Get out of my city, Jerks

This week was interesting, to say the least. Monday, I brought in cookies to my class. They were peanut butter chocolate chip-my mama’s recipe. It was a gesture of friendship and I pulled it off quite well. I got invited to my friend Beibei’s for dinner with a couple others. It was nice because there Anti-Americanism is starting to run heavy in Lyon due to many of the political and educational decisions. I’m glad people are looking beyond that with me.

To explain further, some of the strikes at the public school are happening due to changes that will turn the socialized education system more “capitalistic.” My friend Kathryn, who is an obvious candidate to be a victim of Anti-Americanism with her short blonde hair, got spit on when trying to get to class this week while the students shouted, “They’re trying to turn us into you!” She was pretty disturbed. For the most part, the French have showed no signs of anti-Americanism up to this point. It’s been mostly the international students at the Catholic University who have provided those problems for me.

Tuesday night, salsa night, my friend Ima Young (yep, you can laugh at that one) who is from Korea and Y Chang, Taiwan, came out with us. It was a lot of fun but I think they were having fluidity problems. And there was one step that the professor tried to teach him for half an hour and he just stood, terrified. I would say I felt bad, but watching his discomfort made my evening wonderful. Yeah, I’m a jerk.

Wednesday, I finally got to see the new Bob Dylan movie. All new movies are released on Wednesdays in France because the kids don’t have school. Fortunately for me, I rarely ever go see movies that would be popular and thus, despite the fact that it was the first showing, there were like 5 other people in the Theatre. The music was amazing—especially Calexico’s cover of “Goin’ to Acapulco” and Antony and the Johnson’s cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s door.” Performances were strong, but the Richard Gere parts seemed really forced. Overall, it was excellent. It got horrible reviews in France—which is to be expected because there are years and years of American music history packed into the movie, along with subtle political references. Additionally, a decent grasp of Dylan’s discography is needed to really appreciate the order of things.

I'm Not There

Thursday marked the beginning of the Fete de Lumieres, (The festival of lights). It also marked the beginning of me being really frustrated with tourists.

It’s really popular. In fact, people come from all around Europe to come check out our cool light festival, which is literally the span of the entire city with different events that go from Thursday night to Sunday night. Because of this event, (which is totally awesome by itself), the metros were free and millions of people flooded the streets of Lyon. At the same time, someone thought it would be a good idea to start going on strike. So, with slow metros and millions of strangers in my city, I had to wait nearly a half an hour to get on the stupid metro. What normally takes me about 15 minutes is now taking me 45 minutes. GET OUT OF MY CITY, JERKS. I pay to use that metro and you are just trashing it and slowing it down.

Okay, now that I got that out of the way. Thursday night, I went out with a large group of people to see the fete. There was a lot of stuff to see, namely a gigantic ball of color that was flooded with light from every direction, making the surrounding buildings really beautiful and colorful. In the Croix Rousse neighborhood, there were green bulbs in the streetlights, surrounded by red Christmas lights lining lots of trees. There has also been the most enormous Ferris wheel I’ve ever seen staked out in Lyon for the past couple days. In Bellecour, they turned the statue of Louis XIV into a giant snow globe, with fake snow being blown around inside and falling down on top of him. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was one of his final requests.

The Opera House

Hotel de Ville


Place de Terreaux

Place de Terreaux

Cordelliers


Ferris Wheel in Bellecour

Louis XIV Snow globe

Rue Victor Hugo

Place Carnot

Croix-Rousse

Rue de la Republique

Moving Industrial Exhibit

Guillotiere, river-side

Bellecour, river-side

I walked way too far on Thursday night and didn’t get much sleep for Friday. Needless to say, my body completely shut down from Friday night to Saturday night. I went home early on Friday night because I was tired and I ached everywhere. I slept until 11, ate a little food, and stayed in bed until 5 on Saturday. I finally feel rejuvenated though after getting some much needed rest. I’ve been pushing myself a little hard in the physical realm because I just want to see this city so much; I am walking nearly half of my day away outside. I can still do that, but I really need to proceed with caution.

