC.I am getting closer to home.I begin to second guess myself and turn down Rue Bernier instead of Rue Bourgonnier (my street).After finding number 45 (my street number), I try to stick my key in a random door.When it doesn’t work, I decide to go back down the way I came and return to Rue Bressigny.I will soon discover that EVERYTHING is on Rue Bressigny, making my efforts to promptly return home and get some shut eye before my exam tomorrow rather futile.Eventually, I find my street.After meandering around on Rue Bourgonnier for about 15 minutes and trying to stick my key in several doors, I finally find my home.To my shock, when I enter the lobby, there are no lights.I can barely see the elevator button.Luckily, the elevator is lit, but to my amazement, when I arrive on my floor, there are once again NO LIGHTS in the hallway!!!!I feel my way around and hope that I have chosen the correct apartment door in which to insert my key.My key turns and I smell the now familiar scent of my new home.I am relieved.I decide not to tell my mom of my adventure and instead brag to her about being able to find everything that I needed.She tells me to hurry up and shower so that we can eat.There is a movie coming on soon that is based on one of Proust’s books.I do so and we eat a yummy dinner of soup, quiche, and fruit salad.Then, we head over to the couch to watch the Proust movie.It is interesting, but I have a bit of trouble following the dialogue (the film takes place in the early 1920s and the vocabulary is difficult for me).Seeing the lost expression on my face, my mom tells me that the language is difficult to understand and not to worry.She tries to explain things to me as the movie goes along and I get the basic premise.I soon realize that there are NO commercials during the movie.When the movie is over, I ask my mom why there are no commercials.She is puzzled by my question and I explain to her that in the US, we have commercial breaks every 8-10 minutes.She is completely shocked and tells me that in France, they have 5 different TV stations that are public (this means that they are funded my taxes).These channels have NO commercials!The other channels have commercials in between shows, but NEVER in the middle of a show.I quickly decide that I like French TV, and she shows me the TV Guide to explain more about how the TV stations work here in France.I soon realize that the shows do not start in hour or half hour increments, but at random times.For example, a show might start at 20h12 or at 19h35!!!Oh the French.Every time I turn around, something is different.I decide to get some sleep and get ready for the placement exam in the morning.
I awake at 8:00 a.m. and find my apartment completely deserted.I look by the door and see that my mom’s keys and coat are still here.She has not even woken up yet.I go into the kitchen and see that she has not left me anything for breakfast.I soon realize why she demonstrated to me how to heat the water for coffee and fix some cereal the night before.I make a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee.I get dressed and head down the road that is supposed to lead to my school.After my experience the night before, I am apprehensive to say the least.Luckily, my intuition is right this time and I find l’Université Catholique de l’Ouest!Not knowing where I am supposed to go for the exam, I find the administration building and ask the nice lady behind the desk for the CIDEF (Centre Internationale D’Etudes Françaises) and she politely directs me to the correct building.I find the CIDEF and there is nobody there.I finally find a human and they tell me that the test is in the Hall de Balzin.A small tight-lipped woman points and tells me that it is around the corner to the right.As I leave the CIDEF and turn right, I find myself face to face with a library.This is CERTAINLY not the right place.In my frustration, I break the cardinal rule and say “Oh come on…where are you Balzin?”Luckily for me, the girls behind me speak English and we are lost together.I soon learn that they also speak French very well and eventually, we find the right building.Once there, we separate and take our seats for the exam.I have a few exchanges with an Armenian girl sitting beside me and discover that she is a French citizen, but is originally from Armenia and still has problems with the French language.She lives here in Angers and will be studying at the CIDEF this semester with me.The test begins and I become very unsure of myself when I realize that I don’t know the answers to ANY of the questions on the listening portion of the exam.I don’t hear any of the answers and the subject matter does not even seem to be the same in the recordings as on the test.After the first document is read, the director stops the CD to inform us that he has been playing the wrong disc!!!!I am extremely relieved to know that I have not, in fact, been learning the wrong language all these years =).The exam restarts and it is MUCH easier this time.I soon realize that the only questions that I cannot answer are those in which idiomatic expressions are used.After I finish the test, I wait in the hallway for the other students to finish.After standing around by myself for about half an hour, I finally see Jordan, one of the American girls that I met earlier trying to find the Hall de Balzin.She smiles and waves at me and I am relieved to have found someone to talk to.I make my way in her direction and she introduces me to her 3 other friends:Kerry, Bridget and Sarah.They all go to school together in Pennsylvania and we become fast friends.We decide from this point on to speak only in French.We resort to English only in the case of an emergency.Very pleased with our new arrangement, we learn more about each other and follow the crowd of students to one of the University Restaurants.Once