It’s not as hard as it looks! That’s because my 4 fellow accordion classmates and I have a very basic version of the accordion. It’s small and cute, with only 2 rows of buttons on each side (as opposed to, like, 4 to 6 rows on each side). A friend of Alex who lives in Strasbourg is teaching us! He’s funny and very laid back, which is great since he teaches us in French! Here’s the song we’re learning, but I'm not the one playing it! [accordion polka] What I both love and hate about learning an instrument is the vulnerability. What I mean is, each of us is “put on the spot” to make sure we know what we’re playing. We aren’t reading music, so we memorize short phrases right away. We are corrected in front of each other. I felt awkward at first because I’d never even touched an accordion before my first class, and I’m guessing the others hadn’t either. The great thing is, it’s fun! And the stress of playing and messing up in front of the others isn’t really that stressful after all because I’m with friends, and I’m playing a unique instrument! It shows me that I can do things that normally I would avoid—typically I hate having any attention at all on me. Basically, what I like about playing the accordion is feeling like a curious, unafraid, and excited child.
As some of you already know, I temporarily have a French phone number. I ended up switching out my SIM card because it was so much easier than either: a) relying completely on WiFi for all texts and having no data (one of the reasons I got lost), or b) buying a new phone which was at least 60 euros. When I return home, I’ll just put my old SIM card back in. Switching SIM cards wasn’t hard at all, and the company I’m using is called Free. I pay less than 10 euros a month, and I have 50 gigs of data plus unlimited texts and calls in Europe. Pretty decent! Some of the other American students did the same thing. The day I got my new SIM card was also the day I tried actual French “fast food” for the first time! I was with a fellow US friend, Hannah, and we stopped at a place called Brioche Dorrée. The sandwiches are pre-made, not too expensive, and they’re healthy! I got one called Le Pagnol. It had zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce, and goat cheese! And the bread was amazing. I also got a pain au chocolat, which I really love (if you don’t know what that is, look it up and I swear your mouth will water). We ordered and paid for our food all at once and then sat down at the place to eat it. I like ordering food in French because usually it’s easy to understand and speak. Anyway, it wasn’t hard to know proper manners in a place like Brioche Dorrée, because it was just like a fast food place/Panera Bread at home. But later when Ally and I went to a café together, we sat down, looked at a menu, and our drinks were brought to us. Ally ordered a coke, which came in an old-fashioned tall glass bottle (that’s actually common in French restaurants!) with a glass to pour it into. I ordered an espresso, another delicious French thing I love. We just didn’t know whether we were supposed to wait for the waiter to come back with the bill, to ask for the bill, or to go up to the counter. Plus I really wanted to keep Ally’s glass coke bottle and I didn’t know if that was possible...? Our next class was in 15 minutes. We decided to go up to the counter to pay. No one gave us any weird looks (that I noticed). I don’t order food out much anyway, so whether I’m in France or the US I could be doing it wrong. So we asked Alex later, and apparently it’s customary to ask for the bill (“L’addition, s’il vous plait!”) before you get up and leave. The waiter/waitress comes to you after you ask. That’s because in France you’re allowed to sit at a café or restaurant for as long as you want. But at fast food places here, I noticed you can choose “for here” or “to go.” For both options at a fast food place, you go up to the counter to pay like in the US. One more update—public transportation isn’t terrifying anymore! It always takes me like 45 minutes to get anywhere, but at least I mostly understand how it works. I wrote down some nerdy little notes so I’m all set for now. There are 3 different buses I can take that will get me to the proximity of the university. The next challenge is finding out how to get a monthly pass....otherwise bus and tram fares are way too expensive every day. P.S. Mom, I got to keep the glass coke bottle, and it’s for you! 😊 French words! à emporter—to go sur place—for here à plus, Elda
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When I woke up to face my first actual day in Strasbourg, I felt almost magically better. My sinking feeling of loneliness was gone! I still felt uncomfortable with the unfamiliar, but at least I had some of my curiosity back. I was also lucky that I was busy; there was a meeting with my program on day one. Another fact that made the first day easier: jet lag had caused me to sleep until 3pm! I was rested, and only a short day was ahead of me. Ida drove me to my program's office. I live somewhat far from the center of Strasbourg, so I really didn't know how to get there on my own yet. She tried to explain the map to me, and I thought I understood, but being a country girl who has had very little experience with cities, I don't ever fully understand until I walk the streets and see the sights. Ally lives in the same building as the office, so when Ida dropped me off, I went to her room first. We chatted a bit and then went to the meeting, which was downstairs. Finally I started to feel a bit more organized. Throughout the rest of the day, Alex (the director of my program) answered many questions and helped us figure out how to look for classes. I met two other girls in my program (both from the US), and we explored part of the city for the first time. We found a store called Monoprix, which is like Target in the US. Surprisingly, I wasn't too nervous to speak French with native French speakers...I didn't necessarily seek out a bunch of opportunities, but I didn't avoid speaking altogether either. I think I was also motivated by the fact that I didn't want to seem confused, lost, or ignorant! Plus Susquehanna prepared