I forgot to mention this
Back in February, I wrote a letter to the editor at Northeastern News and my friend being the editor ;) they published it.
Classes, Co-op abroad: An education
I’m on day three of exams in France (that’s five tests down and three more to go this week). I’m pretty sure the aching nausea that I’ve been carrying around for the last three weeks is starting to go away, but at this point of sleep deprivation and European treaty overload, nothing is certain.
I came to Reims Management School about five months ago with two suitcases, an oversized backpack and no place to live. Fast-forward and you’ll see me getting ready to move again in 3 days to Paris.
I love France and I love my school here. I love that when I walk through the hallways about three or four languages can be heard and the school is small enough that things aren’t extremely overwhelming. But there’s something even bigger than that: it’s the camaraderie. It’s the fact that every student here is going through what I’m going through right now, or went through it two years ago. There’s a support system of students always ready to help out because they understand that things are difficult. I don’t know how many of you are totally familiar with the Northeastern international business program, but it’s one that gives students the opportunity to spend one to two years in a foreign partner school. We take the classes in the country’s language, the exams in the country’s language and to top it all off we do our co-op in the country’s language.
Today, with two weeks until I start my co-op, I can honestly say I’ve completed more interviews in French than I have in English; I’ve been asked more ridiculous marketing interview questions in French than I have been asked in English; and I even have a job to go to in two weeks. I can officially only do accounting in French and you would think French and English accounting are very similar, but I can promise you they are not. I’m pretty sure I can only explain the Neo-Classics to you in French, and if you asked me to tell you when the Louisiana Purchase happened I would mention that Europe had its largest expansion in 2004. English words come a little slower today and my mind mingles French and English freely, with me just turning French words into English, and half the time I’m unsure what language I’m speaking.
I’ve studied more these last two weeks than I ever did at Northeastern and I’ve honestly never been challenged this much in my life. There’s a joke here about some of the German students in our school who tend to know every answer to every question asked and walk around speaking in fluent French; if you know the date of an economic theory, you can bet that the German sitting next to you knows the date, the author and probably his date of birth and death. That’s how nuts school is here.
Today, I took a three-hour exam and managed to fill out just six pages with my large sprawling handwriting; the French kid next to me had nine and looked to be going at a steady pace. I’ve never been so chock full of economic theory and European theory in my life, but that’s pittance compared to what my European neighbors in class can spout out. They rattle off dates and places of treaties like it is second nature, they spout off economic theory like it is small talk and boy do they put my English to shame.
But I’m learning a lot and, hey, we get a chance to retake our exams in three months if we fail. Evidently, last year’s American average was four retakes. I’m hoping to only have to do two.
- Brittany Blackmon is a junior international business, French and marketing major and is studying abroad in France.
Hello, I'm me., Franglais | Comment (0)Wow, I’m back
It took us over a month for us to get Internet. We started the long process on February 12 and the little button on our livebox stopped blinking yesterday the 14th.
What a hassle.
But I’m here. In Paris. You’ve caught me at my pseudo one month anniversary and things have been happening at our little apartment.
First off, my apartment will be herein referred to as the Penthouse, because it takes me 7 flights of stairs to get there and it is wonderfully grand. I like it. My bed takes up my entire room so it is more like sleeping on the floor every night than anything. It is also incredibly low to the ground which makes it interesting. I like it though, and I fall asleep nestled between a garden of ikea flower. My room is cute.
The Penthouse is working out quite well. We are all interning at various parts in and out of Paris, and its been a whirlwind of commuting learning the ropes and settling in. I took a week off before I started my internship to grab so much needed rest. But I didn’t end up resting too much. It was more getting things done, being hassled with Penthouse necessities and dealing with our sexy landlord.
My internship is great. I get to do all my work on a Mac which is brilliant and exciting and fun. I’m in charge of a lot of stuff that I am interested in and this week I really started to feel like I was getting a feel for the numbers. I’m doing search engine marketing coupled with affiliate marketing and then whatever else I can get my hands on. It’s cool work and it’s for an even cooler company. I dig it.
We’ve been baking a lot. Since we’ve moved in, we’ve made:
- chocolate chip cookies
- scones
- 2 birthday cakes
- cookie cake
Pretty exciting stuff. We have a nice little oven and it is getting used all the time. Last night we had a little dinner party where we made a gorgeous lasagna and had some smashing salad.