Saturday, I went to Beibei and An’s house for dinner. There was sushi and spicy Chinese fondue. It was the first time I had tasted spice in nearly 4 months and it was so HOT. But it was absolutely wonderful and it was good to share stories with others about our country at home.

SPICY

Yi-wen, An

Stupid American with a fork, Yi-wen, An, Beibei

Afterwards, we went out for the Fete and there were even more people out on Saturday than there were on Thursday. It took forever to get anywhere. However, it was really nice to hang out with everyone and just walk slowly. Since I had already seen everything Thursday night, I wasn’t in any rush.

Me and Yi-wen

Today (Sunday) will also be very relaxed. I’m going to go for a walk in the park, but I’ll keep it short. I will be pacing myself in the next couple days.

Hope that the Christmas season is bringing cheer wherever you are, my friends. Much love.

A Beaujolais weekend

Sure, I drink lots of wine in France. That goes without saying—it’s hard to go a day without having a glass when most restaurants serve it with lunch and dinner. It seems almost king of silly to me, at this point, to think that it might be strange to order a glass of wine with lunch back in the states. It will be a hard habit to kick.

However, that being said, the past few weekends have been wine crazy. Allow me to explain. Almost every weekend here in Lyon, there is some crazy event going on. For the past couple weeks, there have been celebrations of the new Beaujolais harvest. Beaujolais, as you might have guessed, is a region in France that is right above Lyon. The wine, by all accounts, is horrible. It’s often sweet, yet dry. The consistency is nothing to write home about… it’s not my cup of tea. That being said, the French hate Beaujolais. But there is one redeeming quality of the wine: it’s cheap. Yes, it’s remarkably cheap and that means it will be popular amongst at least one group of people: the capricious youth.

So, pretty much every university and international organization has had some sort of Beaujolais release party in the past two weeks. I’ve been to three now—but probably the best Beaujolais stories were created this weekend.

Friday night, I got dragged to what I suspected was going to be an awkward wine and cheese party by one of my Japanese friends. However, for a 6 euro ticket, one could drink as much wine as they could handle and eat plenty of cheese. Additionally, there was a Rockabilly group that performed live. It was quite funny because they were French and their lead singer was doing his damnedest to pronounce the “H” in “Hey, everybody.” Needless to say, there is not enough wine in the Beaujolais region to make this evening not awkward, so we did our best.

What started out as an evening debating over cinematic genius (the source of the argument was over Fellini and Goddard), turned into a wild dance party. After a few glasses of wine, we were up there singing “around the clock tonight” and plenty of old Johnny Cash tunes. It was clear that to the rest of the crowd that we were Americans and we appreciated people trying hard to recreate our music history.

I left that night quite satisfied with my dose of Americanism. I went to Salsa with Amy. We sat and talked a bit, danced a few rounds and headed home. We had a long day to follow.

Saturday, I met up with nearly everyone in the Oregon group to go on a trip to the Beaujolais region itself to check out some vineyards and talk with some horticulturists. They taught us how to examine wine (if you would like to recreate this scenario, I would suggest watching sideways in French), and fed us some specialties of the region—including the most magnificent fresh bread. They all sent us home with a loaf, too.

The farm area was gorgeous. It was a dark and cloudy day, and in the valleys, the vines were clouded in a thick fog. I desperately wanted to play hide and go seek—but many of my American companions deemed this too elementary of an idea. So, in lieu of running around a vineyard, I enjoyed the subtle pleasure of pressing the warm soft bread against my face. It smelled like an unsalted pretzel. It was wonderful!

Finally, we returned back to Lyon in the early evening. A bunch of us met up in my friend’s apartment to watch some American Television and enjoy some Ile Flotante (a special French dessert that I discovered a few weeks ago).

The weekend was nice and slow-paced compared to the past few weekends. I’ve managed to get home at a decent hour every night! The rest of the week has been nice, too. I started watching La Maison Blanche (The West Wing). I believe it’s the fifth season I’m watching. It doesn’t interest me too much, but it reminds me of a good friend back in St. Louis. I think she’ll be happy to know I’m watching it.

