Scavenging

Tuesday, September 18

Today was eventful, to say the least.

American Problem #1: Adaptors

Adaptors are all well and good at first. They really are, they TRICK you into thinking that they're your friends. You think, "they wouldn't betray me.." You're wrong.

Today my adaptor betrayed me in the worst of ways. The traitor has been punished with a sentencing of 5 days in a bag in the back of my closet.

My alarm clock was plugged into my adaptor and I had double checked that it was set for 7:30. I needed to get up in order to be at République at 8:45 to meet the rest of my class before starting a scavenger hunt around the city (who needs class when you can go on a scavenger hunt?)

Of course, it didn't ring. And what with these French shutters that block out every ray of sunshine, there was no natural light to wake me, either. I woke up at 8:39... My house is 15 minutes away from the city centre. By some miracle, we made it there by 8:55, just before teams were formed for the scavenger hunt.

We all ran around Rennes, finding answers and relaxing in cafés, until we had to be back in school by 12:30 for a pizza party, of all things. After a quick assembly, we were dismissed early.

Tomorrow marks the first day of school.. Goodbye summer, hello schoolwork. But let's be clear - I love this kind of schoolwork.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Testing

Monday, September 17th

Today, we had our first (kind of) day of school. Technically, we're still in the middle of the orientation process.. but the stress was still high as I stepped onto the threshold of 5 Allees Ste. Marie. We began the testing process. Upstairs in Classroom 5, I sat down in a desk for what feels like the first time in years, but was technically the first time in about 3 months. Papers were passed and testing began. Comprehension here, writing there and eventually the scribbling stopped.

Afterwards, there was the math placement testing. There were cries of anxiety as we were told calculators were not to be used, but we all made it through without a scratch, thank God.

After school, we relaxed at la Duchesse Anne - eating typical French cuisine.. Chicken nuggets for Wes and Pain au Chocolat and baguette for the rest of us.

Here's to wondering where I'll be put..

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Exploring

Sunday, September 16th

Today, I woke up at the semi-ok hour of 11. After sauntering upstairs for a quick hello to my host family, I contacted a few friends (now that I finally have a phone.. of sorts..) and was whisked away by the grand chariot that takes me into the city... the number 9 bus. I arrived and met my friend Wes, at our new hang out - La Duchesse Ann. Now, my friends, La Duchesse Ann is not merely a café where one can lounge about and enjoy a cup of coffee and a pain au chocolat. No, no. It is SO much more. It's a run down, dingy restaurant that has weird food, great ice cream and ok hot chocolate... All at the right price for an American student with a budget. We're now friends with the owner, Bernie, who speaks absolutely NO English (which is probably good for our French). We're on a first name basis..

After I met Wes, our friend Maren arrived and we caught up with another group of kids. We explored the streets of Rennes, making our way to a park. Mainly, we were all trying to figure out how to get where. Our first time alone in this new city - navigation was rather difficult.

After we found our way around the area near school, we made our way back to Wes's to indulge in some well deserved baguette, camembert et confiture.


I made it back home by 7:30, to prepare for tomorrow. What should I expect? Where will I land in the rankings at SYA?

Only time will tell.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Flea Markets

Today I woke up at 1:00pm, thanks to jet-lag. After eating my host family out of house and home, baguette-and-cheese-wise, we took the bus to the centre of Rennes.

Here, we stumbled up la Braderie, which is a once a year event. Think of a tag sale or a garage sale that you may have been to. Now multiply it by 3,000. That's how big this flea market was. We strolled down the seemingly never ending street that held everything from bags to dolls to disco balls. Quite the scene.

I've now bought a French carte de sim, talked to les vendeurs, and ridden the bus without a problem. Success thus far.

Yours in dysfunctional French,

-L

Orientation

Yesterday, we had orientation.

I awoke at the God-awful hour (for a jet-lagged traveler) of 7:15 and departed from my host family's house at 7:45. I made it to school around 8:15 and around 9:30 the orientation began. We met our teachers, all of whom have great senses of humor, and learned the rules and regulations of SYA France. We explored our school house and the surrounding grounds, which are magnificent. There's a garden called Les Jardins du Thabor filled to the brim with all types of roses, big lawns and even a playground - the perfect place for doing homework in peace on a sunny day.

We went to lunch at the private school down the road from us and after relaxed in the school's courtyard. Quality start to the school year.

After school, a group of us went to run some errands and get a feel for the area around school. We found this tiny hole-in-the wall restaurant that nobody else was in, sat down, befriended the owner and now we feel like locals.

Excuse the photo quality:

Departure and Arrival

Apologies for the delayed blog, life has been hectic lately. But I'll start from the beginning:

Wednesday Morning - 9:30am:

Wake up. Have shower. Realize I'm about to embark on one of the most exciting and terrifying adventures of my life. I stuff what's left of my room into my enormous bag, my parents help me load the bags into the trunk and we set off for JFK.

After calling into my school for a quick goodbye to my closest friends and driving for about a half an hour, I look into my camera and realize that I've forgotten my camera battery and charger. This is horrible news, especially for someone with a photography blog, and my parents and I quickly start researching nearby Best Buys. Luckily we found one near the hotel where the SYA Departure Meeting was being held.