Paris is different in a big way. When we were in Reims our little community was so close together and now were are spread out among the arrondissements of Paris. Its been interesting to see the effort we make to hang out and be together. Its inspiring in a community centric way and to be honest, I love it.
Hello, I'm me., Franglais | Comment (0)Paris: One week
I’m moving to Paris in a week. But it isn’t going to be a week of lounging and having a splendid time with friends. Well, it will most likely include that at some point as this morning started off with a pancake extravaganza and last night was a lasagna gathering, but tomorrow: exams begin.
I will be taking 8 exams this week. One on Monday and Friday and Tuesday-Thursday it will be two exams a day. I don’t know if I’m ready. Honestly, I’ve been studying like mad and I’m not the type of person who studys like this. I’m the type that will absorb throughout the semester and somehow do really well at the end of it all, but I do that in my first language: English.
I’ve been going over pages and pages of notes and classpacks. . . sifting through the European expansion, Trade finance interest rates, and company strategy. But its all coming down to tomorrow: the beginning. But really its the beginning of the end as on Friday night I will be packing for Paris. Saturday, the van leaves at 10. By 3pm we should be at Ikea purchasing the most exciting and delightful items ever as new bedding is needed for larger beds and other household items.
Next Sunday, I will be sleeping in my new Paris bed; falling asleep to the shadows of Paris lights.
Hello, I'm me., Franglais | Comment (0)Paris: Here I come
I’ve been wrapping things up as of late in the booming metropolis of Reims. Over the last week I have pretty much been commuting to Paris going from interview to interview! Today, I can honestly say I have done the most interviews of my short life . . . in French. I was asked so many questions, like: what is your favorite website?; what is a life proverb that you have?; and also a plethora of normal questions, but mind you everything was in French and everything was responded to in French. I practically had an ulcer after day one.
The craziest experience was when I was at L’Oréal and they squirted shampoo on the table and asked me to give three adjectives about the smell and color. I can promise you; I’m not working at L’Oréal. But all that is finished now that I have a job! Hooray! A job that is going to be interesting and exciting as I know the company and they are going to send me a portfolio of information to get started (I’m taking a week off to move and be a human). And to boot, we also found an apartment that isn’t very far from where I’m going to work. I think I will have a 20 minute commute but that is “peanuts”*.
So that means I have to devote all my attention to the looming exams that are coming up in a week. I just started studying on Friday when I was sure I had a job (before then I had been too stressed) and now things are all coming together. Hooray! So pardon my absence during these next few weeks! I’ll be studying, examing, and then moving! Bleck! But then I’ll be in Paris!
*For some reason in France it is common to use “peanuts” in their daily lingo. My managerial finance professor when describing a 100,000 difference in an answer. . . c’est peanuts.
Franglais, adventures | Comment (0)
Winter Break
I’ve been back two weeks and sorry for my delay in writing this new post, but things have been a bit topsy-turvy these days.
Our trip:
Reims->Paris->Lyon->Reims->Barcelona->Reims
We’ll start with Paris. Paris was really a good time. Chelsey and I searched high and low for vegetarian restaurants and we found two. One, on purpose and the other by sheer luck (we we’re looking for an English bookstore). We stayed at the Aloha hostel, which isn’t too bad. It’s located in the lower 15th and we had two Chinese Roommates and two American Roommates. I had been reading reviews for the hostel and had been slightly nervous about going there. Paticularly where people had written “the showers are outside”. Since we had been visiting in late December and Paris was undeniably freezing, this was slightly worrisome. But it wasn’t bad at all. The showers were in the unheated hallway, and so the air around them was cold, but they actually produced hot water (if you pressed the button long enough), so all ended quite well at that hostel.
I really like the Pompidou, their collection of art is amazing and even though our feet had been rubbed raw by all of our walking, we shuffled through all the exhibits and loved it. Chelsey and I decided we would not visit the Effiel tower, but really loved Pere Lachaise cemetery. We ate lots of crepes, but Chelsey was slightly unsatisfied of her salty crepe to sweet crepe ratio. We drank coffee, but not in cafes; the best starbucks in Paris is next to the Opera, it is enormous and has cushy chairs and chandeliers; I don’t even like Starbucks, but it has a wonderful ambiance.