there, we get in line and soon realize that we need a ticket.We go to the ticket counter where a disgruntled lady begrudgingly sells us each a lunch ticket for 3 Euros.We get back in line and are soon cut in front of by some unruly French boys.We choose not to say anything, but make snide comments about them for the rest of the afternoon amongst ourselves.Once upstairs, we realize that we can get in one of three lines.Unfortunately for us, the lines start in the stairwell and we all end up in the pizza line—not exactly what we were hoping for, but we are hungry and changing lines is nearly impossible, so we grab the pizza and place it on our trays.We file into yet another line to give a second disgruntled lunch lady our meal tickets.She gives us a token.We are confused, but will soon become grateful to have received this valued treasure.Shortly after sitting down, we discover the purpose of this magical token—it is our token for a soda.A meal comes with only one small soda (water is free).To collect said soda, you must insert your coin into the soda machine and select the desired Coca-Cola product.The machine then fills your cup about ¾ full with soda and then cuts off!!!!!!!!It just stops!!!!!!No more soda!!!!!!I decide that if this system were ever implemented at Columbia College, there would most certainly be an uprising!!!!I guess this is just another reason why the French are so thin.In any event, we eat our lunch and decide that it is certainly NOT the most ideal lunch we have ever had.We return to school to take a tour of the city of Angers.The city is MAGNIFICENT!!!!Did I mention that I have a castle in my city?Well, I do!I’m TOTALLY rich!!!!Hahahahahahahahahaha!The tour is wonderful and shortly thereafter, we go exploring on our own.Our feet are killing us, so we decide to return home for dinner and meet up later for coffee.To make a long story short, our coffee plans get foiled.Three of the girls get lost and Kerry and I never find a suitable coffee shop that is open at 10:00 p.m.We decide to find an épicerie (grocery store) and buy a chocolate bar before returning home.We find one on the way back =).The man behind the counter is VERY friendly and offers me a bon bon.He tells me that I may have two.Assuming that he means the bon bon, I thank him and take another.He again tries to explain to me that he is giving me two; “I’m offering you a second one” he keeps repeating.Kerry tells me, “I think he means a second candy bar”.I ask him if this is indeed what he means and he says “yes, of course”.Shocked, I thank him and take another.He bids us goodnight and thanks us for our business.Kerry is pleased to receive my free candy bar and we walk home eating our French (but really German/Spanish) candy.I say this because the candy is made by a company named Kinder (German), but the candy itself is called “Bueno” (Spanish). In any event, it is the best chocolate wafer that I have ever had; it is filled with hazelnut cream =).We soon arrive home and I prepare for the long day ahead of me.
I once again awake at 8:00 a.m. and find that my mom is not awake.I fix myself some coffee and cereal and get ready.My mom wakes up about 10 minutes before I leave for school.I am curious to know her work schedule; she is a high school Biology teacher, but she didn’t go to work on Wednesday and didn’t go in until late this morning.In any event, I bundle up and start my 7 minute walk to the University.I find my friends and we take our seats in the auditorium for another orientation seminar.We learn about several activities on campus and then are taken on a tour of l’Université Catholique de l’Ouest.The campus is even more beautiful than I thought. After the tour, we find ourselves completely famished.Agreeing that our experience at the University Restaurant yesterday was less than pleasant, we decide not to return.We find a small café in the Hall de Balzin.We all grab a sandwich, some yogurt and a bottle of water.Sarah is the only one brazen enough to try the “Sandwich du jour”.It turns out to be a medium sized baguette with a TINY bit of pâté spread on it.She assures us that it is edible, so perhaps someday I will be brave enough to try it.After lunch, we go in search of the religious services department to find a protestant church.The ladies there are EXTREMELY nice to us and very willing to help us.They find us a Baptist church not far from the university and give us a map with directions.We all joke that we will be Baptist for the next few months and move on to the FEDE—the FEDE is basically a student organization which provides university students with “cartes des jeunes” which will allow us to get discounts on museums admission, movie tickets, etc. throughout the city of Angers.The students at the FEDE are super friendly and they inform us that at the end of the month, there is a dinner for the students in the ERASMUS program (European study abroad grant) who are about to go study in Anglophone areas.The Anglophone students at the CIDEF are invited to come and speak English with them and tell them about America, the UK, etc.We are very excited to receive our FEDE cards and then go to the “centre” to find some “pain du chocolat” (a delicious delicacy—it’s a chocolate croissant).It is not long before we find a little pâtisserie (bakery and pastry shop) and partake of the best “pain du chocolat” that I have ever eaten!After eating our “pain du chocolat”, we all agree to meet up for lunch tomorrow—we are going to buy a baguette, some cheese, and a bottle of wine and have a picnic by the fountain near the mayor’s office.After lunch we are going shopping; right now in France, they are having their “soldes” (sales) and we simply MUST support the local business owners of Angers =)
More observations about Angers:
1.The sun came out today =).I guess I will need my
sunglasses after all.