Things are remarkably wonderful in France. Everything is Christmas-lit right now, in preparation for a grand celebration next week. There is a large festival of lights that goes all night long next week and the entire city stays out to look at the animation projected on large walls, etc. The metros have replaced their lights with pink and blue bulbs to prepare for it. Christmas is in the air and I’m getting excited to see my family.

I hear my host mom calling for lunch, so I must leave you here my friends. I miss all of you during this season, but I wish you good luck near finals and lots of relaxation with your loved ones. Ciao!

Strikes: The National Sport of France

I don't know how many articles mention the word "Greves" (strikes) when you open the newspaper in here. It must be more than half. It must be said that everyone in this country is on strike right now.

The most devastating is the SNCF (train) strikes, which are keeping most of us from traveling. You see, back when running a train was a really hard, physical job involving coal shoveling and lots of danger, the workers used to get a break. To retire with full pension from the government in this country, you need to work a full forty years--not a day less. The train workers used to only have to work 37.5 years (I have no idea where they got that number), but that changed in the past year because the trains are electric and quite easy to run.

However, many of the workers are quite pissed that they will be working an extra 2 1/2 years, so I guess they started their retirement early by striking. So, although some trains are running, most are late or not moving at all. This country is at a stand still and it kind of sucks--I can only hope this all clears up before my parents get here. I'm sure it will...

Good job, guys.

Additionally, the students are on strike as well. I'm not sure what they have to complain about--seeing as a university education only costs them 200 euros a semester. That being said, I guess there were some reforms that they were not happy with. As a result, all my friends who have class at Lyon 2 (the university I opted not to go to because they have no Philosophy courses), haven't had class for a few days because the students are blocking the campus. Apparently it's kind of a big deal--they stack desks, chairs, etc up to the top of the 20-foot doorway and if anyone goes near them, they tackle them to the ground.

I'm safe and secure at my private school away from that stuff. I will continue to have classes even if Lyon 2 shuts down permanently, I will be safe in my school from the drama. That being said--it would have been nice to get a couple days off.

Also, I hear the Hollywood writers are on strike in Hollywood. You may all find this silly until you hear that lawyers, (one of the best paying jobs in France), are also on strike. Yep, they want more money, too. The inherent socialism in France's politics/social system has driven this country into so much debt--and it also makes people think that the government owes them something. For once, it's not looking so good.

These people mean business

Everyone else is striking, too. It doesn't really impress anyone at this point. Oh well, as long as I can get my baguette for the day and I can get to school just fine, I'm a happy camper.

Carnac and Mont St. Michel... finally

I understand that it’s been a long time since I’ve posted. I assure you that this delay is a result of 100% laziness on my part. It’s not like there wasn’t anything interesting that happened—but I had lost my sense of wit and didn’t feel like expressing what’s been happening without it. Although it may still be gone, I assure you this entry will be much more interesting than if I had written it a couple of weeks ago. You can thank me later.

So, I have been back in school for two weeks now after my trip to Carnac and Mt. St. Michel. It was a really remarkable trip—one of the best ever—and it has made my return to this great city quite interesting. I am much closer to my travel buddies (Amy and Amanda) and also to people around me. I think it put me in a good mood—which Esther (the girl who lives with me), is very thankful for. No more sassy Trevor.

We started our trip on a Tuesday morning, very early. We had only purchased our tickets to Rennes and back, and thought we’d leave the details to the trip up to the fate of the train system. Turned out that this was by far the best way to travel—to find a port city and just go from there.

On the train, we decided that I was going to cut my trip short early because I had an unprecedented amount of homework to do and a party to catch on Friday night. So, we made a list of priorities—starting with the stuff I wanted to do because I would be returning Friday whereas Amy and Amanda would be returning on Sunday. On the train, we made the decision that we would go to Carnac, then travel to Mt. Saint Michel, where I would leave on Friday morning and they would continue onto the Normandy beaches. Sorry to say it, but WWII stuff takes backseat to my gigantic Catholic castle.