Christmas brunch:
We went to this place called Joe Allen’s which served up a stellar American breakfast. . . even though it was ridiculously pricey. . .but, it was Christmas. We met up with two American girls from my school program and it was a lovely morning.
Lyon:
My host parents called us on Saturday, and Chelsey and I visited them on Tuesday evening (Christmas night). I was so happy to see them, and they told me that they feel like I had never left, which makes me so happy and delighted. My heart was skipping beats between joy and joy. My host mum had cooked endless delights for us, a quiche, a dessert with meringue and candied chestnuts, but she wasn’t satisfied that we had had enough! She chased us with papillotes. I really love them. They are so nice and welcoming and even though Chelsey didn’t speak French, they kept prompting her and including her. Which was nice and wonderful and why we went, because they remember everything and I will never forget their kindness and how everything was perfect. We went bowling one afternoon: I won.
Barcelona:
Bikes! Wonderful cruiser bikes and warm weather were themes of Barcelona. We traveled all over that city happily on bikes and with sweaters (no heavy jackets! :)). It was glorious. I still marvel at the modern work of Gaudi prevalent throughout the entire city, the clash of fun, optimism, and color. Barcelona was a city alive with color and silliness, which was a dramatic change from the gray of France. We tried all the great things that it had to offer. Their thick pudding-like hot chocolate sometimes with espresso and sometimes with chili! I really think it might be one of my new favorite cities in Europe. It has a vibe: a party vibe. We even went and found the 1992 olympic stadium, which was an adventure in itself. I think I shall go back and I’ll be sure to ride bikes.
Reims:
We got home and we were tired. Not only were we tired, but we were sick! Chelsey had caught a bug on our crazy overnight train back (12 hours for 43 euros! :)) it was a price saver, and an adventure to boot. But after all our traveling it set up the perfect storm for a cold to set in. Chelsey got sick, and then I followed. We did end up going shopping and eating wonderful delights even though we were fatigued and mucus-y. Bread from the yummiest and more delicious store in Reims, crepes from the stand, and saucy salads.Chelsey left the Saturday after we got back from break, and it was pretty sad. After a month I had gotten used to her being there and having someone to talk to all the time. It was a really good month. I’m so glad she came. We almost missed her train to go to the airport. Never a dull moment with the Blackmon sisters.My photos are: here and Chelsey’s photos are: here.
Off on grand adventures
Chelsey and I are off voyaging around France and Spain.
Ok so we are really just going to Reims, Paris and Barcelona.
We probably found two of the only vegetarian restaurants in Paris during our 4 days there.
But we are having lots of randomness and good times.
The lady who rode in our 4 person sleeper train made unimaginable and somewhat unearthly sounds throughout the night.
Updates soon.
Oh and Happy New Year.
adventures | Comment (0)The Return: A trip to Lyon
Last weekend I went back to Lyon for the first time in four years! It was a whirlwind. I went with a few of my friends and we had a great time. We took the train to get into Paris then onto Lyon. The tickets weren’t very expensive because it was a trip we had planned way in advance!
We got into the city around 1 and looked for my friend Laura who had flown in from London to meet us. Tanya and I looked around for her for about 5 minutes and then we hatched a plan of epic proportions. We would call her on the loudspeaker. Because who doesn’t want to be called on a loudspeaker in a foreign train station. It was brilliant. But we then realized that it would be a tad difficult to find the plan where the loudspeakiness comes from. Just when we thought we were getting near to the epicenter of loudspeaking, my phone rang. It was Laura. We told her our plan and she still wanted us to call her on the speaker. We didn’t. We reunited and then headed over to the house we would be staying at for the weekend.
The Northeastern students in Lyon live like kings. I mean seriously. Their apartments are so nicely furnished in the same tradition as my most favorite place in the world: Ikea. We ate at a fun little joint where we got a barrel of french fries.
Then the night began. The Lumière is an amazing celebration of light, Lyon et art. It is a spectacular way to see the city illuminated with all good things and each building kissed with beautiful combinations of color and light. I am in love and I think it will be my goal to go every year. I just love Lyon. I’ve put some photos up (on flickr) because I don’t think my descriptions could do the immense beauty of the installations justice. The rain, cold, and crowds couldn’t hold us back from enjoying such an amazing sight. One thing I love about the Lumière is the participation of the city. In the windows all over the city there are candles put on the windowsills to celebrate the promise made to the Virgin Mary during the black plague.