2.I love this city more everyday and the people only get nicer!
3.I am completely amazed at the rate at which my
conversational French is improving.
4.My mom has scented toilet paper (it smells like roses).Also,
it is colored (last week, it was yellow—this week it’s
orange).
5. This is where I am meant to be.I can’t wait for the rest of
Whew!What a day!As I write to you, I am COMPLETELY exhausted!!!My trip consisted of one miracle after the other.First, there was nobody beside me on the plane.The flight was still rather miserable and I could hardly sleep, but I can’t imagine how terrible it would have been with someone sitting beside me.
As I step onto the plane, I have never been so scared in all my life.No one around me is speaking English. Even though I’m still in the US, I already feel like a foreigner. Just as tears are beginning to well in my eyes, I hear a little voice to my right.There’s a French girl (about 4 or 5) begging her mom to read to her and color with her—she is SO cute.
I barely sleep and before I know it, we’re landing in Paris.As we prepare to exit the plane, the captain warns us that the temperature in Paris is -4 C or 35 F.Even his warning could not prepare me for the bitter cold that awaited me outside those doors.Not long after I step off the plane, I realize that the airport is NOT heated.I can see my breath in front of me.As I wander around looking for customs, the cold continues to pierce through my body.I find customs.I am through the line and waved on in a matter of minutes.No one searches me or by bags.Bizarre, but a blessing.I gather my bags and, to my delight, there are carts =).I load up my bags and go in search of the train station.I find a map and realize that I am in the wrong terminal.So, I find the Airtrain and go to Terminal 2.Once there, I keep following the signs for the train station.Eventually, they stop and the train station is nowhere to be found.After about 20 minutes of aimlessly wandering around in circles following signs that lead to nowhere, I find another map that tells me that the train station is on level 2 (I am on level 6—no wonder I can’t find it).
Once there, I loiter around for a bit looking for the bathroom.I NEVER find it.The bathroom signage is worse than that for the train station.My plan to put on my long johns in an effort to warm up has officially been foiled. I decide to sit down and knit for a minute to clear my head (I have about 3 hours before my train leaves anyway).The fierce cold on my bare finders soon becomes too much.I put down my needles and put on my gloves.The girl across from me stares at me unashamedly.This seems to be happening a lot since I arrived in Paris.Luckily, I spot an information booth.I decide to be sure that my e-ticket will let me on the train (and I wouldn’t mind escaping the piercing stares of the girl in front of me.Indeed my ticket is correct.The lady is very friendly and also directs me to the money exchange booth.My $200 quickly becomes 115 Euros and I feel poor.My feeling of poverty increases when I discover that a Diet Coke is 2 Euros (about $3.50)!!!Not wanting to return to my seat amidst a sea of stares, I decide to go in search of the bathroom again to apply my Cuddle Duds (I am, by this point, utterly freezing).Once again, it is nowhere to be found and when I check my pocket to check the time of my train, my ticket is GONE!!!!I am mortified, but I finally resolve to go back to the nice lady at the information desk to ask for her help.I find that the staff has switched shifts and I stand face to face to face with (pardon my French) a Parisian bitch.When the woman ahead of me tried to speak English with her, she just about bit her head off.I, thinking myself ever wiser, speak French to her. As it turns out, she is not grateful.She all but yells at me when I try to explain to her what I need.After screaming at me that she needs my passport and me telling her that there is no slot in which to place my passport for her to receive it, she begrudgingly cracks her window about 1 cm (just enough for the passport to fit through—heaven forbid she be exposed to the public).She is mean, but she prints me another copy of my train ticket, which I tuck away safely this time.
I find my train platform on the screen and mosey in that general direction.As I step out onto the platform, I am horrified to discover that it is even colder than the station itself.Even my gloves can’t save my hands from the piercing cold of Paris.I again begin to well up with tears at my horrible transit experience thus far when, all of a sudden, Sugarland comes on the radio.I don’t know what it is about this song, perhaps it is just hearing American Country English for the first time in what seems like forever, but I smile and regain my composure.