So, after our four-hour train to Rennes, we purchased all our tickets for the remainder of our trip and hopped on a train to Auray. From there—a 45 minute bus ride to Carnac. Carnac is a small village that is often visited for the sea because it has a really nice port considering many of the Northern beaches are mucked up with tons of gray sand away from land—which makes it difficult to own boats. Beyond that, however, Carnac is one of the oldest Megaliths sites in the world. Gigantic rock formations that pre-date Stonehenge line the streets of Carnac for miles and miles.

We arrived at around 4 in the afternoon after a day on the trains. We found a store to buy chips and salsa and we sat and watched the sunset at the rocks. It wasn’t too cold at that point and it was nice to just sit and relax since none of us were sitting together on the train. Afterwards, Amy was feeling kind of ill so she returned to the hotel while Amanda and I ate at a nice little Italian restaurant. It was warm and cozy and there was this really scraggly dog that was walking to all the tables and visiting the guests. The food was great, the company was great, and it was a nice evening.


SALSA: Amy was incredulous

Megaliths at sunset

Peek-a-boo

Amy was feeling better after dinner, so she met up with us for Crepes. Crepes are the specialty of the north and, much to the dismay of Amanda, I wasn’t really looking to try them as a formal meal—only desert. So we went, Amanda ordered a crepe with Chantilly, caramel, apples, whipped cream, etc. Amy had the house specialty—sugar, butter, and caramel. I had the dark chocolate with vanilla ban ice cream. What can I say—I’m a classic kind of guy.

Amanda with her Chantilly madness

I'm a chocolate monster


We went to bed early that evening in a bed that was firmer than the floor for some reason (consult the video on Facebook), but in a hotel room that was the best room we’ve been in since we got to France. It was big, private LARGE bathroom that even had a footbath because it was close to the sea. It wasn’t too pricey either—which is nice because it’s generally an expensive area.

The next morning we got up early, threw our bags on our backs, and began what would be one of the longest hikes any of us had ever taken. We walked about 15-18 kilometers that day along side the Megaliths, up and down hills, through paths. It was so beautiful outside and the downtown area was quite charming because all the buildings are old and quite homogenous. It was a wonderful day filled with walking, reflecting, great Pizza, and of course—another train.

Charming little pathway

Church on the hill

Beautiful field we spent some time in

The church on the hill, again

We were pretty alone out there...


Awesome shot of the tree and the sun!

The travelers smile for a Kodak moment

This time, going back to Rennes, we had about five minutes between connecting trains. So, we sprinted over to the monitor to see where our train was departing, then sprinted and barely made the train. Naturally, all the good seats were taken so we sat separately again. However, in one hour time, we arrived in Pontorson—a city just outside Mont Saint Michel. It was dark, we were tired and hungry, so we found a cheap hotel, put our stuff down and went looking for food.

We were fortunate to find a menu that was relatively inexpensive with what appeared to have decent entrées. Unfortunately, it was also half restaurant, half porn shop. We thought this unusual until we figured out the only thing to do in Pontorson was to go to strip joints. So, back to the hotel we went after dinner to play Hangman and MASH until we were tired enough to go to sleep. Early in the morning, we took the bus to Mont Saint Michel, which was quite empty. It made me kind of enthusiastic—thinking that we might be alone in this gigantic, 10th century building. However, on arrival, our luck changed as we saw MOBS of people trying to get in. This is how the rest of the day would work itself out.

Those little white things in the front are sheep

We went through the Abbey, it was nice.

The Abbey, from outside

The hallways are still roaming with a couple remaining monks

Plenty of cool stuff to see inside

Garden of Eden

We walked through the village, and that was nice too.




Quick sand--as far as the eye can see!

By the time we had finished with the island, it was still mid afternoon. So we relaxed, had a coffee, hot chocolate, and cider, and sat back and talked. It was a nice break from the mobs because the restaurant was pretty empty. We got back on the bus, and arrived back in Pontorson for dinner. This time, we ate out fancy. I had lamb and a chocolate banana crepe for desert. It was quite yummy. Amy and Amanda had some exotic salads, then Amy had salmon for dinner and Amanda had duck. They finished it with Crème Brule. It was a little expensive, but totally worth it to eat out on my last night of the trip.