I spent the afternoon lazing around with my host family, watching a movie and playing with my host sister’s baby! It was a really good time. They are really good people.
I went back to find my friends who had moved into the Auberge de Jeunesse and we then decided to go get dinner. We had found a friend. A fellow traveller who had just decided to go off on her own and see a bit of Lyon. She told us that she had been on a “cheap ticket frenzy” and this is where she had ended up. She was nice and we ended up eating at this hilarious Italian place. I forgot how much Lyon is centered around pork. It was the first time in France that I had had a problem finding food.
The next morning we got up and set off to finish our last mission. To find me a dress for the Christmas Ball. I had found a backup dress but I didn’t really want to wear it. So we looked. And looked. We didn’t really find anything spectacular. So I knew where we had to go. The Gap. There is always something at the Gap. I am totally a Gap person or maybe Gap Corporation person. But I like their clothes. I like that they don’t have a brand on them and that they are somewhat plain. I dig it.
I found two dresses. I bought both. I’m wearing one to the Ball and one to my first interview.
One was even in purple.
The weekend ended in a bar in Paris with margaritas, chips, and salsa. Badass. It was even happy hour. Even more badass.
Hello, I'm me., Franglais, Places | Comment (0)Thanksgiving: the day we made our mothers proud
It started two weeks ago with a Facebook event invitation. I was sitting trying to studying for the accounting final and it suddenly hit me. Thanksgiving was upon us. There had been talk about splitting up the group of thirteen Americans and having satellite Thanksgiving dinners, but in the end we decided it just couldn’t be and wouldn’t be right. So we sent out the invitation and immediately the ball got rolling, and oh would it roll.
Fast forward two weeks and there are 35 people stuffed into my bedroom.
A slight rewind:
We started cooking on Tuesday night or Pie Night as it was affectionately named. A few of the other girls and I got together and baked 5 pies. Two pumpkin and three apple. But these were no ordinary pies. These were magic pies. Baked with love, charisma and awkward conversation. The pumpkin pie was amazingly fresh and made from real pumpkin NOT OUT OF A CAN. I was terrified that it wouldn’t be good and kept bringing up the idea of doing test runs (I don’t know when I started to get so nutty about cooking). The pies came out beautifully and we even had one that had a pastry turkey to top one off.
Thursday morning we had our French Law class. We couldn’t pay attention. We were too full of excitement. IT WAS THANKSGIVING! We rushed home in a tizzy from class and began to get organized. Began to get organized by moving all my furniture out of my room and into various placces in the apartment. My armoire= the hallway, my bed= Kristyn’s room, and my desk= the kitchen. It was nuts. The tables and chairs began to arrive all 6 tables and all 28 chairs and we began to feel a little hopeful, a little like it was actually going to work out. . . not to be too cheezy but . . . a little thankful.
I made corn casserole and a pumpkin gratin. Both were well recieved and I continued my typical Thanksgiving tradition of eating corn casserole for breakfast the day after. Corn casserole is so delicious. It is so ooey-gooey and wonderful. I digress.
7pm came around. We had a monstrous amount of food. Any previous concerns that we had about feeding our 35 friends hd been thrown out the window. People came over and surprisingly everyone fit in my room, everyone had a seat . . .well except Kristyn and I, but that was not an issue because we were running around the apartment (small as it may be) like chickens with our heads cut off.
I told the Thanksgiving story to everyone in French, pilgrims, starving, corn and all. We made everyone say what they were thankful for. I was thankful for so many exciting people being there.
But Thanksgiving held other surprises. A totally Thanksgiving type (holiday, warm and fuzzy) suprise, like the text message I recieved from our neighbors wishing us a “bon fête”*.
The night went swimmingly and only one table fell down (the tables were shoddy from the student residence). But there was so much friendship and so much excitement and that was what made the night. The fact that people where having their first Thanksgivings and it was with us. I feel like we all made our mothers and grandmothers proud last Thursday night. Because darling, we threw one great party.
Photos, as always, are here: www.flickr.com/geniusb
*We had posted signs all over our building informing our neighbors that we were going to have a big party on Thursday for our traditional American holiday.
Hello, I'm me., Franglais | Comment (0)