My train finally arrives and I scramble on the platform trying to find my car.I finally find it just seconds before the train begins to roll.I find the baggage closet at the back of the train and make my way towards my seat.I find my seat next to a middle-aged French man reading his Bible.Another stroke of fate.He is VERY nice to me (a relief after my experience in Paris) and I discover that he is also going to Angers.I knit and sleep most of the way to Angers (to my delight, the train has heat =) ).As we near the Angers stop, the man beside me rises and begins to gather his things.I think it a bit premature at the moment, but soon wish that I had stood up with him.Although the train was stopped for at least 10 minutes at all the other stations, it is only in Angers for about 3.I struggle to open the baggage compartment at the back of the train.A nice French man comes to my rescue and presses a magic button that reads “PRESS TO OPEN DOOR” which I overlooked in my panicked state.He asks me where I am getting off and I hurriedly tell him, “Here!In Angers”!Horror spreads on his face.He rushes me and my bags off the train just in the nick of time.As soon as my left foot hits the platform, the train departs, the doors close, and I realize that I have just encountered another angel =)I make my way downstairs (the elevator was conveniently not in service) and find the train station.I am, by now, not surprised to find that it is also NOT heated!!!I find a seat and begin to knit as I wait for my “maman” to arrive.A sweet old man sits down beside me and begins to ask me questions about by knitting.His presence reminds me why I am here—I can hardly understand a word that he says.In any event, he is nice enough and eventually decides that I don’t understand him well enough to engage in a conversation of any value, and he leaves.
I continue to knit until my “maman”, Corinne, arrives at the station.She is NOTHING like what I expected.She is probably in her mid 50’s and weighs about 90 pounds.She is SUPER sweet and to my delight, she leads me to her CAR =) =).We climb into the little European model sedan and take off.We are home in about 5 minutes.She lives on the 2nd floor of her building (the 3rd floor in America) and we take the elevator.We enter her tiny apartment and she shows me to my room.I am, by now, not at all shocked that her apartment is NOT heated.There is a radiator in my room, which I assure you is JUST for looks.There is also a small radiator that she keeps by the table for when we eat meals (it works =) ).She gets me settled in and goes out to run a few errands.I decide to take this time to shower and put on as many clothes as possible.
Soon after I get out of the shower, she returns with her boyfriend, Fabrice.He is a hoot and a half and a real jokester.He speaks English and is displeased to find that I refuse to speak it with him.It’s now our little game =)I haven’t given in yet Dr. Mann-Morlet!!!Fabrice shows me how to make some toast with different kinds of spread on it (once is some sort of black olive past, the other a pink fishy paste, and the third a guacamole paste).After we make the toast, he insists that I arrange them on the plate in a way that is aesthetically pleasing (Nana!!!).I do so and he is proud of my work.My mom offers me beer of water to drink.I accept the latter.We sit down to eat our toast and Fabrice begins to correct the way I sit and eat at the table.I am eating sitting upright (which is good), but I eat with one hand out and the other in my lap (just as cotillion taught me)—this is a big NO-NO in France.En France, Fabric tells me, we place our forearms on the edge of the table, etc.This continues all through dinner and my mom tells him to stop patronizing me.He, of course, does not heed her advice and I affectionately name him Monsieur Manners =)Amused by his new nickname and discovering my sense of humor, he begins to tell me dirty French jokes.After each one, my mom warns me “these are vulgar; don’t repeat them dear”.I vow not to repeat them and Fabrice gets to continue telling his “jokes”.
We eat soup; it is delicious.Then, we eat quiche; it is also to die for; next, cheese and dessert.My mom warns me that she won’t cook like this every day, so enjoy it.Fabrice jokes her about being an old maid.We laugh all the way through dinner and Fabrice pokes fun at my blunder of stating that Columbia’s population is 35,000 instead of 350,000.I tell his that I was only missing a zero and he asks me if I have always had trouble with math.He continue to joke and repeats what he knows about me to my mom: “so, thus far, we know that Sarah is from South Carolina, which is between Georgia and North Carolina; it’s very warm there and they have a population between 35,000 and 350,000”.We all have a good laugh and Fabrice bids me goodnight.During dinner, I also learn that my mom is a vegetarian and that she eats organically and that everything is “only about a 20 minute walk” from my apartment.Translation—I’m going to be really thin when I get home.
My observations of Angers thus far are as follows:I will NEVER need my sunglasses (it’s so overcast that I can’t even see clouds), I will be wearing EVERYTHING that I own every day, my mom is super sweet (and I like Fabrice okay too), the people are friendly, and that the French know what’s good coffee (even if it is instant).