The next morning, I started off for home kind of early. I started reading the first Harry Potter book in French on the train. I didn’t get very far because the girl who was sitting next to me was getting constantly harassed by this guy who kept asking her to meet her in the café for a coffee. So, I had to play pretend boyfriend, which was about as fun as it sounds. I sat next to her, she’d grab my arm when he walked by, and then she’d go back to talking about her job search as soon as he left. He was insistent—even with me sitting right there, he continued to make hand gestures that seemed to indicate that he wanted to go have a drink with her in Car 4.

Finally, I got back home in Lyon where I could relax away from mobs of people in Mont St Michel and emotive lonely girls on the train who spoke familial French. I went to a Halloween party that night which was really great and hung out with some nice Americans. It was a nice ending to an amazing trip.

Just to catch up...

This week, I have no school. It's all saints week and the French celebrate it like they do everything else--they shut down everything and head to the beach. Yep. Vacation time.

Tomorrow morning, I will be on route to Rennes--from there I will go to Mont Saint-Michel, then to Carnac, then back to Lyon. Then, I will make a day trip to Le Puys. I just have to make sure I'm back for a Halloween party on friday.

Anywho! I thought I'd let you all know what's been going on. It's Halloween time and the French try to celebrate it in their own very strange way. Last Saturday there was a large festival in Bellecour, where there were stilt walkers with giant wings and old fashioned games, etc. It was also the release of the "Petite Paume," an annual publication by the youth of Lyon to designate all the hot spots and events that will take place during the year. I had heard that it was nearly impossible to get one of these and that you had to fight people to grab one. This might have been true at the start, but I showed up late and walked away with three of them--no problem.

Additionally, one of my main objectives I had before arriving here-getting boots--has been accomplished. They're brown and they go just up past my ankles. Quite comfortable and warm, I might add. That happened last Saturday, as well.

The following day, Sunday, a bunch of us went out to try famous (and pricey) Lyon dishes. I started the evening with Kir (Champagne with flavored syrup--I had rasberry). Then, I had the Saubedet Lyonnais, which is a sausage that rests in an onion soup and a small salad. Following that, there was a fillet covered in Cheese, served with potatoes, and green beans. I ended the meal with Chocolate Mousse. Some other people tried more dangerous dishes--like the cheek of a veal, pig snout, blood sausage, duck liver, Cunnul, etc. Other deserts included Chartreuse flavored ice cream, Creme de Marron (which is a sweet but delicious and fluffy pudding made from nuts), fruit salad, Cheese plates, etc. It was a pricey night, but it was a long time coming.

Then, I had a week of school. Not much going in that department. Thursday night I went to the Animal Collective concert here. It's actually kind of silly because all of the smaller bands in the united states are the larger more popular bands here in France. It ended at 1:30 and I was in the middle of nowhere. Thank God for my bike card--otherwise I would have been in a bit of trouble. I met a very nice Texan who was traveling through Lyon just to see the concert. It was a nice evening.

Friday I made a chocolate hazelnut cakes which my family was literally fighting over for the last two days. I started a war over chocolate. It was so beautiful!

My friend Kim went out of town and a lot of my other friends are traveling through Paris this week so I figure it's about time I get out of here and go somewhere, too. Besides, I've had it with the French postal system and I'm pretty sure the people who work there recognize me every time I go in there to complain. So, here I come vacation. Work your magic.

Should come back with some nice pictures. Stay tuned.

Happy Birthday, Kris

Today, October 21, is the birthday of my friend Kris Doychak, who recently passed on. Kris was always pretty quiet, very introspective, but nonetheless genuinely curious about everyone. When we were in middle school, we tried our hands at some philosophy texts. On more than one occasion, he caught me reading something I genuinely did not understand and had to explain it to me. It was never condescending and always in the interest of exploring our world together.