Wednesday Afternoon - 12:30pm:

We arrive at the hotel and there is the typical awkwardness that is 60 kids meeting for the first time. After milling around and talking to my parents for a while as more and more kids filter in, the meeting starts. We are greeted by the president of SYA and our Resident Director. After the hour long meeting, we depart in our car, headed for the airport.

Wednesday Afternoon - 3:30pm:

We check our bags and say goodbye. Surprisingly, no tears. I'm a fumbling mess as we go through security, dropping things here and there as i attempt to put my shoes back on. A group of us continue on to Gate 44, where we are supposedly leaving for Paris at 5:30. Everyone meets, and we prepare to depart.

Wednesday Evening - 5:30pm:

A few announcements are made and groans and moans are heard from the SYA kids as we learn that the flight isn't taking off until 8:45. And we have to move to gate 3. We all gather our things and trudge through the airport to gate 3, where we settle down and await our plane, anxious to get on board. New people are met and we all bond over the experience.

Wednesday Evening - 5:45pm:

Another Announcement. Another Move. Many more groans. Gate 12, here we come.

Wednesday Evening - 9:00pm:

We finally board the plane. After a long wait, more class bonding, and many attempts to stuff my overpacked carryon into the compartments, I settle down on the plane. Literally 1 hour of sleep on a 7 hour flight.

Thursday(ish) Morning - 10:45am:

We land at Charles De Gaulle and make our way through customs, pick up our bags. After an exhausting adventure of getting lost int the airport, we finally make it to the buses.

Thursday Evening - 7:00pm:

We arrive in Rennes! I meet my host mother, Maryvonne, and my host sister, Clémence, and we take a picture outside the school. I get home and pass out from over tiredness.



So far i understand most of the French that's been thrown at me, albeit I've had to ask for a few words and I think stuff gets lost in translation. But so far, so good.

Yours in dysfunctional French,

-L

Goodbyes

Today was the start of the horrible process of saying goodbye.

I have a group of 6 friends, all of whom I've been close to for 13 years, since I moved to town. The 7 of us all live on one street and they are my closest friends, my confidantes, my sisters. The oldest, Steph, has gone to college, but the rest of us are still toiling through high school. All summer it's been on my mind: saying goodbye to them is going to be one of the hardest things to do. We had a goodbye dinner together before Steph left, but tonight was a sort of goodbye party for me before my departure. Naturally, Steph video-chatted in for the dinner and "Bon Voyage" cake that followed.

As I looked around the table at the 6 girls that I have basically grown up with I was hit with a small wave of melancholy. It's amazing to go out into the world, to be independent and to take a step away from my small childhood hamlet but it's an enormous change. And when the time comes for me to really say goodbye, I'm not really sure how I plan to handle it. Will a quick hug and an abrupt "Bye, I'll miss you!" suffice? Of course nothing will make it easy, but at times like these it's hard to find the right words.

Luckily, with modern technology like video-chat and WhatsApp and such the girls and other friends won't be much more than a click away. My interviewer for SYA (my abroad program) went to the same school in 1969 and was in the same situation as me, but had to travel by boat and letters via snail-mail were few and far between.

Well, I take solace in the fact that I'll be meeting the 65 other kids in the same situation on Wednesday.

....Aaaand back to the Over-Stuffed Suitcase. à tout à l'heure !

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Arduous Tasks

Today I employed one of my best friends to aid me in the horrendous task that is packing for 9 months. The worst thing about packing for nine months is that you never know what the weather will be like, or the conditions you'll be in at any given moment. As you root around your room, different scenarios spring to mind that force you to pack extra things.

At first you start with the basics: Underwear, socks, tshirts, pants, shorts and sweaters. Then you remember pajamas. Then you remember workout gear. Then you remember scarves, hats, bags, tank tops, and other "essentials." After more rummaging through the endless cavern that is your closet you find those big bulky sweatpants that you haven't worn in 6 months that you just can't live without.. Although you've been without them for a while... But really you can't bare to leave them behind. So you stuff them in there.

After you manage to stuff all of these so-called "necessary" bits and pieces into your suitcase and you think that you are queen of the world for having done it in a mere 6 hours, you realize that one really must wear shoes whilst traveling abroad. And that means another suitcase. Oh, and what about your toothbrush, makeup, hairbrush and other toiletries. Another step in the stressful process.

I've found, as I add more and more to the ever-growing pile that is mounting on the floor beside my suitcase, that I seem to have developed an emotional attachment to my clothes. So even the ones that I haven't worn in ages worm their way into the mess.

Packing, my friends, is no small feat.

Good luck to my future classmates. I can only hope they're all a bit more organized and well-off in their suitcase-stuffing.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

259 Days

259 Days, in Rennes

That's 37 weeks or 6216 hours. Or 372,960 minutes. Or 22,377,600 seconds. And that's how long I'll be living in Rennes, France.

3,811 miles away from my home in New York.

It seems strange to write the numbers out like that, but it almost makes it seem more definite.

This year, with a Study Abroad Program, I have the opportunity to travel with a group of 65 or so students to Rennes for 9 months. From September 12th until May 29th. I figured such an opportunity couldn't go to waste so, in order to capture the year, I will post one photo per day, documenting a moment of a day in the life of an American Student in France.

Alongside the pictures, I will attempt to channel my inner writer and describe the experience, the severe language barrier, and my fumbling French.


Before Wednesday, I have packing to do. And that is no small feat, I'll tell you that much.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L