me well I think. In the evening I had a nice, delicious homemade dinner made by Ida, called Jack on Facebook Messenger, and then went to bed (I took some melatonin to ward off the jet lag). The next day we all met at the office again for a little tour of the campus of the University of Strasbourg. As international students, we are being enrolled at the international student institute at the U of Strasbourg (called the IIEF), but we can also take classes with French students elsewhere on campus. A fun challenge! So, some of us tried a class that day. To be honest, it was a little boring. The classroom was large, the professor spoke somewhat quietly, and it was entirely a lecture for 2 hours. There was a lot of French I just didn't understand. The class was about the history of the Alsace region, which Strasbourg is a part of. I'm going to stick with it I think, though I can still drop the course if I change my mind. We had lunch at Alex's lovely house! His wife Andrea (who is also the assistant director of our program) made a tasty quiche and a salad, and for dessert we had a galette des rois. Find out what that is here! But basically, it represents the Epiphany, and inside the cake is hidden a small figurine called the fève. Whoever discovers the fève gets to wear a crown and is called the king/queen! Alex and Andrea's youngest son, 5-year-old Calvin, was with us, and he was excited about the galette. He had made a crown in school that day! Guess who found the fève....I did! The fève in the picture is a fat little snowman. So about the part when I got lost... After another class and another short excursion into the city, the others had gone home and I went back to Ally's. Ida's apartment was about a half hour walk away. But I was still unsure of how to use the bus. What side of the street should I be on? What directions were each of the buses going? I wasn't familiar with place names either. I'd have to really study the map at the bus stop to figure it out, and it was quite chilly outside...and there were so many buses! But I knew the general direction of Ida's place, and I only had to make one turn. It seemed pretty easy to just walk, right? Wrong. To a country girl, walking might seem easier than trying to figure out how public transportation works in just a few minutes, but when I tried to find the main road, it seemed to me like it branched into 3 different ways??? And where were the street signs? I went the way I remembered Ida driving me. Then I looked at the paper map she gave me. I could easily see where I was supposed to go, but I couldn't find any of it in front of me. And my phone didn't have data. Deep breath. I sat down on a bench and decided I would ask someone. The first person I saw I asked (in pretty decent French) for the correct direction. The reply I got (also in French) was, "Sorry, I am not familiar with it." So.......my plan? To retrace my steps. I went back the way I came and stopped at the office, where I called Ida. I felt bad making her go out of her way to come pick me up, but she did rescue me! She was so nice about it. The moral of the story is that I was too ambitious trying to walk, and I should have made better plans ahead of time. So for tomorrow, the goal is to learn how to use the bus! A fun French phrase I learned: C'est un joyeux bordel=It's a complete screw up and nobody cares (not translated literally) This was said in relation to French universities. They can be pretty disorganized, but somehow they work! à la prochaine fois, Elda Bonjour tout le monde! This is my first post, though I arrived here in Strasbourg on January 12th.
It's been almost a week. The first day was rough, but it's been getting so much better! Let me tell you how it started... What am I doing here? That's what I kept asking myself the evening I got to the apartment where my host mom lives. I had never felt more homesick in my life. I felt awful. In fact, I thought it was the worst day of my life, and I couldn't stop crying. I cried in front of everyone because I couldn't stop. I didn't even feel embarrassed; I was just so, so sad. I thought, I can't stay here for almost 5 months! I missed my house, my bed, my mom and dad, my boyfriend Jack, my guinea pig, my cats, and for some reason I felt so alone. I hadn't traveled alone though; Ally, a fellow student at my university, had the exact same itinerary as me (we had planned it). My host mom, Ida, was absolutely amazing. She was excited to see me, and she gave me a hug! And Alex, the director of my program, was incredibly helpful as well. So why was I so terribly sad? Well, I know it's normal. My family doesn't travel much, and I'd never lived anywhere but in Pennsylvania (in the country). This is a huge deal! I just didn't expect to be so unsettled. I know I never liked change, and I know it takes time to adjust, but I just completely fell apart. After Ida made me something to eat, I cried some more, and then I called my parents. It made me feel better to hear their voices, but I still longed more than anything to be back home with them. My dad offered comforting words and told me I needed sleep and the morning would be better. Then I called Jack, and he said the same thing. Since I had nothing else to do, I slept. I didn't change or take a shower or unpack. I just slept. When I started learning French in my sophomore year of high school, I fell in love with it. I love the way my voice sounds when I speak it, and I love how pretty the words look when written. And I really love patisseries! So, going to France was my DREAM. Being here in Strasbourg, this was me living the dream. I wanted to be excited! The first day I just wasn't. The huge change hit me all at once, and the traveling had made me exhausted. A dangerous mix. However, as horrible as I felt, I didn't want to quit. I knew I wasn't stuck here like some kind of prisoner and I could fly home, but I really wanted to give this huge change, a 5-year-long dream, a decent chance. à la prochaine fois, Elda |
AuthorHello! I'm Elda, a French/Anthropology major and Applied Language Studies minor studying in Strasbourg for a semester. Archives
May 2019
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