A few months ago, Kris took his own life. I had not been particularly close to Kris since we started college, but our paths were intertwined much earlier in our spiritual and social foundation. We were childhood friends—part of a group that at one time seemed inseparable. Through distances both literal and figurative, our group began to tear at the seams, and after a short while, none of us were in contact any longer. His death has been on my mind since April, and even still since I’ve been in France.

At Kris’ wake, our group met up once again. However, where we once celebrated our livelihood and our vitality, this time we celebrated life in a much different and humble way. Kris’ death had brought our group together again—but this time, it had become very clear why our group had separated: we are altogether the most different people. We have arrived at different places in life, with very different opinions and lifestyles exhibited from everyone. If we were to be completely honest with each other, our group would never have gotten together under any other circumstance.

Yet, Kris’ death was a pinch that brought all of our young, comfortable, and ignorant lives to a stand still. No longer could we ignore that in our often comfortable lives, there are victims of loneliness and sorrow. In a time where we were complacent with going to class every day, participating in interest groups, working, going out on weekends—there are people in our immediate reach whom we can give a hand to. This is not to say that Kris’ friends and family did not care for him appropriately. On the contrary, I know for a fact that his friends and family had been very close with him and had been doing everything to let Kris know he was loved. Because of this, I can only wonder how much sadness and pain goes unnoticed and untreated on an every day basis.

I believe my mind has been really been stuck on this for a while. The people around me are what make me tick. Wherever I am, whatever I am doing, it is only going to be as good as the people I am spending my time with. For the past couple months, I had been wondering if this was a certain kind of self-affirming weakness, where I need to have people reassuring me that I’m not worthless. After great searching, I don’t find this to be true. I just love people—their stories, their hardships and interests. Political interests, offensive comments, and tastes in music or movies aside, nothing can beat a good conversation over coffee. It makes me feel alive and in touch with others. It has a very spiritual link to my heart, I believe.

There have definitely been some hardships among the France group. I believe that many of us came here with unreasonable expectations, unfinished business, unsteady relationships, etc. As a result, many of us are getting pushed in the deep end of having to cope with adulthood in a country where we can barely speak the language. We are having fun, of course. But fun moments are sandwiched between painful, slow moments where we are forced to reflect on everything that has lead us to where we are: confused and amongst strangers in a different country. Together, however, we realize how much we have in common, despite our difference in pasts.

This is very much what I think about my group of friends from my childhood. The same group that Kris was a part of when we were just young middle schoolers looking for trouble. We have gone far in life and have all ended up in different places. However, despite the fact that the only remaining factor we have in common happens to be our past, I still love all of you. I can’t always keep in touch, especially now in France. However, I implore everyone I know that you are often in my thoughts. No one in my past is forgotten, and none of you have left my heart. Be certain of this.

Today, Kris will be in my thoughts. My prayers go out to his family and his friends. He would have been twenty-one today, so I think I will buy a bottle of champagne and have a fancy drink—as he would have. I miss all of you at home. Enjoy your time together, and never take any moment with anyone for granted. Peace and love to us all.

For Kris and the rest of you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv7rutY7iUc&mode=related&search=

France 1; Trevor 0 (insert random spelling mistake)

In France, super soccer fanatics (who also happen to be usually pretty gross with this haircut that resembles and army cut with gel), they like to wear these man purses. They are small and they resemble a camera case or a passport holder. I've also thought them to be quite stupid until I started counting all the change I've collected around my room--30 euros worth of coins.

Damn you, France. You made me sell out. I bought what I thought to be one of the most awful creations in history. I am literally wearing a fanny pack that goes from my shoulder across my chest and meets my midsection on the other side. Congratulations universe--you win.

Upside--holds my phone and change. Can't put a price on that. Okay... maybe 7 euros.

What also made me change my mind is that I recently got myself a bike pass. Thanks to some quick maneuvering from my good friends Amy and Amanda, who called me to tell me that there was a stand open for the velo down near the university, I managed to gather all my paperwork and run down there. Much better option than sending it through the mail which takes roughly 4 weeks to process. So I can pick up a bike anywhere within a two block radius, use it, and not have to worry about stuff falling out of my pockets because i got my man purse. I'm the king of the world right now. (Also the king of cookies--Don't you forget it).

So how did I celebrate losing my soul to French trash culture and the immediate pleasure of getting a bike pass? I stayed out late with Juan and learned to salsa at a bar. Then, I met up with my friends Mariko and Jye-he, and drank a lot of water (biking and salsa dancing makes for a thirsty Trevor), and made my way home. I didn't have to worry about the stupid Tram because I can use a bike--which is faster by the way.

So, no class today. 'Cause it's Wednesday and the French kick some serious butt. (Well... you know, except for the whole man purse thing). I'm going to spend the day making cookies and relaxing at the park. It got warm again--might as well enjoy it while it's here.

Take care, mes ami(e)s.

I think I'm turning Japenese

Okay, so this will be a pretty boring entry. One boring picture and old fashioned text. Sorry.

So, after I got back form Geneva, I had a pretty nasty cold. So, I stayed in and rested for a week before I tested into the school. I didn't do that great on the placement exam, but it's not a big deal because I really like my class and it doesn't sound like there are many differences between the classes. We started out with some review this week that has been really helpful anyway.

Anywho, allow me to paint you a picture of the class: 18 Asians, 3 Latino/as, and me. Yep. Only English-speaker in the room. Go me!

That being said, in the past two weeks, I have only really been hanging out with the Japanese. That's right, my new best friends: Yuka, Tomoko, Emi, Meri, Mariko... you get the picture. The other person who I've been hanging out with is a Korean (OH, big shock there!) whose name is Ji-hye. Don't ask me how to pronounce it.

Additionally, Juan from Columbia and Paula Maria from Ecuador. She always tells me how I should visit Quito next time I'm in Ecuador. Yep, Paula. I'll get on that... when I go back.

In the past week, I've been getting comfortable also with a group of Americans who live down the street. At my friend Kim's we meet up there every night to watch American TV, indulge on American coffee, and eat nutella with things that one wouldn't really expect to eat nutella with. Additionally, I have been baking a lot--My host mom has called me the cookie king. I don't take this lightly and I expect all of you to call me the cookie king from now on.

There has been a couple things here or there that have been interesting. On a side note, I can definitely turn the TV on and, while not looking at it, can pay attention to the news. That's pretty big strides in my French I think.

I've been playing a little soccer... easy of course 'cause I don't want to mess up my ankle again. I also played basketball with the Japanese and I accidentally knocked Tomoko in the face. We'll see if she ever talks to me again...

Okay, that's about it. Kind of boring, but I can't tell you how nice it is getting into a schedule. The repetition is kind of nice.

Finally, here is your picture. I showed Ji-hye and Mariko Photo Booth (Mac application for you non-Apple-savvy peoples). Needless to say, they loved it. Here is a nice pic of the three of us.

Ji-hye, Me, Markiko

Tonight is a friend's birthday (American) and we're going to get together and have some wine and cheese.

Tomorrow is the Rugby game. France beat New Zealand (which just doesn't happen), so they have a good shot at the title. Hopefully I will go to Sarah's again to watch it since I had so much fun last time. Her host family is really nice and last week she made American food for them (mac and cheese--'cept it was baked and yummy).

Allez France! Ciao my American Friends!

A week of repose

Before I start with the entry, let it be known that I have opened the comment setting on the blog. Anyone can leave comments--even if you don't have a blog. So, feel free to go through and visit the old entries and say something nice. Use discretion--not only 20 year-olds read this blog.

When I got back from Nice, I was in need of major down time. Traveling felt like less of a vacation and more like a strenuous math test I had been studying for all week. When I back to the Sanchez house, I felt like it was the end of a rough school week.

Thursday night, my friend Kathryn came over. She is really into surrealistic cinema like myself and is also studying Czech in school. That being said, I introduced her to Jan Svankmajer--a Czech director who uses stop motion and puppetry in his movies. We watched his interpretation of the story of Dr. Faustess. It was fantastic!

The next day, my friend Robin and I hit the bars to watch the France Ireland rugby game. It was interesting because there was an Irish bar down the street and tensions were high because half the people were rooting for Ireland, the other half rooting for France. France kicked Ireland's butt--why? One name--Chabal. Google it.

The following day, Robin and I made a day trip to Annecy. It was exactly like my other trip, paddle-boating, ridiculous deserts, ice cream, etc. Except, at the end of the day, Robin was nice enough to invite me back to her place for some Ratatouille. It tastes like Lasagna with lots of different types of peppers.

The following day, had friends over to watch another rugby game, this time it was Scotland vs. New Zealand. If you know anything about rugby, NZ doesn't lose. Ever. Especially not against a team like Scotland. By the way, NZ is owned by Adidas and they have the name "All blacks." They are pretty great which is why I loved to see my man Chabal (French national team) plow one of their players into the ground.

We followed that up by going to the Olympic Lyonais game. Soccer is one of my favorite things here in France--along with the bread and the public transportation. I love going to soccer matches and I find myself becoming more and more competitive over my Lyon team. I bought a scarf, but would like to have a jersey some day.

It's late at night, but the lights are so powerful at the field it seems like day.

Monday and Tuesday I explored the city. I spent my time out of the house as much as possible to give my family a little breathing room. When they weren't home, I did a lot of my own cooking. I made pizza from scratch and stuff like that. Nothing too exciting to mention.

Wednesday, I went to Geneva--my first out of country trip. Geneva was really great, but it rained the whole day. There was a church there that had been built over another church, which had been built over an ancient tribal burial/ritual ground. It was quite eerie, but we walked through the excavation and archeology site. It was fun, but the automatic tour voice in English was kind of ridiculous.
There was stuff in here from 2nd century AD!

The other great thing about Switzerland...

CHOCOLATES! One of these every few steps your take. Oh Lord, we had a hard time picking the one we wanted to buy from.

Anyway, we packed it home after a couple hours in Geneva. It's really pretty, but they don't use the Euro and we were careful not to exchange too much currency.

Geneva... cloudy

Infamous water spout

I didn't do anything to this picture. The clouds were like that. Pretty cool, eh?

Battlestar Galactica! The swiss Franc is doing poorly, so everything was pretty cheap in comparison. We all indulged. I bought this, the girls bought calendars with naked Rugby players.

Woo! Geneva!

Returning back to Lyon felt nice again. I brought my host family back some Chocolates. I think I finally won over Antonio, my host dad.

The next day I spent my time indulging in dorky American sci-fi and I baked a cake--from scratch. My host family really enjoyed it. I have also been reading the Boondocks in French. It's been pretty helpful for learning important phrases like, "leave me the hell alone!" or "would you like to borrow my fro-pick?"

I ended the night by going to an event at the town hall for American students. Yep--it was as awkward as it sounds. So a couple of us escaped after twenty minutes and went to a bar. It was one of the better times I have had out with friends since I've been here. After the bar, we went to an Afghan bar where you have to take your shoes off to sit down near the rug. There were people playing Afghan string instruments and playing drums on the floor. It was warm, friendly, and REALLY.... worldly. It felt a little forced, but I had one of the best pots of tea I've ever had. I will be returning for the tea--I'm sure of this.

So that brings us up to date. I feel like I could write an entire entry on this guy here named Morgan who is from Oregon. He has one of the most genuine senses of humor ever. He's really nice, sincerely curious about everyone, and it's kind of nice that I can get along with him because there are nearly no guys in my program. Even at the little party last night, I was one of ten guys in a room of nearly 100 people. It's not as nice as it sounds, actually.

Anyway, the weekend has arrived--not that it means anything 'cause I don't start school til the 8th of October. But, my friends who are going to other universities will be able to hang out late, so I am psyched to get started on the weekend.

Remember, you can all comment now. So leave some words of love. Keep the US nice and warm for me!